(ROLE) DOCTOR WHO

[dormheads]

doctor who.

On Monday at 9 PM, Nier receives an encrypted e-mail.

middleman@Wiwaldi.edu

Meet me at the Student Health Office alone. Don't tell anyone.

Luke

No one is in the halls as Nier creeps to the Student Health Service Office. The door opens, and Luke waves him inside.

There is a trendy plastic letter board standing up on the counter which reads:

DOCTOR WHO
● DOCTOR or WHO?
● DOCTOR will spare someone from execution on Sunday, but under certain conditions. WHO? will allow the removal of a single piece of evidence. If no evidence is known, use "wildcard" to make it random.
● This choice is only active during the current week.
● You have to pick one or the other (doctor or who), not both.
● Deadline is Tuesday, 6 PM.

Comments

[darksubverted]

[To Nier, he feels... worried.]

You can call me Riku.

[amain]

... Riku. I'm glad to see that you're more yourself.

[ At the very least, that's genuine based on the relief cutting through the simmering rage. ]

Are you here to scold me some more?

[darksubverted]

Me, too.

[There's a little relief from him, too, but the worry smothers it.]

I should... But I think you understand. So I'll spare you.

[amain]

No, go ahead and do it.

[ Maybe it'll make him feel better? He doesn't know. ]

[darksubverted]

I'm too tired, and I'm not wasting my breath. You already know you're a blockhead.

...

You're doing what you can with what you have.

[amain]

[ Everyone is tired! His frown deepens. They know some of the truth for the past murders, then where is the relief? This place is winding him up more and more with each passing day. ]

Am I, really? Is... Any of this right?

[darksubverted]

No, but... we don't have a lot of choices, do we?

[He peers at Nier.]

What are you thinking?

[amain]

I'm considering killing Byleth.

[ The murderous intent shared is strong, but it isn't resolute. ]

But others have mentioned keeping her around in case we don't catch a killer this week.

[ And... Well... Of course he's sad. He's very sad. Byleth is his friend and it's hard to shake off that feeling. ]

[darksubverted]

[There's a tiny bit of judgment resting at the bottom of Riku's feelings. It isn't a knight's sort of judgment, one full of righteous justice. More a concerned one.]

This is why I told you to be careful who you tell. [That's the only scold he'll offer.] Do you think killing her would change anything?

Do you think... she did it on purpose?

[amain]

[ Sometimes you like people and that's just a bad choice! ]

No, it wouldn't. [ There's obvious guilt, but the anger is still there. It's loud in attempts to drown everything out. ] And I don't know.

There are probably circumstances around this, but... I don't know.

[darksubverted]

[Nier gets some sympathy that feels very much like Riku is trying to hide it.]

Unless you want someone else to have the burden of your responsibility, don't worry about Byleth. If you kill her, you take her place in the vote... unless there are others, and everyone manages to find them.

[amain]

… Yeah, you’re right. [ Less angry, just sad now. ] Even with all this daycare talk recently, it’s… Still hard to forget that people died.

But it’s better to focus on this.

[darksubverted]

[Sad boy hours came early tonight.]

It sounds like they're working on it on their end. All we can do is believe in them.

[amain]

[ Isn’t it always sad boy hours. ]

Yeah. We have to believe. [ Nier can do that. ] … I’m considering between Lux or Caleb.

[ For picks, I guess. I am just looking at everything that’s happened in the past couple of days like hello? ]

[darksubverted]

[yes]

Because they came up before? Or do you have other reasons why?

[amain]

Basically, yeah. Both of them also have some combat ability compared to Yamato and Taichi... They would have a wider spread of possible victims and a perceived easier time dealing with them. Though I guess the two younger boys could always purchase offensive spells, too.

Feels like I'm throwing a dart unless I want to frame someone myself.

[darksubverted]

I get what you're saying, but Yamato and Taichi might surprise you. They can handle their own.

[Why is he taking up for them?! Friendship.]

...It's fine. I think narrowing it down as much as possible is good. What does.... everyone else think?

[EVERYONE YOU TOLD, NIER.]

[amain]

I wouldn't be surprised if they threw themselves at someone with a sword or a bomb, you're right.

[ IS THAT A GOOD THING, NO. ]

Sakyou and Kainé are fine with it since they narrowed it down with me. Sakyou just has to tell Dimitri and Claude.

[ Sakyou is new pope and... Nier doesn't feel happy about it, but. It's fine. ]

[darksubverted]

Don't worry. I'm keeping my eye on them.

[Well... as much as he can, considering SOMEONE(S) went off to a CYOA and got beat to shit before crawling back.]

The worst that could happen is... it just wouldn't work. If they're guilty. [A pause.] I know it's frustrating. For what it's worth... I think you're doing fine with what you have, Nier.

[amain]

Friends?

[ He's touched that those beaten up gay boys have another gay boy watching over them. ]

... It's fine, Riku. A chance is a chance and I still appreciate it—and I appreciate all you've done so far to help me.

[darksubverted]

[What pops up immediately is intense fluster that doesn't register on his face. But! He does look away quickly with his eyes. Stop. Don't perceive.

And then he looks back, hoping it's faster than it takes Nier to realize.]

You were angry.

[Dodges his own feels by calling out Nier's feels.]

[amain]

[ Why are you flustered over friends? Nier only raises his eyebrows, curious and very endeared. ]

Am I supposed to feel something else?

[ It's either mad or sad here. ]

[darksubverted]

[Sometimes it's hard to admit anything about friendship. We can't all be like Nier, over here feeling endeared.]

No, but... that's what you were feeling.

[Now that he thinks about it... That's weird. He makes a confused expression to the side, fingers curling over his heart.

Thinking about that time on the beach with Sora. "It's like something's squeezing me inside!"]

I could feel it, too.

[amain]

[ At first, Nier is like... Yeah? Yeah. At least he isn't mad now, instead he shares weariness and irritation. ]

Right. It seems like that's a part of this week's curse or whatever people are calling these effects. It's invasive in a different way, but I prefer it over sharing memories.

[ But he's a blockhead that wears his heart on his sleeve. ]

[darksubverted]

I figured.

[It's still really weird. Sora is the one who always scrambles to shove people in his heart, not him.]

I think I prefer it, too.

[MAYBE...............he hates having his feels on display a lot, too. GOD.]