Day 7 - afternoon

[pandatrash]

[After the execution, there's... nothing. The raccoons exit the stage, and the rest of you are free to do the same. The only update on your tablet reads: "You've been good, so we're going to give you the rest of the day off!"]

((Game nav
Recyclr

Reminder: Tomorrow, I'll put up something fun for anybody who is going to be around and playing, but there will be NO MURDERS or activity checks this week.))

Comments

[purrtagonist]

[absolutely catching him during his rounds, and he hasn't forgotten yesterday's promise]

Graham?

[no honorific. he gradually dropped them for everyone over the past two days, and hasn't picked them up again]

[theyregooddogs]

Akira.

It was Niles, right?

[purrtagonist]

[. . . he nods]

Yeah. It was. The raccoons confirmed it before--

[executing him]

[theyregooddogs]

[raising an eyebrow at that before letting it go, staying quiet for a beat]

What part of yesterday did you want to go over exactly?

[purrtagonist]

When Dazai brought up the alternate theory about Corrin having killed Sigma in a berserker-like rampage.

[he shifts, from one foot to the next]

You left the room pretty quickly.

[theyregooddogs]

I'm going to reserve my comments on Dazai's theory, because that isn't relevant any more. But, no, I left the room because Dazai was thinking of caging Corrin without having any idea what he was capable of as a dragon. He was taking a leap off of the information in the profile without doing any research. And you went right along with it.

[purrtagonist]

[hhhhha]

Is it so bad to want to explore every viable theory to uncover the truth?

What if I had been wrong about the anagram?

[theyregooddogs]

Are you listening to me? I didn't have a problem with theory. I had a problem with all of you calmly talking about how to handle someone in a hypothetical situation without even talking to them. Both of you showed no respect for his dignity while he was already dealing with the fact his friend might die.

[purrtagonist]

[-- oh]

[there's an extremely long pause while Akira considers this, thinks back to the events of yesterday (which are all a bit hazy, a bit distant from lack of sleep and stress combined) and pulls up memories of his conversations with Dazai about Corrin]

[. . .]

Mmm.

That was pretty shitty of us.

[pretty shitty]

[theyregooddogs]

[not tempered down yet, but he's less antsy]

It was. No one here enjoys killing for the sake of it. So, while you are blithely trying to save everyone's life, spare a thought for the rest of them, too.

[purrtagonist]

I haven't forgotten everyone else's, I just--

[he suddenly snaps his mouth shut, eyes closing. breathing in, breathing out. he's so tightly wound, and he knows Will is undeserving of the anger boiling in the pit of his stomach right now]

. . . I'll be more careful next time.

[theyregooddogs]

[debating lighting the match to set that powder keg off . . . but thinking better of it, because will doesn't need it and protag akira also has dazai for that]

I know you will.

[purrtagonist]

[yyyyeah. and Dazai will probably set it off eventually, if nothing else beats him to it]

[a humorless laugh]

I don't know if I should be grateful for your faith in me or not. If that even counts as faith.

[theyregooddogs]

[stopping to just consider akira for a stretch, meeting his eyes before glancing off with a sigh]

Don't be grateful. It's not faith, just knowledge.

[purrtagonist]

[is that better? he thinks that's way better than blind faith]

[stands up a little taller]

I'll hold onto my gratitude, then.

[and pour his focus into BEING BETTER!1]

[theyregooddogs]

[you are not going to forget this because you have a strong emotion attached to it??? it's psychology, akira, what are you thinking of]

You can do whatever you want.

[purrtagonist]

Including offering you a cup of hot cocoa?

[ah, look. no coffee! but also that might be because two nights of not sleeping has definitely made Akira consciously back off of the caffeine a bit]

[theyregooddogs]

You can, and I can decline. Thanks, though.

[purrtagonist]

[he accepts that for what it is, and gives a little nod]

All right. But if you ever change your mind, the offer's always open.

[theyregooddogs]

Yeah, I know.

[going to try to finish his rounds before hiding away again]

[purrtagonist]

[OUR CONVERSATIONS KEEP BEING SO SHORT, WILL]

[because Akira lets him go, though not without a wave to see him off, and a distant thought of approaching him during a calmer time period later on]