resumed | PC: HANAKO 💀

Am I supposed to assume you had a hand in this place finally opening up, or are you just hoping I'll believe that?

Both! I pestered Goat about it last week.

[ It was scheduled to open up anyways—
He asked Goat and therefore it's thanks to him ]

You haven't talked to them recently, have you? They've got something they want to say to you.

Well then I'm honored and grateful or whatever. [ he's teasing and going along with it solely because it's hanako. except then he's like "uh" and he turns to look at him. ]

...I haven't talked to Goat for a long while, no. Why me? What do they want?

Mm... It's best I let them say it. Just tell them "Hanako says you've got something to say to me," and they'll know what it is.

[ it's nothing bad! probably! Hanako's just the messenger ]

Hanako, if this turns out to be some kind of trap I will get revenge when you least expect it...

[ why!!! like he's going to probably do it but this is. something. considering who just died yesterday. ]

[ it's fine... ]

You think I'd lie to you? I was right the last time, wasn't I?

[ ...hm. he does not say that he thinks hanako would lie if he thought it suited him but also he thinks hanako maybe would lie less to him specifically after everything, so it's a crapshoot. nevertheless, he sighs. ]

...I'm only doing this because we're friends. And if Goat doesn't know what I'm talking about then it's fine.

[ Nico is correct on all accounts ]

We're friends?

[ why does he pick equally socially stupid people to befriend. ]

Is that presumptuous to say so?

[ yeah, why

there's that weird fluttery feeling at being called friends, but he's going to shove that aside because he's not supposed to be happy ]

No, it's not that. It's just that... friends believe in their friends, don't they? You don't trust me.

[ i'm still learning how to trust people again.

the thought gets thrown away at mach fuck and his expression doesn't change as he rolls his eyes. ]

Sure, sure, but friends can also be aware that their friends are sometimes gremlins who would happily trick their other friends if given the chance. [ ...but because he has seen the kind of people hanako hangs out with here, and from talking to hanako himself enough, he says: ] I trust you with more important things. That's what matters here.

[ Hanako's definitely not the person to hang out with if Nico wants practice building trust, but even he can't help but feel a little touched when Nico says he trusts him with more important things, like the weekend where nobody is allowed to be happy and so he can drop his act. ]

...talking to Goat is important.

[ not like. murder solving important, but. ]

Hey, is Phoenix easy to talk to? It's either them or Snake, but I don't want to talk to Snake...

[ listen it's fine nico's at least aware of what kind of person hanako is while also going "well he's a child ghost so like that makes sense." as it is, he sort of lightly bops him on the top of his head with a little grin. ]

And I'll text them when we're done here. Promise. [ but... ] Phoenix is my favorite of all of them, and probably would be even without being on their team. They're pragmatic, but they're open to suggestions and discussions. I've been keeping them in the loop about stuff as much as possible.

[ he's curious why hanako doesn't want to talk to snake, but he's leaving that alone. ]

Plus you can always say that I suggested it if you need an excuse.

Mouse made glitter bombs with me and helped me flood the dorms.

[ Phoenix sounds like a real leader. Mouse is just fun: he still thinks Mouse is the best, but unlike Nico's reason, it's probably because that's his team leader. Maybe because he's a child ghost, resistant to change and stuck to his old ways, wary of strangers. ]

I guess I can go talk with Phoenix. It's just frustrating, because what I want to talk about is all bits and pieces we should be talking about together. Instead, I'm getting everything third hand!

[ he's picking up odds and ends of stuff as they're walking and talking, but that gets his attention a little. he likes mouse fine, and probably should follow up with them himself, but he gets the impression that mouse is fun and not quite aware of what's happening.

phoenix has always been good at letting nico scream forever about whatever's going on at any time which is nice. ]

You mean all the notes and everything people have been finding? Or are there more bits and pieces that need to be addressed? [ picking up a glass pumpkin to examine. ] I can always come with you to talk to them if you want. But I understand if you need to do this for yourself, too.

[ is he decorating his dorm ]

I don't know. Datz has been collecting them, and sharing them with Ryuki and me. But I want to know where they come from, without needing to kill anybody or die for it. I don't want to believe something just because it's written on paper.

[ All this information is great and all, but what he really wants is to know the source of that information. And then shake them down until they spill all their secrets, at knife point if need be ]

[ amongst other things. ]

Yeah. Datz is part of the group of us who've been exchanging and dispersing information to spread out to all the teams. I've been wondering that myself though. I've been telling the leaders for a while now that I hate the idea of believing something just because it's written, but...in light of one of the new papers I do have to wonder if because it's written, specifically, it's now our reality.

Datz, you, Temenos... it's one from each team, isn't it?

[ glances at the almost-all-dead teams, hope they reappoint somebody if need be ]

"The written word has the power to shape reality" or something like that, wasn't it? We just need to locate our author.

Roughly, yes. ...it was Ace before, but I've been keeping Tama updated as much as possible as well. [ but you know. ]

We either need to locate our author, or we need to find the pages they're writing on and remove them from their power. So. Two birds, one stone? One would likely lead to the other.

[ Ace ): ]

Think maybe it's Addy?

[ That's really the only "author" he knows about, but also— ]

Oh yeah! You were going to tell me what Switch is!

Addy as the writer? I'm not sure. I think there're multiple Addys, but they're all of our friends we're trying to save.

[ but ah. right. ]

You heard about what the Switch was supposed to do in the trial, don't you? Do you know what a Ditto is? [ i'm too lazy to copyright friendly this. ]

[ every monday he picks up the paper and misses mika ]

Ryuki said it's a pink blobby Kusemon. I'm not familiar with it, though.

[ stop wtf. also wow my grammar was terrible last night. ]

Yeah, he's right. [ assumes kusemon is just their world's version of pokemon. ] It's a creature that turns into anything it wants to be. It can be an inanimate object, or it can mimic the looks of other creatures. It makes you believe that what you're seeing is the real deal...at least at first.

Oh, so a mimic.

[ Those copy other creatures and objects, right? and you reveal them by... setting them on fire, or something ]

Yeah, like that. The Ditto part of it didn't impact how the Switch worked. It was just part of the theme of our adventure. Does that make sense?

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