"???" Wanda looked puzzled. "Weren't you right behind us just now?"
Peter echoed her confusion. "Yeah, why didn't you come out with us? What were you doing in there? Getting interested in corpses?"
Pietro: "..." So these guys seriously didn't even realize I wasn't with them!
Being overlooked stung. Pietro felt a pang of hurt; he'd just been battling wits and spectral phenomena with a ghost in that bathroom, nearly dying (or at least, nearly wetting himself), and instead of showing the slightest concern, they acted completely indifferent.
(The poor, secondarily abused mannequin: You wanna run that by me again?)
Deciding that throwing a tantrum would be overkill, Pietro suppressed his bruised feelings and recounted his bizarre encounter to Saiki, including the crucial detail that the corpse was actually a mannequin.
Saiki listened intently, his expression thoughtful. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "So, what you're saying is, you want me to confirm whether the real Wright is actually dead or alive?"
"Of course not," Pietro scoffed immediately. "I'm not some meddlesome idiot like Peter; I couldn't care less if that guy is alive or dead. What I do want to figure out is what exactly that female ghost controlling the mannequin is."
Using psychometry on the mannequin should reveal information about the ghost, Saiki considered, and likely identify the culprit who planted the fake body to deceive everyone.
However, before they could formulate a plan, Joan—who should have left with the other group—suddenly appeared from around the corner. She seemed to have overheard their conversation and hurried urgently towards Pietro.
Seeing Joan practically lunging at him, Pietro braced himself. Oh great, he thought, she probably figured out I was messing with her dead boyfriend's body in there and is here to demand retribution. He quickly tried to formulate how to explain that her dearly departed was actually just a very realistic toy... Wait, that explanation sounds really weird.
Anyway, Pietro opened his mouth to attempt an explanation, but Joan cut him off, her question sharp and desperate.
"You saw it too, didn't you?"
Pietro met her gaze, noticing her eyes were red-rimmed. "Ah?" he managed intelligently.
Not getting the response she wanted, Joan grabbed both his hands tightly, her grip surprisingly strong. They were standing very close now, close enough that her arm brushed against his.
Nice... uh... very pale skin, Pietro's brain unhelpfully supplied. No, wait... He mentally shook himself. Okay, okay, it doesn't make me a pervert. What healthy guy wouldn't have a momentary lapse when an attractive, well-built woman gets this close? Of course, overly aggressive women were a different category entirely. Clearing his throat, and pointedly ignoring Wanda's smirk from the sidelines, Pietro gently disentangled his hands from Joan's insistent grip.
Ignoring his withdrawal, Joan pressed on, her eyes wide. "You mean in the bathroom?" Pietro asked, trying to steer the conversation.
Joan nodded vigorously.
"About your... boyfriend?" Pietro clarified.
Joan nodded again, then quickly shook her head. "No! It's about the ghost that was on Wright! You saw it too, didn't you?! When I was leaving the bathroom earlier, I saw Wright smile at me! I—"
"Okay, okay. Calm down," Pietro interrupted, seeing she was becoming increasingly agitated.
Saiki, standing nearby, found the woman's behavior distinctly odd. He discreetly activated his telepathy. Yep, he confirmed instantly. This woman's problems are definitely not minor.
Pietro had been about to reveal that the body in the bathroom was fake, but Saiki's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, stopping him cold.
(Don't say anything yet, Pietro.)
Though Pietro didn't fully understand Saiki's reasoning, he saw the profound, calculating look Saiki directed at Joan and immediately grasped the implication: this woman is trouble.
He smoothly changed tack. "So, that thing just now... it was a ghost, right?"
Joan took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yes," she whispered, her voice trembling. "A female ghost. She's been attached to us ever since we arrived at this hotel. It's only been two days, but she's already killed four of our companions! If this keeps up, she's going to kill us all!"
She explained that her group—the 'life winner' (Abel?), Ryan, the fashionable woman (Lin?), the rapper, and herself, along with Wright—had all been lured there by the same scammer who ran the resort. They had arrived two days before Saiki's group. According to her, everyone who arrived early, except for herself and Wright, was now dead.
"So," Pietro deduced, reading her expression and tone, "you want my help?"
Joan nodded frantically, tears welling up, confirming his suspicion.
Honestly, Saiki thought, Joan's acting was top-notch; it was a crime she didn't have an Oscar. Without his telepathy, they probably would have fallen for her tearful, damsel-in-distress routine hook, line, and sinker. As it was, Saiki relayed her true thoughts to the others.
Joan (outwardly, tearfully): Please... you have to help us... Joan (internally, transmitted via Saiki): [Hmph, these idiots are so easy to trick. Just bat my eyelashes, show a little skin, maybe cry a bit, and they're putty in my hands.]
Pietro (telepathically): [Seriously? Do I really look like that much of a pervert? Isn't that description more fitting for Peter?] Peter (telepathically, indignant): [Hey! What's this got to do with me?! Look at her, she's completely ignoring me! She's obviously talking about you!] Pietro (telepathically, refusing to concede): [She said 'these idiots,' plural! That definitely includes you!] Wanda (telepathically, cutting in): [Alright, enough bickering, you two. Pietro, focus. Get more information out of her.]
Pietro internally sighed, suppressing his annoyance, but kept his expression neutral. Joan continued her pleading performance.
"I know Ryan... and Lin... hold some ill will towards you," she sniffled prettily, "but Abel and I, we trust you. Please, lives are truly at stake! You have to save us!" She looked poised to actually kneel before him.
Even Wanda seemed momentarily swayed by her emotional display. Then came the next internal broadcast from Saiki:
Joan (internally): [Dare to make me kneel and beg? Just wait. After this is over, I'll cut off your little dick and make damn sure you can never get it up again!]
Pietro (telepathically): [...You know, suddenly I have this overwhelming urge to make her kneel and beg.]
However, he understood that pushing back now might make Joan suspicious, potentially alerting her and ruining whatever twisted game she was playing. That wouldn't be nearly as interesting. He genuinely wanted to know what Joan was planning, and what her connection was to the ghost they'd encountered.
So, he put on a show of reluctance, glancing towards his companions as if seeking their approval. Wanda, meeting his gaze, instantly slipped into character, her expression shifting seamlessly without needing a moment's preparation.
"Brother," Wanda said softly, her voice filled with compassion, "she sounds so pitiful. Maybe... maybe we should help them?"
Peter chimed in immediately, needing no acting lessons for this part – it was simply who he was. "Exactly!" he declared righteously. "As a future hero, how can I possibly stand idly by when people are in danger?!"
Pietro took a theatrical deep breath, as if making a momentous decision. "Okay," he finally conceded. "How do you need our help?"
Joan beamed, her face radiating pure gratitude. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, gentlemen! And you too, lovely young lady!" Joan (internally, via Saiki): [Help me? Hah! You bunch of useless trash can just serve as cannon fodder later.]
Collective internal groan from Saiki, Pietro, Wanda, and Peter.
Pietro let out another sigh, then suddenly slung an arm around Saiki's shoulders with an air of newfound camaraderie. "You really have it rough, man," he said sympathetically.
Saiki Kusuo: "???"
"I used to be kind of envious, you know? Knowing everything," Pietro explained, shaking his head. "But now I get it. This power of yours? It's just boring. We finally stumble into something genuinely exciting, maybe even dangerous, and bam—you know exactly how it's going to play out beforehand! All the mystery, completely spoiled! It just ruins the fun. Seriously, Saiki, turn your power off for a bit. Whatever happens next, don't give me any spoilers, okay?"
Saiki couldn't help but internally retort: ...Do you honestly think this is some kind of game? But, despite himself, he felt a small, unfamiliar flicker of being... understood. It was almost touching.
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