[catchall] four

[wagashis]

maybe this game i'll remember to post images

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week 0, day 1

[wagashis]

[well, eventually he'll have to make his way to their shared house-- after seeing his item listed on his profile, naturally he's been out looking for it. she's likely made it there first, with the time he spent collecting himself and inspecting other areas; along with her item in the house, there's half of a fox mask sitting there, broken right down the middle.

that's what shirasu goes for first, picking it up and tucking it somewhere in his ridiculous ninja outfit before he turns his attention to her, head slightly tilted as he looks her over.]

I suppose this is one way of finding where we're to stay. Your name is Four, isn't it?

[of course he's already done his best to learn names from those scrolls.]

[forefall]

[ It's true that Four likely arrives to their housing first. She seeks out her item as one of the first things she does. Her scroll calls it a claw, but it's her very video game weapon of choice that she equips over her left hand that goes with her very video game outfit. It makes her feel a little less defenseless, and in this strange new village, she wants all the security she can get.

While she expects everyone to go rifling through all the houses, looking for what's theirs, she doesn't expect Shirasu to come in the one minute she allows a fraction of her walls down. She freezes very noticeably, and it takes a solid moment before she nods. ]

Yes. My name is Four. Are we to share this space? Shirasu... Kinjou?

[ His name sounds foreign and a little uncertain coming from her. ]

[wagashis]

You may simply call me Shirasu, if you find that easier.

[He doesn't seem to be judging the uncertainty, at least, and rather than settling in he just find a spot along the wall to lean, his arms folded in front of him. Especially with the way she'd frozen at first, he's uninclined to push into her personal space, and so he keeps a respectable distance.]

It seems we are, but if you are concerned about such things, the bed is yours. I can sleep elsewhere easily enough.

week 0, friday

[forefall]

[ Hello, Shirasu, how are you this fine death day?

Four departs from the meeting hall as soon as she can back to their assigned house. Whenever he approaches, he will hear the sound of glass shattering. Whenever he enters, he will find Four doing her best to wipe up the mess.

It looks like she dropped a cup full of water—or a little more like she threw it. Either way, it's not a bad guess to think Four isn't taking the death announcement very well. ]

—I apologize. It was an accident. I'll have it clean in a moment.

[wagashis]

-careful. I heard that break; you wouldn't want to cut yourself.

[He doesn't keep his distance there, joining her to help clean that mess, carefully plucking up glass shards to ensure they're safely out of the way.]

I'm more concerned with you than with this, at any rate.

[forefall]

[ Oh, that's not what she was expecting, and it makes her pause for a second and stare at him. She doesn't cut herself, but she does seem a bit distracted, as she cleans up the spill. ]

About... me? In what way?

w0, post-trial

[wagashis]

[Shirasu looks tired, honestly.

He's not among those who are outwardly distressed or upset, but he's settled in on the bed in their house cross-legged, looking at nothing in particular on the wall as he sits in apparent contemplation. Whenever he finds he's not alone, though, he looks up and gives his head a slight shake, with a quiet sigh.]

That wasn't what I expected, going in.

[Not to mention how long it was.]

[forefall]

[ It's a really good thing they're free of their get along shirts because as soon as they were free, Four hightails it out of there. She just needed to be alone for a moment to collect herself. She didn't do a very good job because when she enters their house, she doesn't look collected. She's not visibly upset, but she's tense. ]

No. It was far from it. That ended a lot— poorly than I thought it would. But at least now we know for certain that our fates are truly connected.

[ How much of a good thing is that? ]

[wagashis]

And that's going to make decisions harder, from here on. If this continues to happen, and if we're less certain another time? There'll be a possibility of eliminating someone innocent and risking another person while we're at it.

[A long pause, there, expression settling into a frown.]

We'll all also have to consider if we're willing to protect our partners, and therefore ourselves, no matter what happens.

week 1, monday

[forefall]

[ Trust is something that needs to be built. Trust is being willing to have tea and sweets with your partner.

It's not that she wouldn't before, but it's especially why she's willing to share this time with Shirasu. After the get along shirt, after the execution, it seems... more wise to try a little more to spend time with her partner.

Seated in their shared house or wherever is most convenient for tea time, Four tries to be more at ease. ]

Thank you for making tea and sweets. Have you gone to explore that new world yet?

[wagashis]

I've popped in briefly, yes, but haven't explored in earnest. I may go through again later.

[Just to see what was there, what to explore more deeply later.

He carefully pours them each a cup, setting the pot down before moving to hand hers over first, offering it out for her to take.]

If you'd like to see it, I could always accompany you.

[forefall]

I don't want to trouble you, but I would not mind your company. It's nothing I can't search on my own.

[ She reaches out to take the cup from him with a smile. Their fingers brush against each other as she takes it, and Shirasu gets to witness a couple minutes in the sky on a dragon, chasing down some "evil" elf pirates (from 52:25~53:50).

These elves deserve no mercy, as this is justice at work. If they are let free, they could come back and retaliate. Their screams of terrors mean nothing to Four. They're pirates, not civilians, and therefore classified as bad people. Eliminating them is what's right and will make the world a better place.

(Killing them is what makes Four feel better.) ]

w1 again

[wagashis]

[An effort is being made, here.

Once they return to their house, he makes more tea, settles back in after pouring them each a new cup; any mess left from the dropped one earlier is gone, already handled before he left to come find her. This isn't really anything he particularly wants to talk about, but it's going to be necessary if they're to be linked the way they are-- particularly when the universe seems set on exposing him.]

...I suppose I should apologize. My wording earlier was-- poor, in the face of what happened, but... I didn't lie to you because I thought it truly didn't matter. I didn't want to be asked about him if I mentioned I had a sibling.

[A slow sip from his cup, there, followed with a sigh.]

When I said it was recent-- it was the same day I was brought here.

[forefall]

[ The weight of his words settle, and her eyes widen, her mouth forming a small 'o'. ]

... I'm so sorry. I was... [ She's not quite sure what to say here to make this better. Is there anything that could? He seems to be trying, and it's more than she expected. ]

I won't ask you about him. I can understand not wanting to talk about a sibling because of circumstances.

[ She is trying, too, maybe, but even if she had things to say, she's not sure she wants to talk about them anymore. She nurses her own cup of tea, not taking a drink just yet. She lets a silence fall over them before she breaks it abruptly. ]

It's my eldest sister. She's hunting the rest of us down one by one.

w1, friday

[wagashis]

[I'll tag the other one back too I swear but this was important. anyway!

Whenever they meet back up again after learning about the deaths, it's likely been a while. Shirasu was busy elsewhere, having a few conversations, maybe learning about a thing or two.

That's probably why he greets her with:]

Were you planning on telling me anything happened this week, or am I to just wonder if you're off getting yourself into trouble whenever you're out?

[forefall]

[ Four is at home, thinking he's out for universe only knows how long because it's a Friday night and who stays home on death announcement days? Four does, after finding out who died—more like, after finding out how many people died.

That's why when he comes back, she's clipping her nails. Her Wednesday box item was nail clippers, and it helps with her stress. She hastily puts her gloves back on and looks at him with wide eyes, stunned.

She's thinking, stalling— ]

What do you mean?

week 1, saturday

[forefall]

[ Four sure was difficult. Four is still difficult. That's nothing that will ever change, but they sure had another accidental memory share again. When Four allows herself to remember it, alone in their shared house, something aches.

It's a feeling she is both familiar and unfamiliar with at the same time, and she doesn't want to acknowledge it.

Instead, she chooses to bury it and instead thinks about how the trial ended.

Whenever Shirasu comes back to the house, it's not unlikely that he catches her throwing a pillow at the wall with a rage she usually tries to keep under control. It's the rage that was vivid in her memory. She curls in on herself on the bed, clutching her head. ]

I'm an idiot, aren't I?

[wagashis]

You could certainly have been more cooperative.

[Shirasu exhales a heavy sigh as he picks up the pillow and tosses it lightly back onto the bed, taking a seat on the edge of it and glancing down to her.]

That's likely why you were voted for. If not for your element and the fact that we managed to get enough evidence pointing to her, you could have been in more trouble.

week 2, wednesday

[forefall]

[ Four's mood only gets worse as the week progresses. Being codependent on your partner kind of sucks, but at least it's a good indicator for how near your partner is. Usually, she's surprised whenever he arrives because he's a fucking ninja, but being a partner mood ring is handy in this one case only.

She's resting her injured leg for as long as she can. Her eyes are still a little red from the sand Minato threw at the soldiers to blind them (also blinding her), but she stares silently at the door, waiting for Shirasu to come in.

this isn't in media res because you said he's coming home tipsy and she needs to react to that ]

week 1, friday

[forefall]

[ Did they go from avoiding each other at the beginning of the week to actually spending some time near each other by the end of this week? Wild.

When she wakes and finds her socks and shoes soaked in sea water and her claw with some stray blood on it, she screams. It's all the reaction she gives before the compulsion to go to the main hall makes her limp to see who died.... getting more socks and shoes from the boutique along the way because her life is the way it is.

After coming back, she glowers at her contaminated items like they're out to get her (because they are). She wants to throw something at the wall, but she contains herself. ]

Either I clean them and never mention this, or I show everyone.

[ She doesn't see a much better option. ]

[wagashis]

[He watches her with some concern the whole way, after that scream-- and when they're finally back to the house and alone, he settles in on the bed, looking over those items contemplatively.]

Four, you don't think...?

[There's an obvious conclusion here, but when it's his partner...

There isn't a good way to go about this, is there. He exhales, shaking his head.]

... you should tell them, I think, but-- give it time first. See what else comes to light. If it seems likely it truly was you, then you can bring it up then, but I want you to be certain first.

w2, post-trial

[wagashis]

[When he returns home, Shirasu looks noticeably relieved as he enters-- though his nose immediately wrinkles, there. He hates these compulsions and effects so damn much, but... at least being here means being unaffected.

He settles in, one leg folded over the other, and breathes out a long sigh.]

...I'm sorry for that argument, earlier. I did promise to hold you to your word about seeking out the corrupted-- but I'm relieved to know that you were innocent of it, after all.

[forefall]

[ She laughs softly. It's like she can't stop laughing when she doesn't know how else to respond or maybe she just isn't sure what she's feeling.

Four sits in a way that doesn't agitate her wounded leg. ]

It's good that we found out about Swift Wind. [ His targets seemed to be teenage girls? ] But.... the other two killers were not corrupted this week.

[ It's worrisome? ]

I apologize as well.

w3, post cyoa

[forefall]

[ Does it matter where they are? Wherever they are, Four points at Shirasu. ]

Please stay ten feet away at all times, thank you.

[ She means it!! If he steps forward, she takes a STEP BACK. Isn't this super hypocritical of her? Yeah. Yeah, it is. ]

War... of the baseball? It felt like you had a nice time.

[ What is baseball. ]

[wagashis]

I don't believe distance makes it much better, Four.

[he's just saying... but he'll observe that imposed distance, at least, staying back with his arms folded.]

But yes, I did. We had an interesting board that moved very quickly on slick surfaces... it's a shame we don't have them here. It was easy to gain distance by launching it.

[what does ramping a board have to do with sports, though

good question.]