week 4 - mary - sunday, post-execution

[completelycrazy]

[Newt makes himself scarce after the execution. He ducked out as soon as it was over, and it's not until a few hours later that he turns up again. He's hiding in the comic shop, sitting on the floor in one of the more out-of-the-way aisles, turning his tape recorder over in his hands. Well, in one hand. His left hand can't seem to grip it quite right, and his palm is wrapped tightly in black fabric. He's looking a little pale, too.

Hm! Weird!]

Comments

[withsadness]

But we're running out of time, aren't we? What if we argue so much and so long that we use it all up? I'm scared.

[A FEAR.]

[completelycrazy]

Well, I... I think that might be a good thing, actually. We got those notes earlier in the week, about how to end the game. They mentioned one of the options was to just, uh, ride things out. Survive until the end. I'm starting to think those notes were onto something.

[withsadness]

You really think that's the best idea?

[She frowns.]

I thought that one was just...silly. Why make a Reaper Game if we aren't supposed to get all the Reapers?

[completelycrazy]

I don't know.

[At least he's willing to admit that.]

But... If that is the case, and we do need to get all the Reapers, um. Jacopo was a Reaper, you know. That's not to say he couldn't be your friend, too. I think the Reapers are just people like the rest of us, not like, evil or anything, but, um. We're all just playing the game like we're supposed to.

[...]

Sort of.

[withsadness]

Jacopo and Izaya...my friends, and Reapers...

[Mary hangs her head, her stomach crawling.]

They were trying really hard to help, I know they were. They both told so many people important things that they found out through really hard work. I didn't know about Magnus and Taako and Setz and all the others, but they trusted me. If there were two groups of Reapers and one was there to help locate the rest, maybe killing them was a bad idea. Doesn't that just leave us blind?

[completelycrazy]

I... It's possible, but I don't think that's the case. Both groups of Reapers are playing for their own teams. It's three groups pitted against each other, not the Players and the "good" Reapers against the bad ones. And, um, I'm not sure that the bad Reapers are all that bad.

[withsadness]

So you think that everybody's against each other?

[Mary's mouth turns into a wide frown. Clearly, she doesn't like what she's hearing.]

Isn't that the kind of thinking that will make the Composer like us even less?

[completelycrazy]

Yeah, but it's the same kind of "against" as you'd find in like, a board game or something. We don't necessarily want to hurt each other, but we have to play the game by the rules.

[Or... something...]

But I also think the point of the game might be to figure out those rules and... Not really break them, but push past them, I guess? If we can figure out why we're being forced into this, I think we can save everyone. That means cooperation with both sets of Reapers, even if it's dangerous.

[withsadness]

If we want to cooperate with them, we'll have to keep them alive.

[Otherwise, the game will be over before they have the chance.]

It sounds really hard, if the Reapers keep killing no matter how we cooperate.

[completelycrazy]

Yeah, that's the problem.

[He sighs and scrubs a hand through his hair.]

But now there's just five Reapers, two "bad" and three "good" if you want to put it that way. The bad Reapers still need to kill, but they want us to win.

[withsadness]

[She's nine, so, putting it in terms of good and bad is just easier for her. Still, it's a lot for her to really process. She's trying!]

And the others don't because they're trying to stop the nice-bad Reapers?

[completelycrazy]

I'm not sure. I don't know much about the Reapers designed to target other Reapers. I just know that Jacopo was one. And Izaya... Who told me about all of this. He said that both factions are trying to truce to spare the Players, but Jacopo was against it. Now that he's dead, Akira might be able to pull it off.

[withsadness]

...Akira?

[Where did that come from? Who...Akira? Who mentioned Akira?]

[completelycrazy]

[Ah.]

He's one of the bad ones, apparently.

[withsadness]

[Opens mouth. Closes mouth.]

Newt...do you know who all the Reapers are? Why did Izaya tell you all of that if he thought you killed Jacopo?

[completelycrazy]

[He shakes his head.]

I don't know any of the last good Reapers, but... I know about Akira and Undine. I need you to keep that to yourself though Mary, okay? Especially about Undine. I really, really don't want anything bad to happen to her.

[He sits back on his heels.]

I'm not sure why he told me, but I think it's a testament to this whole truce thing. Izaya figured me out, but he said he didn't vote for me because he thought I was too valuable for the Players. So, I guess he told me because the Reapers we have left really do want the Players to pull this out.

[withsadness]

[Mary looks stunned. She shakes her head from side to side.]

Of course I won't say anything! Friends don't tattle. And I like Undine too, she draws pretty.

[She pauses, smiling sadly, looking a bit comforted, if shakily. It is good to know that the "bad" reapers are names of those you already trust.]

You know what Izaya told me before he killed himself with Monika? He said that he hoped that I got to stay with you and Hermann for a really long time.

[completelycrazy]

[That takes him by surprise.]

R-really? That's... [Man, Newt aggressively does not understand that guy.] Well, um, I'm glad to hear that.

[He sighs and finagles himself around so that he's sitting against the bookshelf again.]

So, um... Can I ask you something, Mary?

[withsadness]

Of course you can. You can ask me anything, because we're friends! I'll always tell you the truth.

[completelycrazy]

[He lets out a sad laugh. Oof.]

I'm really glad we're friends. You know that, right?

[He nudges her with his shoe. That wasn't the question, though.]

Uh, since we're friends, I wanted to know if... Well, I guess, would you stop being friends with me if you found out that I did something wrong?

[Ominous...]

[withsadness]

...no, I don't think so. Everybody makes mistakes.

[She purses her lips.]

I told you about how I died, didn't I? It was because I made a mistake...and my friends stopped being my friends. I wanted to take it back and say sorry...but they didn't let me. So I wouldn't want to make someone feel that same way. I'd want to be nicer and understand better so I can keep all my friends.

[completelycrazy]

Oh.

[That makes his heart hurt.]

Um, I'm sorry. That's a sh--I mean, that's a terrible way to die. Uh... Can I ask what mistake you made?

[withsadness]

[Mary's expression slowly falls into something unreadable. It seems like she might not answer, but then she decides that she doesn't need to keep the truth from him. He already knows what she is. He's one of the only people she's told.]

They found out my secret, about me not being human. They got scared and pushed me down and ran away, so I chased after them. I chased them with a knife because I was angry and hurt and scared.

[She looks more sad the more she speaks, pulling her psych out of her pocket. The palette knife is as shiny as ever.]

This knife.

[Mary looks at it, eyes shining with latent tears.]

I didn't want them to leave me behind; I was alone for a really long time. I should have just used my words, because friends talk to each other when they're upset...that's what my book about making friends says. I guess I wasn't actually a very good friend at all.

[completelycrazy]

[Newt lets out a "mm" at the story, and then takes a moment to considering his wording. This matters.]

I'm sorry they did that to you, and that they wouldn't listen afterward. But it's like you said, right? It was a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. You didn't mean to hurt them, y'know?

[He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the bookshelf.]

I did something like that too. I tried to take it back, but there's nothing I can do about it now. [...] Hermann's gonna hate me for it.

[withsadness]

But he's your best friend, isn't he?

[She sees things the way she sees them okay.]

I'm sure he'd be willing to listen to anything and accept it if you admitted you were wrong!