prologue, post-investigation

[alchemenace]

[ it's luck (convenient pc writing) that varian runs into steph near the dorms after the investigation. he looks like he might be sick. hm. he does try to weakly greet her tho. ]

-- Stephanie. Hey. I--I, uh, I'm glad you're alright.

[ unlike. gi-gan. yike ]

Comments

[vigilantics]

[ steph wonders if this was his first murder and decides it is probably best not to ask that. ]

Yeah. I'm glad you are too. [ he's just a kid. ] How are you?

[alchemenace]

Not murdered, so I'm already doing better than the Captain. [ he sounds a bit. bitter ] So much for getting out of here before anything happened, huh?

[vigilantics]

[ she actually looks... guilty at that. steph should have gotten everyone out of here before it reached this point. it's her job. bruce would have done it.

she rubs her face. ]

Sorry.

[alchemenace]

[ he immediately loses the bitter edge ]

H-hey, no, I didn't mean-- I wasn't blaming you. [ he knows he's good at that-- placing blame (it's not his fault, it's not)-- but he genuinely can't blame steph for this. she's just one guard, and it's not like varian made any progress either. ] It's those... dragon and tiger ladies, and whoever-- whoever killed the captain, that's who we should blame.

[vigilantics]

... yeah.

[ she breathes in, and lets it out. this is going to be a long weekend, and it won't even be over by then. it'll repeat the next week too. ]

We'll have to keep a close eye on everyone tomorrow. Especially the... people who we found today.

[alchemenace]

Right. Why were they out of their dorms and just-- lying around all over the place?

[ except to give them heart attacks ]

[vigilantics]

Sharpay said she doesn't remember being moved, but she remembers being with Jae-Ha when she was still awake.

[ so something... had to have happened there... at some point ]

[alchemenace]

Ion didn't remember being moved either. We can ask them all to recall tomorrow, see if their stories match?

[ or something ]

[vigilantics]

It'll probably be the same story five times, with our luck.

... although I guess Jae-Ha is the least likely one.

[alchemenace]

He was... he was really upset, wasn't he?

[ it's a rhetorical question, of course, but every time varian thinks about that corpse in the glass case-- he heaves out a sigh and sits down on the ground. he needs. a moment. or twelve. ]

They seemed really close.

[vigilantics]

[ for the second time today, steph is grateful she came here alone. seeing people died is bad enough, but seeing someone you love dearly die is... well. ]

They did. I've seen them around together.

[ she's only spoken to them separately though. ]

[alchemenace]

They were drinking and sharing stories the other day. She offered me wine. [ a long pause ] It was not good.

[vigilantics]

Please don't accept wine from strangers.

[ LIKE SHE'S DEAD NOW BUT..... ya know ]

[alchemenace]

It was fine, they were both drinking it too.

[ varian is going to die poisoned ]

[vigilantics]

Poisoning aside, you're too young to be attempting to hold any alcohol, bud.

[alchemenace]

Stephie, please. I'm a man of science. I know exactly how much alcohol is needed to affect my body type and one glass isn't it.

[ a beat ]

Also, if my dad ever found out I got drunk, he'd kill me.

[vigilantics]

The youths these days.

[ steph you're not one to judge ]

[alchemenace]

Said the ancient nineteen year old.

[vigilantics]

My age comes with great wisdom that you cannot comprehend.

[alchemenace]

Oh, okay, in that case, I guess I'll defer to your wisdom, o elder Stephie.

[ someone just died y'all ]

[vigilantics]

[ humor is how she copes with trauma ]

I will not take this mentorship lightly, my Padawan. [ ... ] That means apprentice.

[alchemenace]

[ varian just doesn't cope with trauma? it's fine

[ Also good he was about to ask ]

Oh, like, for your Batgirl guard duties?

[vigilantics]

[ this is too hilarious to ever correct. ]

Yeah, exactly like that!

[alchemenace]

In that case, I think I could handle being Batgirl's padawan.

[vigilantics]

I can already tell this is going to go beautifully.

[alchemenace]

I'm choosing to interpret that as sincerity.

[ and since someone has to bring the mood back down ]

... Do you think we'll figure out who did it tomorrow?

[vigilantics]

We have to.

[ they couldn't stop the murder from happening, but they can find out who did it. ]

We at least have some things to work with.

[alchemenace]

Right. There's got to be something that incriminates the-- the killer, somewhere in everything we found.

[vigilantics]

We didn't really have any time to look at all the stuff that was found. I hope we can check it out tomorrow.

[alchemenace]

We should. That, um, that is what trials are for, right?

[ generally ]

[vigilantics]

[ she

does not trust these fucks

but steph nods anyway. ]

I hope so. Do you think we'll have any equipment?

[alchemenace]

Honestly, going by the equipment this castle offers in general? I would not count on it.

[ he just wants... to do a science ]

[vigilantics]

Just for once I would like things to be easy.

[alchemenace]

Oh, believe me, I, uh, I am feeling you there. [ life's hard. ] We're going to have to... make do with what we can.

[vigilantics]

Mm. We have a lot of different people with different experiences, so I'm sure we can manage this.