He furrows his eyebrows, looking to Akira like he might be able to make this sudden, well... whatever this is make more sense.
Deserted island? People woke up there? They had to kill each other? The delivery is kind of puzzling as well, but he won't interrupt and he'll lean back slowly in his seat with his hands dropping down to his lap instead.]
[it's not like he can blame yusuke. it's a ridiculous idea in theory, something that likely seems completely implausible. after all, it's not like even a day has passed where akira hasn't been right where he belongs.
to yusuke, at least.
to akira, he has five weeks of life, of wear, of trauma and other things that still weigh heavily on his heart. akira can only nod in response to yusuke, and though he looks at him directly enough—he avoids direct eye contact. even with magilou telling some of the story, there are parts to this that akira can never reconcile, even now.]
Forty-two people, mostly from different worlds and times, brought together in a "game" of both trust and betrayal. Trust the right people, and they would guide everyone home whether or not the game killed them, nobody outside of it the wiser to these happening. Trust the wrong ones, and they'd never be able to return.
It turns out there was a group of people given the specific task of murdering everyone on the island. Called "Sirens," they were told that if they didn't kill, then the volcano would erupt and everyone on the island would die.
That was a lie.
[. . .]
But they didn't know it. And so, one by one, they started killing the people on the island. For every person they murdered, another would die as well. The rules of the game mandated that the partners of those killed die shortly afterwards, after all.
[unlike Akira, she keeps her gaze steady and firm on Yusuke. she kind of sounds like she's talking about the weather here, actually! her tone is very conversational]
[Yusuke doesn't interrupt to say anything, but he makes that small noise, eyes opening wider.
Trust and betrayal?
There's a lump in his throat as he rests more of his weight back against the seat behind him, his hands clenching together. It doesn't feel quite real, hearing of this, but they've experienced so many things and--if it's coming from Akira--he'll try to understand everything as he hears it.
His attention turns back toward Magilou, his mouth tight and pinched.]
[at the very least, akira does pick up some of the slack here—he won't leave all of the explanations to magilou.
if nothing else, it may help to show yusuke how very real it is; they can tell this story in tandem, with clarity, in a way that isn't practiced at all.]
There were others tasked with carrying out kills similarly. The "Wickies," who knew the truth of how to win the game...
[and then he hesitates, paling a bit as he recalls the other killing role.]
And the "Hangmen," who had to listen to the decree of the ones running the game, and kill those who didn't participate to their liking.
[...] And like the Sirens, the roles were incentivized, to force people to cooperate.
[. . . oh. he's going there already? she tilts her head towards Akira, eyes lidded, and affixes him with a quiet stare. she doesn't add anything else-- not yet]
[Yusuke feels ill at ease. Here is something—something terrible that Akira was involved in, and none of them knew about it. Hasn't Akira already been burdened with enough?
He glances to Magilou, as if finally putting together who she must be. A person brought to this island Akira's speaking about, from a different world and a different time? He is guessing.]
They were all being threatened?
[Threatened to kill or else?] ...That is horrifying.
[he knows that look, magilou. it's a lot easier to explain things to yusuke if he had a clearer view of things right in front of him—the last thing he really needs is to try and explain all of this with two eccentric, imaginative people going off the rails here.]
They were threatened in different ways. Magilou explained what the Sirens were threatened with. I can't say for sure how they incentivized the Wickies, though.
[all of his conversations with jack were incidental, and those with lucina—well, he imagines if anyone would know, it's magilou.
The Wickies didn't need much of an outside incentive, honestly.
[she'll pick up that slack. she spoke with Lucina enough to know]
Their job was to stop the Sirens, and help the rest of us win the game so we could all go home. Once they learned that, the knowledge that killing a Siren could save everyone was enough to drive them to take a life.
[she puts it in terms of "them," but. she really only means Lucina]
[but hey, calling magilou out on her shit gives him an opportunity to stall, since she's not helping terribly much in the "progressing the story" to explain what happened.]
Our "win" did make it possible for her to do that. To come here.
[though that also doesn't explain the "why," there's so much here to tell him and most of it is not great.]
[. . . right. from the tone of Akira's voice, she can tell that she should get back on track, here]
That's true! I asked for the ability to travel universes at the end of everything, because I was awfully bored with my own world, you know?
["awfully bored" is not at all the reason why she decided to travel, but hey. only Akira knows that]
But I suppose, if we're talking about everything that happened before we "won". . .
[she taps her chin with one finger]
In total, thirty-three people died. Some were killed by Sirens. Some were the partners of those who were murdered and were thus executed in accordance with the game rules. Some were voted as "guilty" at the trials held after every murder, and were executed alongside the partners of the victims. Two were killed by the Wickies, and three-- the Hangmen.
Those not killed by one of the above methods were either murdered by an independent killer-- one acting out without a role to incentive them-- or managed to survive until the very end.
[All right. World hopping. That's all well and good.
Deaths, not so much.
Yusuke watches Magilou as she speaks, but his gaze periodically flickers toward Akira. He's being given the facts of it all, and yet... His hands flex, his fingers clenching and loosening, again and again where they rest on his knees. The careful explanation is doing nothing to ease the itch of uncertainty for what he's going to hear next.
Akira is here and alive, which is... good (despite the tragedies), but... Akira still looks worse for wear. He has for the last little while.]
... I understand.
[He switches his attention to Akira, watching him... with worry. Expectancy. It's obvious that, for an instant, he wants to urge the both of them along, to get to the heart of it, but he doesn't.]
[it's not like yusuke can be blamed for that sentiment. akira is uncharacteristically uneasy here, stalling vaguely and avoidant of some of the things that really need to be said.
magilou handles a lot of the specifics well, but she's good at talking and general exposition—where akira is not. quiet has always been his game, though right now?
it's probably not helping yusuke very much.]
Hardly anyone got out unscathed. If they were killed, they killed or were injured in some way. You could probably count on one hand the number of people who didn't go through anything like that directly.
Five weeks that followed a very ugly cycle, from the first... [murder. the worst murder of all.] to the last day of executions. [which was also a pretty bad day.
[she may be good at exposition, but there are still some things she won't talk about. not without prompting from Akira. which means she's sticking to mechanics, to cold, hard facts, and leaving out all the personal details]
On the bright side, the fact that we won by getting rid of the Sirens meant that all thirty-three of those people are still alive today. I suppose that's a bit of light in an otherwise dreary situation, hm?
[So they put everyone through something terrible just for people to come back alive and well... Somehow it doesn't sound as though it'd be satisfying for all of those involved. Further, he doesn't understand the point of it all.
He grimaces as he looks at Akira.]
Why put everyone through that?
[It doesn't escape him that Akira's still stalling, skirting, and the unease only grows. ]
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He furrows his eyebrows, looking to Akira like he might be able to make this sudden, well... whatever this is make more sense.
Deserted island? People woke up there? They had to kill each other? The delivery is kind of puzzling as well, but he won't interrupt and he'll lean back slowly in his seat with his hands dropping down to his lap instead.]
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to yusuke, at least.
to akira, he has five weeks of life, of wear, of trauma and other things that still weigh heavily on his heart. akira can only nod in response to yusuke, and though he looks at him directly enough—he avoids direct eye contact. even with magilou telling some of the story, there are parts to this that akira can never reconcile, even now.]
Forty-two people, mostly from different worlds and times, brought together in a "game" of both trust and betrayal. Trust the right people, and they would guide everyone home whether or not the game killed them, nobody outside of it the wiser to these happening. Trust the wrong ones, and they'd never be able to return.
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[a small noise of agreement]
It turns out there was a group of people given the specific task of murdering everyone on the island. Called "Sirens," they were told that if they didn't kill, then the volcano would erupt and everyone on the island would die.
That was a lie.
[. . .]
But they didn't know it. And so, one by one, they started killing the people on the island. For every person they murdered, another would die as well. The rules of the game mandated that the partners of those killed die shortly afterwards, after all.
[unlike Akira, she keeps her gaze steady and firm on Yusuke. she kind of sounds like she's talking about the weather here, actually! her tone is very conversational]
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[Yusuke doesn't interrupt to say anything, but he makes that small noise, eyes opening wider.
Trust and betrayal?
There's a lump in his throat as he rests more of his weight back against the seat behind him, his hands clenching together. It doesn't feel quite real, hearing of this, but they've experienced so many things and--if it's coming from Akira--he'll try to understand everything as he hears it.
His attention turns back toward Magilou, his mouth tight and pinched.]
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if nothing else, it may help to show yusuke how very real it is; they can tell this story in tandem, with clarity, in a way that isn't practiced at all.]
There were others tasked with carrying out kills similarly. The "Wickies," who knew the truth of how to win the game...
[and then he hesitates, paling a bit as he recalls the other killing role.]
And the "Hangmen," who had to listen to the decree of the ones running the game, and kill those who didn't participate to their liking.
[...] And like the Sirens, the roles were incentivized, to force people to cooperate.
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He glances to Magilou, as if finally putting together who she must be. A person brought to this island Akira's speaking about, from a different world and a different time? He is guessing.]
They were all being threatened?
[Threatened to kill or else?] ...That is horrifying.
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[he knows that look, magilou. it's a lot easier to explain things to yusuke if he had a clearer view of things right in front of him—the last thing he really needs is to try and explain all of this with two eccentric, imaginative people going off the rails here.]
They were threatened in different ways. Magilou explained what the Sirens were threatened with. I can't say for sure how they incentivized the Wickies, though.
[all of his conversations with jack were incidental, and those with lucina—well, he imagines if anyone would know, it's magilou.
which just leaves the hangmen.
(dread. so much dread.)]
Horrifying can only barely describe it.
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[she'll pick up that slack. she spoke with Lucina enough to know]
Their job was to stop the Sirens, and help the rest of us win the game so we could all go home. Once they learned that, the knowledge that killing a Siren could save everyone was enough to drive them to take a life.
[she puts it in terms of "them," but. she really only means Lucina]
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So, no matter what, people had to die in order for everyone else to escape?
[Again. A twisted, horrifying game--not that Yusuke thinks he could call it as such.]
And you were pulled into this, Akira...?
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That's what had to happen... and I saw it all.
[well, most of it. but hey, dying five minutes before the game ends basically counts as the same thing.]
Magilou and I both.
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[okay Akira actually missed the last two executions, but you know]
. . . and then a few days after it ended, I decided to come here! Tah-dah! Bask in the glory that is the Magically Magnificent Magilou!
[that is not at all where the story ends, but. as Yusuke will soon learn, sometimes she's very bad at maintaining serious conversation]
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...We're missing quite a few things between the beginning of what happened and now?
[It's some kind of prompting...
He understands Magilou is a, um, person from another world now very well, however. Yeah. Rolling with it.]
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[but hey, calling magilou out on her shit gives him an opportunity to stall, since she's not helping terribly much in the "progressing the story" to explain what happened.]
Our "win" did make it possible for her to do that. To come here.
[though that also doesn't explain the "why," there's so much here to tell him and most of it is not great.]
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That's true! I asked for the ability to travel universes at the end of everything, because I was awfully bored with my own world, you know?
["awfully bored" is not at all the reason why she decided to travel, but hey. only Akira knows that]
But I suppose, if we're talking about everything that happened before we "won". . .
[she taps her chin with one finger]
In total, thirty-three people died. Some were killed by Sirens. Some were the partners of those who were murdered and were thus executed in accordance with the game rules. Some were voted as "guilty" at the trials held after every murder, and were executed alongside the partners of the victims. Two were killed by the Wickies, and three-- the Hangmen.
Those not killed by one of the above methods were either murdered by an independent killer-- one acting out without a role to incentive them-- or managed to survive until the very end.
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Deaths, not so much.
Yusuke watches Magilou as she speaks, but his gaze periodically flickers toward Akira. He's being given the facts of it all, and yet... His hands flex, his fingers clenching and loosening, again and again where they rest on his knees. The careful explanation is doing nothing to ease the itch of uncertainty for what he's going to hear next.
Akira is here and alive, which is... good (despite the tragedies), but... Akira still looks worse for wear. He has for the last little while.]
... I understand.
[He switches his attention to Akira, watching him... with worry. Expectancy. It's obvious that, for an instant, he wants to urge the both of them along, to get to the heart of it, but he doesn't.]
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magilou handles a lot of the specifics well, but she's good at talking and general exposition—where akira is not. quiet has always been his game, though right now?
it's probably not helping yusuke very much.]
Hardly anyone got out unscathed. If they were killed, they killed or were injured in some way. You could probably count on one hand the number of people who didn't go through anything like that directly.
Five weeks that followed a very ugly cycle, from the first... [murder. the worst murder of all.] to the last day of executions. [which was also a pretty bad day.
surprise, they both involved him directly.]
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On the bright side, the fact that we won by getting rid of the Sirens meant that all thirty-three of those people are still alive today. I suppose that's a bit of light in an otherwise dreary situation, hm?
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[So they put everyone through something terrible just for people to come back alive and well... Somehow it doesn't sound as though it'd be satisfying for all of those involved. Further, he doesn't understand the point of it all.
He grimaces as he looks at Akira.]
Why put everyone through that?
[It doesn't escape him that Akira's still stalling, skirting, and the unease only grows. ]
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[he'll get to the personal details. he's working up to it.
...it's harder than he would have expected it to be, though.]
I'm not sure anyone knows why it happened, though.
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[she shoots Akira a look and a shrug]
But I doubt the Chiefs would've answered that question with honesty and seriousness anyway.
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[He shakes his head shortly, eyes narrowed.
No answer probably would've been satisfactory. There's no good reason to do that, there could never be.]
HOW DID I LOSE THIS NOTIF I'M GOMEN
[annoying!]
Robots. Totally heartless. Even if I had access to the Metaverse, I don't think there'd be a heart to steal.
IT WAS PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK
[I mean. it probably wouldn't have worked anyway, but! why didn't they?]
BUT U FOUND IT
It sounds as though they would have served better as melted metal.
[AGREEING WITH MAGILOU]
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