Audience: Shinobu

[gatonina]

Comments

WEEK ZERO, TUESDAY EVENING

[gatonina]

[once shinobu feeds the blue bunny, it will zip out of the waiting room and lead her across the camp. she will have to be quick on her feet to keep up. the bunny will take her to area surrounding the bonfire, where she will come across winter wizard making their way up north. they will be stopped by the bunny hopping towards them, and will bend down to scoop it up before turning towards shinobu.]

Hey. What's up?

[wisterin]

[ Shinobu may not be the strongest person in her canon, but she is one of the fastest. ]

Good evening, Wizard-san. Should I call you team leader, too?

[gatonina]

Oh, just Wizard is fine. No need for fancy titles, or anything like that.

[wisterin]

Are you sure that won't be too rude?

[gatonina]

I'm giving you permission! It'd be, like, way worse to ignore that, if you ask me.

[wisterin]

[ She laughs softly. ]

All right. It'll be a little odd, but Wizard, it is. Do you dislike most formalities?

[gatonina]

[they nod.]

Pretty much. As long as nobody acts like an asshole, I don't really care.

WEEK ONE, TUESDAY

[gatonina]

[after feeding the blue bunny, it zips off past shinobu and out the door, bounding its way across the grounds. shinobu will have to be quick to keep up, but it seems like it's leading her straight to the camp store. the door swings open for the bunny, and as shinobu enters, he will find winter wizard seated at the checkout counter. they look up from their magazine once they notice the bunny, bending down to scoop it up and plop it down on their lap.]

Shinobu, hey. What's up?

[wisterin]

Hello, Winter-san. Did you overhear the discussion earlier today?

[gatonina]

Well... I've been here all day, so... Fill me in?

[wisterin]

[ She smiles, but it's more thoughtful than anything. ]

We shouldn't tell more than three people about our powers per week. No one is going to be corrupted or possessed or otherwise to murder. [ She pauses. ]

What you told Flayn-san and me earlier this week. And that it's limited to saving three people from the other places per person on the winning team? Is that all correct?

[gatonina]

Per week...? Telling one or two people is fine, but if you're sharing with three people per week... Eventually the whole camp will know, Shinobu. [they sound concerned about that.

for the rest, though, they nod.]

Mm, that's about the gist of it. If our team wins, everyone on it gets to pick three people from their last "round" to save. From the people who are here, and...the people who aren't.

[wisterin]

[ She does not like the confirmation. She's going to sit on that for a while.

She lets out a breath that's not quite a sigh. ]

Do you think I'll be a target? [ She isn't going to say she's the most likable person around, but it's fine. ]

I do have a question about my ability. Do Thursday nights supersede it?

W1, THURSDAY

[gatonina]

[the gray bunny leads shinobu to the gardens, where black shadows is seated at a gazebo. they appear to watch her with a little concern, despite their lack of facial features, and gesture for her to sit.]

Shinobu. Hello. Any help needed?

[wisterin]

[ YOU ARE GOOD WHICHEVER MOD THIS IS

She sits, as bidden. She is fine? Her burns and the rest have been taken care of. ]

Good evening, Black Shadows-san. I hope I'm not too much of a bother, if I ask if you know what this is?

[ She shows them the syringe found in the cabin in the woods. ]

[gatonina]

[they are not positive she's fully fine, but they accept this...

when she shows them the syringe, they lean in to inspect it, with an odd distorted sound that might be a hum.]

...found in cabin? Troubling.

[a shake of their head.]

Toxic substance.

[wisterin]

[ Oh. That's terrible.

Her lips drawn into a frown, and her brows furrow in concern. ]

It's poison? Is it instantaneous?

[gatonina]

Not instantaneous. Would take hours after drinking. Small amount sufficient.

[they sound just as concerned, honestly.]

[wisterin]

[ i don't know if i hate this or if i love this YOU GUYS ARE EVIL

Shinobu looks conflicted. Usually, poison is fine with her, but. Life sucks right now. ]

I was hoping it'd do the opposite, but I will keep it safe. Do you know what that cabin was?

WEEK THREE, SUNDAY

[gatonina]

[Once Shinobu rings the blue bell, she will get the feeling she should head for the food court. It is there that she will find Veronica, who looks like she can't decide whether she should be stricken or relieved upon seeing her.] Shinobu... [She opens her mouth like she's about to say something, takes in a breath, and exhales. In the end, she goes with:] Hey. How are you feeling?

[wisterin]

[ When Shinobu comes up to Veronica, she comes to a stop and is surprised for a full second, almost as if expecting a different expression from her.

She smiles slightly and then does a full bow from the waist. ]

I'm so sorry. I know I failed you on some level with my decision.

[ That's how she's feeling. ]

[gatonina]

[Ah. There is something about that sight, seeing her bow from the waist, that seems to make Veronica lose it. Because as soon as she sees Shinobu do that? She smacks her hand down on the nearest table.] —You didn't! [She sucks in a breath. Exhales. Lowers her voice so she's not shouting in the middle of hecking Campsco.] ... You didn't fail me. So, please, lift your head. [It feels wrong to watch her bow. Especially after getting an eyeful of the state her body wound up in, all because of...] If anyone here deserves an apology, it's you. If I had smothered this competition in the frickin cradle, then you and Flayn wouldn't have had to kill anyone. You don't deserve this bullshit.

[wisterin]

[ It takes her a moment because she doesn't think she should, not so soon, but she also doesn't think it's right for her to refuse this request, not from from Veronica. She slowly rights herself, and her smile is wan. ]

None of us do, you included.

[ She is accepting that camp sucks for everyone! ]

I am sorry I am leaving Flayn-san alone. It is one of the things I dislike most about my decision.

[gatonina]

[There's a look on her face like she wants to argue about that, like she should be excluded. But in the end, she shakes her head.] ... I can't promise no one will try to hurt her, but I'll keep an eye on Flayn for you, too. And if you want to write to her, you can use the booth. It's easy to use, even if you've never seen one before.

[wisterin]

... I know. Thank you, Veronica-san. I got lessons in how to use things like computers since that week I burned down that cabin.

[ She folds her hands in front of her. ]

But why do you think you deserve this bullshit?

[ It's as good a word as any for this mess. ]