uncurtained | pc catchall for junpei (crashout)

...Yeah, lucky.

[There's some light sarcasm in her voice as she says that, but.]

It might be messed up, but - I didn't know him, so...

[She isn't as torn up about it as she might otherwise be.]

No, I get it. [In a way, it's sort of a nice reprieve from Junpei losing all of his closer friends week after week.] It sucks. He actually was a pretty interesting kind of guy...smart when he wanted to be, too.

[...okay, so maybe he did like him a bit.] At the same time, and this is equally messed up, I'm pretty glad it's just one victim this week again.

...Being glad less people died isn't a bad thing.

[She nods, though.]

If it was you, Wei Wuxian, Dick or Higekiri... I don't know how I would have dealt.

[There's a slow nod right back.] My list is about the same, but add Tamamo and Nikkari.

We're getting to the point where people are close enough it's going to hurt no matter who's next. But...we're also running out of time anyway. Day 50 is next week.

...Haymitch and Katy would be one mine, too.

[She sighs.]

Do you think they'll be more deaths next week?

[He doesn't want to answer and he doesn't know if it's because he's feeling particularly cynical or what.]

It's almost a guarantee. We're getting to the end. I don't think our demons would want us to win now that we have everything in our hands. We're still trying to understand the ritual to get us out of here, but like Katy said at the meeting. The route to escape has been opened.

I'm almost afraid next week is going to be the hardest yet, but that's why I'm making preparations.

...What preparations are you making?

Inventory of our ritual items to make sure we still have all of them and they'll be safe, a rework of all of my notes to leave behind whenever the demons come after me, an alternate escape route, and...everything I can to make sure we bring our hosts back, too, and they won't die the same way the last ones did before the game was over.

[It goes by so quickly that she almost misses it, but—]

...Junpei.

[He literally has no idea what that reaction's about, so he blinks in surprise.]

What?

You don't have to leave anything behind, because... They aren't going to come after you.

Maybe not this week. [Which is still a damn shocker to him.] But I'm not going to get overconfident that they won't and fuck up. The narrator from last time--or Ryan F., whoever he is--he kept diligent notes about stuff. I have to be like that guy because we don't know whose lives we're gonna save by leaving behind references.

...the thing is we don't know who or when they'll come. In the last week, maybe they'll go off-course.

[He's not wrong about any of that, but:]

Not any week.

[He just...kind of shrugs again.]

Alright. Not any week. [He doesn't exactly buy it.] Optimistically speaking, this will be our last death and we'll be put to some kind of other test. Maybe more monsters or something.

...Other than the one on Sunday.

[But she doesn't want to focus on that too much.]

Why are you assuming they'll come after you...?

...arrogance, maybe? [He can admit that much.] I did kind of spill literally everything I know on Monday, including a plan to get us out of here.

If they'd ever targeted people based on who's most needed or most cared about... I might agree with you.

[It's a way to hopefully set his worries at rest, but also to tell him she doesn't think he's being arrogant.]

[...there's a soft huff.]

You're sweet. [He'll at least give her that.] I think maybe if it were me, I'd go after the guy who had enough connections to tear everything apart. I don't know if I really am that guy, but...enough people trust me that I might be. I don't really know.

...If you really think so, can you try to lay low this week? I mean - not necessarily not do anything to help, but keep it secret.

I'll see what I can do. I have some stuff to ask the hosts and I want to make sure Carlos is going to, like, not disappear and a few other things. [He rubs his face.] I'm good at being subtle when I need to be, but...we're so close to the end.

[The impulse is hard...]

...Maybe I could take some of it off your hands?

...I want to save everyone, but my priority has always been him. [Just...a tentative note.] He asked us to let him die, but I don't think I knew it'd be like this.

[...he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the hit clips that've been floating around though.] Was this one you, too?

...It isn't that he's not my priority.

[She isn't sure what hers would be, honestly. Still... After a pause, she nods.]

Hopefully yours didn't suck.

Pretty sure it's different for me considering who we are. [Like. They need Carlos to catch the fanatic? That's his teammate? Akane would kill him if Carlos died?

But...he just offers it to her if she wants to listen. If she does, she'll definitely hear Akane equal parts fond and exasperated encouraging him to live and get the fuck out of the game.]

Kinda sucks I can't send a message back, but makes you wonder where they're even coming from.

[She does take a listen, and she recognizes the voice from a few different memories. She feels a little bad saying this, since it's a message from someone he clearly loves, but:]

I really doubt they're from... the actual people.

pc catchall for junpei (crashout)

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