#<- he wouldnt... augh... i wonder if he put together simons plab vefore dying.

[knightley-gambit]

[ *> When Simon mentioned Horace’s ending move coming at an inconvenient time, Horace laughed a bit. not that he was trying to poke fun at Simon for killing him, and it ending up coming back to bite him. He genuinely found it funny how his checkmate had been the last turn in what seemed to have been a huge overarching revenge plot. ]

”yeah, i figured out that much. not the letter, mail is slow—i couldn’t have planned it anyways.”

“That woman was making a huge deal out my move. She showed me another sheet with the same arrangements too.”

“between that and the chisel, that was when I realized you’d set me up”

[ *> There wasn’t quite malice in his voice. If anything, it seemed closer to a lazy accusation. Horace hoped that maybe he was wrong. Simon wouldn’t do something like that, without reason in the very least. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe Horace had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. ]

[ *> Horace stayed silent in response to Simon’s question. Even if there wasnt any real blood on his hands, Horace was a living— well, dead, contradiction. especially if he were (please, please, please) just collateral damage. ]

{POST AAI2–BEFORE SIMEONS TRIAL/IN THE HOLDING CELLS [horace’s old cell in specific if you wanna go that way<3] also!! i typed a lot, you don’t need to match me, i wanted to set the scene a bit :] }

[ *> ‘krrshhh..’ ]

[ *> The wooden sound of a few blocks—no, pieces? rolled onto the floor just across the cell. ]

[ *> It sounded like somebody was tampering with something they shouldn’t have been, and had made a mess. ]

[ *> The pieces on the floor rolled around a bit. tumbling around. like somebody were trying to pick them up, yet was failing miserably in their task.. ]

[ *> Simeon was alone in his cell, wasn’t he? He should’ve been, and he was last time he had checked. ]

[ *> Even so, to maybe suggest otherwise, a faint teal glow emanated from the desk just across the cell where the pieces were still being shoved around and away from whatever what disturbing them. ]

— @knightley-gambit [ooooo spooky ghost horace, haunting simeon<33]

[also also, unsure if you got the notif or not but i did reply to that other thread we had going, if you didn’t wanna continue it then thats fine, disregard, i just can’t tell for my life <3]

((I DIDNT GET THE NOTIF MY BAD. AUGH.))

Simon looks up from where he was wallowing, snapping out of his daze.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have paid any attention at all if the situation were not so bizarre. He made no effort to talk to anyone at his new home other than Dogen, and even then he attempted not to embarrass himself by being too vulnerable. Being alone allowed him to process his life after he had been driven by fury, paranoia and mania. He could take things slow- and even then, it seems his heart would start to race once more. Life never truly stopped tormenting him, huh?

He slowly got up, using his experience to tiptoe without a peep. He was a child at the orphanage again, hearing some people talk about their wretched plans. Truthfully, he had never gotten rid of his overly-paranoid habits and he didn't plan to. Not now, especially not now. Everyone was out to get him in one way or another- including whoever this was.

Simon approached. Carefully, slowly, silently, until he could peek and see where this strange light was omitting from.

"...Who's there?"

[people-can-be-tamed]

"Oh, that's your fault, you know. You remember the man that saved us from the snow?" Simon paused. "Nevermind, you wouldn't remember."

Simon's tone suddenly became bitter at the end. He so casually admitted it was Knightley's fault he got arrested, a slip of his real self coming forth in contrast with his persona.

"Anyway, you know how you were playing correspondence chess with me? That wasn't me. You were playing with Dogen, and he thought he was playing with me, too."

He fiddled with a strand of his (now slightly frazzled) hair, face staying neutral. He didn't have his usual dopey smile and closed eyes, rather a serious and almost angry look on his face as he recalled the events that led to his arrest. His expression softened slightly as he mentioned "Dogen", as if recalling old events, but he quickly snapped out of it to continue talking.

"I would have gotten away with lying if your letter didn't come right at that moment. You'd given me a checkmate."

He shrugged.

"It wasn't just your fault, anyway. There was much more I did and some mistakes I made here and there. That doesn't matter. My plan's too complicated to say all at once."

As if nothing he was out of character the entire time, his persona returned to him and he covered his eyes in faux cowardice. At this point, he wasn't sure why he kept going anymore.

"It's not like I did anything really bad. I wrote a letter here, encouraged someone discreetly there... but it's not like any real blood's on my hands. You believe me, right, Horace?"

{POST AAI2–BEFORE SIMEONS TRIAL/IN THE HOLDING CELLS [horace’s old cell in specific if you wanna go that way<3] also!! i typed a lot, you don’t need to match me, i wanted to set the scene a bit :] }

[ *> ‘krrshhh..’ ]

[ *> The wooden sound of a few blocks—no, pieces? rolled onto the floor just across the cell. ]

[ *> It sounded like somebody was tampering with something they shouldn’t have been, and had made a mess. ]

[ *> The pieces on the floor rolled around a bit. tumbling around. like somebody were trying to pick them up, yet was failing miserably in their task.. ]

[ *> Simeon was alone in his cell, wasn’t he? He should’ve been, and he was last time he had checked. ]

[ *> Even so, to maybe suggest otherwise, a faint teal glow emanated from the desk just across the cell where the pieces were still being shoved around and away from whatever what disturbing them. ]

— @knightley-gambit [ooooo spooky ghost horace, haunting simeon<33]

[also also, unsure if you got the notif or not but i did reply to that other thread we had going, if you didn’t wanna continue it then thats fine, disregard, i just can’t tell for my life <3]

((I DIDNT GET THE NOTIF MY BAD. AUGH.))

Simon looks up from where he was wallowing, snapping out of his daze.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have paid any attention at all if the situation were not so bizarre. He made no effort to talk to anyone at his new home other than Dogen, and even then he attempted not to embarrass himself by being too vulnerable. Being alone allowed him to process his life after he had been driven by fury, paranoia and mania. He could take things slow- and even then, it seems his heart would start to race once more. Life never truly stopped tormenting him, huh?

He slowly got up, using his experience to tiptoe without a peep. He was a child at the orphanage again, hearing some people talk about their wretched plans. Truthfully, he had never gotten rid of his overly-paranoid habits and he didn't plan to. Not now, especially not now. Everyone was out to get him in one way or another- including whoever this was.

Simon approached. Carefully, slowly, silently, until he could peek and see where this strange light was omitting from.

"...Who's there?"