shinobu

[preowned]

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[preowned]

[ he will take her hand as soon as he's close enough to. ]

It never gets easier.

[wisterin]

It doesn't. It never will, but I never want it to.

[ she'd rather hurt over and over again than be numb to this kind of pain. ]

[preowned]

We will do what we can tomorrow.

[ he closes his eyes, sighing. ]

Three again.

[wisterin]

[ she gently squeezes his hand. ]

I hope we will be able to solve at least two. [ three is ideal, but.... she thinks two would be very nice. ] But I know it's more likely to be one.

What do you think, Tsurumaru-san? All shadows? Or did things change, as we've found out more lately?

[preowned]

It's hard to say.

The video that Cloud's group received... it was implied that the Nightman wants to make things more dangerous for us. Perhaps this is part of it.

[wisterin]

If he released more shadows to incite the amount of murders he wanted, I won't forgive it.

[ not that she was going to forgive him ever, but now she's even more furious. ]

But I also don't know if I can forgive it, if it isn't the Nightman.

[preowned]

... no.

For Sylvain, do you think it might have been someone who suspected?

[wisterin]

[ she thinks about it for a moment. ]

I asked Diluc-san last week, before I knew for certain it was Sylvain-san, what he wanted to do with the person who murdered Kaeya-san.

He said it wasn't his place to judge, but karma finds a way. Kim Dokja-san told me he suspected Sylvain-san, but he also had no intentions of killing for the entertainment of someone who hides in the shadows.

Either of them could have lied to me, but I don't know why they would have. As for the others close to Kaeya-san... I suppose it depends if Yoo Joonghyuk-san would find it less troublesome or annoying to go through trial for it. I don't know about Hua Cheng-san.

But if the shadows brought out the worst in them...

[ well, there's that possibility. ]

[preowned]

We will see where the evidence leads, but... Diluc shouldn't get possessed again, at least. And he really does not have much room to judge, given that he also killed.

[ tsuru can understand being mad but the levels of hypocrisy that would be there if diluc did a revenge kill without compulsion. ]

As for the others... we'll see tomorrow, I guess.

[wisterin]

To think someone, shadow or not, passed by a known killer...

[ if shinobu had a different sense of humor, it would be funny, but she's a bit surprised by it. she could never think so clinically about murder, though she tried as much as she could back at camp and failed, but there is an ounce less guilt to go after a known murderer, compelled or not. ]

He has no room to judge, from any angle.

[ but it's not like she doesn't know a thing or two about feeling vengeful. ]

I hope we're luckier than not.

[preowned]

We'll see.

... if anything, we will have to try to calm anyone down if something like last week happens again. There are too many dead, but once everyone switches from trying to find culprits to protecting their friends, it gets difficult.

[wisterin]

... I do not know if I would be any better, were I put in that situation, but logically, finding the other culprits could also double as protecting their friends, if it comes to it.

[ but logic is hard to come by in extremely tense and emotional situations. ]

That is something we can try to remind others of.

[preowned]

[ there's a pause, and he reaches over with his free hand to run a hand through her hair. ]

If it's ever me... and the evidence points obviously to me, you don't need to come to my defense, okay?

[wisterin]

[ ....

her hold on his hand tightens, as if to say she doesn't want to let him go even in a hypothetical situation, even if it's the reality. shinobu is not lawful, but she is justice-minded.

it's difficult for her to know which side she'd sway to because of how much she cares. no matter what she would choose, the thought makes her want to cry.

even though she knows swords are weapons created to kill.

she closes her eyes for a brief moment. ]

.... but what would you want?

[preowned]

I would want...

[ he goes quiet as he considers the question.

he wants many things, ranging from absurd and impractical to a little more honest. but... ]

Ideally I would want the path that would cause the least amount of pain.

[wisterin]

I would want that for you, too.

[ that's something she doesn't have to take a second to think about, but it's hard for her to say what that path is. ]

What does that path look like for you?

[preowned]

[ ... okay, he laughs. ]

It's whatever is easiest for you.

I would take whatever is given to me, but I want to make sure the people I care about are able to keep going.

[wisterin]

[ she frowns and looks down at his foot like she's five seconds away from stomping on it.

As if her tiny foot and tiny strength could do anything. ]

Stop it.

[preowned]

Sorry, sorry.

[ there's another laugh, softer. ]

I would like to live, but in a place like this... our lives are all in the hands of others. From who gets chosen as a victim, to who we vote for... it really is a game of chance. So, I shall trust this hand with my life.

[ there's a light squeeze of her hand. ]

As I hope those I care about will trust me to take care of them.

[wisterin]

Thank you.

[ there's a warmth to the feeling his words make her feel, but it's tinged with a bittersweetness. she can't deny those words, that so much is at the hands of others.

but if he really would trust her... she gives his hand a gentle squeeze back. ]

I do trust you. I have trusted you. I will take your hand, as many times as you want, as many times as you need.

[preowned]

... good. That's all I want.

[ he looks towards the trees, going quiet for a moment. ]

[preowned]

[ and then adds, ]

Well! There's a lot of things I want, but... you know!

[wisterin]

I won't know until you tell me them.

[preowned]

[ he gestures ]

[wisterin]

With words, Tsurumaru-san.