Didn't we just do this last week?

[perpend]

[It's starting to look like this is going to be a weekly occurrence.

Just like last week, Cabanela waits a while before he makes his rounds, writing everyone quick notes and sliding them under each occupied door.]

Stay strong.
If you don't want to be alone tonight, meet in the dining hall.
-Cabanela

[Like last week, Cabanela hasn't bothered to provide anyone with food-- that would just be... rude right now, he thinks. Upon first entering, you'll notice that there are now four lit candles in the center of one of the tables.

Feel free to leave mementos for the dead; it's probably appreciated.]

Comments

[icysemblance]

I'm as well as can be expected. I was hoping we wouldn't have to go through another round of a trial, and another execution, but I suppose it's wishful thinking.

[She laughs, but it's tired and bitter-sounding.]

How are you holding up?

[decrees]

I was hoping the same thing.

[Good to know that four years of horrible decisions haven't ultimately killed the idealist in him.]

I'm doing better than I was last week, though that's not difficult.

[It's not like he had to watch his best friend die today.]

I imagine our situation will not get any better next week.

[...Just as a head's up...]

[icysemblance]

I would imagine not. Last week was awful.

[She looks sympathetic, still.]

I had figured as much. If it gets better at all, it will only get worse before it does. I just hope he's done trying to hand out motives and such.

[Weiss looks down, sipping at her tea, then tapping the inkblot next to the name 'Winter'.]

[decrees]

[Logan glances away for a moment before forcing himself to look back at Weiss.]

I doubt he's done with that. He'll most likely find some other incentive to try to get us to act.

[icysemblance]

I do, too, deep down.

[Weiss looks down at her tea again, stirring it but not drinking any.]

...it was incredibly easy to say no to that little immortality game, as far as I'm concerned. I just -

[She looks away.]

I just hope they don't bring anyone from home into this.

[decrees]

[...]

I hope he would know better than to attempt to touch the people that are important to me.

[Sir Walter can take care of himself, but Logan's sister...]

Should he attempt to encourage us in such a way, I have no doubt someone will move. We all have people who are important to us back home.

[icysemblance]

I would hope so, too. That's why I had started writing to my older sister, Winter. If nothing else, she would be able to get my teammates somewhere safe.

[She laughs again, that tired laugh.]

Not that I imagine it would do much good, or that it would even get out, but at least it feels like doing something.

[Another nod.]

I wouldn't doubt it, either. Hurting us is one thing, but our friends and families another entirely.

[decrees]

[Oh no, your sister...]

I've already addressed a letter to my sister, though I doubt the Conductor was kind enough to send it to her. He didn't leave a response at all in my room, for once.

[And thank god for that. Now if he'd stop leaving coins in the middle of the night...]

I can only hope that he will decide against harming our families. I'm not sure how he managed to bring us all here in the first place, but if he's capable of that...

[...It could be a very real possibility, unfortunately.]

[icysemblance]

I suspect it's one of those 'not going to do anything out of the ordinary' kind of things, but it can't hurt.

[Yeah. It's kind of creepy.]

...mm. I know everyone is more than capable of defending themselves, but I would have thought that of myself, too.

[decrees]

It's certainly concerning that he could manage to take us. In my case, it would be much more likely that he's already dealt with my sister and my adviser as well.

[The Conductor probably killed them or has them locked up somewhere. It's not a thought Logan wants to focus on, but he can't dismiss it.]

[icysemblance]

In my own case, if he's kidnapped me, there's a very good chance the rest of the team is -

[She refuses to say 'dead'.]

- in danger.

[decrees]

Right.

[There's a good chance everyone is dead...]

We'll do what we can to make it through this. We'll find out what he did to them.

[icysemblance]

[Weiss calms her nerves by taking a few long sips of her tea. Panicking won't help, and she refuses to cry in front of anyone. She nods, looking down just a little longer - till she's sure she won't look up with tears in her eyes ad a lump in her throat - before nodding.]

One week at a time, right?

[decrees]

One week at a time. Eventually we'll be able to work out what happened.

[If we really are regaining memories then maybe that will help, but otherwise... Well, maybe the Conductor will break eventually and tell them something important.

It's not much, but they have to keep going.]

[icysemblance]

[That's right. One week at a time.]

...maybe the memory I get this week will help. I have to at least try and think that it will.

[decrees]

...Do you believe that was a memory? I had assumed it was a dream. It doesn't make sense otherwise.

[Headtilt... Regaining a memory for a successful trial... that seems pretty morbid.]

[icysemblance]

It felt too realistic to be a dream. I don't usually feel my heart beating like it did, and I don't usually dream of so many monsters.

[decrees]

[Too realistic...? Well, that's probably a good way to tell, but Logan can't exactly gauge that very easily.]

I see. Were you able to learn anything from that dream? How you were taken here, perhaps?

[icysemblance]

There's a possibility that in the chaos after the battle at Vale, someone was able to get close enough me to grab me. I was drained at that point.

[decrees]

What of your friends? Would they have been capable of fighting against your kidnapper?

[icysemblance]

Yang definitely would have; she gets stronger with every hit she takes. Ruby would have found the energy somewhere in her, and so would Blake.

[decrees]

They were all with you in that memory, correct?

[So how the hell did this happen?]

[icysemblance]

Every last one of them. Most of the active teams at Beacon were out, and a few of the teams that came in for the Vytal Festival Tournament -

[That seems to give her an idea.]

- maybe there's something I just don't remember yet between the end of that battle and the future. I don't know what, but...

[decrees]

Ah... Perhaps that's it. I wonder how many memories were taken away...?

[Age: 33. Logan doesn't want to think about it. His memories haven't been altered. There's no way.]