[closed] time to fess up

[yugo]

Who: Those accused in the recent framed plot-- Yugo, Zelos, Zelda, and Jacques.
What: It's time to bring everyone back together and see what they've found in their investigations. It should make things clear that someone is behind it, and there are a certain number of weird inconsistencies that point to... well, we'll see.
Where: Let's say, somewhere in the village.
When: I'm leaving this open-ended, for the most part. After the barrow dens have been cleared, at least!
Warnings: None, but let me know if anything needs to be changed.


[After spending a couple hours interrogating the townsfolk, Yugo is confused and a bit alarmed at what he was able to find out. The truth was: not much. Obviously there was a liar about, but these people were so sure about what they'd seen, or rather what someone else had seen... It's almost like they were told something, and made to believe it.

There's no doubt that someone drew on their faces and did those other things, as he's seen the proof... but the 'eyewitness accounts' are a bit lacking in detail and sense, and it's really telling that only the black and bronze dragonflights were able to go into the village for a while. Maybe there's some magic they don't know about.

Thankfully, he's at neutral, but Yugo's still not happy. He wonders what the others have found out, and so he hangs out by the gates, hoping to grab them before they go back to their sanctums.]

Comments

[traitre]

[A pleased little smile, bordering on cheeky. Qilby 1, Yugo 0.

He shakes his head.] You really just don't get what it is I've done, do you?

Where are your three friends? [A pause to glance around the room, as if he's expecting to find any of them hiding under a table or hanging from the ceiling.] --I mean, you must be friends now. A group of heroic types like you four don't go slaughtering monstrosities for a few hours and not see it as a bonding experience.

[He drums his fingers idly on the arm of his chair.] I do have to wonder, though, if you all would ever have come together like that if a reason hadn't been practically hand-delivered to you.

[yugo]

[Now that gets a bit of confusion. Qilby is obviously trying to spin it that he did it so that Yugo would have allies, but...]

They're not here. [Yeah, he's not falling for it. Sorry, he's just feeling the pressure of having people suffer for his sake.] If you've tried to bring us together, it's only against you and the black dragonflight.

[He shakes his head.]

There's nothing noble about framing people, Qilby. What if someone tried to get into the village and they were attacked? Zel can barely fight.

No... I think you did this for yourself.

[traitre]

You would think that, but that's because you always assume the worst of me.

[A careless little shrug.] Perhaps I underestimated how useless my chosen Dragonsworn would be-- [The ones he'd chosen completely at random, he means to say.] --but you're an eliatrope, Yugo. Better than they are. I knew you'd make up for their shortcomings if you had to.

It seems you did. And now, aren't we all in a better place than we were before? [Because who is he kidding? Without him, the black flight would never have gained footing here. They're clever, most of them... But diplomacy is certainly not their strong suit. If he'd cared to try this the honest way, they'd all inevitably end up working against him.]

[yugo]

[Something vulnerable flickers across his expression.] I want to believe that you're good at heart. I want to believe that you're as nice as you seem to be... but you keep doing bad things. Me and Ad' looked up to you! Do you really think sneaking around like this is admirable?

[He lifts his chin.] You're wrong. We're no better than anyone else. Do you really think two Eliatropes could stop the whole demon army? It took more than that to save our people last time, but you know that. So why are you still acting like we're better?

We're not. [He's trying to keep his voice low, trying really hard.] The Burning Legion wants to suck the life out of this planet and all the other ones. That's not any different from using the Zinit.

[traitre]

[As Yugo speaks, a scowl slowly starts to mar Qilby's carefully-maintained neutrality-- at least until he says something about stopping a whole demon army. Is he serious?

After another loud peal of laughter he lowers his voice, speaking quickly, quietly.]

What makes you think I want to stop them? Small-minded as you are, Yugo, you may not have realized this-- but the Legion's intervention is the best possible thing that could have happened to me. Defeating them now, reparing the timelines of all these worlds, resuming our old lives... [He holds back a shudder like a coiled spring inside him-- can't come so close to such an honest reaction, can he? The moment passes quickly, but despite his efforts to hide it the hesitation there is obvious.] ...Thanks to you, I know the fate in store for me there. I refuse it.

No, I don't believe I'll be wasting my time trying to fight them the way we are now. Even now, I work on a way to replicate my original Eliacube. [Saying so, he reaches over and picks up the book full of what must be his notes so far, drawing them protectively to his chest. They're no less quiet, but he practically hisses his words now.] And when I do, that is when the Legion will fall. When the time comes to return to our universe -- to return to our people -- it'll be on my terms, under my power.

[He can't help but smile at the thought.] "Savior of the Krosmoz"-- has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I'll be sure to include it in the history books.