Nimona ☆ White Tiger

[hanaban]

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[sharkgirl]

But he isn't you. [she says, lifting her eyebrow.]

[hanaban]

No, but we're twins. That's close enough.

[ Nimona's seen snapshot memories of his brother, she knows how cute he is. and murderous. and insane. just like Hanako ]

[sharkgirl]

[i am still thinking about "hanako voted for will seven times because he looked at nimona ignoring will and was like yeah that works" and reeling

she makes a face at him, with a little buzz of slight irritation.]

It isn't, but I'm not gonna argue with you about it. [...] Man, what am I gonna do with you, huh?

[hanaban]

[ him just "I don't know what's happening over there but Nimona is correct" ]

Hmm... the best thing is to leave me be and let me do whatever I want.

[ or, rather, the easiest thing, stubborn as he is and determined to do whatever he wants ]

[sharkgirl]

[SHE WAS IGNORING HIM BECAUSE HE WAS BAD AT COVERING UP HIS OWN MURDER AND SHE WAS TRYING TO NOT GET HIM CAUGHT help her

she gives him a flat look.]

Uh huh. Cool, well, you know how that works with me. [honks his nose again.] When I let you do whatever you want, I end up having to investigate my own teammate's death.

[the emotions here are chill, she's not like, mad, she's just pointing out that he gives her grey hair.]

[hanaban]

[ Even if she's not mad, there's a little rush of guilt when she says it. He's not guilty at all over killing Danny— he'd do it again in a heartbeat, with zero provocation— but he did break his promise to Nimona and went against her wishes and that's what bums him out. It's guilt mixed with love and Nimona can guess who this is directed at (not Danny) ]

I mean. You didn't have to.

[ like. everybody knew it was him. there's zero reason to look any more into it. ]

[sharkgirl]

[she tilts her head back with a sigh.]

... No, but. [...] I didn't want it to be either of you. So I didn't vote at all.

[because that love is reflected back at him. so - there isn't really a way that she could've been okay with how she'd feel if she'd contributed to their deaths. hanako, because he's important to her, and will, because he's important to nico.] I didn't want Nico to have to kill Will, either.

[hanaban]

[ ... ]

Was not voting an option?

[ DID THEY NOT HAVE TO CONVICT ANYBODY ]

[sharkgirl]

Yeah? I didn't vote and I don't think anything happened.

[something did happen she just isn't aware laughs]

[hanaban]

[ WHA HAPPEN ]

We didn't have to vote!!

[ yes, that's what she just said! but he's just so "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DIDN'T HAVE TO VOTE" every week he voted for the murderer and every week he was all "they died because of me ):" ]

[sharkgirl]

[she lost a memory..... which he has actually encountered which memory she lost i just don't think he realized it oops]

It probably wouldn't have worked if we all didn't.

[hanaban]

[ hanako just ??? ANYWAYS, ]

Why not? That's like saying nobody had to kill on Thursdays.

[ were people compelled to do it? he doesn't know, he did it for funsies ]

[sharkgirl]

I think someone did have to every Thursday or something bad would happen? I don't know I couldn't read half the dumb moon notes that people were getting.

It doesn't matter now, it happened.

[hanaban]

[ something about... keeping something open...? Datz was the note taker in their team, not him ]

... What about this Thursday?

[sharkgirl]

... Like the upcoming one? I don't think it matters. I think the moon's coming out to fight us.

[which, good]

[hanaban]

I thought was supposed to keep something open? Let me...

[ digs out his phone, where is that note? ]

"One death each week is enough to keep the door open. Kill, or lose everything any of them have cared about." So even if we beat the moon, doesn't that mean we're still stuck here?

[sharkgirl]

[she shrugs. she did not pay attention to the plot she was too busy being sad]

Not if we steal its power, I guess? That's the whole rock eating thing, I thought. I don't know, you should ask Datz or something.

[hanaban]

If I ask Datz, he's just going to go "oh, no, don't worry about it, you don't have to kill anymore, Koko!" regardless.

[ BIG SIGH. Datz would want to do it himself, even though he knows Hanako is perfectly capable of a little murder or four. ]

[sharkgirl]

You don't.

[takes his face in her hands]

No more killing people while you're here. You're going to get me in trouble and it's not the fun kind of trouble.

[hanaban]

Who's been giving you trouble.

[ tell him. he'll kill them. ]

[sharkgirl]

[HANAKO]

None of your business.

[hanaban]

[ GIVE HIM NAMES ]

It is my business, when somebody's giving you trouble because of me!

[sharkgirl]

Nobody is mad yet. [she's just waiting for them to be, because that's kind of how her life goes. she makes friends, and then they eventually realize she's not worth it and they throw her away.]

[hanaban]

[ He frowns like he doesn't believe her, like she's trying to protect somebody by not naming names, but also because Nimona isn't responsible for him- she shouldn't have to bear the consequences of his actions, and whoever thinks otherwise is stupid and should die and he volunteers to stab them ]

If they're going to be mad at anybody, it should be at me.

[ which. he thinks probably a lot of people are, even if they don't say it to his face. The people he killed had friends, teammates, people who cared about them and would resent Hanako regardless of reason or intention. It's like what happened with Adlet and Whisper, and the reminder makes his guts twist. ]

...if somebody hurts you to hurt me, I would never forgive them.

[sharkgirl]

They're not going to hurt me. I'm not some defenseless maiden, Hanako. I can take care of myself.

[she says, firmly. she taps the side of his face with her fingers. there's this little - twist of her emotions, of something soft, because she has had so very little of people caring about her in her very long life, and even if hanako's way of showing it is skewed, it still means something to her.

but still.]

I'm not worried about my safety or whatever. You're my friend and I love you, and there are other people I love too, and it's - you can't make me stand in the middle and pick.

So work with me instead of against me. I'm not abandoning you.