catch-all for shang qinghua.

[selfimmolates]

Comments

week 4; saturday

[nosediving]

[based on what he's heard, ray visits the laboratory often. so it comes as no surprise to him that he would find the boy here, though he pauses in the doorway. after that overwhelming reveal, everyone's bound to be a little jumpy.]

Young man, if it weren't for you, we might not have found out the truth.

[selfimmolates]

[well, ray's making more bullets because, uh. this trial sure just proved he needs to keep a constant supply.]

... Thanks. Just doing what's expected of this competition, though.

[nosediving]

[he briefly glances at the bullets in the making, more intent on looking at ray's face.]

Is it? What do you think is expected of this contest, exactly?

[selfimmolates]

To try and not completely screw up?

[nosediving]

[he opens his mouth, then stop and closes it.]

Screw up?

[selfimmolates]

Trial-wise? We find someone to vote for. That's what I did.

Nothing complicated.

[nosediving]

No, I . . .

That is, what does screw up mean?

[selfimmolates]

[a beat.]

Um...

[nosediving]

. . . Young man, are you using words that you don't know the meaning to?

[selfimmolates]

No, I just—you don't know what "screw up" means?

[nosediving]

I don't. I wouldn't have asked if I did . . .

[selfimmolates]

Mess up. Make a mistake. Not do well.

[nosediving]

To do well in trial, we must find someone to vote for.

[he nods once upon reciting those words.]

We did. We found the killer and voted for the great god behind him. But . . . is this what it truly means to do well?

[selfimmolates]

In the long run? Not necessarily.

[nosediving]

The point is to change the numbers in the direction that are favorable to each of us. Those deaths are just an excuse to hold the trials in the first place . . . In that respect, we haven't been doing too well.

[selfimmolates]

Well, it's too inconsistent in the first few weeks. No matter how many followers you might have in the beginning, you could easily lose them all by the end.

... Anyway, there's something I wanted to ask you.

[nosediving]

What is it?

[selfimmolates]

... Since we're not using it for anything anyway, I want the other scroll. If you give me it, I'll owe you a favour. Anything, within reason.

[nosediving]

. . . If it's you, I know the scrolls won't go to waste. What's within reason?

[selfimmolates]

Don't ask me to kill or harm another participant unless you have a really good reason for it. I won't defect, and I can't get anyone else to defect—namely because I'm not great at it.

So not things like that.

[nosediving]

[what's left!]

Those are reasonable boundaries. I understand.

[digging through his robes, he pulls out the scroll and offers it to ray.]

Here. I don't know what your plan is, but I'm sure you'll put it to good use.

[selfimmolates]

[holy cow that was easier than he thought it'd be

but he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he'll take it.]

Thanks.

[nosediving]

[first of all, arguing greedily with a twelve-year-old is not dignified.

second of all, he really had no use for the scroll unless he was going to get attacked, and that wouldn't help him. he'd still be dead in the end.]

I don't have a request at this exact moment. Is it all right if I take that favor another time?

[selfimmolates]

I'd appreciate it if you didn't spring it up on me at the worst possible moment, but yeah, go ahead. I wasn't expecting you to have something in mind right now.