week 2, thursday, chuuya/caren/eleanor

[doublesmall]

[boy does formatting it that way make it read like an ot3 but anyway

we'll assume they've gathered together, and hopefully no longer have any blood on them. especially eleanor. when she joins them, chuuya takes a moment to look her over with his brow furrowed in concern, as if making sure his work has held up-- then he nods, giving her a little grin.]

Looks like you're still kicking. Good.

So, what's going on?

Comments

[sexorcism]

Twice isn't enough to establish a pattern, but I will be worried if any of us find ourselves stranded in an uncomfortable spot again.

[She has enough experience with events repeating again and again to be suspicious of them the first time it seems like something is becoming recurrent. If people are going to keep falling into violent traps every week, it'll be a problem.

Caren folds her hands in her lap. She's smiling, too, albeit thinner and more self-satisfied.]

Hello, Eleanor. I hope you treated yourself to a drink in that place.

[exorcismo]

[ Eleanor wrinkles her nose a bit at, but offers them no more than a roll of her eyes. Now that the hole has been patched and she's no longer bruised and bloodied, she can at least acknowledge that if anyone is allowed to mock her it's the two them.

They've surely earned it. ]

Well, I did fight for our right to drink freely with my own flesh and blood.

[ See she can take a joke? Also she's glad its going to undercut Max's stupid business. ]

First and foremost I want to thank you both for helping me.

[ She bows again, sort of like she did that first them they'd decided they would work together. This one isn't as low, but just as formal. She's back up though soon enough. ]

Friday is fast approaching, so we don't have much time to discuss this— but we found a note in the Livehouse.

[ Eleanor wouldn't have written it down, so she probably just explains what they found. Since it's so long I'm just gonna link y'all. ]

[doublesmall]

We have an agreement, right? Why wouldn't we help you?

[nevermind that, you know, he was actually concerned about her back there. they totally just have a deal, and also sleepovers, and it's Fine.

after listening to that explanation, though, chuuya's frowning thoughtfully, trying to sort that information out in his head.]

...wait, wait, so- there's someone else involved that they didn't actually tell us about? What the fuck?

hey mods why aren't they called "reaports"?

[sexorcism]

[Twice isn't a pattern, she literally just said, and yet, after reading it, Caren levels with them with a seriousness that goes deeper than her normal, slightly smug sense of reservation. She sounds earnest when she speaks, voice emotional for once.]

Hold on. Before we discuss the contents here, I think I should say... We should consider the possibility that someone is intentionally leaving these behind for us to find. If there truly is another party...

[And designing the traps? That's a more difficult logical leap to make, since there's less in common between the IKEA and the live house than between these two notes.]

[exorcismo]

I'm inclined to agree— it's why I was so adamant to explore to begin with. They seem to be treating these scraps of information like prizes.

[ Traverse the labyrinth, defeat the minotaur, if you're worthy you'll receive something of value. Something like that. ]

There was something else— I promised Setz I wouldn't tell anyone, but.. I'm unsure of his loyalties whereas I know where you both stand. We uncovered a card that if given to someone, would protect them from erasure that week. It would only work once, and we were inclined to leave it in his possession. He said he had someone he needed to give it to and truthfully.. I owed him, so I let him have it.

[doublesmall]

It could be like that, yeah. We're just going to have to try to stay connected if we want to know what's in them, from the sounds of it.

[that last bit of information, though... chuuya's frowning as he considers it.]

That could be a problem, though, depending on whose side he's on. Did he give you any other information besides saying he needed it for someone?

[sexorcism]

He knows someone will need it? Or he owes it as a price? Was that much clear? [Caren repeats the words firmly, wanting the confirmation. Suspecting that someone will need to be saved from erasure and knowing it are two completely different things. It's another thing entirely to be in debt enough that the payment would be that steep.

She presses her fists under her chin in thought, hands moving for the sake of having something to do with them in such an agitating situation.]

There must be some difference between the card and pin.

[exorcismo]

I think.. he believes someone he cares for may be in danger of being targeted. From what we gathered when we spoke to Max, the pin protects the partnerless whereas the card, I believe, protects one from reapers or any others who would deign to erase them.

[ They're not going to like her next answer, but she says it anyway. ]

Whoever it may be, I trust Setz's judgement. He is not a fool, and if any of us deserved to make that decision it was him. I owe my life to him, more or less.