[ it doesn't last long, and xie lian doesn't expect it to. he doesn't acknowledge it, or move with it, simply moving his arm afterwards. soo-won had offered him the same gesture, just last week, when he was hurting - and xie lian had quickly pulled himself together afterwards as well, unable to share his pain with anyone, so utterly used to taking it on by himself.
but it's that same simple feeling that soo-won had offered him.
it is what friends do. be there. ]
settling with his hands back in his lap, he looks out and away, some of the hard tension in his shoulders relaxing, too. ]
...That is good to hear. [ the less death, the better. ]
I have a theory about the pawn piece, the final role - that it has been getting stronger, whoever it may be, every week. I think whoever the pawn is is the one that chooses someone to "infect", and I think that infection is getting stronger and stronger each week. The others may feel the splintering nova, but I wonder if their cases are more perhaps like Claude's - where they were only "secondary" to the original source.
[ . . . . he looks thoughtful about that, considering.
there's still something - tired about him but... well. if someone needs him to talk plot, he'll do so. his emotions are gathered up and then placed in another box, put away for the moment as he sighs.]
So you presume that - last week, Hikaru was the one infected? And this week, it was Shigeo? But Shigeo hadn't been behaving oddly until curfew. Even in the hours before when I found him after his adventure, he wasn't acting strangely.
And more so... what is the purpose of this role? This piece? If Goat entrusted you with yours for the sake of assisting the people here.
I have heard different answers to the question - and that there may be a member of Fox's team who is lying about their position.
Each letter I've seen from the dead this week has said that there are three members of that team that have died... but according to what I know, and have confirmed with others in the best ways that I can, only four remain.
However, Fox has told members of his team that their team is the one with eight members. [ dana i have been in math hell for a week ] Members of Fox's team have also been the one to have the dreams about others splintering - it has now happened twice.
...I think that the "Pawn" may be that final member. And I think that "Pawn" may explain why we only heard from one team last week in terms of flashing icons - that they may have directly had something to do with Miss Hikaru's death. If Shigeo was suffering so badly, we may not find an explanation for who killed him, at all, unless we uncover this last piece.
[ he sighs. ]
...I do not know what any of it means, nor do I really wish to burden you with this kind of talk, after the past few days, but... It came to mind again, as I was thinking about moving forward with saving Miss Jeanne.
[ . . . . he sighs a bit at that, pressing a hand to his temple.]
A Fox in another team's clothing, is it...? Yet it should be that each team would be able to have one member with an ability on it, no? That complicates things considerably, then.
You're looking for the Pawn, but you believe that the Leader who is missing someone with an ability is Wolf. However since the numbers for Fox's team appear to be wrong, there is a chance that someone among them is claiming a different team?
Thus, you believe that rather than someone on Wolf's team holding the Pawn role, that would make two separate members of Fox's team holding two roles?
I know...it's a bit confusing to me too. [ everything has been happening so much. ]
The original thought was that one team per each ability, as you and I originally guessed. Logically, then, Wolf was the one who was missing one. However, upon speaking with them, they had no idea of any role - and it was not just me who spoke with them, but members of their own team as well.
So, we confirmed all of that. The Fox connection... we do think that one of them is claiming a different team, yes, and that two members of Fox's team actually may have roles, while one is pretending to be on a different team entirely. That second person may not even be affiliated with any team, somehow, if that is the nature of their role.
We still don't have any exact idea what the Pawn's power may be, nor who they are - and time is running out, we think, to figure it out. But, last week, when I spoke to Brother Goat about being blocked from using my power, we both wondered if perhaps it was another role that kept me from doing so.
If they belong to no team at all - could that be the reason for why the PHS icon failed to blink, even though someone not on Swan's team removed Hikaru? I presumed that it might have something to do with an ability, or otherwise ordained by the Realm, so that could also have hidden their team or lack thereof from detection.
Though it makes you wonder why Wolf in particular was not allowed to grant an ability to a member of their team. It sounds a bit unfair, even for a game such as this.
Still, that's something worth considering - and it's difficult to say whether or not we'd be able to find that person, unless we did a count of every member of every team and found someone who did not belong to any.
That's what we're all working on right now - getting the identities of the dead nailed down has been a bit trickier, though we have numbers to work with. There are a few other discrepancies I've learned about this week, as well, including who I think the glove thief may have been a few weeks back...right now, it all just feels like many moving pieces, and I am doing my best to knit them all together.
I'm wondering if this weekend it will be the same.... though, only time will tell. If we save Miss Jeanne, then I suppose we won't know, but... I'd rather save Miss Jeanne.
There are other ways to tie the cases together - if we believe that Hikaru and Shigeo's were related. In truth, we found rather little evidence for Hikaru's murder. She could always be contacted to see if she was able to remember anything about her killer, and I hope to do the same with Shigeo in the coming week. His case was rather sudden, compared to hers - given that he was relatively fine in the hours beforehand. Within worry of hand phasing in and out of existence.
But it is a lead. I'm afraid I cannot allow for anyone else who acted this week to die, or any innocent to die in their place - and so I intend on continuing with the plan to save Jeanne.
Tomorrow will be busy and there will be evidence strewn about... but as long as the votes fall where they should, I hope it will not matter.
I don't think it will matter. I will ensure what needs to be done is done. [ jeanne definitely did some of the work for them, at least in that matter. it will be easy enough to tie evidence to her case - especially when knowing at least some of the details of the others.
he sighs, sitting back to rest his weight on his palms. xie lian's content to let the silence stay between them for a little while, thoughtful as ever. ]
...Soo-won... you know, someone young and wise told me once, that friends should be able to care for one another.
[if xie lian lapses into silence, so does soo-won. he settles on the planetarium rooftop and - well, he doesn't tell xie lian that he'd like him to leave, and he doesn't really ask him to stay. it seems like instead he's just watching the colors of the sky change, gradually.]
Because...I myself am very bad at following that advice, even when it is good. It is hard to simply allow yourself such a simple thing as vulnerability, because it is rarely ever so simple. Even around the person whom I trust more than anything in this world - even around him, I rarely allow myself such things.
[ it hasn't ever been for xie lian, who tends to smile more when he's sad than when he's happy, quietly boarding it up. quietly boxing it away, for no one else to ever see. ]
It's more than things like duty, than responsibility, isn't it? Such strength in difficult times is a skill that is built into us, and hardened over time with lessons and circumstances - and while it is a boon in dangerous and difficult situations like this, no matter what, it is one that comes at a great cost.
[ . . . . there's just a sigh at that, even as soo-won moves to shut his eyes in contemplation.]
.... I've never denied my own humanity, Xie Lian. I will not make play that I am not saddened - but if someone asks something of me, then I will answer it.
I've known Yona since she was a baby.
I can recall to you the very first day that we met - when it was so important to me as a child to go see her that I dodged past the guards, and got in trouble with her father. But... I was scared that she would be lonely, because they limited guests to her and her mother. So I persisted, and... saw how cute she was, and how soft her red hair was even then.
Since she came into this world... I've loved her.
To deny my emotions would be to deny how much she means to me - even if perhaps it is no longer my place to make a statement like that.
[even if he shouldn't, or if it's in bad taste... it's what he feels.
he resists against leaning on others emotionally, if only because he was never afforded the opportunity to.
but he isn't the type to deny how much he loves people.]
Mm. [ he listens to all of soo-won's story. all of it, lets the details wash over him - the tragedy of such a situation striking a familiar, terrible chord. he's known of who was going to be killed for a few days now, and the simple cruelty of the situation has stuck with him ever since.
it is so obvious how much he cares for yona. it's obvious to anyone. his story touches xie lian, the simple humanity of the phrase i was scared that she would be lonely, in combination with that photograph so bittersweet in the context of the realm they exist in.
he waits to speak, gathering his words carefully. as ever, xie lian is almost a leaking well of compassion - but in this case, understanding, too. ]
...It is not so much that I believe that you're denying them - I think that much is obvious. I don't think I would have found you up here like this, if you were. [ especially after listening to that. ] You are human, and very cognizant of it - not to mention, you are easily one of the most level headed and pragmatic people I have ever met. To set aside your sadness, no matter how deep, is sometimes what must be done.
...rather, if I have learned anything of the Realm, it is that you can lean on others. Even if it's only a little, and even if you hesitate to release your grasp on the things you have carry alone for long - it is still something that can be done.
[ there's a beat. ]
Right now... perhaps it is too simple of a question, but - in this moment, right now, Soo-won, what do you need?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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but it's that same simple feeling that soo-won had offered him.
it is what friends do. be there. ]
settling with his hands back in his lap, he looks out and away, some of the hard tension in his shoulders relaxing, too. ]
...That is good to hear. [ the less death, the better. ]
I have a theory about the pawn piece, the final role - that it has been getting stronger, whoever it may be, every week. I think whoever the pawn is is the one that chooses someone to "infect", and I think that infection is getting stronger and stronger each week. The others may feel the splintering nova, but I wonder if their cases are more perhaps like Claude's - where they were only "secondary" to the original source.
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there's still something - tired about him but... well. if someone needs him to talk plot, he'll do so. his emotions are gathered up and then placed in another box, put away for the moment as he sighs.]
So you presume that - last week, Hikaru was the one infected? And this week, it was Shigeo? But Shigeo hadn't been behaving oddly until curfew. Even in the hours before when I found him after his adventure, he wasn't acting strangely.
And more so... what is the purpose of this role? This piece? If Goat entrusted you with yours for the sake of assisting the people here.
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...Do you know how many members of Fox's team there were at the start, Soo-won?
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Each letter I've seen from the dead this week has said that there are three members of that team that have died... but according to what I know, and have confirmed with others in the best ways that I can, only four remain.
However, Fox has told members of his team that their team is the one with eight members. [ dana i have been in math hell for a week ] Members of Fox's team have also been the one to have the dreams about others splintering - it has now happened twice.
...I think that the "Pawn" may be that final member. And I think that "Pawn" may explain why we only heard from one team last week in terms of flashing icons - that they may have directly had something to do with Miss Hikaru's death. If Shigeo was suffering so badly, we may not find an explanation for who killed him, at all, unless we uncover this last piece.
[ he sighs. ]
...I do not know what any of it means, nor do I really wish to burden you with this kind of talk, after the past few days, but... It came to mind again, as I was thinking about moving forward with saving Miss Jeanne.
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A Fox in another team's clothing, is it...? Yet it should be that each team would be able to have one member with an ability on it, no? That complicates things considerably, then.
Have you found all others with abilities?
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The Leader in question does not even seem to be aware of someone with an ability on their own team. We have asked.
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I enjoy Fox as a speaking companion, but they are also prone to lying.
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I don't know Brother Fox very well. They would have no reason to tell me any truths.
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I apologize - please elaborate once more.
You're looking for the Pawn, but you believe that the Leader who is missing someone with an ability is Wolf. However since the numbers for Fox's team appear to be wrong, there is a chance that someone among them is claiming a different team?
Thus, you believe that rather than someone on Wolf's team holding the Pawn role, that would make two separate members of Fox's team holding two roles?
[because of? math?]
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The original thought was that one team per each ability, as you and I originally guessed. Logically, then, Wolf was the one who was missing one. However, upon speaking with them, they had no idea of any role - and it was not just me who spoke with them, but members of their own team as well.
So, we confirmed all of that. The Fox connection... we do think that one of them is claiming a different team, yes, and that two members of Fox's team actually may have roles, while one is pretending to be on a different team entirely. That second person may not even be affiliated with any team, somehow, if that is the nature of their role.
We still don't have any exact idea what the Pawn's power may be, nor who they are - and time is running out, we think, to figure it out. But, last week, when I spoke to Brother Goat about being blocked from using my power, we both wondered if perhaps it was another role that kept me from doing so.
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If they belong to no team at all - could that be the reason for why the PHS icon failed to blink, even though someone not on Swan's team removed Hikaru? I presumed that it might have something to do with an ability, or otherwise ordained by the Realm, so that could also have hidden their team or lack thereof from detection.
Though it makes you wonder why Wolf in particular was not allowed to grant an ability to a member of their team. It sounds a bit unfair, even for a game such as this.
Still, that's something worth considering - and it's difficult to say whether or not we'd be able to find that person, unless we did a count of every member of every team and found someone who did not belong to any.
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I'm wondering if this weekend it will be the same.... though, only time will tell. If we save Miss Jeanne, then I suppose we won't know, but... I'd rather save Miss Jeanne.
[ shocking no one. ]
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But it is a lead. I'm afraid I cannot allow for anyone else who acted this week to die, or any innocent to die in their place - and so I intend on continuing with the plan to save Jeanne.
Tomorrow will be busy and there will be evidence strewn about... but as long as the votes fall where they should, I hope it will not matter.
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he sighs, sitting back to rest his weight on his palms. xie lian's content to let the silence stay between them for a little while, thoughtful as ever. ]
...Soo-won... you know, someone young and wise told me once, that friends should be able to care for one another.
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.... mm. That sounds correct.
Why do you mention it?
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[ it hasn't ever been for xie lian, who tends to smile more when he's sad than when he's happy, quietly boarding it up. quietly boxing it away, for no one else to ever see. ]
It's more than things like duty, than responsibility, isn't it? Such strength in difficult times is a skill that is built into us, and hardened over time with lessons and circumstances - and while it is a boon in dangerous and difficult situations like this, no matter what, it is one that comes at a great cost.
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.... I've never denied my own humanity, Xie Lian. I will not make play that I am not saddened - but if someone asks something of me, then I will answer it.
I've known Yona since she was a baby.
I can recall to you the very first day that we met - when it was so important to me as a child to go see her that I dodged past the guards, and got in trouble with her father. But... I was scared that she would be lonely, because they limited guests to her and her mother. So I persisted, and... saw how cute she was, and how soft her red hair was even then.
Since she came into this world... I've loved her.
To deny my emotions would be to deny how much she means to me - even if perhaps it is no longer my place to make a statement like that.
[even if he shouldn't, or if it's in bad taste... it's what he feels.
he resists against leaning on others emotionally, if only because he was never afforded the opportunity to.
but he isn't the type to deny how much he loves people.]
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it is so obvious how much he cares for yona. it's obvious to anyone. his story touches xie lian, the simple humanity of the phrase i was scared that she would be lonely, in combination with that photograph so bittersweet in the context of the realm they exist in.
he waits to speak, gathering his words carefully. as ever, xie lian is almost a leaking well of compassion - but in this case, understanding, too. ]
...It is not so much that I believe that you're denying them - I think that much is obvious. I don't think I would have found you up here like this, if you were. [ especially after listening to that. ] You are human, and very cognizant of it - not to mention, you are easily one of the most level headed and pragmatic people I have ever met. To set aside your sadness, no matter how deep, is sometimes what must be done.
...rather, if I have learned anything of the Realm, it is that you can lean on others. Even if it's only a little, and even if you hesitate to release your grasp on the things you have carry alone for long - it is still something that can be done.
[ there's a beat. ]
Right now... perhaps it is too simple of a question, but - in this moment, right now, Soo-won, what do you need?