cancry | sixth loop

[Veil just takes this opportunity to look cute and nonthreatening.]

It's important, so we either do it here or in...my office.

[That's a thing, right? That feels like a thing.]

[ she looks a little nervous but... well, it's not like this isn't a situation that calls for it. y'all are kind of ganging up on her a bit. ]

Ah, really? If it's that important, you might as well come in...

[ And she steps back to let them do just that. ]

[It's fine, look! Veil is offering her a nice friendly smile.]

[God forbid Sword come in throwing hands, so Phoenix calmly adjusted his glasses and spoke up once they were all inside.]

I feel as though there's no need for hostilities--none of us truly wish for this to come to violence- [mostly] -but neither is there any point in all of us playing stupid any longer.

Is that not correct, miss Authority?

[ Miss President blinks at him. Her surprise is probably evident to the others - she's been caught off guard. When she speaks up, though, there's just confusion in her voice and she doesn't seem to be playing dumb. ]

Um... I'm happy to help with anything that's troubling you, so long as it's something the student council can do, but I think you might be getting mixed up about something.

What do you mean by "authority"?

[Etoile takes a deep breath.]

If we’re wrong, I apologize. But you have to have noticed that you’ve been living the same few months, few weeks even…over and over again. The weeks before the festival. The way you’re trying to squeeze everything in, to make everyone happy…it’s because you’re scared of what you are, isn’t it? You’re scared that what happened in the gym with your friends might happen again.

We want to help you. Please let us.

[ Now that does the trick.

Miss President blinks at them in surprise and it seems like, for the first time in these loops, she's been caught off guard. She opens her mouth to say something but no words come out and so she shuts it again. In fact... she doesn't just look shocked.

She looks a little frightened too. ]

How... how did you all find out? Surely you don't remember it all?

Obviously we do.

[The look on Sword's face makes it very, very clear that he is done.]

Why the hell else would we be here if we didn't? Look--whatever happened? We don't care. [Or, well, maybe the others do but they aren't here to help her, they're here to get past this layer and goddess above Sword is not going to let these bleeding hearts (and whatever Phoenix counts as) get distracted.] Your loops are getting shorter, so whatever it is your doing won't work for much longer. We don't care. Just let us get past this layer and we'll leave.

We can remember everything that's happened since we got here--though don't ask me how long ago that was, I've rather lost track.

My companion is not the most personable, I apologize. Whatever it is these loops are set to avoid...whatever happened in the gymnasium, I'm sorry it was so terrible that it would be so desperately avoided.

We do not wish to cause conflict with you. All we want is to pass through this layer unhindered.

We have some business further down, and we've been waylaid by this repetition. Ideally, we'd like to find a solution that benefits everyone.

[She is So Hopeful.]

[Dammit, Sword, be nice, she thinks, shooting him a dirty look. It’s only for a moment, though.]

I understand how it feels to wake up - really wake up, not knowing anything except the fact that something terrible happened. But I don’t think you intended anyone any harm. The fact that you have been bending over backwards to make everyone else happy says as much. I don’t think you’re truly a bad person, even if something awful happened.

Can you tell us about it?

[ Between Sword being... well, Sword and the fact that she's crowded in here by four of them, Miss President is starting to look and sound increasingly panicked, looking at each of them in turn with increasing distress. ]

I–I don't know what you're talking about...! Th–the looping, I didn't think anybody else remembered it all, but– layers and going down and all the rest... you're not making any sense!

[ For what it's worth – whether or not the Executors find that hard to believe – she isn't lying when she says she doesn't understand. ]

...

[He frowned slightly, putting a hand on Sword's shoulder in an attempt to make sure he stood down. Regardless of how truthful this was, they needed to tread carefully.]

[So instead, he tilted his head as if listening carefully and spoke in a calmer tone like he was trying to talk a cat out of a tree.]

Take a breath and sit down if you must. Do you know how long the looping has been going for?

[Veil sits down first, and tries her best to give off a you should all sit down too vibe, a process that consists mostly of thinking very hard about wanting everyone to sit.

She really feels bad about all this.]

Do you really expect us to--

[Sword growls, very clearly annoyed, but he knows when he's about to make this worse so he just. Shuts up and moves to lean against the door so the nicer people can maybe handle this for a moment.]

[Etoile will take the seat next to Miss President, moving to put a hand on her shoulder if she'll let her.]

I believe you. We're trying to figure out what's going on, too. Please talk to us. We really do want to help.

[ Miss President doesn't so much sit down as she does collapse into the chair, more or less doubled up on herself and staring down at her hands. She barely reacts to Etoile's touch – but eventually, she starts to talk. ]

It's been going on... much, much longer than I remember, I think... when I first woke up, I just had the feeling that things had already looped around so many times before... but at first, I thought I was just dreaming or misremembering things...

[On the other side of Miss President, Veil moves to take one of your hands.]

How much time was passing in each loop then?

... It's hard to remember, but...

I think it was three years. Our entire high school life...

[Sword's not saying anything, just watching Miss President for now. Is she lying? Is she hiding anything?]

I see...and do you remember anything that might have set it off? Think carefully, potentially regarding the gymnasium--an incident at a graduation, perhaps?

[ There's somethings she's clearly not eager to talk about but she's not lying. ]

... I don't know when it started. It'd already been going for such a long time when I woke up. Th... The Student Council President was the only other person who knew, but I don't remember... whether she ever admitted to it.

I just remember that... she cried. Just before it all ended... she cried and told me she was sorry. A–and after that...

[ A huge shudder goes through Miss President and she almost doubles up where she's sat. ]

Your friend R, right...

[Etoile's not being accusatory; it's more like she's thinking out loud.]

...after that, she wasn't herself anymore? Something like that?

[ Miss President shakes her head. ]

S... stop it... I don't want to talk about that...! W–why are you asking so many questions...?

[ It seems that getting her to talk is going to be difficult.

...

But...

Doesn't it feel like you might be able to help her some other way? It's faint, and though you've never felt it or used it before...

An oddly familiar power suddenly starts to stir somewhere deep in the Executors' hearts. ]

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apologies for any errors, tagging from the doctor’s office

this icon is starting to feel less and less appropriate LMAO

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