chaoticlootral | SATURDAY

[they were just talking, god!!!!

Newt immediately tenses. Magnus and Taako are alright, but lately, when they come charging, it doesn't mean good things.

Especially not when flamethrowers are involved? UH?]

What are you doing?

Hey, fellas!

[Grinning at the two of them - much less threateningly than last week. So, he seems to have simmered down some, at least.]

How's it hanging? Feeling lucky?

[They're here, ready to commit the last murders of the game.]

. . . You want a flamethrower? Slightly used. 180 Ripcoins.

[It's okay Hermann is Ready. With his... gun. That he hid before the trial and was just retrieving. Good thing Tingle and Magnet already knew where all those bullets were from!

He's still. Holding it though.]

... No thank you. We'll pass.

[He's speaking for the both of them because Newt you are not allowed to have a flamethrower you'll kill yourself.]

[Oh, hey, good idea! Newt also whips his gun out of the back of his pants because he's already dead and gun safety is for chumps?

He's, uh, being a little more pointy with it, though. Chalk it up to nerves.]

Yeah, we're good.

[The first time Newt's ever readily agreed with Hermann in his life!

also i've been waiting to do this all week, ty.]

[...Honestly. Immediately laughing. Like, a lot. Slapping Taako on the back, laughing.]

Hey, check out these guys! Careful, I think they might shoot us.

[Okay honestly yeah, this is hysterical, full on wheeze laughing as well. He takes a full point of damage from that boyish camaraderie though, please be careful Magnus.]

Sweet Dan above, yeah, I think we're outnumbered, they're gonna drop us -- Listen, we're not here to rumble, so, please, uh, put it back in your pants--

[He just twitches the end of his umbrella - using his psych to yoink Newt's gun out of his hand to send it flying. Sorry for ruining your cool moment buddy.]

I mean, come on, take a guy to dinner first.

[Frown.

Whatever, Newt can get his own gun back. Hermann tucks his inside his swanky jacket.]

Then what are you here for? Selling us stolen goods?

[It's so hard to tell how serious he's being about this judgment.]

Hey--!

[Goddammit. He's gonna scurry over to grab his gun, but then he'll shove it back into his pants... Not because you told him to, though.]

I doubt they stole it, Hermann.

Nah, we paid for it. They don't do returns. You sure you don't want it...?

[Snorting at Taako sending the gun flying. But they don't really seem like they're here to throw down.]

You don't have to point guns at us. If we wanted you killed you'd be killed! Though the Composer did tell me I'm allowed to punch him whenever I want. [Jabbing a finger at Newt.]

Yeah, geez, we only took a little murder night tax, it isn't the same as stealing. 175 Rips?

[Just nodding at the thing about the Composer approving of their bullying.]

Yeah. They're totally an 11 on the 1 through 10 scale of being charmed by our loveable horseshit. Anyway, I think we just need to chat. Clear the air? Or at least, like, spray some Febreze.

Edited 2018-04-16 03:46 (UTC)

[He doesn't super like that murder confidence, but he's armed and he's gotten pretty good at this whole teleportation thing, so. Should... be fine...]

I'd appreciate it if you stopped punching him whenever you want.

[He's not going to address the flamethrower anymore. No soliciting.]

Which part of the air are we clearing? The part where we were all involved in homicide?

[Ah. Hm. Okay, Newt knows what's up here.]

Lenka went and talked to you before the trial, didn't he? [Cats really are terrible at following instructions.] That was a misunderstanding.

We cleared the air about the murdering already. [They cleared it by punching Newt.]

Yeah, what, uh, was up with that? Turns out the way Lenka figured it, you actually didn't kill anybody, and I'd faked up some evidence that you did? Kinda fucked up of me. I was surprised to hear about it.

Yeah, we're, uh, not unreasonable dudes, you know? We offered an invitation to help and you turn around and pull that fun stunt? Listen, we get it, it's been a long week, but there's only so much room on our backs for stabbing. Ass took up most of it, but it's still a bit of a sore spot. Just sayin'.

[Wait hold the phone.]

Lenka-? [Hermann turns to Newt.]

What are they talking about? What did you do?

Not unreasonable? You wanted me to confess on tape. Which I did, by the way, and you didn't bother to erase it.

[He... feels bad about this, and yet here he is, arguing anyway. And ignoring Hermann.]

Lenka had information I needed, and he wasn't going to give it to me if he thought I was a killer. [A beat.] And I needed insurance just in case you did try to scapegoat me at the trial. You flat out said that was your plan!

[Sort of.]

We said it was maybe our plan! And then we asked you if you were up to die, and then you said no. Geez, Newt. I'm not a scapegoater kind of guy. Though we did consider putting your fingerprints on a sword, but that would've been more of a goof.

[What can they say? They have a great sense of humor.]

I'm not erasing the tape. But it's somewhere safe. I'm not planning on using it or anything. [Sighing.] You lying to Lenka about us really pissed me off. I was starting to think, sure, we would've killed Jacopo on the information you had, too. So, maybe we can trust him. And then I get Lenka all up in my business like I'm planning a frame up of you guys.

Honestly though, it would have been, uh, hilarious. Who did it! Who knows, but that Newt guy doesn't look like he can swing a sword. Kind of a wuss, right? And then we'd have spent like at least an hour dunking on you as a distraction.

[Giggling? Why. Why is this so funny.]

But not throwing you under the Schoolchildren Wagon. We only asked if you'd be willing. There's a big difference in the level of, uh, pressure, there.

[Hm. He can see the need for a bit of insurance- he had some himself this week. But really???]

Having not been privy to these conversations, I can't speak certain one way or the other, but it does sound like something that could've been a problem. Especially the tape. How were we supposed to know that you just wouldn't use it? You do an awful lot of acting on your own whims.

[To Newt specifically:] Though you should've come to me about this, not Lenka. [Newt did tell him, in a way, but not until the last minute.]

Does he know, then? Did the two of you tell him the truth?

[About half the fuckin' game knows by now, thanks Newt, so honestly, what else is new,]

If you're not going to use it, why are you keeping it? It's not even accurate! And for the record, I specifically told Lenka that you two might try something, not that you would, and I only filled him in so someone would have my back should it come up during the trial. I didn't think he'd, like, confront you about it.

[Who does that??

But, okay, fine. To Hermann:] What good were you gonna be if they pulled out the recording? We're partners! Of course you would vouch for me!

[Wait he has more argues though.]

Asking if I'd be willing to sign myself up for death after recording me confessing to murder isn't pressure enough for you? Jeez. How was I supposed to take that? Like anyone would actually be like, oh, yeah, totally! Execute the crap out of me! What do I care?

Well. For one thing! If you decide to go around lying about what happened and putting words in my mouth, I've got backup. Makes it easier to trust you.

[But fine, okay. He can see, in retrospect, how that whole set up might have cone across as just a little threatening and coercive. Maybe.]

Turns out Mutsu and Sei were okay with it. Anyway, whatever. We're not going to try to kill you. Though I think, if there's anyone left at this point who doesn't know, they probably have the right to. There aren't many of us left, and both Reaper kids came forward. But that's really up to you - I'm not playing the tape.

Uh, I'd like to note that our acting on a whim actually helped, and worked out okay, but that's just me. Also we didn't actually murder anyone. Mostly just moved a bunch of bullets around, and didn't take anyone's fingers off with bolt cutters. Just saying!

[But, yeah, dropping it. Nothing worth it! Bigger fish to fry, really, now that actually taking this whole thing home seems just that little bit closer.]

For what it's worth, I have never been honest really, in my life, and I managed, so. You should try it sometime? Kind of freeing.

Blackmail isn't exactly trust, you know.

[Just uh, settin' that record straight.]

If it comes down to another similar situation, wherein a volunteer is required, Newt and I have discussed it. We'll admit what we've done so that everyone can make an informed decision. If they vote for us as a result, we're prepared to accept those consequences.

And it's one-sided! What good does it do you to trust us if we can't trust you? I wouldn't have gone to Lenka if you'd just deleted the recording in the first place!

[Newt can't drop anything, sorry.]

Who's to say that our actions haven't helped? Get off your fucking high horses. You helped a guy cover up a murder. If we don't get to explain away our guilt, you don't either. What happened to "oh, we would've done the same thing with the information you had at the time"?

[He scoffs at Hermann.]

More like we'd fall on the sword if that's what the group actually needs. Inviting people to vote for us and us killing Jacopo are two entirely separate things. If no one else has to be accountable for murder these days, I don't see why the rules should be different for us.

Oh, for sure we woulda killed Jacopo if we'd gotten that same info you had, and hadn't got other info. For sure. Wouldn't have been the first time I killed someone and it turned out to be a mistake, and won't be the last.

[God. Why are these two lecturing them about murder again...?]

Just saying, our plan was great and yours sucked and was terrible. Magnus 10, Science 0. But it's all water under the bridge! [Anyway, he softens just a little at the fact that they'd come clean. By softens, I mean his grin becomes a little more friendly but they're still, like. A nightmare.] That's fine. Anyway, I don't really think anyone is going to vote for you over Jacopo. It's just kind of an awkward situation, since almost all of the teams left over have kids on 'em. If this game goes two more rounds, odds are we'll both die. If it goes one more round, I don't know. We'll draw straws or something.

We don't care if you trust us. We just want to know that if it does come down to, uh, drawing straws, it's not suddenly going to be, y'know. Hey, we're nerds who've never done anything wrong, and these guys who vaguely allege to their past crimes as jokes in every conversation framed us. So kill them!

I, actually, have rarely killed by accident, mostly because Magnus gets to it first, so, nyeh. [Cool argument.] But yeah, about covers it. We're just here to make sure that you're going to follow our fun little honesty trend instead of trying to play as if you've never fucked up this whole time.

Mistakes are, after all, how we grow. Or whatever. Wrote that in a book once.

If you had other information, then the comparison isn't really fair, now is it? I regret the effect it had on others, and I regret having taken a life, but it sounds like Jacopo's death may have actually helped keep the Reapers alive, and therefore: it wasn't a mistake.

[He can't believe he's defending his own commission of murder???]

We're not going to accuse you of anything of the sort. It would be ridiculous, and no one would believe us. Besides, now that we've fulfilled the requirements of "getting away with it", and it's been mostly established that revenge won't be tolerated, there's no need to keep the secret so close to our chests.

[Newt just balks.]

When have we ever given you the impression that we'd--you only found out about us in the first place because I told Setz myself! It's like Hermann said! We couldn't claim innocence now even if we tried!

[Now he's pointing dramatically.] Who put you two in charge, anyway? You idiots didn't invent the concept of honesty! There's nothing honest about covering up a murder, whether or not you cop to it after the fact! And regardless, none of this matters! According to the Composer, we're collectively on the right track, and that's all any of us should care about. If you're seriously just here to harp on us about your messed up perception of morality, I'm out of here. We don't need this.

[He grabs Hermann's arm and will totally keep his word unless Taako and Magnus have other things to say... So much for clearing the air.]

You pulled that exact move on Lenka! [At least, as far as he knows. Huffing a frustrated sigh - he really wants to punch him again, but Taako would have to get rid of their guns and that would be a mess.] It's not crazy we don't know what to make of you two! We don't even care about Jacopo? Dude was kind of a dick, and if everything Setz said was true, good riddance! [Though not good riddance to Monika. Not good riddance to Miki. Those two are not in any real sense Newt and Hermann's fault, but they still hurt.]

Storm off if you want to, though. We said our peace.

[Wait, stop, don’t go.]

Are you sure about a no on the flamethower? 150!

SATURDAY - WEEK 5

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