I'll be honest, I really did think it was him. I just didn't have enough to feel confident. The way he kept defending a man he admits he thought had a "bad personality" struck me as some semblance of remorse.
[Huffing.]
He has been an odd man from the start, and I was warned that he was likely dangerous before I ever even spoke to him.
[So she doesn't feel bad, but.]
Yes. But which? I don't know that I feel Vlad is the obvious choice. I simply cannot imagine him beating a man's brains to a frothy pulp and then going to get a croissant.
I only spoke to him once or twice. Can't say I knew enough to say he was dangerous or not, but the-- [ he gestures at the side of his face ] hole in his head certainly raised questions.
[ it's, well. difficult to feel entirely guilty about condemning someone who has killed, it's just frustrating the payoff is that one of the actually killers here and now gets away with it. ]
That's the big question. I'm still not sure if he might've killed Luca, or not. But given the set up with Shi Qunxing and Ming Yi, I would be incredibly surprised to learn he didn't plan something.
[ ... ]
For the moment we're working under the assumption only you and I have the Oliver Twist ability, I take it. [ assumption being the big word right now. ]
Hmm. That's an interesting one. I don't think the numbers worked out for a neat division into threes, so it's quite possible. If there is a third, they also didn't bother to speak up.
I told Mineo outright I didn't intend to reveal my prize. It can't have been involved in the murder, and if I am to be attacked, I would rather my attacker be unaware of what to expect.
There was a lot of overlap. [ i say trying to remember nine hours of chaos ] Enough that it would surprise me if a killer wasn’t involved in a couple of cases, or a killer also was targeted. There just isn’t the definitive proof to say “yes, this is the case”.
[ he nods ]
No, I understand. It’s an ability that works best with the element of surprise, I agree. No one really seemed to notice we didn’t describe what our abilities do [ minus omi, but he didn’t seem to pry ], or if they did they didn’t say anything.
I propose this. I will tell one person I trust what the ability is, and you do the same. If one of us is killed next week, that singular person will be able to vouch for the effect.
Did you make a note of what everyone else was talking about when they were sharing powers? [ convenient that everyone likes to talk about what their powers can do in the middle of a group gathering. ]
[Hmm, she's suddenly worried who he'll pick. There are a few people here. . . ]
Mine will be Mollymauk, Gu Yun, or Vira. You may propose any of them unacceptable, and I will choose again. I will also cause them to swear, if I do not turn up dead and neither do you and our power appears to have been used, they will not bring it up.
[Since Molly is his roommie, she hopes(?) that's fine with him?]
If I think you've used this power to murder someone for your own gain, I will expose you, but should I suspect a defensive use it will be none of my concern and I will remain silent. Otherwise, avoid using it, even to avoid non-lethal injury - I have a theory I want to run by the Avatars about it.
Are these terms acceptable?
[Anyway, moving along. Yes, she always makes lists, but you're gonna make me dig it up. She just recites like it's from a list she memorized.]
Aphrodite - Invisible Arrows. Shi Qingxuan and Mollymauk. I'm certain they're lying about the scope of what it does, and someone will be cursed with love arrows the next time they insult either of them.
Blind - Make someone blind for 24 hours. Takeru, Misa, and Fukuda have this.
The Power of God and Anime - Boil blood for thirty seconds. Mineo, Douman, Lenore, and Gu Yun claimed to have this.
[She pauses from her recital for a second.]
Oh. A word of advice for defensive use on this one - I have no idea if you can localize it, but if possible, target blood to the brain stem. [She points to a location on her skull.] Fifteen seconds should be enough.
Unholy Hunger - Drive someone mad with insatiability for 24 hours. Aoi, Omi, Law, and Childe claim to have this.
Then you and I, Oliver Twist. That leaves, unaccounted for, Grace, Medb, Mahito, Yuel, Sheila, Endorsi, Eleanor, Megara, Ming Yi, and - [She smiles a little, admiring] despite starting us off, Vira never said anything, either.
Furthermore, Primrose, and Gojou claim they and Luca received nothing.
One more note. Four claimed to receive Unholy Hunger, and four claimed to receive God and Anime. There is no way to prove it, but given how easy it would be to falsely claim to belong to another category and the trend of division into threes, I suspect someone in each of these two groups is lying. It won't be Mineo or Omi, because they both spoke first.
Don't pick Gu Yun. I've already shared my ability with him. Personally, I'd say Vira over Molly, because there's always the chance someone could claim Gu Yun and Molly are just covering for each other and for us, if it comes to that. [ it's well known gu yun and molly are close, after all. ]
But ultimately that's your decision, and your choice. All three of them are practical enough to know when to keep quiet and when to speak up. Just... not picking the same person is a good starting point.
[ ... well that earns a laugh. ]
Sure, the same goes for you. [ this blunt practicality is a refreshing change, harrow. ] Although I would like to hear this theory of yours, when you're in a position to share it.
That matches up with what I remember from the trial. It's notable that out of the four we know, it's two with four people claiming to have it, and two with two people claiming to have it. Given the group who didn't say anything, I assume there's at least one or two powers we don't know about, but I'm not planning on sharing my information for theirs to find out.
There doesn't seem to be a clear logic to the distribution, as Gu Yun, Shi Qingxuan and I were in the same group and all received different powers. I will say though, what Gu Yun claimed to have in trial is what he told me he had on Friday, so right now I don't have a reason to think he's lying. Molly referenced his powers, but kept them quiet so I can't confirm his.
... But I do wonder if it's to do with secondary sins and how often we've indulged in them.
I think it random. I trust Gu Yun, and that includes trusting him enough to decide to lie about it. But if you say he isn't lying, that is enough for me. Someone else probably has ours, and someone else probably has the arrows. Again, I have no proof, only - the labours were divided into threes, and so, I would suspect, the prizes.
Vira it is, then. [But there is a sigh of relief a little - she didn't like the idea of some other person out there knowing her ability, but Gu Yun would never harm her.]
. . . If Gu Yun is not the liar, that raises a different possibility. That it is Douman who is lying.
[She looks him in the eye, trying to gauge his reaction to this.]
What do you think about that? I don't know him well - do you believe him trustworthy?
Or Lenore. But I don't know her, so I can't say. Do you?
[ hm. does he know douman well enough to call him trustworthy? ]
I can't say I do. He's somewhat complicated -- a priest who's very dismissive and critical of the gods, from what I can tell, makes for an interesting character. If you're asking specifically "do I think he'd lie about his powers?", then ... yes. Probably.
If only for the fact it would inject a little chaos into everything. He wouldn't stop eating the evidence, last week.
[ ... ]
If you asked Medb she could probably get the truth out of him. Whether she'd tell you what that truth was or not though, that's a different story.
I admire his aesthetic, but I do find it irritating, the number of times he insists on injecting unnecessary chaos into trials. What with the - eating, and the kicking, and the drama. [Damn, girl, he was cursed.]
I'm certain Medb would lie on his behalf, so I see no point in asking. It doesn't matter very much, anyway.
The... [ he drags his finger down the side of his face, periodically flicking his finger in curls as he goes. ] thing? I mean, it's eye catching, that's for sure. The whole lot of it.
[ harrow's right and she should say it, yuri is exhausted from last week still. ]
Just keep it in mind if he claims to have used his power one week. Or if something pops up we can't trace back to the four powers we know about. [ can't wait to find out douman also has oliver twist, possibly. ] He did get voted second place, after all. Although I don't think that means much when we keep getting it wrong anyway.
[ thank god. ] Right, of course it's the skeletons. [ harrow your goth sensibilities. ]
He holds his "Master" in high esteem. It's not surprising.
I know there are people who are... fond of him? Or were? I don't know how much all that would've changed their opinion, or if those people would have voted. It'd be more helpful if we had a breakdown of voting numbers, if not names.
It is something that can be asked. I only. . . know that Greed, in particular, feels that we have been given the privilege of these trials, and I would not disrespect him by asking during one about voting trickery rather than questions related to finding the culprit.
Outside of one, though? If they feel that it is our privilege to be going through these trials, then someone rigging the voting process would be trampling on that. Or, that's an angle that could be taken to get some answers out of them.
I could ask one of the other Avatars, but if Greed's the one who feels the most strongly about it, they might be the one to hit up regarding it.
Greed will give straightforward answers if straightforward answers can be given. If it is something they cannot answer, you will come to understand that quickly. Do not ask them questions you know to be pointless, do not complain about things that cannot be helped, and do not waste their time, and you will find them an incredibly worthwhile Avatar to speak to about any matter.
Sloth says a lot of things. Sloth told me I looked exactly like their brother, and then showed me a memory of a large purple glowing monster that went Haaaaaargh.
[She doesn't even know what a samurai is or why it'd be embarrassing but she'll defend Greed anyway.]
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I can see the logic Gu Yun took to accusing him, but... we didn't know anything, and it didn't help us figure out who it was this time. [ ... ]
Although ... I sort of think one of our killers was among the dead anyway.
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[Huffing.]
He has been an odd man from the start, and I was warned that he was likely dangerous before I ever even spoke to him.
[So she doesn't feel bad, but.]
Yes. But which? I don't know that I feel Vlad is the obvious choice. I simply cannot imagine him beating a man's brains to a frothy pulp and then going to get a croissant.
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[ it's, well. difficult to feel entirely guilty about condemning someone who has killed, it's just frustrating the payoff is that one of the actually killers here and now gets away with it. ]
That's the big question. I'm still not sure if he might've killed Luca, or not. But given the set up with Shi Qunxing and Ming Yi, I would be incredibly surprised to learn he didn't plan something.
[ ... ]
For the moment we're working under the assumption only you and I have the Oliver Twist ability, I take it. [ assumption being the big word right now. ]
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I told Mineo outright I didn't intend to reveal my prize. It can't have been involved in the murder, and if I am to be attacked, I would rather my attacker be unaware of what to expect.
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[ he nods ]
No, I understand. It’s an ability that works best with the element of surprise, I agree. No one really seemed to notice we didn’t describe what our abilities do [ minus omi, but he didn’t seem to pry ], or if they did they didn’t say anything.
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Did you make a note of what everyone else was talking about when they were sharing powers? [ convenient that everyone likes to talk about what their powers can do in the middle of a group gathering. ]
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Mine will be Mollymauk, Gu Yun, or Vira. You may propose any of them unacceptable, and I will choose again. I will also cause them to swear, if I do not turn up dead and neither do you and our power appears to have been used, they will not bring it up.
[Since Molly is his roommie, she hopes(?) that's fine with him?]
If I think you've used this power to murder someone for your own gain, I will expose you, but should I suspect a defensive use it will be none of my concern and I will remain silent. Otherwise, avoid using it, even to avoid non-lethal injury - I have a theory I want to run by the Avatars about it.
Are these terms acceptable?
[Anyway, moving along. Yes, she always makes lists, but you're gonna make me dig it up. She just recites like it's from a list she memorized.]
Aphrodite - Invisible Arrows. Shi Qingxuan and Mollymauk. I'm certain they're lying about the scope of what it does, and someone will be cursed with love arrows the next time they insult either of them.
Blind - Make someone blind for 24 hours. Takeru, Misa, and Fukuda have this.
The Power of God and Anime - Boil blood for thirty seconds. Mineo, Douman, Lenore, and Gu Yun claimed to have this.
[She pauses from her recital for a second.]
Oh. A word of advice for defensive use on this one - I have no idea if you can localize it, but if possible, target blood to the brain stem. [She points to a location on her skull.] Fifteen seconds should be enough.
Unholy Hunger - Drive someone mad with insatiability for 24 hours. Aoi, Omi, Law, and Childe claim to have this.
Then you and I, Oliver Twist. That leaves, unaccounted for, Grace, Medb, Mahito, Yuel, Sheila, Endorsi, Eleanor, Megara, Ming Yi, and - [She smiles a little, admiring] despite starting us off, Vira never said anything, either.
Furthermore, Primrose, and Gojou claim they and Luca received nothing.
One more note. Four claimed to receive Unholy Hunger, and four claimed to receive God and Anime. There is no way to prove it, but given how easy it would be to falsely claim to belong to another category and the trend of division into threes, I suspect someone in each of these two groups is lying. It won't be Mineo or Omi, because they both spoke first.
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Don't pick Gu Yun. I've already shared my ability with him. Personally, I'd say Vira over Molly, because there's always the chance someone could claim Gu Yun and Molly are just covering for each other and for us, if it comes to that. [ it's well known gu yun and molly are close, after all. ]
But ultimately that's your decision, and your choice. All three of them are practical enough to know when to keep quiet and when to speak up. Just... not picking the same person is a good starting point.
[ ... well that earns a laugh. ]
Sure, the same goes for you. [ this blunt practicality is a refreshing change, harrow. ] Although I would like to hear this theory of yours, when you're in a position to share it.
That matches up with what I remember from the trial. It's notable that out of the four we know, it's two with four people claiming to have it, and two with two people claiming to have it. Given the group who didn't say anything, I assume there's at least one or two powers we don't know about, but I'm not planning on sharing my information for theirs to find out.
There doesn't seem to be a clear logic to the distribution, as Gu Yun, Shi Qingxuan and I were in the same group and all received different powers. I will say though, what Gu Yun claimed to have in trial is what he told me he had on Friday, so right now I don't have a reason to think he's lying. Molly referenced his powers, but kept them quiet so I can't confirm his.
... But I do wonder if it's to do with secondary sins and how often we've indulged in them.
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Vira it is, then. [But there is a sigh of relief a little - she didn't like the idea of some other person out there knowing her ability, but Gu Yun would never harm her.]
. . . If Gu Yun is not the liar, that raises a different possibility. That it is Douman who is lying.
[She looks him in the eye, trying to gauge his reaction to this.]
What do you think about that? I don't know him well - do you believe him trustworthy?
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[ hm. does he know douman well enough to call him trustworthy? ]
I can't say I do. He's somewhat complicated -- a priest who's very dismissive and critical of the gods, from what I can tell, makes for an interesting character. If you're asking specifically "do I think he'd lie about his powers?", then ... yes. Probably.
If only for the fact it would inject a little chaos into everything. He wouldn't stop eating the evidence, last week.
[ ... ]
If you asked Medb she could probably get the truth out of him. Whether she'd tell you what that truth was or not though, that's a different story.
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[Hmm. She looks away for a moment, considering.]
I admire his aesthetic, but I do find it irritating, the number of times he insists on injecting unnecessary chaos into trials. What with the - eating, and the kicking, and the drama. [Damn, girl, he was cursed.]
I'm certain Medb would lie on his behalf, so I see no point in asking. It doesn't matter very much, anyway.
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The... [ he drags his finger down the side of his face, periodically flicking his finger in curls as he goes. ] thing? I mean, it's eye catching, that's for sure. The whole lot of it.
[ harrow's right and she should say it, yuri is exhausted from last week still. ]
Just keep it in mind if he claims to have used his power one week. Or if something pops up we can't trace back to the four powers we know about. [ can't wait to find out douman also has oliver twist, possibly. ] He did get voted second place, after all. Although I don't think that means much when we keep getting it wrong anyway.
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[Of course it's the skeletons, Yuri. Of course.]
I suspect he got voted for by Fukuda. And perhaps, if Fukuda had any friends here, perhaps those, too. He turned on him at the end, didn't he?
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He holds his "Master" in high esteem. It's not surprising.
I know there are people who are... fond of him? Or were? I don't know how much all that would've changed their opinion, or if those people would have voted. It'd be more helpful if we had a breakdown of voting numbers, if not names.
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I could ask one of the other Avatars, but if Greed's the one who feels the most strongly about it, they might be the one to hit up regarding it.
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[She is a stan.]
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They sound real forgiving. [ ha. ] But I can't argue with someone who doesn't want to waste time. Cutting through the mud's never a bad idea.
[ ... ]
I did end up watching some movies because of them. Maybe I can give them a review before I ask them about the sanctity of voting.
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[This surprises her. Greed likes movies?]
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[ haha ]
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[She doesn't even know what a samurai is or why it'd be embarrassing but she'll defend Greed anyway.]
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honestly, he just mouths "Haaaaaargh?" back at her. ]
...
Purple is more my colour anyway.
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Obviously, I prefer black.
[. . .]
I would like to ask you a favor. You may have one in kind.
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[ work it, bonetiddies. ]
... Let me hear the favour and I'll give you an answer.
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