byjove | week 4 | post-trial

[ monika's impressed, more than anything. she really made it clear that hermann was like, public enemy number... two? yeah, two. that bleach could have easily been forced on him.

at the same time, she wasn't lying to mutsunokami and seizaburo; she does think hermann is surprisingly sweet hearted. ]

I think it was because I didn't eat or drink since the announcements yesterday. That, plus thinking so much...

[ monika shrugs. ] I'm as well as I can be right now. I hope I didn't burn you too bad, also.

Don't worry about me.

[He... would wave a hand dismissively but one doesn't work and he needs the other one so. Never mind.]

We were all under a lot of stress but... perhaps you most of all.

[An awkward pause.]

For the record, I'm not upset, and I don't blame you.

Probably not fair to say that, considering I could have easily gotten you killed. Speaking of, still up for gelato?

[ even after the bleach cocktail threat at the beginning of the trial? ]

...Thanks, though. I... well.

[ a beat. ] I appreciate you helping me out at the end there.

I could definitely stand to have some dessert after all that.

[Yes, even after the threat. She knows he didn't do it, and she said she wouldn't kill him... He chooses to believe her.]

Yes, you could have, but- I'll be honest, a part of my help was selfish. If I didn't let you ask, either myself or Newton could've been chosen as the killer. So at least some of that was that I didn't want either of us to die.

But at the same time... You were only doing what any of us would've done. I couldn't stand in the way of that.

Yeah. It's why I let it go soon after with my braid. Taako and Magnus handled the scaring the shit out of people for me, anyway.

[ they are, newt might notice from the way she speaks of them, her faves. monika stans. ]

It's still - it helps. I know not to look there, anymore. Anyway, dessert, yeah: gotta say... the affogato? The best I've had.

[ it is the only monika has ever had, actually. ]

Those two were... quite intimidating, yes.

[Sort of a bad cop, bad cop routine.]

So you are still planning to look, then? [Yeah he super caught that.]

And I suppose I'll take your recommendation.

They work in tandem. You can tell they were part of a party. It's nice.

Yeah, though. I loved him. I mean, I know it's weird? The first thing he told me was that there's an age difference, but like... we're both dead, so what does it matter? He was a good man. Actually, he's the one who turned me onto this stuff.

[ worth every penne is, for some reason, still open. ] I'll pay. I owe you for putting up with a girl's broken heart for so long.

[Hermann is not going to touch that age difference thing with a 50 foot pole tbh.]

He was a good man. You're right. [He feels like he said that earlier.] I only spoke to him a few times, but he did a lot for us, as a group.

[He'll allow her to pay, not because he's cheap but because arguing seems... well, he's argued all say. He's argued out. Apparently that's possible. Who knew? He also has an awkward question for her.]

... Should I assume you'll be after Newton again?

Right now? No. I actually really like Newt, because... well, he's been helpful. I'll be honest, if he did kill Jacopo, my only regret was that I did not make him one of my soldiers.

[ monika pauses for a short moment. ]

Magnus had the right idea. Withholding information was bad. If I hadn't done that, maybe Jacopo would be here. Right now, I can only blame myself.

Well, that's a relief.

[Even if the soldier comment is? Concerning. He just hopes she isn't lying.]

I don't think you should blame yourself, trust is difficult in this game. But I do think we should learn from this, share these things from now on. When we know who the Reapers are, which type they are, what they're up to. It sounds like Jacopo was trying to help the players, and if we'd all known, we could've worked together.

Jacopo was a Reaper aligned with the Players. His goal was to give them information to put us on level playing ground with the Reapers charged with killing us. I have known this about him since... the first week, I think, after Utena died. His comments were too blatant, and he warned me about Junko Enoshima. This is, ultimately, why we were able to catch her. In truth, her scenario was set up in a way that I almost feel like if you had lacked the knowledge, you wouldn't have figured it out. "Genius level planning" really worked for her advantage.

[ is she bitter? a little. eleanor should have lived. not because monika liked her, but because she was a good woman. ]

He gave me other names. Ranpo, but that wasn't announced. If I had to guess, the man was a rat to the very end and used Clarke for his own benefit. Dead men tell no tales, though. We cleared Yang. Taako and Magnus are good men, obviously. If you need something, even if they blame you for something, they'll deliver it.

Ah, and I'll confess I knew about Caren and Chuuya for a while. Unfortunately, you won't be able to make allies out of them. I think that's what they want, though. My partner, despite his... eccentricities, is a good man, as well. Keep in mind he is more like a teenage boy on the verge of a manipulative tantrum, and shut him down repeatedly. You'll be fine.

[ monika hums lightly. ]

And... well, the Assassin of Shinjuku? Dangerous, but clear. ...If you did have a hand in Jacopo's death, I can't actually predict what he'll do to you. I can't protect everyone, you know. Dealing with criminals constantly is pretty dirty work.

[ so, no. the soldier thing isn't a lie. monika's had a little motley crue for a while. this week, they just happened to be ravaged. ]

So he couldn't tell us because of potential retribution from the other Reaper faction.

[Makes sense, even if it's... very unfortunate. It means if there are other Reapers like him, they may not come forward either. He mulls over the rest of what she says.]

Ranpo I'd guessed, though I didn't know who killed him. I do know that Caren is not a Reaper. [It seems harmless to share when, first of all, Monika has shared so much, but secondly, seeing as how Caren won't be with them much longer.

And as for that last part:]

I half expect to deal with some sort of attempted retribution. In the absence of the real killer, Newton and I make good targets for revenge. I'll keep an eye out. Thank you for the warning.

[... okay but-]

How exactly did you end up tied to all these criminal sorts in the first place?

Distilled, yeah. I actually lied for him, multiple times. We could stand to lose me, but he was too important to getting information out. I got him connected with Magnus and Taako with the intent of them doing their own thing with his information.

[ monika leads hermann to the dessert counter, where there's rows of gelato waiting to be scooped, along with some cakes on display. they're plastic, of course, just displays, but it looks like everything is stock. ] We could sit if you want, though? Hmm. Not sure if you're the sort of a sit down dessert.

As for Caren, I knew about her and Chuuya. It's what made Undine pretty obvious this trial, don't you think? The use of "troglodyte" was on the nose. [ monika shrugs, though. ]

That's a good question. The logical way to put it is that even criminals have hearts, Dr. Gotliebb. Jacopo and I found each other, and I think it was the fact I lost my eye that he felt an initial attachment to me. He gave me medicine, watched the blood flow, made sure it healed in Clarke's absence. I imagine he's had his fair share of gnarly injuries in these games. That was the first heart I caught. Izaya lost Lion. I'm not sure how much of a criminal Izaya Orihara is, but he won't tell me anything about himself for free. It's caused a strange relationship to bloom between us, but I don't mind. Caren and Chuuya, I reached out the latter the night before the trial where we convicted Junko. When my information came back as good, the two confessed to me over champagne. From there, we began to work together. I believe Chuuya and Caren are the sorts who trust very few people, so the moment it was clear that I was trustworthy, they'd do anything for me. In fact, this week... Well, Caren will be calling out to someone. Watch the rat closely - he is a bit of a liar, a scammer, a sleaze, at times. Ah, but I do still like him.

[ it's been tough, reconciling this image of that boy and the image of who he really is, for monika. difficult... is actually kind of putting it lightly. she pauses before continuing, as if ruminating on something, but it's only her thoughts on how easy it is to betray someone in this game. ]

The Assassin of Shinjuku is wily and difficult, but loyal like an attack dog. Taako and Magnus... are the heart and soul of this game. All of these people have one thing in common: once they care for you, they believe you unwaveringly.

To be honest, I've been sitting on a goldmine. It's a good thing you're listening to my warning.

It hardly matters if I'm the sort or not; sitting down is somewhat necessary at the moment.

[He doesn't really... want to draw attention to his broken wrist, all things considered, but, yeah.]

Undine. You think she might have had something to do with Chuuya? [That's a hard image for him to reconcile, but, well. She has been fairly outspoken about not thinking Reapers are bad people, and her explosion at the trial sure was something.] I suppose you didn't bother to point it out because you were too invested in finding Jacopo's killer instead.

[Not accusing. Just inferring. And he's just not going to comment on most of that relationship stuff because wow not his area of expertise.]

What do you mean, Caren will be calling out? During the Erasure? [Unless Monika knows of some secret way the already-Erased can communicate.]

You aren't kidding about the veritable goldmine. It seems you were at the center of a very complex web. Still are, in fact.

week 4 | post-trial | monika

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