Not Again | Catch All for Magnus

[applechemist]

Comments

[ruffboi]

Yeah. Yeah, it does.

[He's looking for her, coming up nearby and crouching down next to her to see what she's drawing.]

Did you guys ever fuck up? We got it wrong a few times when there were multiple killers, but. . .

[applechemist]

We didn't get it right when I was on trial.

At least this time I was able to speak my mind, but... It still feels bad to be a suspect. When we don't have enough evidence to clear things up...

[ruffboi]

Yeah? What happened at your trial?

[Though.]

If you don't mind.

[applechemist]

I don't mind.

[ Even if it does take her a moment to figure out how to explain. ]

I couldn't explain myself well. We had just broken into a locked room the other day and my head was really foggy. And on Thursday night... The man who was possessed attacked me. I defended myself.

So... All of the evidence led to me.

... But I guess it wasn't wrong. It was me. I just wasn't possessed. Maybe that doesn't count as messing up.

[ruffboi]

It sounds pretty messed up to me. [Shaking his head.] That's always my fear, too. If somebody came at me or my friends, I'm pretty sure I could fight them off, but I'm not sure I could do it without risking that.

It sounds pretty bad, also, to be stuck not able to tell everyone the truth.

[applechemist]

Do you think that happened today?

Do you think someone felt guilty, but couldn't speak up about what had really happened?

[ruffboi]

You saw Evan. Whoever did it probably couldn't say a thing no matter how much they wanted to.

I've talked to just about everyone here. Can't imagine anyone would feel good seeing that happen, not even having the choice to stop it from happening.

[applechemist]

Right. It's easy to think that I would find a way to make myself look guilty, but if there's some kind of magic that prevents it...

[ruffboi]

. . .

[Um? Escha?]

Yeah?

[applechemist]

Like - if I were possessed, like people were on the ship. I like to think that I would find a way to tell people what I had done.

I guess things are different here, since no one is possessed... But still... It's sad to think someone couldn't come forward if they wanted to. And that someone else is getting condemned because of it.

[ruffboi]

Yeah. That's what I think happened, too.

[Looking. At the ground.]

And. . . I keep wondering how it works. Like, now that the trial is over, has it been lifted? Or is it still keeping them from speaking up?

[applechemist]

I don't know... That's a good question to ask the directors.

[ruffboi]

Yeah, good point.

[. . . ]

So, those. Uh. Mini-slags?

[applechemist]

Let me know if you find out. Or I could ask myself, I guess... It seems like it would be really useful information, going forward.

[ Hmm. ]

Do you have anything to draw with? I could just draw in the dirt otherwise.

[ruffboi]

[Thinking. . .]

I wish for a really, really good book.

[And then. Handing her a copy of Caleb Cleveland Kid Cop?]

[applechemist]

Is this a good book?

[ Oh right, wishes. But she still doesn't have a pen or pencil... And I can't make her wish because this is backdated to before she had all her wishes left on sunday. BUT IDK MODS WILL PROBABLY FORGIVE ME FOR HAVING? A PEN?

Let's just say she has a pen.

Escha flips to the back of the book for a decently blank page to draw a quick sketch of one of these little guys. The art is neither good nor bad, but gets across what it looks like. ]

[ruffboi]

I've never read it, because I'm not a nerd! [Wow.] You can have it, if you want.

[But once she draws it - ]

Awww! Cute. Okay, I can do that.

[applechemist]

Really? Thank you.

[ Escha smiles and tears the page out to give to him so that she can hold onto the book. ]

It'll be nice to have something to read. [ She... Is a nerd. ]

[ruffboi]

It'll disappear at the end of the week, so read fast!

[He'll get out his knife and a block of wood and get started on her cute little animal, though.]

. . . Those books belong to this kid I know. He's a real dork. [But he's being fond.] But he'd be better at figuring things out than we are, at least.

[applechemist]

[ She nods, and watches him work because she's really not accustomed to seeing this kind of thing done by hand. Alchemy is like cheating, basically?? So she's impressed. ]

... He must be really smart.