LUX;

[goalsides]

Comments

[illuminance]

Having a plan would certainly put me at ease. To be honest, even a plan that isn't a secret could be better than none.

Though I'll admit that I'm failing to come up with anything right now.

[goalsides]

Me too. [and it's frustrating.] Maybe we should just focus on Tomoe's body first and then figure out the rest.

[since they did in fact just leave it abandoned there. but surely it's fine.]

[illuminance]

Right.

We need to figure out what happened and who... Did it.

[ time to inspect a body? surely? ]

[goalsides]

That's the part I'm not looking forward to. [even not counting the mysterious student npcs:] There's the possibility it was one of us.

[but he turns his head to approach the bleachers before stopping in his tracks.]

--uh. Luxanna? Do you see him anywhere?

[illuminance]

[ ... hmmm. she stops to look around, too. a body really should not be easy to miss? ]

"No bad people among us." Hm.

[ she shakes her head, but at this point doesn't even seem terribly surprised that the body is gone. this place is clearly fucked up and following its own rules. ]

... No. He seems to be gone. Not that I wanted a dead body lingering, but its disappearance doesn't seem like a good sign.

[goalsides]

[he will approach the place the body was, and even go as far as check under the bleachers.]

Definitely not. Mostly because, like, why. What would you even do with the dead body before anybody's had a chance to look at it? Where would it have even gone?

[illuminance]

I'm more worried about the 'why' than the 'where.' We know that the people who run this place have access to dozens of worlds.

... Perhaps he's gone back to his own.

[ don't like that. ]

[goalsides]

[i need you to know i truly read that as "he's gone back on his own" and assumed hiyori was now a zombie. anyway. he accepts that for what it is, but the way he frowns suggests he also doesn't like it.]

...alive or dead though?

[important distinction.]

[illuminance]

[ im sorry to have unleashed zombie hiyori on this game u_u ]

Given the other impossible things we've heard of this place, either could be true.

[goalsides]

[how could you.]

...[ugh.] I don't even know what questions we're supposed to ask anymore to get to the bottom of this.

[illuminance]

Yes, I know how you feel.

This place is so foreign to all of us that we can take few things for granted. Which makes narrowing down the things we don't know nearly impossible.

I'm sure more will come to light in time... Things can't stay like this for long.

[goalsides]

The problem is...what if we're too late? [gesturing to the space hiyori's body used to be in.] I mean I hope you're right, but if they're like this for longer then...

[they need to decide.]

[illuminance]

We're too late for him. That much is already true.

... If I could think of any course of action to take, I would take it.

[goalsides]

[thinking on it...]

If something like this happened in your kingdom, what would you guys do?

[illuminance]

Well...

I imagine there would be an investigation. Then the Dauntless Vanguard, or the Mageseekers, if there was magic involved - or both - would apprehend the criminal. Then they would be jailed or executed.

But I am neither an investigator, a knight, or a Mageseeker.

[goalsides]

[there's a nod.]

It's a school. We shouldn't have to jail anybody, but there shouldn't be murders happening either. And it's weird...I've asked the dorm heads a couple of times if this place is really just calm and normal and they all said yes.

Maybe our first decision should be if they're on our side or not.

[illuminance]

... I want to talk to them again before I make that decision.

[goalsides]

Have you talked to them at all this week? Since the first time.

[illuminance]

I talked to Luke, briefly.

About trivial things, like classes and after-school clubs.

[goalsides]

Even if it was trivial it might give us an idea of things. Nothing stood out?

[illuminance]

Afraid not. I'm not one for interrogations.

[goalsides]

That's okay. I haven't been good at it either. Pretty hard to interrogate people you can't see to gauge reactions.

[illuminance]

... I was never good at that, even with their reactions. It's too easy for me to justify things to myself.

[goalsides]

Like wanting to believe what they say even if it sounds too good to be true or too weird to be right?

[illuminance]

Right.

Or... Understanding their perspective, once you hear it from them.