#loop 56

(What is happening?! Why did everyone come back in?)

That wasn't a dead body.

Was it body parts? Is that why-

No, Bonbon, I mean, that wasn't a dead body ANYMORE.

That was both the most incredible and worst thing I have ever seen in my life!!!

...

I mean!!! Don't get me wrong! That was awful!!!! And horrifying!!!!!

But come on! That was a real life monster! And those colors were kind of pretty?!?

What! What did the monster do?! What do you mean colors?! I'm so confused!!!!

Is this really something we should be talking about in detail?!

I won't! I won't describe it! But!!! Um!!!!

That was the Director. I think they... "woke up"? With their true form emerging from the body???

And then they put themselves back together. It was really incredible to watch.

I feel sick...

Yes, Mirabelle. That sounded truly "incredible".

And then they ran away making the worst noises I ever heard.

(Wait wait wait WAIT HOLD ON ONE SECOND!)

(THAT'S WHY BANDIT WAS SPEAKING SUDDENLY.) (BECAUSE THAT WASN'T THE REAL BANDIT, THAT WAS DUSK DISGUISED.)

(Identity thief...)

(WAIT HOLD ON AGAIN.)

Wait, you demanded that I shouldn't stop petting you?!

...

Noooooo, that wasn't me. You must be misremembering.

(Are you???) (Because you don't think you are.)

Can you pet me? I've been a good puppy.

Pat pat pat. Hehehehe...

Lucky.

What about you, Odile?

While all of you are occupied with that, I'm taking a well earned break. I've done my civic duty, thank you.

(Ah... so she'll be the first to leave then.)

But past that, it should be obvious. I promised I'd help you, Siffrin.

(She remembered that?) (She wants to help you?) (Even now?)

(Even after you... Cursed her...?)

Huh? But you'll be out of a job! Frin will be cured of all his Curses, what's there to help him with now?

This isn't about that. It's a private matter he needs help with.

Oh! Then count me in. I want to help too.

Whatever you need buddy, I've got your back.

Yes! I would also like to help! You can count of me, as well, Siffrin!

And me too! I'll be the helping lulu of great kindness.

What's this about now???

Ha, and yet you all don't even know what Siffrin needs help with. What if this was about needing to bury a dead body?

Ah! No!!! Siffrin wouldn't be a murderer!

Don't you dare say "backsies", Belle! You need to commit!

Yeah! We're helping YOU with a murder.

But that's to save the world! That's not the same thing?!

As if Siffrin would kill without good reason. I say, whoever the poor flop was, deserved it.

...Fine. Siffrin, I will pick up a shovel for you.

(You feel honored yet horrified!)

(But you don't want Mirabelle to dirty her hands for your sake.) (You don't deserve such camaraderie.)

...Okay. This was how everyone was positioned, right?

(You shrug. Probably.) (You don't remember where Pétronille and dusk were.)

The lights went off and then-

POP! Dile got GOT!

She's now a puppet under the Director's control.

Eugh, yes. That is correct.

Because she remembered where the toy puppet was, she was able to pull out her gun and shoot his face.

Owie... I'll see you all... never again...

(Isabeau sits down, alive style.)

Exactly! After that, Dile threw the gun under the table to hide the evidence. Then, because she's alone on this side, she could leave undetected.

Because the Director's got a glowing head, Dile was able to run up behind xem...

BAM! Stabbtidy stab stab!!!

(Not to be out done by the others, Lupus takes a deep breath...)

OHHH! I've been GOT! I've been STABBEDED! I'm deader than dead, I'm SUPER DUPER DEAD, and I'll never live to see another day!

NOOOOOOO!!! NO! NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! NOOOO!!!!!!

(Lupus does a spin and falls down, rolling over to pose like the Director.)

...And that's that. The Director was killed by the mafia don, Dr. Foxglove!

The don?! Dr. Foxglove was the Don?!

Yeah! It'd make sense that the don would have someone else's gun. Maybe the professor was working for her?

He was! He's a retired hitman.

WHAT! That's so cool!!!

Not fair. Madame Pompy is so boring, she just does business with the mafia under the table...

But the biggest clue was that the letter threatening the Director had a flower symbol... just like her hair pendent!

Nice catch, Bonbon! I didn't even notice that.

I need to do something. See you at the Clocktower.

Okey dokey! Don't take too long, or we might not have any left~!

(You smile and wave goodbye.)

(Once outside, however, you grab dusk's cloak.)

Yipes! What is it?!

Dusk... cookie???

Yes, dusk eat cookie. Cookie good.

(Hilarious.) If you're going to steal food, at least wait until you're not in front of him to eat it?

It's not like he'll see it happen either way.

(Not the point.) (Mirabelle says you shouldn't steal food.) (There's a limited amount to go around and people are starving.)

(...Wait.) (Time loop.)

(You guess that makes it okay.)

Apocalypse or not, how would you expect me to pay for that? To get hired to even get that money to pay for it?

It's not fair, but I've had to feed Lupus and I. So you can stop looking at me like that, dawn.

Besides. I got some for the both of you.

(No!!! You can't have some after you scolded dusk for this!)

Come to the dark side~ we have cookies~!

Then… it was only a small fight? Why would madame-

I mean, "Dr. Foxglove",

-Attack Siffrin? I thought the killer would only strike again when an incorrect verdict happened.

For Dr. Foxglove, the game wasn't important. She cared more about the "treasure", and her frustration in failing to find it blew her cover.

We fought...? And I broke... free... enough to ask Siffrin to cuff me to finish the game.

I see... well...

I'm glad it ended well. But that still seems more intense than anything the Director has thrown at us before...

The Director had m'dame tell us the cure, but she was still Theater Cursed.

That's... a troubling development. We should get more cautious about what the Director is willing to do for their idiotic games.

(The party goes silent.) (They don't know what they're dealing with.) (But if you're not careful... they will.)

Wait, wait! Does this mean the murder mystery is over?

Yes, I'm sorry, Bonnie. We all know it was madame Odile.

Okay, so it's not a "who dun it", but rather a "how'd she dun it".

And I know how!!!

Oh??? You do?

Do tell us, oh smart Junior Detective.

I WILL!!!!!

Lupus, you're still my puppy junior junior detective. I'm going to need you to help out.

YES CAPTAIN JUNIOR DETECTIVE MASTER!!!

I'll be your cute widdle baby puppy who sniffs up all the clues.

...Yeah! You can do that. But I was actually thinking you could play "dead" too.

YAY!!! This puppy knows that trick!

BLeeehh!!!

Perfect. Now go be dead over here and then...

It hadn't led to nothing, we wouldn't have made it here without you.

Tch...

I wouldn't be here without you.

(The Blood Curse worsens with feelings of dread.) (Odile told you once that it was rare for someone to get to stage two so late.)

(You did your best to not think about it until it itched your cheek and became impossible to ignore.)

(Odile gave you control.) (Yes, you had the Blood Curse.) (But you could still read and write and think.)

(There was still so much you could still do.)

Working with you... gave me something to do. It gave me hope.

...Oh.

We're not the ones who'll defeat the Director, that's Mirabelle's job.

But our efforts aren't for nothing.

(All the pain you've endured have been to give Mirabelle the oprotuinity to win.)

(Odile had done her part, keeping you alive.)

(And, more than that...)

You've... been my friend. I never needed you to save me, Odile.

(You'd been friends in the other world, where you were never sick.)

(Even after you lost your trust in her, she still cared.) (You can see that now that you're not being tricked.)

(The cure never mattered.) (It wasn't what kept you going, it was her.)

But... what about your child? How can you say that, when you have a life to return to?

(A life to return to?) (Hah...)

(You've never talked about this with anyone else.) (No one but dusk, who doesn't really count.)