week 2, saturday

[vigilantics]

[ 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. ]

...

Comments

[psychedelica]

[ it kind of was... hikage isn't good at this. but it also kind of isn't. But he does go quiet for a few seconds. He doesn't have any baked goods?? ]

... I could tell you it'll be okay, but that'd be a lie. I'm sure you don't want pretty words from me, anyway. [ he sits up a little straighter. ] You don't have to do it. If that person's life matters more to you than getting a wish, then don't kill them.

[vigilantics]

I don't care about the wish.

[ she completely ignored her objective until now because of how little that mattered to her. ]

But apparently not doing them leads to something bad for all of us.

[psychedelica]

... Really? That's the first I've heard about that. Who told you? One of them?

[vigilantics]

Yeah. Apparently Tiger doesn't care about them though. We can get more information about that next week though since we're owed it for guessing a Historian correctly.

[psychedelica]

[ that draws another sigh out of him, annoyed. not necessarily with Steph, but with the situation. he rests his elbow on the arm of the chair, and rests his chin in his hand. ]

... We're going to have to side with one of them in the end. I don't like it.

[ Tiger doesn't care about the objectives, but clearly takes pleasure in their suffering; Dragon seems more sympathetic, but wants them to kill for their titles. It's hard to say which answer is right. ]

[vigilantics]

Pretty much, unless something unexpected comes up. But we can't count on that happening, so for now we have to work with what we have.

[ even though what they have is still awful. ]

[psychedelica]

[ as expected... Hikage still doesn't quite seem satisfied. ]

... Tell me your objective, Stephanie. I'll help you.

[vigilantics]

[ she sure was hoping he would have forgotten what the original topic was. ]

I basically have to make someone a target Thursday night. Make it so that whoever is chosen to kill that week would also have to kill the person. They don't have to actually die for it to be completed though.

[psychedelica]

[ as if he could forget! He doesn't look perturbed by the revelation; he just nods, turning over the new information in his head. ]

If they don't actually die, how do you know if it was completed or not? They just have to be attacked?

[vigilantics]

I don't know. I guess I'll find out if I get a reward from it or not.

[ she does not sound too thrilled about it. ]

[psychedelica]

... Are you actually going to do it?

[ or maybe she already did? He's guessing no. ]

... If you need to, target one of the people we already know was a killer. I think that makes the most sense.

[vigilantics]

I don't want to.

[ do it, she means. or even choose a target. she reaches out to grab one of the pillows to cover her face with it.

when steph talks again, it comes out as muffled. ]

We'll see.

[psychedelica]

[ he stares at her for a little while. If he was in her position, he wonders if he'd struggle this much.

Probably not. But, much like his objective, that's not something he feels like she needs to know.

After a moment or two, he rises from his seat, planting himself next to her on the bed. ]

We will... Trying to figure it out now is probably a waste of time. You're tired. [ a beat. ] Just go to sleep. Don't overdo it.

[ even though he knows she will, because she always does ]

[vigilantics]

I'll try.

[ she's being honest, at least. trying isn't really the same as succeeding, and she knows that she won't succeed there.

steph turns so that she's looking at him. ]

You too.

[psychedelica]

[ he exhales quietly through his nose. ]

Yeah. [ beat ] Goodnight.

[ he's not gutsy enough to face towards her, too... but he lays down on his side next to her without much fanfare, reaching out to turn off the light. ]