[seasonality] catchall for leo

[wtfox]

Comments

[wtfox]

[sometimes you just need warmth!! and are more likely to get it from a bonfire than from a girl.]

Yeah, you're right about that...

[she sighs]

I just wish... I don't know. That it had turned out differently, somehow, but... [she did technically do it?] ...if she really was guilty like the board said, then... any outcome where someone else was voted for would have been really bad, right?

But... this feels bad too. Even though we were "right".

[commandertoolbelt]

[ truer words have never been said about one leo valdez ]

It would've definitely been worse if it was someone who had nothing to do with it. Like, we don't even know what they mean by expelling someone here.

...But yeah, it sucks either way.

[wtfox]

...I hope it's as simple as just... not graduating. I hope it doesn't mean anything worse than that.

[tomorrow should be

fun :) ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Me too, but I mean - they treated Hiyori being killed like he'd just failed a class. I don't know about you, but that's kind of lowered the bar here, I think.

[wtfox]

Yeah, that was just sick.

[that report card... she makes a face, remembering it.]

[commandertoolbelt]

For real. Who grades you on something like that and then treats the investigation like it's some kind of game? It's seriously messed up.

[wtfox]

[she's quiet for a few moments, mulling that over, and then - ]

...do you think this is going to happen again?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ he makes a face. ]

Gods, I hope not. But we still don't know why it happened this time, so it's not like we have a basis to try to prevent it.

[wtfox]

...I want to ask her about it, but I don't think she'd appreciate it. She seemed annoyed when I was asking her questions because I was worried she'd gotten hurt...

[commandertoolbelt]

She was always trying to get away with murder at the time. Maybe that she hasn't, she'd be more open to talking about it? One on one, at least.

[wtfox]

...maybe. [she looks a little unsure] It probably wouldn't hurt to try...?

[commandertoolbelt]

You miss all the shots you don't take. And once she's "expelled" there'll be no way of figuring it out, either.

I'm not really the best at talking to people - that's Piper's thing - but if you need someone there for moral support or whatever, I don't mind lending a hand.

[wtfox]

[i pASSED OUT BEFORE I COULD ASK FRANCY FOR A PC so lila will not go visit kaoruko.

ostensibly it's because she chickened out. really it's because she doesn't actually care.]

That's really kind of you to offer, Leo. Thank you. I'll think about it a little more... I just don't want to make this harder for her than it already is.

[commandertoolbelt]

It's one thing if it was in self-defense, but I wouldn't say it's that hard for her if she actively chose to kill a person.

[wtfox]

It could have been self-defense, though. We don't know, because she wouldn't tell us, but... if people called you a murderer because your hands were a little red and because a dog didn't like you, would you want to talk to them?

[commandertoolbelt]

I know. I tried asking the bear if it would make a difference if it was self-defense or not, but it never gave me a real answer.

[ the last part of what she says makes him wince a little and turn his eyes away. ]

Depends on how they go about it. No one was outright accusing her, but she assumed we thought it was her anyway and just made it harder on all of us.

[wtfox]

...and then enough of us voted for her that we might as well have outright accused her, in her mind. Right?

[because she's the one that came up guilty. if not that many people had voted, it might have been one of the other names...

she sighs, shaking her head.]

But I don't know what else we were supposed to do. It... didn't seem like there was anyone else that it could have been. And since it turned out that she did do it, if someone else had received those votes, when they didn't even do anything...

It's just a horrible situation no matter how you look at it.

[commandertoolbelt]

Yeah, exactly. Doesn't matter if we were right, she didn't want to be caught, either way.

[ he pokes absently at the flames, not really paying attention when they lick at his fingers a little. ]

I think we did the best thing we could. We'll find out if they mean anything weird about expelling someone later, but whatever it is, it's probably better it's not someone who wasn't even involved getting punished. Not that it makes it better, but if we're going to be forced to vote anyway...

[wtfox]

[he might not be paying attention to the flames, but she's watching him, so she gasps.]

Leo, your hands--

[commandertoolbelt]

What about- ah!

[ he jerks back, shaking his hands and patting them on his pants to stamp out any flames with a frown. ]

...Sorry. I'm still not used to having to watch out for that.

[wtfox]

Why are you apologizing to me? You're the one who could have been burnt...

[she looks! very deeply concerned!]

Does it hurt? We could go get cold water, or ice...

[commandertoolbelt]

[ does it hurt? he seems to be considering this. ]

...Nah, I think it'll be okay. I've seen worse than a few sparks.

[wtfox]

...

[oh, that's right. what he'd said at trial - ]

...because of how dangerous things are for you, back at your camp?

[commandertoolbelt]

That's... part of it, yeah. Let's just say you see a lot of crazy things as a demigod, even before camp.

[wtfox]

...I'm so sorry. That must be awful.