[ fukawa can find a no longer helmeted mango outside of the newly added trailer two after All of That, rubbing a hand through his hair and looking generally frustrated.
however, upon seeing company, he shakes it off, and manages a smile. ] Miss Fukawa... you left so quickly earlier. Are you alright?
[She is also in less than stellar moods. In fact she holds her ground a measured distance from him, long out of reach and speaking with a low dark tone.]
Wh-why would I stick around? You m-must have been so glad to have your t-tender reunion, after w-watching them the whole week through.
You kn-knew it was them, right? You kn-knew it was them on that screen, playing like they were n-normal contestants the whole time.
But you said you h-had no idea what happened to them. Didn't s-say anything to us this whole time, n-not until they had already died and p-popped back out of their graves on our side.
What else are you lying about? Since it c-comes to you so easily.
[ there's a beat. he takes a second, taken aback, but...after listening, straightens a touch. ]
...Miss Fukawa, [ soft, but gravely serious as he addresses each statement. ] The production team didn't tell me anything, only that I'd have "reinforcements" by the end of the week when I first contacted them, and not to worry about Will and Makima. I thought maybe they'd been demoted, even if I didn't know why.
I found out about Will's death the same way you did. And I knew they'd be returned to this side, as they are in many of these seasons, but I didn't know they'd be reassigned to crew until today, either. I was left out of all the messages that Makima had.
[ he'll try to catch her eyes if he can as he finishes with a resolute - ]
I am not the sort of person who lies if I can help it - and in fact, I'm not very good at it, either. You'd be able to see through me in a heartbeat. I swear all this to you on my honour as a knight.
[Her jaw is wrenched as tight as a sailor's knot, lips thin as he explains. Earnest, eloquent enough. None of this stunned stammering he'd been prone to behind the mask. Was that all an act too? Or is he only guileless when talk turns titillating?
Not the question she needs answered right now. He does catch her eye, narrowed behind broad lenses and shaded by the swoop of her unruly hair. Her own fingers flex at her side.]
F-forget your honour. I don't c-come from your world, how am I supposed to take knightly p-promises seriously? You really are something.
Even if you th-thought they'd been demoted, you could have s-said so. Not just kept your mouth shut about it all. If we'd known they were meant to b-be our team leads we could have been prepared for something like this. It's a p-pretty big hint that something horrible is going to happen, if they're s-seeding the contestant pool with infiltrators like that!
How are we supposed to trust anything you say now? Did you know this would be a killing game, or didn't you?!
The company asked me not to say anything - I had to sign an agreement. [ non disclosure agreements... the worst!! his brow knits, expression distressed, but he's able to compose himself well enough. the emotion's still there though. fire in those eyes. ] Maybe I was too optimistic, in thinking things might not go wrong, but...
[ but it's hard to separate rondo ravus from his optimism, in the end.
and for her last question, immediately - ] I didn't know. It was always a possibility, but I've been open about that since the beginning, and... you all were in similar situations, too.
...Even still, you have every right to be upset. [ a little softer. ] I understand why you wouldn't trust me, or any of us, and I could never blame you. But... I'd like to earn your trust back, Miss Fukawa. I'll do the best that I can to do so.
Edited (the spacing was weird.... ) 2026-03-02 03:06 (UTC)
[If his optimism is a core characteristic, then so is Fukawa's paranoia. Her anger. Whether it's righteously earned or not it is always bubbling in her chest. There's always something unfair, something cruel, something deceitful around the corner, some wound to be inflicted. She's always dreading the next strike. Maybe much of it is misdirected. The trouble is that when she's right, it's always in the most devastating ways.]
You w-want me to trust you? [She scoffs.] Then st-stop blindly following their orders. If you don't w-want these games to play out violently, then do something about it. Don't make excuses for yourself. Don't p-play by rules when they're set b-by depraved despots.
Good intentions c-can't save you from slipping into the role of a villain, you know. D-decide who you're going to be, and start acting like it.
[Which is a mandate that I, Kabby, know is unfair to demand of a mod character, however fukawa does not and she's kind of a bitch. I'm sorry.]
good intentions can't save you from slipping into the role of a villain. isn't that always what it's come down to? it wasn't so long ago the person rondo loves more than anything in the world lost his way, and it sent him on a tailspin of his own. who was he? what did he want to be? who did he want to be?
...
the answer to that question was always the same, though. ]
I know, Miss Fukawa. [ still such a tender wound. it was so recent. ] Believe me, I know.
I told you from the beginning that I care for you all, and I want to protect you. That's who I am, and it is what I have always sworn to be. My flame burns to light that way. [ a pause. a deep breath, and unwavering: ]
Actions are what prove anything, so - I hope my actions can speak for themselves in the future. I'd rather always face these things face to face.
[🥺 IT'S IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE WHEN CR TAKES A TURN
Truthfully, it unnerves her even more to see him like this. Mango — or whatever his stupid name is — has the same sickening drive as another obnoxious optimist she knows. All tender eyes and confessions of undeserved attachment, assuming responsibility for lives and morales that no one offered in the first place.
It makes her doubt herself. It makes her doubt him all over again. Trust is a hard thing to earn and she has so little to give to begin with. In a place like this, she can't afford to give even a sliver to the wrong party.
If he plays by the company's rules, then he's no ally of hers.
Fukawa tilts her chin high, lip curling.]
Then I g-guess we'll have to see about that. I won't forgive any of you so easily.
[Enough. She's made her point and she's still angry. Afraid. Exhausted. Ready to rip out of her skin.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 0, sunday
however, upon seeing company, he shakes it off, and manages a smile. ] Miss Fukawa... you left so quickly earlier. Are you alright?
no subject
Wh-why would I stick around? You m-must have been so glad to have your t-tender reunion, after w-watching them the whole week through.
no subject
I...wouldn't call it tender, necessarily... [ considering he almost immediately was ready to fight makima ] ... What's the matter?
no subject
But you said you h-had no idea what happened to them. Didn't s-say anything to us this whole time, n-not until they had already died and p-popped back out of their graves on our side.
What else are you lying about? Since it c-comes to you so easily.
no subject
...Miss Fukawa, [ soft, but gravely serious as he addresses each statement. ] The production team didn't tell me anything, only that I'd have "reinforcements" by the end of the week when I first contacted them, and not to worry about Will and Makima. I thought maybe they'd been demoted, even if I didn't know why.
I found out about Will's death the same way you did. And I knew they'd be returned to this side, as they are in many of these seasons, but I didn't know they'd be reassigned to crew until today, either. I was left out of all the messages that Makima had.
[ he'll try to catch her eyes if he can as he finishes with a resolute - ]
I am not the sort of person who lies if I can help it - and in fact, I'm not very good at it, either. You'd be able to see through me in a heartbeat. I swear all this to you on my honour as a knight.
no subject
Not the question she needs answered right now. He does catch her eye, narrowed behind broad lenses and shaded by the swoop of her unruly hair. Her own fingers flex at her side.]
F-forget your honour. I don't c-come from your world, how am I supposed to take knightly p-promises seriously? You really are something.
Even if you th-thought they'd been demoted, you could have s-said so. Not just kept your mouth shut about it all. If we'd known they were meant to b-be our team leads we could have been prepared for something like this. It's a p-pretty big hint that something horrible is going to happen, if they're s-seeding the contestant pool with infiltrators like that!
How are we supposed to trust anything you say now? Did you know this would be a killing game, or didn't you?!
no subject
[ but it's hard to separate rondo ravus from his optimism, in the end.
and for her last question, immediately - ] I didn't know. It was always a possibility, but I've been open about that since the beginning, and... you all were in similar situations, too.
...Even still, you have every right to be upset. [ a little softer. ] I understand why you wouldn't trust me, or any of us, and I could never blame you. But... I'd like to earn your trust back, Miss Fukawa. I'll do the best that I can to do so.
no subject
[If his optimism is a core characteristic, then so is Fukawa's paranoia. Her anger. Whether it's righteously earned or not it is always bubbling in her chest. There's always something unfair, something cruel, something deceitful around the corner, some wound to be inflicted. She's always dreading the next strike. Maybe much of it is misdirected. The trouble is that when she's right, it's always in the most devastating ways.]
You w-want me to trust you? [She scoffs.] Then st-stop blindly following their orders. If you don't w-want these games to play out violently, then do something about it. Don't make excuses for yourself. Don't p-play by rules when they're set b-by depraved despots.
Good intentions c-can't save you from slipping into the role of a villain, you know. D-decide who you're going to be, and start acting like it.
[Which is a mandate that I, Kabby, know is unfair to demand of a mod character, however fukawa does not and she's kind of a bitch. I'm sorry.]
no subject
good intentions can't save you from slipping into the role of a villain. isn't that always what it's come down to? it wasn't so long ago the person rondo loves more than anything in the world lost his way, and it sent him on a tailspin of his own. who was he? what did he want to be? who did he want to be?
...
the answer to that question was always the same, though. ]
I know, Miss Fukawa. [ still such a tender wound. it was so recent. ] Believe me, I know.
I told you from the beginning that I care for you all, and I want to protect you. That's who I am, and it is what I have always sworn to be. My flame burns to light that way. [ a pause. a deep breath, and unwavering: ]
Actions are what prove anything, so - I hope my actions can speak for themselves in the future. I'd rather always face these things face to face.
no subject
Truthfully, it unnerves her even more to see him like this. Mango — or whatever his stupid name is — has the same sickening drive as another obnoxious optimist she knows. All tender eyes and confessions of undeserved attachment, assuming responsibility for lives and morales that no one offered in the first place.
It makes her doubt herself. It makes her doubt him all over again. Trust is a hard thing to earn and she has so little to give to begin with. In a place like this, she can't afford to give even a sliver to the wrong party.
If he plays by the company's rules, then he's no ally of hers.
Fukawa tilts her chin high, lip curling.]
Then I g-guess we'll have to see about that. I won't forgive any of you so easily.
[Enough. She's made her point and she's still angry. Afraid. Exhausted. Ready to rip out of her skin.
Fukawa turns on her heel and walks away.]