[ lmao well. i guess he finds out about this by coming over to the pyre after finding nina to see what posters are he— EXCUSE ME???? ]

Huh???

[ BIG BURST OF WORRY AND GUILT ]

Kate-chan, what are you— what did you do??

[ she's just sitting here in her bubble.

in tattered rags stained in red and black. horns out. wings folded neatly behind her. but otherwise, serene. she lifts her head just a little to face him. ]

Oh, Todomatsu. I'm sorry you had to see me like this.

Well, yeah, me too! I don't— you didn't do anything last night, did you? None of the stuff in the theater was out of place when you left this morning, so...

[ a pause. ] You knew about that...? [ when. ]

... No. The plan worked. I was unable to harm anyone last night.

I didn't, but I was there last night, so it would have been hard to hide.

[ partly because he would have yelled at everyone until they explained, but.

anyway, his nonexistent heart is just sinking further as this is getting confirmed. ]

So after they let you out this morning...?

[ tbf he would have gotten really insufferable really fast. ]

...Fuck.

[ there's a pause, a little bit of reflection, and the feeling of something cracking a little bit. ]

... I wanted to tell him that it worked.

...To tell Famine you made it through the night, you mean?

[ another nod. and then,

smoke starts to pour out from her head. a sudden flood of grief and sorrow with it. ]

... Ahh. I told him, and then...

[ feelings of horror. ]

[ ah. this feels terrible. ]

...Man. I'm sorry. You've really been trying hard this whole time, huh?

I don't know if that's the right way to put it. I did try...

But I was running away, too. Because I couldn't accept the answer in front of me...