[ as the rest of the campus abounds with red and pink and hearts for valentine’s day, thank the gods the stem lab hasn’t changed! it’s a good place to hide away from all this ship pushing. ]
They really take the Valentine’s Day stuff seriously here, don’t they?
[ there’s just some unease about that here but it’s. fine. ]
You agreed and you don't even know what Valentine's Day is?
[ hello? ]
Anyway, it's a holiday about love. You're supposed to spend time with the person you're dating, like a girlfriend or boyfriend. But if you're like those of us that don't have a significant other - it's Single's Awareness Day!
...But maybe don't call it that when there's a professor claiming that single people are an epidemic in our society.
[ oh, that makes him laugh. he knew he liked rita for a reason. ]
Unfortunately for us, too many people like all the other crap. I don’t think it’s that bad, either, once in a while - but they’re pushing it a little too hard, even for me.
At least we could turn it into a friend date situation, if we really wanted. Can’t get a prom date? Friend dates are just as good.
...I want to say yes, but I want to know what Otome meant, too. She said she wanted to "save them from this world." Whatever that means, there has to be more to it than just... killing people, you know?
But then... what's the point of all of this? Finding the killers, the trials... If someone's killing us, we can't just let them. We can't just sit back and say "wow, they must actually have a good reason for this," and accept dying, right!?
No, you're right. I don't think any of us should just accept it. But there has to be a way to figure out what's going on without getting someone else hurt, like Adora.
[ awful, and frustrating. at least they understand where to draw the line now, but it's a hollow victory at best. ]
I just... don't know how, if we can't ask them. We have all those pages everyone's found on their field trips, but if someone's put together what it all means, I haven't heard about it yet.
Otome told me something like... to pay attention to what she pays attention to. Like maybe she's been trying to leave hints, even though she can't actually say anything.
That's something, I guess. Maybe it will help if she's still alive for next week. But there's going to be a target on her back now, so we can't rely on it.
[ as much as he hates thinking that way, it's practical to consider all options. ]
...Right, because there are more of them. But we'd have to find the others to know who else to watch, and I think the only lead we have is those four from Fall in last week's trial. So... keep an eye on all of them, I guess?
... I'm pretty damn sure it's Luxanna. Even more so after that trial.
The thing about Otome and Byleth was that they couldn't talk freely about the murders. I tried to talk theories with Byleth; she'd clam right up and offer nothing.
But Taichi, Yamato, and Caleb have all been willing to talk theories with me. Specifically, those first two were on the same page with my suspicions about Otome killing Lan Wangji. I don't think they could have said that stuff if they were on her side.
Yeah. I think you're right. I already thought she was the most likely, but… the others have always been willing to talk to me about this stuff, too. And Taichi - he probably wouldn’t have told Beau to ask that, if he knew.
Thing is, the evidence didn’t seem to point to her this time. It makes more sense with Otome, and honestly? Lux does seem like the kind of person who’d get more offended about an accusation if she was actually guilty for other deaths.
[ that might be his own bias showing, though. ]
But they always seem to work with partners, so... does that mean there’s someone else out there, now? We had Rupert, Byleth, Otome, and maybe Lux… but with Rupert and Byleth dead, and Lux probably not being involved this time... How many others are there?
It's enough to feel certain that it's her, but it's not enough to corner her decisively with. So she can't confess.
[rita feels a little bad for her, for that.]
I think there's one more. Looking at the damage on the scene, probably someone who can handle a sword. I mean, maybe Byleth was there before she wound up at the river, but...
So... we find more evidence. Or we focus on finding the other one and just keep an eye on Lux and Otome in the meantime. Even if we don’t actively vote for them, if we follow what Otome is saying and keep look where they’re looking, maybe we’ll be able to puzzle this thing out a little faster.
No, because somehow they always manage to erase everything like it never happened at all, except that whoever’s killed is still gone.
[ THE BITTERNESS. ]
...Don’t mention it. It’s good to talk to someone else who’s looking at it logically, you know? As upsetting as this whole thing is, we’re not going to get anywhere if all we do is react emotionally.
It can if you know how to set it up! Sometimes you have to make the parts separate and assemble it later, but it's just like piecing together any other machine.
Sometimes it needs to be broken down into parts, but - pretty much, yeah! It’s pretty sweet. Like I said, though, the material might not be as sturdy as something made of wood or metal, but it works out in a pinch.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 4, monday
They really take the Valentine’s Day stuff seriously here, don’t they?
[ there’s just some unease about that here but it’s. fine. ]
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[a beat.] What the hell is Valentine's Day?
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[ hello? ]
Anyway, it's a holiday about love. You're supposed to spend time with the person you're dating, like a girlfriend or boyfriend. But if you're like those of us that don't have a significant other - it's Single's Awareness Day!
...But maybe don't call it that when there's a professor claiming that single people are an epidemic in our society.
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Well, it looked like they had something annoying planned, anyway. This pretty much confirms what I suspected.
[just vague irritation at everything! as well as some ever-present anxiety, because boy, recent events have been A Lot.]
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Unfortunately for us, too many people like all the other crap. I don’t think it’s that bad, either, once in a while - but they’re pushing it a little too hard, even for me.
At least we could turn it into a friend date situation, if we really wanted. Can’t get a prom date? Friend dates are just as good.
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week 4, saturday
How do these things just keep getting worse?
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she's giving off feelings of exhaustion, grief, guilt, and lingering terror.]
Yeah... that was...
[...
she's still kind of in shock.]
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Gods. If we'd known earlier that it was something like this, then maybe...
[ maybe adora would be okay... ]
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I don't... I just don't even know what to do about them. It was like Otome wanted to be caught.
Why the hell did people vote for Catra!?
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[ his voice is miserable, even as he continues. ]
She's unpredictable.
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... Didn't they!?
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But then... what's the point of all of this? Finding the killers, the trials... If someone's killing us, we can't just let them. We can't just sit back and say "wow, they must actually have a good reason for this," and accept dying, right!?
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[ awful, and frustrating. at least they understand where to draw the line now, but it's a hollow victory at best. ]
I just... don't know how, if we can't ask them. We have all those pages everyone's found on their field trips, but if someone's put together what it all means, I haven't heard about it yet.
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[...]
Otome told me something like... to pay attention to what she pays attention to. Like maybe she's been trying to leave hints, even though she can't actually say anything.
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[ as much as he hates thinking that way, it's practical to consider all options. ]
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Yeah. [and hesitantly, she corrects...] Technically, she actually said "what we pay attention to."
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The thing about Otome and Byleth was that they couldn't talk freely about the murders. I tried to talk theories with Byleth; she'd clam right up and offer nothing.
But Taichi, Yamato, and Caleb have all been willing to talk theories with me. Specifically, those first two were on the same page with my suspicions about Otome killing Lan Wangji. I don't think they could have said that stuff if they were on her side.
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Yeah. I think you're right. I already thought she was the most likely, but… the others have always been willing to talk to me about this stuff, too. And Taichi - he probably wouldn’t have told Beau to ask that, if he knew.
Thing is, the evidence didn’t seem to point to her this time. It makes more sense with Otome, and honestly? Lux does seem like the kind of person who’d get more offended about an accusation if she was actually guilty for other deaths.
[ that might be his own bias showing, though. ]
But they always seem to work with partners, so... does that mean there’s someone else out there, now? We had Rupert, Byleth, Otome, and maybe Lux… but with Rupert and Byleth dead, and Lux probably not being involved this time... How many others are there?
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[rita feels a little bad for her, for that.]
I think there's one more. Looking at the damage on the scene, probably someone who can handle a sword. I mean, maybe Byleth was there before she wound up at the river, but...
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... Thanks, by the way. For hearing me out.
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[ THE BITTERNESS. ]
...Don’t mention it. It’s good to talk to someone else who’s looking at it logically, you know? As upsetting as this whole thing is, we’re not going to get anywhere if all we do is react emotionally.
week 4, thursday
leo's meeting rita in the stem lab and offers her a 3D printed multitool, with little mini screwdrivers and wrenches that fold out. ]
So. About that friend date.
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You actually had one!? Where'd you get something like this?
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[looking between the tool and the printer. exciting!!]
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Be my guest. They’re pretty easy to work with, once you get the hang of it.