resumed | PC: ACE 💀

The only thing it'd do is maybe help us understand, but it's not like I can ask to confirm either. [ which is frustrating as always, but he's not voicing that. ]

...it's entirely possible it's because Norma was more willing to trust her and give Chiemi an advantage.

[ ... yeah that is frustrating, and he's had the same thought himself. ]

Yeah. Maybe. But then it could've been any one of us. [ except maybe norma would be the easiest to kill for her based on her known powers and skills, and that's--just as bad. ]

[ realistically speaking, the girls (and nimona) are all the closest in size to each other, and he figures rita was an unknown factor and nimona was feral and norma seemed like the safer choice if you're going to purposefully find someone to kill.

he does not say this. it won't help. none of this will help, and instead he stares out straight ahead for a bit. ]

...it just means the rest of us have to figure out what to do next. [ he does not say that maybe there's a way to bring them back because the laws of death work differently here. he thinks. he also does not say maybe they'll get to speak with them later because again. laws of death. ] Even if that's not right this minute.

[ he is aware of all of that, he is just choosing to ignore it. because he hates this. ]

...Yeah. We've still got tomorrow's "execution" to deal with. [ last week was a fucking sports festival so he doesn't know what to expect except if it's a music concert he is leaving ] Hopefully that guy doesn't try to strike another monologue for everyone to be forced to listen to.

I think he may have gotten it out of his system earlier today. [ ... ] I went to see him earlier, actually. Just to see if he'd say anything useful about why Chiemi was his choice.

... Did he actually have anything worthwhile to say?

[ ace very clearly doubts it!!! ]

Not in the slightest. I was mostly curious if he had another motive beyond wanting to see what would happen. [ which was frustrating. ]

Although he did say Chiemi fought back.

... Whatever reason she had, I doubt she ever meant to die from it. [ which is maybe worse on the scale of letting someone else take the fall for her potentially, but on the scale of killing someone else-- it'd be adding insult to injury, if she'd just lied down after taking norma's life. ] I don't know who wrote that note or what they knew, but I don't think any of the people we know were out that night did it.

That's been bothering me, too. It didn't fit either of them, so...what? It's still entirely possible there was another person out there that knew about some of these things and didn't think to stop somebody from getting killed?

[ that's somehow even more frustrating. ]

I don't know. No one's powers seems like it should be giving them visions, but that's the only way it makes sense. If they were around to see Norma use the medal, someone else would've spotted them. And yet they managed to put that note in before anyone woke up, without knowing the whole picture.

[ because if they had they'd know chiemi was dead and the medal maybe didn't matter? the whole thing is baffling and he doesn't get how it happened ]

[ something about "powers" seems to jog his brain a little in a way it hadn't in trial. ]

...maybe a team power? Everybody has those, right? If someone somehow activated theirs and saw something it could be like that.

[ ... frowns ]

I don't know. Goat doesn't have anything that useful.

[ this may be a personal bias ]

[ ace. ]

Are you saying that because you hate yours, or because you know all of the ones they have to offer and they don't suit you?

Kinda the latter.

[ nyehs at being called out ]

[ just gently gazing... ]

Okay, well. Unfortunate but that doesn't discount there might be something else from another team. Or even a wonderball, since apparently those can be whatever they feel like being.

[ he is still baffled there are digital balls. ]

Right. Those things. I can't believe there's some that only show up on the phone itself instead. There's really no telling what kind of luck you'll get, or the range of them...

[ unless they just keep! buying!!! more!!!! ]

That's probably the point. It's a whole...thing. [ he doesn't quite know the term gacha but he knows the concept. ] We got tokens and stuff at the beginning of the week, so we're probably meant to keep buying them. I bought my first one Monday, and I'll probably set aside a few tokens at a time to buy a few more.

Yeah, we got tokens too. I don't know if it's for that or just to keep buying stuff. I only bought two Wonderballs so far, but both of them weren't great. [ the dragon usb ... the empty dragon usb ] I guess I can try my luck again just to know what else is on there.

I ended up with a ring that'll light up a dark area for ten minutes. I'm hoping to ask Phoenix how it works and see if I can use my power to do something else with it.

[ he pauses then, seemingly deciding if he wants to elaborate. ]

...it's not wonderball related, but I also bought my sword. Will's the only one who knows though.

I've got a cape that lets me hide in the dark for ten minutes? Not sure what the point of that is.

[ well, probably murder. but then nico says that and he looks a little surprised, because it's "will's the only one who knows" but now ace does, too. huh. ]

... Good. Glad you've got a weapon. [ says nothing about nico not sharing it, because he's pausing and thinking about it, and then eventually he goes into one of the pockets of his shorts and takes out a knife. it's just a generic looking one, but it's clearly not the same as the kitchen one everyone else had. ] I've got this thing for now.

[ did he have it on him in trial? yeah. did he just not take it out? also yea. ]

Probably to avoid a murderer, Ace. [ wry. ] Don't underestimate the power of darkness and using it as a means to get an advantage. You can really throw someone off when you take away one of their senses.

[ i.e. they are blind to movement. but anyway ace takes out a knife and nico is not really all that surprised by it. he is a little surprised ace is telling him because even though it's been like two weeks he's always still :pikashock: about giving people some honesty and getting it back. ]

...glad you've got one, too. If this is how things are going to be, we need to be prepared. And maybe not tell every single person we are. [ sometimes the element of a surprise blade can greatly benefit you. ]

I don't underestimate darkness.

[ idle as he puts the knife back, but yeah, ok, point on the murder thing. he doesn't know that he'd carry the cape around to hide so he's like. maybe i gift it away. ]

I know I'm not that smart, but I can keep a secret. [ obviously, considering. but he mostly means that he'll keep nico's. ] Did you have it with you on Thursday?

[ "do you know how to hide the sword in plain sight when you're surrounded during curfew", really ]

[ for some reason he smiles about that? probably because he's a fucking weird kid. anyway, there goes the knife. he can gift the cape away. i believe in him. ]

I never said you weren't smart. [ but he nods, picking up on those implications. on the other hand, there's a question and he shakes his head. ]

I didn't because we were with Will's entire team and Lillium. Jolyne and Hung showed up, too, but I didn't know about that ahead of time. I don't know if I plan to carry it with me either. It's going to depend. Ideally, if I do have to use it, I'll be fast enough to get back to my dorm to grab it and defend myself.

[ it's not the best plan, but he is improvising as well as he can. ]

[ nico doesn't have to say it ace already thinks he is not?? this is just a fact??? but he nods at all that ]

... Ideally, huh. I wouldn't count on that too much. About how big is your sword?

[ he's seen so many size variations how would he know ]

[ yes look he recognizes it as a bad plan but also. so yeah he holds out his hands to measure about three feet. ]

The blade is about this big. So...not very subtle which usually isn't bad. But it goes against the purpose here.

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