Audience: Harrowhark Nonagesimus

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Comments

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And yet you're troubled by the results? [still just kind of gently prompting because. well. misa didn't kill anyone and y'all still voted for her. it makes sense that she may feel uneasy with the choice.]

[bonetiddies]

[Like. Very only technically she didn't kill someone, but yeah.]

It never felt to me that she was lying, the way she insisted she hadn't done anything and couldn't recall how she'd been burnt. But I didn't want to be taken in by an act. Of which there certainly was one, but. . .

It was a very ugly performance on my part, in fact. I forced Sasazuka and Vira to make the majority of decisions. I really didn't have the least idea what to do about Misa, and in retrospect there was quite obviously an entire other murder we didn't much bother to look into.

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[they walk in silence for a bit as greed thinks of the best way to formulate an answer.]

In many ways, you could not anticipate how Miss Amane would respond to the accusations. That's the trouble with pressing your culprits.

[...they try not to say too much about themselves, but they think perhaps it's worth hearing.]

...my very first case as a prosecutor, I was only a little older than you are now. And the man on trial committed suicide while on the stand. [so today was. something.]

I've come to learn that in cases like these, you can only get to the truth by relying on other people who share your same goal. Even if it means ultimately "losing" the case or the point you're supposed to be fighting for.

Try not to feel badly about how yesterday went. Though I understand saying so won't change anything.

[bonetiddies]

[She likes hearing it, yes. She frowns a little at it, but. It does help - it hits close to something that is on her mind.]

It has felt like that - like pushing someone to the brink. [She's struggled with suicidal thoughts herself often enough that it doesn't sit well with her.] I dislike feeling that we are only catching the ones desperate enough to barely try to avoid being caught.

I didn't expect to be hit with a curse, and perhaps if that hadn't sent things into a panic, we still could have found the other killer in the time left. But I really. . . ought to have committed either one way or another. If I was going to betray her misguided and unasked for trust, delaying it or only doing it piecemeal because I felt a little sorry about it didn't help anyone at all, and made us more vulnerable to a curse distraction.

[But that's really more just. . . personal difficulties.]

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It's a delicate balance, and a difficult one to maintain even without the high stakes presented here. [he's...aware. it's why he's also navigating this conversation carefully but also casually enough because he does trust harrow with this information.] A victory is still a victory, of course, but everyone has to start somewhere.

You're correct though. Even if you don't have all of the evidence, if there's more to bring to light committing to your line of thinking will either aid the reveal or hinder it. But as someone who's withheld information that can help the defense...I understand that, too. [greed is very well aware of why they're greed, even if they aren't the same person anymore.]

Holding back too much leaves you equally vulnerable when you don't know what the defense has up their sleeve. [a pause.] You did the right thing in entrusting the others with the information you received. But, simultaneously, it would be best to have a plan for if things will be derailed.

People have noticed your skill. Those who wish to get away cleanly will likely go to lengths to ensure you don't catch on to what they're doing.

[bonetiddies]

I didn't want. . . it seemed more likely to cause problems, to mention Grace was there.

[Grace's name coming up clearly made her more of a target, at least at first.]

Eleanor's killer had to be much stronger than Misa. I noticed it right away - but I also knew she had a power of some sort from Gluttony. I can't help feel that it would be much better to have caught them, when we already knew to be wary of Misa.

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...it wouldn't have. Believe me when I say you did precisely what you should have, and you performed to the best of your ability even with the hinderances Miss Amane threw in at the last minute.

Especially given the fact that it's likely she would have still acted in this coming week once everything wore off, suspicious or not.

[bonetiddies]

Well, yes. It was certainly never a long term solution. But I find what you say curious. You disagree that we ought to have been trying to find Eleanor's killer?

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It comes back to motivations, Harrowhark. Naturally finding the truth is important, but in this case...I would say that perhaps looking back on it and questioning how you could have tried to find Miss Shellstrop's killer won't benefit you nearly as much as focusing on the week ahead.

[bonetiddies]

[Frysquint.]

Surely you realize this is only likely to make me more compelled.

[Forbidden lore. . . but she takes the point.]

No, I'll accept that direction, but let me dwell on it for one moment longer. Do you believe that it would be possible to have a Thursday night where no one dies?

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Yes, I know. [tiredly. harrow and greed are unfortunately similar which means he really can only bank on their relationship being strong enough she'll take him at his word.] And you're free to dwell on it as long as you need to. I've dwelled on losses for years.

[don't? just admit that?]

But I ask that you leave that case behind, just this once. And I do still believe that it would be possible to have a week no one dies. It's a matter of using what knowledge you have to set things into motion prior to their start. And, of course, deciding what the best course of action would be.

[bonetiddies]

Then I will. [God, she wants to figure out why, though. But she does trust him, so. Fine.]

Hmm. Is it correct, that murder counts for a larger amount of indulgence than other actions?

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Miss Amane wasn't lying about that. That is, in fact, the case. Word seems to be spreading quickly.

[bonetiddies]

Is there a shortfall? Is there reason to believe, at this point, we won't succeed without taking drastic actions for higher point totals?

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If there's a reason for that belief, I don't know what it is. Several of you really did just decide to start taking matters into your own hands.

[bonetiddies]

An assumption that if someone else decided murder is worth the risk, they must know more than the rest of us?

[Yikes, okay.]

What happens when we've been to all the floors?

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People lie all the time. I would be very interested in knowing if a murderer knows more than a normal person. But I suppose I can't blame anyone for believing such an assumption.

[but bad.]

...to be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. There isn't a secret to unlocking each floor or anything of the sort. It simply just happens. Once your final floor is unlocked, I can only guess it's a means to help you indulge further until enough is generated to fulfill your desires.

[bonetiddies]

Then your suspicion is that we have as much time as we need?

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...I wouldn't waste too much time. But you will have the time that you need, yes.

[bonetiddies]

The principle behind murder being "worth more" fascinates me, from a thanergenic perspective. Is there an understood reason for this? Are there other actions, besides murder, that generate a disproportionately high amount of indulgence?

[I feel like she says this and then immediately is afraid the answer includes sex and that's going to have to be acknowledged in this conversation.]

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...do you really wish for me to answer that?

[listen he does not want to talk about sex either.]

I believe it's the idea that it's...well. It's a theory, rather. I don't have proof yet and I haven't had time to further research the reasoning behind it, all things considered. But I do believe murder is "worth more" is simply because you're eliminating one other person you won't have to share with in the end. It's what makes sense from a strategic point of view.

[it's not exactly one he agrees with, but there's that.]

[bonetiddies]

[Okay, so it's sex. Got it. Moving on. Follow up questions with Wrath later.]

That's what Despair told me at the outset, and makes more sense than viewing murder as an indulgence - outside of certain maniacs we've had here, it wouldn't seem to fit.

. . . Researching that type of thing is difficult or dangerous for you? Wrath said something about that.

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[yes, please go talk to wrath and leave him out of this, thank you!]

I'm sure it's possible it can be an indulgence if a particular sin is applied, but for all intents and purposes it's about thinning out the winning pool. The more indulgence available and the less people to share with, the more likely you'll get what you came for.

[but they pause to watch maus for a bit who's trotting along and having a good time.]

Yes, but most of us continue to try anyhow. [see: four morons getting their shit wrecked.]

[bonetiddies]

[That doesn't really sit well with her, for a number of reasons.]

. . . Mm. Yes. I've already spoken with Pride about the excursion this week. [Really the last thing she would want is for him to believe that he needs to share details of a personalized torture that shook him as badly as he was when he returned. She doesn't believe herself entitled to them.]

Is the information gathered worth the cost? The larger picture. . . is it something other than fending off murder attempts until we finish indulging enough to leave?

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Ah. I hope what you heard from him was informative...? [tentatively, like he wants to ask, but he doesn't press. the thing is that hilariously if harrow even gave any sort of indication she was curious he'd tell her. but if she seems like she doesn't want to know, he'll keep the information to himself.

that's what emotional repression does to you, i guess.]

I'm of the belief that all information is worth it. If only so we can truly understand some of the things occurring around this base, and what the bigger picture fully entails.