week 6, friday

[vigilantics]

[ anyway let's say this takes place after murdertween meeting

but steph will show up at varian's room. she knocks on the door quietly. ]

Hi. It's me.

Comments

[alchemenace]

[ definitely do not tell him ]

... Yeah. [ welp enough about that-- ] Are you okay?

[ he didn't get to ask during their shady tween meeting, but. he saw her break down. ]

[vigilantics]

I'm fin-- [ she stops herself.

it's a little obvious that she isn't, and it's varian. there's no point in lying. ]

I hung out with Evan and Ion yesterday.

[alchemenace]

[ ... he pauses at that, swallowing and looking down ]

Oh. Oh, wow. I'm-- sorry.

[vigilantics]

Why would... someone even do that to Evan? Or to Fane, and--

[ well. she has some suspicions about waver, considering what had gone on last trial. ]

[alchemenace]

... I don't know.

[ but she doesn't say the last name and he can guess where she's going with this ]

One of those had to be a grudge. Right? The body parts, the sewed mouth...

[vigilantics]

It's... really not too hard to think of who might have had a grudge against him. Last week's trial showed us pretty well.

[ zelos. nico, too, honestly, but stephanie really does not want to think that nico would do something like that. ]

[alchemenace]

Right. He really... wasn't hiding it. [ but still. ] I get revenge [ and he does, more than he'd ever admit to Steph, ] but this is... That was like he was begging us to find him.

[vigilantics]

The other option is that someone is framing him

[ which... is a lot worse. ]

[alchemenace]

But who still wanted Lord El-Melloi dead? There isn't a lot of overlap there.

[vigilantics]

It might not have to do with them actually specifically wanting him dead, they just needed to make it look like they did.

[ that's how you do a proper frame job, anyway. ]

The only other people who might be mad enough at him would be Nico and Magnus, but um... I don't think they'd. Do that?

[ hopefully?? ]

[alchemenace]

They'd still have to be okay with him dying, and... doing that to the body.

[ he's. Going to puke. any WAY ]

I really don't think it's either of them either.

[vigilantics]

Even if Zelos is an Editor, those kills are decided on by the Crafters, right? So if he's behind this one then...

[ she pauses, frowning. ]

The signs are pointing to a revenge move, right? I'm not sure if the Crafters would have told him to do this then.

[alchemenace]

It looks like one, but ... I don't know. If it is a revenge kill, why make it so obvious?

[vigilantics]

He's very bad at his job.

That, or someone is framing him.

[alchemenace]

The only person I could think of who hated him enough to frame him was El-Melloi himself, to be honest?

[ like. its weird ]

[vigilantics]

Maybe it's a... double... frame job?

[ ?????? ]

[alchemenace]

... What?

[ genuinely. what ]

[vigilantics]

They want us to think it's someone who hates Zelos framing him?

[alchemenace]

This is starting to get overly complicated, I think.

[vigilantics]

... yeah.

We probably won't actually know unless we catch the killer.

[alchemenace]

... Ignoring the part where we don't have a great track record... It's pretty much all we can try to do, huh.

[vigilantics]

... yeah.

That really all we can do.

[alchemenace]

... Same as every week. [ hm. ] We'll figure it out this time. Don't worry.

[ he later regretted those words ]

[vigilantics]

Of course we will.

[ she nudge him lightly.

she also later regretted these words. ]

[alchemenace]

Yeah. [ ... ] Thanks for coming back after the others left.

[vigilantics]

We're friends first, alliance members second.

[ and she figured he wouldn't want her getting mushy in front of an audience. ]

[alchemenace]

[ hm does he feel bad about murdering and not telling her now. maybe. a little. will he tell her? ha ha. no. ]

... Right. We are.

[vigilantics]

[ i hate this x2

she'll just smile at him. i'm not sure how to make this thread keep going. ]