[i can't believe junpei is literally the pepe silvia meme
Wei Wuxian also glances briefly at that table but it hardly registers as a mess because his room has been in much worse states! It's fine, they're doing fine.]
That's true - and they did, clearly, unless someone else has an explanation for the black substance in that circle. They had access to the exorcism tools, too. [...] Well. You were talking about certain members among us who know more than they let on.
[There's a conspiracy wall in the other room? Don't worry about it. ANYWAY.]
I've been talking to people, people have been confiding in me, I solved a few puzzles other people have been receiving. It all fits! That's the thing, it all fits and I'm trying to figure out how it all connects because I have absolutely no idea.
[AHHHHH.] I thought maybe you might know more. I was almost confident that you had a part in all of this, too. And I'm still not entirely convinced you don't.
Anyway, Wei Wuxian raises his hands a little because THIS IS A LOT OF MANIC ENERGY HERE.]
If I knew more, I would have told you by now. I'd say you know a good deal more than I do, at this rate! [NO ONE TELLS HIM ANYTHING.] I really don't know anything... The last I heard about was a note Hizamaru got on his shoe, but honestly, I assume that's probably already gotten back to you by now, too.
[Like he just figures Junpei knows everything before he does.]
Yeah, he told me Saturday. "They are not as they sound", right? [So yes, that got back to him because EVERYONE TELLS HIM SHIT, GOD.] I assumed it had to do with our demons posing as people we know, but...maybe not?
[Good the last thing he wants to deal with is an escalating Junpei. His hands lower back to his side, and he nods at the mention of the note's contents.]
Mm, right - that's the one. I was thinking over it a little too, but it seemed a bit too obvious to be referring to our dear friends. You'd probably have a better guess than I would, though.
I don't know. It's one of the ones I'm actually stuck on. I thought maybe the note was talking about the shoes themselves but they're not that special. [...wait.] ...could be a reference to the broadcasts we keep hearing, now that I think about it.
Of course not, but that's what we're getting. It's always the same voice every time. The written accounts sound like the same guy, too.
[...but...ahah. Wow maybe he should've thought this through, so he just...shrugs.]
Well. I've found nine people so far, so we're off to a pretty good start. Most of them overlap and have similar jobs, but they're just different enough to probably help each other if they know about each other. I don't know if they do though. I want to find the rest just to know who they are and how they fit into all of this.
Our mystery boxes came from one of those people, for instance. They had no idea what they were doing, but it just happened to work that way.
I agree. I'd like to know more about him, to be honest - the role he played isn't insignificant, but I'm not sure exactly what side he leans on, you know?
[Like, he sounds like a victim in his own reports, but... y'know. Self-reporting and all.
He looks a little surprised by that, though!]
Nine! You really are working fast, haha. Good to know those boxes don't rely on what we thought, either. [Or so he... assumes?! God please let him rest.
Anyway, being the curious gremlin he is, he's Gotta Ask:] Do you know what some of the other jobs are, then? And the nine that you already know - is it something you'd be willing to share? Do you know if they're the same in function and scope as the thirteen that came before our game? Are they here to help, or is it more complex? Depends on the person, maybe?
It's not and it makes you wonder why he left us all of these messages and clues. I get what we're supposed to be learning from past mistakes, but it's almost like they just made it harder on us and themselves.
[He looks pleased with himself though. Praise him, he's a good snooper. Or, more like, shit just happens to him.] I don't know about that. I found a few more people who received boxes and they had the same thing in common with us. So...[It's possible a box went to everyone who fucked on the prior Tuesday.
Still, he expected this flood and he waits for Wei Wuxian to finish asking before looking at the ceiling.]
Yes I know all nine jobs, I can share a few that I know will help us but not the names, I have no idea if they match our original thirteen before our group showed up, I think they're probably here to help even if some of them can hurt us, and....well, Escha was one of them.
[Also apparently the ghosts don't even like them so there's that. THANKS, GHOSTS.
Anyway he's always here to pat people's egos!! Rely on him for that!! Though he's also making a face at that because good lord what kind of power is "send a tiny gift to everyone who fucks on Tuesday".]
Ah, well. Maybe that's how they decide who to send things to, then? [MAKING A FACE INTENSIFIES. But he'll shift gears to listen attentively as Junpei answers his questions. He doesn't look surprised to hear that Escha was among their thirteen, either, but that's probably an unsurprising reaction from him by this point.]
Alright - share what you can, I'm here to listen. [...] The two of you were close, weren't you... What was hers, a helpful job?
[THANKS GHOSTS! He brushes the topic aside for now because they have more important things to discuss.]
The way I understand it, they have to make a choice but they don't always know what the result will be. Tiny boxes were that week. I'm not sure what last week's or this week's was, but I can probably find out.
[The mention of Escha gets a soft smile though because...well. It sucks. The room has felt empty without her.] I want to think so, yeah. [He has a hard time gauging those things sometimes.] Her job was probably one of the most helpful. She, uh...could protect someone from dying during an exorcism. But she had to pick at the beginning of the week, so it was all kind of a game of chance.
[He taps his chin, turning over the information before humming out a little sound.]
I see, I see. Sounds like a tricky job to be handling. [Not like he expected straightforward help...
But also??? The fuck??? THEY KILLED THEIR SHIELD. That part, Wei Wuxian looks a little disgruntled about.]
Can't imagine the guilt that would come from a job like that would have done her well... [Escha seems like the kind of person who'd feel responsible for picking the wrong person to protect, honestly.] But it would have been nice to have had at least a little extra assurance.
...she tried, you know? [And here he looks a little? Guilty?] There's a reason everything seemed to be linked so obviously to Tamamo. It just...didn't work out that way.
[He's not elaborating, but he'll wait to see if Wei Wuxian puts the pieces together.]
Yeah. [Please kill him.] Tamamo had no idea at the time. Those were a part of Escha's rules. She can't tell people she's protecting them. [...] She said it was good we didn't just believe in the evidence blindly and it'd be a bad precedence to follow if we ignored the other evidence. Somehow that doesn't really help with what happened though.
[FUCKIN RIP IN REST YALL. Wei Wuxian also didn't vote but it was by virtue of me, aki, not being here so he'll just nod in silent solidarity and not actually say anything about it.]
She does have a point, but... [Hm. Bitter point, indeed.
He gives Junpei a considering look after trailing off.]
—I went to bring her something to eat later that night. She holds the two of you in high regard, you know? Said that I should entrust any information I find to you both, since you're working hard to get everything sorted.
Edited (i repeated myself twice in one sentence its past midnight,) 2019-10-31 07:37 (UTC)
[That's fair. It sure is a bitter point, and he's not sure what to make of that look until Wei Wuxian continues and his expression shifts to something a little...devastated, maybe.Or at least a little unhappy because wow, they super fucked up in not keeping her alive and yet this sure is a thing.]
...she was a pretty big help with that, too. We've been working on getting everything together for weeks. [A gesture toward one of the walls Wei Wuxian can't see.] Notes are pinned up for reference later. We used to do debriefings before curfew or after the exorcisms. Sometimes both.
[Sometimes you just kill your favorite roommate, it's fine!!
He glances over to said wall when Junpei gestures, even though he can't see it from where he stands, and hums out a little impressed sound.]
Not surprised that you're so meticulous and got such a wide head-start. [Since he just assumes Junpei means "from the start" when he says "we've been working for weeks"...]
She has faith in the two of you. Said that as long as people are willing to try, you're clever enough to figure things out. [A little beat of silence - also considering.] —Well! I don't think she's wrong. Though it's certainly a loss, not having her on this side... I feel like she's determined enough and has enough faith in those left here that it's not quite as bad as it could have been.
[Though, like. It's still bad. And his expression definitely says "this is still bad".]
This...is what I do at home, sort of. Find leads, follow clues, deal with blood and violence. [Just with less demon.] And Dick's smart and Escha helped put things into perspective. It worked pretty well.
[He folds his arms over his chest.] She has a job on the other side anyway, I think. There's an island our lost friends are sent to when they leave this side of things. Pretty sure they're learning more over there that we don't know about here.
It really is a good thing we have someone with the expertise and insight you all offer here, then.
[He's here to help fill in the demon gaps, apparently??
In any case, since there's no need to linger over Escha's loss and the sting it's left behind any more than they already have:]
I'd think that's the case. [That she's got a job over there on their... dead island, apparently.] It usually is - the "other side", whatever that side may be, tends to have access to things that we can't see or experience or understand. ...You haven't managed to figure out a way to contact them yet, have you?
[Does Junpei just know fuckin everything?? He's assuming so unless proven otherwise at this rate.]
Hopefully we don't end up disappointing then. [This was never what he was supposed to be doing with the detective gig, but hey. It works to his benefit. Nice to know WWX's taking dead island in stride.]
I got that impression from Carlos and Polly a few times, too. Not that it does us much good. [But...he nods.] There's someone with a role who can do that, too. Not for very long and only one ghost at a time, but they can do it. It's how we learned about the island in the first place.
[Junpei does not know everything because I don't want that.]
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Sure, it's risky, but what if there are other rules someone else is following? How could someone have known exactly where the demon was?
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Wei Wuxian also glances briefly at that table but it hardly registers as a mess because his room has been in much worse states! It's fine, they're doing fine.]
That's true - and they did, clearly, unless someone else has an explanation for the black substance in that circle. They had access to the exorcism tools, too. [...] Well. You were talking about certain members among us who know more than they let on.
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...about that. That's part of what I needed to update you on. There are thirteen of them. [Hey. Does thirteen sound familiar?]
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Also hm, bad.]
—Thirteen people who know more? In what way - do you know? How do you know?
[BOY!!]
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I've been talking to people, people have been confiding in me, I solved a few puzzles other people have been receiving. It all fits! That's the thing, it all fits and I'm trying to figure out how it all connects because I have absolutely no idea.
[AHHHHH.] I thought maybe you might know more. I was almost confident that you had a part in all of this, too. And I'm still not entirely convinced you don't.
[So prove him wrong.]
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Anyway, Wei Wuxian raises his hands a little because THIS IS A LOT OF MANIC ENERGY HERE.]
If I knew more, I would have told you by now. I'd say you know a good deal more than I do, at this rate! [NO ONE TELLS HIM ANYTHING.] I really don't know anything... The last I heard about was a note Hizamaru got on his shoe, but honestly, I assume that's probably already gotten back to you by now, too.
[Like he just figures Junpei knows everything before he does.]
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Yeah, he told me Saturday. "They are not as they sound", right? [So yes, that got back to him because EVERYONE TELLS HIM SHIT, GOD.] I assumed it had to do with our demons posing as people we know, but...maybe not?
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Mm, right - that's the one. I was thinking over it a little too, but it seemed a bit too obvious to be referring to our dear friends. You'd probably have a better guess than I would, though.
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[But he shrugs a little at that, since apparently, he really does know nothing, my guy.
WHICH, SPEAKING OF. He crosses his arms over his chest, head canting a little to one side.]
So - care to enlighten me on what it is you've found out so far about these thirteen among us?
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[...but...ahah. Wow maybe he should've thought this through, so he just...shrugs.]
Well. I've found nine people so far, so we're off to a pretty good start. Most of them overlap and have similar jobs, but they're just different enough to probably help each other if they know about each other. I don't know if they do though. I want to find the rest just to know who they are and how they fit into all of this.
Our mystery boxes came from one of those people, for instance. They had no idea what they were doing, but it just happened to work that way.
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[Like, he sounds like a victim in his own reports, but... y'know. Self-reporting and all.
He looks a little surprised by that, though!]
Nine! You really are working fast, haha. Good to know those boxes don't rely on what we thought, either. [Or so he... assumes?! God please let him rest.
Anyway, being the curious gremlin he is, he's Gotta Ask:] Do you know what some of the other jobs are, then? And the nine that you already know - is it something you'd be willing to share? Do you know if they're the same in function and scope as the thirteen that came before our game? Are they here to help, or is it more complex? Depends on the person, maybe?
[The Question Flood.]
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[He looks pleased with himself though. Praise him, he's a good snooper. Or, more like, shit just happens to him.] I don't know about that. I found a few more people who received boxes and they had the same thing in common with us. So...[It's possible a box went to everyone who fucked on the prior Tuesday.
Still, he expected this flood and he waits for Wei Wuxian to finish asking before looking at the ceiling.]
Yes I know all nine jobs, I can share a few that I know will help us but not the names, I have no idea if they match our original thirteen before our group showed up, I think they're probably here to help even if some of them can hurt us, and....well, Escha was one of them.
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[Also apparently the ghosts don't even like them so there's that. THANKS, GHOSTS.
Anyway he's always here to pat people's egos!! Rely on him for that!! Though he's also making a face at that because good lord what kind of power is "send a tiny gift to everyone who fucks on Tuesday".]
Ah, well. Maybe that's how they decide who to send things to, then? [MAKING A FACE INTENSIFIES. But he'll shift gears to listen attentively as Junpei answers his questions. He doesn't look surprised to hear that Escha was among their thirteen, either, but that's probably an unsurprising reaction from him by this point.]
Alright - share what you can, I'm here to listen. [...] The two of you were close, weren't you... What was hers, a helpful job?
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The way I understand it, they have to make a choice but they don't always know what the result will be. Tiny boxes were that week. I'm not sure what last week's or this week's was, but I can probably find out.
[The mention of Escha gets a soft smile though because...well. It sucks. The room has felt empty without her.] I want to think so, yeah. [He has a hard time gauging those things sometimes.] Her job was probably one of the most helpful. She, uh...could protect someone from dying during an exorcism. But she had to pick at the beginning of the week, so it was all kind of a game of chance.
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I see, I see. Sounds like a tricky job to be handling. [Not like he expected straightforward help...
But also??? The fuck??? THEY KILLED THEIR SHIELD. That part, Wei Wuxian looks a little disgruntled about.]
Can't imagine the guilt that would come from a job like that would have done her well... [Escha seems like the kind of person who'd feel responsible for picking the wrong person to protect, honestly.] But it would have been nice to have had at least a little extra assurance.
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[He's not elaborating, but he'll wait to see if Wei Wuxian puts the pieces together.]
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Because she'd chosen to protect Tamamo from the exorcism that week, hm?
[But
y'all.]
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But Dick and I didn't vote this week.
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She does have a point, but... [Hm. Bitter point, indeed.
He gives Junpei a considering look after trailing off.]
—I went to bring her something to eat later that night. She holds the two of you in high regard, you know? Said that I should entrust any information I find to you both, since you're working hard to get everything sorted.
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...she was a pretty big help with that, too. We've been working on getting everything together for weeks. [A gesture toward one of the walls Wei Wuxian can't see.] Notes are pinned up for reference later. We used to do debriefings before curfew or after the exorcisms. Sometimes both.
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He glances over to said wall when Junpei gestures, even though he can't see it from where he stands, and hums out a little impressed sound.]
Not surprised that you're so meticulous and got such a wide head-start. [Since he just assumes Junpei means "from the start" when he says "we've been working for weeks"...]
She has faith in the two of you. Said that as long as people are willing to try, you're clever enough to figure things out. [A little beat of silence - also considering.] —Well! I don't think she's wrong. Though it's certainly a loss, not having her on this side... I feel like she's determined enough and has enough faith in those left here that it's not quite as bad as it could have been.
[Though, like. It's still bad. And his expression definitely says "this is still bad".]
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[He folds his arms over his chest.] She has a job on the other side anyway, I think. There's an island our lost friends are sent to when they leave this side of things. Pretty sure they're learning more over there that we don't know about here.
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[He's here to help fill in the demon gaps, apparently??
In any case, since there's no need to linger over Escha's loss and the sting it's left behind any more than they already have:]
I'd think that's the case. [That she's got a job over there on their... dead island, apparently.] It usually is - the "other side", whatever that side may be, tends to have access to things that we can't see or experience or understand. ...You haven't managed to figure out a way to contact them yet, have you?
[Does Junpei just know fuckin everything?? He's assuming so unless proven otherwise at this rate.]
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I got that impression from Carlos and Polly a few times, too. Not that it does us much good. [But...he nods.] There's someone with a role who can do that, too. Not for very long and only one ghost at a time, but they can do it. It's how we learned about the island in the first place.
[Junpei does not know everything because I don't want that.]
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