Toko's jaw sets in a stern line. Her affect has gone flat, eyes cast somewhere to the left of him as she transcribes the details.]
Kuwata. The Ultimate Baseball Star. He was...ugh, he was an idiot. He walked right into that Pop Star bitch's trap, and when he turned the tables on her he h-had the chance to walk away. She'd locked herself in the bathroom. He ch-chose to break in and kill her. He did it to h-himself.
[That's not fair, but she's too riled to be considerate. These old wounds are made fresh again on entry, like a reunion tour or a high definition remaster, and her ire sparks anew. Why couldn't they just ignore it? The motives, the taunting, the seclusion in the school. Why would you choose to kill someone who didn't do anything to you? Why did they give up so easily?
Maybe it's easy for her to say. She didn't have much to get back to. Even squabbling, narcissistic, absentee celebrities made better family than the one she was born into. Were these new parents just phantoms, now? Other passengers molded to suit her needs?
No. She looks at Vidal and feels a solidity in her gut, an undeniable self separate from her own. Those substitutes are already slackening, features dissipating as she conjures their faces in her mind. Vidal feels more weighty by the minute.]
...It sort of was. W-we found out later it was being broadcast...
[Which explains all the pomp and circumstance. Why bother wasting all that money and time planning the most absurd execution possible if no one was going to see it?
She could elaborate, but he's got more questions. Worse ones. Toko flinches, hands winding around a lock of hair.]
Th-that is...yes, b-b-but it was only the one! And — he had a good reason! He only altered the crime scene after he found it, he w-wanted to test who would be— [And here, she trails off, stunned by the sudden twist in her gut. She was furious at the time. Betrayed. Devastated. But she loves him, and so she believes he did the right thing. He spared her the trouble of a bloody reveal. With her darker half exposed, no one could suspect her unless the murder fit all the fussy requirements. And why shouldn't he test their classmates? Why shouldn't he do as he pleases? He's a Togami, his will is beyond a commoner's comprehension.]
It was important t-to make sure we kn-knew who was capable of what. On b-both sides of the trial. And...I don't think he wanted to hurt me. I don't think he did. Really! He's...noble! M-Master Byakuya would n-never truly put me in danger!
[Not directly. He'd just leave her unconscious on the floor while an active killer was on the loose. Or neglect to look for her after a bomb blew up in her face.
no subject
Toko's jaw sets in a stern line. Her affect has gone flat, eyes cast somewhere to the left of him as she transcribes the details.]
Kuwata. The Ultimate Baseball Star. He was...ugh, he was an idiot. He walked right into that Pop Star bitch's trap, and when he turned the tables on her he h-had the chance to walk away. She'd locked herself in the bathroom. He ch-chose to break in and kill her. He did it to h-himself.
[That's not fair, but she's too riled to be considerate. These old wounds are made fresh again on entry, like a reunion tour or a high definition remaster, and her ire sparks anew. Why couldn't they just ignore it? The motives, the taunting, the seclusion in the school. Why would you choose to kill someone who didn't do anything to you? Why did they give up so easily?
Maybe it's easy for her to say. She didn't have much to get back to. Even squabbling, narcissistic, absentee celebrities made better family than the one she was born into. Were these new parents just phantoms, now? Other passengers molded to suit her needs?
No. She looks at Vidal and feels a solidity in her gut, an undeniable self separate from her own. Those substitutes are already slackening, features dissipating as she conjures their faces in her mind. Vidal feels more weighty by the minute.]
...It sort of was. W-we found out later it was being broadcast...
[Which explains all the pomp and circumstance. Why bother wasting all that money and time planning the most absurd execution possible if no one was going to see it?
She could elaborate, but he's got more questions. Worse ones. Toko flinches, hands winding around a lock of hair.]
Th-that is...yes, b-b-but it was only the one! And — he had a good reason! He only altered the crime scene after he found it, he w-wanted to test who would be— [And here, she trails off, stunned by the sudden twist in her gut. She was furious at the time. Betrayed. Devastated. But she loves him, and so she believes he did the right thing. He spared her the trouble of a bloody reveal. With her darker half exposed, no one could suspect her unless the murder fit all the fussy requirements. And why shouldn't he test their classmates? Why shouldn't he do as he pleases? He's a Togami, his will is beyond a commoner's comprehension.]
It was important t-to make sure we kn-knew who was capable of what. On b-both sides of the trial. And...I don't think he wanted to hurt me. I don't think he did. Really! He's...noble! M-Master Byakuya would n-never truly put me in danger!
[Not directly. He'd just leave her unconscious on the floor while an active killer was on the loose. Or neglect to look for her after a bomb blew up in her face.
She quiets down.]