The White Elephant in the Room Playground

[Fusion]

Lee rose from the shadow of the chalkboard, tilting his head to try and crack it and accidentally snapping it sideways. It didn't want to snap back into place, so he simply took it off and held it under his arm. He let out a yawn shook his body, nearly dropping his head. "Is it possible to feel second hand disgust from something?" he asked, glancing at Darkwhite and shuddering. "Because I'm fairly certain that's what I'm feeling now."

"And with that Scyther gone, that leaves about... four possible suspects? I cannot tell if I'm reading the chalkboard right but that's what it sounds like. Looks like. Reads like?" Lee shook his head, by literally shaking it. "I'm still waking up, I've never had such a long sleep before."

 

[IFBench]

Gen shakily walked into the room, breathing a sigh of relief once he saw that everyone from yesterday except Mia was still there.

They're still alive. They're still alive. They're still alive. It's ok. It's ok.

He hesitated, then ran up to Palkia, and hugged the.legendary dragon of space as best he could.

It's ok. It's ok.

 

[Persephone]

IF UnitDesignate_Mia Possessed Ultra Lethal Ramming;
AND UnitDesignate_Nillam Possessed Ultra Unlethal Armor;
THEN Redirection Leads To No Deaths As Observed

Unit001_101110110 Will Engage In Matchmaking Exercises As Requested

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Delighted to see everybody emergin' safely from the night. We'll get through this yet."

[Takes his fuckin' head off fer some fuckin' reason] "Is it possible to feel second hand disgust from something? Because I'm fairly certain that's what I'm feeling now. And with that Scyther gone, that leaves about... four possible suspects?"

"S'good to fuckin' see ya, Lee. Mind, ah, puttin' yer head back on so's I can clap you on the back fer survivin'?"

Unit001_101110110 Redirected Processes Of UnitDesignate_Mia To UnitDesignate_Nilam.
IF UnitDesignate_Mia Possessed Ultra Lethal Ramming;
AND UnitDesignate_Nillam Possessed Ultra Unlethal Armor;
THEN Redirection Leads To No Deaths As Observed
Unit001_101110110 Will Engage In Matchmaking Exercises As Requested

"Nice work, partner. Is it also possible that Mia chose to make no attempts to kill another guest, anticipatin' you'd try exactly that trick? Mia knew you were mighty suspicious of Nilam. If so, the choice not to kill at all may have been made to protect Nilam."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Lemme just go over my suspects board fer Lee and anyone else confused," added Jesse.

He went back to his boards and made some adjustments with coloured chalk.

Jesse's Suspects Chalkboard

Dead	Cleared of 1st & 2nd Murders by Lee	Alignment Cleared by Jesse	Alignment Cleared by Abigail	Uncleared
Squirt	Jesse	Abigail (survivor A)	Jesse	Nilam
Mewtwo	Palkia		Lee	Nocitlalin
Mia	Darkwhite		Palkia
	Tabitha
	Gen
	Nickit (non-participating)

"We got Nilam and technically Nocitlalin unvouched-for, alignment-wise and with regard to the murders so far. I'm not suspicious of the beldum, because I like her track record, but I'm highly suspicious of our rotom pal. As far as I'm concerned, Lee, Palkia, Abigail and Darkwhite and m'self are all hard-cleared. That leaves Tabitha, Gen, and Nickit. Now, I don't reckon Nickit is Naughty, or they'd have been participatin'. Just a hunch, you might disagree. I'm pretty sure Gen ain't one of our murderous number. Which means Tabitha, who I already had my eye on, is my top pick for Naughty guest who ain't the original murderer, but an accomplice. To put it another way..."

Jesse's Take:

Confirmed Nice/Neutral	Probably Nice/Neutral	Probably Naughty	Confirmed Naughty
Jesse	Nocitlalin	Nilam	Mia 💀
Palkia	Gen	Tabitha
Darkwhite	Nickit
Lee
Abigail
Mewtwo 💀
Squirt 💀

"If we get lucky, and make smart moves, and have the right assumptions, we might get outta this with no more innocents dead. Maybe."

 

[Fusion]

"S'good to fuckin' see ya, Lee."

Lee smirked, his body straightening a bit. "And it's nice to see--"

"Mind, ah, puttin' yer head back on so's I can clap you on the back fer survivin'?"

He dropped his head back onto his shoulders, growling slightly as it just wouldn't get on straight at first. It did eventually snap back into place. "--you as well."

Lee hummed and crossed his arms. "So, we're going to press Nilam and Tabitha for the time being? Since the cycle started anew, I can ask the dead again for information. Anyone got anything specific they want to ask, I only have one chance to ask today."

 

[Chibi Pika]

He hesitated, then ran up to Palkia, and hugged the.legendary dragon of space as best he could.

Palkia paused, blinking down at the tiny otter. Then a wide grin of delight spread across the spactial one's face. "That's the spirit! We'll survive this party yet, and we'll have a most excellent time in the process~"

IF UnitDesignate_Mia Possessed Ultra Lethal Ramming;
AND UnitDesignate_Nillam Possessed Ultra Unlethal Armor;
THEN Redirection Leads To No Deaths As Observed

Palkia put a claw to its chin, thoughtful. "Well, that would be the case if not for the rather strange temporal disruptions we've been experiencing. First the night that didn't exist, then the night that never ended. We saw Mia open a gift, but that could have been before, or after the sun went out. It's possible she may not have been able to make a move at all last night! But I can't say for sure... I'm not Dialga," Palkia added with a crooked grin. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I used my gift at all. Such delightful uncertainty~"

 

[IFBench]

After Palkia looked back up from him, Gen ran towards Darkwhite, and tried to hug them, too. Then he ran over to Jesse and tried to do the same to him.

"We...we lived. We lived."

 

[Fusion]

After Palkia looked back up from him, Gen ran towards Darkwhite, and tried to hug them, too. Then he ran over to Jesse and tried to do the same to him.

"We...we lived. We lived."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Lee chuckled. "We've basically already caught the killers, we just have to pin them down and get the the hell out of here."

Which was probably easier said than done. They still didn't know how many killers there were. Maybe he should ask Mia how many nau-- not saying that, killers there were. Then again, he doubted a killer would tell him the truth. Especially not her, since she looked like the last person to want to give him anything.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"It's nice to see you as well."

Jesse approached Lee and pulled him into a hug.

"Was worried you were gonna bite it, partner. Fuckin' relieved to see ya safe."

"Well, that would be the case if not for the rather strange temporal disruptions we've been experiencing. First the night that didn't exist, then the night that never ended. We saw Mia open a gift, but that could have been before, or after the sun went out. It's possible she may not have been able to make a move at all last night! But I can't say for sure... I'm not Dialga. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I used my gift at all. Such delightful uncertainty~"

"Alright, big shot. Out with it. Y'keep sayin' y'ain't yer sibling. What are you implyin', that you were the one who fucked around with Night 4? That you know somethin' I don't about the temporal shenanigans?"

[Comes to me fer a hug.] "We...we lived. We lived."

"It's alright, son. We'll make it outta here yet. C'mere."

Jesse crouched down and gave the oshawott a hug.

What's Brisa feeling right now? What if I never get to see her again? Is she still safe?

"Yeah, don't you worry, kid. I'll keep ya safe."

"Since the cycle started anew, I can ask the dead again for information. Anyone got anything specific they want to ask, I only have one chance to ask today."

"Well, I don't know that you'll get much useful info outta Mia, but it's worth a shot more than askin' the innocent dead anythin' in my opinion. Maybe ask her if I'm right about who else is Naughty? There're several different ways to ask that, mind. I guess I'd ask 'are either or both of Nilam and Tabitha, Naughty?' but that's just my first thought. What d'you reckon, Palkia?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Alright, big shot. Out with it. Y'keep sayin' y'ain't yer sibling. What are you implyin', that you were the one who fucked around with Night 4? That you know somethin' I don't about the temporal shenanigans?"

Palkia cackled. "Not at all! Ending the daytime early was rather inconvenient for us, wouldn't you say? We didn't have the chance to plan at all! No no, I just mean..." It paused, suppressing a wave of giggling. "Really, not one person is going to ask how I protected Abigail last night? Not one?! And then I volunteered the fact that I didn't use my gift last night--such an obvious inconsistency!" Its grin darkens, an ominous aura building. "It's a good thing I'm on your side, mm? Would you be able to survive if I weren't?"

The dark aura vanished, and Palkia went back to grinning cheerfully as if nothing had happened.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I've no idea, partner," drawled Jesse, raising a brow. "Maybe not! But you are on our side, as far as I can tell, which means I don't really fuckin' care. So, you're sayin' ya may or may not have protected Abigail. I'm sure we all appreciate yer help, but I'd appreciate yer elaboration, too. My best guess right now is that your power is triggered by certain conditions, so if Abigail wasn't targeted for death, you didn't use it."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Palkia leered at Jesse. "Good, good, you've kept what I've said in mind--that I hadn't used my gift before, and that it's somewhat situational. If I had the power to protect someone every night, at will... why, there'd be no reason to ever hold back!"

Palkia traced a line around one of its shoulder pearls with a claw. "It would also be rather foolish of me to so readily confess a protection gift while there are still enemies in our midst. Sorry to say, I cannot protect freely every night. In fact, my gift doesn't involve protection at all! My apologies to the Naughty ones who thought I might suddenly be an enticing target. No no, my protection was a one-time deal! That hen was rather delicious. So sweet~"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Noted," said Jesse with a nod. "Though it leaves me with a feelin' of grave uncertainty about whether a kill was attempted last night, the order in which each power activated, and where it leaves us. I'm still likin' my informed suspicions, though. Got any contrary suppositions?"

 

[Fusion]

Jesse approached Lee and pulled him into a hug.

"Was worried you were gonna bite it, partner. Fuckin' relieved to see ya safe."

Lee stiffened, accepting the hug but for some reason his body didn't want to move to return it. "Tha--" he squeaked then cleared his throat, believing that him ignoring that voice crack meant everyone else would. "Thanks, uh, partner. We wouldn't be half as organized if they got you. And honestly you're like the one person here I like."

"Sorry to say, I cannot protect freely every night."

"--my protection was a one-time deal! That hen was rather delicious. So sweet~"

"Hmm, and that clears Palkia entirely, then," Lee nodded once he was over whatever happened when Jesse hugged him. "Funny how the innocents aren't the ones you'd expect to be." He glanced over Darkwhite and Palkia, then looked at himself. "Not exactly innocent looking, are we?" he chuckled.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Palkia tilted its head in thought, tilting so far that its head had gone upside-down. "I don't believe Mia got the chance to make a move. I believe one of her accomplices did so in her stead. That leaves us with a few options:

- Abigail was targeted and the hope that I held in my heart while eating that hen saved her from harm.
- Someone else was targeted, and someone among us with an actual gift of protection protected them.
- Someone was targeted whose gift grants some manner of invulnerability.

"Since I didn't actually use my gift last night, I'm still foggy on if we even had a night, truth be told. I suppose the best way to find out would be to ask those of us who actually learn something from their gift, eh?" The dragon turned to Abigail. "Were you permitted to use the lens last night?"

 

[IFBench]

"It's alright, son. We'll make it outta here yet. C'mere."

Jesse crouched down and gave the oshawott a hug.

"T-thanks," Gen said, as he leaned in towards Jesse.

As he did so, a single thought crossed his mind, one that caused his expression to pale momentarily.

What if they're all lying, and secretly planning to kill me next?

...no, that couldn't be true.

...right?

 

[Starlight Aurate]

Tabitha crawled out from under the razed branches of the Christmas tree. He remained hiding when the Scyther-girl attacked the partridge in a fit and listened to the succeeding conversation. But, it seemed, the time had come to make himself known.

He smiled. "Suspicious of me--and rightly so. I haven't offered much so far here, although as I have no power that provides information, there's not much I can do." He looked over at the Ralts. "I take it that you haven't found your partner, or else you would have cleared me. But our goals are the same. My goal in life has always been to survive. If I stay alive, then I can protect and provide for others, as well. This situation is no different. I may not be 'nice,' as you all put it, but I assure you that my hands--"

He looked awkwardly at his large, black paws--

"--er, I guess, are clean this time. I have neither murdered anyone here nor aided anyone in doing so. I can provide a modicum of protection during the night phase, but only at particular times.

"As for who to press now, my guess is as good as anyone's. I can vouch for no one, as I have no way of affirming whether others tell the truth or not. I think we can safely agree that the Lycanroc and those he has cleared are safe. It seems that way with the Ralts, as well. So the two of them, Palkia, the Delphox, and Darkwhite all look Innocent--for now." His red gaze rested on the trembling Oshawott and stone silent Nickit. "The two of you look as guilty as anyone else here. Why so silent, I wonder?" His eyes roved over to the Rotom and Beldum floating. He liked that Beldum. It was simple and made sense--but just because he liked someone, it didn't mean their intentions were pure. "Have either of you given input as to what your abilities here are? I'm curious to hear from the four of you as to what your thoughts or observations are on this situation--and whether you have anything substantial to clear your names or implicate others."

He stood up and began to slink back towards the Christmas tree. With a last glance at Abigail, he said, "I expect you'll clear me soon."

 

[IFBench]

His red gaze rested on the trembling Oshawott and stone silent Nickit. "The two of you look as guilty as anyone else here. Why so silent, I wonder?"

Gen yelped as the Mightyena addressed him, and accused him. His grip on Jesse tightened.

 

[Starlight Aurate]

The smile fell from Tabitha's face. "Are you trying to make me your enemy?"