sylfied | Week 5, Wednesday; Hiro

No... taking things for granted is what made this a mess in the first place. I dont think he was lying about how to end the game, but he didn't say what choice would lead to what end.

... Don't let your guard down.

Then maybe that's what we should use our last question on in the trial. We have one more round of two truths and a lie. It might be our best shot.

And...I know. You've been telling me that from the beginning and I think I might've failed by letting you in in the first place. But I don't regret that either.

If anyone was going to befriend a Siren, of course it'd be you. I even tried to warn you.

[ and here she is, flopped on his bed. ]

I know. I think that's probably the funniest part of it, if you can still find any humor in this stupid game. ...I ended up befriending three of them, and one of them is the only person on this island who knew everything about me. A weird set of chances, right?

[There's a pause.] But it's not like I can say I'm a completely good person all the time either. So maybe it makes sense.

Entirely good people are boring. Even if I don't know everything about you, I know that much.

Edited 2017-09-07 18:57 (UTC)

[He grins in spite of himself.]

So what you're saying is I'm not boring. I'll take that as a compliment. [He props his chin in his hand, this time actually looking at her.] At this point? I'm not even sure there's anything left to hide about myself.

Same here. My past doesn't matter as much if you already know my role here.

[ ... She's a little relieved he's looking at her, at least. ]

You've told me a little about it and...some things make sense. Why they might have selected you. It's a stupid way of playing this game but I've told you enough about how robots work and their programming.

[He's still fairly calm through this conversation, watching her curiously then.] I've been thinking about my past, too. And for a while I thought maybe I was sent to this island as a punishment for what I did before I got here. The good thing is that it's not true. We're all on this island for reasons out of our control. But...we got to meet some pretty okay people and if the game ends the way we think it will? We'll get to see them again.

I'm not sure what you did was bad enough to get a punishment like this, so I'm glad it wasn't that.

[ maybe it's casually stated, but she thinks it's not something she should raise a fuss over or pry into if he doesn't want to share the details himself. ]

[He lifts an eyebrow.]

Would you believe me if I said it was sort of like what we're doing here?

... What part?

Working with a team that I created, tracking down the guy responsible for the fire that killed my brother and trying to execute him myself...?

...

I can't say I ever took you for the revenge type, Hiro.

[ that... sure is a lot to take in. ]

[Yep. Sure is!! He's settling for rubbing the back of his neck nervously because:]

Raven's the only other person I've told here. And I'm not...usually. We didn't go after him with the idea of killing him. We pinpointed the wrong guy, too. Thought he was someone else, so when we realized we were wrong...and when he said it was Tadashi's own fault for running into the fire to save him, I guess I thought that some people just weren't worth saving.

Obviously I know that's not true now and whenever I get back I really, really need to apologize to my team and incapacitate Callaghan another way, but...you can see why I thought that's why I was here.

[And a shrug.] "Bad things happen to good people all the time because they're told something different or they believe something that isn't true." It's also part of why I haven't turned in Vriska yet and why I'm not going to be the one to turn you in.

[ ... Interesting, that it really is two Sirens he's telling this backstory to, but Fie's already learned by now that trust isn't something you can easily predict in any kind of relationship. That he's telling her now could just mean that he thinks she won't live much longer, but she'd prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

For some reason, he's willing to believe in her. Fie can't guarantee half the island won't know who she is by the end of the week, but...

She trusts Hiro. ]

... People can get really emotional when their family's involved. If you realize now you were wrong, that's already improvement... but I also think no one would blame you for getting that angry.

That's why we have friends, to keep us from doing stupid things when it gets to be too much.

[He told Raven long before he knew what she was. He didn't even find out from Raven. He learned from Vriska herself. Fie, on the other hand...maybe it's because he fears she won't be around much longer. Maybe it's because in a way he sympathizes with her, some weird attempt at proving she's not a bad person for getting sucked into the role.

Or maybe it's just...nice...to talk to people. It's hard to say.]

I guess so, yeah. I have no idea what I'm supposed to tell my aunt so I'm pretty sure it's better not to say anything at all. And...I left my friends abandoned on an island. They're awesome people and I think they'll probably forgive me but...[Yikes.]

...weapons of mass destruction, by the way. I turned my brother's nursing robot into a war machine and tried to kill a professor. Raven made me promise it wasn't as bad as the profile page made it sound, and that's part of why I finally explained it to her.

But you're right, you know? We have friends to keep us from doing stupid things. Sometimes I think about what would have happened on the island if people had befriended other people sooner. I can't tell if there's still time or if we're all locked in to an ending already.

I mean we uncovered the actual mystery behind a mysterious schoolhouse and found Valimar in a few hours right before a culture festival, so...

[ Fie shrugs lightly. ]

I can't do heroic pep-talks like Rean can, and I think my days are probably numbered anyway. But until it's guaranteed that we're locked in, I'd keep going forward like we're not. You never know what that might do.

War machines and revenge aside, though, you're doing better than a lot of us. I'm sure of it.

...that sounds both mysterious and awesome all at once. We're still starting out, but I think we can make things work.

[There's a laugh though, small though it may be.] Pep talks were more Tadashi's thing than mine, so I get it. And I've had a lot of pep talks since we started this game. I think I'm ready for less talk and more action by now. We're going to keep moving forward and we're going to figure stuff out while we can.

[Like he'd leave her behind now. He knows it's possible she'll get caught in the crossfire by nature of being a Siren, and that this may be how it has to go, but it doesn't mean accepting it right this moment.]

...thanks, Fie. There are a lot of people on this island who don't deserve any of this and...you know. That includes you, too. You're not so bad yourself. You've lasted just as long as I have and that's gotta say something.

I just know how to keep my head down and my mouth shut. [ wryly, she sits up-- still wrapped in her blanket cocoon.

She doesn't comment on his emphasis on the word "we"-- she simply, silently appreciates it. ]

And to keep people from doing too many dumb things at the same time. At this point, though, a lot of it's out of my hands.

I've never been really good at that. You'd think getting arrested might change that. [Being on Moron Island has been great for self-reflection.]

Anyway...I know. Being a Siren puts you at a disadvantage for right now, but I'm going to see what I can do. If I can tell people what you've told me without attaching your name to it, we might be able to find a good solution. Either that or just say Vriska told me. She still owes me for not outting her last week.

... Thanks. [ whoops, she's back to staring at the ground again, bleary-eyed against another wave of weariness from just-- everything. Mera's disappearance, the cold, the knowledge that she was one of two Sirens remaining with the majority of the island probably wanting them dead, Serph's letter, and Hiro's rather solid friendship in the face of all of that. ]

For everything, I mean. Even if something happens to me, I hope you can help bring this whole thing to an end.

[Even if she's looking at the ground, he can at least watch her still.]

I'm going to do my best not to let anything happen to you if that ending isn't the ending we need. And even if it is...I'm not happy about it. There are people working on this island and nobody's saying anything. I'm just hoping we don't mess up.

[A pause. And then, almost suddenly--] I know you said that you'd stay with Mera's dog tomorrow but...if you want, I can ask Yona if you can crash with us?

-- Huh?

[ wait. Wait?? ]

I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. If anyone does target me, you two might get caught up in it.

Fie. [Just a flat look.] You know I could say the same thing about if somebody targeted either me or Yona, right? I know what you're saying but...

[He shouldn't be protecting her when her death might be the key to getting them out of here, but at the same time she's still a friend. And that's the most awful part.]

I don't know what else to do. At this point, all of us are targets for each other. Especially when we still don't know what's up with people just going around killing other people.

I couldn't tell you anything about that-- as far as I know, we were the only ones ordered to have one kill a week.

... Maybe people are just that bloodthirsty here.

[ who knows, honestly? Fie lets her grip on the sheets slacken a bit, slowly shaking her head. ]

But I'll be fine. Probably.

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