foundationmods | WEEK 5 MURDER

[ The thought had crossed his mind more than once if he had waited too long. The payoff was always sweeter the longer the act he played, but this week of all week's—the thought of one of them thinking he did this for them was enough to make his stomach churn. None of this was for them, absolutely none of it, what he did was for himself and—

He laughed, unable to dredge up any other emotion at the memories he'd gotten back last Saturday. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. It didn't matter.

...

Still, the incentive being what it was meant that he had to pick more purposefully. That had always been his plan to be honest, but it made it more important to act on someone the entire house would miss. Someone who they had all looked to for some kind of relief if only in function, someone who had evaded the curse of the miasma so far. There were only two people who fit that criteria. But targeting Dazai was too messy, and although he didn't mind getting his hands dirty (what did it matter when his hands have been blackened countless times again and again), he always had been a pragmatic man. That was one of the only constants, between all the faces he wore.

It's with an almost practiced nonchalance that he walks down the halls in the skin of the young (dragon) maiden, jade hair flowing behind. Practice was important, and no one would look twice at seeing Flayn walk around given how the dead seemed to come and go. His other options were either not serviceable or...troublesome. Either way, he spends the latter half of the evening flitting about, keeping an eye on the door to room 6 to see if Date would return. The answer: apparently not. Which is fine by him, really.

Changing faces again, he surveys the world from his higher vantage point, flexing his fingers and ensuring that he had copied the clothing right, down to the gloves. Leaving fingerprints would be too obvious, and the group wasn't that stupid. Probably.

Knock, knock. ]

Hey, Battler. [ With the very same cadence Battler heard earlier from their resident sharp eyed detective, down to the notes of irritation that had begun seeping through in the past few weeks. (Hikage had to wonder if Date was more of a liar than he gave him credit for, but it was all the same to him in the end). ]

Open up.

[Battler was...

...Well, not good, but good enough. His headache is beginning to recede, and even though this is thursday night, a day when someone is going to die - or face the motive this week, which no one's even told him about yet - he figures it'll end like every night in this place so far.

With him waking up to another of their number dead, and the prospect of a trial before them.

He wishes Sissel were still here, with them all. With him. It always felt better when the cat slept with him, like everything would be alright -

And then, the knock happens - and Yachi and Saphir don't stir. They don't even wake up, even though the knock and voice was loud enough to jolt him out of his own musings.

...Inside, he wonders. Is this due to the Curse?

...Wait, why can I think of it now without panicking?

He swings off from his bunk, hitting the ground with a thud - hoping they'd both stir or look at him. At the very least, Saphir should be worried, but -

Nothing.

Nothing.

~~They have to know, don't they?~~]

A-ah, what is it Date-san?

[He tries to keep the alarm out of his voice, even as he reaches up to his bunk to grab the book he was reading, tearing out a piece of paper from the start of it.]

There's been a change to the schedule, so you'll need to follow me. [ Hmm, having the "hamster" really would be useful right about now, but he can hear Battler jump down so he does seem to be complying. Still, he'd rather do this as fast as he can in case the real Date has a crisis of conscience. ]

Look—the day's almost over so let's just do this as fast as we can, alright?

Right - ah, just give me a second, I've got to get my uniform on.

[Honestly, that isn't a lie - but it's pretty easy to slip on, still staring at his two roomates...who keep believing this is just another normal night.

~~Are they in on it? Is that what this is? Or is it really -~~

It doesn't take him long before he's dressed, but he uses the last few seconds he has to write down a quick thing on the paper he's torn out.

11:30 got woken up by D-]

[ He waits just a second and then knocks again. Luckily both his and Date's patience lines up in this instance. ]

C'mon, the last thing I need is a punishment when it's almost midnight. Power's gone right to that asshole's head.

Right - sorry, I'm coming now!

[Shit, no time. He folds the scrap, quickly pushing it in his pocket.

That way, if the worst happens...They won't have to vote out someone innocent.

From there, it's only a few steps before he opens the door, smiling in his normal, if strained way.]

I'm here, I'm here - should I wake up everyone else?

No, this rule was just for the two of us. At least until midnight when he'll hand you off to whoever's the next lucky winner. [ No smile here, but his shoulders do relax. ]

Let's go. [ He'll start walking down the hall, though he is listening out for if Battler follows. The difference in Hikage's normal stride and Date's isn't that large, but it certainly feels useful at the moment. ]

...Ah? But, that's...

[Not how this normally went - he'd normally find out later, instead of the handoff.

~~It's obvious. It's obvious, it's obvious, you know what's going to happen-~~

But, in order to not rouse suspicion, he'll go - still keeping an eye out for anything that seems strange, following along in silence.]

Not how it usually goes, I know. [ He doesn't miss a beat here as they exit out of the static area. ]

I don't get it anymore than you do, but shit's made less and less sense every damn day. [ Mostly he just sounds tired, exasperated. There's no aggression or hostility in his voice. ]

I guess that's fair...

[This does seem almost like normal...a part of him wonders if he was overthinking it. It's not midnight yet, so maybe this really is just a handoff, but -

Then, why would Saphir and Yachi not notice...?]

And I assume you don't know who the new one is, either.

Not a clue. But I wouldn't want to be whoever gets stuck on Friday duty, no offense. [ Past the wine cellar, past the dressing room...it's funny, but this really could be done anywhere, but he can't help but want to act in style. The conservatory was an easy choice given the whole situation with the pool earlier. He doesn't need another headache thanks to Subete. The grimmoire was more than enough. ]

No, it's fine. I'm just sorry people have to look after me like this.

[It takes...a while to get to where they're going, and -

'...Is he having second thoughts?
Is that why we're taking so long?
Wait, is this -'

His eyes flick over to 'Date's' back, upon seeing the Conservatory.]

Ah...in here? C...Can't this be done somewhere else?

[God, he doesn't want to see the spider strands, because that just...makes it harder to deny what's happening.]

Unless you know of another place with a chessboard, no. "11:45 to 11:59 play Chess"— how the hell are you supposed to finish a game of Chess in fifteen minutes? [ He rubs the back of his head and then shrugs emphatically. ]

I'll even let you win, so let's just get this over with. [ He'll enter the conservatory first, but he is keeping an ear out for if Battler decides to run. ]

[There's definitely a moment of hesitation - because in that place, in that time...

Wait. Wasn't this just supposed to be a handoff? Why is chess now in it?

~~He wants to kill you, that's why.~~]

A....Alright. I'm...coming.

[A part of him...accepts this. If the motive is that important - and Date-san wouldn't do this unless it was - then it'd be fair to sacrifice someone like him, right?

But...on the other hand...he still doesn't want to die. And-

...Wait. What was...?

...hm.

Cautiously stepping over the threshold and seeing the silver threads is still as unpleasant as ever - but, thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any bodies here to see. Or maybe they've been wrapped up at this point...

He walks towards the table in the center, looking down at the chessboard - and then turning around towards 'Date.']

Can I...ask you one last thing, Date-san?

[ Because sometimes vessels make your life difficult when they hold a grudge against you for calling out their kinks. Or sometimes yeah, you just wanna finally mash betray.

He stops in the middle of the room, head tilted. ]

Yeah, what is it?

[He could run.

He could try and get out of there, push past or knock down Date.

But....if he's right, then it might not even matter in the end.

He rests his hands on the table's edge, leaning back a little, face completely stern.]

....When did you start using your left hand as your dominant one?

['Date....is right handed, isn't he?
So, that means....this might not be him.
And if that's the case, then....I might've made a massive mistake by writing that note.']

[ His stare is flat. ]

You know some people are ambidextrous when it comes to certain actions, right? Batting in baseball, sewing a thread...firing a gun.. [ He would have liked to play a bit longer, but ah well. And Battler was more observant than he had given him credit for, who would have thought opening the doorknob with his left hand would give him away. It makes him want to laugh, but no, not yet. Soon, but not yet.

The funny thing about framing Date is that their skill with a gun is essentially equivalent (even if he wouldn't walk around with the safety off), at least when it comes to core principles. So his draw time is incredibly fast, his aim incredibly precise.

Bang. ]

I -

[It all happens so fast, that he barely feels it at first. There's only the thud of something hitting into him, something warm -

And then, the pain hits - along with the horrible feeling of losing his breath. It hurts so badly that he can't think, can't do anything except fall backwards, pushing the table aside with a horrible crash as his body hits the floor with a thud.

And as he falls, and sees 'Date's' face -

'Ah, this is....
....Familiar....
....I've experienced....this before...
The third game....right...?']

[Automatically, he tries to shift himself away from the man who just shot him, entirely on reflex - managing only a few inches before he feels like he's beginning to choke, the taste of blood flooding his mouth as he coughs it up.]

....D...Date...Sa-aaaughk, ghk.....

[It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much -

But past the pain, there's a question. A burning question, one that he wants to know, more than anything, even if he's going to die here and -

then what? What'll happen to him?

He doesn't want to wake up in some chairs, seated across a table, in front of a new Witch. He doesn't want to have to go through all of this again, over and over - Or will he be like what they've all constantly been saying?

Will he, too, become something full of hatred and malice and suffering?

God help him, it's actually starting to sound better than what he's had to go through. At least, then, he wouldn't care.

So, he has to - ask. Just as the piece self, on the third game...made a declaration, and learned the truth as he was dying.]

...Wh...y...?

Why? [ The smirk on this face certainly isn't the Date everyone knows. ]

Why, why, why, always, the why! Ah, but I'll tell you, it's been a while after all and you've been such a good boy. But first: I owe you an apology.

I lied.

And I've been lying the whole time. [ The effect is strange, something like a shimmering mirage— right before Battler's eyes is Hikage, but just like moment's ago, this isn't the Hikage everyone else knows either.

This young man with the sneering grin, maniacal look in his eyes, and who's voice drips with contempt couldn't possibly be the overly pragmatic, occasionally helpful, sarcasm barbed agent who's been in this house for five weeks. Right? ]

You know, I really have to commend you for seeing through me. Maybe I have gotten rusty, but can you blame me? It's been so long since I've been able to switch faces. But you didn't ask about any of that, right? You wanted to know why. The answer is really very simple: I said it before.

This entire act has been a damn lie. I've acted for weeks and weeks on end, waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and I'm tired of it. The miasma doesn't affect you Battler, but I'm not so sure it really affected me either. You see, I've always been like the miasma from the start. I don't care about you, I don't care about them, I don't care about the vessels or the foundation—all I care about is inflicting despair, agony, torture, hopelessness on every one else.

And you. You're one of the two special ones, one of the two who's been able to keep their head above water, one of the two who might be able to nullify the curse for good if only we found the source.

Too bad. Too bad I was never on your team to start, and too bad that you won the hearts of so many here. I can't wait to hear their cries tomorrow, to see the tears they'll shed...I've seen it so many times, but it's beautiful, all so beautiful.

[Aaah, it's...

The sneering of Beatrice, all over again. It keeps happening to him, doesn't it? Over and over and over, he's continually betrayed - for what? For their own satisfaction? For the misery and suffering and cruelty it all brings, the look on his own face?

It's all the same. It's all the same, but -

It still....hurts. Hikage...even if he didn't know him that well, to see this...to see his true self, only seeking to cause despair and lap it up -

It certainly makes him tear up, despite himself. To let himself cry, not just for the situation...but for everyone else.

And in his eyes...it's clear that he also despairs.

'Why...does it all...have to be so painful...?
Is it...really because of the Curse?
....I'm so tired.
....I hate this.
I hate this so much.
I just want it to stop.
It hurts, and yet....
...It won't stop, will it...?']

J....ust....for th...at...?

...Th...en....why di...dn't,...you do...hgkk, kff....it...earlier....?!

[He's drowning. It feels like he's drowning, but all of this...is also making him feel angry.]

Wh...y....di...dn't....you....kill me....earlier....!

[Back when he was a useless, crying person. Back when he still had hope in everything, back when Rin was still alive-

Why now, when he was, just a little bit...coming back to himself?!]

[ Something twitches in his grin, and he just laughs. It's deranged and hollow, bubbling forth from his core. J

And then just as suddenly he stops, the room silent aside from ragged breathing. It's almost melodic in a way. His right hand covers his bright red eye, and he steps forward. He only needs one hand to shoot, especially at a range like this. ]

Ha... earlier? Weren't you listening all last week? We're supposed to sit and wait and be good little boys and girls, waiting for a plan that has no end in sight other than more waiting. But it's fine they say, we just need to have hope, hope will drive us all together now that there's not that many of us left. Hope will decide who's worthy of sacrifice and who isn't.

Hope is a lie. Hope has always been a lie, that entire plan is a lie, their self-righteousness is a lie everything is just a lie piled on top of a lie, on top of a lie, on top of a lie!!!

...but you know, it's more effective to break things completely. If I killed you earlier, they might have called it a mercy killing. How romantic if you died right after Tohsaka, two lovers reunited in death~. After your friendship with the good doctor lay tattered in pieces. But that would have been too easy.

You needed to fully experience the falsehood of hope before you can truly appreciate despair. There's nothing like it—I'm almost a bit jealous.

[ He cocks the gun, breathing wild. There were so many reasons why it had to be now, some he has a firmer grasp on than others. Some he wants to deny they exist. But it doesn't matter. ]

Hgk....Ahgk....

[There's - nothing he can really say to that, staring directly at him laughing, his eyes, and it -

You're the culprit, Aunt Eva...!

It took you a while to realize, Battler.

That's right, this expression...it's the same one his Aunt wore. That same expression of malice and derangement, as he lay bleeding and dying on the floor, just like this-!!

Though there's tears falling down, he...resolutely looks away, turning his gaze towards the ceiling, onto that sky of nothing but silken spider strands.

He doesn't want to die. But - there's no other choice, is there? There's no way someone could fix the hole in his lung, the way he has no way to breathe, blood bubbling up past his lips with every choked gasp.

....That's right. So, at the end...he won't gaze at his killer, crying over being betrayed and how unfair everything is, how he wishes he'd never come to this stupid place, how his ability that separated him from everyone marked him for death - how he couldn't just once have a moment of light before the rug is cruelly yanked out from under him.

A pitiful last defiance, not wanting to give Hikage what he wants anymore.

It fits him, a pitiful man who couldn't save, fight for, or help anyone.]

...Th...en.....s...stay...jeal...ous....Hi...ka, ge...

Edited 2020-05-16 16:47 (UTC)

[ Even though he had just said it, even though he was the one to give Battler the fuel needed for this fire, it burns all the same. He would stay jealous and he would stay in the grips of despair, like he has for so, so long. What other choice did he have?

All the emotion that was there a second ago twists over, his voice and glare frigid, immovable. ]

Shut up and stop ruining this for me. [ Petty? Incredibly so, but Hikage wants to relish this moment which means quieting this last act of defiance. He doesn't hesitate and he shoots once, and then twice. ]

Hhhgh, ghhk-!!

[He can't help but jerk, as the final two bullets penetrate his body. Though he would have most likely died without them, the bullet through the heart is enough to make this more than fatal.

Hikage, at least, gets his wish - with the darkness so rapidly closing in from the intense blood loss and pain, Battler can't even muster up the energy to even try to get enough air to speak anymore.

Still, he doesn't look. He just continues to resolutely stare up at the ceiling, even as his vision blurs and wavers.

....

....He hates this.

....He hates this so, so much.

There's no hope. There's nothing that can save any of them, now. Sure, they'll probably find his killer - but all of this will just keep repeating over and over, won't it? Until only one is left alive...and then, there would be none.

And nothing would cry to announce it. No...something would laugh - all of the dead, of the Curse and Miasma and whatever the hell else is behind all of this.

....That's right. If nothing matters....if he's going to die, then there's no harm in accepting it. It's the only thing that makes sense - why this would happen, why him, why all he can still see in the end is those damned spider threads -

'.....I....admit it.
I admit....my defeat.
You....exist.
You, the Curse....truly exists....!'

...But, nothing answers him.

Nothing happens.

And that's almost the worst of all.

His eyes flash a deep purple, in the last few seconds of his life - as he despairs and hates, angry at everything that led up to this, to his death, to how everything, everything, was just -

just -

...ju....st....

....

His eyes fade back to blue, as he gives a choked, wet death rattle before...silence.

Battler Ushiromiya is dead.]

Edited 2020-05-25 05:05 (UTC)

WEEK 5 MURDER

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