Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Main Building - Sae Min's Office
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

A missing student. A mysterious number seventeen that she has no idea about. A question that like many others, she has no idea how to answer, or even tackle. Human curiosity makes her mind dwell on matters she can’t do anything about, but she pushes away that sin to focus on her own profile, and then how best to find Hwan.

The way Sae Min writes about her makes her feel fragile, overburdened. Everyone tells her to rely on others. It isn’t her fault. The perfection she aspires towards is impossible. Just accept that certain things are out of her hands. You’ll be happier.

Lucille sighs as she puts the profiles away. She’s already had her fill of happiness. And if nobody will take responsibility for things, she will. The Lord gave her Purpose, and with Purpose in mind she must push forward.

“I don’t need to be happy,” she mutters to herself. “I just need everyone to be safe.”

She’s already failed at the latter once, their blood on her hands, but this week has always been a chance for change. Redemption. Even as she messes up even now, hurting Subaru, convincing Hwan to run off on his own, she has to try her best. Her life is in service to others. She can’t—she mustn’t—forget.

Resolved, Lucille moves off to Avery’s Diner. Hopefully Hwan can survive while she’s running around all over the place trying to look for him. Please.

[Spinach]

Colton Davin
Location: Forest Ranger's Cabin
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Answers. For every answer he got, two new questions sprung up. Tackling the mysteries of this place was like trying to slay that mythical serpent. It was more than an effort in futility, every mystery was another weapon that stabbed at his mind. This hovel nestled between seas of green and blue would keep spawning more and more questions, until there was no will to answer them left in him.

Or that must be its intent.

“Keep me outta trouble, huh?” Colt would not succumb to poison. “At this point I don’t think any force left on this earth could keep my shoes clean.”

He chuckled faintly, but not with any real warmth behind it. It was just a dry laugh of resignation.

“One thing though,” Colt looked back over to the one who must have felt forgotten with the crestfallen aura she gave off. “Fu.”

The boy called out to the tigergirl to yank her attention away from the meal she was clearly not enthused by.

“I don’t want to leave anyone alone at this point.” On this day. In these woods. “I know you’re in no condition to go up and about… but still.”

Colt scratched the back of his head.

“Ms. Savage, before we go is there any chance we can stop by this clinic in town? There’s someone I need to meet up with over there, and I get the feeling there aren’t many safer places to be.”

Then, he rubbed his chin and began to mutter under his breath.

“Or maybe the school… No, what am I thinking? That’s the worst place to be, that’s where I was…”

He let that thought go.

[Kuroyuki]

“Vier”
Location: Suzume Bianchi's House
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

As I disregarded Inacio Ilusão, my fortification plans went into effect, anything I could use as a tripping hazard or cover during the event that someone attacked the lab. Occasionally, I would sense a spike in intent towards me and during those moments I would react on instinct just to find the source to be Inacio Ilusão who I would disregard once I identified he didn’t mean to do anything. After enough spikes, Inacio Ilusão finally said something.

"... He's important to you, huh? That Lobo guy. That you'd go this far for him."

Whatever conclusions he made I let him have it, there was no time for me to respond or care about whatever his thoughts were aside from it being non-hostile. As such, I merely kept continuing my efforts while Vivienne Bianchi and Alex Terrot continued their investigation into Suzume Bianchi’s computer. And I would continue to do so until…

THUD!

The moment occurred. Without a single thought, I started processing information about our current group. Inacio Ilusão normal. Alex Terrot prepared normal. Vivienne Bianchi striker. With that quick gut feeling of everyone’s roles. I placed myself into a position that would allow me to serve as our group’s vanguard. As I made my move, Inacio Ilusão also made his move, and his move took him back upstairs towards the noise.

For what reason? Unclear. Not important. Reasons irrelevant to decision making.

A normal person would’ve tried to stop Inacio Ilusão or yelled at him to not go even if they didn’t have the capabilities to. They would’ve tried to save them because of their relationship as classmates or the memories they had together. I had the ability to catch up and stop Inacio Ilusão. While I wasn’t the fastest, I was confident in being fast and skilled enough to subdue a civilian in no time. However, I wasn’t a normal person. I was a weapon that took the most logical course of action to raise the probability of mission success.

And that weapon decided that Inacio Ilusão leaving the group was the best statistical outcome for mission success. In the best case scenario for everyone, he leads the disturbance away and escapes. Worst case for Inacio Ilusão, he gets caught and he delays the disturbance for barely any time. Worst case for us, he sells us out. Regardless of the outcome, I would be ready.

[Mellon]

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Mitchell Residence
Phase: Morning Phase
Date: 11.09.1994 (SUN)
Weather: Overcast

Anna’s eyebrow raised quizzically as she saw Zane pull out a... wait, was that a verikäkk? Thats... well, she’d had it, of course, but it would never be a dish that she’d make of her own volition „Estonian cuisine“ be damned. Too metallic of an undercurrent on the taste. Verivorst was clearly far superiour when it came down to blood-related estonian foods. Well, she had to admit that it was a good... solution fo the occasion at least.

A hint of incredulity was present in her tone as she looked at the small dough-and-blood cakes on the table.

„Where did you even get the blood? I refuse to believe you can buy that shit from any random store from around here. Its bloody hard to find even back hom...“ Her eyes narrowed for a second. „Wait, did you nick it on one of your side gigs at the hospital or something?“

"... I've been able to count on them when it matters. That's it. And they would never let anything happen to Shane here. Especially Lane, considering what he's gone through."

"Still, I'll keep them at arm's length for tonight. After all, there's something I wanna work on while you guys go out."

"Murder is after all, a commonality for us. Normalcy for mages is to know killers and to kill. We all pick and play favorites, and we choose who we want around us. That is the reality that we live in."

“Lockhart is right. Whether or not people end up killing you is simply a matter of convenience and correct incentives in the Turnside. Besides, you might be able to count on them... but are we?”

“Not to mention, people with good intentions can kill you dead just as easily as some random psychopath can… in fact, more easily at times. You just need to give them an either moral excuse to do so or a lofty ideal to strive for. Simple as that.” While her response was still slightly argumentative, it was clear that for the time being, the red-eyed girl was satisfied with Zane’s answer. “Aah well, I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you trust them or not.”

“It's too small for any of us to fit in. But a kid could hide in there. And theoretically..."

"Be spared the reset. It would be a literal time capsule."

For a moment, Anna’s eyes blanked over as if trying to fully grasp the full implications of what Zane was suggesting.

“Wait... Do we even know what would happen in that case? Wouldn’t we risk running of creating duplicate timelines or something?”

Anna’s mind shifted to the two kids in the building… realistically the only two candidates that could potentially get into the machine and survive the reset. A small sigh escaped her lips.

“Also, isn’t it bit of a too heavy burden on them? To be forced to survive alone, while we are all stuck here?”