like a bitter stranger

[samuraiwomen]

Who: Everyone
What: Our monthly family meeting.
When: March 5th, 2000.
Where: Yogen dorms common room.
Warnings: Discussions of murder, suicide, child death...more?



[ A message goes up on the forums late Friday evening.

S.chidouin: Group meeting in the dorms Saturday. 12:00. No punching. No stabbing. I'll bring stickers.

If your character would not find a post from Sara worth listening too, Bonnie is wandering around, vaguely noting how important this meeting is, and how very much you should attend. No further details are forthcoming.

The meeting itself is a quiet affair. The fireplace is not lit, there are no snacks. Sara waits in the corner for everyone to arrive and get settled and then she clears her throat to speak. ]

As most of you know... [ It's hard to start, but her voice gets firmer as she goes on. ] We spent the last two months investigating Maya Arisu's murder. That case is solved. A few weeks ago, Bonnie-chan and I found the culprit.

Rantaro Amami killed Maya Arisu, Hiro Arisu, the vice principal and is presumably responsible for the scene with Keigo Arata. He is also dead. I just figured...everyone should know. To many people got hurt the last few months. I'm sorry.

[ She fiddles with her hair. That's all...she really has to say. There's not much more then that as the gist of it. ]

Comments

[dokkans]

[ . . . . . .

Alright, well.

That won't stop her from getting up, walking over and staring directly at Subaru. With her eyes closed?! ]

Would you like to chime in on this, Mr. Akehoshi~?

[starrypoint]

[?!?!?!?!]

Uh? Yeah, sure. It's about Boss... Mm, Keigo.

[they deserve to be known by their name, after all. the thing they held so close to their chest... that felt like such a secret to be told... the proof of their existence, along with the pictures lining a scrapbook in a half-empty room.

subaru reclines back, not so much relaxed as... he doesn't wanna beeeeee here!!!!]

I can talk. But you've gotta promise to listen.

[dokkans]

Of course, I don't mind listening! Does anybody else mind?

[ She does an about face, simply pressing her knuckles to her chin. ]

I don't think you'll mind it. Right? ♥

[samuraiwomen]

[ We don't break our promise to Amami if Subaru spills his motive for him!! #win ]

[commences]

( we were smart, subaru always spills the beans. )

[starrypoint]

... 'Kay. It's my fault it ended up like this anyway.

[spoken frankly, without a bit of bright cheer he usually shows when he's trying not to be sad, or angry, or anything like that about something. the detailed version... would be too long, so subaru rolls the words in his mind and swallows, sitting up more.]

When I looked into Maya-san and her contract as the Student Council President, I found out Keigo was under one too. I dug deeper, and I found out what this contract was all about -- what it meant, what it asked, and what the fee was. The last part's what got this thing started, so I'm gonna just speak on that.

Anyway... the fee was Keigo's existence. As far as I knew, as far as Keigo knew, they'd disappear on graduation day. Not in the same way as us third years, either -- they'd be out of samsara, the whole cycle thing, completely. I... ended up talking to a couple people about this, 'cause I knew I couldn't do anything on my own, [and his voice cracks here, he clears his throat but it still cracked and this is what he hates, feels guilty about, that he told others and it ended up like this,] and one of 'em was Ama...mi.

[not ama-chan. distinctly, not ama-chan.]

So from the sounds of it, Sasara was pretty right on the money. He heard Maya-san had a contract, thought it'd be the easiest way to clear Keigo of theirs if he could get something that'd work them into the system -- like becoming a student, instead of being a shopkeeper -- and just... didn't realize it wouldn't work out 'til later.

[because of the whole. student council thing itself. how it chooses its presidents.]

You and Sasara know the reason for real though, so tell me if I'm on the money. That's... just from all what I know, and can sorta piece together.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ There it is. Some of it.

At the very least, it explains the scene she found. ]

Thank you, Subaru-kun. [ Quietly.

Both for telling them all, and for what he did. ]

[dokkans]

[ Really, all she was able to piece together was that it was related to someone she didn't know and Subaru was somehow connected. If Sara knew more, then great.

But, that's not her place to figure out right now. Instead, she... pats Subaru's head. ]

Thank you for speaking up. You're doing good, Mr. Akehoshi.

[starrypoint]

If you're gonna treat me like a kid, shortcake, then just call me Subaru~. Okay?

[he doesn't want to be told "good boy" when he's done more hiding than anyone every thought he could.]

[samuraiwomen]

That's about it. Killed Maya for the contract. The contract for Keigo...I guess now that thats out I can say he was paranoid about the blame for the murder getting back to them. That's why he killed Hiro.

[ She counts out two fingers, pausing on the third. ]

The vice principal was a bit stranger... Apparently when Aiko-san died, the VP put out a reward to find her murder. Amami killed her to prevent that from happening. It's silly...like we'd give up when so many of us were friends with Maya Arisu.

I have no idea why the suicide took place. I didn't even investigate the scene...I guess someone else can figure it out. I can't wrap my brain around his motivations anymore.

[waitingforplayer2]

Why Maya? Was the contract a life for a life? An existence for an existence? Or will she be back too?

[ The pieces are coming together, finally. But she still wants to know the last few things she's missing. ]

[samuraiwomen]

Ishimaru would know more... But no, Maya's soul is fine.

[ God actually said so. ]

We discussed how the contract works a bit the last few meetings. From how I understand it, its with the school, you can't talk about it, and you can only make one if you're the student council president.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Okay, so this is what she gets for missing the contract meeting, that's fair. Sometimes meetings are A Lot. ]

So everybody's okay, kind of? Or... they're going to be. Once they come back.

[starrypoint]

[MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,

subaru catches sara's eye, and then away.]

[samuraiwomen]

[ Please she's so tired WHAT are you looking at...do you have something you want to say? ]

[taketori]

Akehoshi.

[ ...augh, he doesn't understand any of this, but. ]

...I'm sorry. I don't believe this is your fault. You wouldn't have known.

[starrypoint]

It's still my fault, Yuki-chan. If I'd just kept it to myself, then none of this would've happened.

[that's the truth, as far as he knows.]

[taketori]

That much is true. The thing is, it's what he does with that information that matters. He made his choice, which ultimately... that doesn't reflect on you.

[ He couldn't have known. Right? ]

[silentabyss]

...

[Noah gets up and wanders out of the room for about fifteen minutes. When he comes back, he somehow manages to look fifteen times more exhausted than he is currently. Exhausted, and like he might've gone off to cry by himself for a bit.]

Subaru... be honest. Did you encourage Amami to kill for this? Or did he make this choice by himself? I get... I get killing for someone you love, but...

[But his understanding wears a bit thin if this was something Amami was goaded into.]

[starrypoint]

[well deserved, noah. well deserved. we'll see how tucked subaru is in fifteen but it's fine.]

He made the choice himself. But it was me telling him about it that turned his mind onto that path, Lon-chan.

[silentabyss]

...you're not responsible for Amami's actions. Protecting someone is... it's... different. But unless you told him to kill, or forced him to kill, you're not... you can't be responsible. You didn't control him.

...that's what I think, anyway.

[shimashima]

[ This is even more to take in... It makes sense, in a way. ]

[filialdeception]

[ He'll be listening to what everyone has to say, and at the very least regardless of whatever he's thinking he is decent at putting a calm face on.

As for talking, he will leave that mostly to the others. Though, he will say: ]

Akehoshi-xiong...I do appreciate you've told what you knew just now.

[starrypoint]

[someone else he can't look at...]

Mm... Yeah, any time. It's all settled now anyway, so I don't mind talking about most of it.

[filialdeception]

[ ... ]

I see. Well, if there is anything else you'd like to talk about later, please do let me know.

[ And he will leave it at that. Subtlety letting the other know he's not blaming him for what happened, more than a real desire to chat. ]