[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. ]
[and akira's probably not going to give yusuke's expression much reason to lighten up as this conversation progresses, honestly.]
People who had vowed to never break their morals, to never act lethally—held with their backs to the wall and the worst threats above their heads to ensure they'd be complicit.
[Where this is leading is, well. Yusuke's an observant person and the way that Akira is speaking about this, his focus on it, he's getting a sinking feeling that he'd just like to be cleared away before he makes an incorrect assumption.
That's why he hesitantly voices his name and waits, watching him.]
[it's... a lot. a lot to try and say. a lot to try and tell yusuke, especially when he knows how terrible it could really be.
but he has to do this, doesn't he? he's committed this far, so he keeps his words brief. he hands curl into fists, eyes falling closed.
akira...
really can't look at yusuke while he says this.]
One Hangman was given two incentives. The first was that if he didn't cooperate, he'd never be allowed to leave, and his teammates would be brought in to participate to make up the difference.
[...
it's obvious what teammates he means, of course. the phantom thieves, and yusuke should know akira would do anything to protect his friends.]
The second was the promise that a teammate who was already there would die no matter what he did. That their "conditions" for revival were different, and cooperation would... be the only way to save that friend.
[again, it's obvious this is in reference to a phantom thief, even if he can't exactly bring himself to say it was haru. but the cards are laid on the table for yusuke to figure out—to protect the phantom thieves, to save them, he'd broken their values to never act in a lethal way.]
[Yusuke had hoped, for a moment, that Akira wouldn't tell him just what he was starting to think he would hear. He'd get something, anything, that would reassure him that he was just jumping to wild conclusions, why on earth would you think that, Yusuke.
But no.
It's--
He brings his hand up, pressing it over the lower half of his face, his mouth, his gaze dropping to the top of the table. Haru was mixed up in this, too. This terrible thing, held hostage. Akira still doesn't state it outright, but he doesn't need to. Yusuke, however, will do it, voice faintly muffled:]
[well, magilou gets right to the point on that one, and it's probably for the better, because akira, for all that he's always been pretty strong and unwavering—
there's no easy way to say "i couldn't protect haru, and i couldn't save her without taking other lives myself." not for akira, especially not when it goes so far against everything they stood for.
he can't blame yusuke for his shock, or anything else he might be feeling after drawing this very correct conclusion. it makes his stomach feel like it's sinking into his feet; he has no idea how yusuke will take it beyond this.]
[this. . . this next part is between Akira and Yusuke. so for now? Magilou once again lapses into silence. but Akira may feel a slight tug on the hem of his sleeve. a small reminder that even in her silence, Magilou is here to pick up the slack of the story. if he ever needs her to]
[Yusuke's quiet, for once, knuckles of his hand pressing against his mouth, his gaze turning down to the tabletop. Akira was a Hangman. He was made to-- then he killed--
Shaken, he asks nothing else for several long moments. He sits, tense all over like taking this information is is the biggest battle he's had to go through. There's a lump in his throat.
...]
... I'm sorry.
[His voice shakes when he speaks and it's hard to tell if he's apologising for his lack of response or for something else. His other hand curls into a fist and it falls onto the table, fingertips and nails pressing tight into his palm. He's absolutely furious, Yusuke belatedly realises, the angriest he's ever been, very much like what he felt with Madarame.]
You shouldn't have had to go through that... You shouldn't have to carry something like that...!
[it's pretty clear that akira is sincerely surprised by the way yusuke reacts. maybe he should know that his friends are incredibly loyal and understanding, that they wouldn't ever condemn him for something that existed beyond his control—that they would know and understand that the things he did absolutely destroyed him.
but that's the thing about the situation he was in—it messed with his perception of things. people he thought would understand he was cornered turn their backs on him, people who had done the same or worse looked at him as some kind of pariah and treated him as a bad person; it had gotten to the point of hypocrisy that really toyed with his mind. so maybe... maybe it's not so unexpected that akira is surprised by the response.
it takes him a long moment before he can process this, how angry yusuke is about the situation (though not directed at him), how...
that's probably how it should be. they were always in this together, and that realization has him slumping a bit against magilou, relief subtle and quiet that yusuke didn't lash out at him.]
I'm... just glad you didn't have to go through it. That you and the others didn't have to see how bad things really were.
[haru aside, but even haru didn't have to see the terrible things he'd done, so maybe it was for the better in that respect.]
[Magilou rocks to the side a bit when Akira slumps into her, and the hand tugging on his sleeve eventually slides across his back, fingers ruffling the hair at the nape of his neck. her next words are addressed to Yusuke]
Mmm. You're right; he shouldn't.
[but the reality of the situation was that he had to now. he hadn't been given a choice]
It's an awfully heavy burden to bear. . . but, hey. From what I understand, that's part of the reason you stick around, right?
[That Akira is surprised by it hurts, it nails in that he's gone through things that Yusuke can't quite fully understand because he wasn't there. He shakes his head once, as though to say he would've been happier having been there even if it meant having to go through that.
They're a team.
But.
Magilou has it in one. His attention darts to her, his hand loosening some where he's digging his fingers into his palm. He looks searchingly at her, as though seeing her all over again or, perhaps, noticing something that he didn't before. He nods, once, and looks back at Akira.]
Of course.
Whatever strength I can offer, it's yours, Akira. [He places his palm against his own chest. He's earnest, he wants to do so much for the friend and leader who's done so much for him.] You'll always have my support.
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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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[sorry, mags. that particular way to die just brings back foul memories.]
They were assholes though, to be sure. The things they did... were really worst of all.
[it's... a slow transition into exactly what he was forced to do, really.]
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Mmm. Perhaps their worst crime was manipulating otherwise good-hearted people into committing atrocities they've never dreamed of.
[that's putting it lightly]
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...Indeed. Manipulation like that is not forgivable.
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People who had vowed to never break their morals, to never act lethally—held with their backs to the wall and the worst threats above their heads to ensure they'd be complicit.
[hm.
hmmm.
who does this sound like, exactly?]
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[though, weirdly enough? sometimes she wishes it was]
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... Akira?
[Where this is leading is, well. Yusuke's an observant person and the way that Akira is speaking about this, his focus on it, he's getting a sinking feeling that he'd just like to be cleared away before he makes an incorrect assumption.
That's why he hesitantly voices his name and waits, watching him.]
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but he has to do this, doesn't he? he's committed this far, so he keeps his words brief. he hands curl into fists, eyes falling closed.
akira...
really can't look at yusuke while he says this.]
One Hangman was given two incentives. The first was that if he didn't cooperate, he'd never be allowed to leave, and his teammates would be brought in to participate to make up the difference.
[...
it's obvious what teammates he means, of course. the phantom thieves, and yusuke should know akira would do anything to protect his friends.]
The second was the promise that a teammate who was already there would die no matter what he did. That their "conditions" for revival were different, and cooperation would... be the only way to save that friend.
[again, it's obvious this is in reference to a phantom thief, even if he can't exactly bring himself to say it was haru. but the cards are laid on the table for yusuke to figure out—to protect the phantom thieves, to save them, he'd broken their values to never act in a lethal way.]
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[Akira can't bring himself to give her name, but Magilou can]
That's the teammate who was brought to that island with him.
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But no.
It's--
He brings his hand up, pressing it over the lower half of his face, his mouth, his gaze dropping to the top of the table. Haru was mixed up in this, too. This terrible thing, held hostage. Akira still doesn't state it outright, but he doesn't need to. Yusuke, however, will do it, voice faintly muffled:]
You were this Hangman, Akira?
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there's no easy way to say "i couldn't protect haru, and i couldn't save her without taking other lives myself." not for akira, especially not when it goes so far against everything they stood for.
he can't blame yusuke for his shock, or anything else he might be feeling after drawing this very correct conclusion. it makes his stomach feel like it's sinking into his feet; he has no idea how yusuke will take it beyond this.]
...One of them, yeah.
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Shaken, he asks nothing else for several long moments. He sits, tense all over like taking this information is is the biggest battle he's had to go through. There's a lump in his throat.
...]
... I'm sorry.
[His voice shakes when he speaks and it's hard to tell if he's apologising for his lack of response or for something else. His other hand curls into a fist and it falls onto the table, fingertips and nails pressing tight into his palm. He's absolutely furious, Yusuke belatedly realises, the angriest he's ever been, very much like what he felt with Madarame.]
You shouldn't have had to go through that... You shouldn't have to carry something like that...!
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[it's pretty clear that akira is sincerely surprised by the way yusuke reacts. maybe he should know that his friends are incredibly loyal and understanding, that they wouldn't ever condemn him for something that existed beyond his control—that they would know and understand that the things he did absolutely destroyed him.
but that's the thing about the situation he was in—it messed with his perception of things. people he thought would understand he was cornered turn their backs on him, people who had done the same or worse looked at him as some kind of pariah and treated him as a bad person; it had gotten to the point of hypocrisy that really toyed with his mind. so maybe... maybe it's not so unexpected that akira is surprised by the response.
it takes him a long moment before he can process this, how angry yusuke is about the situation (though not directed at him), how...
that's probably how it should be. they were always in this together, and that realization has him slumping a bit against magilou, relief subtle and quiet that yusuke didn't lash out at him.]
I'm... just glad you didn't have to go through it. That you and the others didn't have to see how bad things really were.
[haru aside, but even haru didn't have to see the terrible things he'd done, so maybe it was for the better in that respect.]
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Mmm. You're right; he shouldn't.
[but the reality of the situation was that he had to now. he hadn't been given a choice]
It's an awfully heavy burden to bear. . . but, hey. From what I understand, that's part of the reason you stick around, right?
[she's going somewhere with this]
To help him with those sorts of things?
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They're a team.
But.
Magilou has it in one. His attention darts to her, his hand loosening some where he's digging his fingers into his palm. He looks searchingly at her, as though seeing her all over again or, perhaps, noticing something that he didn't before. He nods, once, and looks back at Akira.]
Of course.
Whatever strength I can offer, it's yours, Akira. [He places his palm against his own chest. He's earnest, he wants to do so much for the friend and leader who's done so much for him.] You'll always have my support.
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