Youth Center/Hotel Place

---

All was silent.

Mercy stared. As it all finally came to a close, the weight on her shoulders suddenly felt heavier, but the pounding in her head steadier. Almost no one moved, and no one made a sound. It was an unspoken moment of silence for those they had lost that day.

When Mercy thought about it, she realized how much she would've wanted to be angry. But looking at Braeden's blood body, she only felt emptiness. A kind of emptiness she wasn't used to.

Graham looked toward the elevator, frowning. "We... we should go back. Standing here will only mess with our heads more."

Vivara closed her eyes, nodding slowly. Fingers wrapped tightly around Braeden's chain, she began to make her way over to the elevator, her footsteps echoing.

One by one, people began moving over to the elevator, the air around them thick and heavy.

"If we leave," Mercy whispered, still staring, "then that means we'll have to move on."

I don't want to move on, she almost said, an unfamiliar sadness reflecting in her eyes.

Faussin looked back at her, something like understanding showing in his expression. Sliding his deck into his pocket, he walked over to her, taking a place by her side. She expected him to gently nudge her toward the elevator, but surprisingly, he didn't say a word. Instead, they both stared for a time, neither saying a word.

After what felt like a long time, Mercy stepped back silently. She took one last look, then turned and headed toward the elevator, leaving Braeden's body behind her.

She could feel the tears trickling down her cheeks, but they were quiet this time.

Faussin caught up with her, hands stuffed into his pockets. They both stepped into the elevator, doors creaking shut behind them. Mercy resigned herself to a corner of the lift, gaze lowering to the floor and arms crossing. She shifted, feeling something against her leg. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Checking her pockets, she took out the Queen of Hearts. Scowling, but smiling despite herself, she slid it back into her pocket.

Quietly, Madoka moved towards the elevator. The others had crowded in already...aside from Clair, he realized. Shortly after Braeden's death, the mastermind of the trial sank to the floor, toppled onto her side and curled into the fetal position. She wept, nails scratching at her skin.

Madoka's body was heavy. He was exhausted--this trial had drained him emotionally and physically.

And yet, as he began to step into the elevator, he knew he couldn't leave Clair behind. Even after everything she had done--even after she had revealed her true nature to the group--he just couldn't leave her behind.

Taking a deep breath, he returned to her side, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Clair. Everything will be alright--"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Her hand smacked his away just as his fingers brushed her body. Madoka drew back with a jerk, nearly falling back. He glanced over at the other students as if begging them for advice.

Clair...let me in, please...

"It's okay," Madoka swore. "P-please, Clair...I-I forgive you, so it's okay...please, let's just get out of here."

She offered no response beyond her continued sobs. Madoka glanced down at the apatite encircling his wrist. He bit his lip.

Relieves grief.

Silently, he worked to remove the bracelet from his wrist and placed it on Clair's hand. She grasped it immediately, bringing it close to her face.

"Mado." The leftover harshness in Faqir's voice was not lost on Madoka. He fiddled with his fingers, staring at Clair. "She's not coming, okay? Leave her. If she wants to be like this, just...I want to get out of here, okay? We all do."

"I'm not leaving." Clair hadn't left Madoka during the first trial and the days following. She hadn't left him when they all ran around like chickens with their heads cut off after Monokuma's announcement. Even before the trip took a terrible turn, she had brought him along with her as her companion and led been his source of strength.

Now it was Madoka's turn to be hers.

Hesitantly, he hovered his hand over her shoulder. "...Clair, let's get you back to bed, okay? It's going to be alright. You'll see. We still have hope, right? And as long as we have that, there's...nothing to be afraid of. Because we have each other. You..."

Clair choked, holding tightly to the bracelet Madoka had passed to her. Deciding it was worth the risk, he began to lower his hand, recoiling again when Clair writhed at his touch.

"Clair...it's me. I-it's just me, okay? I-it's all going to be alright. Because..." Madoka swallowed, trying to relieve the dryness in his throat. "Because...I'm your good luck charm, right?"

She quivered at the foot of the podium, silent.

Slowly, her head turned to look at him. Her eyes, dull, lifeless, and full of tears--her makeup, smudged and dripping off--her body, trembling like an earthquake...

For the first time, Madoka realized how young she was. Without the mask her makeup had given her, he saw all her imperfections, all her vulnerabilities, hidden only by her hands covering her jaw. She may have been Madoka's source of strength, but she was still human.

He couldn't stand it. Steeling himself for any horrible reactions she might have, Madoka pulled Clair off of the ground and into his arms.

At first, she thrashed frantically, trying to pry herself free--but when Madoka's arms only tightened around her, she slowly relaxed, going almost limp in his arms. One hand rested on Madoka's back, her face burying in his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," Madoka whispered. "I-I'm not going anywhere, okay? I forgive you. I forgive you for everything. It's going to be alright. You're safe now."

"S...safe," Clair sounded out, as though the word were foreign. After the events of the trial, Madoka was certain it was.

Slowly, he drew the quivering girl to her feet. Clair instantly collapsed against Madoka, and he stumbled, adjusting his grip to hold her up. Exhausted as he was, Madoka couldn't find the energy to carry her.

Slowly, Romano emerged from the elevator, approached the pair, and bowed. He took Clair from Madoka's arms, lifting her into his own. She didn't move, staring off into the distance. Grateful, Madoka followed Romano back into the elevator.

As the grate slammed shut and the car shot upwards, Madoka moved closer to Faussin, feeling in full force the sheer severity of what they were suffering.

This would change everything. Knowing it horrified him.

---

---

Two days had come and gone since the events of the second trial. The hole left by Eriko and Braeden was palpable--even Faqir had been quiet and somber lately.

But more than that...

Madoka placed his hand against Clair’s door, biting his lip. She had locked herself in her room ever since the last trial, refusing to show up for meetings, get breakfast, or even talk to anyone. Even so, Madoka was determined not to lose her--he had barely avoided losing her physically, and he could not--would not--lose her emotionally.

The mastermind behind the last trial had been thoroughly broken by her previous experiences. Faqir's grudge against the girl stuck, and Madoka was sure others would still hate her, but he just couldn't bring himself to abandon her. When no one else would visit, he left food outside her door in hopes she would eat, told her stories from his life before Hope's Peak in hopes she would listen, and passed along all the information from the meetings in hopes she would come to the next one.

Nothing seemed to work.

"Clair?" Madoka’s voice sounded weak. He waited for a moment, hearing no response. "...Clair? It's Madoka, your good luck charm. I, um...I noticed you didn't eat the dinner I brought you last night. Or lunch...or breakfast."

Her room was silent. Madoka took a deep breath.

"I have a bagel with cream cheese here," he said brightly. "I-I'll just leave it here for you, okay? So if you get hungry, you don't have to walk all the way to the cafeteria. Um, what else, what else...oh! Romano cleaned off your other earring now that we no longer need it. I-if your ear has healed, maybe you can put it back in."

Not a sound from inside. Madoka's hand closed into a fist.

"...I miss you," he said quietly. "I hope you're doing alright in there. I'd love to come in and just...just see you again, just one more time. I'm really worried about you, you know, y-you're not eating and...and I just don't...want to lose you."

The air was still. Casting one last longing look at the door handle, Madoka slowly backed away, beginning to head for the meeting.

"G-good...luck...charm?"

Madoka nearly jumped. He whirled around, spotting Clair's door only slightly ajar; he couldn't even see inside the room, but at least he heard her.

He wondered back, taking cautious steps, afraid to spook her back into hiding. Madoka crouched outside the door, reaching towards the crack. Clair's fingers extended from within, just barely entangling with Madoka's.

"How are you feeling?"

Her fingers twitched. "Why..."

Her voice was hoarse, dyed with the strange pitch she'd slowly descended into during the trial.

Madoka heard her coughing and was immediately worried about her hydration levels. Thankfully, he'd thought to bring a water bottle with the breakfast--maybe he could convince her to take it.

"Why...d-didn't I...die?"

Madoka's fingers gripped at hers instinctively. He hesitated, trying to find the right words. Nothing came.

"Why didn't...y-you kill me...? I-I wanted...I tried, I...I-I really tried..."

What can I even say to her? How...how can I save her?

"I-if I died..." Clair's voice was still choked with sobs; Madoka wondered how long she had been crying. "If I died, would...would everyone forgive me? I-if I bleed, w-will they still hate me? I'm trying...I-I'm really trying...w-why didn't I die in that trial?"

"I already forgive you," Madoka insisted. "It's okay, really. N-no one hates you. It's okay."

"Please don't lie to me." Her fingers started to withdraw. Desperate, Madoka yanked them further out until he could see her whole hand. He grabbed it, holding tightly to her wrist. "M...Madoka, I deserve...I deserve to be hated. I-it's okay that you do. I deserve to be punished for this. I deserve to die."

Madoka's mind flashed back to Clair's screams about her own personal "hell" during the trial. His brain made the connection quickly, but for her sake, he decided not to ask.

What can I even do for her? She's broken. What can I do?

"I'm sorry. I'm so useless." Clair chuckled, mirthlessly. "...I can't even die properly. What kind of failure can't even die?"

"I don't want you to die," Madoka blurted. "I-I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to die here, I want you to make it out of here with all of us!"

"And do what?" Bitterness hung in Clair's words. Madoka stared at her hand, clutched in his. He realized for the first time how much weight she had lost in just those two days. "Go back home and do it all over again? Return to my apartment, where I live by myself, with no friends, no family, no...nothing? Get back to my normal life, where I spend all my time staring at myself in a mirror until I perfect the mask I wear every day? Hate myself, drown in my own self-loathing, draw my blood until it stains the floors so deep I can no longer get it out? Walk the streets and exercise the only control I have by manipulating and dumping men in an endless cycle even though I don't even like men? Stress myself out by hiding everything from everyone, protecting myself, keeping everything bottled up like I always do, putting all my shattered pieces just so I can go out and get them shattered again, then go home, make myself perfect again, and go out into the world as this image of perfection, of control, of charm...only to betray everyone who has ever looked up to me when they realized I'm just a selfish, worthless, broken, shameful whore?"

Madoka wasn't even sure how to start responding. He waited for Clair to continue.

"Madoka...I don't have any hope. I...I have nothing to hope for. And I've...grown so used to it, I-I've gotten so attached to it, that it's...just a part of me now. It's a part of me that I try so hard to hide, every day...a part I so desperately wanted to keep hidden forever, a part I never wanted you to have to see. I wanted to be strong for you. I...I wanted to feel like maybe, just maybe, I was important to someone. Maybe...maybe someone would...actually care if I died."

"I care!" Madoka insisted, clutching Clair's hand with both of his. "I-I care, Clair, I care so much, please...p-please, listen to me, I-I just...d-don't leave me..."

For a moment, Clair didn't respond. Madoka hated how cold her hand felt in his.

"I wonder..." Her voice was wistful when she finally spoke again. "If you knew the truth...if you knew the secret I've fought so hard to protect, would...would you still care about me?"

"Of course," Madoka swore. "I know all of this about you--y-you did what you did and I still love you, how--"

He realized too late that he had said "love". Unfortunately, Clair heard it too.

"Madoka..." She was quiet. "...I'm...I'm sorry."

"S-sorry?" Madoka willed his voice to stop shaking. "Why? This isn't--"

"I'm sorry I let you fall in love with me." The odd pitch returned to Clair's voice; she cleared her throat. "It...it can't happen. I'm too broken, Madoka. You deserve better. Besides, I..." Clair hesitated. "I...hate men."

Madoka flinched.

"Not you," Clair insisted. "I could never hate you, not...not really. But through my life, all they've ever done is hurt me. Physically, emotionally, sexually, however they can. I've been beaten, I've been belittled, I...I've had things stolen from me that I can never get back. Even if I know you would never be like them, I...I can't. I just can't do this. I'm sorry, I just can't."

Madoka took a deep breath, an unfamiliar pain in his heart. "R-right. I-I understand, i-it's okay. ...I just want us to be friends."

"I don't think you really want that." Clair paused. "I'm just going to end up hurting you. It's all I know how to do now. It's a drug to me--string people along, finally gain some kind of control so I can hurt them, so for once I can be the one causing others pain instead of the one getting hurt. I'll just end up hurting you too, like I did when I used you and tricked everyone and...and rejected you."

Madoka bit his lip. For the first time, he noticed strange wounds on Clair's hand and wrist.

"Can I...can I just rot in here? Alone, where I can't hurt anyone else, where I can't see them all glaring at me. I just want to waste away in this room like I deserve to."

"No."

Madoka's newfound courage continued to surprise him. Faqir's bracelet had worked, it seemed--his boldness was beginning to grow.

"I won't let you die. If you die after you let Braeden take the fall for you, then what's the point in it, right? He died so you wouldn't, so the least you can do is live for him."

"I killed him," Clair whispered. "I killed Braeden, I killed Eriko...why stop there? I'm a murderer. I'm a psychopath. I'm a slut. I'm a b*tch. I'm nothing worth protecting."

"Neither am I." Madoka's hands shook; he gripped Clair's tighter. "I-I'm nothing special. I've done nothing wrong and nothing right. I'm not amazing, I'm not horrible, I'm just...me. Look at you, y-you're such a fantastic makeup artist that you were awarded the title of 'Ultimate' and here I am, only getting here through sheer chance and still managing to fall in the middle of the road. I...I'm useless too, Clair, b-but you still wanted to protect me. You still decided I was worth something, e-even though I...I'm not! Even though I have nothing to offer you, e-even though I'm just some guy, even though I'm nothing, you still...y-you were still my friend."

He felt her hand shaking too. Scooting a bit closer, Madoka rested their hands in his lap, leaning his forehead against the crack in the door.

"So then..." Madoka paused, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "If I'm useless and you still cared about me, then...I can still care about you even if you're useless. And maybe we can be useful to each other, even if it's just to give each other a real friend, s-someone we can actually talk to and someone who can carry us when we fall, who can be strong when we're weak even if...even if they're weaker than anyone else in the world, that just by looking at each other, we can...we can find the courage to be strong. B-because that's what you did for me, y-you made me feel like I could be strong, that for once in my life maybe I could be more than just 'some guy', because you were there and you cared and...and I loved you for it."

Clair sniffled behind the door. Madoka smiled warmly.

I won't lose her. Not like this.

"C-Clair, what if...I move into your apartment with you?"

She released a soft gasp, silent.

"When we get out of here," Madoka continued, "I'll move in with you, so that way you won't be alone and we won't have to say goodbye. I-I can take care of you, and then everything will be fine, right? You can have something to look forward to, something that you actually want when you get out, so you wouldn't have to give up. I...I'm okay that you don't like me back, i-it's not a problem, I just want to...to be around you. I just want to be with you, even if it's just friends, because you're important to me and you're the first person who has looked at me and seen someone worth...protecting. And I see you as someone worth protecting too, so we can be there for each other. I-I'm a clean roommate, I-I promise, a-and I'm not very loud and I don't take long showers and I guess it might be awkward living with a boy b-but I would never hurt you! I'd never want to force you into anything o-or whatever, you can trust me, I promise, w-we can even put locks on all the doors so I couldn't get in even if I wanted to, which I don't...y-you're a beautiful woman b-but it's not like--"

Before he could finish, the door flew open and Clair launched herself into his arms, sobbing. Madoka hesitated, startled, then slowly hugged her back, feeling his eyes close.

This is...how I want it to be all the time. I just want to be around her. Even if she's broken, even if she's useless, even if she's cruel. She's Clair, and Clair is the woman I love most.

"I'd like that, good luck charm." Clair's voice had returned to her usual tone, but Madoka could detect the brokenness even in that now. "That...I'd really like that."

Thank goodness.

"Th-then..." Madoka swallowed, hesitating. "Will...do you want to go to the meeting? E-everyone else is probably waiting. Oni was asking about you. W-we can walk there together, and I won't leave your side all day, okay? E-except to go to the bathroom and all that. W-when we have to, but...yeah. I'm not going anywhere, is what I mean."

Clair drew away, wiping her eyes. Madoka quickly realized she was wearing less makeup than he had ever seen her in; her features were less pronounced than he thought. "I'm scared of seeing them. They won't want to see me. I should just stay in my room..."

"Of course they want to see you," Madoka insisted. "How about this? Let's go down there and see them, and if you're still scared and they all hate you, I'll walk you back to your room and keep bringing you meals until you feel better. D-does that sound good?"

Clair nodded then shook her head. "I-I really don't want anyone else seeing me like this."

"Then I'll wait here while you pull yourself together a bit, and then we'll go."

She sighed, smiling up at him with an odd look in her eyes. "You're really not going to give up on me, are you? Geez...you remind me of my best friend before..."

Madoka found himself dying to confirm his suspicions. "Clair, you..."

"I'll go get cleaned up, okay? Wait here." She stood--Madoka realized her body was still shaking. Her eyes darting around reinforced it--Clair still hadn't fully recovered.

Of course she hasn't. You're not a miracle worker, Madoka.

"Wait," Madoka began. "I-I just want to know. Were you--"

"Please don't ask." Clair clutched her arms, the deadness returning to her eyes. "...I-I don't want to have to think of it again. Lately I haven't been able to stop, and if that keeps up I'll really kill myself next time."

Madoka bit his lip, dipping his head. Taking the cue, Clair ducked back into her room, closing the door behind her. Madoka stood, sighing miserably.

She was talking, at least--that was a plus. Still, Madoka knew in that moment that the Clair he had once known was officially gone. In her place was a ruined shadow of herself, a caricature of the composed, mysterious woman he'd once known. Her soul was bare, her heart broken, and her mind raw.

It was more important than ever for Madoka to look out for her.

When she finally emerged, Clair immediately grabbed onto Madoka's arm, standing half-hidden behind him. He could feel her body shaking.

Silently, he reached into his pocket, removed Clair's earring, and passed it to her. She took it, placing it in her jacket pocket, and fished out Madoka's bracelet which he had given her during the trial. Madoka held out his wrist and Clair helped him put the bracelet back on before clinging to his arm once more.

The two began moving towards the conference room to catch the meeting in silence. Despite the lack of spoken word, a thought passed between them, felt and embraced in the heart.

You're not alone anymore.

---

Faussin frowned. He hated how empty the conference room felt.

Of course, there were the four chairs that would never be filled again, but there were several other chairs that were also missing their inhabitants. He shifted uncomfortably, already knowing the reason behind two: Clair hadn't come out of her room since the trial ended, and Mercy had recently made a point of being by herself at all times.

But everyone else should've been there. Currently, the only people there were him, Romano, Oni, Ysabel and Graham--in other words, more than half of them were missing.

Before Fauss could voice his concern, Graham beat him to it. "Where is everyone?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Ysabel admitted, glancing over at the door, then at the clock. "The meeting started fifteen minutes ago, didn't it?"

Graham nodded. "Yeah, it did. I mean, I guess I can see some of 'em being late, but Viv? Viv's always early, isn't she?"

As if on cue, Vivara hurried in, holding something large and rectangular in her hands. She'd thrown a sheet over it, as if she didn't want anyone to see what it was. "Sorry I'm late, I was--I was putting on the final touches. Is everyone here?"

Finnian came in behind her, carrying something awfully similar in shape, sheet also thrown over it. He waved to everyone, slightly out of breath. "I was helping Viv and am now also late. Apologizes."

"You're fine," Graham replied. "What are those?"

Vivara walked over to a chair, using one hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "You'll see in a moment. Is everyone here?"

Faussin shook his head. "No. We're missing a lot of people, actually."

Vivara pursed her lips, then passed her suspicious rectangle to Finnian, who carefully took it into his hands. "I'm going to try and lure Mercy into the conference room. Excuse me for a moment, and do not peek under the sheets, please."

This only seemed to entice Graham. Just as Vivara walked out of earshot, Graham scooted his chair toward Finnian and the rectangles. "Finn. Here's the plan. We all look, and when Viv gets back, pretend nothing happened. When she reveals whatever that is to us, we can all act surprised, and she'll be none the wiser! Oki doke?"

"No can do, bro," Finnian replied, stepping away from Graham. "We've gotta wait for everyone else. It's important."

"At the cost of my suffering?" Graham gasped, holding his hand over his heart. "Very well. I'll wait--somehow."

The Ultimate Thief's melodramatics helped to calm Faussin down. Fauss had always been prone to getting nervous, and when it got too out of hand, well... he shifted. He didn't like to think about that.

If nothing else, becoming Oni's "Demon Butler" gave Romano something to do.

The young exorcist had started following him around lately. Though at first it was obnoxious--Oni's loudness did not mix well with Romano's easy annoyance--slowly, the girl had begun to grow on him. In her quieter moments, he saw that she truly did want what was best for everyone, even if she didn't quite know how to show it.

"Your queen demands to know what is going on!" Speaking of Oni, she placed her hands on her hips, feet spread. "BUTLER! CHECK UNDER THE SHEETS!"

"I would far rather obey Miss Vivara's command." Another thing Romano didn't mind about Oni--she didn't seem to get sarcasm, which was sometimes amusing. For now, she pouted.

The door swung open, Madoka slowly emerging inside. Pressed up behind him was Clair--or at least, Romano guessed it was Clair.

The Ultimate Makeup Artist had her jacket zipped up all the way. There was a distinct lack of her usual makeup, though she had given herself enough to remind everyone why she had been assigned her Ultimate. Even from where he stood, Romano could tell she had lost weight--likely due to not eating, though Romano briefly wondered if she had been throwing up as well. She was clearly terrified, watching everyone warily as though she was afraid to be around them. Not that Romano could blame her--everyone had been highly shaken by the previous trial, and it was unlikely for everyone to forgive and forget so easily.

For his part, Romano's feelings had always been complicated. He wasn't unused to blood--in fact, given his background in the mafia, he was rather used to it--but the sight of a dead body he knew was quite a bit different. Still, an unshakable façade was essential to both a butler and a mafia son. Romano had mastered his.

Clair met his eyes. Offering no other response, he bowed.

Oni folded her arms. "I see the demon has emerged from its den! Good work, General Himura!"

Madoka scratched his neck. Clair winced behind him. "M-maybe don't call her a demon? I-I barely managed to get her to come out of her room and I don't want her getting scared."

Oni scoffed, pursing her lips. "It was a compliment, to be hailed as one of The Great Demon Queen's mighty kin."

"Have you seen Master Faqir?" Romano asked. "Miss Vivara has something to show us and is looking for everyone. He is usually quick to arrive."

"You've been talkative lately," Madoka observed. "W-when we first met, you barely said a word."

Romano nodded. "As we are now rather low on company, it is more important for me to fill the silence."

Truthfully, there were few things Romano disliked more than silence--at least this kind of silence. This silence was the kind left by broken hearts and broken bodies. Those bodies had once spoken, and now...

He was reminded of the second trial. Romano refused to look at Clair, instead focusing on a collection of crumbs on the table.

---

If the mood had been somber before, Clair's presence had made it downright depressing.

Even Graham, who was making jokes not even seconds ago, looked to the side, warmth fading from his features. Ysabel drummed her fingers on the table, while Finnian held the rectangles closer to himself, apparently trying not to stare.

Seeing everyone act this way made his heart twist. That had to have been such a terrible feeling--to walk into a room and see everyone look away. Even if what Clair had did left everyone in pain, it was clear that she'd acted out of fear and dread, which was only human. Biting his lip, he stood, ignoring everyone else.

He approached Clair and Madoka with a small but sincere smile, a bouquet of beautiful flowers appearing between his fingertips. It was an amateur trick, but it was one of the first ones he'd learned, and it almost never failed to put a smile on his brother's face. "Good morning."

Everyone made mistakes. Terrible, horrible, sometimes unforgivable mistakes. But that didn't mean they had to be treated any differently, right?

She's still human.

Romano chose not to watch Faussin, instead moving to another section of the table to clean up more crumbs. Admittedly, he didn't want to make Clair feel any worse than she already did--for that reason, he resolved not to say a word to her until he was sure none of them would be cruel.

"Good morning, Fauss!" The pep had returned to Madoka's voice. Risking a glance, Romano saw Clair staring vacantly at the flowers. She looked over at Madoka as if asking for permission to take them. Madoka gave a small nod, and Clair reached out cautiously to take the bouquet from Faussin, smiling for just a split second.

Romano returned his gaze to the table. Beside him, Oni shuffled, clearly noticing the influx of negative feelings.

"Yo, homies!" Faqir suddenly pushed the door open, sauntering inside. "How's it--oh."

What followed was a brief, uneasy silence. Romano turned to face Faqir, bowing.

"Good morning, Master Faqir. Miss Vivara was hoping for everyone to arrive. Have you seen the others?"

"None of the others I wanted to see." Faqir made a beeline for Graham, skirting around Clair entirely. Romano noticed her wince visibly. Her lips parted as if she would say something, then she apparently thought better of it and bit down on her bottom lip. "Anyway, sorry I'm late. I spent the last three hours jerking off to a recording of Clair and Braeden in that casino. Turns out the computer lab has video surveillance footage, who knew?"

Clair hid further behind Madoka, tugging on his arm. She whispered something in his ear. Madoka frowned.

"I've been in the computer lab and we're denied access from the security cameras. Those would be in the security offices we can't get into."

"Boo, you always ruin my fun. Can a guy not make terrible jokes in peace anymore?"

"She already apologized, Faqir."

Oni tensed. Romano didn't need her incredibly sharp intuition to notice where the conversation was steering.

"There is quite a lot of lingering tension after the events of our last trial," he said calmly. "However, I for one would love to ignore this tension for now so we may enjoy the gift Miss Vivara has prepared for us. To that end, I propose a temporary truce."

Madoka frowned. "If it will get everyone to stop."

Faqir snorted, staring at the wall. He kept quiet, however, leading Romano to assume his speaking up had at least calmed him for now.

He watched the door, longing for the rest of the group to enter so they could hurry to address more important matters--calming everyone down.

---

Faussin moved over to one of the corners of the table, where he'd decided to sit that day. He always sat on the edge--being sandwiched in-between people tended to make him nauseous. Tentatively, he offered his seat to Clair, predicting that she wouldn't want to be stuck between people either. "Here."

Not missing a beat, he then moved to the other side of the table, gaze shifting to Faqir. He'd almost said something to him before, but had quickly thought better of it, knowing initiating something would only spiral into something worse. Even then, though, he didn't know what he'd say.

As much as Fassuin didn't like to think about it, Clair had manipulated Faqir into helping kill Eriko. She'd put a weight on his shoulders that he'd never be able to get rid of--or so Faussin imagined. It wasn't any of his business if Faqir didn't think Clair deserved forgiveness.

If anything, maybe Faussin was just being too sympathetic.

He sighed quietly, the tension in the air triggering his nervous habit. Slipping his hands into his sleeves, he began to grate his nails along his arms, having done the same thing during both trials. No doubt he was going to end up bleeding again, the old scratches not having enough time to heal yet.

Why is everything I do so self-destructive? He thought idly. Speaking of, supporting Clair was probably going to blow up in his face. Too bad he wasn't going to stop.

Graham glanced at Faqir. He wasn't saying a word, which was unlike him to say the least.

Faussin almost hoped that Vivara would be back soon, knowing she of all people would be brave enough to speak through if not completely disregard the tension. When he remembered she had left to go get Mercy, however, he only felt more uncomfortable. Mercy was unpredictable at this point. If anyone was going to blow up at Clair, it'd probably be her.

He paused, shifting. Where was Amelia?

Madoka smiled to Faussin, leading Clair over to the chair he had offered. Without a word, Clair sat, looking around nervously. Madoka took the empty chair beside her.

"Thank you, Fauss," he said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

Clair muttered something. As soon as she had, she went silent again, her eyes slightly wide. Madoka patted her shoulder.

It was surprising, to say the least, how much the dynamic had changed. Just a few days ago, Madoka had been the one staying quiet and being nervous while Clair initiated conversations and gave Madoka comforting pats on the shoulder.

They weren't the only ones who had changed--not only was Faqir more consistently solemn than ever (though lingering aftereffects from a nasty concussion probably didn't help that), but Faussin had seemed more confident lately and Mercy significantly more on-edge. Even Oni had quieted lately, and Romano himself had at least become slightly more social if nothing else.

It had only been the second death, and already the team had been sent whirling. Romano hated to think about what might happen if they had to suffer any more.

The silence was miserable. "I trust everyone ate before arriving. If not, I would be glad to retrieve some food for everyone."

"I haven't," Faqir admitted. "But nah, you don't have to get me anything. I'm sure Clair would let me eat her out, right?"

Clair bit her lip, once again drawing blood. She leaned in to whisper to Madoka.

"Once again, your tact is highly impressive, Master Faqir." Romano sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I believe the terms of a 'truce' include not deliberately provoking the other party?"

Faqir only shrugged. "I never signed a contract. 'Sides, I'm not doing anything wrong. I mean, she did sleep with a guy just to get him murdered. That's worth slut-shaming if anything ever was."

"Faqir." Madoka's tone was controlled, but Romano heard the annoyance growing.

Faqir shifted in his chair.

Romano observed the two, then glanced to Oni, who had shuffled closer to him. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Again, I repeat my request to call a temporary truce. While we are all on-edge, it is very beneficial for us to put that aside and carry on as companions. We are all on the same team."

Faqir snorted. "I'm not sure, I think one of us might be a bit too asylum-worthy to really be considered part of the team."

By now, Clair had resumed shaking. She clutched Madoka's sleeve, staring at the table.

Before Romano could speak up to calm the situation, Faqir continued.

"And now you have the nerve to just sit there and not say anything? Tell me off! Don't just sit there taking it like an innocent victim! You're in the wrong here, don't you get it? And I don't appreciate you making me look like the bad guy!"

"She already apologized," Madoka insisted. "Now quit making her uncomfortable, I-it's amazing enough I was even able to get her to come out here and eat something!"

Romano felt a headache coming on. "Enough. You are both acting like children. The simple solution to the problem is to simply not engage with each other, a solution which I have already suggested twice and which you have both routinely ignored. It is indeed a sad day when a servant must educate others on their manners."

Madoka quieted immediately. Faqir mumbled something, fidgeting.

Romano observed them, calmly folding his hands in front of him. "Now. Before I was so crudely interrupted, I believe I was asking if anyone would like me to retrieve food from the cafeteria."

---

'Asylum-worthy.' Faussin shifted in his chair once again, discomfort levels skyrocketing. He dug deeper into his skin and felt as blood began to trickle down his arm. Again. There were times when he really wished Faqir would just shut up.

Graham quietly nudged Faqir, giving him something that resembled a look. After a moment, however, his expression softened and he muttered something quietly enough so only Faqir could hear.

Faussin could only hope it was something positive.

"I think you are needed here more than you are getting food from the cafeteria," Ysabel addressed Romano tentatively, seeing as no one else had spoken up thus far.

The door swung open. Vivara walked in, surveying the room, her eyes taking a moment to fall upon Clair. Even she seemed briefly taken off-guard by the girl's presence, clearly not having expected to see her anywhere outside of her room. Almost cautiously, she glanced at Mercy, who stood behind her.

Faussin held his breath, half expecting some kind of fight to break out.

Mercy held her gaze on Clair for a long moment, eyes dead.

But just as quietly as she'd walked in, Mercy looked away, stepping over to one of many empty seats at the table. Faussin swallowed--Mercy had picked a seat right next to Eriko's old seat.

Everything about Mercy seemed off from her usual self. She was always early, always composed, always neat and polite, for the most part. But all of that had disappeared. Her eyes were tired, focused on nothing in particular. She looked as though she'd just waken up, red hair tangled and thrown into a lazy-looking ponytail, clothes unwashed and wrinkled, expression somewhat dazed.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect you to be here, Clair," Vivara muttered, regarding the Ultimate Makeup Artist. She carefully began to take her rectangles from Finnian. "I was planning to show everyone something I've been working on. It does have to do with the people whose murders you orchestrated, so if you'd like to leave now to leave us a moment to mourn, you're more than welcome to."

Faussin stared at her. "I don't think that was called for."

She frowned. "I worked hard on these. I don't want them to be soured. Surely you can appreciate that."

Mercy closed her eyes, sighing quietly. "Please, just hurry this up. I'm tired."

"We're still missing one person," Vivara muttered, scanning the students present. "If we could wait a bit longer for Amelia, I'd appreciate that."

"As long as Faqir agrees to stay quiet," Faussin muttered under his breath, his nerve surprising even himself.

At this point, Clair finally stood up, moving for the door. Madoka caught her wrist.

"Stay," he begged. "Please. Everything will be alright, I promise. I'm right here. I-it's going to be fine."

Clair shook her head miserably, reaching up a hand to scratch at her cheeks. Romano watched her.

"Miss Vivara, if it is any consolation, Miss Clair has been utterly silent since she arrived," he said. "I have attempted multiple times to call a temporary truce. If we can all honor it, I am sure your presentation will go smoothly."

Faqir mumbled something, but at least seemed to be taking Romano's advice to heart. He offered Graham a bitter smile.

Oni cleared her throat. "Our time is being occupied by demons! All of us are possessed! This much negative energy can only be their work--why, Lucifer himself must be in this very room!"

Clair actually let out a scream at that, dropping to her knees. Madoka was at her side in an instant. Oni winced.

"But there is no need to worry, mortal swine! For your Great Demon Queen can rid this room of all demons present with but a few words!" Oni looked longingly at Romano as if searching for approval. He nodded to her. "Butler! FETCH ME MY HOLY SALTS!"

Romano pulled a salt shaker out of his pocket and passed it to her.

Oni immediately began to sprinkle it in a circle around the table, reciting Bible passages she had obviously memorized long ago. Oddly, the mesmerizing motion of her movement around the table, the confidence in her voice, and her unshakeable resolve seemed to strike something in Clair and Faqir. Clair slowly regained her composure, taking deep breaths, and moved back to her chair. Madoka followed, relieved. Faqir leaned against the back of his chair, eyes closed, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Oni finished scattering her salt and stepped back, reaching out a single hand to Romano. He reached into his other suit pocket and handed her a vial of water.

Without even asking, Oni opened her vial and began to sprinkle it on every student in the room, beginning with Romano himself and moving on to Vivara before tackling the rest of the inhabitants. Each sprinkle came with a murmured blessing on the student.

Clair yelped when the droplets hit her face, but seemed oddly calm as Oni pronounced a brief blessing on her and moved on to Madoka. The Ultimate Exorcist finished her rounds, handed her vial back to Romano, and stepped towards the table, raising a single hand. The jewelry Faqir had made her--which Romano suddenly realized had been crafted in the shape of a cross--was clutched in her palm.

"Most Holy Lord God, I call upon thee and invoke thy name upon these demons! Send your Archangel Michael to banish the beasts back to Hell! Bathe us in your light and holy presence! AMEN!"

Oni was no miracle worker, but there was something in the sheer assuredness of her voice and the confidence of her pose that calmed Romano's thoughts. It was clear that she was 100% positive her exorcism had worked, and the very knowledge of that had Romano convinced as well.

Faqir seemed entirely relaxed, taking a deep breath. His usual casual grin had returned, and he turned to strike up a conversation with Graham about which gems sparkled best.

Madoka was smiling as well, gently caressing Clair's hand. She took a series of deep breaths, keeping her eyes firmly shut.

Oni placed her hands on her hips, beaming. "And that, mortal friends, is how you send the denizens of hell back to the fires from whence they came! Of course, not even invoking the Lord's name could ever banish myself, the Great Demon Queen! I am FAR too powerful and magnificent for even God to purge! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She was loud, obnoxious, and far too absorbed in the character she played.

And yet, Romano found he had never been more proud of being Oni's "Demon Butler".

---

Faussin let himself relax for a moment, thankful as everything began to shift back into the general direction of normal. Sighing, he allowed himself to straighten his posture, looking around at the students gathered. They were missing Amelia for the time being, but once she returned, they'd all be sitting. Together.

For the first time after Eriko's trial, they'd all be in the same room, together. Granted, it felt like they were all sitting on thin ice, but he didn't care. Faussin found himself clinging to that moment, knowing in the back of his head that it wasn't going to last for long. Clair would go back to her room, Mercy would continue to shut herself off, and everyone's moods would turn sour again.

And, God forbid, there was a chance they'd lose someone else soon. Monokuma wasn't going to like everyone getting along (not that they were in the first place--there was just a distinct lack of murderous intent, as far as Faussin knew.)

Graham had plastered his goofy smile back on, quickly getting in caught up in conversation with Faqir. Ysabel smiled softly at everyone, the lift in mood seeming to affect her as well. Vivara and Finnian exchanged words quietly in the corner, as Mercy kept her eyes closed, smiling ever so slightly.

"Sorry I'm late," Amelia's voice suddenly chimed from outside the hallway, seeming more peppy than usual, "why don't I just go ahead and PLANT myself in one of these chairs, eh? Eh?"

She poked her head in, sporting an uncharacteristically large grin. "BAZINGA! Get it? Someone? Anybudy?"

Everyone stared.

Amelia skipped inside, her complete personality change taking everyone off-guard. Faussin stared at her, somewhat wary of her pulling a knife out on someone or something.

"Oh, come on!" She whined. "You guys are no fun. So much for a thrilling introduction, huh?"

Vivara blinked. "What do you mean, 'introduction?'"

"I mean introduction. I don't think that word has any alternate meanings,"Amelia admitted, brushing her hair behind her ears. She whirled around to face everyone sitting at the table. "My good friends, you are no longer speaking to Miss Amelia Temmer. I'm afraid due to an unfortunate series of events, Amelia has taken a brief leaf of absence and has left me in charge. Yes, the glorious, fun-loving, very much needed Pun Queen has rose to the occasion!"

Finnian took a tentative step toward her. "Amelia, you feeling okay?"

"Amelia is not here," she repeated. "She's having some... feelings, let's say, about the current situation and has allowed me to take over as the dominant personality. I'm the all-mighty Pun Queen, inventor of fun, if you couldn't already tell from my glorious entrance."

"Right," Vivara muttered. "The 'Pun Queen.' We could tell. Now, miss 'Pun Queen', would you mind returning Amelia to us? I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for whatever this is right now."

Amelia--if they could even call her that--seemed to be getting frustrated. "She doesn't want to come back. I've said that already, haven't I?"

"Just drop the act already," Vivara said, seeming oddly exhausted. "I don't have time for this."

"It's not an act," she hissed. "I'm trying to tell you something, but you're not listening to what I'm saying. My name is Lottie, not Amelia."

Lottie?

Romano couldn't explain why, but somehow, he believed her. They already had a bunch of crazies in their little gang--why should Amelia be exempt?

Settling on just accepting this, Romano bowed to "Lottie". "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lottie. In case you have not heard my name, I am Romano."

Faqir stared at Lottie, distracted. "Oh my God she's beautiful. Can we keep her?"

Romano's eye twitched. "Please do not encourage each other--"

"Yo Lottie, what do you call a country where people only drive pink cars?"

"I already have quite a headache--"

"A pink carnation."

"Dear Lord."

Faqir beamed. "Wait wait wait, I have more, I have more. Why did the botanist cross the road?"

"Why?!" Oni demanded. Romano groaned, pressing a hand to his temple.

This is never going to end, is it?

"Because the grass is always greener on the other side!"

"Boo," Madoka called.

"Okay, okay, I admit it, that one was a bit of a reach. Wait, no, everyone shut up. Hey Lottie. What did the florist say to the angry customer who refused to pay for his roses?"

"I suppose forcing you to pay for my inevitable funeral will not make you stop?"

"'Kiss my aster.'"

"I did not think so."

Even Clair seemed amused, however; Romano heard her familiar chuckle. She held a hand to her mouth quickly, withdrawing as if afraid to be caught smiling. Madoka patted her shoulder.

---

Amelia--no, Lottie, cheered. "Yes! Yes!"

Graham shot up out of his chair, bowing. "All hail Pun Queen Lottie!"

"YES!" Lottie roared, jumping up onto the table as though she'd done it a thousand times before. "Why couldn't the gardener plant any flowers?"

Vivara rubbed her forehead.

"Because he hadn't botany!"

"Your majesty, may I?" Graham asked.

She pointed to him. "Take it away, Graham Cracker!"

"What did the lawyer say to the judge?" Graham asked, looking around.

"What'd he say?" Lottie asked, grin spreading across her face.

"Iris my case!"

"Lottie, would you give it a rest? You're giving us a headache," the girl suddenly spoke, her tone completely changing. It was as if a different person was speaking--or more specifically, Amelia.

She scoffed. Lottie scoffed, that is. "Li, you're no fun. All you've been doing the entire time is standing in whatever corner we can find, not saying a word. Things suck, but that doesn't mean we have to let them. We have puns."

"Puns," Amelia replied to herself, "puns are fun at times, but again, we have a headache. At least keep the noise level down, please."

Lottie bit their lip. "Golly, I just wanted to make an impression. They're already going to think we're weird enough, may as well be the good kind of weird."

"You mean the obnoxious kind of weird?" Amelia retorted, placing their hands on their hips.

"I made an impression on the people who count, Li. I think I've achieved what I wanted to achieve." She paused, sighing. Her energy level seemed to have evened out considerably. "I'll take it down now."

"Thank you," Amelia said. "You know, getting off the table might help."

As if in defiance, Lottie sat down on the table, dress spilling out below her. "Too late. I like it up here."

Faussin watched her, admittedly intrigued. Had Lottie been with Amelia the entire time? Were they that good at hiding their different personalities, or had he just been completely oblivious?

Tentatively, he said, "It's nice to meet you, Lottie."

She looked over at him, then smiled warmly. "You too, Fauss."

It was unusual, that was for certain...but wasn't everything about this place?

Still...

"I would greatly appreciate if all of you could stop putting your filthy feet on our dining table. We do, in fact, use that for eating. It would reduce the amount of time I must spend cleaning tremendously."

Predictably, Faqir immediately propped his feet on the table.

"...Even I do not know what I was expecting."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't said anything." Faqir waved to Amelia--Lottie?--whoever. "'Sup, by the way? I'm Faqir. Nice to meet you, almighty Pun Queen. So like, you seemed a little excited back there, is this a fetish of yours or something?"

"Why does everything have to be sexual with you?" Madoka muttered.

Faqir scoffed. "Pfft, what else would everything be? You don't understand the sophistication of dirty jokes."

"I...I don't think I want to."

"Sure you do. Maybe you can ask Clair, I'm sure she'd love to teach you."

Oh dear. "I must insist no one responds to that. If you all do not mind, I believe Miss Vivara was trying to share something with us."

Clair shifted uncomfortably, staring at her lap. Madoka clutched her hand defensively, glaring at Faqir, who waved his hands in surrender.

Oni frowned. "I see a new Queen has risen to usurp my throne over these mortals. Well, hear this, rival Queen! I have already subjugated this mortal swine under my mighty rule as the Great Demon Queen Kurano Oni! No matter what realm you rule over, I am afraid there is no contest--all shall bow to me! ALL!"

Why do I even try?

Sighing, Romano moved to stand against the wall, resolving himself to just letting the chaos happen.

---

Faussin frowned at Faqir. Why'd he have to be so vulgar at times?

Oddly enough, though, Lottie didn't seem to mind. She snorted. "A pun fetish? Your mind likes to make big jumps, doesn't it? Amelia and I aren't really active in that way. Just sounds weird to us. Besides, pretty sure we're even weirder. That being said, we know this introduction is sort of sudden, but it had to happen sometime, right?"

Faussin watched her, curiously. "Did you guys plan this introduction out?"

Lottie shrugged. "Ehh, not really. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment 'there's no reason in hiding it anymore' and 'Amelia's having a mental breakdown and this is my chance to cheer her up' thing, if that makes sense at all, haha. Suffice it to say, Amelia feels quite suffocated."

"Why are you telling them this?" Amelia asked, her voice lowering considerably. "When we talk, it's not so that you can around and tell everyone our personal thoughts."

"They're your friends, right?" Lottie asked. "Fellow students. We have to tell them how we're feeling. We should all tell each other how we're feeling so that we understand each other, right?"

"More or less, perhaps," Amelia muttered. "But at least ask for my permission first."

"Permission, shmermission. You'll be fine," Lottie declared. As if suddenly remembering Romano's request for her to get off the table, she glanced back at the Ultimate Butler, then hopped back onto the floor. "Someone said the librarian has something to show us, right?"

Vivara seemed to suddenly remember her rectangles. "That's right. If everyone would be quiet for a moment and look this way..."

She briefly went into the hallway to fetch something. After a moment, she came back in with four easels, most likely taken from the art room on the third floor, which had recently opened up to them. She took the rectangles (which what had originally looked like two ended up being four) and placed each one on an easel, sheets still covering their fronts.

Taking a deep breath, she whipped the sheets off, revealing four detailedly drawn portraits of the students who were no longer with them.

Romano's breath caught in his throat.

Whatever he had been expecting from Vivara's secret project, it certainly hadn't been this. The portraits looked like they were drawn with the fallen students sitting right in front of her. Life was in their eyes despite the two-dimensional image, expressions just the way Romano remembered them. He felt himself smile and did nothing to force it down; to break character every once in a while was alright when it was so well-deserved.

"Viv..." Madoka brushed a stray tear from his eye. "Those are beautiful."

Silently, Oni moved to stand in front of the drawings, observing them with a sense of somber nostalgia.

Faqir rose from his seat, moving towards them. Gently, as if afraid a single touch would shatter them, he drew his fingers along Bonnie's portrait, tapped Xhevona's once, cupped the side of Eriko's, and tapped a fist to Braeden's. Though he released a soft chuckle and the smile remained on his face, his eyes shone.

Romano was quiet for a moment. "Am I correct in assuming we will be placing the fallen student's jewelry with these portraits?"

"I dunno, they might look pretty amateur compared to this," Faqir admitted. "I didn't really have the right tools to make everything as good as I could have."

Clair let out a hiccup. Romano glanced over his shoulder, noticing her bury her face in her hands. Her body shook as Madoka rubbed her back gently.

Faqir instantly went quiet, his lighthearted smile replaced by a somber frown. He returned to staring at the portraits, quiet.

---

For a moment, the room felt full again.

Faussin found himself smiling as if he was seeing an old friend. Warmth radiated from the portraits. Looking at them, he'd almost forgotten that the students were no longer with him--it was jarring to think that he couldn't walk up to them and give each student and give them a hug.

As he took time to soak in each one, when he came upon Eriko's portrait, he found himself glancing over at Mercy. She'd buried her face in her hands, fingers trembling. She made no sound, but something told Faussin that it was taking everything she had to keep herself from breaking down.

He wanted so badly to offer her some kind of comfort. Shifting, he thought about things that he could do, but chances were Mercy would only push him away.

No use in not trying. Tentatively, he moved a seat closer, reaching a hand out to hold hers. Upon realizing what he was trying to do, she scowled, flicking his hand away. He saw her face for a split second--she was crying.

Lottie--Amelia?--Lottie and Amelia silently moved toward the door, then left without a word.

Graham rested his chin on his hand, smiling fondly at the portraits.

Seeing everyone's reactions seemed to make Vivara stand straighter. She--Vivara, of all people--smiled slightly, took a deep breath, then regarded everyone, erasing the smile and taking on her usual, neutral, composed stance. "That was my plan, yes, Romano. I lost a considerable amount of sleep trying to give these the effort that they deserve, so I'm warning you all in advance that I may not be here during the beginning of tomorrow's morning meeting. Though it doesn't happen often, I have been known to sleep late when absolutely exhausted the day prior."

"Thanks for this, Viv," Graham said, sincerely.

There was a tired smile that Vivara seemed to be holding back. "I would rather thank the students for bringing their personalities to this conference table for as long as they could."

Somehow, it was almost as though Romano could hear their voices.

He observed the group, noticing that some of their members had clearly broken down at the mere sight of their faces. Still, at least everyone seemed to be getting along if nothing else.

"You have earned a long rest, Miss Vivara," Romano said softly. "Please do not worry about us tomorrow--if needed, I will inform you of what happened during the meeting."

There was a brief moment of quiet. Then...

"I...I-I'm sorry."

It was the first time Clair has spoken a word out loud since she arrived in the conference room. Though her face was still buried in her hands and her voice was hoarse, Romano was just glad to know the portraits hadn't hit her too hard.

Faqir, conversely, tensed up almost immediately. "'Sorry' doesn't bring them back or fix what you did."

"I know," Clair whispered. She sniffled loudly. "I...I-I'm so sorry."

Faqir whirled towards her, genuine fury in his eyes for what had to have been the first time as his fist slammed onto the table. Clair jumped. Madoka flinched.

"What are you doing here?!" Faqir demanded.

"I-I just thought--"

"You thought what, that we might want to see you again after what you did?! You killed them, manipulated Madoka, broke Mercy's heart, and used me as your little tool with no regard to my safety! I still have scars on my face thanks to you! Why did you come here?!"

"Faqir, please!" Madoka cried. Romano cast a glance at Oni, who groaned--she was clearly frustrated her exorcism hadn't worked to fully purge the feelings.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Romano shushed her. Oni looked at him quizzically.

"Perhaps we just need to talk about it," Romano said quietly. "...Let them talk about it, and perhaps the poison can be purged."

Oni nodded. "Sometimes demons do like to possess one's speech..."

By now, Faqir's posture made it clear he was livid. "God, at least Xhevona died for what she did! At least we could try to tell ourselves she deserved it! At least she got some kind of punishment! Even if losing her sucked too, at least there was some kind of justification, but Braeden?! He didn't deserve that! You threw him under the bus like he was yesterday's leftovers just because you were scared of some secret getting out?! Just because you didn't want to die?! H*ll, I would have rather you died!"

"Faqir!" Madoka gripped Clair's hand with both of his. "Please, you have no idea what you're talking about, okay? Clair has suffered enough, trust me!"

Faqir laughed, though the sound felt forced. Oni tensed--Romano grabbed her shoulder to keep her from intervening. Obediently, she fell silent.

"How are you okay with what she did to you?!" Faqir demanded. "She made you into an accomplice! She probably would have sold you out just like she did with Braeden! If it weren't for her, Eriko would still be sitting right there!"

His finger pinpointed Eriko's old seat, which sat depressingly empty. Romano averted his eyes. Even looking at her old spot was somehow difficult to do.

"I-I'm sorry..." Clair said feebly. "I-I really tried to...I-I thought, I just...I wanted..."

"God, you still don't get it, do you, you thick b*tch?" Faqir had begun pacing by now, running his hands through his bangs. "I don't forgive you, okay, and I don't think I ever will. You should have died in that trial, not Braeden. You should have died to keep your own secret, not Eriko. You got people killed out of pure selfishness, and you know what?! You weren't even punished for it!"

"I-I tried!" Clair insisted, drawing her hands away from her face.

"If Monokuma really wants to keep the peace, he should have executed you!" Faqir whirled to face Clair, shaking with rage. "H*ll, you wanna know something! I even voted for you!"

Clair sprung to her feet, fists clenched by her sides and tears streaming down her face. "So did I!"

For a moment, Faqir didn't respond. In the silence, Romano remembered Monokuma's strange choice of words during the voting.

Majority rule. So that is what he meant.

Clair sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. After a moment's pause, she began to unzip her jacket. "D-do you really think I haven't been torn up by this too? I know this is all my fault, I know you must all hate me, I...I don't even expect you to forgive me because I can't even forgive myself! I tried to die in that trial!"

"Well, you didn't try hard enough." Faqir crossed his arms. His teeth clenched. "If you knew we didn't want you here, why did you come?"

"I don't know!" Clair turned to face Madoka, her lip quivering. "Madoka, I told you I wanted to leave twice already, y-you said we could leave..."

"I-I just wanted them to like you!"

"I know this is petty, okay?" Faqir groaned, tugging at the chain around his neck. "I know it is! But I just--I just want you to suffer like they did, okay?!"

Clair tugged off her jacket and shoved her bare arms towards Faqir, her eyes locked into his. Romano peered at her skin, noticing what had to be hundreds of lacerations of various sizes carved into her body. Pricks had been made on her shoulders, and wounds from where her fingernails had scratched her chest, face, and neck were on clear display.

"Is this suffering enough for you?!"

Faqir appeared caught off-guard, taking a single step backwards. His eyes locked on the scars all over Clair's body. Madoka, sitting beside her, forced himself to focus on the portraits rather than Clair. Oni began mumbling more blessings. Romano observed her, realizing the wounds had clearly not been properly cared for--some even seemed close to infection.

To be expected. She has not come out of her room in days. Is this what she was doing in there?

"I tried again and again to bleed enough so I would stop breathing!" Clair cried. "I hate myself for what I did to them! I-if I could do the whole thing over again, I would have killed myself instead of taking it all out on them! B-but I was selfish, I-I was just so obsessed with finally...finally stopping this, I just wanted it all to end so I could try to get back to a stable life but it only made things worse...s-so, so much worse..."

Faqir's hands shook, staring at her. "Clair--"

"No, it's..." Clair slowly lowered her arms, slipping her jacket back on. Her sleeves once again covered her wounds, the zipper rising to conceal her body. "I...I-I didn't show you do you would pity me. I didn't show you so you would forgive me, or so you would think I was looking for attention. I just...I-I just wanted you to know that I'm suffering."

Madoka reached out to take her hand in his. She allowed him, her posture going limp.

Faqir stared at her, eyes wavering. "...I didn't mean it like that."

"Don't worry." A hint of Clair's familiar smile returned--but by now, Romano could tell even that was fake. "I...I've been at this for a long time. I-I'm just used to it, h-haha."

Romano couldn't take the tension anymore. "If you will allow, I am sure one of us with basic nursing knowledge--I have a bit myself, though nowhere near what Master Finnian and Miss Vivara must have--would be glad to treat those wounds, Miss Clair."

Clair tugged on Madoka's arm. "D-don't bother. Madoka, I-I want to go back to my room now."

"C-Clair--"

"Please." The brokenness in her voice was scarily familiar. Romano watched Madoka slowly stand and move to the door with Clair, who nearly threw open the door and made to escape the conference room. Her hand tugged out of Madoka's, leaving him some paces behind as her pace brought her back down the hall. Madoka paused, slowly looking back towards Faqir.

"...She was just trying to make up with everyone," he muttered, voice low. "I was really hoping that if I managed to get her to come, she would see that everything could still carry on like normal. That maybe we could still treat her like a person. ...I guess that was my mistake."

"No one asked you to take her." Faqir refused to even look at Madoka, eyes locked on where Clair had just been sitting.

"Well, that's fine." Madoka paused. "Maybe I'll just stay with her. Someone can just tell me what happens in the meetings, I...I-I don't know if I can come anymore."

"No!" The force of Oni's cry caught Romano off-guard. The Ultimate Exorcist took a step forwards, genuine sadness in her eyes. For the first time, it seemed, she was speaking out in her worry instead of hiding as she usually did. Admittedly, Romano was surprised by her boldness--usually, she hated anyone seeing her even remotely close to different from usual. "We can't start doing this now! We're already losing people because of that stupid bear's horrible game, and now if everyone who is still alive keeps leaving then soon...soon we won't be a team anymore! What kind of team just lets people go like that?! We're supposed to be sticking together and trying to find away out, because if we start giving up on each other, eventually we're going to give up on everything and we'll all be just like Clair!"

"O-Oni--"

"SILENCE, PEASANT! Don't you get it? We're all hurt and sad and we all hate this and everything is terrible and the demons are pressing in from every corner, but if we let them win then it's game over! That's why I became an exorcist--because I resolved to never let the demons win! They're big and scary and everywhere and they're stronger than us, but not when we're together! When we're together, we're stronger than any demon because we have each other's backs, we support each other and when one of us falls, we pick them up and finish the race together! And darn it, I AM NOT FINISHING THIS RACE WITHOUT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU MORTALS! NOW GO GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND BACK IN HERE AND EVERYONE MAKE UP THIS INSTANCE, SO DECLARES THE DEMON QUEEN!"

"B-but she's not--"

"DID I ASK YOUR OPINION, PEASANT?!"

Startled into obedience, Madoka ran down the hall to chase Clair back and bring her back. Oni stomped over to Faqir and jabbed him in the side with a finger.

"As for YOU, mortal swine, sometimes friends betray us and sometimes people do horrible, awful things, like kill people and then laugh about it or say they just did it for fun! But look at those portraits--not a single one is missing, because all of those people were a part of us, even the horrible ones like Xhevona! If you can accept her for betraying us all and gleefully murdering someone even though she didn't even feel bad for it or say she was sorry, then you can forgive Clair for betraying us all and murdering people and NO I don't want to hear your flimsy human excuses! She is one of us whether you like if or not, so even if you can't forgive her ever, never ever, just...just don't let those demons drag you down because if you do you'll never get back up! You'll be stuck in hell like she is and as the Queen of Hell I can tell you it is a horrible place to live and...AND WE DON'T EVEN GET INSURANCE PACKAGES FOR WORKING THERE!"

Somehow, this actually got a chuckle out of Faqir. He groaned, placing his hands on the table and hanging his head. "I just...I just don't get it. I just don't see how this happened. I trusted her. ...I guess I just wanted to see that she hated herself as much as I do."

"Pfft! I'm pretty sure ALL of us hate ourselves right now! Or probably all the time! I know I do! But some of us choose not to mope around like SUCKERS and WIMPS and instead we get rid of our problems by SCREAMING AT THEM LIKE REAL QUEENS! NOW QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND LET US FEEL SORRY FOR YOU INSTEAD, BECAUSE CLEARLY REAL FRIENDSHIP IS BUILT OFF OF EVERYONE KNOWING HOW MUCH WE ALL HATE EVERYTHING AND PUNCHING THE HATE RIGHT IN ITS STUPID DEMON FACE!"

"Yeah!"

Romano had no idea how she had done it, but somehow, Oni had managed to invigorate Faqir with the worst motivational speech he had ever heard.

"ARE YOU WITH ME, GENERAL?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"GREAT! NOW TAKE ALL THAT ANGER AND SELF-HATRED AND GRIEF AND ANXIETY AND SCREAM IT INTO SUBMISSION!"

"YEAH!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YEAH!"

Oni pointed at everyone else. "NOW ALL OF YOU! LIFE SUCKS RIGHT NOW AND WE ALL HATE IT A LOT! BUT THAT'S JUST STUPID DEMONS TRYING TO FORCE US TO HATE EVERYTHING! YOUR QUEEN DEMANDS YOU SCREAM TO RELEASE THE NEGATIVE ENERGY!"

Romano rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help a smile. She was insane, and he knew her plan would most likely fail miserably and make the situation worse...and yet, Oni's antics somehow made things feel okay again.

If nothing else, they were almost back to normal.

I have the worst headache in the best way.

---

Faussin had found himself staring at Clair's self-inflicted wounds before she left, then looked down at his arms, which were most definitely bleeding now.

Oh god, he realized, feeling a thousand weights stack upon his chest. I'm sympathetic towards Clair because she just reminds me of myself.

Somewhat terrified by this revelation, he scratched at his arms with even more ferocity, trying to put on his regular face. He watched Oni psych up Faqir with a smile that was, at first, forced. But as he saw the light return to Faqir's eyes, he felt the smile become more genuine, if not any less nervous.

Ysabel covered her ears, but laughed lightheartedly, watching as Graham began to shout about all of the things that frustrated him (which was mostly him ranting about treasure), as per Oni's command.

Mercy seemed numb, which was to be expected, but at least she was there instead of sitting alone in her room.

At this moment, Lottie and Amelia reentered the room, panting. They held several flowers in their hands, all of varying colors and sizes.

They brought flowers for the portraits, Faussin realized almost immediately, watching as they looked around, trying to figure out what had happened while they were gone.

After a moment, what Faussin assumed was Lottie shrugged, grinning. "I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE SHOUTING BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I'M FAIRLY GOOD AT! ALSO! I BROUGHT THESE FLOWERS FOR THE PORTRAITS BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY'D MAKE A NICE TOUCH! WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? THINK THISTLE LOOK GOOD? HAHA! JOKES!"

Almost like magic, Vivara began to chuckle, a genuine smile forming on the girl's lips. She held a hand up to her face almost as though to hide the smile, but Graham stopped her before she could force it back down.

"VIV!" He bellowed, breathless from shouting. "You're smiling! Guys, look! The stone-cold librarian is smiling!"

Finnian stared. "Holy crap, you're right!"

Faussin grinned.

Vivara, clearly taken off-guard, began to chuckle more. She looked away, but her forced down chuckles quickly developed into real laughter, as finally, she seemed to give up on hiding it. "You're all too silly for your own good, you know that?"

"Leaf us to our silliness!" Lottie demanded lightheartedly. "Silliness makes the world a better place!"

By the Lord above, she actually did it.

How on earth a crazy little girl like Oni had managed to quickly turn around the tone of the room in a matter of minutes never failed to amaze Romano. Perhaps it was why he had adapted so quickly to her following him around; she was insane, she reveled in it, and she made sure to drag everyone else into her world with her. Oni's world was one where people could laugh about their problems and admit the hurt without collapsing into a pit of despair.

It was a nice world to live in with her.

"Speaking of people with no souls smiling, Romano's doin' it too!" Faqir gasped. Romano let out a chuckle despite himself, shaking his head.

"While I do protest having no soul, I suppose none of you have ever seen me smile. I assure you I am quite capable of it, though I never find it inherently necessary." Romano paused. "For a bunch of mannerless degenerates, you lot are quite amusing."

"I would take offense to that but you're totally right."

The door was carefully nudged open. Practically dragging the girl, Madoka entered, Clair's wrist in his grasp. She spluttered in protest, trying to pry him off.

"I-I had to actually physically drag her back by the arm and she scratched my face, b-but I got Clair back..."

Yes, she had indeed scratched him, it seemed--there were distinct nail marks across one of Madoka's cheeks. He scratched at it idly, then stumbled back at a particularly strong tug from Clair.

Oni hopped over to them, prodding Clair in the shoulder. "You! Den-dwelling demon general! It is my great pleasure to inform you that we have all decided to stop wasting energy hating you and instead hate the stupid bear and also ourselves and probably a lot of other things! JOIN US IN THE CEREMONIAL SCREAMING CATHARSIS RITUAL!"

"W-what does that even mean?" Clair complained. "M-Mado, I want to go back!"

Faqir sauntered closer to her. Clair winced.

"Why would you do that?" he complained. "You haven't even gotten a chance to slap me for pressing all your triggers yet."

Clair sniffled, cracking open one eye. "...W-what...?"

"Listen, I'm..." Faqir sighed, scratching his neck. "...I'm sorry too, Clair. It's just--what you did really hurt, okay? Because I really thought of you as a good friend. I guess I kinda thought you felt the same way. So...knowing you'd just use me like that hurt a lot, and on top of that everyone else was hurt and everything was terrible and I hate that f*cking bear and Braeden was my bro and Eriko was practically perfect and it just all f*cking sucks d*ck. I just wanted to blame someone and you were an easy target."

Clair sniffled again, rubbing her eyes. "No, it...I deserved it. I-I deserve to be hated."

Faqir shrugged. "I mean, yeah, but we kinda all do, honestly. I mean, I practically just bullied you to tears. That's not exactly a 'good guy' thing to do."

Clair cracked the tiniest smile, though it quickly faded.

"So, yeah..." Faqir stretched, looking vaguely embarrassed. "Sure you're a b*tch, but you're my b*tch. That came out wrong. Everything I say comes out wrong. I came out wrong."

"What...what does that even mean?"

"I have no idea. I have no idea what anything I say means. Anyway, my point is...I'm not sorry for getting hurt, but I'm sorry for hurting you back. Besides, if I really wanna honor my bro, I should remember his last request and hate that bear instead."

Clair giggled, relaxing slightly. "...I-I'm not going to hit you. I'm not even mad at you, I...you were right, and I'm sorry. I don't expect any of you to forgive me. I just...I just want to try to make things right somehow. I-I know it can never bring them back, but maybe..."

"Would it make you feel better to hit me?"

"Why...do you want me to hit you or something?"

"Getting hit by pretty girls has to be a fetish and I won't know if it's mine until I try it."

"In that case I'm definitely not going to hit you."

Oni seemed pleased, looking to Romano as if for approval. He offered her a genuine smile, patting her head. Oni beamed.

"Then..." Nervously, Faqir held out a hand. "Truce? At least for now?"

Clair sighed, tugging at her bangs. "...Truce." She took Faqir's hand.

He immediately pulled her into a hug, dragging Madoka with him. Madoka was instantly locked in a headlock.

"W-wait, h-how did I--I don't know--I-I think you're choking me!"

"Too late, dude, this is a bro hug, deal with it!"

"This is very distinctly not how men hug!"

"Should I do it? I'm totally doing it. Yo guys, I'm callin' a group hug, all you losers get in here!"

"O-okay wait, actually, I-I'm okay with certain people but I really don't like being touched--"

"NOPE, GROUP HUG, IT'S HAPPENING. IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW."

"O-oh dear Lord--"

Oni joined the group hug immediately, practically tackling more Madoka. Romano decided to stay to the side, content just to watch the madness unfold.

---

Lottie almost immediately flung herself into the hug, laughing endlessly.

Ysabel smiled, standing from her chair and moving into the hug, almost cautiously.

Faussin briefly debated joining, then resigned himself to his seat where he would not feel suffocated by everyone scrambling to hug one another. He liked hugs, of course--just not huge group hugs. Group hugs involved too many people and touching and were generally very uncomfortable.

Finnian grinned, going in to join the hug. Vivara hesitated at first, then had a look that said "why the heck not" and joined as well, taking a moment to actually get comfortable. (Or as comfortable as he imagined she'd be able to get. Vivara didn't seem to like being touched.)

When Lottie realized Faussin was content to stay in his seat, she briefly squirmed out of the hug and wrapped her hands around his wrist, attempting to pull him out of his chair. "Come on! Group hug means the whole group!"

He shook his head nervously. "Sorry, I don't really like group hugs."

"No exceptions! You're getting hugged!"

"L-Lottie, please--"

She wasn't taking no for an answer. Tightening her grasp on his wrist, she began to quite literally drag him over to the group, her strength rather surprising.

Graham watched as Mercy and Romano decided not to join. Perhaps inspired by Lottie, he first walked over to Romano and grabbed his wrist, then set his sights on Mercy.

Mercy shook her head. "Not in the mood, Graham."

"You don't have a choice," he replied plainly. "Faqir, help me. Mercy needs a hug!"

"I will smack you both across the face with bottles. I did to him once, I'll do it again."

"I am willing to take the risk. If anyone needs a hug, you do. Right, guys?!"

Lottie began cheering. "HUG! HUG! HUG!"

"Don't you dare--"

"DON'T FIGHT IT MERCY! EVERYONE NEEDS A HUG ONCE IN A WHILE!"

Graham ended up releasing Romano to try and drag the Ultimate Hunter into the group hug, but considering she was the Ultimate Hunter and he was only the Ultimate Thief, things weren't working out very well.

"GET OFF OF ME I HATE HUGS."

Lottie realized that Romano was at risk of not being hugged and went to drag him over in Graham's place.

Romano looked vaguely uncomfortable. "You are merely joking, right? There are many people involved in this germ festival and if it is quite alright with you I would very much prefer to only take one shower tonight."

In a somewhat muffled voice, Clair called, "I don't think being highly uncomfortable with prolonged physical contact matters in this group."

"It totally doesn't!" Faqir wriggled his way out of the hug (abandoning Madoka, whose face ended up pushed against Clair's chest for a moment. He screeched, managing to get himself upright to properly return the hug. Clair blushed.) "Viva la hug force! No resistance!"

Sighing, Romano resigned himself to his germ-infested fate and allowed Lottie to drag him into the group hug. Faqir went to try and help Graham drag Mercy into the hug.

"No way you're sitting this out! You need the magical comfort of hugs! The only thing more instantly satisfying would involve breaking one of Monokuma's weird rules and finding a place with a comfortable surface and no video cameras!"

"Why do you always do this?" Madoka asked.

"Because I'm a lonely virgin and they let me imagine I have a more active sex life than I actually do!"

"That--that answer was far too real and definitely not what I expected you to say."

I am going to have to take at least three showers tonight. Romano sighed, tentatively patting Oni and Finnian, who he had been dragged to, on the back.

---

Faussin was mercilessly hugged. He tried to squirm free at first, but Vivara of all people pulled him back into the hug. "If I have to be hugged, so do you."

"This is hurting me."

"We suffer because we love each other. It'll be over soon. Speaking of," Vivara cleared her throat, "Mercy, just come be hugged so we can all get on with the day."

"I hate hugs and I always have, there is no way this is happening."

"Come on! You would've joined if Eriko asked you to!" Graham cried, he and Faqir's efforts to physically drag her over getting them nowhere.

She paused, briefly, then scoffed.

Graham watched her reaction carefully, as if not sure if he'd said something that was going to completely ruin the good mood. He swallowed.

Without warning, Mercy pulled both Faqir and Graham into headlocks, making an effort to smile. "So this is how guys hug, huh? Comfortable."

Despite being caught in a headlock, Graham cheered. "YES! It worked! Haha, I-I was kind of scared for a second there that I was going to completely ruin the mood. H-haha. Ow, this kind of hurts."

"You almost did, you moron," Mercy admitted, her grip on their heads tightening.

Faussin smiled, trying to bask in the brief happiness and ignore how the hug was causing his jacket to rub against his scratches and irritate his arms even more.

Romano started to step away, but predictably, Oni pulled him back.

"DID YOUR QUEEN GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE, SERVANT?!"

Romano sighed. Make that five showers. I will need at least five showers tonight.

Madoka's head poked out of the hug pile. "I told you chokeholds are definitely not a proper hug!"

"I am actually highly okay with this but also kind of not breathing right now!" Faqir exclaimed.

Clair squeaked suddenly. "O-okay, I-I'm pretty sure I just felt something touch my butt and I would very much like to get out of here now."

"APOLOGIES, MORTAL, THAT WAS MY LEG, FOR I WAS ATTEMPTING TO NOT LET IT FALL ASLEEP!"

If nothing else, the tension had been completely alleviated for now. Perhaps a brief sacrifice of Romano's high standards of cleanliness was necessary to get everyone back on track.

"O-on the bright side," Faqir began, trying to pry free of Mercy's grip, "I got a pretty good view of Mercy's tits from here."

"I want her to punch you right now," Madoka stated, deadpan. Clair chuckled.

Faqir flashed a weak thumbs-up.

On second thought, Romano thought, perhaps the tension was better.

---

Mercy knee'd Faqir in the crotch, almost as if she'd expected him to say that. "God, you're stupid."

"Whatever she did, you deserved it," Vivara called.

"The guys here are weird," Lottie decided.

Faussin frowned, thinking. "You're not wrong. ....C-can we stop hugging now?"

"Nope!" Lottie chimed, pulling those next to her in closer. "We've gotta make this moment last for as long as we possibly can. It's a rare, beautiful moment. Right, Li?"

"That... it is nice," Amelia (or what Faussin assumed was Amelia) admitted. "I could stay like this for a while."

Graham chuckled nervously. "Y-yup. Sure could."

Mercy smirked, finally letting him go. Predictably, he crumbled, nearly gasping for breath. His freedom did not last long, however. After a moment, she pulled the boys toward her again, but for an actual hug this time. "You're lucky, jewelry boys. You guys remind me of someone."