Mm. I think, because this person is "teamless", they're not associated with any particular team. I know for a fact that only one team's icon flashed last weekend in the way that indicates someone probably killed, and I know that flashing was related to Miss Alyssa.
[ xie lian puts his hand against his chin, thoughtful. ]
...Have you been to the security office yet? You should stop by, if you can. There's a computer you can type into that will give you a bit of information on someone random. You learn what kind of things that person has taken from locations -- if mine came up, it might say "medical supplies" and "sword" and "gun".
[ look.... it's fine....sometimes you just grab things to defend yourself with. ]
The week that Shima killed, there was a strange mystery, right? Aside from the fact that we never discovered who killed Raven. The gloves that were spread everywhere.
...When I went to the security office, I learned that Miss Ange had stolen gloves and painkillers.
I haven't been to the security office yet, since I've had - a rather busy week. [ Dryly, as he comes back into the conversation directly. He's like, petting Claude's deer absently, and the huli jing has twisted in his lap with the ferret to be closer to the daemon. We're ignoring the fact there's affection here. ] I'll let you know what I get from it when I go, though.
And I do have some information, about the roles. Not much - I promised not to spread it, to protect the member of my team that has one. So it's up to them if they want to share anything further. [ He also has his and Xie Lian's reports, but he doesn't bring that up yet. Not yet. This is more - relevant, in a way. And if there are security reports, if someone comes to Claude with Hua Cheng's, or he gets it himself, he's going to cut it off at the pass so that Claude knows. ]
But I can confirm that Swan's icon flashed last week for a kill, because I was the one that killed Alyssa. [ Sometimes you just grab things to commit a murder with, and he'll cop to that - to Claude, because he trusts him, and because they need to narrow this down. ] So if Fox's icon didn't flash, then no one officially on Fox's team killed. If the PHS just lit up, then it was because of your nova ranking, unless the "teamless" person is in fact an unofficial eighth member of Fox's team and it was different from the usual weekly update when we do well enough in gathering nova.
(Claude is quiet-- seriously quiet when he hears Xie Lian. Ange, huh? The week they couldn't find Raven's killer... Well, they can't go back and change anything about that now but he'll file this away neatly for now. )
I can check the security office later, too.
(And see if he learns anything else.
But really, something catches his attention completely and he just... looks surprised to hear Hua Cheng's confession. He's not surprised that Hua Cheng would kill someone but he's pretty surprised that he'd confess in front of him like that? What is this level of trust he keeps getting thrown at him in the Realm. It's weird!
He could say a lot of things but the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,)
I ate a cookie because of you.
(Well, not explicitly because of Hua Cheng because that was Alyssa and he was suspected mostly for Hikaru but still!! That was the single most traumatic moment of Claude's life... and he's survived who knows how many assassination attempts??)
... But yeah, no one on our team has killed since Shima. He was the only one to actually do it.
(... Which. Yeah. Means other things. But. Yeah.)
An unofficial member though... it would make things easier if they counted...
[ he is not sure whether to laugh or cry at "i ate a cookie because of you" -- xie lian snorts, but quickly covers his mouth with his sleeve. ]
I was able to figure it out early enough that I lied to cover his injuries, so...
[ he gets it! but also thanks for taking one for the team. ] It was his team's first kill, and related to splintering.
And... it would, but, it means that most likely your team is going to be one of the ones that needs to kill next week. I think it should be down to two. There are two teams, if my math, and my guesses are correct, that have much higher numbers remaining than the others. If the both of you end up discussing with your teams what will come, it is best to direct your attention to them.
[ Xie Lian doesn't laugh, but he does. It's just - the incredulousness of the statement, really, and Hua Cheng sets his hand down against his gut as he laughs. The gesture is very ha ha, ow but as he stops laughing in Claude's face like the terrible father he is, he leans back against the pillows behind him. ]
I'd apologize, but we still did need to eliminate you as a suspect for Hikaru's death. Not because I believed you did it, but because there were others - and a number of them - who did.
[ One important person had been lost that week, and he wasn't exactly inclined to lose another in one fell swoop. Casting doubt on Bucky was the most effective means of protecting himself, Xie Lian, and Claude all at once. Nevermind that he thinks there's a possibility that the man killed someone, anyways, but that's neither here nor there. ]
We think that Rabbit and Tiger are the best targets. [ To follow up on Xie Lian's information, inclining his head slightly in agreement. ] However, as a team we're also going to be exchanging lists of people to not target. So if there are people you wish to protect, regardless of whether it's because of the team they're on or because of personal reasons, it would be best to share that with your teammates. And, perhaps, with me - you don't need to tell me why, or what team they're on, but we can exchange names to narrow down a target list.
Because Swan will make a kill next week. Two are required - one because you were informed they were splintering, and one chosen by the killer on your team, specifically.
This is our last chance to get it right, and we're not going to be able to do it again. The Realm can't support it. [ oooo ominous ]
It's not funny! Do you know how scary that was? I'm traumatized!
(When you're a liar and a schemer with countless secrets, nothing is more frightening than the truth. Really, knowing that items like this exist in the realm has been nothing but a source of mild anxiety for him, something always in the back of his mind considering the things he knows in the Realm.
But, ah,)
... Yes. We decided we'd make our move the next chance but even amongst ourselves, we're keeping it a secret. We don't want any of those items to be used on us and giving us away. I don't even know if we succeeded this week.
(Granted how many bodies there are.
He's quiet though. Rabbit and Tiger, huh? He's quiet, contemplative, and he closes his eyes, exhaling slowly before he speaks again,)
Even if death is meaningless here, every life still has value. Maybe those teams are best to target because their numbers are bigger and they can afford to take a loss... but no one here is really better off or worse as long as they're alive.
(Even if he speaks calmly, its that daemon of his that betrays him, ears going back and retreating back towards Claude's side quickly,)
Everyone here is dear to me. They're like Deer to me. If I gave you a list... it would be everyone here.
(Everyone. Every single person here.)
I decided a while back... that I would do what I could to protect people here but if I had to... I would let them go.
(He can't protect everyone. He learned that here early on and the deer at his side nudges at his hands, closed tightly in fists.)
But if we take a life or accept the loss of life... we live with the weight of our choices and the consequences of our actions. ... Or lack of.
(He has no names to give Hua Cheng of Xie Lian. If he can't give every name, then he gives none.)
xie lian's expression softens, almost immediately - and, in the same fashion, his daemon finally hops out of hua cheng's lap, and goes to claude's deer, simply coming to stand next to it.
he touches his heart. ] ...I feel the same, Claude. I think I've told you since the beginning - my goal here has always been to save the people, protect who we can, and save the Realm for the good of all of us. There is no one life that has any value over anyone else's - and if there was a way to get around these rules that are in place, I assure you, I would be the first person to find them.
The only reason that I suggest to target those teams is because our Leaders have no way of protecting themselves, like we do. If my team were to lose another person... it... would be bad. Not just for us, but for my Leader, as well.
[ he is so. so worried. about his team right now. so worried. his emotions are as true as ever, compassion in his every spoken word. ] Truly, there is no lack of consequence for any step that we take here. If I had my choice, I would be the first person to volunteer myself for either team to take out instead of any other life here, but... I can't do that, because it will put Brother Goat in danger.
...But, what San Lang says is correct. We are not all aware of it - or, we weren't, until now, but... we have completed this cycle of life and death in the Realm, before, and it is imperative that we complete it correctly this time.
[ here, xie lian glances to hua cheng, to let him explain. ]
[ While he could bully Claude further about this, Hua Cheng knows where to press and when not to. This is a serious exchange, now, especially with the both of them just being like that. Really, it's almost like clockwork, but twice as exhausting when there's two people he cares dearly about that are pulling this kind of stunt - and he can't disrespect it.
Xie Lian's dream has always been to help the common people, and he abides by that dream, to support him in it. The fact that Claude is reaching for a similar mindset, and is sticking to it, is not shocking, and he can only support him in it too.
Reaching his hand up to massage at his forehead, he snorts a little humorlessly. He took no pleasure in killing Alyssa, but he honestly didn't lose any sleep over it, either, approaching it as something that needed to be done and was of no great loss to him. Because to him, death isn't much, either - knowing that a place exists much like the ghost realm dampens the effect even more for him, personally. But to know that both Xie Lian and Claude value all life, to the point that Xie Lian has offered himself, even with the knowledge it would put Goat and the team in danger, is...
Well, it is exhausting.
And he looks at Claude and his conviction, his desire to protect everyone, and he respects it. Even if they don't see quite eye to eye on it, he won't speak ill of it because there's nothing to speak ill of. ]
For Goat to lose another person, it would be detrimental. For Swan, we would be tipping into the same danger if we lost another person, otherwise I would be perfectly fine volunteering - the death would be my choice, and I've died enough times now that I can remember that the concept doesn't faze me, especially knowing that there's information to be found on the other side.
[ But he takes his PHS, and slides it across so that Claude can see it. Hua Cheng isn't much of a note taker, so there are only three specific notes: one that is blank, one that has a brief report, and another that is longer. The redacted sections are marked out in his PHS with dashes instead. ]
The Realm can't support another attempt, so this is our last shot to ensure that we do it right. Because if we don't, none of the dead we want to bring back will be restored, and we could very well face death ourselves - no one will be protected. What accountability that we seek, for the lives we take, will be meaningless if there is no one alive to face it.
(He doesn't mind. He's used to being the center of attention and he can accept their reactions and comments easily. It's strange to be praised by Xie Lian. It's strange to be praised at all and he's still not completely used to it.
It's easy to focus on Hua Cheng's notes instead, for the moment instead. )
Yeah, I tried to scheme a way out of it too... but no luck. Nothing is completely impossible in the Realm but if we're on a deadline, we'll have to stop running and face the problem head on.
(He can accept this.)
I can talk to the others and try to see if we can find a Tiger or Rabbit that we can agree to kill. As for our own team... we'll have to do our best to not get caught. We might be okay if we lose one more but more than that... I don't like it but I'm not completely against offering myself.
(To that, he glances at Hua Cheng briefly before moving on,)
I can try to speak to Fox about this possible eighth member but I can also ask the others if they know anything about it. Fox is... difficult to talk to. They're always telling us to have an open mind and they don't like being misinterpreted so their answers can be hard to read into... if they should be read into at all.
Don't offer yourself if you don't have to. [ he says that immediately, frowning. dislike!!! that's coming from the number one self-sacrificial fool here xie lian. ] But, try to see what you can find out, if you can - I'll let you know what I do, too.
[ there's a beat, and then, xie lian laughs, scratching his cheek. ] ...You have the opposite problem from I. Brother Goat is a wonderful, caring Leader and someone who I truly am glad to be working with, but...
Trust me, I'm not doing anything I don't have to do.
(That includes dying. Like a bug that doesn't die whe you step on it, Claude von Riegan has no intention of dying as long as he has a choice.)
All the more reason everyone should try to reach out to other teams and see what we can find out. Depending on how our next couple of removals go though? Someone might be remembering something useful.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ xie lian puts his hand against his chin, thoughtful. ]
...Have you been to the security office yet? You should stop by, if you can. There's a computer you can type into that will give you a bit of information on someone random. You learn what kind of things that person has taken from locations -- if mine came up, it might say "medical supplies" and "sword" and "gun".
[ look.... it's fine....sometimes you just grab things to defend yourself with. ]
The week that Shima killed, there was a strange mystery, right? Aside from the fact that we never discovered who killed Raven. The gloves that were spread everywhere.
...When I went to the security office, I learned that Miss Ange had stolen gloves and painkillers.
no subject
And I do have some information, about the roles. Not much - I promised not to spread it, to protect the member of my team that has one. So it's up to them if they want to share anything further. [ He also has his and Xie Lian's reports, but he doesn't bring that up yet. Not yet. This is more - relevant, in a way. And if there are security reports, if someone comes to Claude with Hua Cheng's, or he gets it himself, he's going to cut it off at the pass so that Claude knows. ]
But I can confirm that Swan's icon flashed last week for a kill, because I was the one that killed Alyssa. [ Sometimes you just grab things to commit a murder with, and he'll cop to that - to Claude, because he trusts him, and because they need to narrow this down. ] So if Fox's icon didn't flash, then no one officially on Fox's team killed. If the PHS just lit up, then it was because of your nova ranking, unless the "teamless" person is in fact an unofficial eighth member of Fox's team and it was different from the usual weekly update when we do well enough in gathering nova.
no subject
I can check the security office later, too.
(And see if he learns anything else.
But really, something catches his attention completely and he just... looks surprised to hear Hua Cheng's confession. He's not surprised that Hua Cheng would kill someone but he's pretty surprised that he'd confess in front of him like that? What is this level of trust he keeps getting thrown at him in the Realm. It's weird!
He could say a lot of things but the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,)
I ate a cookie because of you.
(Well, not explicitly because of Hua Cheng because that was Alyssa and he was suspected mostly for Hikaru but still!! That was the single most traumatic moment of Claude's life... and he's survived who knows how many assassination attempts??)
... But yeah, no one on our team has killed since Shima. He was the only one to actually do it.
(... Which. Yeah. Means other things. But. Yeah.)
An unofficial member though... it would make things easier if they counted...
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I was able to figure it out early enough that I lied to cover his injuries, so...
[ he gets it! but also thanks for taking one for the team. ] It was his team's first kill, and related to splintering.
And... it would, but, it means that most likely your team is going to be one of the ones that needs to kill next week. I think it should be down to two. There are two teams, if my math, and my guesses are correct, that have much higher numbers remaining than the others. If the both of you end up discussing with your teams what will come, it is best to direct your attention to them.
no subject
I'd apologize, but we still did need to eliminate you as a suspect for Hikaru's death. Not because I believed you did it, but because there were others - and a number of them - who did.
[ One important person had been lost that week, and he wasn't exactly inclined to lose another in one fell swoop. Casting doubt on Bucky was the most effective means of protecting himself, Xie Lian, and Claude all at once. Nevermind that he thinks there's a possibility that the man killed someone, anyways, but that's neither here nor there. ]
We think that Rabbit and Tiger are the best targets. [ To follow up on Xie Lian's information, inclining his head slightly in agreement. ] However, as a team we're also going to be exchanging lists of people to not target. So if there are people you wish to protect, regardless of whether it's because of the team they're on or because of personal reasons, it would be best to share that with your teammates. And, perhaps, with me - you don't need to tell me why, or what team they're on, but we can exchange names to narrow down a target list.
Because Swan will make a kill next week. Two are required - one because you were informed they were splintering, and one chosen by the killer on your team, specifically.
This is our last chance to get it right, and we're not going to be able to do it again. The Realm can't support it. [ oooo ominous ]
no subject
(When you're a liar and a schemer with countless secrets, nothing is more frightening than the truth. Really, knowing that items like this exist in the realm has been nothing but a source of mild anxiety for him, something always in the back of his mind considering the things he knows in the Realm.
But, ah,)
... Yes. We decided we'd make our move the next chance but even amongst ourselves, we're keeping it a secret. We don't want any of those items to be used on us and giving us away. I don't even know if we succeeded this week.
(Granted how many bodies there are.
He's quiet though. Rabbit and Tiger, huh? He's quiet, contemplative, and he closes his eyes, exhaling slowly before he speaks again,)
Even if death is meaningless here, every life still has value. Maybe those teams are best to target because their numbers are bigger and they can afford to take a loss... but no one here is really better off or worse as long as they're alive.
(Even if he speaks calmly, its that daemon of his that betrays him, ears going back and retreating back towards Claude's side quickly,)
Everyone here is dear to me. They're like Deer to me. If I gave you a list... it would be everyone here.
(Everyone. Every single person here.)
I decided a while back... that I would do what I could to protect people here but if I had to... I would let them go.
(He can't protect everyone. He learned that here early on and the deer at his side nudges at his hands, closed tightly in fists.)
But if we take a life or accept the loss of life... we live with the weight of our choices and the consequences of our actions. ... Or lack of.
(He has no names to give Hua Cheng of Xie Lian. If he can't give every name, then he gives none.)
no subject
xie lian's expression softens, almost immediately - and, in the same fashion, his daemon finally hops out of hua cheng's lap, and goes to claude's deer, simply coming to stand next to it.
he touches his heart. ] ...I feel the same, Claude. I think I've told you since the beginning - my goal here has always been to save the people, protect who we can, and save the Realm for the good of all of us. There is no one life that has any value over anyone else's - and if there was a way to get around these rules that are in place, I assure you, I would be the first person to find them.
The only reason that I suggest to target those teams is because our Leaders have no way of protecting themselves, like we do. If my team were to lose another person... it... would be bad. Not just for us, but for my Leader, as well.
[ he is so. so worried. about his team right now. so worried. his emotions are as true as ever, compassion in his every spoken word. ] Truly, there is no lack of consequence for any step that we take here. If I had my choice, I would be the first person to volunteer myself for either team to take out instead of any other life here, but... I can't do that, because it will put Brother Goat in danger.
...But, what San Lang says is correct. We are not all aware of it - or, we weren't, until now, but... we have completed this cycle of life and death in the Realm, before, and it is imperative that we complete it correctly this time.
[ here, xie lian glances to hua cheng, to let him explain. ]
no subject
Xie Lian's dream has always been to help the common people, and he abides by that dream, to support him in it. The fact that Claude is reaching for a similar mindset, and is sticking to it, is not shocking, and he can only support him in it too.
Reaching his hand up to massage at his forehead, he snorts a little humorlessly. He took no pleasure in killing Alyssa, but he honestly didn't lose any sleep over it, either, approaching it as something that needed to be done and was of no great loss to him. Because to him, death isn't much, either - knowing that a place exists much like the ghost realm dampens the effect even more for him, personally. But to know that both Xie Lian and Claude value all life, to the point that Xie Lian has offered himself, even with the knowledge it would put Goat and the team in danger, is...
Well, it is exhausting.
And he looks at Claude and his conviction, his desire to protect everyone, and he respects it. Even if they don't see quite eye to eye on it, he won't speak ill of it because there's nothing to speak ill of. ]
For Goat to lose another person, it would be detrimental. For Swan, we would be tipping into the same danger if we lost another person, otherwise I would be perfectly fine volunteering - the death would be my choice, and I've died enough times now that I can remember that the concept doesn't faze me, especially knowing that there's information to be found on the other side.
[ But he takes his PHS, and slides it across so that Claude can see it. Hua Cheng isn't much of a note taker, so there are only three specific notes: one that is blank, one that has a brief report, and another that is longer. The redacted sections are marked out in his PHS with dashes instead. ]
The Realm can't support another attempt, so this is our last shot to ensure that we do it right. Because if we don't, none of the dead we want to bring back will be restored, and we could very well face death ourselves - no one will be protected. What accountability that we seek, for the lives we take, will be meaningless if there is no one alive to face it.
no subject
It's easy to focus on Hua Cheng's notes instead, for the moment instead. )
Yeah, I tried to scheme a way out of it too... but no luck. Nothing is completely impossible in the Realm but if we're on a deadline, we'll have to stop running and face the problem head on.
(He can accept this.)
I can talk to the others and try to see if we can find a Tiger or Rabbit that we can agree to kill. As for our own team... we'll have to do our best to not get caught. We might be okay if we lose one more but more than that... I don't like it but I'm not completely against offering myself.
(To that, he glances at Hua Cheng briefly before moving on,)
I can try to speak to Fox about this possible eighth member but I can also ask the others if they know anything about it. Fox is... difficult to talk to. They're always telling us to have an open mind and they don't like being misinterpreted so their answers can be hard to read into... if they should be read into at all.
no subject
[ there's a beat, and then, xie lian laughs, scratching his cheek. ] ...You have the opposite problem from I. Brother Goat is a wonderful, caring Leader and someone who I truly am glad to be working with, but...
...well, he doesn't really know anything...
[ team goat's theme song is mii.music.mp3 ]
no subject
(That includes dying. Like a bug that doesn't die whe you step on it, Claude von Riegan has no intention of dying as long as he has a choice.)
All the more reason everyone should try to reach out to other teams and see what we can find out. Depending on how our next couple of removals go though? Someone might be remembering something useful.