week 4 - izaya - saturday, post-trial

[completelycrazy]

[This is not going to be a fun conversation. Hell, Newt half thinks Izaya might just slit his throat on the spot. He's not sure what the rule is on murdering outside of curfew, but he has a feeling Izaya won't care about that, either.

But he needs to get this over with.

He finds him in the Italian place, which... Is poetic. Ugh.]

Guess we should talk, huh?

Comments

[voyeur]

[Now that he's done faking blindness, it's like the switch is just off. His eyes focus properly. He makes eye contact. He no longer feigns responding to sound cues.

But he is responding to sound cues. So, he tracks Newt's entrance. And when he sees him, he smiles.

It isn't a demonic smile. Nor is it threatening. It's simply this: the warm, refreshing, welcoming smile of someone who accepts another person for exactly what they are. Of course, there is a sharpness to it. Izaya's features make all his expressions a little sharp.

Yet, if an observer looked in on that smile now, they would think Izaya was greeting an old friend or family member with open arms.]

If that's what you want, certainly. What should we discuss, Dr Geiszler?

[completelycrazy]

[Newt, unfortunately, is not in a great position to be reading into body language right now. He's also just so, so sure that Izaya hates him. He stiffens at the smile.

He's never been great at beating around the bush, though. Or, like, lead-ups.]

So do I need to watch my back next week or what?

[voyeur]

[Izaya laughs quietly. He leans back.]

You should absolutely watch your back. It would be stupid not to once you've taken centre stage like that. Most people won't want to hurt Mary, but Monika... She really loved Jacopo a lot. She also seems convinced you did it.

That's why I won't be telling her that my vote for Miki, rather than you, was the vote that prevented a killing tiebreaker.

[completelycrazy]

[Newt huffs out a sigh. It's a "well, obviously" to all of that, except...

What?]

You... After all that, you voted for Miki? Really? [Wait, a more important question:] Why?

[voyeur]

Hm? I wonder.

[He's watching Newt openly now. It's his little present to himself after all that time lying with such dedication.]

Wouldn't it be wisest not to trust anything I say at this point? After all, I've already proven that I'm a pretty skilled liar. So I think the best thing for you to do would treat all my words with suspicion.

[completelycrazy]

Wisest, yeah, but I'm kind of done playing murder mystery for the night. That was more than enough for me. Just because we're talking doesn't mean I trust you, but I'm not about to lay out my motivations to you, either.

[He's just gonna take the seat across from Izaya now that apparently his life is not under immediate threat.]

You owe me a new shirt, by the way.

[voyeur]

I'm still not convinced I do. But on the side of generosity, sure.

[He gives 20 ripcoins to Newt.]

Try to buy something less embarrassing next time. It was really hard to keep the act up when I had to look at that kind of thing.

[completelycrazy]

[Oh! Sick. He was not expecting that to work. He's pocketing it anyway. Thanks, bud.]

Guess that makes us even. [Does it???] And my question stands. Why Miki?

[voyeur]

The evidence against you wasn't strong enough. It's suspicious, sure, but it doesn't rule out that someone else might have done it.

The evidence against Miki was much more solid. Only me and her had an animal sidekick. And since I knew I didn't kill anyone, it had to be her.

It's a shame to lose Caren, but I think it's more of a shame to lose the last people capable of applying scientific knowledge and experiences to our trials when it comes to ferreting the last Reapers out. Don't you think?

[And then, just like that: the smile flips.]

Alternatively, maybe I just wanted to kill you myself. Hahah, although of course, I'm not actually comfortable with killing. But I don't doubt that Monika is!

[completelycrazy]

[Hm. Well then.]

I guess all that's fair. I appreciate you thinking logically rather than emotionally, at least. I get why there's the temptation to just vote out of spite or whatever, but, uh, that's not going to do us any favors in the end. [He shrugs.] It's just stupid.

[But, uh, at the rest of that? He just sighs.]

Killing me would be stupid. Clearly, you're not stupid, and I'd like to think Monika isn't either.

[voyeur]

Thinking rationally isn't how humans operate. Even if they're intelligent, even if they view themselves as totally rational people. Humans still are emotional creatures. And what's so wrong with that? That simple fact is what allowed you to deflect so many people with that double act of yours.

The human mind and the human heart both operate together. So I'll never reject the impulses of either. If one or the other drives Monika to act, I'll support her either way.

By the way, I have a message I'd like to play for you. Of course, it may be old news, but I think you're a Player who would benefit from hearing it.

[completelycrazy]

[He pauses, considering this.]

I guess you're right. I--Wait. What double act?

[Nice try, buddy. And, well, shit. He still thinks it would be dumb for them to kill him, but, whatever. Clearly Izaya knows and there's no point in arguing. Newt's done enough arguing tonight, anyway.

So.]

...Sure. What's the message?

[voyeur]

[He grins, but he doesn't say anything more on it. Instead, he takes out his phone and plays a recording for Newt.]

[completelycrazy]

[...JESUS?]

How... did you get that?

[voyeur]

Hm, I wonder. At any rate, Jacopo was somewhat reserved about teaming up with the other group of Reapers. I imagine the alliance will go ahead now that he's out of the way.

[completelycrazy]

What's the alliance going to mean for the Players? People are still going to die, I know that much.

[voyeur]

It will make them more difficult to catch again. Indeed, I imagine that the help of one of that side is what allowed them to get away with murder. [He smiles.] If you had similar aid, you might have avoided me and Monika's attention yourself. Rather than that group trying to lead you to the right answers, you'll have to confront the very high probability that they'll be masking certain truths and drawing your attention to other killers instead.

At the same time, I believe Mr Kurusu's words were sincere. So it may be a sum benefit. Maybe they'll stop killing the most goodhearted Players and instead pursue those who are callous or unfeeling?

[completelycrazy]

Don't give me this "we both know you did it" crap. You said it yourself, you can't be sure based on the evidence.

[He's too socially dumb to figure you out, dude. Stop making this confusing!!]

I guess if both Reaper factions are aiming to save everyone, that... Well. There are worse things, maybe. We've known from the start that there's no getting out of here without losing a few in the process, so the promise of saving everyone is worth, uh, fighting for, if you want to put it that way.

[...] Akira killed Chuuya. That's why the crime scene was laid out like it was. He felt bad about it.

[voyeur]

Evidence isn't the only thing that's required to prove a point.

[no, it's what he does!]

Who's to say? After all, that's the kind of person he's shown himself to be. At the same time, there's one more Reaper over on that side. And Mr Kurusu was neither the most passionate person at this trial when it came to Ranpo and Madara's deaths, nor is he the one who showed the most fury towards Caren and Chuuya.

[completelycrazy]

Who do you think did it, then?

[He was uhhh preoccupied.]

[voyeur]

Were you too distracted to pay attention? Try to think over the events of the trial again. Do you remember Caren's confession?

[completelycrazy]

[get out of here with this danganronpa shit.]

...Undine?

[w h a t]

[voyeur]

[you're lucky i brought izaya instead of jade curtiss then you'd really be suffering]

An unlikely candidate, right? She's got that generally sweet personality. Well, it's not like I can do some kind of magical check to see if it's her or not, but if you consider the evidence from that perspective, doesn't she seem probable?

[completelycrazy]

I... Maybe? I don't know.

[But Izaya's right. It does sound likely, just, yikes. This is really coming out of left field. He's gonna need time to process.]

If she's really a Reaper, we're in good hands. I trust her.

[voyeur]

Is that so?

[A knife appears from Izaya's sleeve and slams into Newt's left shoulder. But that's merely a distraction, because a second knife has gone through Newt's right hand, straight through, to pierce into the table. And he twists.]

You trust a girl who feigns sorrow and embraces self-righteousness, who would leave a man's corpse in a 'respectful' and 'peaceful' repose although that man cares nothing for such things and would have wanted his death to be seen as the ugly thing it was. In other words, you trust someone who deludes herself and projects her ideals onto others against their wishes. Yeah, you trust that kind of person, but when it comes to someone who's honest about the kind of guy he is, you decide to kill.

[He twists. He twists and twists and twists, so that the wound will not be simple, so that it will be difficult to heal.]

Ah, that's funny, that's really funny! That you'd pick the self-righteous hypocrite who thinks she's a hero over the honest villain who does not ask forgiveness for what he's done! Truly, the way humans decide who to trust is remarkable, it's always, always remarkable to me! I love your humanity that decides to spit on an ugly truth in favour of a saccharine lie, I love it with all my heart!