week 4, monday late morning

[cherrypuncher]

[Yuna always finds some way or another to keep herself busy, so she doesn't come find Harry right away after the sheriff's call-out post, even though the inkling of an idea comes to her almost instantly. Once she's suitably mulled it over and finished whatever other nonsense she's planned for the morning, she goes on a Harry-hunt, and eventually comes running on over to the graveyard, waving cheerfully.]

Good morning, Harry! Are you busy?

Comments

[expelliarmed]

[ Once a wet blanket, always a wet blanket. ]

Ah. [ He had a feeling it might've had to do with that. ] About how we voted for ourselves. It's okay. We can talk about it.

[ Honestly, he was relieved he wasn't the only one who'd done so...and a little surprised by some names that weren't on that list. ]

[cherrypuncher]

Okay! [She's surprisingly peppy when she answers, happy that he's willing to talk with her. As she goes on, though, even though her usual cheerful Yuna-ness doesn't leave her, she settles some, serious and careful.] The first thing I want to say is that I'm scared of what the sheriff might do to you if you decide to vote for him, like you were saying you might.

[expelliarmed]

[ His demeanor doesn't change much either, though his mouth does thin into a line. it had been a callous thing to say to the sheriff, perhaps senselessly bold. But would he take it back? No. ]

I don't exactly have other options. I'm not going to vote for someone I don't know is guilty, and he's certainly not innocent in all of this.

[ He closes his eyes a moment, and behind his eyelids he can see Lissa burning. ]

[cherrypuncher]

That's not completely true, though! There is another option. I've been thinking about it all day [yuna it isn't even noon] and I came up with an idea.

[Placing a hand to her heart, Yuna turns to face him, stopping her hike for a moment.]

You can't vote for yourself anymore, so you have to vote for someone else. It would be nice to vote for the person who's really responsible for this, but it's going to get you in trouble, so you still have to vote for someone else. I'm someone else.

That's my idea! If we ever have to make a vote we can't be sure of again, you should write "Yuna Yuki" on your ballot. If you do, I'll write "Harry!" It does the same thing as it would if we both voted for ourselves like we'd want to, but we aren't breaking any rules that way.

[expelliarmed]

[ He stops with her, heartbeat accelerating as she explains her idea. Could that really work? He wouldn't hesitate to put down the sheriff's name if he didn't think there was any other way to vote but keep his conscience clear. ]

Do you think that'll work? What if one of us becomes a suspect? [ The fact that Yuna's even here offering this solution means he can probably trust her not to be a murderer. Not that he suspected her before, but what kind of murderer volunteers themselves to be voted for? Still, plenty of innocent people had died in the trials so far. It could be one of them next time. ]

But I think you're onto something. The sheriff can't punish us that way, and we'd just be cancelling out each other's votes. [ He looks up at her again. ] Are you sure about this?

[cherrypuncher]

I wouldn't offer if I wasn't sure. [Satisfied that she's been heard, she continues marching along.] It might not always work, but for now, I really don't want anything to happen to you.

[Humming thoughtfully, she tilts her head.]

I'm hoping that no one is going to suspect us, but if they do, it wouldn't be very hard to switch off with Rin, Robin, or Papika in a way that would still cancel out all our votes like if we'd voted for ourselves again. [She starts slowing down again, turning to look at Harry.] If you're looking at it like that, though, I think you might be taking more of a risk than me.

[She says this carefully; she wouldn't make this offer if she didn't trust Harry, but she knows not everyone might the way most people seem to trust her—if not trust, they likely dismiss her as a foolish idealist who's too stupid to kill anyone if nothing else. She can't imagine herself in any danger of being accidentally voted for execution.]

I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm really asking you to trust me about this.

[expelliarmed]

[ Her thoughtfulness is touching in a way that's been sparse since he got here. It's an important reminder for him. They're not so far gone that they can't still win on their own terms.

Despite the seriousness of their conversation, that earns her a genuine smile, even if it's small. ] I probably didn't do myself a favor as a possible murder suspect by waving around a stick my first day here, did I? [ Then, his tone sobers again as he slows to a stop to meet her gaze levelly. ]

We'll make it work. It's the right thing to do. [ And, after a moment he adds: ] I do trust you, Yuna.

[cherrypuncher]

I trust you, too! [Yuna says this immediately, beaming brightly, but she's sincere. As stupid and flighty as she tends to present herself, and as much as she has faith in everyone around her, she hasn't decided this lightly.] Thank you, Harry. I'm really happy we can work together!

[With a little laugh, too, she adds:] The stick waving wasn't that weird. [one time her friend lost an eye and immediately set to work clutching her eyepatch and screaming that her evil eye demanded more sacrifices when she wanted people to pass her more food, like, harry's fine]

[expelliarmed]

[ This conversation has certainly made him see her in a different light. He hadn't really given her enough credit before, had he? ] I'm glad we can, too. Thank for your trusting me enough to come to me in the first place.

[ also yuna your friends sound weird???? i'm concerned ] Maybe not, but I definitely gave off some unusual first impressions, I think. [ A little sheepish, but he's kind of used to being made a spectacle of, so. ]