I see. It is a language I am *familiar* with myself, though it is a mystery to me how it developed seemingly identically in two different worlds. In mine, it is known as Middle Firenese, though it is no longer in *common* use.
[ look at me making shit up ]
Thus, I will make an offer of my own: an offer of *additional* lessons, so you can surprise your instructor with your linguistic *genius* as you appear to miraculously pick up words and phrases he never spoke to you... and catch him in the lie should he ever attempt to teach you a *false* meaning.
[ because that feels like it might be kind of ic. ]
I am truly honored that you would devote any amount of your time to this effort. Excluding the entertainment factor, I believe the more people who can catch Lobelia in a lie, the better. That man is one of the most dodgy people I have ever had the displeasure of encountering.
[And yet he continues to humor Lobelia... Listen, it's good to keep enemies close.]
I can tell you for certain that he has been doing his utmost to get me to say some unsavory things in our first "lesson" alone. Cross-referencing with you will be very helpful.
I have not even spoken to him *directly*, but merely from observing his interactions with others, he strikes me as singularly untrustworthy and *unsettling*.
[ the fuck was that horror story ]
I do hope that all the others see the same and are not led *astray* by his apparent congeniality.
[ like. he can't deny that lobelia is a lot more outwardly charming than he is. ]
[ sometime in the evening after trial, zelkov will be emerging from the kitchen into the buffet with two dishes in hand — one of chopped greens and one of some kind of mix of ground meat and rice.
when he sees temenos, he'll pause and give him a nod. ]
[While Temenos is here in the buffet, he's not making an effort to put a plate together. He seems to be looking around for someone. Wonder who that could be, huh.
But he's more than happy to stop his search to speak with Zelkov.]
Likewise. You put forth some very good theories.
[But there is a matter that he does actually want to speak to Zelkov about...]
It is regrettable that suspicion was cast onto you today. I believe you handled it with grace, however.
[ in retrospect, he's not actually sure how plausible any of those theories were, but. he shakes his head. ]
Thank you, but they were valid suspicions given the line of logic we were pursuing at the time. Without any corroboration, my only real defense would have been that delivering such a convoluted and seemingly cruel death was not my style.
Be that as it may, surface level suspicions such as those can get someone wrongfully judged as guilty. There was nothing concrete pointing to your guilt, unlike with Sonya.
Simply having a multitude of specializations and spending time alone isn't enough, particularly when none of that matters once everyone falls asleep.
Much of that can be attributed to an incomplete understanding of the way the barriers worked.
[ or the... absence of the knowledge that there even were barriers, for some people... ]
We now know for the future that while it could be useful to document everyone's locations for the sake of plotting out the killer's route or finding inconsistencies, we should not consider them alibis. As you say, concrete evidence should be our focus.
[The last few days have been...trying, to say the least, and Temenos hasn't been out and about very much because of it. But with every Monday comes a new island to explore, so now that he has rested up from yesterday's grape debacle, he's checking out everything that Dodo's Outlook has to offer. His exploration eventually leads him to the planetarium, and he happens to come across Zelkov there.
Ah...he really needs to talk to Zelkov about the weekend, doesn't he.]
[ ah. though zelkov may have been disappointed watching temenos interact with lobelia over the past few weeks — which definitely came to a head during that last trial — after what he heard from shuda about the monster his group had to deal with yesterday, he doesn't know that he has that much room to criticize his judgment now. ]
Hello.
[ he looks away from the solar system model he'd been examining and turns to temenos with a nod. ]
I hope you are doing well since... yesterday's events.
[And Shuda got it the worst out of all of them, so it makes sense.]
I won't force you to tell me everything you know just yet, as I intend to call a meeting to discuss it tomorrow, but...yes. What Shuda said to you is likely true. A little rest and recuperation was all that I needed to recover, but I imagine Shuda must still be feeling the effects.
[ zelkov is silent for a moment, considering this. ]
On the whole, I have always considered you to be a person of relatively sound judgment... so I will confess to being at something of a loss as to why you allowed things with him to get so far out of hand over the past weeks.
[ he shakes his head. ]
I am more sympathetic to your actions during the trial itself, as I was under the impression that you were attempting to keep him placated and prevent him from using his destructive capabilities against everyone present.
The only reason I did not kill him myself after the first week was because I was wary of his powers — the extent of which were unknown to me — and the possibility that he would find a way to bring others down with him. So that calculation, at least, is one I understand.
[It's valid criticism, and Temenos readily accepts it.]
That had been my intention this entire time. To placate him- keep him close to me so I could get a feel for his motivations. I fully knew what he was capable of by the time he acted, but I genuinely did not expect him to act. And if he did, I had hoped that he would at least leave everyone else out of it.
But...I was unaware of his interactions with Vergilius. He never spoke to me about them. [He still doesn't know what to make of any of that, to be perfectly honest.] This is to say nothing of what he did to Haruka, Xiao and Beelzebub. Had I known he would do that, I would have never let it get to that point.
[Crossing his arms, he brings a hand to his chin.]
I was not blind to his nature nor his bloodlust. If anything, I imagine I understood it better than many here. [Not enough, obviously. But that's probably the only reason he's alive right now.] We both seek thrills on the opposite sides of the same coin, and though I found him loathsome, I also found it difficult to not resonate with him in some manner.
Perhaps this is a surprising confession to have come from me, but I felt it needed to be spoken.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
DMs
week 1, wednesday
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[ look at me making shit up ]
Thus, I will make an offer of my own: an offer of *additional* lessons, so you can surprise your instructor with your linguistic *genius* as you appear to miraculously pick up words and phrases he never spoke to you... and catch him in the lie should he ever attempt to teach you a *false* meaning.
[ because that feels like it might be kind of ic. ]
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I'm in.
How fortuitous that you two seem to share a common language despite coming from very different worlds.
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[ except for when he's critting people on the battlefield. ]
I do not know that I can truly call this a *worthy* use of it, but at least I can say I am *imparting* knowledge.
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[And yet he continues to humor Lobelia... Listen, it's good to keep enemies close.]
I can tell you for certain that he has been doing his utmost to get me to say some unsavory things in our first "lesson" alone. Cross-referencing with you will be very helpful.
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[ the fuck was that horror story ]
I do hope that all the others see the same and are not led *astray* by his apparent congeniality.
[ like. he can't deny that lobelia is a lot more outwardly charming than he is. ]
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Charisma can blind even the most discerning of individuals. I intend to keep an eye on him and intervene if I see that happening.
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In any case, let me know whenever you are ready for a *supplementary* lesson; I should have no trouble making time.
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Time is about all we have here. I do hope you aren't going stir-crazy just yet. With that said, shall I track you down now?
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week 2, post-trial
when he sees temenos, he'll pause and give him a nod. ]
Thank you for your efforts today.
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But he's more than happy to stop his search to speak with Zelkov.]
Likewise. You put forth some very good theories.
[But there is a matter that he does actually want to speak to Zelkov about...]
It is regrettable that suspicion was cast onto you today. I believe you handled it with grace, however.
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Thank you, but they were valid suspicions given the line of logic we were pursuing at the time. Without any corroboration, my only real defense would have been that delivering such a convoluted and seemingly cruel death was not my style.
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Be that as it may, surface level suspicions such as those can get someone wrongfully judged as guilty. There was nothing concrete pointing to your guilt, unlike with Sonya.
Simply having a multitude of specializations and spending time alone isn't enough, particularly when none of that matters once everyone falls asleep.
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[ or the... absence of the knowledge that there even were barriers, for some people... ]
We now know for the future that while it could be useful to document everyone's locations for the sake of plotting out the killer's route or finding inconsistencies, we should not consider them alibis. As you say, concrete evidence should be our focus.
week 4, monday
Ah...he really needs to talk to Zelkov about the weekend, doesn't he.]
Zelkov- good day.
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Hello.
[ he looks away from the solar system model he'd been examining and turns to temenos with a nod. ]
I hope you are doing well since... yesterday's events.
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When Zelkov brings up yesterday, Temenos's eyebrows raise slightly.]
Oh, so you've already heard?
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[And Shuda got it the worst out of all of them, so it makes sense.]
I won't force you to tell me everything you know just yet, as I intend to call a meeting to discuss it tomorrow, but...yes. What Shuda said to you is likely true. A little rest and recuperation was all that I needed to recover, but I imagine Shuda must still be feeling the effects.
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In that case, I will be sure to compile the information I have by then.
[ ...sighs. ]
It sounds as if my actions may have inadvertently led to the creation of that monster. You have my apologies.
1/2
[There is no need to sound triumphant about deducing that, and yet Temenos does it anyway.
...but if Zelkov is concerned about him being upset over it, he needn't be.]
Apology accepted. We share a similar sense of curiosity, so I can freely admit that I likely would have done the same had I been in your position.
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But while we are on the subject of apologies, I owe you one of my own. My conduct over the weekend was unprofessional at best and appalling at worst.
Rest assured, I intend to take a step back during the next trial proceedings, should they come to pass.
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On the whole, I have always considered you to be a person of relatively sound judgment... so I will confess to being at something of a loss as to why you allowed things with him to get so far out of hand over the past weeks.
[ he shakes his head. ]
I am more sympathetic to your actions during the trial itself, as I was under the impression that you were attempting to keep him placated and prevent him from using his destructive capabilities against everyone present.
The only reason I did not kill him myself after the first week was because I was wary of his powers — the extent of which were unknown to me — and the possibility that he would find a way to bring others down with him. So that calculation, at least, is one I understand.
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That had been my intention this entire time. To placate him- keep him close to me so I could get a feel for his motivations. I fully knew what he was capable of by the time he acted, but I genuinely did not expect him to act. And if he did, I had hoped that he would at least leave everyone else out of it.
But...I was unaware of his interactions with Vergilius. He never spoke to me about them. [He still doesn't know what to make of any of that, to be perfectly honest.] This is to say nothing of what he did to Haruka, Xiao and Beelzebub. Had I known he would do that, I would have never let it get to that point.
[Crossing his arms, he brings a hand to his chin.]
I was not blind to his nature nor his bloodlust. If anything, I imagine I understood it better than many here. [Not enough, obviously. But that's probably the only reason he's alive right now.] We both seek thrills on the opposite sides of the same coin, and though I found him loathsome, I also found it difficult to not resonate with him in some manner.
Perhaps this is a surprising confession to have come from me, but I felt it needed to be spoken.