school: rupert

[shaft]

aaaaa

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week 0, monday

[shaft]

[ Is someone else supposed to be driving this tractor? Well, Claude's in the driver seat now.

He waves at Rupert. ]

Hark, good sir! May I interest you in a ride of wonder and enchantment?

[heartlands]

Oh! I do like wonder and enchantment.

[100% sincere, awful. but he glances at claude as he comes over to the tractor.]

What is this thing? It's like a wagon with no horses...?

[shaft]

[ He grins. ]

I haven't the faintest idea, but by my honour, I do swear to make this a grand experience.

[ All he knows is that it moves if you do something. ]

[heartlands]

...Wait, are you sure you should be driving it if you don't know what it is?

[he says, climbing on anyways.]

[shaft]

Fear not, my good lad. There exists nary a challenge that I have not been able to overcome in mine short life.

[ he's tugging at the gear but it's not doing anything... tries pushing the pedals ]

[heartlands]

[he just silently waits. politely, yet skeptically.]

[shaft]

[ he's struggling with the wheel too no avail... ]

Pardon me.

[ now he's getting off to look under the tractor... ]

week 1, monday, SUB

[shaft]

[ Claude is currently marveling over the invention of nachos. He's in tears. It's so delicious. ]

Have you... ever experienced these before?

[heartlands]

[looking at them, mystified.]

What are they? I mean, that looks like melted cheese, but what's under them?

[shaft]

I couldn't tell you. It seems like... crackers?

[ He's never had a potato chip or something similar. ]

But there's also meat, and other interesting condiments. More flavour than I've ever experienced in a dish before.

[heartlands]

Wow... Can I try some?

[rupert get your own]

[shaft]

[ He's happy to share! ]

Go ahead—but it's a little messy.

[heartlands]

I bet it'll be—

[he says, before he tries to take a bite and immediately spills cheese sauce on his lap.]

...Oh. Or that. That could also happen.

week 1, saturday, gym

[shaft]

[ Hi Rupert, Claude is still sitting in the gym. Just staring at his hands.

Sad man. ]

[heartlands]

[the post scapegoat mood... unsurprisingly, rupert also looks pretty devastated by what happened, but when he sees claude:]

...Did you never leave?

[shaft]

[ Looks over at Rupert, shaking his head. ]

I walked out with the others, but something drew me back. A sense of disbelief, I suppose.

[heartlands]

...Are the two of you close?

[him and manwol, he means.]

I mean, not that - not that you need to be for this to be horrible.

[shaft]

No, I'm pretty sure she hated me. [ really tho ] I think... It's the realization of how easy it is to send the wrong person to their death that's hard to swallow.

Knowing that people voted for her. Were okay with her being expelled.

[heartlands]

...I don't know if I would say anybody was okay with this.

[his expression tightens a little.]

It's more like - there was no good choice, right?

week 2, saturday, classroom

[shaft]

[ Claude looks a little grim as he wanders into Rupert's classroom. ]

Well, this is quite different from last week.

[heartlands]

They could probably do to update the decor in here, huh?

[it's - a very weak joke, and he definitely doesn't seem happy or lighthearted, but at least it's there.]

[shaft]

Do they even have comfortable seating? It's a crime.

[ Rupert looks not great, and it's touch week, so Claude is going to wander over to gently touch his arm. ]

I want to ask you questions about what happened. Would you be able to answer?

[heartlands]

[after a moment, surprised at the touch:]

What do you want to ask?

[shaft]

... Which one of them was it?

[heartlands]

...Bradley. I don't know anything about what happened to Sieghart.