[well. . . the initial wave of guilt he felt when he guessed as much with Phoenix was bad enough, but somehow. . . a neutral party like Peach confirming it stings even worse]
[you should have changed your vote.]
[you're the reason that Asch--]
Shit.
[he hisses, before he buries his face in one hand, fingers curled around his bangs]
[Oh. Bad. She doesn't quite reach out to touch him but she does keep her eyes on him with a soft frown.]
Blaming yourself isn't going to help, you know. You or any of the other ten people who voted for Asch could have changed your vote. Why is it only your fault?
Because I was five seconds away from swapping my vote to her. . .!
[he doesn't yell, but there's absolutely a frustrated urgency in his words]
It was so close, I could have-- damn it.
[. . . but it's not like being upset about this two times in a row is going to solve anything, right? Akira inhales a sharp, deep breath, head snapping up as he affixes Peach with an uncharacteristically serious and sharp gaze]
[what had Akechi said. . .? about inaction? about how Akira was spineless? about his ideals being nothing but talk?]
[. . .]
I have to-- I have to do something to make it right.
[Hm. Her own expression is cool and almost emotionless as she watches, trying to understand what Akira's thinking as she takes another sip from her mug. Her tail flicks, a small intrigued motion as she hums under her breath.]
Knowing what you know now, what will you do? What do you think will make this right? [...and because she's curious:] What caused you not to change your mind...?
[he answers that second question first, curling in around his mug of coffee]
. . . I wasn't convinced it was Meltryllis-san, and Asch was so persistent about people voting for him. I thought. . . "hey, we know he's innocent, but it's better to condemn an innocent who is willing to die than one who isn't."
[. . .]
[he finally takes another sip of his coffee, but he isn't looking at her]
. . .
The-- the way to make this right is to stop her from hurting someone else. Isn't it?
...in a way, that isn't exactly a wrong line of thinking. Unless you could be sure, humans find it best to minimize the damage. Asch was already showing signs of early transformation. If you had to pick someone who was innocent, he was the best choice.
Then again...stopping the culprit is the objective. And the only way to stop them is to get rid of the monster before it strikes again. [So yeah. That sure is how to do it.] So it kind of becomes a moral dilemma, doesn't it? Do you wait to see who she hurts again and vote for her on Saturday? Or do you take care of it now and take the risk?
[You're spineless. You don't have what it takes to kill someone with your own two hands, so you will stand back and do nothing. why are those words resonating with him so damn much? especially because they came from Akechi of all people]
[Akira's justice wouldn't stand for allowing more innocent people to be hurt. but at the same time. . . it didn't stand for murder being a solution to all of their problems, either. he's stuck-- he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. a place where he can take action to fix what they did wrong, while having to betray his own sense of morals and ideals when he does so]
[it sucks :(]
There's already going to be another monster killing someone this Thursday night. . . isn't there? Someone other than Meltryllis-san.
[Truthfully, she actually pities him a bit. Being human seems like a lot of suffering and struggling, and watching him try to work through his thoughts is something she can't quite help him with. So she waits.]
We don't know for sure, but...it's highly likely, yeah.
[being human is so much suffering :( BEING A GOOD BEAN IN A MURDER HOUSE STRUGGLING WITH COMPLICATED MORAL DILEMMAS IS EVEN MORE SUFFERING!!]
. . .
What do you guys know about those transformations? I know when I asked about Nikki-san, all of you seemed to be clueless about why she had turned into a rat monster.
Because it wasn't anything we'd seen before. Even after being in this house for so long...there are some things that surprise us. We're learning about them as fast as you guys are, to be honest.
Research. We wouldn't preemptively kill without thinking it was the best option. [She's frowning though.] Besides, if the monster still resides in them, isn't it better that they don't have to live and suffer through it?
[sits up a little; he had totally planned on telling her this later, but. no better time than now]
It's an app on my phone. Akechi has the app here, but every time he tries to use it, his phone malfunctions.
[as for the heart-theft part, that's a little harder]
Imagine if everyone's distorted desires took the form of a giant castle-- let's call it a Palace. Back home, we'd steal the Treasure of these Palaces, which would in turn destroy the Palace and change the heart of the individual who owned it in the real world.
If someone is infected by this monster, maybe the infection manifests itself the same way a Treasure does in a Palace.
[he isn't sure, but hey. it's an option, right? or. . . it would be, if Akechi's app worked]
Reception here is horrible, I've heard. [It's a light comment that could almost be a joke if this wasn't kind of serious.]
I don't think I've ever heard of something like that and we've seen a lot of guests over the years...what happens to the person after that though? Does it really save them? And how do you know what a treasure looks like? [She has Questions.]
[it's okay!! he doesn't mind answering them. and focusing on this is actually helping ease him a little bit. he looks less tense, less upset, less. . . frustrated with his own indecisiveness and the mistakes he's made]
When we steal the Treasure, the Palace crumbles. The feelings that created the Palace are changed. The person themselves is still the same as they were before, but if they committed crimes while distorted, they'll feel guilty about them and confess their guilt to the public.
If the feelings we steal are a result of trauma and not distorted, criminal desires, than the person crippled by their trauma will be relieved of that burden and better able to cope with their past. We don't. . . change who these people are at their very core.
We just change their perceptions so they're normal again. So they can cope again. So criminals take responsibility for the pain they've caused.
[AND AS FOR HER LAST QUESTION--]
The Treasure is the core of the Palace. It appears as a floating gray cloud until we deliver the calling card. After that, the treasure manifests as whatever item is the beginning of the person's distortions.
Fascinating...[Said in the tone of someone who loves hearing about these kinds of processes, eyes wide and hanging onto Akira's words.] It's just like...breaking bonds then, right? Unseen chains that make a person less. By going in and clearing up the distortion, or helping with the trauma, it means that person is a better version of themselves. Something like that?
So you guys are like heroes. [There's a nod because okay, sure, she'll go with that.] Have you ever had someone from your team develop a Palace?
[he's glad she's understanding so quickly!! . . . even if he doesn't feel like a hero]
And I have. My friend-- Futaba-- had a Palace that grew out of her guilt over her mother's death. We helped her come to terms with what had happened. . . and she become one of the strongest people I know afterwards.
That's nice to hear... [Something about that makes her go quiet again. She tilts her head, the bell around her neck jingling softly as she mulls over her words.]
Has there ever been a person you haven't been able to help? [It sounds like a lot of work, really.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I think you know the answer to that one, Akira. Just by instinct.
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[you should have changed your vote.]
[you're the reason that Asch--]
Shit.
[he hisses, before he buries his face in one hand, fingers curled around his bangs]
God damn it. . . I should've-- my stupid vote--
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Blaming yourself isn't going to help, you know. You or any of the other ten people who voted for Asch could have changed your vote. Why is it only your fault?
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[he doesn't yell, but there's absolutely a frustrated urgency in his words]
It was so close, I could have-- damn it.
[. . . but it's not like being upset about this two times in a row is going to solve anything, right? Akira inhales a sharp, deep breath, head snapping up as he affixes Peach with an uncharacteristically serious and sharp gaze]
[what had Akechi said. . .? about inaction? about how Akira was spineless? about his ideals being nothing but talk?]
[. . .]
I have to-- I have to do something to make it right.
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Knowing what you know now, what will you do? What do you think will make this right? [...and because she's curious:] What caused you not to change your mind...?
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. . . I wasn't convinced it was Meltryllis-san, and Asch was so persistent about people voting for him. I thought. . . "hey, we know he's innocent, but it's better to condemn an innocent who is willing to die than one who isn't."
[. . .]
[he finally takes another sip of his coffee, but he isn't looking at her]
. . .
The-- the way to make this right is to stop her from hurting someone else. Isn't it?
[. . .]
And the only way to do that is--
[. . . . . . .]
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Then again...stopping the culprit is the objective. And the only way to stop them is to get rid of the monster before it strikes again. [So yeah. That sure is how to do it.] So it kind of becomes a moral dilemma, doesn't it? Do you wait to see who she hurts again and vote for her on Saturday? Or do you take care of it now and take the risk?
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[You're spineless. You don't have what it takes to kill someone with your own two hands, so you will stand back and do nothing. why are those words resonating with him so damn much? especially because they came from Akechi of all people]
[Akira's justice wouldn't stand for allowing more innocent people to be hurt. but at the same time. . . it didn't stand for murder being a solution to all of their problems, either. he's stuck-- he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. a place where he can take action to fix what they did wrong, while having to betray his own sense of morals and ideals when he does so]
[it sucks :(]
There's already going to be another monster killing someone this Thursday night. . . isn't there? Someone other than Meltryllis-san.
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We don't know for sure, but...it's highly likely, yeah.
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. . .
What do you guys know about those transformations? I know when I asked about Nikki-san, all of you seemed to be clueless about why she had turned into a rat monster.
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If you know so little about it, then how do you know death is the only cure? There may be other ways.
If I had the right tools, I can think of one already.
[WHY DOES AKECHI'S METAVERSE APP NOT WORK]
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[. . .]
Peach, do you know what the Metaverse is?
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Never heard of it. What's that? [Nobody tells her anything Akira, help.]
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[he is going somewhere with this!!]
In that world, my team and I can steal the hearts of corrupt criminals and make them confess their crimes in the real world.
If I had access to it here, maybe I could steal away the part of a person that turns them into a monster.
[like stealing a heart only. . . stealing an infection??]
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How do you access a world like that? And I guess...how do you really steal a part of a person?
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It's an app on my phone. Akechi has the app here, but every time he tries to use it, his phone malfunctions.
[as for the heart-theft part, that's a little harder]
Imagine if everyone's distorted desires took the form of a giant castle-- let's call it a Palace. Back home, we'd steal the Treasure of these Palaces, which would in turn destroy the Palace and change the heart of the individual who owned it in the real world.
If someone is infected by this monster, maybe the infection manifests itself the same way a Treasure does in a Palace.
[he isn't sure, but hey. it's an option, right? or. . . it would be, if Akechi's app worked]
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I don't think I've ever heard of something like that and we've seen a lot of guests over the years...what happens to the person after that though? Does it really save them? And how do you know what a treasure looks like? [She has Questions.]
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When we steal the Treasure, the Palace crumbles. The feelings that created the Palace are changed. The person themselves is still the same as they were before, but if they committed crimes while distorted, they'll feel guilty about them and confess their guilt to the public.
If the feelings we steal are a result of trauma and not distorted, criminal desires, than the person crippled by their trauma will be relieved of that burden and better able to cope with their past. We don't. . . change who these people are at their very core.
We just change their perceptions so they're normal again. So they can cope again. So criminals take responsibility for the pain they've caused.
[AND AS FOR HER LAST QUESTION--]
The Treasure is the core of the Palace. It appears as a floating gray cloud until we deliver the calling card. After that, the treasure manifests as whatever item is the beginning of the person's distortions.
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So you guys are like heroes. [There's a nod because okay, sure, she'll go with that.] Have you ever had someone from your team develop a Palace?
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That's right.
[he's glad she's understanding so quickly!! . . . even if he doesn't feel like a hero]
And I have. My friend-- Futaba-- had a Palace that grew out of her guilt over her mother's death. We helped her come to terms with what had happened. . . and she become one of the strongest people I know afterwards.
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Has there ever been a person you haven't been able to help? [It sounds like a lot of work, really.]
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[Akira. . . pauses, then looks away from her again, gaze flickering to stare at his coffee]
[. . .]
Yes.
[the admittance is honest, but there's something raw about the way he answers]
But he didn't have a Palace.
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Is it okay to ask what happened?
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