( week 3 ) friday afternoon, jay & dipper

[wristbands]

[chie's not really cut out to be an on-the-scene detective; it's why she's thankful she's only found residue during her investigations so far, not an actual body. she says she's dealt with bodies before, but not freshly murdered ones, and she'd like to keep it that way...

she'd forgone exploring areas for signs of murder this week, instead opting to... do her laundry, and stay out of the action. she still doesn't trust herself around others after this week's night terrors, even though she knows they've ended today. she's scared of what could happen if she got too paranoid.

despite her best efforts, though, she still manages to run into two people who are somehow shorter than she is. she's familiar with the both of them herself, but she's surprised to see them roaming around together. excuse the pile of haphazardly folded clothes in her arms.]

Huh, I didn't know you two were friends.

Comments

[ninjay]

We're not friends.

[ it's said flatly and immediately. he glances at dipper, not expecting him to argue with what jay said, before looking back towards chie. ]

We were investigating together and found bloody footprints leading to the second floor of the outside hallway. Another Friday, another murder, I guess.

[pinesfortruth]

[Dipper has spent most of paranoia week not sleeping, so it takes him a While to look up from his notes (its just... a bloody footprint imprinted on paper...) to acknowledge chie]

What he said. [he rubs at one eye] Who can even make friends in this place? 90% of the time you're just hoping the stranger you're talking to isn't secretly a murderer.

[...bleak, Dipper]

[wristbands]

[in direct response to dipper:] I mean, you've got a point...

[why are these boys so much more pessimistic than she is, geez]

At least you guys didn't find any bodies?

[ninjay]

Yet.

[ he points at dipper. ]

He lucked out that the one time he didn't creepily stalk the dark room, there was a body there.

[pinesfortruth]

I do not "creepily stalk it"!

[he says, lying]

And with my luck it's because I wasn't looking at it that Marty got... [HUFFS] Ughhh. [rubs at his eye again but this time in mild frustration] I just didn't want to deal with it this week.

[wristbands]

[she just sighs because... she knows he does...]

Well, I can tell you guys that the laundry room is 100% clear. The only blood in there is mine from washing it out of my clothes.

[a quick pause, then,]

... Two this week, yeah?

[ninjay]

Two this week, yes, but why is there blood on your clothes?

[ you can't say that and then not elaborate, chie, what the fuck. ]

[pinesfortruth]

[ ... he's taking a step back. just in case]

Um. Yeah. Kind of a weird time to have blood on your clothes.

[#trustnoone]

[wristbands]

[she flinches for a bit when she realizes that. ok. that did sound kind of suspicious. they have a right to be leery.]

A-are you guys really that surprised with how this place goes? [she stretches out a leg, still covered in bark scratches. just underneath her leg guard, there's a particularly ugly (but mostly healed) wound on her ankle, which normally would've been covered up with a sock.] Kaiba and I have been sparring. He doesn't go easy.

[ninjay]

Is that so?

[ he's quiet, like he's about to drop the subject. ]

If you're hiding something then it'll just show up tomorrow as evidence, you know.

[pinesfortruth]

[nodding in agreement with a frown on his face like he and jay are any kind of intimidating at all]

We're not stupid. You can't lie to us.

[NO Y'ALL KINDA ARE]

[wristbands]

[she is silent for a few seconds, debating how best to reveal the truth to the two of them. she never thought, at any point, in any of the thoughts she's had during her entire time in yuggoth, that this would be a choice she'd be making?]

I, um...

[why is it so hard to say this? what will they think of her when they find out? ... dipper's right in that they can't trust anyone, ever, so there's really no point in lying any further—even if the sparring thing is actually true. so, in a quiet voice, she finally says,]

... it's my time of the month.

1/2

[ninjay]

[ HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE ]

[ninjay]

[ jay clears his throat, wondering how to proceed from here. every possible route is a terrible one. he got himself into this mess and he is not sure how to get out. someone kill him. please, just murder him right now, this is the worst thing to ever happen to him. ]

So. Chie. What's your role, anyway?

[pinesfortruth]

[dipper's response to chie's confession is to just go wide-eyed and give a tiny little horrified squeak, because oh my god. he fucked up. he fucked up? he wants to die?? this is terrible? oh my god. no. HE NEVER WANTED THIS.

but then jay speaks and it's WORSE]

Jay?!

[he is so shocked and upset his voice cracked like 7 times on the one name]

[wristbands]

[k i l l h e r n o w]

You guys wanted me to tell the truth, and I did! I tried to save you! Do you want me to go back to being a bad liar?!

[SHE'S AS RED AS YUKIKO'S CARDIGAN AND BURYING HER FACE IN HER CLOTHES?]

[ninjay]

I thought the truth was you being a murderer and not something like that!

[ PERIODS AREN'T WORSE THAN MURDER, JAY ]

[pinesfortruth]

[dipper doesn't know what to say

are periods worse than murder? this is a real internal debate he is having. he's going to die when he and mabel hit puberty.]

I mean ... it wasn't... the worst subject change ever?

[please just change the subject]

[wristbands]

[she's this close || to actually murdering them right now, so, she'll go along with the subject change because the less she has to think about requesting tampons from craftly the better]

Anyway—why should I tell you what my role is? How do I know I can trust you guys?

[ninjay]

I've told you some things I found out about this game, and yet you have not given me a single piece of relevant information in return? This has been a rather unfair exchange, Chie.

[ look it was just the first thing that came to mind

he really didn't want to talk about periods ]

[pinesfortruth]

[dipper is extremely sleep deprived and really wants to not talk about periods? so he just blurts out:]

I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours? [and also immediately looks like he full on regrets it as he laughs nervously] Haha, ooh boy. Maybe I should just leave.

[wristbands]

...

On the count of three, how about we all say ours at the same time?

[you guys thought you were dumb]

[ninjay]

[ jay is going to spend the rest of his time alive in yuggoth wondering how the hell this conversation ever happened ]

Fine. One.

[pinesfortruth]

[hides face in hands because this is stupid, but muffled:]

Two.

[wristbands]

Three.

... Chef.