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

[taketori]

I know that, but--

[ He killed them, he wants to say. It's petulant, he knows, but he can't help but just feel severe aggravation towards the whole thing. ]

We... we could've at least... we could've prevented Hiro Arisu's death if we just worked this out.

[ Instead of running around another couple extra days. Instead of Amami not confessing or backing down once his number was called. ]

[dereban]

[Inaba keeps herself close, her voice lowered into a whisper. But there's a serious gaze in her eyes even as she speaks. She doesn't like the idea of speaking about the dead, their intentions, or any of this messy sort of thing.

And more importantly.]

Maybe. Maybe not. I've thought about it for a while, and -- thinking about the what could have been won't help us in the long run. Besides, it's possible he might have done Hiro in regardless of whether we did or not. Because in the end, what does it really matter, if someone gets found out as a culprit?

I told you already, didn't I?

[taketori]

[ ...Right. The circle would just continue, because ultimately they can't act as judge, jury, and executioner, unless someone else took the time to do it themselves. ]

Right... right.

[ Eugh... ]

It just-- this doesn't feel good. I know the idea of the end of a mystery's meant to be some form of relief, as if you're getting closure. In this case... it's the opposite.

[ He feels sick to his stomach, angry, and disappointed all in one. ]

[dereban]

That's understandable. And you're allowed to feel... honestly, however you want, really.

[She's being genuine with him right now. Not really hiding behind any of her normal masks. There's a solemnness to her voice that's rare.]

But sometimes the reality of it is unfortunately cruel. It's why things here need to change desperately.

[taketori]

--You're right.

The most I can do right now is... just hope that Ishimaru's contract can get everything on the right track.

[ And hope that nothing bad happens to him. ]

[dereban]

And do what you can to prevent this happening a third time.

[Because it seems that people are definitely desperate enough to get ahold of that contract. And now that it's out in the open--who's to say that it won't extend to more?]