completelycrazy | week 5 - lenka - saturday post-trial

... Yeah.

[They definitely have Things to discuss. He's notably subdued, but that's almost normal.

Aragami don't have expressions. That's the great thing about it.]

[God, Newt is bad enough at reading people? How's he supposed to read a giant cat? This is the worst.]

Why'd you throw Mary under the bus like that?

[He doesn't say it with the vigor of an actual accusation, though. He's mostly curious.]

[...]

I said I wanted us to go into the trial honestly.

I wanted all of you to vote knowing who you were voting for. Or who you weren't. I wanted to believe in everyone.

[He still doesn't know... He just doesn't know. Everything is a mess. In some ways, he doesn't know why he's standing here.

He only knows how. Just...]

Do you think there was a better way?

[It's an honest question, posed in a tone that's impossible to read, and not just because he's a horrorcat.]

[Newt lets out a little "mm" noise.]

I'm not sure that was the best way to go about it, but I guess I'm not in any position to go around judging other people's missteps. [peep this fuckin character development, honestly.] I meant what I said about using the trials to solve the game as opposed to the murders. I'm... I guess I'm glad we all found out about Mary in the end, but I think our time would be better spent nailing down someone to vote for early so we can use the time to figure out what the hell we're even supposed to be doing here.

[The situation isn't really as dismal as he's making it sound, and his tone reflects that. They've made a lot of progress.]

And maybe I shouldn't have lied to you, but I had to cover my bases, you know? I thought I was dead this week for sure. I wanted to prevent that. [He shrugs.] The game keeps changing.

[They're growing up so fast, these nerds. Amazing.

Lenka listens patiently, because although Newt might talk a great deal he usually has good ideas, and after today he... also needs to rearrange his ideas some more. Figure out how he can do better, in a lot of ways.]

It probably wasn't. The best way to go about it, I mean. We'll probably need more strategies every week, or changes. [just... thinking about it makes him tired, right now, so he moves on] But I think I know what you mean -- that's also what I think. There has to be a reason we have Reaper Creeper only in trials. We can use some time to understand the nature of the Game. We can't rely on Setz to do everything for us.

[He's still not entirely sure how Setz is doing most of what he's doing -- perhaps he just knows to ask the right questions, at the right time, in the right way. It's hard to say, but Lenka's willing to trust him.]

... I wish you hadn't lied. But Max and Setz both said that you won't do it again. [in other words, that's about as far as he's going to trust Newt, for now] I don't know how much the lie changed, though.

[Was it worth it.]

Setz isn't doing everything for us. Plenty of people have met with the Composer. I have. I learned just as much as him.

[Setz is useful, but, come on. Just because he's the only one that's been willing to go entirely public...]

I thought I needed insurance against Taako and Magnus. Turns out I, uh, may have jumped the gun a little. But Magnus did literally hit first and ask questions later, and they did record my confession. If they really didn't intend to do anything with it, they would've deleted it, don't you think?

[But he shrugs. There's no point holding it against them, not this late in the game. Ultimately, it's like he said before: They're allies. Personal beefs don't have a place here.]

...Max said that? Huh. They're right, though. Remember, dude, it was two weeks ago. A lot has changed since then. I thought I was doing what was best for the Players.

[And then he's... quiet. For a long moment.]

At first I did regret it, you know? I mean, hell, I killed a guy. That's... I have to live with that, one way or another. And after everything that came out at that trial, I thought for sure I'd screwed us. But, the more things advance? The more I learn? I stand by it. Would I do it again, if I could go back? I don't know. Probably not. But given what I knew at the time, it was the right decision, and it certainly hasn't done us enough harm to prevent us from getting this far.

[You wanted honesty, Lenka? Well, you've got it.]

Hmm. That's good to know. Maybe I should meet with the Composer, too.

[If everyone else is doing it, he might as well get in on the fun. That, and being in the dark really hasn't worked out so well for the state of anything on his end so far; it's time he learned to dig a little deeper. He's just really bad at clandestine stuff..... please see: all of today.]

... I'm glad that got sorted out. With Magnus and Taako. I don't know what this week's trial would have looked like, otherwise.

[About 300 times more disastrous, probably, between the three of them. He seems to think of something after a moment, and reaches into his pouches to quietly pass Newt back his ripcoins. It's all there; he didn't use any, in the end.

Then he takes a long breath, lets it out slowly. Lets out some of his doubts, even though they've only increased the longer this day has gone on. It was a really long day. Most of them aren't aimed at Newt, anyway.]

Everything did change. [not everything -- but it feels like it] And we don't have time for ifs, or maybes, when it comes to things like this. You can worry about Jacopo once we win.

[There was definitely the smallest hint of irony to that, even if his tone for the rest makes it clear he dislikes the clinical way Newt is assessing it. But Lenka is pragmatic enough to know that this part of the guy likely isn't going to change, and they can't argue about it forever.]

week 5 - lenka - saturday post-trial

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