alchemenace | week 6 saturday with steph

Hey.

[ guess who's visiting her favorite convicted killer helper. ]

[ he is her only favorite convicted killer helper? ]

... Hey. I've had more visitors here than in the days I was in Corona's jail. Ha.

[ so funny ]

Corona sounds awful.

[ sorry rapunzel

stephanie... really does not know what to say. it's at least been enough time that what happened isn't so fresh, and that she isn't going on instinct when talking. ]

Do you need anything?

I didn't always think so.

[ he used to love corona. a lot. even when it didn't love him back. that's probably what made it worse.

he shakes his head ]

... I don't think there's a cure for being afraid of dying. [ ... ] Could you. Could you take care of Rudiger? After. He follows me everywhere but I don't-- I don't want him to follow me there.

I would have done it even if you didn't ask.

[ she probably would have brought it up herself, if he hadn't. ]

Has anyone been giving you a rough time?

Not yet?

[ which honestly ... baffles him. even zelos and akechi have been ... salty, but civil??? ]

Good.

[ she will literally beat anyone who says one mean thing to him with her fake leg. ]

[ he dOESN'T UNDERSTAND THIS ]

What are you planning to do, stake out my jail cell to make sure everyone's nice to me?

Yes.

[ hikage would kill her ]

... You can't stay here all night.

[ he doesn't know how to react, and he also can't handle everything he's feeling right now, so this is. a great mix. ]

I can stay long enough.

[ hikage would definitely kill her. ]

It's not like they can hurt me.

[ gestures at. the bars. ]

True.

But I can hurt them.

What that's going to change? You can't undo what happened.

It won't change anything. All we can do is keep moving forward.

[ and sometimes that means being a petty bitch. ]

[ just a dead-eyed look. forward for him is kind of. y'know. death. sorry steph he's. prickly. ]

Good luck with that.

[ varian maybe you shouldn't have fuckin helped with a murder then

she just makes a face right back at him. ]

[ he regrets! nothing!!!! thanks!!!

The exclamation points make it true. he just hides his face from view, curling in on himself. ]

What do you want from me?

Edited 2018-07-22 11:43 (UTC)

I don't want anything.

[ ... ]

You're my friend.

[ just. stays in his sad ball. ]

I lied to you. I lured Evan out, and then I did nothing when he drowned him, and I faked the evidence--

[ here's the thing: ]

Back in Corona, I knew I was right. I knew! Because they hurt and betrayed me first. [ the logic tracks trust him ] But I-- outside of Rapunzel, no one here had-- you didn't know, any of you, and maybe that's why you were nice, I don't know, but I had to. I promised. I promised my dad. If we didn't make the right ending, or if I died, or even if I came back alone, I wouldn't have-- there's nothing I could've done then. I couldn't take that chance.

[ the logic does not track but this is not the time to bring that up, considering he is dying tomorrow. ]

Your wish was to free him then?

[ it's obvious, but also stephanie isn't entirely sure how the kill rewards even work or if they're still applicable even if you get caught. so. ]

I got the token for the objective.

[ and then yeeted it as fast as he could, just in case... well. this. He croaks out the answer ]

Yeah. I did. I wished for him to be out, and to be healthy and safe, no matter what happened to me-- here or in Corona. I'd have done anything to make that come true.

Edited 2018-07-22 12:44 (UTC)

[ she's quiet for a moment. ]

Why did you wait so long?

[ ... ]

Rapunzel was going to do it with me. That way, we could both do our objectives. It seemed-- fair. [ that she'd have to sacrifice for his dad, too. ] After that I kept ... putting it off, hoping maybe I'd be picked as a Blotter. Or that I'd find someone who deserved it.

[ he lifts his head to stare at steph ]

It was going to be Akechi, but then he came to me. And he was going to kill someone anyway.

[ oh.

well, that explains some things. she remembers his outburst from the trial of how the only person he wanted revenge against was already dead, and how rapunzel hadn't helped his dad back home. ]

What about Fane?

[ ... ]

That's what I said. It was going to be Akechi.

[ guess why fane was out a-killing oops ]

Edited 2018-07-22 13:55 (UTC)

[ on one hand, she knew this as soon as varian started shouting that it wasn't his fault before eichi outed him, but it's still difficult to hear the confirmation. ]

And then you ran into Akechi.

When he came to me as a Historian the first time, he offered it. To help me with my objective. Even told me his own was to drown someone when I tried to get him to back off by saying what it was.

[ he looks away ]

After talking it over with Fane, I was going to go with Akechi. I thought it was better if I could, if I could direct who he killed. And then we'd... But that didn't work out.

[ Varian forgot to account for Eichi having super strength and super boner at once! ]

[ she covers her face with a hand. it's horrific, really, what this place is making them do. and steph has hated it every week, the overwhelming sense of not being able to do enough to actually help. it's really not until this moment, though, where it becomes absolutely suffocating.

varian didn't deserve this. no one did, but... especially not him. ]

You're going to see him again. Your dad. And Fane.

[ he believes the latter, of course, because that one is a matter of-- hours, really-- but the former nets Steph a desperate look. ]

I, I want to, but-- he'll be fine even if I can't. He has to be.

[ please, for once, just... let him have done something right. ]

... I'm sure he'll be much happier if you're with him though.

[ she assumes that, normally, dads love their kids. ]

So I'll do my best to make sure you get home to him.

[ this is the first time in my rp life Steph would be right, but it just makes Varian wince ]

... I just. I just wanted him to be proud of me. For once.

[ yes murder is a weird way to go about it but listen anyway let's-- let's change the subject ]

Sanji and Zelos were the Editors. Sanji confirmed it. He wanted me to out him during the trial, so he must've killed Natsuo. It fit the pattern of previous kills-- but that means you don't know who killed El-Melloi.

[ and... that was the worst one. Also ion knows but Varian doesn't know that smh ion ]

[ of course they did not figure out what was objectively the worst murder of the group. ]

We can still try to figure it out. Maybe they told someone.

[ not that it might matter too much. going by the remaining numbers alone after tomorrow, next week will be their last. ]

You need to know why more than who. I still think someone might be working for Tiger.

[ he will die over this conspiracy theory! Oh wait. ]

Don't get sabotaged now.

I won't.

[ she almost says "i'll try not to," but that's not enough. ]

According to Belph, they already have some plans in place in case Tiger tries to sabotage us through the Editors.

Sanji wants everyone to make it home. He told me that. If she pushes him against that... I don't doubt he'd rebel even if it cost him his life. He's a pirate, you know.

[ he sounds... oddly certain about this. Sanji promised. So. ]

Apparently next week, it's Tiger's turn to choose for the Editors. They're worried she's going to make him go for a Villain.

... if she does, Belph is going to kill him instead.

[ and there it is ]

That's about what I expected.

[ rebellion comes in many shades! that's one he saw coming. ]

Though you might want to get someone else to do the deed. Or at least make sure Eichi is protecting someone else so it doesn't blow up in your faces.

[ Eichi is the worst and Varian hates him kthnx ]

I'd have to talk him into it.

[ she's pretty sure that he only told her this is because the situation has gotten very desperate after that trial. ]

Hmmm.

[ oh, well. ]

Just ... if things go well tomorrow, there'll be fourteen of you left. [ author's note: akechi lived ] Outside of the villains... You guys will have to pick who makes it from that.

... yeah.

[ this is pretty terrible. ]

I think... people who volunteer would be best, but...

[ people volunteering to die sure is a terrible concept. ]

[ the only thing he can think to that is that he volunteers eichi, so he. decides to not. ]

You think they will?

I already know a few people who are willing.

... I know I, I don't get any say it, but I-- [ he curls in around himself so it's muffled when he asks: ] Can you, V and Ion make it to the end? I. I don't want to see you guys dead.

[ the way they're going to see him die tomorrow, which he's not addressing thank you. he knows veronica pretty much has to make it, but. y'know. mirrors and whatnot ]

Edited 2018-07-24 03:47 (UTC)

[ ... that request is more than a little heartbreaking, especially since steph knows all three of them would volunteer if they could at this point (some more willingly than others). ]

We'll do our best to.

[ she can't say they definitely will. someone else might make the decision for them. ]

... Thanks.

[ there's not much else left for him to say. he got what he wanted. he did.

he did, and if this is the sacrifice, it's fine ]

[ she doesn't really know what to say either.

but she will reach her hand through the bars, towards varian. ]

[ he has to be nudged to look up by his raccoon, but when he notices her hand he stares for a bit before... reaching back to hold it. ]

week 6 saturday with steph

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