[As soon as Newt is done yelling at Max and everyone else, Hermann zeroes in and practically drags him aside into the nearest alley. Looks like he wants to talk!]
[He's weaker but he's taller. He lets go anyway, though.]
There are- seven Reapers. [He's practically out of breath.] If we don't- We can't let them all go to trial, one by one. There won't be anyone left. If they're targeting people who pay attention-
[He stares at the ground for a second, catching his breath in more ways than one.]
Next week. [Also not a question.]
I think we should- [He stops and reaches into his jacket... coat thing.] The Composer, I know we can't trust them, but they're our best chance of getting home if we play the game properly.
[He shows Newt the letter he received earlier in the week.]
They said to focus on the Reapers first. And I agree. I think we should try to target one.
[Maybe she was secretly the actual world's best detective?]
But I'm not entirely certain why Junko would've included it in the scene. If the dolls were meant to be a courtroom, perhaps it makes sense, but we don't know that for sure. All she really would've needed were the fake notes about meeting in the shop.
[Still, he realizes this is far-fetched.]
If you don't like that idea, then... Perhaps we should target someone who got away this week.
Could've been a red herring. Some pointless list of names to make us spin our wheels. Who the hell knows at this rate, dude. We can't trust anything, not even--
[He stops abruptly. He's trying to keep his voice down, but he's doing a terrible job and he's too manic to worry about that right now. No one followed them, but he switches to German just in case.]
Not even the goddamn evidence. This whole game's been rigged against us. We've gotten lucky with these trials, that's all. Not even you and I can suss out a Reaper under these conditions, not by ourselves. Not with this flimsy shit as our only guiding point.
[He huffs and scrubs a hand over his face.] So, no, Hermann. I don't like that idea. I don't like going after someone who got away this week either, because we were still just guessing! That's all this is! Shots in the fucking dark!
[Well he was going for more lowkey but two can play this game. Now it's just angry German in stereo.]
What do you want us to do, then?
[His voice is rising also, cool.] Luck doesn't actually exist, you know. Something that we're doing is working, flimsy as it may be. We had to let them choose someone, because we were never going to convince those idiots to help us tie the vote and get more than one killer.
We don't know if we were wrong! We might've just been in the minority, that's all! So what do you propose? Do nothing? Let them kill us first? Choose at random?
[Newt's yelling right back the second Hermann shuts his stupid mouth.]
I don't know, Hermann! I don't know! That's the problem! [His voices starts to crack.] Even with those bullshit entry fees, you and I are still the smartest ones here and even we don't have a fucking clue! What are we supposed to do with this? Even if something is working, we have no idea what!
[He starts counting off on his fingers. His hands are shaking.] We--we can't identify a pattern, we can't trust the data--Hell, we're spitballing with a goddamn Ouija board for answers! If that's not desperation, I don't know what is.
[Hermann just kind of... grabs Newt. By the shoulders. One of his hands is still holding his cane though so. Sorry??? He might accidentally clock him in the temple a lil bit.]
Newton, get a hold of yourself. We cannot afford to panic. Don't forget what's at stake, here. Why we're even doing this in the first place. If we lose our grip on reality, then we've lost the Game already.
[He lets go, but only after giving him a good shake. That'll... fix it...]
We just need to ignore distractions. Forget the board, forget the other murders. Find the Reapers and survive.
[Newt recoils as Hermann grabs for him, but he's not fast enough. He gets a solid crack in the head with Hermann's cane. It hurts, but it helps. He swallows, doing his best not to tear up as his partner lays into him. He tears up a little bit, anyway.
He sniffs when Hermann lets go, staying quiet for a moment to compose himself. He yanks off his glasses and stuffs them into his jacket pocket, then scrubs his hands over his face.]
Find the Reapers and survive. Right. [He still sounds defeated, but at least he's calmer.] So how do we do that, exactly? We have nothing to go on.
Really? Now you're on board with shots in the dark?
[This is a far cry from Hermann's temper tantrum last week, refusing to vote for Terra even though the "evidence," however crappy it was, did point to him. It should be more comforting than it is that Hermann has apparently come around. That, or he's just putting on airs for a pep talk. It's tough to say.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Jesus, don't. What? What do you want?
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There are- seven Reapers. [He's practically out of breath.] If we don't- We can't let them all go to trial, one by one. There won't be anyone left. If they're targeting people who pay attention-
[wheeze]
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[...]
And a brain. Here I was thinking we could afford to lay low and let the cards fall, but... [He grumbles again.]
Next week.
[It's not a question.]
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Next week. [Also not a question.]
I think we should- [He stops and reaches into his jacket... coat thing.] The Composer, I know we can't trust them, but they're our best chance of getting home if we play the game properly.
[He shows Newt the letter he received earlier in the week.]
They said to focus on the Reapers first. And I agree. I think we should try to target one.
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And how are we going to do that? You have leads or something? Leads we didn't blow in the trial?
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[Not reliable ones???]
We have that list. From the fire. What if it wasn't entirely fake? What if it was written by Eleanor, and not Junko?
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There's no way it's that easy. And how would Eleanor know unless she was a Reaper too?
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[Maybe she was secretly the actual world's best detective?]
But I'm not entirely certain why Junko would've included it in the scene. If the dolls were meant to be a courtroom, perhaps it makes sense, but we don't know that for sure. All she really would've needed were the fake notes about meeting in the shop.
[Still, he realizes this is far-fetched.]
If you don't like that idea, then... Perhaps we should target someone who got away this week.
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Could've been a red herring. Some pointless list of names to make us spin our wheels. Who the hell knows at this rate, dude. We can't trust anything, not even--
[He stops abruptly. He's trying to keep his voice down, but he's doing a terrible job and he's too manic to worry about that right now. No one followed them, but he switches to German just in case.]
Not even the goddamn evidence. This whole game's been rigged against us. We've gotten lucky with these trials, that's all. Not even you and I can suss out a Reaper under these conditions, not by ourselves. Not with this flimsy shit as our only guiding point.
[He huffs and scrubs a hand over his face.] So, no, Hermann. I don't like that idea. I don't like going after someone who got away this week either, because we were still just guessing! That's all this is! Shots in the fucking dark!
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What do you want us to do, then?
[His voice is rising also, cool.] Luck doesn't actually exist, you know. Something that we're doing is working, flimsy as it may be. We had to let them choose someone, because we were never going to convince those idiots to help us tie the vote and get more than one killer.
We don't know if we were wrong! We might've just been in the minority, that's all! So what do you propose? Do nothing? Let them kill us first? Choose at random?
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I don't know, Hermann! I don't know! That's the problem! [His voices starts to crack.] Even with those bullshit entry fees, you and I are still the smartest ones here and even we don't have a fucking clue! What are we supposed to do with this? Even if something is working, we have no idea what!
[He starts counting off on his fingers. His hands are shaking.] We--we can't identify a pattern, we can't trust the data--Hell, we're spitballing with a goddamn Ouija board for answers! If that's not desperation, I don't know what is.
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Newton, get a hold of yourself. We cannot afford to panic. Don't forget what's at stake, here. Why we're even doing this in the first place. If we lose our grip on reality, then we've lost the Game already.
[He lets go, but only after giving him a good shake. That'll... fix it...]
We just need to ignore distractions. Forget the board, forget the other murders. Find the Reapers and survive.
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He sniffs when Hermann lets go, staying quiet for a moment to compose himself. He yanks off his glasses and stuffs them into his jacket pocket, then scrubs his hands over his face.]
Find the Reapers and survive. Right. [He still sounds defeated, but at least he's calmer.] So how do we do that, exactly? We have nothing to go on.
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Hermann leans back on his cane and runs a hand through his hair.]
We find something to go on. Somehow this group as a whole has gotten it right three times, that can't be coincidence. You know the saying.
[Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern.]
Whatever we do, we can't give up.
[Listen he's no Pentecost, but he's trying.]
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[This is a far cry from Hermann's temper tantrum last week, refusing to vote for Terra even though the "evidence," however crappy it was, did point to him. It should be more comforting than it is that Hermann has apparently come around. That, or he's just putting on airs for a pep talk. It's tough to say.
Wait, no it's not. Hermann wouldn't do that.]
So you voted for Junko too?
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[It's about half and half, Newt. Okay 2/3 and 1/3. He does believe in this, even if it's... not ideal. So he's gotta talk it up a bit.]
... I didn't, but now that she's been outed, I realize- As I said they're clearly doing something right. They haven't failed to catch a Reaper yet.