Bellelurette: Cain

[perfectpower]

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Week 4, post-invest

[perfectpower]

[He had been lingering by Cain while Cain checked the body, and it's only after Cain finishes that Brad speaks up.]

C'mon, let's get you cleaned up.

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain looks down at himself... That's a lot of blood. ]

Could I borrow clothes from your suite?

[perfectpower]

Yeah, c'mon. I don't wanna be dressed like a pig for a moment longer.

[Off to Narcissus!]

[uiscebeatha]

[ THANK GOD he really doesn't want to go back to Water Lily right now!

Following Bradley, but is quiet. ]

[perfectpower]

[He's also quiet, up until they get to Narcissus.]

I'm wearin' my usual, but you can pick anything else.

[uiscebeatha]

All right.

[ Cain isn't shy around Bradley, so he'll just start peeling off his mystery costume and start throwing on whatever he can find in the wardrobe—mostly the same noble frilly stuff he's been wearing most of the time he's been here.

He'll fish some of the evidence out of his old pockets, grab something from another pocket and start fiddling with his ear. ]

...Bradley...

[perfectpower]

[Bradley also isn't shy at all. They're just changing, no reason to be shy about it. He's putting his original outfit on, and is just sliding his green coat on as he glances in Cain's direction.]

Yeah? What's up?

[uiscebeatha]

[ He's done changing, repocketing the evidence, now with a silver twist earring on his right ear.

Still, he's pensive. ]

Ish said we'd be done on Sunday, right? That's...so far away. How many people are we going to lose before then?

[perfectpower]

Hopefully only one more, if we have a trial and execution. I dunno what's gonna happen to Hwy though, he's dead in our world already.

[uiscebeatha]

...Yeah.

[ He pauses for a second. ]

I don't think it'll change much for us, since it already happened, but...I don't know. Feels kind of cruel to expect him to go back after all this. I at least want to make sure he survives to the end to make his own choice.

[ He looks up at Bradley. ]

You, too.

[perfectpower]

Why's this turnin' on me all of a sudden? I ain't at risk here, I've been good this whole time and didn't get murdered.

[uiscebeatha]

I know. [ He trusts Bradley that much!! Please praise him for that also. ] But we need to make sure we don't accidentally incriminate ourselves, either.

[perfectpower]

...what do you mean?

[uiscebeatha]

I mean, I woke up next to the body. You weren't far away, either. That could be enough to be suspicious for some people.

[ He noticed the button, but he doesn't think it's worth bringing up right now. He's more worried about their safety in this last stretch. ]

Like how the stab wound Siffrin gave me was enough when Shiv died. Or how I had a sword, and I could've fit the armor in that first case.

Let's be careful.

[perfectpower]

...

[He's facing Cain now, watching him with a careful eye.]

You think someone in our group last night killed? Or is this a confession?

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain looks surprised, and he holds up his hands, palms towards Bradley, by his face. ]

What? No, I— You know I'd never kill. You know I'd never take the easy way out for anything with a wish.

[ Much less with a wish that would 100% piss Owen off! ]

We don't know anything yet. I just want us to get out of here in one piece.

[perfectpower]

But you saw something that spooked you, didn't you? You're better off tellin' me what it is so we can figure out what to do about it.

[uiscebeatha]

...

[ It's not an accusation, and Cain makes sure the tone in his voice is calm and quiet enough that it doesn't come across that way. ]

You were missing a button on your jacket this morning.

[ The way his brows knit look more like worry, if anything. ]

[perfectpower]

...

[He immediately goes over to his closet to check his jacket. Yep, that sure is missing a button.

He sort of stares at it for a few moments as an idea formulates in his mind.]

Did anybody else see you pick it up?

[uiscebeatha]

I didn't pick anything up. I just saw it was missing.

[ ... ]

Bradley, what's going on?

[perfectpower]

Someone's tryin' to frame me and we're gonna have to catch 'em. If nobody else saw you find that my button is missing, then we can work with that.

[He puts the jacket back in his closet and shuts the door.]

Only us two and the killer would know exactly which button is missing. We can use that to figure out who the killer is.

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain purses his lips, then nods firmly. There's a fire in his eyes. ]

I have your back. They made a mistake trying to frame you.

[ Steps forward to hold out his hand. Shake? ]

We're in this together.

[perfectpower]

[Sure, he'll shake on that.]

Yeah, we're in this together. We'll find the rat bastard who did this and tried to force the blame on someone else.

Don't mention my jacket at all during trial though. Wait for someone else to bring it up. The killer's gonna want the evidence traced back to me.

[uiscebeatha]

Of course. You have my word. We wait for the other person to tell on themselves.

[ The serious expression suddenly dissipates, a crack in his little shell showing worry and grief behind it. ]

...I don't want to lose anyone else.

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo

his expression softens.]


It's okay, I ain't goin' nowhere. It takes more than a frame job to take down Bradley Bain.