[W5 Friday Night]

[zerotohiro]

[It's some time after the investigation, not too terribly long, when Hiro finally emerges from the jungle. There are several things he regrets but primarily he regrets running back into the snow without bothering to dry off his clothes.

On the other hand...does it matter anymore?

Somehow though he's still alive and he blearily stares across the beach toward the bonfire. His feet are moving on autopilot as he approaches and it's only when he gets a bit closer that he notices there are two figures that have been sticking close to one another for some time now.

In a way, it works in his favor. They're both people he wants to compare notes with anyway before tomorrow. He doesn't quite sit but he does approach, awkwardly clearing his throat.]

...can I talk to you guys really fast?

Comments

[spinatalltale]

[Magilou is definitely positioned as close as she can be to the bonfire without burning herself. the hot springs did wonders for warming her up, but the fire is what she needs to dry out her sopping wet clothing. she's also probably standing pretty close to Akira. I WONDER WHY!!]

[she lifts her head with Hiro approaches, gaze steady]

Hm? What is it, kiddo?

[jokered]

[unsurprisingly, body heat and bonfires make for decent warmth.

totally!! the only reason why they're so close!!!

but hey, at least they're not on the edge of hypothermia now. maybe a cold, but they can probably will that away? regardless! akira nods, humming in agreement. go for it, hiro.]

[zerotohiro]

[It's fair, he's going to say his piece and leave to figure out how to warm up himself.]

Look. Yona was the one person I told everything I knew and now it doesn't even matter. And after Sunday, I'm not going to be here either so I need to make sure you guys know everything. Like the four ways to end the game, for instance. Anybody tell you that yet?

[spinatalltale]

. . .

Wow! You were holding out on me the other day, weren't you?

[despite her words she doesn't REALLY seem offended, because she was totally holding out on him. as he'll soon find out when she recites--]

Someone willingly sacrifices themselves into the volcano. Everyone dies. There are only seven players are left. All of the Sirens die.

Only one of those will actually net us "good ending," for lack of a better term.

[jokered]

[akira... does arch a brow at magilou; he figured she knew all of the endings, and it's probably his fault for not questioning her more on that.

but he knows the "good ending," so there that.

he can fuss about the rest later. a nod.

magilou is here to be his mouthpiece right now, so he doesn't have to speak much for now.]

[zerotohiro]

Not exactly. [There's a slight grin.] I told you that I would tell you anything else I learned before the trial so...that's what I'm doing. [And he assumed Magilou would tell Akira so it's two birds, one stone.] But yeah, that's the way it was told. I do wonder if your sources are the same as mine though.

[Not that it matters now. Not anymore.] I'm also gonna assume that Lief told you guys about his letter from Jacopo, Lelouch and Joshua and what this place all means. So here's the thing. How are we going to make sure that this ends in an ending that's favorable to everyone and that'll get us out of here in one piece? There's not many of us left, so...I figured it was a good idea to kind of know where people stood now that we have this kind of information.

[spinatalltale]

It's likely they overlap, yes.

[though she doesn't try to pinpoint in what ways. he's right; it doesn't matter now. at Hiro's question, Magilou casts a small glance at Akira, mouth twitching]

It's rather simple, actually.

[and then, back to Hiro, chin tilted up as her smile grows]

We know who the final Wickie is. And we know how the final Wickie intends to end this game.

[she really was holding back with him and Yona the other day, I'm so sorry Hiro]

[jokered]

Mm.

[a simple nod; magilou told him this already, so he's fully aware of this aspect of the plan.

there's really not much for him to say; he knows what the wickie wants to do, and he's in favor of it; magilou is also a source he trusts pretty unconditionally at this point too, so he has no reason to doubt it.]

[zerotohiro]

[If he's surprised, he doesn't show it. Instead he simply crosses his arms, stuffing his hands under his armpits to capture them between the fabric of his hoodie and its sleeves before he nods along.]

See. Why couldn't other people just answer that same question. "Do you know who the last Wickie is?" The whole "I can't confirm or deny" thing makes it a little harder to be assured we're going to survive but...[A shrug. Maybe be less ambivalent about your death, Hiro.] Thank you for being honest about that part, at least.

In that case...then maybe there's actually nothing left. If the Wickie's going to handle this, and you trust their judgment there's nothing we can do but follow along, is there?

[spinatalltale]

[she shakes her head]

No.

That's not true.

[she steps forward, hands curling into fists at her sides]

Do you really think the Wickie can do this without us? That they can guide us home if we don't follow, holding them up from behind?

[. . .]

The Wickie is still a killer, by this game's rules. They're subject to execution this weekend if we vote for them. And I think there are going to be. . . complications, with this weekend's vote.

At this point. . . it's up to us to keep them alive. Isn't it? Akira and I may trust them, but that's not enough.

Everyone here has to trust them, too.

[that. . . sure is a lot of words. and that sure is a lot of passion, too. more than she's shown during her entire stay on this island]

[jokered]

[of course, he agrees with magilou—and akira knows, too, how important trusting in the wickie and ending this farce properly means to her, as well.

so akira is quiet for a moment, keeping a step behind her, but placing his hand on her shoulder gently in solidarity.]

Magilou's right. There's a good chance this trial won't go very smoothly when it comes to deciding on our votes.

[his voice does carry that quiet certainty and authority that he only seems to use when it matters.] Following along isn't enough. It's our job now to protect the Wickie and make sure they stay alive so they can carry out their role properly. We can't let any of the other endings come to pass, either.

[zerotohiro]

[And like that, he snaps back to attention. His eyes are wide and focused on the two of them, giving them a puzzled sort of look like he's trying to understand. It's clear that this is the first time he's hearing about the Wickie truly being a killing role, though he expected complications.

It also, perhaps, maybe explains Jack? But who even knows anymore.]

Then we should probably talk about the complications like, you know, the fact that now we can't vote for the last Siren left in the game. That's going to be kind of a huge issue. Can't vote for them, can't vote for me. That leaves us with a lot of dangerous options and a group of people who are pretty bad at voting in solidarity.

So what can we do? What's the best way to protect the Wickie and ensure they aren't on the chopping block?

[spinatalltale]

[PROMPTLY ELBOWS AKIRA IN THE GUT 8) not for the hand on her shoulder. HE KNOWS WHY]

[but most of her attention stays focused on Hiro]

Mmm. . . I don't actually have an answer to that one. I suppose we're going to have to finally figure out how to stop running around like headless chickens and come to a consensus on our own.

[jokered]

[well, he does let out a sound at that. rude? he did nothing wrong here, let him live his life???

but he's pretty quiet again after that anyway, nodding his head. though even he has doubts about a consensus.

it's a dicey situation, no matter how they try to get around it. navigating it will be difficult, but...]

It's time for us to all trust each other as best we can.

[zerotohiro]

In that case then we need to lead people to the right conclusion and make sure people aren't being led astray or get sidetracked. We have a lot to cover and some reveals are going to maybe surprise people. Does the Wickie have a plan for the trial itself?

[spinatalltale]

[Magilou shakes her head]

Not that I'm aware of. Though, for what it's worth, I intend to defend them to my dying breath come trial time.

I am hoping I can be convincing enough to, at the very least, convince everyone not to execute them.

[jokered]

[akira nods in agreement. he plans on doing this too, however he can.]

[zerotohiro]

I hope so, too. If they're our last chance out of here I hope there's enough time to give them a chance to figure out the next route and go from there. The chances of executing them are pretty low though, I hope. So we'll see.

...thanks guys. That was really the most important part of it. [He's already moving again.] I'll try to follow your lead tomorrow, Magilou.