[there's a slight pain in her head when she witnesses the memory as if she's also just experiencing it, brow furrowing in some mild confusion as she witnesses something that's.... never really happened to her? she looks back at kon in slight confusion, trying to grasp what he's saying to her]
O... jou? [she shakes her head] No, I... I'm Viola.
[ mm - he can't say he's surprised. and kon doesn't... want to hurt her any further than the memory surely must be. not when iris is in there, probably wildcat mad, and he's not sure what repercussions there might be. because this place has made it abundantly clear that there are punishments for those that step out of line. ]
I know you do. We all do. [ but he can't stop nudging at that boundary, at that limit that must be there, trying to find a crack for him to reach out and take iris' hand again. ] And every person that you've helped has been grateful for it, you know? It's obvious you're not doing it for the recognition or gratitude, but we are pretty damn lucky, and thankful for it.
[ the church must have been. the orphans must have been. whoever else that lady iris lana armelia has helped in her world, he can't imagine that they would be anything but grateful. ]
So do you think I could borrow a little of your help again? Ojou-sama.
[ . . . . she looks at him, confused and curious in equal measure, smart enough to at least recognize that he's saying something to her that she's meant to try to unpack. but it's... difficult. it's foggy.
so instead she focuses on the question - ]
If you cease calling me that, I'd be happy to.
[because "ojou-sama" feels like something meant for someone else and - that is disquieting in and of itself.
viola has had enough moments in her life where the person she was, wasn't enough.]
[ if only she could know that she was more than enough, without having to claw her way out to prove it to herself.
but kon gives a small, bobbing shrug of his shoulders, head lowering in acknowledgement for a second. he's done enough digging, done enough to set her off kilter - even if it wasn't his fault, at first - so he'll let it lie. the limit has been reached. ]
Sorry, Vi. I think it got stuck in my head? But today and yesterday have been weird for everybody.
[just not this week because murder proposals already closed - but in future weeks as long as you let the mods know before they close, that should be fine! i am answering this here so you have it for reference]
Depending on where exactly you would like to set one, and what it would be.
[ me writing this down immediately elsewhere so that i don't forget it - would submitting to the location changes on monday oocly for icly before curfew be good for you guys danarie ]
We're worried about some of the locations on campus, especially since people are being transported out of the dorms and finding themselves elsewhere. Something that would be hard to notice, and not really do any harm to the area. We've had someone cross through the cafeteria every week so far, for example.
Invisible ink can be made with a combination of baking soda, a pinch of tumeric, water, and lemon juice. You can make it visible with heat, in some cases grape juice - the acidity brings it out, especially since tumeric will stain anything if made wet, so it's used to add a little color when it's made visible.
It might only work once in the cafeteria. It might only work once, period. But if we did a thin layer of baking soda and tumeric, made sure there was even just a little bit of diluted lemon juice spritzed on the floor nearby to stick and work its chemical magic... it could show up on someone's feet or shoes. Even if they clean up after, even a trace is something.
[that would work! and we'll say that this will only work on one location in terms of having the time to do it.
but regardless viola will seem thoughtful at that before nodding]
Yes. But of course you'll have to be careful on who exactly is aware of this plan or it won't matter much at all. I'd keep it as contained as possible. It may also depend on whether or not someone would wash their shoes or themselves before trial but...
It's not a bad idea - I think that should be plausible to having laying in wait.
he taps his chin with his phone, yoru keychain swaying off the end of it while he thinks. but he does tap something out, just noting it down somewhere so that he can have it. ]
Okay. Okay, we can do that. Ichiro and I were definitely talking about it in the dorm, but I - [ mm. they've already had two killers, so he's more worried about them having deaths, especially with winter having the highest population. he looks troubled, but shakes his head and refocuses. ]
I'll talk to just him about how we're going to set it up, and where, for now. And with the STEM lab, now, on top of the kitchen... I think I can figure out ways to set up other traps.
[ . . . when he cuts himself off, she watches him. and she smiles even if the reason for it is a little unreadable. it is pleasant, but it is not without a hint of wariness and concern.
winter dorm is so beloved to her that it doesn't matter how she loses them - it matters only still that she doesn't want to. she will never let go willingly, for any reason.]
[ unfortunately, with three weeks living with winter dorm... with how the protagonists have rubbed off on him, and their more prickly members, he's... protective. and worried. it wasn't an understatement when he told yamato that they got close and defensive of one another fast, and are now prone to closing ranks because of it.
it's not a bad thing. (except for where it is, after what's happened to him.) ]
I know Ichiro's going to come talk to you about things we can exchange for vouchers, things we can use during Saturday. So we've got that going for us. [ ... now for the next question. ] But speaking of vouchers - Vivi, does an exchange have to be in person to be official, or can it be written and followed up on?
[ dana can i write a will to exchange vouchers to someone in the event i mcfuckin die ]
... I suppose that you can indicate where you would like your Vouchers to go, as long as it is a set amount that you have in your possession.
[a beat, and her expression gets a bit stormier]
In... worst case scenarios.
[and the rules for this are that it has to be brought up organically by the character and their will needs to exist before the day they die. it also needs to be communicated to the mods. they cannot be backdated or retconned!]
... yeah. Yeah that's what I was thinking. [ his hand lowers, pocketing his phone and expression turning wry. ] We need to keep vouchers circulating, so it's like you keep saying - hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
[ even if it's only a couple of vouchers, that's still one or two that can be contributed to something that everybody else needs. restocking the first aid kit, tipping someone over enough to get a power or item that can help save someone, find a killer, get them a little further in getting the dorm heads freed.
thank you mods you have indulged my abrupt line of questioning and i appreciate you ]
Everyone in Winter is so efficient and creative - it's rather amusing to see. I feel as though it's not hard to see why you've all been grouped together.
It's... interesting, to say the least. There's a lot of ways where I'd say we're way too different to work, reasonably, but then it turns out we're all just stubborn and don't like to lose.
[ lose a competition, lose people, lose themselves. ]
[ he's not the hero of the story - but he could reasonably say any of the others would easily suit the role. the guile hero. the all-loving hero. the byronic, determinator, reformer...
kon just shrugs at her helplessly. it's something that he doesn't mind. he's always been an outlier. ]
Well, we certainly all share the dorm's spirit, that's for sure.
I don't know much about you all - I recognize that, but based on your actions that you've shown me... I really do think there's more similarities to you than differences.
he makes a little bit of a face, back, but doesn't necessarily argue. even if he grouses. ] ... I did mean it when I said that none of us would be transferring out to other dorms. And, at this point, we're a team - they're mine as much as they are yours, as much as I'm still getting used to it.
... I would understand if you all did - given the track record that Winter has had. [two convicted murderers]
If only to test the hypothesis, if there is something about Winter itself that compels people to take the lives of others - though I don't know if you'll be safer elsewhere.
[ . . . she looks away, as if to obscure her expression]
okay, it's more of a tap to the top of her head with the back of his knuckles than it is a bonk, but he's going to drag her back out or so help him. this is his role to play in the dynamics of the dorm - the one that reminds the heroes of what they're supposed to be doing. (kon guesses that those peptalks for and scoldings from toki paid off, somehow.) ]
Rupert clearly didn't want to do it, and Kaoruko told enough people that we should play along, be less confrontational, because of a role she was playing. Simply because there was the commonality of them being from the same dorm doesn't mean that you're cursed, or that there might be some forces at play that mean Winter has a reputation for murder.
Everyone in Winter is so efficient and creative, [ he'll step around her in case she tries to properly look away from him. ] And we're using that to figure out how to catch the people being forced to kill against their will.
Fuck the reputation you're afraid of. [ because crow told him. ] We'll prove it wrong. As your dorm - you're stuck with us.
her gaze turns a little sharp at that - not in response to the bonk, but rather in response to an accusation that doesn't land quite right. not when crow suggested it, and not now.]
It is not about reputation. It is about a malevolent force asking people to act, and we don't know the exact motivation - but we know thus far that it has struck Winter twice. Don't you want to be in control of your own actions? Don't you want to avoid being asked to hurt others?
I don't care about my reputation - I have none left to lose. I only have all of you.
But you are all so willing to be commonly regarded as murderers without realizing just how dangerous that could prove to be. You should look after yourselves more than you care for loyalty to me - associations like that matter little if I lose you anyway.
[ there's a part of him that wants to ask her don't you? or snap back with you know what happened, but he pulls it back. ]
So, what, leave to another dorm? Where people have been controlled every expulsion? Where another murderer could very well be lying in wait, having gotten away with killing Sieghart? Where another murderer is born, at the whims of the powers behind all this?
And the force here definitely didn't decide to play favorites on who it took, either, considering it wasn't just Winter residents who had their control taken from them. My group, the other group, even the ones who went into Ichiro's Japan - people were still hurt, still killed. People still died, and we were the cause of that, no matter whether the blood was fresh on our hands or not.
Despite everything, it was as real as all this. But we got through it by not being alone, and working together to survive.
So it's not just loyalty to you, and it's not, at its core, just the loyalty to the dorm in concept - that first week, I couldn't have cared less, when I didn't trust you or any of the other heads. But we all banded together, anyways, because we're stuck here together. We're all angry together.
It's loyalty to each other, because we're weathering the storm in the same shelter, looking for the same answers, using our skills to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Because you said it yourself, that we're a lot more similar than we give each other credit for. Those ideals, those goals, that anger... So you're stuck with us, because why would we go anywhere else, and because like recognizes like.
Just like us, every action you make says I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore.
[she's still irritated, letting it flash obviously on her face for a moment - but even then it stems out of a protectiveness. a sense of "if we can remove the idea of a pattern where winter harbors killers, I wouldn't suggest it, but until then" - ]
You seem obviously fond of flipping your arguments based on convenience, Kon.
I clearly can't make any of you leave.
But I refuse to have it suggested that all I care about is reputation when all theories ought to be considered and tested. You are all my priority, and that includes keeping all of your hands as clean as I can. Even just a week away to see if something about Winter itself compels killers would've been enough.
As long as you all have a home in each other - that's all I could've wanted. That's all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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O... jou? [she shakes her head] No, I... I'm Viola.
[isn't she?
. . . . ]
But that's - yes. I do want to help everyone....
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I know you do. We all do. [ but he can't stop nudging at that boundary, at that limit that must be there, trying to find a crack for him to reach out and take iris' hand again. ] And every person that you've helped has been grateful for it, you know? It's obvious you're not doing it for the recognition or gratitude, but we are pretty damn lucky, and thankful for it.
[ the church must have been. the orphans must have been. whoever else that lady iris lana armelia has helped in her world, he can't imagine that they would be anything but grateful. ]
So do you think I could borrow a little of your help again? Ojou-sama.
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so instead she focuses on the question - ]
If you cease calling me that, I'd be happy to.
[because "ojou-sama" feels like something meant for someone else and - that is disquieting in and of itself.
viola has had enough moments in her life where the person she was, wasn't enough.]
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but kon gives a small, bobbing shrug of his shoulders, head lowering in acknowledgement for a second. he's done enough digging, done enough to set her off kilter - even if it wasn't his fault, at first - so he'll let it lie. the limit has been reached. ]
Sorry, Vi. I think it got stuck in my head? But today and yesterday have been weird for everybody.
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You don't need to apologize - I just...
[ . . . ]
Well, nevermind. How may I help?
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I do want to exchange some vouchers, but I had some questions about non-voucher things, first.
How viable do you think it would be, to set a trap on Thursday before we're compelled back into the dorms for curfew?
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[just not this week because murder proposals already closed - but in future weeks as long as you let the mods know before they close, that should be fine! i am answering this here so you have it for reference]
Depending on where exactly you would like to set one, and what it would be.
no subject
We're worried about some of the locations on campus, especially since people are being transported out of the dorms and finding themselves elsewhere. Something that would be hard to notice, and not really do any harm to the area. We've had someone cross through the cafeteria every week so far, for example.
Invisible ink can be made with a combination of baking soda, a pinch of tumeric, water, and lemon juice. You can make it visible with heat, in some cases grape juice - the acidity brings it out, especially since tumeric will stain anything if made wet, so it's used to add a little color when it's made visible.
It might only work once in the cafeteria. It might only work once, period. But if we did a thin layer of baking soda and tumeric, made sure there was even just a little bit of diluted lemon juice spritzed on the floor nearby to stick and work its chemical magic... it could show up on someone's feet or shoes. Even if they clean up after, even a trace is something.
no subject
but regardless viola will seem thoughtful at that before nodding]
Yes. But of course you'll have to be careful on who exactly is aware of this plan or it won't matter much at all. I'd keep it as contained as possible. It may also depend on whether or not someone would wash their shoes or themselves before trial but...
It's not a bad idea - I think that should be plausible to having laying in wait.
no subject
he taps his chin with his phone, yoru keychain swaying off the end of it while he thinks. but he does tap something out, just noting it down somewhere so that he can have it. ]
Okay. Okay, we can do that. Ichiro and I were definitely talking about it in the dorm, but I - [ mm. they've already had two killers, so he's more worried about them having deaths, especially with winter having the highest population. he looks troubled, but shakes his head and refocuses. ]
I'll talk to just him about how we're going to set it up, and where, for now. And with the STEM lab, now, on top of the kitchen... I think I can figure out ways to set up other traps.
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winter dorm is so beloved to her that it doesn't matter how she loses them - it matters only still that she doesn't want to. she will never let go willingly, for any reason.]
.... I look forward to the results.
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[ unfortunately, with three weeks living with winter dorm... with how the protagonists have rubbed off on him, and their more prickly members, he's... protective. and worried. it wasn't an understatement when he told yamato that they got close and defensive of one another fast, and are now prone to closing ranks because of it.
it's not a bad thing. (except for where it is, after what's happened to him.) ]
I know Ichiro's going to come talk to you about things we can exchange for vouchers, things we can use during Saturday. So we've got that going for us. [ ... now for the next question. ] But speaking of vouchers - Vivi, does an exchange have to be in person to be official, or can it be written and followed up on?
[ dana can i write a will to exchange vouchers to someone in the event i mcfuckin die ]
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... I suppose that you can indicate where you would like your Vouchers to go, as long as it is a set amount that you have in your possession.
[a beat, and her expression gets a bit stormier]
In... worst case scenarios.
[and the rules for this are that it has to be brought up organically by the character and their will needs to exist before the day they die. it also needs to be communicated to the mods. they cannot be backdated or retconned!]
no subject
[ even if it's only a couple of vouchers, that's still one or two that can be contributed to something that everybody else needs. restocking the first aid kit, tipping someone over enough to get a power or item that can help save someone, find a killer, get them a little further in getting the dorm heads freed.
thank you mods you have indulged my abrupt line of questioning and i appreciate you ]
... I'll make sure everybody keeps it in mind.
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Everyone in Winter is so efficient and creative - it's rather amusing to see. I feel as though it's not hard to see why you've all been grouped together.
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It's... interesting, to say the least. There's a lot of ways where I'd say we're way too different to work, reasonably, but then it turns out we're all just stubborn and don't like to lose.
[ lose a competition, lose people, lose themselves. ]
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Do you really find yourselves all that different from each other? If anything, I think that you're all rather similar....
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[ he's not the hero of the story - but he could reasonably say any of the others would easily suit the role. the guile hero. the all-loving hero. the byronic, determinator, reformer...
kon just shrugs at her helplessly. it's something that he doesn't mind. he's always been an outlier. ]
Well, we certainly all share the dorm's spirit, that's for sure.
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gently amused at his hesitation -]
I don't know much about you all - I recognize that, but based on your actions that you've shown me... I really do think there's more similarities to you than differences.
That's all.
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he makes a little bit of a face, back, but doesn't necessarily argue. even if he grouses. ] ... I did mean it when I said that none of us would be transferring out to other dorms. And, at this point, we're a team - they're mine as much as they are yours, as much as I'm still getting used to it.
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... I would understand if you all did - given the track record that Winter has had. [two convicted murderers]
If only to test the hypothesis, if there is something about Winter itself that compels people to take the lives of others - though I don't know if you'll be safer elsewhere.
[ . . . she looks away, as if to obscure her expression]
... it would be a reasonable course of action.
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bonk. ] Stop that.
[
okay, it's more of a tap to the top of her head with the back of his knuckles than it is a bonk, but he's going to drag her back out or so help him. this is his role to play in the dynamics of the dorm - the one that reminds the heroes of what they're supposed to be doing. (kon guesses that those peptalks for and scoldings from toki paid off, somehow.) ]
Rupert clearly didn't want to do it, and Kaoruko told enough people that we should play along, be less confrontational, because of a role she was playing. Simply because there was the commonality of them being from the same dorm doesn't mean that you're cursed, or that there might be some forces at play that mean Winter has a reputation for murder.
Everyone in Winter is so efficient and creative, [ he'll step around her in case she tries to properly look away from him. ] And we're using that to figure out how to catch the people being forced to kill against their will.
Fuck the reputation you're afraid of. [ because crow told him. ] We'll prove it wrong. As your dorm - you're stuck with us.
no subject
her gaze turns a little sharp at that - not in response to the bonk, but rather in response to an accusation that doesn't land quite right. not when crow suggested it, and not now.]
It is not about reputation. It is about a malevolent force asking people to act, and we don't know the exact motivation - but we know thus far that it has struck Winter twice. Don't you want to be in control of your own actions? Don't you want to avoid being asked to hurt others?
I don't care about my reputation - I have none left to lose. I only have all of you.
But you are all so willing to be commonly regarded as murderers without realizing just how dangerous that could prove to be. You should look after yourselves more than you care for loyalty to me - associations like that matter little if I lose you anyway.
no subject
So, what, leave to another dorm? Where people have been controlled every expulsion? Where another murderer could very well be lying in wait, having gotten away with killing Sieghart? Where another murderer is born, at the whims of the powers behind all this?
And the force here definitely didn't decide to play favorites on who it took, either, considering it wasn't just Winter residents who had their control taken from them. My group, the other group, even the ones who went into Ichiro's Japan - people were still hurt, still killed. People still died, and we were the cause of that, no matter whether the blood was fresh on our hands or not.
Despite everything, it was as real as all this. But we got through it by not being alone, and working together to survive.
So it's not just loyalty to you, and it's not, at its core, just the loyalty to the dorm in concept - that first week, I couldn't have cared less, when I didn't trust you or any of the other heads. But we all banded together, anyways, because we're stuck here together. We're all angry together.
It's loyalty to each other, because we're weathering the storm in the same shelter, looking for the same answers, using our skills to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Because you said it yourself, that we're a lot more similar than we give each other credit for. Those ideals, those goals, that anger... So you're stuck with us, because why would we go anywhere else, and because like recognizes like.
Just like us, every action you make says I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore.
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You seem obviously fond of flipping your arguments based on convenience, Kon.
I clearly can't make any of you leave.
But I refuse to have it suggested that all I care about is reputation when all theories ought to be considered and tested. You are all my priority, and that includes keeping all of your hands as clean as I can. Even just a week away to see if something about Winter itself compels killers would've been enough.
As long as you all have a home in each other - that's all I could've wanted. That's all.
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