AUDIENCE: CLAUDE

[retellers]

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[retellers]

[ a light laugh ]

A charmer as always, I see.

[riegan]

Hah, I try.

(Really.)

But truly, is now a good time? You've already had a difficult week...

[retellers]

[ they smile. ]

Well, I'd be doing my job rather poorly if I blew you off just for that. So, don't worry about it.

[riegan]

No one would fault you for taking a day off. Everyone needs them.

(Ah, but it seems like? Fox is fine? Or at least, fine enough to speak with him so,)

You asked Shima to kill. The timing is... interesting. (The same week he asks Fox about if they'd have to do the same thing as Rabbit and it happens.) How do you feel?

[retellers]

[ what the fuck is a day off ]

And that's an interesting question.

[riegan]

(Claude would also like to know.)

This is the part where you're supposed to say, "I'm fine" or "Pretty awful, thanks for asking!"

[retellers]

[ ... ]

Well, it seems rather insensitive to say I'm fine, but I'm also not the one who's dead or lost someone they cared about.

[riegan]

Ouch, I'd imagine our cunning leader would have a little more compassion or some sort of opinion after giving one of their own a crazy task.

(Wow?)

If I lost someone I was responsible for... I'd be at a bit of a loss.

[retellers]

[ ...

so serenely that it sounds downright icy, ]

And perhaps you should think more carefully before you put words in people's mouths, Riegan-san--but then again you do seem to have a habit of misinterpreting what people say.

[riegan]

(Riegan-san? Like Hikaru and Ochako say?)

You're right. I've been in a bit of a mess for some time. (Fooooor most of his time here,) In my defense, it doesn't help much when the things that are said are less than direct.

But I'm the last person who can complain about that.

[retellers]

[ ... ]

My apologies--I said too much. [ whatever "too much" means here. ] What can I help you with?

[ because fox is pretty sure it wasn't to talk about feelings. ]

[riegan]

Ooooh no you didn't. (He isn't letting it go,) You've said enough.

"Riegan-san?" What's up with that? You've never called me that before and I've heard that ending before.

(Hikaru. Ochako. Usagi.)

I was told to talk to you about that alert on Sunday. (The blinking, the messages,) What did you get after everything was done?

[retellers]

[ to be fair, fox hasn't called claude much of anything because your mod tried to go for weeks without referring to anyone by name for this reason before giving up!!

they tap a finger. ]

Memories. As fantastical as it might sound, the removed can be brought back.

[riegan]

(It just makes it stand out more!!)

You remembered something, too.

(Just like Hilda said. Or will say once we get to that point in our thread but please)

... Hikaru said something about that, too. Her leader told her it was possible but that was it. Do you have any ideas?

[retellers]

[ there's a long pause. it's hard to tell what fox is thinking, with part of their face covered by a mask, though it seems like they're at least looking right at claude. ]

... I do, but it's not a way I want to be spread carelessly.

[riegan]

(These masks sure are convenient. Maybe Claude should get one for himself. He's used to being watched and all he does at first is just... stand tall,)

But you know a way.

[retellers]

I do.

So, it's just a matter of who can be trusted with knowing it.

[riegan]

To tell you the truth? I wouldn't really want to trust anyone on this team. I'm kind of sensing a trend here!

(That every fox is already or is going to be a big ol' liar of some sort.)

I wouldn't even trust myself after the last couple of weeks. But if I can do something more right than wrong in this place for once, I want to do it. And if you won't tell me, I'll just find someone else with fewer conditions or a lesser price.

[retellers]

[ a tap of their finger. ]

You could probably find someone with fewer scruples, yes. If that's what you intend to do, I can't exactly stop you.

[riegan]

(It's always the finger tap............)

Tell me your conditions.

[retellers]

Well, that's the tricky part, isn't it? After all, no matter what I say here, there's nothing stopping you from turning around and doing the exact opposite of what I ask.

[riegan]

There isn't.

(And he's quiet for a awhile, trying to find the words to say next,)

When Hilda told me what she was going to do, I decided to protect her. As her leader, it's my duty to look out for the people under my care. Even though I knew who one of the killers was that week, I let an innocent person die. That, in turn, put someone else in danger. Since then, I've been lying to others about it, making them feel better about their own relation to that weekend while acting like I've done nothing wrong. (Izumo. Hikaru.) But I have and if there's anything I can do to make it a little more right... then I want to.

If you tell me your conditions, I'll agree to them. Completely. Even if it means putting my own dreams off.

[retellers]

[ ... ]

They're not that complicated, for better or for worse. All I ask is that you not act rashly. Well, that and trust this only with those who can follow the same condition, but I'd hope that goes without saying.

[riegan]

That's all?

(He's suspicious. It sounds too easy but

He's going to hold out his pinky to Fox.)

It's a promise.

[retellers]

That's all, but any consequences are on my hands for telling you in the first place, so it's quite important to me.

[ there's a sing-song quality to their voice, though given that they're like most of the time, the sincerity of any cheer is debatable. ]

And I'll pass on the pinky promise.