week one ♡ saturday ♡ magilou

[jokered]

[once he's cleared his head at least a little—it's probably time to head back to the huts. maybe sleep it off and try to feel more human instead of whatever it is he's been.

emotional. hurting. angry. generally frustrated. guilty about yato.

a lot of things.

the people in the longhouse probably saw more anger from akira than the entirety of the phantom thieves collectively between april and sending the calling card in december. so much of what he kept buried for the sake of everyone else, so much of what had been akira kept level by his team had slipped away.

his center of gravity is definitely off.

but a protag is a protag, and a persona protag is even more of a protag—so when he sees magilou shuffling off into the jungle on his way back? he has to follow. what the hell is she getting up to right now?]

Comments

[spinatalltale]

I helped kill him.

[:)]

[jokered]

[he doesn't doubt the honesty behind that. she probably did help kill him. and while he won't say it was deserved, he... understands it.

he's sure there's something more there, but akira doesn't pursue it for now. akira's more than aware that magilou isn't going to tell him that. she's already told him far more than he expected—and he doesn't have the energy to try for more.

so he nods.

he doesn't flinch, even though the idea of killing someone like that goes against his base moral fiber. different worlds, different societies—he can't decided what's right or wrong for them. he can only speak and act for japan's sake, after all. so he nods.]

I see.

[it's fine.]

So that boy was like that too. A tool for someone else's will to shape the world. [he seems like a good kid, from what little interaction they've had.

so maybe he had some good fortune, but what he fuck. the whole concept just makes him bristle.

(which is probably not a good thing, but it gets his mind off the trial, the murder, and the chiefs for a few minutes, as desired.)]

[spinatalltale]

[it's a good thing he didn't ask; he would've gotten a shitpost of a response. she's at her limit, here. nothing she shared was particularly personal, but things could easily go that way if she let them]

[so she won't]

That's right. A tool that rose up and fought back, I suppose.

[. . . there's a pause]

I suppose I'd be mildly disappointed if he died here. He made a promise to live, after all.

[in Magilou language "mildly disappointed" means "very upset." it's likely the first time he's seen her express any form of caring for any one individual here]

[jokered]

Mildly disappointed.

[he says it with a dry, mildly disbelieving tone. he can't really tell the extent of her true feelings, but he thinks it would be more than that, because she brought it up at all.

her thoughts on laphicet's survival came completely unprompted, and that speaks volumes of the kid's importance.]

He must be important if you'll be that way about him while taking bets on whether or not I'd break.

[though his tone is a little playful (congrats magilou, on actually distracting him—she's helping???), she won't be able to miss the edge of knowing that comes with it.

whoops.]

Maybe I'm the equivalent of chopped liver to the great Mazhigigika Miludin Do Din Nolurun Dou.

[how the fuck did he remember that.]

[spinatalltale]

. . .

I'm a little impressed you actually remembered that.

[STOP CALLING HER OUT!!!]

[jokered]

[he can't, she makes it too easy.]

Should I not have?

[spinatalltale]

[she does it's true]

Most people don't, which is why I graciously allow them to call me Magilou.

[ha]

So, is it my turn now?

[her turn for. . .???]

[jokered]

[...]

Maybe.

[she can try, at least.]

[spinatalltale]

That mask the Chief was carving.

What does it mean?

[she's been wondering since he got so angry about it at the trial]

[jokered]

[ah.

of all the things she could have asked—it had to be the thing that's probably the hardest to explain.]

I told you a bunch of things about her. Things that were connected to her. You could say the mask fits into that list in an abstract way.

[he's not explaining that completely yet though, nope.] It was a taunt, for him to carve that during her trial.

[spinatalltale]

["in an abstract way." there were only a few words on that list that she actually understood. . . and only one that seems to link, in any form or capacity, back to masks. it's abstract, but it's a concept that she-- as a performer, both out of necessity and out of a love for being one-- is intimately familiar with]

Is it related to the word "persona?"

[jokered]

[he's not surprised she caught on, even though it's probably not enough to tell her anything of use.]

They're concepts that are intrinsically linked, aren't they?

[spinatalltale]

Usually. But in that case, you might as well carve a mask for every single person who dies here. Even Sweaty McSweaterson.

[everyone wears a mask sometimes Akira!!]

[jokered]

[his eyes narrow a bit.]

I didn't say there wasn't more to it. Just that those things go together.

[he really doesn't want to get into it about personas and his abilities, though.]

All that matters is that the words I told you had a connection to her, and that mask was part of the connection.

[spinatalltale]

Uho! Those eyes, I feel like I'm being torn to shreds again.

[she says as she takes a step back, hands in the air. but that cat-with-a-mouse grin is back]

Fine, then. I know a brick wall when I hit one. [and last night she did say that some secrets weren't meant to be shared] But you can't say I didn't try.

[jokered]

[not exactly where akira was planning to take the conversation—but it's a topic he's just not willing to breach yet.

it's too soon. his expression does soften a bit after she does that—he's not really trying to be hostile with her, after all.]

Not tonight.

[maybe another night, maybe another day—maybe he'll find a reason to talk about that where he's comfortable.

but after all that? no. he can't tonight.]

Just know it was deliberate. And if it's like that this week, it'll probably be like that in the future, too.

[spinatalltale]

[. . . she thinks back to her conversation with Pal. to him telling her that he thought her most appropriate monster was a dragon, of all things. a stupid fucking dragon]

[the fact that they know and can take advantage of everyone's most personal, intimate details really pisses her off]

Yeah.

Is break time over yet?

[jokered]

[he tilts his head slightly, dragging his hand up to ruffle it through his already-disheveled hair.

which probably isn't help it anyway, but the underlying dread of getting back on topic certainly exists, even if his initial response is to sigh.]

Unless you have some other burning question for me to address.

[spinatalltale]

Don't worry. I won't linger on this too long.

[she says that flippantly, but internally she makes note that this is at least the third time this conversation that she's made an effort to spare his feelings. it's weird. it's a bit out of character for her. but whatever, there are other things to worry about!!]

There are roles in this game that ensure at least one person dies each week.

What do you think happens if everyone with such a role is killed?

[jokered]

[that's... a good question.

honestly.

he pauses, frowning deeply as he brings a hand to his chin and contemplates it.]

Maybe we win. Or maybe they assign new roles? Maybe they just put an end to all of us themselves and pull more frame jobs.

[only one of those options sounds remotely appealing.]

[spinatalltale]

[it's been on her mind the entire week, honestly. but naturally, the end results of the trial have brought it more to the forefront]

Lewin-Lief asked about assigning roles later in the game. Red shirt Chief answered negatory.

[so, unless Pal was lying. . .]

At any rate, I don't have any ideas myself. It'd make sense if it signaled the end of this charade-- no more roles dedicated to killing, and no one else dies, right?

But that's only if these murders don't serve any. . . higher purpose, I suppose.

[jokered]

[akira's honestly still skeptical about hal and pal—who lies and who speaks in truths, or even if that's actually a thing.]

I just... hm. [it's like he wants to say something, but he's not really sure how to articulate it. he frowns for a moment, shaking his head.]

It's probably better to just bet on them incentivizing killing to the very end. [that's what he settles on.] Maybe we can stop it before that, but I don't trust them.

Stopping them first might be the only way to end the killing.

[spinatalltale]

[she is, too. it's why she doesn't give much credence to anything that comes out of their hosts' mouths-- other than the fact that the only people who can be trusted on this island are the other people playing this game]

[if that. and for her right now, that is a big "if"]

. . . and how do you propose we do that?

[a genuine question, not a mocking one. but she does follow it up]

Not that I care if you actually manage to stop it before most everyone is dead, or anything.

[why is she!! like this!!]

[jokered]

If I knew that part, I'd be working on it, already.

[honestly. whether or not she cares—akira doesn't seem to regard it much because he already knows she cares far more than she lets on.]

They've put us at a purposeful disadvantage here. Things we could normally use to beat them—gone.

[like his personas and magilou's magic, of course.]

[spinatalltale]

[maybe she doesn't care Akira!!]

[maybe she wants to care, and has been burned too many times to get her hopes up for a happier ending than what she's envisioning now]

Well, yeah. Can't rise up against them if we don't have the tools we'd usually use to do so. A perfect tactic to keep us all in our place.

[SHE SOUNDS. . . VERY WRY. . .]

[also if she had her artes she could totally melt them down and Lief could in turn blacksmith them into, idk. a teacup]