Ryn was clearly delirious as she woke up- that was obvious to Tristan as he watched her transparent figure stir from the ground where she'd collapsed. She slowly blinked awake, staring up at Tristan for a long moment. Judging by the look in her eyes, she thought he was someone else. But Tristan wasn't going to stand there and let her be weird.

"Okay, princess, let's get movin'." Without hesitation, he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder with ease.

"Wh... wh- Tristan?" he heard her exclaim after a minute.

"Yeah, genius. Glad you finally picked up on it," he grunted.

"Am I... what... what's going on?" she asked.

"You're dead. Congrats. Now let's get outta here 'fore we miss the elevator."

Once they made it back to the courtroom, he set her down, and she stumbled slightly before regaining her footing.

"We're dead?" she finally repeated. She looked over at the rest of their living classmates.

"Ryn. I'm literally speakin' t'you right now," Tristan said flatly. "And you saw me die. You're dead."

"Oh." Ryn paused before adding, "So... does this mean my brother's here somewhere?"

"Unless your brother was in our class, then no, as far as we know."

"We?" Ryn echoed. Her eyes went to something behind Tristan, and her expression darkened. "I see."

Tristan didn't need to turn around to know that she was staring at En. Especially when he heard the dealer's voice cut through the air.

"It seems you can never quite escape me, I'm afraid. Looks as if I took you down with me."

"Can ghosts touch each other?" Ryn mumbled to Tristan.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Okay, good, because I'm going to find out what color blood ghosts have in a moment."

"Honestly, I don't blame ya."

"Hey, Ryn," Rori said as he approached. "I'm, uh, sorry about your brother."

"Oh. ...thanks," Ryn responded, clearly trying to process the fact that she was talking with someone she'd seen get executed.

"Do you think Iris would've spoken up if they weren't able to figure it out?" Rori turned to Tristan, his head tilted in a thoughtful manner.

"I dunno. That kiddo's... interesting," Tristan said.

"Iris?" Ryn looked over at where the ash-blonde was standing. "What about him? ...did he see me do it?"

"Indeed, but that's not all he did," En responded as they suddenly appeared next to Tristan. "Why do you think he followed you in the first place?"

Ryn seemed to think it over for a minute. "Uh... well, it'd be stupid if he saw me and didn't speak up, so there has to be a reason why..."

Her storm-blue eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh my god. Really? Him?"

"Yeah, that was how we reacted, too," Rori said.

"I just... he seems so friendly and nice!" The veterinarian gestured to the flautist, who was talking quietly with the poet kid in the massive hoodie.

"I mean, no offense, but so did you until Tristan and I watched you brutally kill a guy," Rori shrugged.

"...point taken," Ryn sighed.

"They're startin' to get in the elevator," Tristan said, nodding to their living classmates began to make their way back to the elevator.

"We don't know if we can interact with the elevator, so we've been entering with the rest of the class just in case," Rori explained to the two newer ghosts, who both showed different signs of understanding.

As they walked to the elevator, Ryn's shoulder phased through the Ultimate Medium, whose name Tristan was still unsure of. But he saw the kid recoil slightly, hand moving to where Ryn's shoulder had just passed through him. Ryn seemed to notice this out of the corner of her eye as well, because she stopped and looked at Flounder. Wait no, that was the fish from The Little Mermaid.

"Did he... feel me?" she questioned.

"Yeah, he felt Tristan when we first went to find him," Rori recalled. "But he can't see us or really communicate with us until he gets his hands on the proper materials. As far as we know, he doesn't have them."

"He told you that?" Ryn prodded.

"Well, he knew he was talkin' to one of us, so yeah," Tristan confirmed.

"That's rather considerate for someone who claims to be a sinful demon from Hell," En mutters.

They piled into the elevator, Tristan taking up one of the back corners and En the other, both of them doing everything in their power to not touch one of the living students. Rori and Ryn, however, were the opposite. Rori was showing Ryn how his hand could easily pass through someone, and she was dumbfounded by how she could just walk through everyone. It was actually kind of funny, seeing the two of them goof off for a moment. Only then did it occur to Tristan that Rori was purposefully taking Ryn's mind off of her brother. The thought made him realize that maybe he could find it in him to hate the survivalist a little less.

It didn't take much time for Ryn to settle in with the other ghosts, but Tristan could tell that her mind was always elsewhere. He could see how forced her smile was, how her eyes shone with unshed tears. He may never have been the smartest in any of his classes, but he knew the way people worked. He'd seen it all on the streets, yet people were still always surprised when he could call them out on how they were feeling. Was it really that hard to believe he could read people? That he could understand feelings? He was sick and tired of people seeing him as a wild dog on his gang's leash. He was more than his fists and scars, and it always nagged at him internally that most people didn't see that.

"How peculiar," a voice commented. Tristan knew that if he turned to look at the Ultimate Dealer, he would most certainly punch them as soon as he laid his eyes on them, so he decided to keep looking in the opposite direction.

"What?" he grumbled.

"I seem to have stumbled across a moment of vulnerability for you. Tell me, is it about our condition right now or something else? Wait, no, let me guess. You feel lonely."

That did it. Tristan snapped his head to face En, setting his jaw. "The fuck you just say to me?"

"Ah, so I'm correct," they smirked. "Most fear you, don't they? And as a result, very few get close enough to you to see you for your other traits?"

Damn, they were right. Tristan did not, however, want to admit that, so he crossed his arms and looked away again.

That apparently tipped off En, because they continued, "Seems as if I've guessed right once again. You'd be a fool to try hiding your feelings from me, Turner. I'll always know. Like I knew about Pineborough, and... oh, how I despise the fact that I'll never get to follow through with my plan."

"What plan?" Tristan furrowed his brow, turning back towards the dealer.

"Well, I suppose there is no point in disclosing the information now that there is no chance of it ever being used," En sighed. "I'll keep it simple, Turner- I blackmailed Pineborough. Ever since we set foot on this island, I knew something was very wrong with him, judging by the way he acted and spoke. And so when the whole chess game began, I knew who was responsible. I blackmailed Pineborough into being my pawn- how ironic it truly is- and being my ticket off this godforsaken island. If he did not comply, I would have disclosed his secret to the class, ensuring that not only would he never be trusted again by anyone, but also that he would take the fall for the murder I would inevitably commit- which he would have been forced to do anyways, but I do enjoy giving the unfortunate the illusion of choice."

"That's sick," Tristan spat as he processed what En was saying.

"No, it's surviving. I planned to make it out no matter what cards I had to play. Unfortunately, Ryn seemed to be holding all the aces for once. But rest assured, for I never lose, as Ryn has obviously now paid for her crimes." En's gaze flicked over to where Rori and Ryn seemed to be talking about birds, based on the few words Tristan was able to hear them throwing around.

"Y'know what?  I always knew you were full o' shit, En, and I hope for your sake you know that too," Tristan growled as he got up and went to join the other two.

"Oh, uh, hey Tristan!  We were just talking about cardinals versus blue jays and which one is prettier," Rori explained to him as he approached.

"Blue jays, end of discussion," Ryn said firmly.

Tristan just sat there and watched them bicker for god-knows-how-long as the minutes until nighttime counted down, until finally, he heard the announcement go off somewhere. 

"Doesn't apply to us, by the way, though you're welcome to head to bed if you want," Rori told Ryn.

"Do you mind if we chang out a little longer?" she asked. "I'd... rather not be alone with my thoughts."

This happened for a few nights.  Of course, Tristan didn't mind it all that much, given his sleep schedule was already all fucked up.  He, Rori, and Ryn would walk around the main island or along the beach on the second island for a few hours to just talk.  Tristan did a good amount of listening though, not being one to normally open up.

"You look like you could use the sleep, Tristan," Rori said honestly as they walked back towards the cottages. "Are you aware of how big your eye bags are?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Tristan grumbled, slightly embarrassed by getting called out like that.

"You know what I'm more curious about?" Ryn interrupted, her gaze elsewhere. "Why Stolas is in a tree."

"What?" Rori followed her gaze, his eyes widening.

Tristan also looked to see the combat specialist perched on a large branch in a tree by the end of the cottages.  But that wasn't the weirdest part.

He was holding a hatchet.

***

(1723 words)

Wooo Stolas