[ Rean was upset, to say the least, feeling the sting of frustration, anger, and self-blame touch at the edges of his eyes, as well as blur his vision a little. Luckily, it wasn't as much to prevent himself from heading back to his room, and he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost bumped into someone— ]
... Oh, sorry.
[ He'll look over at Raven, expression appropriately apologetic. ]
[ oh, she knows how badly rean was affected by hyoubu's reveal today. she's very aware, and she's sure others are too. it's no surprise when rean bumps into her, though it doesn't make it any less annoying.
still, though, when she speaks...her voice isn't condescending. just...matter of fact. ]
[ His hands clenched tightly, but then he let them loosen when he realized she had a point. He couldn't let his guard down so easily in a place like this...even if he knew that though, it didn't sit right with him.
But then he remembered the trial. How many of the people there seemed even more selfish than he could consider before when they met with their captives. ]
I'm sorry you had to see me like that, I needed a little time after all of that—that's all. I hadn't even expected to run into anyone right after that, so this is why you caught me like this.
I understand. It is upsetting to see someone you cared about meet their demise.
[ raven, you're not helping. she still sounds flat when she says it, but at least she's not being a total dick about it. she looks at his clenched hands, his hurt expression. ]
You did well, Rean. As unfortunate as this situation was, you stuck to your guns and helped us all in finding the culprit. For that, your efforts are appreciated.
It helped us prevent an innocent person from dying today.
[ It's okay, Rean has dealt with people being blatantly insensitive, so the fact that she's not being that...is a huge step up. In a way.
In fact, her words helped a little. ]
...You're right. All this time I had been so busy thinking about ways I could've done better to prevent it that there was the fact that someone innocent could've died instead.
[ His voice cracked a little. It was all still raw; he'd be able to clear his head with time. If he had gotten along with Hyobu far longer than a week then he might have needed longer than a day for sure. ]
I know I shouldn't but it's hard. I can't help it.
I was right there, talking to him after the motive...!
[ she's about to say something, but then rean effectively shuts himself up. still, raven's looking at him with some scrutiny, arms folded across her chest. ]
[ raven closes her eyes for a brief moment...before she turns to start walking towards her room again. if rean has anything to say, she'll hear it. otherwise, she's done here. ]
[ god, that was a lot. raven...has thoughts on it, but she's not actively seeking to voice them. rean calls her though and she already knows what's coming. ]
That's basically correct. Pizza got caught in the middle of the two basically dueling it out in the middle of the day [ Dear Aidios ] and then Zangetsu had tossed Pizza aside when he came upon the scene. Which seemed to be in the direction of those monsters.
...From what I understood, Pizza didn't stand a chance, and it was declared the fault of the monsters instead of Zangetsu. I suppose Ulquiorra's part in all of this was just fighting Zangetsu, but I'm hesitant to assume that for sure, considering everything.
[ And Rean didn't like that Ulquiorra said that Pizza couldn't at least die a useful death, and called him a creature...though he left that out. ]
Zangetsu and Ulquiorra are from the same world, if I'm not mistaken. It's possible they were dueling to see who could take the other out for the motive.
[ she's not entirely sure, though. she doesn't know ulquiorra well but she wouldn't be surprised if that's what zan was trying to do. ]
The loss of Pizza, while unfortunate, doesn't surprise me. The boy was way too trusting of others and I had a feeling he was bound to get himself into trouble some day.
...That's right, I think Zangetsu did mention the motive being a source of motivation. I'd also known Pizza had believed in other people earlier on, but I wasn't sure about how well he had begun to trust anyone after Kyousuke's death besides myself and maybe one other person.
[ So Rean hadn't thought trust was involved in this, though it was true that he knew of the possibility of the other getting into trouble. But, he hadn't thought it'd come to this.
He'll shake those thoughts for now. Time to focus. ]
I just—I don't know. We all knew that murders were going to happen, and that our captors have sacrificed two of our own because of an experiment, so it wasn't like I couldn't anticipate that reoccurring at some point. Even if I couldn't.
But, do you think there's any way to keep what happened today from happening again?
[ At the very least, he wanted to know her opinion on that. Rean wanted to think it was possible, but was it really? ]
Do you know how he got caught in the fight, exactly?
[ that's going to make a difference, in her book. she has an answer for rean about pizza's nature but she can't come to that conclusion until she gets an answer to this.
as for rean's question, however, raven does have an answer, as cold and chilling as it may be. ]
No.
[ she shakes her head. ] You've seen the kinds of people we're dealing with here. People like Cumore and Dist, Ulquiorra and Zangetsu -- people who act with little regard for anyone else, stupid as it is. I'll get to Pizza and that end of the spectrum in a bit, but my point is that some people just don't care about anyone else but themselves and there's really nothing anyone can do to change that.
And since The Lady ruled that Pizza's death was caused by those monsters, we should expect another case to pop up again tomorrow. I don't doubt that someone would go for the motive.
...Zangetsu didn't say it was Pizza, but he did mention 'someone' tried to interfere. So I suppose that was likely to be him and that's how he got caught up in the fight—just by walking in on and trying to probably stop it. It's hard to know for sure since we have to rely on him and Ulquiorra's word, but...
[ He sighed. Saying that now, he has a feeling what she might think of that, because haha. Yeah.
But still. He hardly thought it deserved him being thrown into the line of fire. ]
It's strange, I had known that some people here thought about themselves more than others. But, to go that far to fight stupidly [ First time he's said the word while he's been here. ] in broad daylight and involve others...I wonder if anyone could've anticipated that at all.
I had also considered the thought a case might pop up but there was a possibility of it not because it wasn't like the other two motives. But after this, I can't see anyone not trying to go for it. As hard as it is for me to say that.
Edited (sorry for the edits man don't hurt me) 2020-01-24 05:20 (UTC)
[ yeah, that's what she thought. did pizza deserve it? not necessarily. but he walked into that one himself. ]
I also wouldn't rule out the possibility that those two had something to settle from back home. If they mentioned anything about that, then the motive becomes less significant. Doesn't make them any less idiotic.
The motive this week seems to be tailored to certain people. It's hard to say who exactly, because for all we know, someone could be hiding their true colors. But I wouldn't be surprised if it applied to some in particular.
...And knowing what the Lady and Rembrandt know of us, they would be in a good position to figure out which ones of us would act, even if they hadn't made it obvious to us that they could be tempted.
[ Rean sighed. Well, he wasn't looking to be comforted here. Sometimes he was looking for the harsh truth...without you know, the cruel aspect of it.
(Looking at YOU Ulquiorra, Mister Pizza-Is-A-Creature) ]
And it was a day before their big meeting tomorrow.
Depending on the week, he would have probably made a habit of seeing if he could have a short chat with Raven to get her thoughts. Though, this time, he wondered if he should actually perform some sort of check in.
She seemed like she could take care of herself, but Rean was sure a chat couldn't hurt either of them. So here he was, knocking on her door. ]
[ it really is shaping up to be a long week, isn't it. she's in her room, staring at the words that she'd written down after unlocking the laptop, trying to analyze them, trying to--
...rean. immediately, she turns towards the door. ]
Please let me know if there's something you would like to get off your chest, though. You've lent an ear so many times to me that I figured it'd about time I do the same to you.
[ His words were exactly that because he heard the edge to her words. Though he had wondered if it was due to naturally the situation itself causing that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 1 post-trial
... Oh, sorry.
[ He'll look over at Raven, expression appropriately apologetic. ]
I should've watched where I was going.
Re: week 1 post-trial
still, though, when she speaks...her voice isn't condescending. just...matter of fact. ]
Letting your guard down already?
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[ His hands clenched tightly, but then he let them loosen when he realized she had a point. He couldn't let his guard down so easily in a place like this...even if he knew that though, it didn't sit right with him.
But then he remembered the trial. How many of the people there seemed even more selfish than he could consider before when they met with their captives. ]
I'm sorry you had to see me like that, I needed a little time after all of that—that's all. I hadn't even expected to run into anyone right after that, so this is why you caught me like this.
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[ raven, you're not helping. she still sounds flat when she says it, but at least she's not being a total dick about it. she looks at his clenched hands, his hurt expression. ]
You did well, Rean. As unfortunate as this situation was, you stuck to your guns and helped us all in finding the culprit. For that, your efforts are appreciated.
It helped us prevent an innocent person from dying today.
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In fact, her words helped a little. ]
...You're right. All this time I had been so busy thinking about ways I could've done better to prevent it that there was the fact that someone innocent could've died instead.
[ He'll let out a sigh. ]
Thank you for saying that, at least.
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Hyoubu made a mistake and paid the price for it. He played right into their hands -- though I can't say I'm surprised that anyone did at all.
[ she pauses, tilts her chin up a little. ]
Don't hold yourself accountable for the choices he made.
1/2
[ His voice cracked a little. It was all still raw; he'd be able to clear his head with time. If he had gotten along with Hyobu far longer than a week then he might have needed longer than a day for sure. ]
I know I shouldn't but it's hard. I can't help it.
I was right there, talking to him after the motive...!
2/2
Thanks for putting up with me, Raven.
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[ she's about to say something, but then rean effectively shuts himself up. still, raven's looking at him with some scrutiny, arms folded across her chest. ]
You can't save everyone, Rean.
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Those words hit him like a sack of bricks.
He took a harsh breath. ]
I wish I could.
[ Save everyone that deserved it, that is. ]
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[ raven closes her eyes for a brief moment...before she turns to start walking towards her room again. if rean has anything to say, she'll hear it. otherwise, she's done here. ]
week 3 thursday early evening
A lot had happened, and it would be nice to get another perspective. Once he caught her in the halls, he called out to her: ]
Raven, do you have a moment?
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I do, in fact.
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...Then there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Have you heard about what had happened today?
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Is that correct?
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...From what I understood, Pizza didn't stand a chance, and it was declared the fault of the monsters instead of Zangetsu. I suppose Ulquiorra's part in all of this was just fighting Zangetsu, but I'm hesitant to assume that for sure, considering everything.
[ And Rean didn't like that Ulquiorra said that Pizza couldn't at least die a useful death, and called him a creature...though he left that out. ]
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[ she's not entirely sure, though. she doesn't know ulquiorra well but she wouldn't be surprised if that's what zan was trying to do. ]
The loss of Pizza, while unfortunate, doesn't surprise me. The boy was way too trusting of others and I had a feeling he was bound to get himself into trouble some day.
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[ So Rean hadn't thought trust was involved in this, though it was true that he knew of the possibility of the other getting into trouble. But, he hadn't thought it'd come to this.
He'll shake those thoughts for now. Time to focus. ]
I just—I don't know. We all knew that murders were going to happen, and that our captors have sacrificed two of our own because of an experiment, so it wasn't like I couldn't anticipate that reoccurring at some point. Even if I couldn't.
But, do you think there's any way to keep what happened today from happening again?
[ At the very least, he wanted to know her opinion on that. Rean wanted to think it was possible, but was it really? ]
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[ that's going to make a difference, in her book. she has an answer for rean about pizza's nature but she can't come to that conclusion until she gets an answer to this.
as for rean's question, however, raven does have an answer, as cold and chilling as it may be. ]
No.
[ she shakes her head. ] You've seen the kinds of people we're dealing with here. People like Cumore and Dist, Ulquiorra and Zangetsu -- people who act with little regard for anyone else, stupid as it is. I'll get to Pizza and that end of the spectrum in a bit, but my point is that some people just don't care about anyone else but themselves and there's really nothing anyone can do to change that.
And since The Lady ruled that Pizza's death was caused by those monsters, we should expect another case to pop up again tomorrow. I don't doubt that someone would go for the motive.
no subject
[ He sighed. Saying that now, he has a feeling what she might think of that, because haha. Yeah.
But still. He hardly thought it deserved him being thrown into the line of fire. ]
It's strange, I had known that some people here thought about themselves more than others. But, to go that far to fight stupidly [ First time he's said the word while he's been here. ] in broad daylight and involve others...I wonder if anyone could've anticipated that at all.
I had also considered the thought a case might pop up but there was a possibility of it not because it wasn't like the other two motives. But after this, I can't see anyone not trying to go for it. As hard as it is for me to say that.
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[ yeah, that's what she thought. did pizza deserve it? not necessarily. but he walked into that one himself. ]
I also wouldn't rule out the possibility that those two had something to settle from back home. If they mentioned anything about that, then the motive becomes less significant. Doesn't make them any less idiotic.
The motive this week seems to be tailored to certain people. It's hard to say who exactly, because for all we know, someone could be hiding their true colors. But I wouldn't be surprised if it applied to some in particular.
no subject
...And knowing what the Lady and Rembrandt know of us, they would be in a good position to figure out which ones of us would act, even if they hadn't made it obvious to us that they could be tempted.
[ Rean sighed. Well, he wasn't looking to be comforted here. Sometimes he was looking for the harsh truth...without you know, the cruel aspect of it.
(Looking at YOU Ulquiorra, Mister Pizza-Is-A-Creature) ]
week 5, tuesday evening
And it was a day before their big meeting tomorrow.
Depending on the week, he would have probably made a habit of seeing if he could have a short chat with Raven to get her thoughts. Though, this time, he wondered if he should actually perform some sort of check in.
She seemed like she could take care of herself, but Rean was sure a chat couldn't hurt either of them. So here he was, knocking on her door. ]
Raven, can we talk?
I AM HERE.
...rean. immediately, she turns towards the door. ]
Of course. Come in.
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Thank you.
...I thought it'd be good if we checked in, since the final stretch of this all was coming up, after all.
[ Rean gave her a little smile as he moved to seat himself in the chair in the room. ]
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Sure. If you have any questions, I'll answer them now.
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[ Did she need more of those? Rean already had quite a lot due to uh...circumstances. Yeah. ]
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[ though there's something about her tone that's...on-edge. a little more so than the last time they spoke. ]
My blankets are with Shiro.
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Please let me know if there's something you would like to get off your chest, though. You've lent an ear so many times to me that I figured it'd about time I do the same to you.
[ His words were exactly that because he heard the edge to her words. Though he had wondered if it was due to naturally the situation itself causing that.
Still, he had to offer. ]
Oh. He...didn't have his own?
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[ at his question, she shakes her head. ]
No, he does. We've been sharing the same living quarters for a few weeks, now.