expiationlogs | [02] [open] nemesis identified

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[02] [open] nemesis identified

Who: Mizuki and YOU [open]
Where: The wilderness, a ways from Aldrip in an out-of-the-way little cave (Not Lorentia)
What: In which Mizuki finds out she's been alone all along.
Warnings: Spoilers for AI, IDK—will add if any become relevant.

[ There are thin tire tracks starting at the inn that head out and away from Aldrip today. Curious, isn't it? Were they there before? Have you even seen a motorbike here in Aldrip since you woke up here?

If you're keen to find out, you will follow a trail that is just long enough to make you wonder whether you should turn back. Keep with it, however, and you will find yourself at a small cave nestled in the mountains, the opening of which is surrounded by trees. ]

👁️ i. He was the Universe

[ Perhaps you'll see the bike first. It sticks out like a sore thumb. But walk a little further and inside the cave, there's Mizuki, asleep on the cave's dirt floor.

Her hair is messy with sleep. There is a hair piece that sticks out against her cyan locks, standing out almost as much as her bike does in the wilderness. In her hand is an empty, decorated box with a note attached that wouldn't look out of place in a trash can, as it is. Meager remnants of the few good things that have happened to her here, now that she can't go back.

A subtle, unpleasant odor lingers in the air, reminiscent of a wet dog or wild animal that's no longer there. Somewhere beside her sits her pipe, and at her waist, there is her holstered Evolver. ]

👁️ ii. Ought to Know

[ Alternatively, the trail is still going. Eventually, footprints start to appear in the dirt next to the tire track, suggesting that Mizuki has started walking. Catch up to her, you'll find that her back is to you and she is dragging her bike alongside her.

Why? ...Well, technology continues to be fickle, apparently.

Watch her for long enough and you'll see her stop and try to start it again. Instead, there's that all too familiar, insufferable buzz that makes her cover her ears. Her mouth opens, like she's groaning, but the noise that escapes, if there had been any, is easily swallowed up by the rustling of leaves and the buzzing of insects.

Once that passes, she can be seen pulling out a piece of parchment from her pocket—a map. ]

▶ ooc/wildcard

[ Due to trauma, Mizuki will be aphonic/unable to speak temporarily! Sorry about that. She will still be writing things in the dirt or on the back of her map, probably, and if I feel it's appropriate, I may give her back her voice midthread.

Enjoy the introduction of her shiny new bike, and please feel free to reach out via PM, on the Discord, or

yammdere for plotting/ideas! Thank you! ]

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[ In hindsight, nothing about him seemed right from the moment he found her. His quirks, his mannerisms—everything about him that regularly pissed her off seemed different. She largely overlooked this, if only because of his memory issues, yet again. Maybe she was even concerned for a time, but now, holding a familiar piece of parchment in her hand, everything falls into place. Letters making up its contents shake, as if they might literally jump off the page at any second, and in the next moment, they slowly swirl and evaporate, like an illusion being unveiled.

Saito Sejima.
Homicide.

Her hands clench, and she watches him from above as he turns the keys on a bike that is an all-too-familiar shade of cyan blue. Even without her name tag, the Adorabbit sticker gives it away as hers. When the hell did it get there? How? The sound of her struggling to start also should have given her concern; but instead, Mizuki feels oddly numb, like maybe she hasn't quite woken up from this dream.

She leans casually against their second-floor window sill, a window which is currently open. She is just barely able to contain her anger, but at this point, she isn't sure if it's directed more at him or herself. ]

Nice bike.

[ Her voice is raised, but flat. Even-toned, with a healthy dose of sarcasm. She almost wants to laugh. What is even real anymore? Is she dead? Yet she just tosses his parchment down, aiming it directly for his head as she follows up with, ]

By the way, you forgot this.

Edited 2023-03-05 19:28 (UTC)

[Since the first day, Saito knew whatever kind of magic was applied to alter his parchment would eventually wear off. What he did not know was when it would happen. It was a pivotal part of his impersonation act, though, so he made a daily habit of checking its contents whenever Mizuki wasn't around or looking. Plus, to draw suspicion away from it, he would flauntingly leave it atop the bedside table in their room, only taking it with him when he went out.

Today was no different, except for the part in which certain words on the paper appeared completely jumbled up, parts of its original content surfacing in the place of the fabricated words. Having the alteration renewed was always an option, but it would not fix the other issue: Mizuki wouldn't keep buying his excuse for not taking off that alleged mask forever. She would eventually figure out the truth, one way or the other.

Coincidence or not, when he looked out of the window, there was another surprise besides the disorganized alphabet soup that had become his parchment, right outside the inn. Just standing there, as though waiting for someone to come claim it. The color alone was enough to give it away who it belonged to, but the sticker on it cleared any remaining doubts.

He hoped Mizuki liked waking up to surprises.]

[Little did Saito know, though, that he would be facing an unpleasant surprise himself, as well. He initially hoped to be far away from the inn by the time she woke up and read his parchment...

But the bike simply refuses to start, no matter how many times he turns the keys. Kicking it doesn't seem to work, either. And if he just carried it around, she would undoubtedly catch up to him in no time. With a small sigh, he admits defeat. There goes his chance for a double mind-blowing revelation. What a shame.

That's when he hears a familiar voice.

He looks up, but the suddenness and speed with which she hurls his parchment gives him little time to react. It bounces off the top of his head before landing near his feet. He picks it up, but doesn't even need unroll it to know what triggered this hostility.]

... About time.

[The figurative mask he's been wearing the past few weeks breaks, and he gives her a boastful grin.]

Are all of ABIS's so-called "investigators" this incompetent? Or did you learn this from Date?

[ Well. Seems like someone was getting tired of the act, too. Every word he's ever said, everything he'd ever done rises up like bile in her throat, and she doesn't bother holding back anymore. She doesn't even remember grabbing the vase of flowers, which sat peaceful on that window sill, just soaking up the sunlight. Before she can even think about stopping herself, she is hurling it at the ground in Saito's direction, though it sadly misses him, shattering with with a loud crash. ]

Fuck you!

[ The bouquet, which had already started to wither since the Day of Devotion, looks especially lifeless. The impact had been enough to separate some of the petals from their stems...

But then, apparently still unsatisfied (or perhaps she's just a little worried about any damage to her bike), she leaps right out the window and lands like a cat. ]

I don't care what timeline you come from, you don't get to talk about him!

[It's as they say, like father, like daughter. Although they're not related by blood, the look of pure rage she's giving him is reminiscent of the look Date gave him the moment Hitomi's body blew up to pieces.]

Oh, this isn't about him. This is about you, Mewzuki. You're a failure as an investigator. You're useful as a hunting tool, but you're not very bright. That's why you had Aiba, isn't it? To do all the thinking for you.

[Saito plucks out the Aiba from his left eye socket and holds it up between his index finger and thumb.]

Also, since you've been such a helpful and kind daughter to me, I'll let you on a secret. That Aiba you've got there isn't your Aiba. It's mine. You know what that means, don't you?

[Before even finishing that final question, he drops the fake eye onto the ground, and crushes it under his foot.]

What are you—

[ Mizuki stands. There's not a day that she hasn't woken up, wondering if today would be the day. The day she'd get her partner back. She doesn't even contest what he's saying (not that he had much of a chance to, anyway—she's too focused on his words as he keeps going, like some goddamn villain monologuing.

The way he plucks out his eye.

Hers? But when— ]

[ The sound is ugly.

There is pathetic whirring noise, which is probably familiar to them by now, some weird effect that this world has on their technology. After that, there is nothing. Just a crunch, and for that moment, the world stops.

Only then does she remember the moment she handed him back "Aiba," after she demanded the details of what he last remembered.

She's... gone? ]

[ She's gone.

Her data... Even if she'd been active, they would've never been uploaded to the cloud. Even her data from home, before waking up on this shithole— ]

[ Her mind goes blank.

She lunges forward with terrifying speed, letting out a pained cry as her hand latches around his throat, lifting him up clean off the ground. All she can think about is snapping it, but even now, she holds back as she slowly squeezes.

Her throat is sore by the time she stops screaming. ]

[There is an obvious reason Saito chose to push her over the edge right where they stand, in a public space. He knows she won't kill him. Even as he's lifted off the ground; even as it gets more difficult to breathe. He gasps and gags on his own breath, but it still doesn't wipe the wide grin off his face.]

Ahaha, are you serious...? You, who couldn't even kill a single boar?

[Even if he used all the strength in his arms, her fingers wouldn't even budge. But still, his hands are raised to offer some kind of resistance, gripping at the fingers threatening to squeeze all the air out of him.]

People are looking... you know.

[Truthfully enough, the majority of them are locals staring in awe at the scene they're causing, with the occasional murmur urging someone to get help before something worse happens.]

[ Mizuki's grip will automatically loosen, though it is slow and not by much. The fire in her one remaining eye burns brightly enough for both of them, and as she glances at the crowd, she can hear their whispers. She can see the terrified way they look at her.

What can only be described as TV static flashes in her left eye—the fake one, "his." The people around them suddenly all appear blue and indistinguishable. Genderless silhouettes—but only for a second.

She throws Saito onto the ground, watching him skid a short distance across shards of glass from the broken vase. She is panting as she steps back from him, and her gaze flickers to the remnants of Aiba on the ground. ]

You're already dead to me anyway.

[ Aiba made sure of that. She made sure if it. Mizuki clings to this fact, taking a shaky breath to calm herself before she turns her attention to her bike, which she probably should've done in the first place. People continue to watch as she inspects the bike for damage, though some disperse. There is no telling whether they're actually going to get help.

If Saito's dead, then maybe she is, too, like Ryuki. Maybe she just dreamed him showing up to save her. Maybe that's what the Chosen all have in common. ]

[Some of the larger shards cut through his clothes and into his skin, leaving thin, angry red lines across his palms and the back of his legs. Saito doesn't even bother trying to school his expression from twisting due to the hostile feelings bubbling up — now that there's no more need to hold anything back. When he speaks next, his voice is raised enough that the passive passersby within earshot will be able to hear the truth. The one she tries so hard to deny.]

Dead, just like the countless others you've killed? And to think you tried so desperately to hide your crime from Date!

[He adds an exaggerated shrug, raising his hands so the cuts in them are visible to her.]

In the end, you're both a murderer and a liar, Mizuki. You're not any better than me.

[ Tch...! She was the one who willingly flipped over her parchment! He was the one who tried to hide his... which, in hindsight, makes so much sense now that she could choke and throw up on it. ]

Shut up!

[ She growls, squeezing the handles on the bike, brakes included. She has to remind herself that she hasn't killed anybody, though right about now she wishes she had. ]

You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know anything.

[Saito is openly cackling at her as he gets up, seemingly not minding the wounds caused by the glass scattered across the floor; evidenced by how he dismissively plucks out a shard that embedded itself into his hand. This ache is nothing compared to the raw hurt and rage she's experiencing right now. And even less compared to the jubilation he feels in successfully evoking such reaction from her. Negative emotions are emotions he can comprehend — even relate to, in some twisted sense.]

Oh, but I know. More than you can imagine.

[With slow steps, he closes the distance between them, unfazed by the prospect of her lashing out yet again. A grazed palm is placed over one of her smaller hands, smearing his blood on it. He leans in—]

... I know your parents never loved you.

[—voice barely a whisper but dripping with scathing malice.]

I can imagine how it must have hurt to hear the words "I wish you had never been born" out of your own mom's mouth.

[Despite the way that line is delivered, it's actually not very far from the truth, given his own relationship with his dad.]

[ The cackling unnerves her more than she cares to admit. There is seriously something wrong with him, and she is automatically taking a step back as he approaches. Not because she is scared. Never scared. When he grabs her hand, she freezes, and a shiver runs down her spine at the sight and feeling of blood, crawling, trailing. ]

Don't touch me.

[ She yanks her hand away, hard, which only spreads the blood further. Which was the entire point of that, she's realizing.

She wants to argue that they weren't even her real parents, but even in her head, it feels hollow. They were the only parents she'd ever known, even if they were shitty ones. ]

My mom, she—

[ Any hypothetical attempts to further argue his point also feel hollow. Thinking back on it, she never felt any love or affection from the woman. Except that day they took the picture...

That was a long time ago. ]

I don't need them anymore, and I don't need you. [ She doesn't have to listen to any of this. ]

[She doesn't want to see the results of her own brash behavior on her hand? Fine, he can settle for contaminating the handle of her bike with his blood. Take that, pipsqueak.]

Huh, how strange. That's not how you acted like when I killed them all.

[He adds a taunting tilt of his head as he explains, as though the words alone would provide any context.]

Your family. Your friends.

[She obviously won't get what her younger self experienced in that timeline, but what she doesn't know confirms the resistance she's putting up is nothing but a façade.]

You were all alone. Just like you are now.

[ He would never have known how she would act, because she would've killed him. At least, that is her gut reaction, but the truth is that she can already feel her heart sinking at the thought. She only just got this bike back and she is already considering tossing it right into his face, but she is almost reasonable about it instead, yanking it back so hard by the other handle that the bike is lifted off the ground.

A gust of air that is quite unnatural blows from the sheer force of it, and while it is nothing like the ones that result from her punches and kicks, it can definitely be felt.

Don't touch that either. ]

Shut up.

[ And because it bears repeating, and she can think of literally nothing else in that moment: ]

Shut up— Why would I believe anything you say?!

[ Yet she can hear Iris and Ota's muffled voices, speaking excitedly about alternate timelines and realities. This world has already been unbelievable in a myriad of ways. What is one more? ]

[Naturally, when told to shut up consecutively, what Saito does is the exact opposite of that. She already looks more like a scared animal ready to flee, rather than to fight back. A gust of wind won't change that fact.

There's an obnoxious gesture of opening his arms, as though indicating he expected her to deduce the explanation that comes next.]

You said it yourself. That I was dead, and Date had returned to his original body. But none of that ever happened, as you can see.

[In the timeline he came from, anyway. But he's going to keep giving her confusion and emotional instability small, helpful pushes.]

Ah, if only I knew beforehand we would meet here, I'd have prepared a souvenir or two... maybe I would've kept your parents' left eyes instead of eating them after their bodies were no longer of use to me.

[ Ah... Ah.

That mental image is enough to make her cringe. She can practically taste the bile rising up in her throat, and she is forced to swallow it down. She can feel tears welling up in her eyes, mostly out of anger, which she knows is exactly what he wants. It's so hard to keep a level head—

Shitty parents they may have been, but they deserved better than this.

Even when she speaks, she can feel a familiar resistance in her throat, almost like her body is threatening to vomit, making the experience wholly unpleasant. ]

You're disgusting.

[ Shut up shut up shut up shut up— ]

Stay away from me before I do something you regret.

[ Without thinking or hesitating, she goes to start her bike, and the engine flares to life. ]

[Why in the world the bike didn't start when he tried it, and now, heated moments later, it springs to life like magic when she starts it? Whim of the gods, ABIS recognition technology, or whatever it is... the question doesn't really get to linger in Saito's mind for too long.

He raises his hand again, but this time to wave it at her. It's not her threat that stops him from reaching to try to stop her. It's the selfish sense of self-satisfaction that momentarily fills him, despite the state she left him in.]

Be seeing you, Mewzuki.

[Without an eye (prosthetic as it might've been) and covered in cuts and dirty as he is, getting a change of clothes, then paying the town's clerics a small visit will be his top priorities right now.

Finding his lost pet that just ran away from home can come later.]

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[02] [open] nemesis identified

for saito sejima (parasaito) | closed

[1/2] za past

[2/2] za prezent

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1/4

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3/4

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cw: vague mention of child abuse and some blood

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cw: mentioned cannibalism

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part 1 🎀 (now I get to use it wheeee)