[Posted Anonymously] sorry, boys be boys

[thepurpleone]

[The footage is grainy, purposely put through a filter to (badly) mimic the quality of a VHS playback. There's random snippets. B-footage if you will, featuring Stu and Billy just going about random places, pieced together as bad cuts.

"People would kill to have access to some actual entertainment," Billy's voice plays over the visuals, Stu's giggles layered in the background.

"Yeah, that's why I'd do it -- Quick, get a knife!"  comes Stu's eager exclamation.

There's a canned scream as the footage flickers out from an unnecessary zoom-in of Stu's face and goes to an abrupt black screen.

"Careful --you might get hurt in here," Billy's voice echoes warningly.

There's a shot of the smoldering remains of the building in the Green quadrant. For added insult it is inexplicably filmed narrow with two black bars framing the space that isn't a playback.

"Do you like -- Stupid -- movies?"

Stu's words round things off, a very obvious cut and paste edit job on the dialogue for how different 'stupid' sounds from the rest.

The video ends with a staticky screen.]

Comments

[audio]

[target_audience]

Yeah, I miss him, you don't have to be a dick about it. Geez.

action;

[faceguy]

[Well, it's up now. Leo watches it on his own tablet, then looks up at Donnie.]

Not bad, Spielberg.

[thepurpleone]

Thank you, thank you. Although it was almost painful piecing that together, but I guess that was a sign I was doing it right.

[faceguy]

If Mikey were here, he'd say that's suffering for your art.

[thepurpleone]

Is that what this is?

[He tries not to look too bummed about the reminder of the lack of little brother present, but he is still pretty proud of this thing, so that helps level it out.]

Well, I don't know what it'll accomplish but hey, it made me feel better so that's something!

[faceguy]

Heh. I feel a little better, too.

[Leo actually still feels really sore about the whole thing, and he isn't sure it will get anyone to do anything. But he doesn't want to worry Donnie again.]

[thepurpleone]

[It may not actually do anything, but Donnie still feels something for the deed. It was a slight on an artistic level that he's sure Mikey would be proud of, poking fun at the movie-obsessive murderers while pointing fingers, dangling hints of information that suggest there's more. He might be half-hoping that it prompts a direct confrontation, but those two seem to love playing up being the victims.]

Won't win me any Academy nominations for Best Picture but at least I might get one for Special Effects.

[He doesn't completely believe Leo there, but he'd like to think this dumb thing's kind of helped. Otherwise he really can't blame his brother for feeling the way he does, not when things haven't been settled, not when it doesn't seem like anything's been done.

A sigh slips from him as he slouches in his seat.]

[faceguy]

[Donnie slouches, so Leo leans over the back of the chair, resting his hands on Donnie’s shoulders.]

I still wanna punch ‘em, though. [He admits this airily. At least he’s back down from killing them.]

[thepurpleone]

Oh, I would love nothing better than to punch them. Maybe even a light maiming.

[faceguy]

Didn't one of 'em lose an arm? We could make 'em match!

[Leo would not actually do this. ...But he's not entirely sure Donnie wouldn't actually do it.]

[thepurpleone]

[Donnie's expression darkens at that.]

Yeah, they got too caught up in the zombie genre and Billy got bit. Guess they actually did resort to amputation. Idiots.

[He'd helped them get away, and they still tried to kill him. Twice. He's done with giving them chances.]

[audio] UN: Conan Edogawa

[mysteryfreak]

Ne, what did you need the knife for?

[ Anonymous video being posted is, in his books suspicious. The question is, of course is this like an anonymous tip off or someone trying to frame someone else? ]

[target_audience]

I dunno, little dude, maybe it was dinner time. Is that really what you're worried about? Some guy is taunting me about kidnapping my friend with stalker videos. You see that guy in the video? That's Billy. He's the coolest, that's my guy, man. [Maybe he sounds a little weepy.]

[mysteryfreak]

I'm a detective. [ He says easily. ] So I want to know all the facts, even if they seem insignificant- 'The Devil is in details,' as Holmes says.

When was the last time you saw your friend?

[target_audience]

My house doesn't talk.

Days and...days ago. Before they said we could go back to the planet. I thought he was a goner, man and--[sniff, sniff, definitely crying now]--he probably is and this is just a sick joke. I'm probably next.

[mysteryfreak]

[ He's not going to dignify that first part with a response. He's also, as it turns out, not the most emotionally aware. ]

Does anything stand out about the day you saw him last? Was he acting different? Did he have any enemies?

[target_audience]

He was really sad because his arm didn't work. It's new. It's hard to tell when he's sad because he's really, you know, but I can tell--don't tell him I told you, I just miss him, man.

He gets along with everyone, he's really cool. Everyone wants to be his friend. You should've seen him back home, the chicks were all over him. I don't know anybody with enemies.

[mysteryfreak]

I doubt a ransom was involved so it was likely personal. You're sure there's no one here he upset or made angry? Where was the last place you saw him?

[target_audience]

No! I mean, maybe it's my fault, some guy did stab me, and Donnie tried to kill me on the ship, that dude hates my guts. Maybe he finished off Billy because he couldn't get to me. Billy was on the ship, too, we were hanging with the aliens, man, they're cool, they don't even probe you or anything.

[mysteryfreak]

[ Well it's a lead, at least. ]

Why would he hate you? Did you do something that upset him? Where were you stabbed? Can I see?

[faceguy]

Well, we've definitely established that they're dumb. Man. It's like those guys really do think this is all a movie.

[No wonder they're so willing to attack people at random.]

[target_audience]

No, man! I thought we were friends, and then he started telling people that I stole from him, and that I was lying about being stabbed! Got all his friends to chase me around and toss my room and everything! Here, look--

[The video switches on, first to a metal wall, then fumbling around as he tries to get a good view of the scar on his stomach. Not a slash, definitely a stab, from the shape of it.] This is the worst one. My guts were, like, falling out, man, I thought I was dead. The doctor had to stitch me up. Donnie saw it, too, even helped me with the bandage, that's why I thought we were cool, but he's still talking shit like you can't just, like, see it, with your eyes.

[thepurpleone]

That tracks, unfortunately.

I talked to Tae about stuff and gave her a compilation of evidence. She said she was going to try getting them to admit to things but I have no idea what good that's going to do if they're still running around.

[He pauses, looking at his tablet before picking it up as some notifs go off.]

...huh. Guess Billy's missing? I haven't been paying much attention there but then also, who knows if he's just making things up again.

[mysteryfreak]

[ It certainly looks like a stab wound. However, Conan has seen many a cases where someone stabbed themselves in order to avoid suspicion. ]

Why would he think it was fake? Was the weapon ever recovered?

[faceguy]

By herself? [Leo looks uncertain about that.] They'll just attack her, too.

[The information on Billy is interesting, though.]

Maybe they got in a fight and Stu bumped him off.

[This isn't a serious suggestion, but he still says it.]