[ hmmmmm that was not a great thing to learn about in trial!! awesome!! but anyway he has a few things to talk to junpei about so wherever you are, jumpy, there's a frowning sword coming your way.
but first... ]
You were friends with Prompto, weren't you? How are you doing?
[ seems like he's had a rough two weeks, losing two friends in a row like this. ]
[He has a feeling that maybe this is going to be a somewhat delicate conversation, but there's a bow of his head at the question.]
...can't say I'm happy it's like this, but...I'm better off than other people. It'll be weird without him though. [He literally decided they were friends like two days ago so this kinda sucks.]
I am, too. [He's actually very worried about Hizamaru and doesn't quite know what to do with those emotions.] I know he'll be okay eventually, but what do you do for someone until then?
[He says, as if he didn't just deal with Carlos dying. But that's a little different for reasons.] There's also the problem that this won't be the last time we see it while we're here.
We remind him that he isn't alone - that he still has family, friends, and allies, and that we'll give him the strength to carry on.
[ the shinsengumi were... unfortunately very familiar with this kind of thing. hijikata especially, as the last one standing. ]
No, it won't be. From the broadcast, it sounds as if it'll go on until there's only one left - and then there's the curse. [ at that, he'll look at junpei with knitted brows. ] Did you know about it, before the trial?
[Here, though, he looks a little uncomfortable.] ...I knew, yeah. We've been trying to track the source and come up with a way to explain it to everyone without alerting the demon itself. I've only known for a few days.
[ hm. okay. his expression turns irritated, maybe even a little disappointed, but. he's trying to reign it in, maybe? ]
And did you come up with anything? For an explanation, or for tracking it? Monika may have been the source originally, but now that it's out there, it could be hosted by anyone.
I know the last person who had it on Thursday but from there I'm not sure. There's also the part where Polly released more than one thing in this hotel that we have to track down. [He keeps his expression even despite Kanesan's disappointment.]
This wasn't about keeping secrets. This was about making a plan and heading in without a back-up plan.
Does your plan still hold, after it's come out like this?
[ he's! trying not to sound judgmental! he's probably failing, so he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. ]
The problem with trying to track it is convincing everyone to share who they've slept with. They're not all willing to do that, are they? [ it's very human of them. ] And even if we track it down, there isn't a lot we can do about it besides isolate it. We would all have to cooperate for it to work.
[He's failing but Junpei can't exactly blame him.]
They're not. Look at what happened with Monika today. That's why you make connections and learn things from person to person instead of asking in a group at large. You can cooperate in smaller units for a bigger team. That's how it worked for us, so...it's possible.
That makes sense, doesn't it? [Somehow, he does and does not fully answer the question about the plan but he figures that's close enough to an explanation.]
[ annoyed, snappish, because it's what the shinsengumi are, and he's been trying but he can't do anything if no one else is willing to work with him, too. maybe that's an unfair way to see it, but kanesan is still a young, temperamental sword - and with only two masters behind him, he doesn't know any different. ]
If you've lost track of it, will you be able to find it again? What do you plan to do about it if you do?
[Ah. There it is. He looks like he wants to argue but at the same time he steels his expression to try and steer the conversation in a certain direction. He gets why it's frustrating, of course. But at the same time, there was nothing to be done yet.]
I'm going to find it and I'm going to kill it. What else? [He sounds stupidly confident of that given he's not a fighter.] If we can find it and trap it somewhere, maybe there's another exorcism to do.
How? You said it yourself - you aren't a fighter. So how do you plan to kill something that we can't even find, especially when we don't even know how strong it is? It could break you!
[ well this certainly isn't how he expected this conversation to go? oops. ]
Do you even know what to look for, in order to find it? The way Nathan spoke, it won't be that easy to tell who it's chosen as a host.
...I'll figure something out. [He sounds a little less than convinced this time, but sometimes you just yeet yourself straight at death first and figure it out later.] I'll find it and then we'll make a plan together. Is that better?
[He rubs the back of his head.] There's a reason I'm trying to speak to as many people as I can. If we know what a person is like, it might be easier to notice if something seems off about them. Gaps in their memories, stories that don't add up. Things like that.
At least learn how to defend yourself properly first, Junpei!
[ he uh. might have raised his voice a bit, and kanesan looks a bit started when he realizes it. he can already hear kunihiro's scolding, too, so he takes a deep breath and tries again. ]
Find a weapon before you go throwing yourself into things like this. I'll teach you how to use it if I have to - just think about it first.
[ unfortunately he's decided that he likes this human, and that means the chance of him breaking really doesn't sit well. while he can't force junpei to do anything, he sure can worry about a friend - but he shakes his head. ]
Scout out where it is, and then come up with a plan instead of attacking it blindly. I'll help you however I can. But I can't do anything if you don't talk to me.
[...he bows his head this time.] I'll see what I can find at the gift shop or borrow a knife. Something. A gun would've worked just fine, too, but we know what happened to that. But I won't go in unprepared okay?
[This poor sword's stress levels...] And I'll keep you informed. If I can have people in the field with their eyes on the people I'm not close with, we might be able to work together to find the source without it noticing.
...I'm still getting used to working with bigger teams again. But I'm trying.
[ while he doesn't look entirely mollified at the mention of the gun, kanesan does nod and back down. swords take more work to learn, even he can admit that - maybe it's better for junpei, with the threat that they're facing. ]
Who is that, then - the ones you aren't close with? I can try to speak with them and see what I can learn.
[He'll be fine, he has a lot of practice dying and coming back somehow.]
Mm...it's people that keep their distance usually. Muzet. Illumi. Dimitri. Grune, sort of. Logy. Maou. People I've spoken with but can't quite read or figure out how to learn more about them.
[Or people who're just flat-out hard to talk to and he doesn't go after them himself.]
Any help would be appreciated. It's going to start looking suspicious if I actively seek them out just to interrogate them on things. [Building rapport is important, but some things are slower than others. But he looks curious at the question.]
[ since he trusts junpei well enough, he's gonna go ahead and pull out a note to show him! who knows, maybe it'll be different this time. ]
I found a handwritten note that I'm trying to identify, but I'm the only one who can read it so far. I couldn't say why; I don't even understand what it says.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 1, sunday
but first... ]
You were friends with Prompto, weren't you? How are you doing?
[ seems like he's had a rough two weeks, losing two friends in a row like this. ]
RAY DID YOU MEAN SATURDAY OR SUNDAY...
...can't say I'm happy it's like this, but...I'm better off than other people. It'll be weird without him though. [He literally decided they were friends like two days ago so this kinda sucks.]
SATURDAY SDLFKJSD I LOST A DAY I GUESS
[ he glances away, troubled. ]
I'm worried about Hizamaru, too. We're all familiar with death, but losing someone we care about never gets easier, no matter how old we are.
IM CRYING you're good it's ok
[He says, as if he didn't just deal with Carlos dying. But that's a little different for reasons.] There's also the problem that this won't be the last time we see it while we're here.
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[ the shinsengumi were... unfortunately very familiar with this kind of thing. hijikata especially, as the last one standing. ]
No, it won't be. From the broadcast, it sounds as if it'll go on until there's only one left - and then there's the curse. [ at that, he'll look at junpei with knitted brows. ] Did you know about it, before the trial?
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[Here, though, he looks a little uncomfortable.] ...I knew, yeah. We've been trying to track the source and come up with a way to explain it to everyone without alerting the demon itself. I've only known for a few days.
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And did you come up with anything? For an explanation, or for tracking it? Monika may have been the source originally, but now that it's out there, it could be hosted by anyone.
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This wasn't about keeping secrets. This was about making a plan and heading in without a back-up plan.
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[ he's! trying not to sound judgmental! he's probably failing, so he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. ]
The problem with trying to track it is convincing everyone to share who they've slept with. They're not all willing to do that, are they? [ it's very human of them. ] And even if we track it down, there isn't a lot we can do about it besides isolate it. We would all have to cooperate for it to work.
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They're not. Look at what happened with Monika today. That's why you make connections and learn things from person to person instead of asking in a group at large. You can cooperate in smaller units for a bigger team. That's how it worked for us, so...it's possible.
That makes sense, doesn't it? [Somehow, he does and does not fully answer the question about the plan but he figures that's close enough to an explanation.]
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[ annoyed, snappish, because it's what the shinsengumi are, and he's been trying but he can't do anything if no one else is willing to work with him, too. maybe that's an unfair way to see it, but kanesan is still a young, temperamental sword - and with only two masters behind him, he doesn't know any different. ]
If you've lost track of it, will you be able to find it again? What do you plan to do about it if you do?
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I'm going to find it and I'm going to kill it. What else? [He sounds stupidly confident of that given he's not a fighter.] If we can find it and trap it somewhere, maybe there's another exorcism to do.
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[ well this certainly isn't how he expected this conversation to go? oops. ]
Do you even know what to look for, in order to find it? The way Nathan spoke, it won't be that easy to tell who it's chosen as a host.
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...I'll figure something out. [He sounds a little less than convinced this time, but sometimes you just yeet yourself straight at death first and figure it out later.] I'll find it and then we'll make a plan together. Is that better?
[He rubs the back of his head.] There's a reason I'm trying to speak to as many people as I can. If we know what a person is like, it might be easier to notice if something seems off about them. Gaps in their memories, stories that don't add up. Things like that.
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[ he uh. might have raised his voice a bit, and kanesan looks a bit started when he realizes it. he can already hear kunihiro's scolding, too, so he takes a deep breath and tries again. ]
Find a weapon before you go throwing yourself into things like this. I'll teach you how to use it if I have to - just think about it first.
[ unfortunately he's decided that he likes this human, and that means the chance of him breaking really doesn't sit well. while he can't force junpei to do anything, he sure can worry about a friend - but he shakes his head. ]
Scout out where it is, and then come up with a plan instead of attacking it blindly. I'll help you however I can. But I can't do anything if you don't talk to me.
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[This poor sword's stress levels...] And I'll keep you informed. If I can have people in the field with their eyes on the people I'm not close with, we might be able to work together to find the source without it noticing.
...I'm still getting used to working with bigger teams again. But I'm trying.
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Who is that, then - the ones you aren't close with? I can try to speak with them and see what I can learn.
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Mm...it's people that keep their distance usually. Muzet. Illumi. Dimitri. Grune, sort of. Logy. Maou. People I've spoken with but can't quite read or figure out how to learn more about them.
[Or people who're just flat-out hard to talk to and he doesn't go after them himself.]
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[ he’s making a mental note, and then he nods. ]
I’ll try to talk to them, and see what I can learn. In the meantime… Can I ask you something else, Junpei?
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If I can answer it, I will. What is it?
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[ a nod. he gets it! As for his question... ]
Have you seen anyone’s handwriting while you’ve been here?
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The question gets a curious look though.] You mean in general? Yeah, I share notes with some people. Why?
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You wouldn't be willing to share them with me, would you? The writing, that is.
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I found a handwritten note that I'm trying to identify, but I'm the only one who can read it so far. I couldn't say why; I don't even understand what it says.
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