Echo: “It won’t work.”

Pandora: “--Phoenix’s li-w- what?”

Echo: “The flower fits in the palm of your hand. It won’t bring her back.”

Pandora: “Oh. Figures.”

Avery, less acquiescent: “But - but I swear I read that the calvariae titanum plant could--”

Echo: *grimly* “Once, it had a chance to. But even then, only a chance. When I was part of their... world... the flowers grew much bigger than this, almost to my size. They ran wilder; and their purposes too were wild - they could kill as much as resurrect, spare as much as suffocate. No one could predict what it’d do. It had to be, what’s the word? Domesticated? For you humans to use it at all; but it lost its other purposes in the process.”

Áine: “She’s right, I’m afraid. A second chance’s the only thing Death’ll recognise it for these days.” 

Daichi: “...”

Avery: *sadly* “Gee. Guess I’m not the botanist kind of scientist, huh?”

Dottie: “You couldn’t have known, Avery, don’t worry too much about it--”

Avery: “I should’ve! I’m a... damnit. What are we gonna do with it now? We can’t just--”

Echo: “I’ll start with the downstairs bathroom, just in case.”

Nancy, still out of sorts: “Y- yes. Downst... stairs. Let’s go. I’ll-” *bump*

Haru: “Ow!”

Nancy: “Ah- sorry, Mukku-san! Sorry!”

Echo: “--tried to explain, she told me I wasn’t giving a good enough excuse!” *high-pitched laugh* “Can you believe it?”

Justin: “That, uh. That sounds like kind of a shitty ‘fairy friend forever’, to be honest.”

Echo: “Oh, it was my own fault; I should’ve been more upfront about it. Discard it if you want, but--”

Justin: “Hey! I didn’t say I didn’t believe it!” *mutters* “That kinda shit’s all too real for me.”

Dottie: *archly* “You talk as though you didn’t bring that on yourself.”

Justin: “I meant before-! Fuck it, you wouldn’t understand.”

Nancy: *in an attempt at kindness* “I do, Justin. I understand. I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

Justin: “Hell do you understand? You look like the kind of bitch who’s never--”

Haru, from outside: “Hey! H- hey, Nancy!”

Nancy: “Hm?”

Haru: “I found them!”

Nancy: *bolts up* “You did?!”

Haru: “Yeah, come here! I’ll--”

Nancy: “Was he, Áine?”

Áine: “I mean, I... that’s...” *imperceptible glance at Daichi*

Daichi: “...” 

Áine: “...yeah, he was. I remember now, I saw him bolt up when the gun went off. Can’t remember whose bed was empty beside Justin’s, though - Echo’s might’ve been, I think? I didn’t get as good a look as before.”

Nancy: “That’s a shame... I think it’d--”

Áine: *a little more forcefully* “Speaking of Echo, she told me you asked about that phone call Justin made? I can back her up on that. He was definitely getting something from this ‘A’ person.”

Nancy: “A Death Flower, right.”

Áine: “No, can’t be; else Death would’ve seen it and let him live. And with his connections, he could get anything... even a gun.” 

Nancy: *gulps* “Are you saying - you think-?”

Nancy: “Ota-san... this is going to sound stupid, but were you out first last night? I mean--”

Daichi: “No.”

Nancy: “--you-? But I remember you telling me Justin was there, when I thought it was a... you said he was there.”

Daichi: “Doesn’t mean I was first out. Puck was there first - well, second, after Justin; I saw him through the front door.” 

Nancy: “Justin, or--”

Daichi: “Puck, you twit.”

Nancy: “Well, he did say he was in the... wait. Why were you in those clothes, then? The,” *gestures* “your everyday. You should’ve been in your nightshirt, in that case.”

Daichi: “Look, someone was gonna kill last night, that’s why we had the damn thing at all. I didn’t wanna fuck about with getting changed. How do you think I got ahead so quick?”

Nancy: “I thought it was just--”

Daichi: “I wasn’t awake before Justin died, and that’s the end of it. Right, Áine?”

Áine: “Wha’-? Me?”

Apodis: “Same thing as before, right? Where was I, did I lose any seeds?”

Nancy: “I- no, not seeds this time. But where you were would help - ah, and if you heard Justin making a phone call after I talked to you, or, or saw anyone outside, that’d--”

Dottie, from the table: “Nancy, dear, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Apodis was being hopelessly outsung yesterday. How could she have heard anyone use their phone?”

Nancy: “Oh...” *guiltily* “Right.”

Apodis: “Can’t help on the other front either - I was pretty much dead to the world ‘til the gun went off. Vluyumcgelning takes a lotta focus as it is.”

Nancy: “Vlu... Vulcan?”

Apodis: “Vluyumcgelning! It’s what I do when I don’t sleep - I go into this trance, and it helps get me back into shape for the next day. I suppose your word for it’d beeeee... brainstorming, is the closest thing I can think of.”

“Whew, talk about your calque!”

Pandora: “Weren’t you sleeping on our first night?”

Apodis: “Oh, I can sleep. I just prefer to vluyumcgeln. It’s like when Mom brings me coffee and Dad brings me a orange mocha frappucino. Coffee’ll do me right, but I can’t stand the taste for anything. Now, an orange mocha frap? That’s just the right amount of--”

Nancy: “Um, Apodis, can we... can you tell me anything else about last night?”

Dottie: “Ohhh, that was humiliating. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so hollow after a performance before...”

Áine: “Ah, you’re only saying that cus someone called you out on it.” 

Daichi: “And cus you didn’t get to sing the most, don’t forget that.”

Dottie: “It’s not that - bitterness aside, Daichi...” *sighs* “I’ve just never had to do one to take my mind off of a death, I suppose. Ordinarily, I’d-”

Áine: “You didn’t have to do it today either.”

Dottie: “And what, would you let Justin leave this world without music in his wake? Rather heartless of you to say. It’s what he would have wanted.”

Puck: *grunts from the side of the kitchen*

Áine: “Fine, but why pick that song?”

Dottie: “You picked the--”

Apodis: “Stop it!! Don’t start this again - it, it doesn’t matter what Justin would’ve wanted cus he got shot in the head! Who cares about singing at a time like--?” 

Nancy: “Um.”

Apodis: “--oh, crap. Nancy.” *looks around, then back at Dottie* “I’ll pick this up later.”

Dottie, tentatively: “--out swingin' then it's sad to know ya”

Áine, equally tentatively: “Bottom line is now you've gotta jazz it up, before it’s--”

Avery: “Áine, Dottie? Is this, um, really the time?” 

Apodis: “Yeah, you do remember Justin’s dead, right? DEAD?! Yum cho tuleamja geh leg?!”

Dottie and Áine, each pointing to the other one: “She insisted on it--”

Áine: “I did not!” 

Dottie: “You said it would help get your mind off of--”

Áine: “Yes, after you said it! I was under duress!”

Dottie: “Darling, it was your idea!”