[ temenos comes right on time! he's still in his casual clothes and moving a little gingerly, but when he sees ponta at the back of the cafe, he gives him a nod of the head and comes to meet him, pausing briefly to order a cup of ... tea... (bad) and then making his way over to settle down, notebook in his good hand. ]
In as much as things can settle after that, yes, I believe so. [ chaos. ] How are you feeling, Ponta?
[ Ponta doesn't actually have any physical notes about his various murder thoughts, sorry to disappoint. He's just sipping some OJ, because one has to stay topical at all times. ]
I'm alright. Frustrated, more than anything.
[ And he doesn't seem to be lying about that. He looks calm. ]
I don't think executing more people is the solution here, but being left in the dark is clearly not working for us.
[ both with being a little frustrated, and with idea of solving cases! he'll get right to it, then, accepting his tea from the staff and then settling right in to flip through his notes as he talks. the inquisitor at his finest, all business. ]
Even today - all in all, that we were able to capture Adlet and prevent any further harm was key, but it did distract us as a whole from the second case. We lost valuable time in the fray, and though I still have my notes, it isn't quite the same: I believe we waste time with a frequency that is abhorrent each week, and it is impacting our overall capability to solve these cases.
Let's weigh the benefits and costs. Exposing our killers, no matter how many, can give us a variety of answers. Closure, for one, for those who cared for the victims. It also gives us plausible choice in terms of voting - provides a very, very slim avenue of choice in a situation where we are given very little. It also can keep us from the situation of what would happen if a team was, say, near elimination, and their final member chose to kill.
... On the other hand. When a killer is revealed, an avenue like today's opens. Admittedly, what happened with Reigen last week was a different situation, but barring something like that: if we expose both, we vote for one, and leave the other. What happens to that person, afterwards, in this farcical system we've found ourselves in? Does it create the door for revenge?
I believe we should always seek the truth. That, to me, is what matters. I care little for revenge: I hate to be in the dark. But, our choices bring consequences, whether good, or bad. [ he takes a sip of his tea. ] What do you think?
[ Ponta listens attentively, only occasionally turning the dog tag on his necklace in his hand as he thinks. Temenos does make a good point about the danger of retaliatory action... but closing their eyes and pretending their comrades haven't killed anybody can't be the solution to that. ]
... yeah, we're somewhat screwed either way. But I agree with you: I want to talk about the elephants in the room. We're a breeding ground for paranoia right now, when we're still not sure who killed some of our comrades or why.
[ The why feels like the important point. They've barely been able to ask anyone about it. Well, anyone sane, at least. ]
But to start this off by not beating around the bush... We're all in agreement that Reigen killed Yae Miko, right? People have been talking around it all trial, and it's tiresome. I don't care about getting revenge for a woman I barely knew, I just don't want to tiptoe around the obvious.
[ he nods, once ponta's finished, absently stirring a bit of sugar into his tea. ]
Yes, we are. I reviewed the evidence and confronted him about it after the fact, on Sunday, and he told me in quite plain terms. I don't know if it was because I addressed it head on, but I do believe the circumstances he told me were true, based on my own understanding of Yae and of the evidence we were provided.
Truthfully, I had hoped to put the issue to bed once it was deduced, but such was not the case.
[ Ponta exhales. It feels good to hear it said completely openly by someone other than himself and... well, Adlet. ]
And that's exactly what I mean with needing to know 'why'. If a killer had a 'good reason', whatever that may be, that might make someone who wants revenge reconsider... then what good does it do, if they never find out about it?
[ Not that this would have made Adlet less mad about the scaping, but that matter is done with now anyway. ]
What good does it do if only some people know and kill others about it, just in case?
[ he nods, agreeing - a light of something just slightly appreciative on his face. ]
I agree, though - in some sense, we also must consider the initial moment of reveal. We saw Adlet act today, and nearly kill Sigrun; it is hard to account for human passion, particularly in such a fraught moment, at the end of the trials, when emotions run very, very high.
The truth must always be brought to light. [ simple. it is the very creed that temenos lives his life by, after all. ] No matter what it is, no matter how ugly that it is. It just becomes the matter of when - and how, I suppose.
For instance. While Mika informed us of what happened at the trial itself, I had to seek out the others. Argalia, first; Reigen, second. Neither of them were opposed to sharing with me, though that may just be because of the way I approached it, or, frankly, because Argalia didn't care, but it was in a private manner. We cannot force someone to explain themselves. Even in a trial situation, they may simply refuse.
...That isn't to say that I disagree with you, of course. It's quite the opposite.
[ Ponta among them. Though he's made no formal announcement, by now it's likely that everyone noticed how much his personality changed from the way he presented himself early on. Secrecy is part of him as much as it seems to be part of many here. ]
Whether or not they explain themselves is up to the killers. But figuring out who they are is up to us.
Right now, it's no surprises that nobody steps forward. It simply matches how we've done things - sweeping them under the rug as soon as trial closes.
[ yeah, that's temenos's least favorite part of this entire thing. ]
We talked once about those in charge, and the similarities across worlds. This is certainly one of them. When evil permeates an organization, and is allowed to fester, the consequences of it are pushed to the side as if nothing ever happened. By participating in it, we are complicit.
[ though. he's not really participated in it, if his notes are any indication. his fingers drum against the table, and after a moment, he flips open to the pages of yesterday's trial. a comprehensive list of evidence, locations, a sketched out map for each case - written details, carefully taken throughout the trial itself. rita's summation of janeway's case is also written on one of the pages. the same follows for each week - a neat list of suspects in yae miko's, with reigen's name marked with a star.
he slides the notebook across for ponta's purview. ]
Which brings us to this. I intend to continue seeking the killers in each case that we do not catch. I was successful with Reigen. Satan's has alluded me, though I pore over the notes with some frequency - and I have a theory for Janeway, but it is only a theory.
[ That notebook is more orderly than Ponta has ever been about anything in his entire life. Despite, or maybe because of, being a natural genius at a lot of things, he's never tried applying himself to this degree. He does look a little impressed as he flips through. ]
I also have no clue about Satan, and it annoys me.
[ He didn't know during trial and he doesn't know now, what's with that! Leave more hints! ]
As for Ms. Janeway... I suspect she's part of the Yae Miko case rat tail, honestly. People really like Reigen - maybe more than he wants them to.
[ sometimes...you are a great big nerd.... but also this is his job, kind of. sort of. solving crimes is his daily, lately.
he props his chin in his hand and watches him look - and the remark about satan has him huff a laugh in empathy. gods. ] You and I both. Truthfully, the more of these cases that use firearms, the more that they irritate me. I can study them all I like, but it feels as though I am consistently at a disadvantage.
Let's talk through the Captain's first. If that is the case, [ regarding reigen, ] who might you see as a potential suspect?
[ Ponta had kind of hoped that Temenos would go first, but... well, if they want to stop beating about the bush and bring the truth to light, they have to put their money where their mouths are.
Here goes nothing. ]
I have my eye on either Nimona or Saya - though I consider Nimona to be more likely by a good bit.
The uniform that the culprit seems to have worn is rather small. Only very few people are likely to have worn it. Out of them, Albedo has no motive. [ And Tama and Hana are OOC out. ] Nimona, Saya and Hanako all love Reigen dearly.
Hanako has an alibi. He is further a bit too small for the uniform to fit - but maybe that's part of a ruse? Since Saya is his size, the same applies to her.
Nimona's intangibility could also explain how Ms. Janeway fired her phaser so many times without hitting the person coming after her.
[ he nods, listening - there's no real reaction on his face, and he puts a hand to his chin, deeply thoughtful. ]
An interesting theory, Ponta. [ a little well deserved praise first. he lifts a finger, though. ] I'll raise you a counterpoint about Nimona. Why would she drop apples as a piece of evidence? If Rita's book powers follow, then Janeway likely caught the apples with the paper, meaning they were being used against her. I suppose she could drop them as evidence on her own, as if trying to implicate, but, that may be an overcomplication.
If Nimona - who is quite close to Hanako - were going to do this, why would she implicate Hanako? And for that matter, if people did believe Reigen's completely blatant lie that he had the apple power, why would she then implicate Reigen?
[ Ponta nods as well - lots of nodding to go around here. These are valid concerns, but he's thought about both of them. ]
I'm going to need Hanako to confirm this when he's not hospitalized but... well, Nimona and Hanako are close. She could easily have known about the glitter trap that would prove his innocence. And in turn, trying to 'frame' him would clear her as well because we know she'd never put Hanako in serious danger.
As for Reigen... None of us think Reigen could be this stupid, so he was never in any danger from this 'frame'.
[ Unless we started assuming this was reverse psychology but let's not go there. Ponta is not going there. Jeeze. ]
... Recently, we had a conversation where he said to me, 'I can't change what I am.' While this is a very general statement, it stuck with me, and made me consider that perhaps the bathroom theory may not be so implausible. [ he likes hanako a lot - his brows pinch just slightly, here, when he says it, but he brushes it aside. ]
The other evidence I considered was similar to your own. The size of the uniform. The powers. Even the injury to her side could fit a generic knife, though - that is the very essence of it being generic.
I find it very hard to believe that Nimona would even begin to implicate Hanako. She is incredibly protective of him, and while that does seem safe to us, I don't believe that she would see it that way.
All of this is to say though - it is a much thinner theory than I'd like. Saya could fit these plausibly as well, but, again: I find it unlikely that she would do anything that would even remotely implicate Reigen, on the very slim chance anyone believed his powers were what he said they were.
To me, the apples in particular come from one of two places. Either from the assailant's powers, or they were dropped off by the Captain on purpose, as a hint. I hesitate to spiral further than that.
[ Evidence of personality doesn't count that much to Ponta. He's seen and told too many lies to trust in someone's 'obvious' unwillingness to do a specific thing.
But there is no decisive evidence on Nimona either way, so it's not as though he has a real counter here. ]
If she sealed the apples up in order to leave a hint for us, that'd make sense... but the killer stepped on one of the apples, even. They had to know they were there and yet chose not to remove them. To me, that seems like they wanted them to be found.
But you said you also had a completely different theory. Care to share that, too?
[ listen he mad respects this point of view, because he generally feels the same. +10 points. this is why ponta doubting in the cyoa sets him up for good. ]
I also considered Danny, but - frankly, it lacks motive and evidence. [ but sort of on that same front of "well this could have been it", relating to nimona too. ] Being able to transform into a smaller creature to dodge could explain the wild shots from that weapon, too. It was only a passing thought, though.
[ the apple bit has him make an interested noise. i, sisi, lost track of apples and tea in this trial. my brain. ]
And... perhaps, yes. [ hmmm. ] Though, sometimes we cannot account for human error. Sometimes, the simplest - or perhaps the stupidest - error is the one that explains the answer away. Along the lines of Argalia's glass in his shoes.
[ Ponta considered Danny too and then went 'okay, but why though' and left that thought aside. If Danny really used all the personal drama as camouflage though, that would have been a masterful gambit. ]
Don't remind me of the glass shoes... I'm glad Axel insisted on checking even though it seemed pointless.
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no subject
In as much as things can settle after that, yes, I believe so. [ chaos. ] How are you feeling, Ponta?
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I'm alright. Frustrated, more than anything.
[ And he doesn't seem to be lying about that. He looks calm. ]
I don't think executing more people is the solution here, but being left in the dark is clearly not working for us.
no subject
[ both with being a little frustrated, and with idea of solving cases! he'll get right to it, then, accepting his tea from the staff and then settling right in to flip through his notes as he talks. the inquisitor at his finest, all business. ]
Even today - all in all, that we were able to capture Adlet and prevent any further harm was key, but it did distract us as a whole from the second case. We lost valuable time in the fray, and though I still have my notes, it isn't quite the same: I believe we waste time with a frequency that is abhorrent each week, and it is impacting our overall capability to solve these cases.
Let's weigh the benefits and costs. Exposing our killers, no matter how many, can give us a variety of answers. Closure, for one, for those who cared for the victims. It also gives us plausible choice in terms of voting - provides a very, very slim avenue of choice in a situation where we are given very little. It also can keep us from the situation of what would happen if a team was, say, near elimination, and their final member chose to kill.
... On the other hand. When a killer is revealed, an avenue like today's opens. Admittedly, what happened with Reigen last week was a different situation, but barring something like that: if we expose both, we vote for one, and leave the other. What happens to that person, afterwards, in this farcical system we've found ourselves in? Does it create the door for revenge?
I believe we should always seek the truth. That, to me, is what matters. I care little for revenge: I hate to be in the dark. But, our choices bring consequences, whether good, or bad. [ he takes a sip of his tea. ] What do you think?
no subject
... yeah, we're somewhat screwed either way. But I agree with you: I want to talk about the elephants in the room. We're a breeding ground for paranoia right now, when we're still not sure who killed some of our comrades or why.
[ The why feels like the important point. They've barely been able to ask anyone about it. Well, anyone sane, at least. ]
But to start this off by not beating around the bush... We're all in agreement that Reigen killed Yae Miko, right? People have been talking around it all trial, and it's tiresome. I don't care about getting revenge for a woman I barely knew, I just don't want to tiptoe around the obvious.
no subject
Yes, we are. I reviewed the evidence and confronted him about it after the fact, on Sunday, and he told me in quite plain terms. I don't know if it was because I addressed it head on, but I do believe the circumstances he told me were true, based on my own understanding of Yae and of the evidence we were provided.
Truthfully, I had hoped to put the issue to bed once it was deduced, but such was not the case.
no subject
And that's exactly what I mean with needing to know 'why'. If a killer had a 'good reason', whatever that may be, that might make someone who wants revenge reconsider... then what good does it do, if they never find out about it?
[ Not that this would have made Adlet less mad about the scaping, but that matter is done with now anyway. ]
What good does it do if only some people know and kill others about it, just in case?
no subject
I agree, though - in some sense, we also must consider the initial moment of reveal. We saw Adlet act today, and nearly kill Sigrun; it is hard to account for human passion, particularly in such a fraught moment, at the end of the trials, when emotions run very, very high.
The truth must always be brought to light. [ simple. it is the very creed that temenos lives his life by, after all. ] No matter what it is, no matter how ugly that it is. It just becomes the matter of when - and how, I suppose.
For instance. While Mika informed us of what happened at the trial itself, I had to seek out the others. Argalia, first; Reigen, second. Neither of them were opposed to sharing with me, though that may just be because of the way I approached it, or, frankly, because Argalia didn't care, but it was in a private manner. We cannot force someone to explain themselves. Even in a trial situation, they may simply refuse.
...That isn't to say that I disagree with you, of course. It's quite the opposite.
no subject
[ Ponta among them. Though he's made no formal announcement, by now it's likely that everyone noticed how much his personality changed from the way he presented himself early on. Secrecy is part of him as much as it seems to be part of many here. ]
Whether or not they explain themselves is up to the killers. But figuring out who they are is up to us.
Right now, it's no surprises that nobody steps forward. It simply matches how we've done things - sweeping them under the rug as soon as trial closes.
no subject
[ yeah, that's temenos's least favorite part of this entire thing. ]
We talked once about those in charge, and the similarities across worlds. This is certainly one of them. When evil permeates an organization, and is allowed to fester, the consequences of it are pushed to the side as if nothing ever happened. By participating in it, we are complicit.
[ though. he's not really participated in it, if his notes are any indication. his fingers drum against the table, and after a moment, he flips open to the pages of yesterday's trial. a comprehensive list of evidence, locations, a sketched out map for each case - written details, carefully taken throughout the trial itself. rita's summation of janeway's case is also written on one of the pages. the same follows for each week - a neat list of suspects in yae miko's, with reigen's name marked with a star.
he slides the notebook across for ponta's purview. ]
Which brings us to this. I intend to continue seeking the killers in each case that we do not catch. I was successful with Reigen. Satan's has alluded me, though I pore over the notes with some frequency - and I have a theory for Janeway, but it is only a theory.
no subject
I also have no clue about Satan, and it annoys me.
[ He didn't know during trial and he doesn't know now, what's with that! Leave more hints! ]
As for Ms. Janeway... I suspect she's part of the Yae Miko case rat tail, honestly. People really like Reigen - maybe more than he wants them to.
no subject
he props his chin in his hand and watches him look - and the remark about satan has him huff a laugh in empathy. gods. ] You and I both. Truthfully, the more of these cases that use firearms, the more that they irritate me. I can study them all I like, but it feels as though I am consistently at a disadvantage.
Let's talk through the Captain's first. If that is the case, [ regarding reigen, ] who might you see as a potential suspect?
no subject
Here goes nothing. ]
I have my eye on either Nimona or Saya - though I consider Nimona to be more likely by a good bit.
The uniform that the culprit seems to have worn is rather small. Only very few people are likely to have worn it. Out of them, Albedo has no motive. [ And Tama and Hana are OOC out. ] Nimona, Saya and Hanako all love Reigen dearly.
Hanako has an alibi. He is further a bit too small for the uniform to fit - but maybe that's part of a ruse? Since Saya is his size, the same applies to her.
Nimona's intangibility could also explain how Ms. Janeway fired her phaser so many times without hitting the person coming after her.
no subject
An interesting theory, Ponta. [ a little well deserved praise first. he lifts a finger, though. ] I'll raise you a counterpoint about Nimona. Why would she drop apples as a piece of evidence? If Rita's book powers follow, then Janeway likely caught the apples with the paper, meaning they were being used against her. I suppose she could drop them as evidence on her own, as if trying to implicate, but, that may be an overcomplication.
If Nimona - who is quite close to Hanako - were going to do this, why would she implicate Hanako? And for that matter, if people did believe Reigen's completely blatant lie that he had the apple power, why would she then implicate Reigen?
no subject
I'm going to need Hanako to confirm this when he's not hospitalized but... well, Nimona and Hanako are close. She could easily have known about the glitter trap that would prove his innocence. And in turn, trying to 'frame' him would clear her as well because we know she'd never put Hanako in serious danger.
As for Reigen... None of us think Reigen could be this stupid, so he was never in any danger from this 'frame'.
[ Unless we started assuming this was reverse psychology but let's not go there. Ponta is not going there. Jeeze. ]
no subject
Let's talk about the glitter trap. That would prove his innocence - do you mean Hanako's?
no subject
no subject
[ a pause. ]
I'll admit, I was leaning towards Hanako... I have considered one other theory, as well, but it is not related to Reigen.
no subject
[ It'd be on brand, but like... who wants to be on brand in this economy? ]
What was your reasoning?
no subject
The other evidence I considered was similar to your own. The size of the uniform. The powers. Even the injury to her side could fit a generic knife, though - that is the very essence of it being generic.
I find it very hard to believe that Nimona would even begin to implicate Hanako. She is incredibly protective of him, and while that does seem safe to us, I don't believe that she would see it that way.
All of this is to say though - it is a much thinner theory than I'd like. Saya could fit these plausibly as well, but, again: I find it unlikely that she would do anything that would even remotely implicate Reigen, on the very slim chance anyone believed his powers were what he said they were.
To me, the apples in particular come from one of two places. Either from the assailant's powers, or they were dropped off by the Captain on purpose, as a hint. I hesitate to spiral further than that.
no subject
But there is no decisive evidence on Nimona either way, so it's not as though he has a real counter here. ]
If she sealed the apples up in order to leave a hint for us, that'd make sense... but the killer stepped on one of the apples, even. They had to know they were there and yet chose not to remove them. To me, that seems like they wanted them to be found.
But you said you also had a completely different theory. Care to share that, too?
no subject
I also considered Danny, but - frankly, it lacks motive and evidence. [ but sort of on that same front of "well this could have been it", relating to nimona too. ] Being able to transform into a smaller creature to dodge could explain the wild shots from that weapon, too. It was only a passing thought, though.
[ the apple bit has him make an interested noise. i, sisi, lost track of apples and tea in this trial. my brain. ]
And... perhaps, yes. [ hmmm. ] Though, sometimes we cannot account for human error. Sometimes, the simplest - or perhaps the stupidest - error is the one that explains the answer away. Along the lines of Argalia's glass in his shoes.
no subject
Don't remind me of the glass shoes... I'm glad Axel insisted on checking even though it seemed pointless.
no subject
he snorts. wryly: ] Yes. Axel's brilliance comes in surprising moments, I think.
[ temenos is so fond of him even though this is like, half an insult. affectionate.
for a moment, he seems to regard ponta, chin in his hand, before he moves the pages on. ]
... You know. I quite like this side of you, Ponta. You've a good head on your shoulders.