Camp: private conversations

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Respond here for a private conversation with Red! All comment threads are screened.

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[killtheanimals]

[Luckily he can guess at what she's doing, because:]

I don't know sign language.

[Just Japanese and Latin and maybe a tiny smattering of English, sorry.]

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[Ah. Well then.

Red holds up her hands, and there's the familiar flash of blue again. Now there's a faint blue glow between her fingers, and her words appear as Japanese text for Mitsuru to read.]

It's been a while since I've had to do this trick.

[killtheanimals]

[Oh, that's interesting.]

You don't like to write?

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I do write, but this is faster.

What can I do for you?

[killtheanimals]

I wanted to know when it was that someone asked you to look out for Stan.

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[Her gaze falters for a moment, as she considers how much to say.]

A couple years back, someone asked me to 'protect their family'. Stan is the only member of their family to have come through here.

[So far.]

[killtheanimals]

Was it Mabel Pines?

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How did-

[Wait. She did say that name once, in a fit of anger. That's totally on her.

She sighs.]

Yes, it was.

[killtheanimals]

So if her brother were to come here, would you actually be able to protect him?

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I would do as much as I could to protect him.

[killtheanimals]

How much is that? Or how much can you say.

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I would try to keep him out of trouble. Or, like at the trial with Lenka, I would pull him out of harm's way if need be.

[killtheanimals]

...

You wouldn't be able to prevent his death.

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Not if someone was particularly dedicated to killing him, no.

[killtheanimals]

Or if he committed a murder.

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That too.

[killtheanimals]

[It had been worth a try. He falls silent for a bit.]

If they were family - would that mean Stan isn't from this world, either?

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He's not from this world, no. He's from another one.

[killtheanimals]

Why did they bother bringing him into this?

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It's...complicated.

If you're cynical about it, you might say 'it's easier for them to sacrifice people from other worlds, which they can say aren't "real people" so they can sleep more easily at night.'

[Red is very cynical about it.]

[killtheanimals]

[Mitsuru is similarly cynical, chewing lightly on his lip.]

That's why they picked you as well?

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Technically I volunteered, but it's why they approved me to work at the camp, yes. Campers are sometimes very good at killing counselors, and they would rather have someone like me die than someone from their own world.

[killtheanimals]

How did you find yourself in a position to volunteer?

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I was in this world already, and my options were 'get sent back to my world' or 'work for the people who brought me here.' Once my initial training was done, I got to choose from a job board.

[killtheanimals]

Why were you here already?