Week 5, Wednesday; Hiro

[sylfied]

[ She honestly isn't sure what Serph's letter means-- and she knows it's from him, she'd know that symbol anywhere.

She's also not exactly sure she wants to enlist help figuring out what he's trying to tell her, but Serph is just like her: he wouldn't go through the trouble of doing something if it wasn't important.

So Fie squares her shoulders, wraps her scarf around her neck because that is currently the warmest thing she owns in her short shorts, and goes to possibly regret some things. Besides the weather. ]

... Hiro. I need your help.

Comments

[sylfied]

I'm pretty sure hardly anyone thinks I'm one of the best, even if they didn't know.

[ ... and honestly, Fie's probably been one of the most subtle. For now, she's just going to... also stare at the floor, shoulders slumped. ]

[zerotohiro]

Well I mean...you're still my friend, so that has to count for something. [He's pretty irritated though, and finally, he says:]

By the way, I know Vriska's the other Siren. So...just so we get that out of the way.

...this is really important. What exactly were you guys told by the Chiefs?

[sylfied]

Pretty much what Battler told you at the trial. Do one bloody kill a week, or the volcano erupts and kills everyone.

... For the record, I know that's a lie now. I've been trying to figure out just how much of what they told us was the truth for a few weeks.

[zerotohiro]

Vriska told me she was a Siren not long after Battler was killed. I had...hopes? I guess? That maybe she and the item role could work together to put a stop to this but then you guys killed Kyouko. [Yeah, guess who knew about Kyouko's role before the trial last week...]

Vriska wants to tear the game apart. I've been keeping an eye out myself, but...it's hard to make out what is and isn't true anymore. I don't even know if you guys know anything that's true, given how the Chiefs are.

[There's a pause.] ...the message says "abort." That's why I asked.

[sylfied]

... [ she's just going to wearily rub her forehead, don't mind her. ]

I'm the last of the Sirens to find out the ways to actually end the game. And I didn't know Kyouko had a role.

And Serph's pretty much just confirmed what I was already thinking. If he's the one saying it, then...

[ Fie trails off, before bending over and pressing her clasped hands to her forehead. ]

I don't...

[zerotohiro]

I know. She told me you guys didn't know and...it's probably because I didn't tell her Kyouko's name. I made a promise.

But...[He's just watching her, more concerned than anything else even as he leans forward and holds onto Serph's note.]

What ways exist to end the game, Fie? We can still fix this.

[sylfied]

[ can they, she wonders. She's not too sure.

But she can at least talk about this much, even if she doesn't lift her head. ]

Someone willingly sacrifices themselves into the volcano. Everyone dies. Everyone dies except for seven people.

... All of the Sirens die.

[zerotohiro]

[It's okay. They can have this conversation with eye contact. It might be easier.]

Wait does that mean there's really a volcano spirit? God, never mind. Okay. [A deep breath.] ...okay. Vriska asked me to keep her alive last trial because there were only three of you left. With Raven disappearing, that meant the numbers were going down. And...she's gone. We don't know that she's dead, so I don't know how to solve the "all of the Sirens die" agenda. Chief said he pulled her out of play but does that count as a loophole? I don't know if you guys were told either way.

If everyone dies that's not good either. But I wonder why seven specifically. Probably overthinking it again. [But there's a beat.] ...what route are you and Vriska taking then? It's just the two of you now.

[sylfied]

"It's the number of dreams".

[ that's really all she can offer in response, before she sighs. ]

... I don't know. From the way Vriska was talking, she's pretty sure I'm going to be the only Siren left by next week. And if anything happens to me... I wanted to at least tell someone what I know. Even if it's not that helpful.

[zerotohiro]

Just as cryptic as everything else on this stupid island. [An echoing sigh.] Given that Vriska's not great at being subtle and people are already suspecting her of something? She's probably right. Then again I've been going around keeping people's secrets and lying to them, too, so maybe it doesn't even matter anymore.

I'll keep yours as long as you need me to. [A shrug. He has a lot of questions, but. One at a time.] How many other people have you told?

[sylfied]

Counting you, two. All this week. I guess a few other people know, because Vriska-- [ siiiigh. ]

... I'm sorry, though. For lying to you. And just for being... this.

[ Siren. She's really starting to hate that word. ]

[zerotohiro]

Because Vriska. I hope the people she might've told are people she can really trust. And that whoever you told is someone you can trust, too. ...but that's probably what the game's about, right? All of us needing to trust each other before it's too late.

And anyway, I wouldn't really call it a lie. It'd be a lie if I'd asked and you denied it. Plus I wouldn't say this is your fault. It's...bad things happen to good people all the time because they're told something different or they believe something that isn't true. Those people get hurt. And I want to believe that if you weren't told this would save everyone, you wouldn't have done it.

Do you want to stay alive?

[sylfied]

...

[ Fie wraps the sheets tightly around herself, pausing to take a steadying breath. ]

I just want to send everyone back safely. So at this point... I don't care about my own life anymore. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of being the enemy to people who never deserved it. And I'm tired of being treated like a puppet.

[zerotohiro]

[There's a slow nod.]

Just please be careful for now, okay? It's...I know you guys have to pick a victim every week the longer we play. Maybe you guys have already picked them. I don't know. But there has to be something we can do as long as you and Vriska are alive to minimize casualties.

The game can end if one of those objectives is met, right? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you and Vriska dying, but I'm also not sure what Vriska's real goals are right now. Plus we have our last Wickie who's supposed to find you guys, I guess.

[sylfied]

Hiro...

If it comes to that, or I'm accused of anything... I'll be careful, but don't try to protect me, okay? There's nothing else I can do for you now.

[ She's been cautious, up until this point, but some things can't be avoided. If nothing else, she doesn't want to get Hiro caught up in it. ]

[zerotohiro]

This isn't fair though! [Well.] I mean I get it, that's the whole point of this stupid game but what about you? I really doubt you're going to be accused of anything since...well. Mera's gone. Where are you staying tomorrow night?

[sylfied]

Probably my hut. Mera's dog is still there, so it's not like I'm entirely alone.

[ but who knows if she'll get dragged off to socialize. ]

[zerotohiro]

...people still cling to alibis. Are you going to tell people that Mera's dog watched you all night? [People shouldn't cling to alibis anymore but Hiro's faith in most of the island has plummeted a bit.]

[sylfied]

If it's anything like what happened with Raven and Ruby, people won't be able to vote for me anyway.

[ ... not that she's happy as to the reason why. ]

[zerotohiro]

Oh. That's actually a good point. [Wait, no.] Look, I...maybe I won't be able to protect you, and maybe I shouldn't, but I'm not selling you out either. I don't know what's happening on Saturday or who's even going to be there, but maybe if we find a way to tell everybody else how we can end the game we can all get out of here.

[sylfied]

... I guess let's just see how things go this week. If the rest of the Sirens already knew, I wonder who else knows by now too.

[ provided people don't come after both her and Vriska with pitchforks, were pitchforks in the weapon box-- ]

[zerotohiro]

[Internal shrieking intensifies.]

I don't know who knows, exactly. Vriska told me she had a lead that she trusts--"the only person left I completely trust." She told me that on Saturday which I'm guessing means they know everything. I don't know who they are though. There's also people who maybe think differently. Jacopo thought Vriska was the item role. That's how I knew she had a role. By then, Kyouko had sent me to talk to Jacopo and make sure he knew nothing.

Vriska and I both lied to him. I don't know who else she might have lied to though and who else might know the truth. With our luck, we might have a whole island full of people who know too many different endings and we pick the wrong one.

[sylfied]

[ Fie is just going to gracelessly flop over on the bed, sheets and all. At least the nice part about not talking to people was that they didn't confide in you, you didn't have to confide in them, and you didn't even have to think about really lying to them. She knows Vriska's lied to a lot of people, and additionally knows that isn't going to end well, and just listening to Hiro now has her wishing she could just scrunch into a ball and sleep the rest of this game off. ]

Ugh.

[ sums it up nicely enough. ]

[zerotohiro]

[There's a short almost-laugh.]

Tell me about it. [He doesn't even seem bothered that she's flopped over and he's sitting cross-legged on the trunk still, seemingly staring at the door while watching from the corner of his eye.]

It'll be over soon. One way or another. I can practically feel it, which is weird. But taking Serph's advice is definitely not the worst thing you could do, I think.

[sylfied]

Believe me, it's not like I don't want to.

[ But from what Hal had said, she's wondering if she's even got a choice here. ]