vigilantics | week 2, saturday

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week 2, saturday

[ it's been a long nine hours.

honestly, that's really all steph can say about it. it's been a long, tiring nine hours, and all she wants to do is sleep but she also knows she probably won't any time soon. she just lets herself fall face first onto the bed, muttering a low "ouch," because that was a bad idea.

hey, hikage. what's up. ]

...

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... It's not just a little. The person I am now and the person I used to be - they're two different people.

[ he doesn't say more than that, though. He looks up at her and meets her eyes again. He can trust her, because she's his partner; she's not going to put him in danger, because she needs to protect her own life. That's the only reason he can talk about these things with her. Because there's nothing she can do. That's got to be the only reason. ]

What would you do, Stephanie? Would you try to remember, even if you couldn't go back, or would you just give up on it?

I'm not sure.

[ she's not in his situation. she can try to guess, but admittedly stephanie has done a lot of things that surprised herself over the years. saying something now is different than being in the actual moment of when it happens. ]

Finding out about your past probably won't turn you back into that person. So... you can try to remember, and do what you can with what you learned.

[ he opens his mouth slightly, as if to protest something - but he shuts it a moment later. It would be shooting himself in the foot to say something, so he doesn't.

The fact remains that he thought about it. ]

... You wouldn't know. I don't know why I'm asking you. [ the words are cold, but his tone isn't - not more than usual, anyway. he sinks into the chair a little more, sighing. faintly, he recalls some things jae-ha said to him earlier this week. ] How... is your leg feeling?

[ she makes a face at him at his comment, because yeah, you asked for her opinion, hikage!! shut up. ]

One day you will ask for my opinion on something and then not tell me my opinion is wrong. [ she just had to get that out before addressing the question. ] And it's fine. My leg, I mean.

[ NO!!! ]

I don't know what's wrong anymore, [ he sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, but he lets it go... as painful as it is to move onto something he's even more uncomfortable with: trying to figure out what she's thinking and feeling. People were easier to deal with when he was clairvoyant. Marginally. ]

... Good. If it hurts, tell me. Or... if you need anything. We're partners, so I'll help you.

[ stephanie shrugs her shoulders. she doesn't say anything right away after that, but she has been playing off how severe her injuries have been this entire time, so she might just not want to admit that it hurts.

... ]

I have something I need to tell you.

[ that gives him pause. he looks up at her, cautiously, a little uncertainly. ]

What is it?

[ he might have something to tell her, too. ]

[ well. ]

I have a role. It's... not the Historian thing, but something else.

[ she glances at him, then looks at the wall. ]

... Me too.

[ he doesn't seem particularly surprised by this revelation... but he does seem a little sheepish. The reason for this is about to become obvious. ]

Do you remember when everything smelled like sulfur a week or two ago? That was my fault... Well, it was more their fault, but still.

[ there's a pause. and then a longer pause. it seems like she is trying to decide what to address first and is having an internal battle here. ]

Hikage did you cause a gas leak.

[ let him LIVE!! ]

No! I don't know what it was! They gave me a list of words to pick from, and I picked "sulfur" ... I didn't know it was going to make everything stink, or I wouldn't have picked it.

Ohhhh my god.

[ she covers her face and actually just starts laughing. that's hilarious? ]

[ oh my god!! he immediately flushes, folding his arms over his chest and looking remarkably pouty for a grown-ass man. ]

Don't laugh at me! I'm being serious!

Sorry! Sorry, I just... can't believe that mystery had such a cute explanation.

[ she manages to stop giggling, at least, but she still looks extremely amused, like she might start up again at any second. ]

[ he huffs... but one gets the sense that he isn't actually that upset with her. at the time, he'd been irritated, but it is kind of funny in retrospect. ]

So? Yours has to be better than that.

I can just check to see if people have an extra role and if they're a villain, civilian, or hero. I don't know what the role is or their title, or what I'm... actually supposed to do with this information...

[ she sounds slightly annoyed by the vagueness of the instructions. ]

[ his eyes widen a little bit, interested. ]

That actually sounds useful. Even if you don't know what everything means yet, you have a method of getting information that people won't normally give up. [ a pause. ] Who have you checked?

Akechi has an extra role. I won't be able to check again until Tuesday.

[ a pause. ]

I have someone I'm working with. They're going to attempt to get some info out of him.

... You didn't think to ask me? [ he sounds vaguely annoyed. ] I already know what his second role is. He's a Historian. It's harmless, so you don't have to worry about it.

[ his first role is way more hilarious and embarrassing, besides, but he'll preserve akechi's dignity for the time being ]

You didn't even know I was searching for people with roles until like ten minutes ago.

[ why would she ask you binch.... but she laughs. ]

Remember, I came to you first, not the other way around.

[ because he's your smart mysterious partner obviously?! ]

Everyone should be looking for them. They're the key to finding out how to get out of here.

[ except for hikage, whose ability is to make things smelly, apparently. ]

Anyway, I told you about my title first, so that doesn't matter. It evens out.

Most people didn't even know they existed until today, loser.

[ there's a pause. ]

Did you tell me your objective before?

[ wow, don't call him a loser... he frowns at that, but he huffs and lets it go. ]

... It was finding Cinderella, remember? I failed. [ a beat. ] At first, I thought they were going to punish me, but that didn't happen. I'm probably just missing out on getting another coin to throw in that well.

[ which he's not torn up about, honestly. ]

No, I mean, when you told me that you lied. You made it seem like your title, not objective.

[ she did not think too much of it at the time because she was busy pretending her own objective didn't exist. she realized the truth once it became clear what title abilities were like. ]

[ for a brief moment, his gaze on her sharpens considerably, his mouth setting into a thin line across his face, and he looks almost like a different person; the cool stoicism he always wears becomes cold apathy in an instant. ]

... Knowing I lied, you're still asking me? What do you think you're going to find?

[ but then it's gone, and he looks off to the side again. ]

Fine. I really am Cinderella's Prince. But my objective is to identify three culprits. After tonight, I'll be finished. Is that better?

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