[It's a late evening when Beelzebub finally circles around to the buffet. There's an odd hesitation into how he picks through the food, despite how eagerly his stomach growls, an audible noise even from a respectable distance.
But it seems he's trying to hold himself back. A tiny bit, at least. And he looks borderline miserable doing it.
He'll give a nod to Zelkov whenever he spots him, picking at his fourth plate of pasta in the last twenty minutes.]
Mn. Good evening.
I'm glad they didn't pin you down with their questions earlier.
I would like to think that had we not finally found something definitive, we would have chosen to vote pragmatically rather than send someone with no apparent ill intent to death based on flimsy evidence, but... I feel that may not have been the case.
...For my part, I will confess I put in my vote for Lobelia earlier on and felt no need to change it... though I certainly would have done otherwise if there had not been a clear enough consensus to ensure that an innocent would not be convicted by a few stray votes.
I did briefly suspect he might be the killer based on the particularly noisy nature of this murder and his personal proclivities. But I also simply believe that he is a dangerous person who acts on pure selfishness.
[ he thinks for a long moment about how to answer this. ]
...The world is not black and white. Though the evidence did not point to it in this instance, someone may kill out of self-defense or to protect another... even preemptively. As I put forth in last week's meeting, in our unique situation on these islands, where there is the possibility that we might all fall to the island's destruction if it is not sated, one could potentially argue in some cases that a killer was acting in the best interest of the majority.
If a murder was committed for this reason by someone who did not relish seeing any harm come to anyone and would under any other circumstances pose no threat to those around them, I would not feel it appropriate to condemn them to death if there were others around who did delight in suffering and would gladly bring harm to others without reason.
He was entirely too gleeful about the details of Chai's death, he did not deny that he would have loved to have heard and saved the sound of his bones breaking... and from what he shared with me, some of the sounds he has collected here thus far are rather disconcerting.
[ haruka......... please step away ]
I do not believe he values any of our lives beyond how they might serve his own pleasures.
Well, I will not ask you to bring more digestive discomfort upon yourself by pursuing further interactions with him... but if you should happen to learn anything, I would appreciate it if you would share those details with me.
[It's a brutal scene out at the main resort, even from a distance. Beelzebub looks heartbroken at how much of the buffet area is damaged, his pace slowing from his walk up from the cabanas. Damn.]
...Were you out here looking at the scene with everyone else, Zelkov?
I don't know. I don't like him. But I'd like to hear everything that was found.
We almost made some pretty bad mistakes last time, taking guesses. But if he starts throwing blame wildly again and causing trouble, especially if he's involved...
[A firm exhale.]
Someone might just rip his mouth right off his face.
I agree; unless we find ourselves truly running out of time, we should take all available evidence into account before making any accusations during the trial.
[ frowning... ]
If this was his power at work, however, I am concerned about what actions he might take if he feels things are turning against him.
[ especially given that whole "won't like what happens if he dies" thing. he's not sure how well the mouth-ripping would actually go... or an execution. ]
...In case I am prevented in any way from relaying this information later, the audio of Haruka's singing that played this morning and the location in which Lobelia was found on the beach are two other details that have contributed to my suspicion. He had a concerning number of recordings of Haruka's voice in his collection that he shared with me before, and whatever broke through the roof of the laundry room traveled roughly in the direction of the beach.
It is perfectly possible that neither of these means anything at all, and this is merely my imagination running wild... but they did strike me as odd, and worthy of note.
You have my apologies... I can only imagine what an uncomfortable situation that would be for you.
I don't know enough about how those seashells of his work, but if he truly fell unconscious after all of this, it seems possible that he was simply unavailable to turn it off once it started.
There was enough powerful damage to the machines inside that it seems plausible that the same force that destroyed them could have propelled him out of the room.
[ sighs. ]
I am well aware that this is not nearly enough to go off of if we hope to find something definitive... but I do hope that you will keep these observations in mind as potential starting points. I... am concerned about how many of our number might have fallen victim to his charisma in one way or another.
[ later in the day on wednesday, when things seem to have settled for the time being, zelkov eventually ends up in the boutique — he's spent enough time outside in the garden lately that he's realizing that he really does need to find some more lightweight alternatives to his usual style if he doesn't want to be completely miserable as he works.
seeing that he's not the only one here, he turns to beelzebub with a nod. ]
Good afternoon. Searching for something in particular?
She's a dainty little wisp. An angel. Just like the rest of you. You know she's sneaking down to them. Down to humanity. Down to the human she loves so deeply. You've never seen her so happy.
An angel shouldn't attach. An angel can only choose one human to guard. You all know this isn't what has happened. But you don't intervene. She's happy. You love to see her happy. There's so much discontent in the heavens, and it's reaching a peak. But at least Lilith can be happy. Your precious little sister. The youngest of the eight.
And then it changes.
Your Father intervenes. You remember the echo of his voice, the judgement, the power that can't be looked on directly. Lilith had disobeyed. Lilith, loving and stubborn and courageous and defiant Lilith, had seen her human suffering to what all humans would suffer with. The touch of disease. The knowledge of death.
She had intervened. Food from the Celestial Realm, is what the archangels say. Forbidden in the mouth of man.
She has sinned. And a sinner cannot belong in the space of your Father.
Lilith will be erased.
And that alone is the catalyst you all need to start a war.
---
You're not sure how long you've been fighting. You've always been known for your strength. A Cherubim, a guardian of the gates of heaven, now forcing your way through those you would have called brothers and sisters, snapping bows, parrying swords, tossing the angelic from their steeds. You are a protector. You are here to keep your own standing against what feels like the inevitable. It's your job, for them.
Behind you, you feel the presence of your second half. Your younger twin, Belphegor, who was never made for battle, but fights regardless. You feel his exhaustion, his bitterness, an echo in the back of your head, a telepathic connection.
And to your other side, you see Lilith. She fights regardless of all of the protests of her elder brothers. She circles back to the both of you often. The three of you have always been inseparable. Always. Always.
You advance in one direction. Belphie in another. Lilith, in a third.
And then you see the arrows.
It must be a final volley. They're pushing forward too fast now. But the bows are aimed, and you know you don't have the speed to stop it. Neither do your siblings.
One. Only one. You can make it to Belphegor. Or to Lilith.
...
The arrows shoot, and you run, grabbing your younger brother and pulling him to safety as the arrows fly, tumbling you both through the blood-scented air. He stays prone. But you...
You see her. She sees you. Her face drops, in disbelief, in pain, in anguish that bleeds over her face once the arrow hits her through the wings.
And like that, she drops from the heavens in a trail of blood.
You scream her name. You hear Belphegor in suit. But the two of you are both overwhelmed in your moment of grief, swords on top of you, bows pointed, hands grabbing at your shoulders.
And you fall.
Out of the light of heaven, past the reaches of earth, down until only darkness envelops you. It sheds your wings away like knives to the skin, twists at your bones, at the temples of your head, the crux of your shoulders, the center of your gut. A thorny, heavy grip. A changing of yourself, as the pitch-black ground approaches far too fast.
You have sinned.
You have lost her for it. You have protected nothing.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
WEEK 2 - POST-TRIAL
But it seems he's trying to hold himself back. A tiny bit, at least. And he looks borderline miserable doing it.
He'll give a nod to Zelkov whenever he spots him, picking at his fourth plate of pasta in the last twenty minutes.]
Mn. Good evening.
I'm glad they didn't pin you down with their questions earlier.
no subject
I could say the same to you. It seems we were both at the mercy of some rather unfortunate coincidences.
[ he comes over closer with his cup, though he doesn't move to sit down at the table. ]
Given the theories we were acting on at the time, I cannot truly fault them for their suspicions.
no subject
But...
[He sighs, idly twisting his fork.]
It leaves my stomach unsettled a little. That one of us could have been sacrificed just because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
no subject
no subject
I guess some votes did go all over the place even when people were more certain, though.
no subject
...For my part, I will confess I put in my vote for Lobelia earlier on and felt no need to change it... though I certainly would have done otherwise if there had not been a clear enough consensus to ensure that an innocent would not be convicted by a few stray votes.
no subject
Why Lobelia? Did he seen suspicious?
no subject
no subject
no subject
...The world is not black and white. Though the evidence did not point to it in this instance, someone may kill out of self-defense or to protect another... even preemptively. As I put forth in last week's meeting, in our unique situation on these islands, where there is the possibility that we might all fall to the island's destruction if it is not sated, one could potentially argue in some cases that a killer was acting in the best interest of the majority.
If a murder was committed for this reason by someone who did not relish seeing any harm come to anyone and would under any other circumstances pose no threat to those around them, I would not feel it appropriate to condemn them to death if there were others around who did delight in suffering and would gladly bring harm to others without reason.
no subject
...So you'd want to judge on intention, rather than on whether someone did it or not?
no subject
no subject
That's a hard call to make when we're all used to different "risks". But... I guess it makes sense.
You think Lobelia was a high enough risk that he might harm somebody else?
no subject
He was entirely too gleeful about the details of Chai's death, he did not deny that he would have loved to have heard and saved the sound of his bones breaking... and from what he shared with me, some of the sounds he has collected here thus far are rather disconcerting.
[ haruka......... please step away ]
I do not believe he values any of our lives beyond how they might serve his own pleasures.
no subject
I wonder what he would do if he got too bored?
no subject
I could not say, but I would suspect whatever it was would likely be to another's detriment.
no subject
[He growls a bit, the sound of metal over ceramic screeching at the force in which his fork stabs down.]
He gives me a stomachache.
no subject
[ frowns... ]
Did he elaborate at all on what that meant?
no subject
I don't know for sure, though.
no subject
Well, I will not ask you to bring more digestive discomfort upon yourself by pursuing further interactions with him... but if you should happen to learn anything, I would appreciate it if you would share those details with me.
no subject
He nods, giving it a beat of silence, before motioning to the seat across from him.]
Sit with me. We spent enough time standing around on that beach.
no subject
It was a rather long time to be standing in one place.
WEEK 3 - POST-INVESTIGATION
...Were you out here looking at the scene with everyone else, Zelkov?
no subject
I was. I spent my night in the garden once again, so the damage to the top of the building was visible to me as soon as I awoke.
[ ... ]
This destruction is certainly on another level compared to last week.
no subject
[How did we only have one body? It's a miracle.]
I wonder if we'd be able to narrow anything down from this without getting sidetracked. You'd need a lot of forceful sorts of power, I'd think.
no subject
[ ...he sighs. ]
I do not wish to come off as a child with a grudge, but I do think Lobelia may a strong contender for the most likely culprit in this case.
What are your thoughts?
no subject
I don't know. I don't like him. But I'd like to hear everything that was found.
We almost made some pretty bad mistakes last time, taking guesses. But if he starts throwing blame wildly again and causing trouble, especially if he's involved...
[A firm exhale.]
Someone might just rip his mouth right off his face.
no subject
[ frowning... ]
If this was his power at work, however, I am concerned about what actions he might take if he feels things are turning against him.
[ especially given that whole "won't like what happens if he dies" thing. he's not sure how well the mouth-ripping would actually go... or an execution. ]
...In case I am prevented in any way from relaying this information later, the audio of Haruka's singing that played this morning and the location in which Lobelia was found on the beach are two other details that have contributed to my suspicion. He had a concerning number of recordings of Haruka's voice in his collection that he shared with me before, and whatever broke through the roof of the laundry room traveled roughly in the direction of the beach.
It is perfectly possible that neither of these means anything at all, and this is merely my imagination running wild... but they did strike me as odd, and worthy of note.
no subject
Why would he put music on and keep it on, though? And how would he have gotten through the roof?
no subject
I don't know enough about how those seashells of his work, but if he truly fell unconscious after all of this, it seems possible that he was simply unavailable to turn it off once it started.
There was enough powerful damage to the machines inside that it seems plausible that the same force that destroyed them could have propelled him out of the room.
[ sighs. ]
I am well aware that this is not nearly enough to go off of if we hope to find something definitive... but I do hope that you will keep these observations in mind as potential starting points. I... am concerned about how many of our number might have fallen victim to his charisma in one way or another.
week 4, wednesday
seeing that he's not the only one here, he turns to beelzebub with a nod. ]
Good afternoon. Searching for something in particular?
WEEK 5 - TUESDAY
She's a dainty little wisp. An angel. Just like the rest of you. You know she's sneaking down to them. Down to humanity. Down to the human she loves so deeply. You've never seen her so happy.
An angel shouldn't attach. An angel can only choose one human to guard. You all know this isn't what has happened. But you don't intervene. She's happy. You love to see her happy. There's so much discontent in the heavens, and it's reaching a peak. But at least Lilith can be happy. Your precious little sister. The youngest of the eight.
And then it changes.
Your Father intervenes. You remember the echo of his voice, the judgement, the power that can't be looked on directly. Lilith had disobeyed. Lilith, loving and stubborn and courageous and defiant Lilith, had seen her human suffering to what all humans would suffer with. The touch of disease. The knowledge of death.
She had intervened. Food from the Celestial Realm, is what the archangels say. Forbidden in the mouth of man.
She has sinned. And a sinner cannot belong in the space of your Father.
Lilith will be erased.
And that alone is the catalyst you all need to start a war.
---
You're not sure how long you've been fighting. You've always been known for your strength. A Cherubim, a guardian of the gates of heaven, now forcing your way through those you would have called brothers and sisters, snapping bows, parrying swords, tossing the angelic from their steeds. You are a protector. You are here to keep your own standing against what feels like the inevitable. It's your job, for them.
Behind you, you feel the presence of your second half. Your younger twin, Belphegor, who was never made for battle, but fights regardless. You feel his exhaustion, his bitterness, an echo in the back of your head, a telepathic connection.
And to your other side, you see Lilith. She fights regardless of all of the protests of her elder brothers. She circles back to the both of you often. The three of you have always been inseparable. Always. Always.
You advance in one direction. Belphie in another. Lilith, in a third.
And then you see the arrows.
It must be a final volley. They're pushing forward too fast now. But the bows are aimed, and you know you don't have the speed to stop it. Neither do your siblings.
One. Only one. You can make it to Belphegor. Or to Lilith.
...
The arrows shoot, and you run, grabbing your younger brother and pulling him to safety as the arrows fly, tumbling you both through the blood-scented air. He stays prone. But you...
You see her. She sees you. Her face drops, in disbelief, in pain, in anguish that bleeds over her face once the arrow hits her through the wings.
And like that, she drops from the heavens in a trail of blood.
You scream her name. You hear Belphegor in suit. But the two of you are both overwhelmed in your moment of grief, swords on top of you, bows pointed, hands grabbing at your shoulders.
And you fall.
Out of the light of heaven, past the reaches of earth, down until only darkness envelops you. It sheds your wings away like knives to the skin, twists at your bones, at the temples of your head, the crux of your shoulders, the center of your gut. A thorny, heavy grip. A changing of yourself, as the pitch-black ground approaches far too fast.
You have sinned.
You have lost her for it. You have protected nothing.
It's your fault.]