They didn't hear them on Thursday night, or today?
[ that gets his attention immediately, too. he taps his fingers against his thigh, sitting up more properly. ] I'll ask Wrath tomorrow - I'll likely speak with Pride, as well.
[ BUT HE AND WRATH ARE CLOSER, terrible, please don't look at me and my speedrun. ]
It may not be a bad idea to speak with Despair, either, since Despair was out and about with us all during the week. [ hmmm. he'll reach out, maybe. ]
Mm. [A pause, as he switches languages, with that usual difficulty.] Don't mention you heard it from me.
[This is hardly foolproof, of course, but. Mostly he just wants to know if their answers are going to vary; if there's any chance of pretending they aren't working together as closely as they are, then he's going to take it. Hence the (general) distance today.
I can't believe marquis of veganism is trying so hard to eat meat now
Anyway, about the skull--]
Endorsi thinks it might've been some kind of magic item. Something that compelled Beauregard to kill Tamaki. But neither of us are that convinced of it.
[It's just one of many theories he has, that he has no real way of confirming.]
anyway, gu yun clucks his tongue to that first response, waving a hand. ] It's a good thing you're so irritating.
[ he says this very good naturedly, actually. gu yun's not unaware - he doesn't want anyone to know they're working together, really, either. it's funny how easy it is, when you know how someone thinks, to pay attention to each other and operate around each other at the same time. ]
...There's a form of mystic arts that the Barbarians in the north supposedly have utilized, that involves the use of human body parts. Skulls, blood, skin - things like that. I've only heard rumors. [ gu yun taps his fingers against the crystal floor, thoughtfully. he's spent most of his life on the Northern frontier, fighting against the heavenly tribes, and sometimes, things with them feel a little off, a little wrong - sometimes he hears whispers of sicknesses that claim the minds of their victims, but he's too pragmatic to think it really real. ]
At one point when she was being questioned, she said something along the lines of that she didn't know why she would do that - and mentioned her staff going missing, too. I'd think that a flimsy excuse, but...
[ but gu yun has done many, many, interrogations in his life. ] ...that panic of hers was completely real.
Finding the key piece of evidence with it, too - the staff - feels too off to be a coincidence. And, the many things that we experienced on Thursday night seemed to have a purpose of some kind. One of our group mentioned seeing something playing with a skull in the darkness in this very room.
Anyway, he seems utterly unbothered by this talk of blood and skin rituals and whatnot, just nodding thoughtfully.]
There's magic in my world that affects both the body and the mind. In this case, I have a feeling the latter is more likely.
[No matter what the results said, he's leaning towards the idea that the murder was done by her hands. But then, he's looking at the situation from the somewhat unique position of a person fresh out of a similar situation. Childe didn't kill Rex Lapis, but he sure did summon the God of the Vortex to do just that, so.]
I'm willing to believe she doesn't remember killing Tamaki, but I don't think it's that simple. [How uncharitable. But honestly, he doesn't give a shit about Beau; as it stands, she seems weak and therefore mostly uninteresting.] I didn't speak to her, but Molly doesn't strike me as one to be close to someone who'd target a civilian of their own will.
[With the caveat that he doesn't really know Molly either, at the end of the day.
He falls quiet for a minute, mulling over the evidence again.]
...Could she have believed she was fighting something else?
[ he agrees - for as much as gu yun firmly acknowledges that most sorts of magic are bullshit, he also is cognizant of when something is happening. never the type to put blinders on and ignore important information, gu yun is willing to suspend his own knowledge of the world in favor of giving into the reality that's around them.
childe's input here is inherently valuable, and his own thoughts aren't that far off. ] I also don't think she would have lied to Molly about any of it. [ just judging on their relationship, and judging on the end of the trial, and... of what he knows of mollymauk so far, he finds it highly unlikely. naturally, he takes it with a grain of salt, but... his instincts usually aren't wrong, so.
and that theory... his eyebrows raise, to it, and he glances over at childe. ] ...Like a creature with skittering claws, perhaps?
[ hmmm.... ] Desperation is a strong motivator. It could be that the two of them were seeing entirely different things - one, reality, and one, falsehoods. It could explain the extent of the damage done.[ of course, it's all speculation at this point, but that's an interesting theory. gu yun frowns. ]
The way I see this, there are two options. [ he lifts a finger on his hand. ] Either the results we received were completely wrong, and she did kill Tamaki - whether she knew it was him or not - and simply doesn't remember it, for whatever reason, and that caused the end result of the vote to be manipulated to say she was not the culprit, despite the fact that she was.
Or, [ lifting a second finger for option two ] - something, or someone, manipulated the evidence and all that we found in order to lead us, and her, down a certain kind of path, as if we were putting on a show. That there was already an event prepared for us, "just in case" this happened, with its own rules - I highly doubt that was put together slapdash, no matter how busy the Avatars were.
[Childe is a good listener; he sits, idly tapping his knee, and listens quietly as he stares into the distance.
Ugh... he hates schemers. This is so tedious.]
Every organization has a leader. [Says the 11th Harbinger. But that's why he's so convinced of it, though he still hasn't decided whether it's one of the Avatars, or someone (something) over their heads. It's a theory he'll probably never truly be talked out of, regardless of how this all plays out.] I'm just not certain if it was an order from above, or if a game piece moved on its own.
[Because regardless, outside influence was involved. The fact that Beau and Tamaki were awake, the doors that opened, the way even people like them weren't able to hear what was happening right on top of them--something is pulling all of their strings.]
Do you think they'll expect us to keep up the charade?
[Of "indulging", as if it was ever going to be that easy.]
Oh, of course. [ there's no way the charade is going to stop. ] I think this just made it perfectly clear exactly how indulgent they want us to be - and I'm sure, if we aren't performing, so to speak, there will be some kind of retribution.
[ that won't be the way that gu yun goes out, that's for sure. he's of the same mind with childe - there is no way that there isn't some larger force at play. not with the rules the Avatars seem to have to follow. not with some of the things he's already seen. ]
This will happen again. [ especially with the way everyone was talking today? no way it won't. ] It's just a matter of when.
[ he sighs, expression serious, thoughtful. ] It would be best to not sleep in our rooms - I want to follow the trail of those illusions we experienced the night it happened, and see if they'll continue to provide some sort of clue when there is another incident, or if that was just a fluke. More than anything, I want to see if that mysterious skull makes another appearance.
I'll talk to Primrose about doing the same - if we can spread out, we can get a clear picture for the next morning.
(He's not even going to confirm that they're going to be regular indulgence partners because he doesn't think it needs to be said but I need you to know that he is now committed to trying to break Gu Yun's composure every single time now, even if just a teeny tiny bit. It's a challenge to keep him entertained while he waits for someone to try stabbing him in the bermuda triangle tbh)]
You'll take this room? [Not a guess, just a question; Childe's still deciding.] Maybe you should speak with Satoru as well. I'll talk to Medb, see what she thinks about it.
[Since they were all simulation room buddies anyway.]
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no subject
They didn't hear them on Thursday night, or today?
[ that gets his attention immediately, too. he taps his fingers against his thigh, sitting up more properly. ] I'll ask Wrath tomorrow - I'll likely speak with Pride, as well.
[ BUT HE AND WRATH ARE CLOSER, terrible, please don't look at me and my speedrun. ]
It may not be a bad idea to speak with Despair, either, since Despair was out and about with us all during the week. [ hmmm. he'll reach out, maybe. ]
...I keep thinking about that damned skull.
no subject
[This is hardly foolproof, of course, but. Mostly he just wants to know if their answers are going to vary; if there's any chance of pretending they aren't working together as closely as they are, then he's going to take it. Hence the (general) distance today.
I can't believe marquis of veganism is trying so hard to eat meat now
Anyway, about the skull--]
Endorsi thinks it might've been some kind of magic item. Something that compelled Beauregard to kill Tamaki. But neither of us are that convinced of it.
[It's just one of many theories he has, that he has no real way of confirming.]
no subject
anyway, gu yun clucks his tongue to that first response, waving a hand. ] It's a good thing you're so irritating.
[ he says this very good naturedly, actually. gu yun's not unaware - he doesn't want anyone to know they're working together, really, either. it's funny how easy it is, when you know how someone thinks, to pay attention to each other and operate around each other at the same time. ]
...There's a form of mystic arts that the Barbarians in the north supposedly have utilized, that involves the use of human body parts. Skulls, blood, skin - things like that. I've only heard rumors. [ gu yun taps his fingers against the crystal floor, thoughtfully. he's spent most of his life on the Northern frontier, fighting against the heavenly tribes, and sometimes, things with them feel a little off, a little wrong - sometimes he hears whispers of sicknesses that claim the minds of their victims, but he's too pragmatic to think it really real. ]
At one point when she was being questioned, she said something along the lines of that she didn't know why she would do that - and mentioned her staff going missing, too. I'd think that a flimsy excuse, but...
[ but gu yun has done many, many, interrogations in his life. ] ...that panic of hers was completely real.
Finding the key piece of evidence with it, too - the staff - feels too off to be a coincidence. And, the many things that we experienced on Thursday night seemed to have a purpose of some kind. One of our group mentioned seeing something playing with a skull in the darkness in this very room.
no subject
Anyway, he seems utterly unbothered by this talk of blood and skin rituals and whatnot, just nodding thoughtfully.]
There's magic in my world that affects both the body and the mind. In this case, I have a feeling the latter is more likely.
[No matter what the results said, he's leaning towards the idea that the murder was done by her hands. But then, he's looking at the situation from the somewhat unique position of a person fresh out of a similar situation. Childe didn't kill Rex Lapis, but he sure did summon the God of the Vortex to do just that, so.]
I'm willing to believe she doesn't remember killing Tamaki, but I don't think it's that simple. [How uncharitable. But honestly, he doesn't give a shit about Beau; as it stands, she seems weak and therefore mostly uninteresting.] I didn't speak to her, but Molly doesn't strike me as one to be close to someone who'd target a civilian of their own will.
[With the caveat that he doesn't really know Molly either, at the end of the day.
He falls quiet for a minute, mulling over the evidence again.]
...Could she have believed she was fighting something else?
no subject
childe's input here is inherently valuable, and his own thoughts aren't that far off. ] I also don't think she would have lied to Molly about any of it. [ just judging on their relationship, and judging on the end of the trial, and... of what he knows of mollymauk so far, he finds it highly unlikely. naturally, he takes it with a grain of salt, but... his instincts usually aren't wrong, so.
and that theory... his eyebrows raise, to it, and he glances over at childe. ] ...Like a creature with skittering claws, perhaps?
[ hmmm.... ] Desperation is a strong motivator. It could be that the two of them were seeing entirely different things - one, reality, and one, falsehoods. It could explain the extent of the damage done.[ of course, it's all speculation at this point, but that's an interesting theory. gu yun frowns. ]
The way I see this, there are two options. [ he lifts a finger on his hand. ] Either the results we received were completely wrong, and she did kill Tamaki - whether she knew it was him or not - and simply doesn't remember it, for whatever reason, and that caused the end result of the vote to be manipulated to say she was not the culprit, despite the fact that she was.
Or, [ lifting a second finger for option two ] - something, or someone, manipulated the evidence and all that we found in order to lead us, and her, down a certain kind of path, as if we were putting on a show. That there was already an event prepared for us, "just in case" this happened, with its own rules - I highly doubt that was put together slapdash, no matter how busy the Avatars were.
[ a snort. ] Certainly very indulgent.
no subject
Ugh... he hates schemers. This is so tedious.]
Every organization has a leader. [Says the 11th Harbinger. But that's why he's so convinced of it, though he still hasn't decided whether it's one of the Avatars, or someone (something) over their heads. It's a theory he'll probably never truly be talked out of, regardless of how this all plays out.] I'm just not certain if it was an order from above, or if a game piece moved on its own.
[Because regardless, outside influence was involved. The fact that Beau and Tamaki were awake, the doors that opened, the way even people like them weren't able to hear what was happening right on top of them--something is pulling all of their strings.]
Do you think they'll expect us to keep up the charade?
[Of "indulging", as if it was ever going to be that easy.]
no subject
Oh, of course. [ there's no way the charade is going to stop. ] I think this just made it perfectly clear exactly how indulgent they want us to be - and I'm sure, if we aren't performing, so to speak, there will be some kind of retribution.
[ that won't be the way that gu yun goes out, that's for sure. he's of the same mind with childe - there is no way that there isn't some larger force at play. not with the rules the Avatars seem to have to follow. not with some of the things he's already seen. ]
This will happen again. [ especially with the way everyone was talking today? no way it won't. ] It's just a matter of when.
[ he sighs, expression serious, thoughtful. ] It would be best to not sleep in our rooms - I want to follow the trail of those illusions we experienced the night it happened, and see if they'll continue to provide some sort of clue when there is another incident, or if that was just a fluke. More than anything, I want to see if that mysterious skull makes another appearance.
I'll talk to Primrose about doing the same - if we can spread out, we can get a clear picture for the next morning.
no subject
(He's not even going to confirm that they're going to be regular indulgence partners because he doesn't think it needs to be said but I need you to know that he is now committed to trying to break Gu Yun's composure every single time now, even if just a teeny tiny bit. It's a challenge to keep him entertained while he waits for someone to try stabbing him in the bermuda triangle tbh)]
You'll take this room? [Not a guess, just a question; Childe's still deciding.] Maybe you should speak with Satoru as well. I'll talk to Medb, see what she thinks about it.
[Since they were all simulation room buddies anyway.]