EDELGARD;

[crashout]

Comments

[hegemonstrous]

Good.

[She approves of this.]

I was worried, today. Others look to you as a leader. I had thought you would respond to this irrationally.

[crashout]

[He looks a little surprised to hear that, but he doesn't remark on it. Instead, he tilts his head and chooses his words carefully.]

In your opinion, how did I respond today? [Irrationally is a little subjective, he thinks, especially since he hit Escha with her own staff and still feels bad about it.]

[hegemonstrous]

You weren't terrible. But your reluctance to consider that the people closest to you could succumb to demons is a liability. To yourself, and to those very people.

[She's just going to be frank about that.]

As for today, you excelled in pinpointing the culprit. And then when you were unfortunately correct, you lost the ability to take decisive action.

[crashout]

[...he wants to argue but. He can't, really, because it's not like she's wrong. He knew early on how the evidence stacked up but he still tried to find a way around it. He still handled her questioning more carefully than Monika's and he knows that alone was a detriment.

So he settles for a sigh of agreement.]

Knowing what we know now, and knowing that someone will have to be voted for anyway, will make things easier going forward. [It won't, but it'll make the decision process more clear.] But you're right. I got kinda sloppy at the end. But games that change their rules in the middle aren't exactly my favorite.

[hegemonstrous]

Having rules you didn't consider isn't a change. Having secret rules only a few know of is perhaps more suspect.

[She considers him for a minute, assessing him.]

Is it really true that someone will have to be voted for anyway?

[crashout]

You think that's what's going on here? I've suspected there are people in our group working with our captors, or at least knowing more than the rest of us for a while, but the proof is harder to find.

But it's true. Carlos confirmed that if it wasn't Escha, it'd be someone else.

[hegemonstrous]

I understand that much.

[She looks a little uncertain? Or maybe it's impatience.]

And there was an attempt to frame someone else.

[crashout]

[...there's an unreadable look as he studies her face.]

What're your thoughts on that? Both of those things, actually. I'd like a second opinion from someone worth listening to.

[hegemonstrous]

Hmm.

I think it was a sloppy attempt, easy to see through, and fully dependent on us finding a certain pink hair at the scene. Given the order of events, I think only one person could have planted that evidence.

But she was so reluctant to condemn someone else in her place.

[crashout]

Exactly. And what would lead someone to purposefully setting a scene with such obvious evidence? Why would someone go to such lengths to frame someone and then take the fall instead?

There's always a reason for everything, isn't there?

[hegemonstrous]

Not always. But in this case, I think there was a reason. And my suspicion is that you already know the reason.

[crashout]

A bold suspicion. [But there's a faint smile.] I wish I could confirm that, but I really don't know. Escha was telling the truth that she's been spacey all week. It was hard to talk to her about anything too deep.

[But...it is strange, isn't it?] If she really had a reason for it, I can't help but wonder if she couldn't tell us.

[hegemonstrous]

Hmm.

[She isn't sure whether or not to believe him, but she drops it.]

I think that's probably right. Whatever her reasons, it wasn't something she could, or wanted to, explain.

[crashout]

It's been a few weeks. People are bound to have secrets we can't uncover without some extra work. I've been hearing some rumors myself, but...I'm still looking for proof about that, too. Special rules people have and stuff like that.