I always put myself in destructive situations [W5, Friday]

[hydrokinetics]

[It took time. Everything took time as it always did. It took time for them to all calm down, it took time to heal physical wounds, it took time to properly remove the evidence of obscene crimes...but in the evening they were able to gather in one place away from everyone else. It hadn't been easy coordinating everything, but it was necessary.

And so here they were. All seven of them.]

...I don't really know where to start. [His voice is tight, but determined.] But we need everybody on the same page. Who wants to go first?

Comments

[hydrokinetics]

[He's listening to everything. He's listening and processing but there's a lot of conversation and while he can keep up, he thinks it's best to listen. A lot of this is hard to take.

Why would coyotes go straight after Yuna? How did they wind up with five corpses? What the fuck kind of items could they use for their own good?

But while that's going on, he's sitting back with a letter in his hand and he's reading over it.]

...so I think we need to consider something. Like the fact that the dead might know more than we actually know they know. Hal told me that someone set up TVs to watch all of us. This is the second letter Annabeth's sent me and I think I finally get some of what she's trying to say.

[thatsthespirit]

[inclines her head at Percy curiously, like ????]

I've received two letters from deceased individuals. Neither of them seemed particularly helpful, though.

What do you think Annabeth is trying to say?

[hydrokinetics]

[Wait.]

Who did you receive letters from?

[thatsthespirit]

Riku and Higekiri.

Higekiri's letter was a picture of roasted potatoes.

[its hanging in her room, next to the artwork Huna received]

Riku's letter was about Xion.

[hydrokinetics]

Why would he send you pictures of potatoes? [What in the fuck. But his expression shifts suddenly.]

What did Riku say about Xion, Milla?

[thatsthespirit]

[recites it from memory, 'cause she can do that]

"Milla,

Take care of Xion for me. You've probably realized it already, but she--" and then parts of it were blocked out. "She'll--" and more was blocked out, to be continued with, "as this game continues.

I'm counting on you."

[a pause]

That was it.

[hydrokinetics]

I'm assuming it's something along the lines of Xion growing more unstable as the game continues. What else could it be?

[insincerely]

Yeah... I got a letter from Annabeth too that mentioned my and Jason's work with the post office, so they're definitely watching us.

[Which is, uh, nice.]

What's her message?

[hydrokinetics]

I told you she probably did. I asked Hal. Annabeth's the one who asked for the TVs.

[Thanks babe. But he's holding up the letter to read...]

"Idiot,

I'm fairly certain you missed most of what I was saying, but I don't know what else I expected. At least you got the most important part. Kind of. Maybe. Not actually really, but I don't know how much clearer I can be without pieces and parts being censored. I didn't get the best look at the letter after the fact, but some of the things that got taken out were ridiculous and wouldn't have helped you much. Others I halfway expected to be missing." Uh. Some other stuff that got censored again...

"Try to eat something healthy for a change. I probably spent everything I could getting you that food, but who knows. I think we were probably the best couple around. Try not to be a complete moron. I know that last request is impossible. It's so frustrating to know things and know they won't get through to you. But I'm writing anyway, and trying anyway, because what else can I really do? Be careful who you adopt, Jackson. Please. I love you. You can do this."

So. A couple of things that I can think of. Her last letter just talked a lot about stuff we did together that usually involved stuff blowing up and a story about my uncle for some reason.

[impulsiveness]

"I think we were probably the best couple around." Does she usually gloat like that?

[it............seems out of place.]

[hydrokinetics]

[And since Noct is translating for Shinnosuke:]

No. Absolutely not. She addressed me as "idiot", what do you think? That's just one of the problems that stood out to me.

[insincerely]

... Think she's trying to hint something about one of the other couples? There's the Walkens, Dr. Lecter and Will...

[hydrokinetics]

That's what I'm wondering myself, yeah. Especially since Chane was one of our victims this week. Not sure what she'd be trying to say about Dr. Lecter and Will though, but that's absolutely something I think we should keep in mind. Annabeth was the one who originally thought of keeping us on the downlow but knew I wouldn't be able to lie about it so she gave up. The whole thing is really, really out of place.

But that's Annabeth. She told me in her last letter that she's doing everything to keep it vague enough that things won't get censored.

[insincerely]

[...]

Aside from her, I got a letter from Higekiri. Haven't checked the mail this week.

[He takes some papers out from his pocket, fiddles with them to try and determine which is which, before putting some back. Once that's done, he holds out two sheets: Annabeth and Higekiri's letters to him from last week.]

Xion read them out to me. I didn't pick up on anything especially useful, but maybe you'll notice something that I didn't.

[... Higekiri's letter is a little personal, but only he knows the context behind some of it, so.]

[hydrokinetics]

...do you think Higekiri knew something about you being a Bounty? He says something about believing you...were...something. But that if you died you wouldn't inflict pain on people. Does that mean something?

[insincerely]

... I can't think of anything that would've tipped him off.

[He pauses, looking increasingly awkward.]

He's... probably referring to his general opinion of me. He told me once, after Tiara's execution, that he didn't think that I was bad as I act.

... And, uh... I might've been a little nicer to him than I am to most people when he was on death row.

[god someone kill him now]

[thatsthespirit]

. . .

Does she always scold you like that, too?

[Annabeth is Percy's girlfriend-slash-mom???]

[also she's going somewhere with this]

[hydrokinetics]

Yeah, pretty much. [He doesn't seem bothered by that at all.] Annabeth's had my back since we were twelve and she knows that she's way, way smarter than me. It's not that insulting. [He actually just doesn't care, but whatever.]

[thatsthespirit]

The reason I ask is because Higekiri's letter to me mentioned food as well. Thus, it stands out.

[I mean. that's assuming Higekiri's letter wasn't nonsense, of course]

[elemancy]

Got a letter from Riku last week, too. Not sure we'll really find much in it that's useful, though.

[but for the sake of transparency, he'll mention it.]

[hydrokinetics]

Was his letter about Xion, too?

[elemancy]

He said to look out for her, but most of the letter was blacked out. I couldn't get anything from it.

[hydrokinetics]

What is he trying to tell us about Xion that keeps getting censored no matter who he's writing to? [A pause.] I hate to ask this, but what do we actually know about Xion?

[elemancy]

She... told me a few things about herself. But it's not much.

[and he's not entirely sure he should be talking about it where the issue of trust in concerned.]

[insincerely]

[... He really doesn't want to say this out loud if he doesn't have to, because he knows it's one of Xion's biggest secrets, but:]

Did she ever mention her best friend to anyone else?