PC: ACE 💀

[resumed]

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[selfimmolation]

... After the place exploded... that wasn't the end of it. Everyone was injured, and Luffy and Iris were trapped under rubble. The place was going to collapse if we didn't get them out. But I...

[ well. he looks at his fucked up hands.

he said it: luffy was trapped. ]

I couldn't just leave him.

[resumed]

Of course not. [ easily said. ] I wouldn't have left Bianca or Hazel behind either. There's always time to try.

[ ...he's scared to ask, but. ]

Did you get him out...?

[selfimmolation]

...

[ he kind of stares at nothing for a long while ]

They gave me his hat.

[resumed]

[ ...ugh. ]

...I'm sorry. It's not the same.

[selfimmolation]

... It wasn't real.

[ he looks at the little sabo tamagotchi ]

I know that.

[resumed]

But it's like being in a dream, I think. You know it wasn't real, but everything you feel while it happens is real. And you can't exactly get rid of those feelings so easily just because you tell yourself it wasn't actually happening. [ a pause. ] That's what it was like on ours, too. When we were gone.

[selfimmolation]

... Yeah. But it feels more like a nightmare.

[ one that is hard to wake up from because of cyoa effects :( ]

[resumed]

They're interchangeable. [ he means that most of his dreams are nightmares, so he didn't think about the wording. ] ...we'll just have to do the same thing for you that you guys have done for those of us who disappeared, too. We can remind you of what is and isn't real.

[selfimmolation]

... Yeah, I guess. Hopefully this fades pretty quick. [ he'd normally argue about the value of dreams or whatever, but he is not... nearly aware enough for that kind of thing right now. it can wait for later*

*it could not ]

[resumed]

...couple of days, most likely. When we got back we had stuff that lasted until Saturday. I saw ghosts sometimes.

[ fun things he didn't tell anybody. ]

But we'll be here and it won't be so bad. Hopefully.

[selfimmolation]

... I don't... remember you talking about that.

[resumed]

Because I didn't. It was only when I looked in mirrors and only sometimes, so I figured it was just me.

[selfimmolation]

[ ... frowning a little. it is weeks too late to scold him, but. he squeezes his hand a bit. ]

... No way to know. I think all three of you are the kind to keep that to yourself, for different reasons.

[ :T ]

[resumed]

[ he just looks away a little at that. ]

...I don't...[ mm. this is about ace and his brain problems, not nico's brain problems. ] First of all, it felt weird to just bring up. And there was a lot happening after that.

[ for instance, reigen staged a furry torture porn murder. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ he frowns like he has to think about it ]

... Right... someone... was doing torture on Whisper. [ a beat and he massages his head ] No, wait. Reigen was-- Reigen did a weird thing. With a cage?

[resumed]

[ it's ok he is patient. ]

Yeah...Reigen cornered Yae Miko into a cage, because she was going to kill him first, and Reigen is full of bad ideas sometimes. [ woof. ] He did what he had to in order to survive, even if it wasn't exactly clean or smooth.

...Whisper was last week. That was Adlet. We caught him. Do you remember that?

[selfimmolation]

Right. He was stupid, and didn't tell any of us.

[ it's at least ringing a bell once nico is explaining it, although, for the next part... ]

Adlet... took a hostage. I--Rita? No. She would've bit him.

[resumed]

Right. We only confronted him in the penthouse after the trial was over, and he got mad that we were mad he didn't tell us so we could help him.

[ but... ]

Adlet took a hostage. Sigrun. [ which will age poorly in a few hours apparently. ] But Rita was selected to execute him, and she kicked his ass for a while.

[selfimmolation]

[ it's fine don't worry about that ]

... Right. Right, that happened. I saw it. [ it feels so far away now, though. ]

[resumed]

Yeah. [ he just kind of squeezes his hand to reground him. ] Don't worry too much about that right now. Those things already happened. We can only focus on the things going forward now.

[selfimmolation]

... Right. Which is...

[ he's staring down at their hands ]

It's Thursday, right.

[resumed]

[ a slow nod. ]

Yup. We're all gonna be locked in soon just like last week. So we need to be careful tonight. I know Nimona's going to come back to make sure you're together. And Will and I are grabbing Danny and some stuff at our dorm to come find you guys, too.

[selfimmolation]

... Right. That's fine, then. [ ... ] We all staying in a group...?

[resumed]

As long as we have any say in it, of course we are. [ cries. ] It's...important now more than ever that we stay together. Don't you think?

[selfimmolation]

... Yeah. That's why I'm asking.

[ he smiles a little ]

Be fun to have a stupid sleepover with you guys. Just don't ask me any hard questions.