(mingle) cat herding, round two

[sisters]

( on february 2, transfer students will find that there are notes hung up around the dormitory with doctor's scrawl handwriting that a few people might recognize scribbled across it. it reads: )

TRANSFER MEETING
february 2, 5:00 p.m.
dorm common room

( the early-arrivers will find that amami is already set up in the common room, making himself comfortable on the far side of one of the couches with a sketchbook, but beyond a wave and a smile he won't offer much to speak of. it's only once it looks like there's a good handful of people that he'll glance around, grimace a bit, and speak up. )

So... I'm sure you guys already know why we're here, right?

( rest in piss, hiro. legend almost took two transfer students with him on his way. )

I know I might not be the person anyone wants to hear this from, but I figure everyone's had some time to gather evidence and any witnesses we might've had by now. I don't like the idea of this continuing more than anyone else, and if we want to keep it from happening again, it's probably best if we compile what we know.

( and unfortunately what he knows is nothing, because he was busy getting stabbed, so the floor is officially open. )

---

(ICly, this meeting begins on February 1. However, to keep us from trapping ourselves in another time cube, when things start to slow down, Amami will pitch that they regroup in a couple days. The details don't matter so much, but you can assume they'll come back for more discussion intermittently if anything new comes to light before Disney. This doesn't all have to be in one day! Feel free to PM/ping me anywhere if you'd like me to add any other helpful links. )

• IC Recap - Maya & VP's deaths
• IC Recap - Hiro Arisu's death
• OOC Recaps - Miro board & Google doc
• Meeting Recap - What's been covered
• Per mod guidance, the murder methods abide by Knox's commandments

Comments

[notsosou]

Oh, so people can't lie about their natures for any longer than a couple of weeks?

[Smack him one, Helena.]

[decrypter]

Do you truly wish to bring up the subject of lying, Sou Hiyori?

[the tiniest emphasis on that name, one she knows he'll hear, and no one else will.]

That path will not lead to your victory.

[notsosou]

Y-you wouldn't...

[Would she? He himself was talking about the people you trust most, and the ways they can betray you, and how they know exactly the things about you that will hurt you the most. It's one thing for Komaeda to dangle that sword over his head, but...]

Ahaha... Maybe I've underestimated you, huh?

[It's not a happy laugh, or a happy smile that follows.]

[commences]

( ha... )

[decrypter]

[a fraction of a second, and then, the tiniest motion of her head. no. that's not the game she's playing.]

Should I bring up how you tried to convince me you were a killer?

[notsosou]

Ah, that...

[That's... a little bit of a relief, even as the thought is in his head again now.]

Ahaha, that's a bit of a fallacy, isn't it? Just because I can lie, doesn't mean Subaru can't. If anything, it only shows it's possible...

[That lie is getting less vital the closer things get to the release date for the students, but it's clear he's testing his footing a little more cautiously now, like a cat nosing back into an area they've been picked up and put down away from.]

[decrypter]

And it fell apart the moment it was pressed upon. My point is, it takes far more work to maintain such a grand lie than either of you can uphold. The same way I know you aren't a killer, I know he isn't either.

[does he see her point now?]

[notsosou]

...

[There are people who can lie that well. Or... at least one. The question is always; how to tell?

He really is a poor imitation, isn't he?]

...You know I can't back down, Helena. This isn't going to resolve until we know for sure. And 'I know he wouldn't do it' isn't sure.

[If it isn't Subaru, and the answer isn't found this meeting, then it's quite possible, highly likely even, that there'll be another stabbing, another shooting...]

Someone's that good a liar... and so far? Looks like it's Subaru.

[decrypter]

...

[she sighs, and beckons him closer with her hand. he needs to hear her for this, and this isn't something she wants to shout across a room.]

[notsosou]

...?

[He is going to come closer at least, with a wary corner of his eye on the cane. He'll step up next to her with the noise he's used to making when walking near her, a lean and a sensitive ear towards her.]

Hm?

[It's quiet, and cautiously curious.]

[decrypter]

[reaching out, when she can feel his jacket with her fingertips is when she's satisfied, and she speaks low, careful.]

...You know that if I tried, if we put questions to someone, I could discern if they lied or not. If Subaru truly was lying, and we tried, I could tell.

But...given the circumstances, no one would believe me, even if I swore on my own life to not defend him should he be false.

[she played her defense too quickly, too strongly.]

[notsosou]

[His voice is equally low, a murmur or whisper... he can get it very quiet and he knows she'll pick it up this close.]

That's... one of your abilities? Like the tap thing?

[...did she get it after he lied to her at the pool? He could test it, ask her to ask what color he's thinking of or something like that but... he believes her.]

...is that all it needs to work?

[Just hearing someone's response to a question, and trying? Knowing magic, there's probably some limitation, even if it's just how many times she can do it. But implicit in the question is also an offer; what does she need Shin to do to get things in a position where it's useful?

She's right in that it'd be tricky to convince people, since it's her word and she's already defended Subaru. Coming from Shin, who accused him... he has to think about it. He's made plans on less time but they've uh. Well, they've showed it.]

[decrypter]

[shaking her head, she needs him to think further back.]

It's not like that. But you remember when I held your hand, and asked you questions?

[slowly and carefully solving the locks that held "Shin Tsukimi" in safety, feeling his small twitches and reactions in her hand. it was physical, it could be deceived if someone could control their reactions too well. it was dangerous, if people knew she could do it - it only worked when someone allowed it.]

[notsosou]

Huh... That was that?

[He knew she was learning things from it, asking for a closer indicator, testing waters like a ship going through arctic ice, but it's weird to think in hindsight it was to tell if he was lying or not specifically... Suddenly it puts her trying at the pool in hindsight too. He's not sure how he feels about it.]

...Right. Guess there isn't much opportunity...

[If she could have some pretense to hold Subaru's hand while he was asked questions, then relay them to Shin without anyone noticing... but it'd be tricky in both those respects.]

[decrypter]

It was to try to gain a little insight, more than what was obvious. Applied the right way, you can see how it could be used to tell if someone was lying or not. But it's all useless without the opportunity.

[even though she could easily hold Subaru's hand, it's the conveyance of information that is the real difficulty. and anyway, listening to the conversations around them, things were getting more complex than interrogating one person should provide.]

[notsosou]

[They're getting back into the murky depths of falsified evidence territory... maybe he should check a few things.]

It's almost like the lantern, huh...

[Needing two people, both involved in the same process. It's more of an idle thought than anything.]

...Do you think you could show me? How it works, that is... Later, though.

[He's curious, and willing to learn if she's willing to share.]

[decrypter]

Of course. It's pretty simple, in the end.

[she just has the advantage of having done it longer. it's something anyone could do, if they knew how to pay attention in the right ways.]

...We'll figure this out. We have to.