Yamato

[katzepaw]

Comments

[katzepaw]

Perhaps not. I had thought they were being forced to follow orders of some kind, and they had hoped getting caught would relieve them of the burden?

[ghoststrums]

I thought it was something like that too, but now...

[ now it's weird! now it's weird and confusing ]

If it work the same as Rita and I, then there's a Dorm Head in charge of them. Iris oversees us.

[katzepaw]

Iris does?

[Something was said about that, but he hadn't really focused on it at the time.]

. . . So it is not tethered to membership in any dorm, yes?

[ghoststrums]

No. Rita's with Spring, so... Trying to pinpoint who else could have these is kind of a shot in the dark, but we know all the Dorm Heads are overlooking at least one "activity".

[ "what are they" please he doesnt know shit ]

[katzepaw]

. . . Ah. So then there is likely a dorm head who is overlooking the activity of murder, as well.

[ghoststrums]

Yeah. I don't... I think it might be Hugo-- not out of any personal bias, but I think if Annie or Luke had been the ones who knew their rules, they might have... tried to stop Yanagiya-san.

[katzepaw]

I've talked to Annie and Riku about it - they both seemed as genuinely shocked about the rule as Otome was.

[ghoststrums]

[ wow pretend i wrote fucking riku up there ]

Right. If they had any inkling this could've happened...

[katzepaw]

[I was pretending because it's a mistake I make constantly.]

. . . They would have stopped it, yes. But I don't know that whoever was giving Otome her instructions knew this would be the consequence, either.

[ghoststrums]

No. No, they definitely didn't know that much. That's not what I'm saying. Just... they might have been more hesitant.

[katzepaw]

Ah. Maybe so. It's hard to say.

You haven't found anyone else with a special ability like yours?

[ghoststrums]

[ he looks away with a kind of tired feeling ]

Not outside the murder one.

[ s'been fun. ]

[katzepaw]

You and Rita can each tell one other person a week?

[ghoststrums]

No. We can tell one person a week total. So we try to be careful about the timing of it, too.

[ imagine telling someone and then they die on friday or sunday. useless ]

[katzepaw]

Ah. So Taichi, Beauregard, and I are the only ones who know? No wonder it is hard for you to find anyone else.

[ghoststrums]

... We're figuring it out.

[ it's hard to not feel a little defensive, because they are trying, it's just. unfortunate. ]

[katzepaw]

I know.

[He meant it sympathetically - if they can only tell that few people, the odds of finding someone else. . . ]

May I ask you something? The footprints from last week, that were alongside Byleth. Do you have any understanding of the cause of that?

[ghoststrums]

[ ... ]

Don't... tell Beau. But there's more than one reason we made her wait to tell you. We had to check. Whether those footsteps were you or Luxanna. That's also why I didn't want her to...

[ if byleth's partner had been caleb, there's no way yamato could've let beau try it, but he was strong armed ]

[katzepaw]

[A small laugh, fairly relieved. And a little fond, too.]

Good. You were right to check. And. . . I apologize for calling you stubborn. You are right; I wouldn't want her involved with that.

[But some worry comes back, then.]

And you have also cleared Taichi, it appears? So they must be Luxanna's.

[ghoststrums]

[ there's a small quirk of his lips ]

I'm a little stubborn. [ but the smile doesn't last as he sighs a little, something almost heartbroken there ] We checked Lux. The way she was acting, and the things she was saying last weekend... it made her the most obvious possibility. [ ... ] She didn't exactly make it too subtle this weekend, either.

But she came back positive on both an additional activity and a kill.

[katzepaw]

[That breaks his heart a little bit, too. It makes him feel a little sick to his stomach.]

. . . This fucking place. She doesn't deserve to have her ideals twisted this way.

I was fairly certain anyway - I wasn't paying close enough attention in the wake of everything with Caiman, but even I noticed she was angry and suffering.

[ghoststrums]

Mm. That's why ... Rita blinded her, to try and stop her from acting again. I don't know if she went out like that anyway. She might have.

[ every time he thinks about it yamato feels a sick mix of guilt and anger, so that's great. ]

[katzepaw]

It was a clever idea.

[And it is sort of unfair that Rita took the blame for it. But also. . . ]

I suppose there is no way to tell her we know without telling her how Taichi, you, and myself were eliminated as suspects. But I hate to think of her continuing on alone.

[ghoststrums]

From anyone else, it'd be a guess. And Luxanna... Lux isn't the kind to share a burden if she thinks she can smile and lie her way through it.

[ sometimes you are very close to someone and it's tragic, actually. ]

I don't know. I think she wanted to get caught, instead of Yanagiya-san.

[katzepaw]

I already told her that - hmm. I couched it, I pretended I had had the same conversation with you and Taichi. But I told her that I was worried.

[Still, he can't disagree with the assessment. That's probably why he likes Luxanna so much. She's a miserable, lying regret wizard pretending to be a paladin.]

I think she was honestly angry at Alphinaud, at being blinded. Given her history, having to hide these secrets and being treated with anger and suspicion for it is probably very difficult for her. But once others began to get angry with her, she changed her mind, started trying to protect Otome.