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Floating Sea
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...You really should get this over with sooner rather than later. Seeing Lillian again will be awkward, but that won’t change just because you put it off another hour or so. Besides, it’ll be good to check and make sure they haven’t botched things too badly and implicated the rest of you.
Plus, it’ll give you a chance to ask Franklin about the Scar he’s apparently hiding.
Clive agrees with your decision, but questions where you could find them. Admittedly, you aren’t entirely sure yourself. The Elementary School seems like a good starting place at least. If they aren’t there, then the odds of finding them will drop significantly. None of this is even considering the possibility that they were caught and were taken somewhere already. Very worst case scenario: They’re inside the high school building.
The walk to school is short and, as you’ve come to expect with Clive, hushed. You go back and forth on appreciating his taciturn nature and finding it obnoxious. At the moment, it was giving you time to reflect upon your dream.
You don’t know why you’re still thinking about it, but you are. Despite all evidence pointing to the fortunes being some bizarre formation of ideas produced by your subconscious, you were trying to unpack them as though there was substance there to unravel. It was Fake, naturally. Beheading is impossible, the very idea is ludicrous. Even in the event of you being caught investigating the town’s dirty underbelly, those involved with graduation would surely prefer a more discrete punishment. Why use brutality when you can ship your problems away to a seemingly inescapable building?
That fortune was Impossible. You would spare it no further consideration
Temmie’s however... Well, you had to admire your mind’s craftsmanship. The fortunes she told were both creative and understandable to some degree. It felt like there was a form of reason to them, even if you couldn’t fully unravel their meanings.
King of Fools was a no-brainer, that can refer to nobody other than Lemmy. Where all journeys meet their end though... Could that mean the Graveyard? After all, that’s where everyone ends up at the end of their life, corpses buried in the earth. That would make sense if you consider that she seemed Certain of this one coming true. You’re already planning to stay the night with Franklin, and he lives at the morgue.
But if Lemmy was at the morgue, you have doubts about Franklin’s ability to hide that fact from the rest of you. And if he isn’t yet aware, then how did Lemmy go undetected? That’s assuming he’s been there since this morning, but if he ran away last night then he would have had hours to establish his hiding place. It seems unlikely that he was still moving about while the sun was up.
Most importantly, what about the Opportunity? The fortune claimed that an opportunity would be laid at your feet, and the implication was that you would have to make a choice. All that comes to your mind is the decision of whether to reveal Lemmy’s presence to others, which seems rather simple. Adults have no need to know where their next victim is hiding, and your companions can be kept in the loop.
That still leaves the other fortune however, the one regarding a “Scornful one”. It feels like that’s referring to Jojo, but you can’t even be sure about that. For all you know it could be Rebecca, or Clive, or perhaps even Lillian right now. Even if you lock down who it’s about, the advice isn’t very helpful either. The most you can make of it is to watch what you say around them. Whatever Tragedy you can prevent, you don’t know what it could be.
There was one part you understood about it however. When clouds weep, the chill of night will overwhelm lost souls. Clouds weeping has to refer to Rain, and it goes on to specify night. Thus, you can interpret the line to mean that “A tragedy may take place on a Drizzly Evening”. The part about overwhelming lost souls is a bit too vague for you to interpret however, but it could be literal. Rain and cold will overwhelm lost souls.
...Hmmm... When you put it that way, you feel like it almost makes sense. There’s still something missing though, a connection you’re failing to make.
Clive: “...Something on your mind?”
Albert: “Huh? Oh, nothing important. I was simply... considering something.”
Clive: “...Considering what?”
“I was just wondering whether or not the fortune I heard in my weird dream was real or not.”
No, you don’t think you will say that. How better to phrase it then...?
Albert: “How familiar are you with Temmie, The Fortune Teller?”
Clive: “...About as much as anyone else.”
Albert: “It may seem silly to ask, but since I know some of the slower kids in class believe in her talents, what do you think about her purported Gifts?”
Clive: “...She can’t see the future.”
Albert: “Of course not, obviously, but-”
Clive: “But she Does have some kind of powers.”
You freeze. That... wasn’t what he was supposed to say. The fact that his claim wasn’t too far off of the conversation you’d witnessed between Temmie and the other girl in your dreams sent a wave of paranoia through your system.
Albert: “...Why do you think that?”
Clive: “...Because Rodney told me. I believe him”
A small wave of relief hits you. He’s just blindly trusting his brother, of course. That makes far more sense.
Albert: “Right...”
Clive: “...You don’t agree?”
Albert: “I’m skeptical of anybody claiming to have supernatural abilities. I’m sure that whatever reason Rodney had to believe in her seemed very compelling to him.”
Clive: “...You’re the one who brought her up. Why?”
Albert: “W-Well... Curiosity?”
It was a lame answer, and you get the feeling he wasn’t buying it. You keep your face as neutral as possible, trying to hide any doubts you may have.
Clive: “...Rodney was sure of it. My brother was never wrong about others.”
Clive: “He Understood people in a way I never could. Just by watching someone talk he could tell you what they felt about others, themselves, and seemingly anything else.”
Clive: “...So if he says Temmie has powers, then she does.”
Clive: “Never got a clear answer on what they are though...”
Albert: “Honestly, I never got that sort of impression from Rodney. I just assumed others appreciated him because he was pleasant to be around.”
Clive: “He was. He just also knew how to speak to people the way they like to be spoken to.”
That was something you’d never picked up on regarding The Socialite. You really had chalked his popularity up to simple amicability, never considering a degree of Guile under the innocent smile he always wore. Clive would know best what his brother was capable of.
Rodney believed that Temmie had supernatural abilities. He didn’t simply agree with her claims, he supported her supernatural abilities while ultimately Disagreeing with her public image.
Eye: “She can’t see the future.”
Eye: “...It’s not precognition. You’re just taking in more information than anyone else and making educated guesses.”
...You wouldn’t be able to dismiss this so easily after all.
Clive: “Look.”
As you come up on the school, who should you see but one of the two you were seeking out? The most recognizable boy in town is sitting outside the building, staring up aimlessly at the clouds.
Albert: “Franklin, my expectations were low, but please at least tell me this isn’t all you’ve been doing since we split up.”
Franklin: “Oh! Albert and Clive, I was looking for you.”
Albert: “...We can’t fly. We’ve been over this before.”
Franklin: “I know. I was just thinking about where to search.”
Albert: “Right. And how long have you wasted thinking instead of actively seeking us out?”
Franklin: “...I dunno. I don’t have a watch.”
Franklin: “I just figured that you were smarter than me, so if I stayed still you would find me before I found you.”
His strategy was successful. You’d located him at the very first location you thought to check, so it was hard to disagree.
Albert: “I suppose that wasn’t the incorrect choice.”
Clive: “...Why isn’t Lillian with you?”
It’s only for a moment, but Franklin’s mouth twitches down into a frown. You sigh, having seen this coming from back before you’d even split up.
Albert: “She was Caught, wasn’t she?”
Franklin: “Huh?”
Albert: “Wonderful. I knew this would happen, I told her this would happen, and yet she still let it happen. Why do I even bother giving her advice when she doesn’t listen?”
Franklin: “...Um, Lillian went Home.”
Albert: “...Excuse me?”
Franklin: “We finished looking around, but she didn’t want to see you again, so she asked me to share what we found with you guys and then went home.”
Franklin: “There were a couple adults inside the school, but I don’t think anybody saw us.”
Albert: “...”
Clive: “...heh”
You glare back at Clive, whose face is impassive as always.
Albert: “What?”
Clive: “...You were so confident that they would fail. It was funny watching you make a mule of yourself.”
Albert: “They got Lucky. Sending them here was a terrible idea, and if you knew either of them as well as I did then you would have put exactly the same quantity of faith in them.”
Clive: “...Sure.”
...Somehow, Clive’s neutral expression felt exactly like a smirk for a moment, despite never faltering.
Albert: “Look, I’m glad that Franklin and Lillian are alright. Of course I didn’t want them to get into trouble, even if that outcome had the highest probability.”
Albert: “We are all very fortunate that they made it out okay. Let’s not take this as evidence for future reckless decisions.”
Franklin: “...Whoa.”
Albert: “What?”
Franklin: “You sounded just like Jhonen for a second!”
It felt like Franklin had punched you in the mouth. That comment dealt physical damage.
The fact that Franklin was the source made it harder to infer how to take it. If it was anybody else, you would have zero doubt in your mind that such a sentence would only be spoken as an insult.
...Hopefully it wasn’t a genuine observation, as that would be more insulting than anything else.
Franklin: “Your face is red... And black. And blue- hey wait- what happened to you?”
Albert: “Lillian did.”
Franklin: “Huh- oh, right...”
Franklin: “What about your neck? I don’t remember it being like that before.”
There is a 0% chance of you telling him the truth. Hmm, what is an excuse that Franklin would accept?
Albert: “Do you know what carpet burn is?”
He nods.
Albert: “I pulled off a scarf too quickly, and left burns on my neck.”
Franklin: “...”
For the second time today, Franklin’s expression had turned doubtful as he examined you.
Franklin: “Are you sure?”
Albert: “Why would I lie?”
Franklin: “Well... If Clive hurt you while you were alone, he could have Threatened to do it again if you told anyone.”
His gaze shifts to the other boy, concern evident in his expression. Clive’s only reaction is to narrow his eyes and furrow his brow.
Clive: “...Wasn’t me.”
Albert: “He’s telling the truth.”
Franklin: “Really? You aren’t just saying that because he’s in punching range, right?”
The concern was appreciated, but unnecessary. You take a few steps away from Clive.
Albert: “Yes Franklin, I’m being honest. Clive didn’t lay a finger on me.”
Franklin: “...That’s good, I’m happy he behaved and didn’t get violent.
Franklin: “...So... who did hurt you then?”
Albert: “It was a scarf, I just told you that.”
Franklin: “Really? But, those bruises don’t look...”
He looks closely at you again, squinting.
Franklin: “...”
Albert: “...Franklin?”
Franklin: “...Huh? Oh, nevermind. I guess I just misunderstood.”
You sigh, gently pushing him back to regain your personal space. This topic was pointless, but it did provide a natural segue into one you did plan to bring up.
Albert: “While we’re discussing neck wounds, Clive and I heard a very interesting story about you earlier.”
Franklin: “Really? What was it? I always like hearing stories about myself that I don’t remember.”
Albert: “Is it true that you have a Scar on your neck?”
Franklin: “...”
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