#the fact he had more protection when doing an autopsy of the rat than when he was performing a surgical intervention on tsukasa lol

[mushroomcrepe]

You're a kid you're a squid with silly hair

[societydatabase]

* 𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 / virginie bellerose

Location: Gilly’s House

Date: Tuesday, December 8

Trigger warnings: Murder but like by accident *spoiler alert*

Premise:  For her task, Virginie has to find information about Clara and what really happened to her.

She knows that timing is essential, and though she’s not the kind to cut it this close, if she gathers her information and places it in Gilly’s mailbox too early, there’s a risk of interference. For all she knows, couples use the mailbox to exchange love letters, starcrossed spy bullshit or a fear of the spark dying. Either way, she thinks it’s a stupid waste of time, but it’s a possibility, so she has to deposit her envelope full of notes the day before her task is due.

Virginie has no real desire to be in a secret society, it’s mostly about the fact that she has nothing better to do and she enjoys research. It’ll be nicer to turn down the offer rather than be rejected for failing. But for now, her mind isn’t made up entirely.

It’s not even that hard, really, to gather the needed information. Part of her assumes the Dahlia leaders already know the answers she’s looking for, but that’s what makes it a test, she supposes. The only hard part was getting a fourth year to tell her the location of Gilly’s house, but predictably, Claire isn’t big into the sanctity of school traditions so when Ginnie asks, she answers with a shrug and a general description.

It takes Virginie half an hour to find the house, purposely tucked away out of sight, but it’s empty when she gets there in the early morning. She’d wanted to give herself enough time to piece together the answers she needs, but she also knew there was less chance she’d run into company if she showed up before 8am. Thankfully, Virginie only has one class and it’s in the evening. She has time.

Finding the diaries is even easier than finding the house had been, actually. They’re neatly tucked away in the back of a hutch with glass doors, gathering dust, because Gallagher students don’t care much for those who were here before them, in a time when people actually used mailboxes for correspondence. Virginie gets comfortable in a cushy chair by the fireplace, which she doesn’t have to light because thankfully they’ve added heating sometime in the last century.

The first useful entry she finds reads:

November 17, 1943

I’ve heard about these things happening at Blackthorne but I never imagined we’d be so unfortunate at Gallagher. We don’t really haze people, honestly, every Dahlia just has to jump into the lake without clothes. We all make sure nobody gets too cold and towels are provided immediately after everyone gets out. Clara seemed like such a nice girl, but maybe too overly eager? It’s a shame she never got to become a Dahlia but I know she’s in a better place now.

Virginie, as an R&D major, is thorough. She could take notes on the important facts and leave it at that, but instead she transcribes all the most useful entries in her own notebook and neatly rips along the perforated lines to create a stack of notes to hand over to the Dahlia leaders. She sets the diary aside, flipping through a few more and finding nothing, not even a mention of the society. It’s not until the fifth diary that she finds another Dahlia entry:

November 22, 1943

The autopsy results are hush hush naturally, but Jean and I snuck into the hospital wing and read the whole thing late last night. Official cause of death is drowning, but apparently she’d been hit in the head first. Some of the girls suspected foul play, but I thought they were just desperate for entertainment. Things can get awfully boring around here, especially in the winter when being outside is so dreadful and classes are tedious. That’s why I joined the Dahlias, personally.

The night Clara drowned, there were some rumors about someone messing with Gilly’s sword, but I didn’t believe that, either. They didn’t seem to do anything to it, so what’s the point? Just to touch it? I can’t imagine why anyone would go through the trouble and it’s not as if poor Clara was stabbed.

It might be frustrating how no single person seems to have all the answers, but Virginie is enjoying the research and it’s more fun that it’s not so straight-forward. She idly reads through a few more diaries before finally finding the missing piece of the story:

December 18, 1943

I was so looking forward to Christmas break this year. We’re going to Tuscany, which means I won’t be forced to see Rupert’s ugly face at all. Unfortunately, my mood has turned sour at the news that apparently a filthy Blackthorne boy was on our campus a month ago. Dawn’s boyfriend finally cracked, like I knew he would! Boys are so easy.

Not only was it a Nightshade task to sneak onto the Gallagher campus, apparently someone was also supposed to steal Gilly’s sword! Their mistake sending one man for the job, if you ask me. All the Nightshades have been talking about how Clara tried to stop him so he had to fight her off and hit her in the head, then thought he’d killed her when she got knocked out. I see not everyone pays attention in their medical training classes...I feel so bad for poor Clara. Take a girl’s pulse next time, nitwit!

Then he threw her “body” in the lake but she wasn’t dead, so...she did drown, technically, like we were told. Now this boy’s been having all kinds of nightmares. Good! I hope the guilt eats him alive! But I bet he’s just scared he’s going to end up in prison. I’d rat on him in a heartbeat but I’ve no clue who it is. Apparently only a few of the Nightshades know and of course they’re protecting him, bastards.

Funnily enough, he’s been complaining about seeing her ghost everywhere, as if she’s tormenting him from the grave. Serves him right! This has been such an unfortunate semester. I’m not sure if the Dahlias will ever bounce back.

Well, I hope my entire holiday isn’t ruined. They let us out of this place so rarely!

By this time, Virginie’s hand is cramping and she drops her pen with a self-satisfied plunk after she successfully finishes copying the final entry. There’s no way of proving the validity of any of these claims, they’re all just gossip and hearsay, but she assumes this is the story she was supposed to uncover.

She carefully puts the diaries away, gathers up her notes, and puts everything into an envelope before depositing it in Gilly’s mailbox and heading back to the main building.

[fireheartwraith]

My spidersona!

I know I'm super late, but pls, don't judge, I can't draw, as you're about to see. I mean, I can, I just ain't good at it.

Anyway, here it is!

It's way better than I expected, so be nice. Not that anyone is going to read this, but I put more effort onto this girl than on my last three school assignments combined, so I'm gonna talk

Name: Camila Carvalho

Alter Ego: Tarantula

Based on the spider: Poecilotheria metallica

Powers:

Sticks to stuff

Super strengh (sorry if I mispelled)

Enhanced senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch)

Spidey-sense!

Not powers, but helpful:

Brains

Six metal arms a la Doc Ock, minus the crazy

Story:

Camila's mom died when giving birth to her baby brother Pedro. The newborn and the 7yo were left to the care of their abusive and alcoholic father, a former army captain. The kids learned to protect each other above everything else. Mila was very smart and graduated early. Looking forward to getting out of her home, she went to a job interview at Oscorp and was accidentaly bitten by an genetically modified Poecilotheria metallica. Once she discoved her powers, though, she was more interested in using her knowledge in biochemestry to figure out how to make a super-soldier serum out of her DNA and selling it to the highest bidder than helping people.

She was not hired by Oscorp because of her young age, but Dr. Olga Octavia took her as her ward. They started working on the "metal" arms together. They're made with an alloy of vibranium and a synthetic spider-web that Mila made, so they're super strong and flexible. (Idk science, it just sounds cool).

During a gunshot fight between the police and a drug dealing gang, Pedro was mistakenly shot and died. He was eleven. The city refused to do anything about it, only saying that the criminals were responsible for the shot, even when the autopsy that Camila herself performed on her brother proved that the bullet had been fired by one the officers guns.

Enraged, she went to the Doc for help, and together they created Tarantula. Her "philosophy" is that if those who have power don't have enough responsability to be trusted with it, than it's her duty to take it from them. Her first mission was to take down the dealers and the corrupt police officers and councilmen.

Noteworthy villains:

Doctor Octopus: Doc became a villain seven years after that, when she grew tired of seeing Mila win all the fame and praise when she had served all these years as a loyal girl in the chair, creating new gadgets and cool tools for the spider. The arms made her crazy because they were incompatible with her DNA.

The Lizard: Her father, Roger Cartwright, turned into the Lizard after agreeing to be a lab rat for Oscorp in exchange of money and a new left leg.

Catastrophe (antihero symbiote): her fianceé, Anne-Louise Edwards. They're trying to make it work. Cat was jealous of Mila at first, but now they're cool with it. They can make at lot of interesting stuff during sex.

Other Facts:

Only a few people are allowed to call her Mila, so don't try it unless you want a broken nose.

Hella Gay!

Tarantula is known for beating the hell out of criminals, specially if they're power-hungry rich idiots.

She doesn't wear a mask because she used to have asthma and now she likes being able to breathe. Also, it's easier to talk this way.

She keeps Pedro's ashes in an ornate hourglass and also wants to be cremated.

She uses the arms to move because it's cooler and she's lazy.

[comets-inked-on-pages-in-the-sky]

So Bruce realizes that Red Hood is Jason, maybe its before the whole confrontation, maybe its during, but the point is he realizes this and he panicked just a bit. Because his son, his little boy who he had to bury, is ALIVE. And needs him to get rid of his murderer. But he can't and god does he wish he could. But he cant.

I mean sure, hes capable. It's not like its be that hard. It's honestly a miracle he hasn't accidentally killed the joker already. But to look at the guy who he watched fall further and further and did nothing to help. The guy that once upon a time he wanted to have join him in his crusade. One of two people to have ever held his heart. And kill him? It didn't matter that he'd killed his son. Bruce knew that if he killed John...it would destroy Batman, not the Joker.

So he took the only out he could figure out. He took out Jason's gun, as best he could. His hand was shaking though, and the batarang didnt hit his hand...instead it hit his throat.

And now he was choking.

And the joker was laughing.

He'd fucked up.

And he'd missed.

And jason would never forgive him.

All because he couldn't kill a mass murder.

His sons murderer

Just because he was still in love with the young man who became the joker.

So he knocked the joker out.

And he grabbed them both. His son and the man he once wanted to marry.

And he got them out. And he started bandaging Jason's throat while he waited for gordon to arrive.

It was taking far to long.

But it'd be worse if joh-the joker escaped.

And so he waited.

For 10 agonizing minutes as the police rushed to his location

As he watched the warehouse explode,

Covering jason body with his own.

With Alfred and Tim's help he was able to get jason stable. Dick had gotten the joker to Arkham and secured. Barbara had already signed off and turned in for the night. She'd come over tomorrow. He couldn't deny her the right to see the young man who'd been her little brother for those few years he'd been with them. Moving on autopilot, he sent Tim to bed. The boy needed to sleep more; he should send the boy home he knew, should not keep him here, not when he had a father of his own who Bruce was sure loved him. Even if he never seemed to question where tim was...perhaps he ought to investigate that.

But first to figure out what was wrong with jason. With his middle-youngest child, tim wasn't his no matter how much he wished the boy was.

He knew jason though. It wasn't that much of a stretch to imagine that jason would conclude that the type of criminals he'd been killing needed to be killed. But jason wasn't the sort to leave things to chance. Why would he risk Bruce being able to escape with the joker? Sure he had rigged the building to blow, but obviously it was escpable. And how was he alive for that matter? Bruce had buried him, been forced to bury his 15 year old son.

That was when the phone began to ring.

It was obvious that jason wasn't quite stable, far from it honestly. To be fair, he hadn't been entirely stable when Bruce had adopted him, but nothing like this. Though Bruce supposed it made sense, he'd seen the autopsy report on his son. The amount of trauma he must of gone through at the hands of the joker was immense, not to mention whatever else had happened in the 5 years since then. He must have been so scared to come back and realize the joker was still at large, Bruce thought.

He must have been so scared.

That was it, he realized. If jason was more stable he would have just killed the joker himself. Would have succeeded too. And he should not be proud of that fact, but screw him he was. Jason hadn't wanted to prove a point did he? He needed his dad to make him feel safe again. To get rid of his murderer.

And Bruce couldn't do it. He couldn't keep any of his children safe. He couldn't do anything about the joker. All because he was too weak to admit the man he once loved was gone.

"Master Bruce, the phone."

Oh. He should see what it was. It was so late though? And he needed to figure how he could make his son feel safe, and arrange for him to get help-

"It's Miss Talia, sir. She is quite insistent you speak to her at once."

All at once a memory rose to the surface. Talia had once accused him of not truly loving her, said that he was still in love who ever it was he was with before her. Talia had thought it was Selina. He'd insisted she was wrong. He hadn't been lying. Not exactly anyways. He wasn't in love with Selina, and he did love Talia

So much it hurt sometimes. But she hadn't been wrong about him still being in love with John.

"Beloved. Could you please explain to me, what on Earth possessed you to throw a batarang at our sons throat."

Our son.

Talia had called jason our son. Not his. Not a street rat or mentee or student. Son and hers.

His hand dragged over his face and he laughed hollowly.

"God Talia, I wish I knew."

Silence. She was pissed at him. He couldn't blame her. He could have killed jason...again.

"When I arranged for my father to allow him to return to Gotham I didnt expect you to be happy with me...I didnt expect you to greet him with more hostility then I've seen you show anyone since we were teens either."

"I-" his voice broke.

"Our son needed you to prove he could be safe Beloved...and instead you attacked him."

Her words were the sharpest knives...as always. He had no excuse. He should have found a better way. Should have just admitted that if he tried to killed the joker he would become the joker. He would have had to watch his son destroy his murderer, but that still would have been better than nearly killing his son.

"-oved?"

Talia was still talking. She was scolding him he was sure. Trying to convince him he needed to kill. And he probably should have. If it had been anyone else he would have. If it'd been anyone else he probably would have killed them years ago. All because over a decade ago he sent a man he loved down a path that destroyed him, he couldn't protect his son.

"Bruce!"

"You asked me once if I loved you."

She was silent.

"I told you I did. But I lied when I said I didnt love anyone else."

"You think I didnt know Beloved? I know that Selina managed-"

"It isn't Selina."

"Beloved?"

"After,

After I returned to Gotham, but before I adopted Dick, i met this guy. He, he was so bright. He was everything I wasn't...and I fell in love.

But I fucked up Talia.

I fucked up, and I got him hurt and...

And he lost it. And I told him not to get help and I tried to bring him into my life.

And..."

"It didnt go well."

"No. It didn't.

And then 2 years later I attended this performance and watched a young couple fall to their death-"

"And ended up adopting their son and roping him into your crusade."

"Yes, and the young man I was still in love with accepted it. He told Dick to stay out of the way and shooed him out of the room when we fought.

[11tumbler]

Mystery at Bayer Manor 7

After reading through the autopsy and police reports everyone disbursed to strategize. Kym went with Robert to his room. They sat on the bed. Robert wanted to help Kym, he obviously wanted her to do well so she would stick around. They discussed what truths and lies they should tell agreeing to only say 1 each. After talking about the cases Robert asked more questions about her. He really wanted to get to know her and Kym notices he asks a million questions, which was sweet.

Everyone was gathered in the parlour. Jeffrey comes in, “Since you were all split up to search the house you didn’t get the benefit to see what the other groups saw. We’ve asked that each person share at least 1 fact about their search and a maximum of one 1 lie, what you choose to tell the others is up to you. Staff will verify that no one cheats and tells more than 1 lie. Ok who’s up first?”

Betty gets up. Everyone shares their information while the others take notes. They had about 40 minutes before dinner to deceifer the information and get ready. Robert turns to Kym, “Are you going to get ready for dinner?” “Yea, but I really don’t know what to do with all this. And I don’t know what game we are going to play later.” “Ok, well get ready and change quickly,” Robert chuckles, “I do realize I’m saying this to a woman.” Kym hits his arm. He continues, “Then come over to my room and we’ll go over everything.” They head upstairs. Kym quickly fixes her makeup and ties her hair back up. She uses the bathroom and changes. She knocks on Robert’s door.

Robert answers the door. He has a white v-neck undershirt tucked into his slacks and a white button up shirt thrown on open and unbuttoned. And he smelled great. Kym wasn’t sure if he was trying to look sexy for her or it’s just that he is so sexy. “Wow, you do get ready quickly,” he says letting her in. “I’m sorry do you want me to come back?” No matter what Robert was doing he wasn’t going to say yes to that. “No. As long as you don’t mind talking while I finish getting ready.” Kym smiles. She didn’t mind watching him. She remembers back to that morning when she woke up in his bed and saw him lying there with no shirt on looking so sweet and sexy. She knew she shouldn’t, but she moved over against his body and he instinctively protectively curled around her.

Robert grabs his notebook and hands it to her then walks back into the bathroom to fix his hair. “Ok please find the page where it starts with what Betty said.“ Kym starts flipping, she stops and reads her page. He only wrote the words quiet and innocent and he spelled her name wrong. She continued on. “Ok. She was alone in the parlour. She said that she found a ripped piece of paper with the letters en and est

She also found a coil of wire, some stationary paper and a small notepad by the phone.“ “Ok, go to the next one.” Kym continues on and Robert comes out of the bathroom finishing buttoning up his shirt and tucking it in. They read through the remainder of the information. Then go back to discuss which items they think are real.

“Well Benjamin was easy he said they found rat poison, that’s obviously true, so either the broken glass or picture of Cheyenne is false, I think neither matter. Now Brittany said she found a knife, it’s the kitchen so of course, and the powder on the floor near where Tyler was sitting. I’m not sure I think that’s a distraction. You know what you and I found. Now Lisle and Dave, the book of simple chemical equations, a lock pick set, that sweater. Which was Betty’s, I remember her wearing that and I saw the look on her face like she didn’t know it was missing. So either someone took it, like Dave to draw suspicion away, or the staff took it. Or of course it could be a lie, but my gut tells me that one’s true. I could see someone with the chemical equation book if they wanted to know how to mix rat poison. Why would someone need a lock pick set when the passages lead to all the rooms.“ “And you forgot the two crumbled up papers with the messages erased.” “Right. Since they said nothing I’m ignoring that, it does us no good. Then we have Janelle and Tyler. They took a different approach and told us so much, the books, all the tools, the boots, probably all true. I wish I knew if any tools were missing, since betty found the coil of wire. Then there was the paper with codes. I don’t know if the garage door opener had a code, but I haven’t seen any other doors with code locks. But I thought maybe its for the passages and the numbers would represent a different for that would open. If we could find the control panel.” Robert pauses to think. Kym was amazed at how good he was at this. He was right it was more fun if you look at out like a puzzle not a series of murders.

“Ok I think we’re all set.” “Well you spelled my name wrong.” “I did? Did I also write cute on the page?” “No,” Kym shakes her head smiling. “Hmmm then I have two mistakes,” he opens it to her page. “Ok how do you spell your name Kym?” “It’s K Y M,” she tells him. He changes the I to a Y and writes very cute at the bottom of the page. Kym smiles. They make their way down for dinner.