[ So this lovely afternoon Eben gets a crash course in Kuja's unique brand of entrance! There's a brief shadow that passes by, and then -- a distinctive click of his boots as Kuja lands behind him from his magically-assisted glide. He literally always does this to people. Kuja was absolutely doing his 'brooding on the rooftops' schtick again when he saw the horns -- had a memory occur -- and seized the opportunity. ]
Today I do beg your time, Ebenholz~. There's a question I had for you.
[ Please. He doesn't have to resort to common mugging. ]
My question... it's truly only a trifle.
But I couldn't help but overhear you mention a world named 'Terra,' and become curious... Is that the name of where you're from?
[ listen. Eben's some kind of furry, which automatically makes him more likely to be from Kuja's neck of reality. He could be an ancient Terran, from before all the mass extinctions. ]
[ the feathers...... and the long, furry tail, that's just curled up in a @ of interest. ]
That's right. [ Kuja flashes a brilliant smile-- what the hell, he's been curious about the history of his own world that hadn't been deemed a necessity for him to know for forever. He COULD be barking up the wrong tree. But... what if he isn't~? ] Though I am no.. true Libiri, myself, I suspect what I am would have come far after your time. If... we do speak of the same world.
[ But he pauses and shakes his head, no, before they go further there are perhaps some essential details that should be thought upon. ]
Our worlds have the same name, and we at least superficially appear to be the same species. [ This is at least good starting evidence. ] The final most important aspect, of my world at least, is the existence of Originum. It remains the bedrock of our cultural and industrial standard.
Even in the future I can't imagine it would just vanish? Do you have any natural black minerals in your world that contain large amounts of energy? Industrial derivatives can cause illness, but mild exposure is the basis for Arts... or magic.
Ah. We've got the 'energy' part, and the bit about illness when exposed to the wrong form doesssss match some things I know about magi-physics...
But I haven't.. heard of any abundance of black crystals... [ Kuja's face falls. ] Introducing certain impurities during the growth process could make them, I'm sure, but... the name 'Originum' was never mentioned.
..While we have lost a lot of records, and while my world's natural resources were... Long ago used up... if these black crystals were truly so ubiquitous...
Extremely so. Look, even I myself became infected.
[ It's not hard to pull up a sleeve to show Kuja a few scattered crystaline growths. If that mineral isn't familiar to him then their worlds could not be the same...or the gulf of time must be truely enormous. ]
...Do not take my words to mean I think your theory is without merit. I've heard some tell of the theory time may bud like a tree. Branching paths may have had a singular origin point; Perhaps our homes are only siblings.
[ ooh, nasty. but beautiful, in its way-- Kuja's used to seeing some visceral things, as a Terran, so 'guy with crystals coming out of him' gets a hand put to his lips and some raised eyebrows, but little more. ]
My, my. I've never seen one of ours so inflicted.
Terra, as I know it, is...
...Ah, it's really.. almost indescribable. Seeing it is the best way to understand. But-- you said Originum, it does things to you if you're 'exposed' to it...
If you're Terran-- my kind of Terran, or close enough-- it's entirely possible you'd be able to receive information directly from the crystals I can make.
[ It's hard to keep a bit of childish excitement out of his voice - overwriting the usual overwrought eloquent tone. He'd never been allowed to watch such things, but of course anyone his age would be dying too. Not only that, but images of a world not seen by anyone in (his) Terra? The books you could write on the subject! The music you could compose!
But...oh he doesn't want to seem overeager, strange. Showing memories is surely no large ask if Kuja offers it so freely to a stranger. It's quite hard, but he tries to school himself down to a mild interest, even if his ears and fidgeting hands surely tell his true excitement. ]
Origanum is a powerful conductor of energy, and if your crystals contain a similar power, it may be possible. I would...not be against seeing your world? It could illuminate our debate beyond the need for my petty explanations.
Ah, they usually take a little time to make... [ hmmm. he shouldn't get ahead of himself here. he DOES have one on hand, but it's very large and also filled with a lot of very personal thoughts. best not use that one. ] I don't have any convenient ones on-hand, so give me... [ Kuja looks up at the sky, forgetting that he has, like. A phone. ] Hmm. Already past noon...
Tomorrow morning. I've a standing appointment I must keep, first, but after that... I can show you Terra, as I knew her.
[ This he has also heard of! They have arcades, another thing he's never been to, Ebenholz is already reevaluating his mental expectations to be even higher. Maybe there will be exciting battles, or puzzles? ]
Ah, but there is no rush. [He didn't want to watch a movie anyway. He's not disappointed. Nay. Not he! ]
I of course, have nothing but time until this island explodes. Please find me again at your leisure.
[ He'll be like, around. No one else on this island wears this much black, Ebenholz can't be hard to find. ]
Edited (html error ) Date: 2023-01-30 07:37 am (UTC)
[ kuja... also doesn't know what a video game is, but he can make some vague inference. he'd try one. ]
So I will~! Expect me.
[ aaaaaand he's off.
Fortunately for their brunch plans, the big exciting train drama happens after the next morning, so Kuja's got some precious free time to roll up with a crystal with a soft, golden glow in his grip. It's about the size of a soda bottle, though much wider around the middle. Kuja's entrance now is much the same as his last; why fix what isn't broken? ]
Hellooo~o. I've brought the record I mentioned. You recall, don't you?
[ Ebenholz is blessedly unaware of train drama anyway. He see's you all messing with it, and it just seems like so much trouble he keeps walking away.
Anyway, morning finds him practicing flute in an open part of the island. He absolutely freaking hates how Kuja just randomly appears, even if he does remember (and was excited for) these plans! It makes him mess up a note, and even now he's tapping it against his side in pure embarrassment. ]
Hello. [ He will not be adding extra o's at this time. ] Nay, I did not forget. You weren't lying on the turnaround on your magic. You created all this in one night?
[ It's huge. His crystals took a couple of days to set in at least, and they're barely a fraction of the size. ]
[ So Kuja gets to see our good friend Ebenholz is a musician with his own eyes~...
The sour note just puts a smile on his face, though it WAS rather painfully shrill. Though he pretends at being so polite... Kuja can't help but relish giving someone a little start, now and then. Keeps them both sharp. ]
I was motivated. If we can prove that there's a connection, even if it's with a notable point of divergence... so much of Terra has been shrouded in mystery for me! Of course I'm curious.
[ Also, Eben might be about to die horribly with the rest of the islanders, and that puts a little bit of a damper on the chance for future chats. ]
Now-- the test to see if you can absorb the crystal's light properly is simple... we need to get out of direct sunlight, to avoid interference, and then you need but bask in its glow.
[ Do NOT remember it, whatever you want him to do he refuses. His music isn't that good anyway! ]
Even proving our respective arts compatible would be worthy of a thousand papers. [ A noble prize even. ] Though I am not a scientist... I am very curious about your world. I haven't had much chance to travel.
[ He scoots forward to try and get a better look at the crystal, pulling up his own sleeve curiously to see if the orignium on his arm seemed to react. Right now, in the broad daylight? He wasn't sure. ]
Hm. Would the church work? Or was there another building you had in mind?
[ You’re praticipating in one of the inane minigames the doll required when the headache starts. The dark cavernous room helps you some, but you still slump against the hard concrete wall you were hiding against with Sou. You can’t really remember the rules of this one, something about pulling a lever while some macrabe automata turns around. You weren’t paying attention, as usual. Little lord Franz Urtica liked keeping to his high horse.
You eye your partner, weighing your options for how to get out of going after the lever next. You surprised yourself with the inexplicable sense of sympathy you had for Sou Hiyori. Not enough to outweigh the show you watched him put on in the trial, but enough you let yourself be paired with him on this game. An idiotic decision, but the rest of the group must have been pleased to pair troublemaker with you instead of Kanna for once. He’s probably not going to split the stars, and serves you right. ]
We may as well give up. [ You don’t speak as quietly as you should, but you roll your eyes and hit Sou with the slightly pained expression that always worked wonders for getting away from your minders.] The timing is too tight on this level, we may as well come back with more athletic partners.
[ I’m not a coward. You think. I’m risk adverse. Dying by vote seemed fin and fine until they went ahead and made it so public and unpleasant. Kai had the right idea when his back was against the wall so I’d like to muddle along until I can find a way out of here that isn’t so awful. ]
You can still go with Keiji, yes? Just make him do this.
[Every single one of these "minigames" is terrible, but this has to be one of the worst. Shin's stress level has not left the ceiling since the start, every single hair on his body prickling for the slightest sign the monster is going to turn around, every single nerve screaming that it will. There's been some split second close calls so far.
He never liked this sort of thing even when it was fake and 'all in good fun'.]
Keep your voice down.
[His voice is detached and steady only because the rest of him is hidden behind his scarf. He's thinking, but also who knows how well that thing can hear.]
I don't care if you want to die... but don't go dragging anyone down with you.
[Is this meant to be encouragement? Shin please never work at a suicide hotline.
It's also kind of a lie, it's been bothering him, in a darkened room where everything's been locked away. It's thrown him off, because while he's had some time such that he's not as set off kilter as he was in the trial itself, he still can't understand it. If he could read Franz's thoughts and see that balking at the reality of it some part of him might bark 'Ha!' but he can't. Was it all some grand gesture or ploy instead, like Shin's own with Kanna?
Shin shifts against the wall, pulling back from peering around it, catching the tail end of the expression. It's an uncertainty he's heard before, incongruous coming from this confident guy.]
You've been keeping track, huh?
[It's stalling. Shin can, in theory, but... he can't waste Keiji on this. There's only one pairing set each, and Shin knows, and despises the fact, that he's going to need help on the arm wrestling one because if his partner on that fails, he's guaranteed to lose. He's not looking forward to Keiji making him eat crow about it, too.]
We're already halfway through. Going back and doing it again with someone else means more time at risk. Let's just get this over with.
[He's hoping the logic is persuasive enough, despite the incoming contradiction.]
...Although since we're safe behind the wall, we can catch our breath for a bit.
[ Yes, mother. You think privately to yourself, but your better nature keeps your less savory thoughts hidden. You're still making an annoyed expression, so the meaning gets through anyway if this man has any sense. ]
I'm helping you out with the tokens, aren't I? Where's my thanks? [ After you've done so little and then balked the second things looked difficult. Yes, its hard to imagine why Sou is not more grateful to your efforts. You're pretending of course, that you don't mind Sou's accusation as much as you do. You dislike being thought of as a burden, even to the groups pariah. ] I didn't realize I was killing you by pointing out better options. I'll be sure to keep that in mind from now on.
[ You have been keeping track. "What, like its hard?" You might even say. You've been doing it out of idle boredom mostly, trying to stay away from the worst of the group infighting. You have a pretty good head for numbers when you use it. The only person you have left to pair with is Reko... ]
Lets just get this over with... [ Repeating things when you don't know what to say is a bad habit. But its true you don't really want to go with Reko. Sou is preferable. ]
Fine. I hope you know how to make use of the time, because my head is killing me. You'll be lucky if I don't start seeing double soon.
[A shadow falls over Shin. It is the shadow of... retail past, present and future.
He has remembered an ancient antipathy, as echoed across the eons. Ah yes. You.
The Customer.]
Ahaha... jumping the gun aren't we? We haven't got the tokens yet...
[Maybe the smile he fixes Franz with is a little plastic. Why was this guy more believed than Shin, again? No seriously, why. It's maddening. At least pretending to have amnesia seems to have worked and cooled things down a little...
Shin actually makes the purple disco elysium roll this time and realizes Franz thought he was referring to the Keiji thing instead of the noise itself. This doesn't help him much.]
Isn't rest it's own use of time? [You were the one wanting to get someone more athletic. Which, the sting is an old friend to Shin, but surely this is the next best thing?] If you're that eager to be done, though, I'll keep a lookout while you pull.
[Fundamentally, this is, like all of these disgusting games, about trust. In theory the two partners could just pull the levers independently until the bar was full. In practice, this is the safe way to do it... and more safe for one.]
[ The worst customer. You are known by your local starbucks, and by many other outlets nearby. A life of confinement has finely trained you to push the people you have power over to their absolute limits.
Exempli gratia]
So? Weren't you planning on taking both? [ Excellent diversion, Franz! Now its your turn to stall for time because like hell do you want to jump out and go scrabbling for a lever. You are a bit genuinely curious, Sou has been inconsistent with how much he works for the group. Kanna kept him under wraps, the other coalition hates him, he raged so much in the first game it wasn't clear what he wanted. A mystery. And now he doesn't seem to want you dead, in a sense. ]
Anyway. I have a correction to make. [ You do sit up and rub your eyes, trying to ignore the increasing volume of your thoughts. The machine creak creak creaks in the distance. You glare at the lever, watching it wobble as your head throbs. ]
You were putting words in my mouth earlier. I never said I wanted to die. I said I would accept being voted for. I don't like being misquoted.
[Why is this suddenly turning into a Trial. His reflexive tactic is the same; deflect like a mirror and lie like a rug. Franz's reluctance makes perfect sense, but also of the two of them... who has the lower percentage? His attention does sharpen as Franz sits up.]
It's the same thing, isn't it? [Something something you're all fooling yourselves that you're voting with pure logic.] Don't pretend you don't know what voting here means.
[Mishima's death was very clear. Which was itself clearly the point. Was he really that naive to think it wasn't...?]
Well, it seemed logical to assume. [ If you were wrong, you refuse to admit it. ] Maybe you thought I would let you?
[ You're not actually sure if you would let him or not. Perhaps you would think you don't care, but then the idea of being stolen from would upset your fragile pride enough you'd actually stand up for yourself. ]
I feel like I'm the only person here who actually heard the whole explanation. [ You give an aristocratic little sigh, flopping your wrist at Sou flippantly. Come now, master of minds. You refuse to be led on a spin. ]
There can only be two finalists in this game. Unless we can find rescue, that means most of us are already dead.
[ You could continue but you find you really have nothing more to say. Is it too soon to give up? You weren't sure on that first floor, but faced with the prospect of voting to kill another person, it suddenly seemed so much more attractive. ]
[If he were a little more socially self-aware he might think 'is this what it's like to interact with me'. Unfortunately he is not. He can still seethe a little though.]
A-already dead, huh...
[Franz is hitting his insecurities DEAD on. He is being murdered here. It's the very thing he cannot afford to think, except by pushing it into the past. Shin is already dead. But Sou is still alive.]
So it's that you've already accepted the outcome?
[It's so alien to him. This... should be something to be happy about, since it's one less competitor... right? There's a crystal, deep in the earth and formed under heat and pressure, that still shines with a desperate animal hope of escape, a way to sidestep kill or be killed completely. It'll be unburied later, but for now...]
Ahaha... you really don't make any sense you know. Stalling like this... do you prefer death by human or machine?
[AND YET YOU LIVE IN A SOCIETY.]
Edited (small thing) Date: 2024-02-18 09:11 am (UTC)
[ You really haven't. You know deep down you aren't as brave as you pretend. You don't know what to do, but you should have done more. People have died, real people, and you can't stand the thought of it. Joe could have been your underclassman.
But you have your sick sense of pride, prince of a thousand enemies. It's a flaw you come by honestly. Your refusal to be toyed with is even stronger then your desire to live. ]
Why must I accept anything? Our situation is absurd! I refuse to accept it.
[ The pain in your head loosens your tongue, little fool. You aren't shouting, but the look in your eyes when you glance at Sou under your dark bangs is far more impassioned then your act in the trial. ]
What's the difference to you how I die, if you've your heart set on winning? Human. Machine. Dolls. Bah, its dolls all the way down. Well I'm no puppet. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
[ Your thoughts are filled with strings. Your grip on reality is slipping, you can feel them digging into your wrists, wrapping around your throat. It's the familiar sort of hallucination, the type that leaves you screaming at walls. You can't afford to loose it here. ]
The most human thing we could do is refuse. Like right now, I refuse to go get myself killed for your sake. Why should I trust you?
The anger is an uncomfortable, warped mirror, the kind that gets weak laughs and aversive gazes from what it exposes, reveals. He can't afford to think about it right now, but Kai and Joe's actions did shake him. If his heart is set on winning, huh...]
Isn't that a contradiction? Refusing to die, and refusing by dying? Or are you just that contrarian?
[That's it's own way of being lead around by the nose in the end, isn't it?]
Ahaha... I'm sure none of us are here by choice, you know.
[He'd thought maybe Sara... but the facts of the matter are bad enough as it is, much as the idea tugs at his paranoia. The masterminds behind this clearly expected and accounted for their refusal. Franz is not unique in not wanting to go along with this. The strings are tight and taut around all of their necks.
"Why should I trust you?" he says... Well, the answer is, he shouldn't, but Shin doesn't want that to actually happen, since he needs anyone he can tear away from Sara. He wants out of this stupid minigame, and also the game in general, and that means deceiving others, knapping himself like flint until it's finally easy, somehow. So instead of saying any of this, what comes out is instead.]
Don't be stupid. If you die, I'm stuck here too. You've just got the best chances here.
[They kind of HAVE to work together... Shin hates it. But he also doesn't actually want the guy to die, so much as to prove his point.]
You think me thoughtless. I've had days to ponder thus. [ You talk like an old book when you're mad. Too much Shakespeare, tsk. ] We're not here by choice, but we still have a choice. You, I, even little Gin. We all killed someone.
[ You slump back, your part spent. It hurts to hear it out loud, worse then your headache. You have been thinking about it for days. Three people really, but Kai and Mishima give you enough rope to hang yourself on the way out. ]
So the reason I should risk myself is just to save you... For you are doomed without me and I without you? Hmph.
[ Strangely, there's a moment of quiet. You put your head in your hands and stare at Sou. You look him in the eye like you're assessing him for the first time. What do you really know about Sou Hiyori? ]
Tell me one good thing about yourself. Then maybe I'll do it.
[Thus???? What era are we in??? It's like there's two Alices.]
...
[If there's one thing Shin has managed to achieve, it's something resembling a poker face in response to intense scrutiny and an unnerving stare. He can keep all his sweating internal... most of the time.
He's also flashing back to what feels like a million job interviews. Tell us what you bring to our company, Shin. Tell us how you're useful to us. The resentment and shame is normal.
Anything he reveals here is something he can't later, a tipping of his hand that Franz might be able to use to his advantage. If he makes something up, he might be asked for proof. And even then... there isn't much, is there? He's not strong. He doesn't have Sara's almost supernatural influence. The secrets he managed to glean from that dark room are right out. He's not even a good person, is Sou. There's his work with computers, but that's about it, and it might be weird how a jobhopper knows that. He's weak, the underdog. But it's clear Franz isn't going to budge without something. Getting caught in an impasse like this...
His desperate rummaging through his own mind stumbles upon a dusty box.]
Well... I'm a pretty good swimmer.
[He used to be really proud of it; the one kind of physical exercise he could not only do, but could do well in. He can't remember when or why he stopped. It's painful to think about now. And not actually all that helpful, he's silently kicking himself.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
shortly after the party
Date: 2023-01-27 06:35 am (UTC)Today I do beg your time, Ebenholz~. There's a question I had for you.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-27 07:51 am (UTC)Eben's ears are all puffed up now. Do not...do not jump him like this. He thought this might be another robbery. ]
Ah. Er. There is a question you had for me?
[ Ebenholz has vauge memories of interacting with Kuja briefly at the party, but nothing worth the other man seeking him out. ]
I suppose I have no short supply of time... but I do not know how I could help you.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-27 08:01 am (UTC)My question... it's truly only a trifle.
But I couldn't help but overhear you mention a world named 'Terra,' and become curious... Is that the name of where you're from?
[ listen. Eben's some kind of furry, which automatically makes him more likely to be from Kuja's neck of reality. He could be an ancient Terran, from before all the mass extinctions. ]
furry to furry communication
Date: 2023-01-27 08:09 am (UTC)Ah, you are correct. Terra is indeed the name of the planet we live upon.
[ He's sizing Kuja up and down as well because the feathers do track pretty well as another Terran. ]
Is your world called Terra as well? Your appearance does resemble a people I am familiar with... Libiri are fairly common where I lived.
furry to furry.....conversation....
Date: 2023-01-27 08:25 am (UTC)That's right. [ Kuja flashes a brilliant smile-- what the hell, he's been curious about the history of his own world that hadn't been deemed a necessity for him to know for forever. He COULD be barking up the wrong tree. But... what if he isn't~? ] Though I am no.. true Libiri, myself, I suspect what I am would have come far after your time. If... we do speak of the same world.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-27 07:31 pm (UTC)[ But he pauses and shakes his head, no, before they go further there are perhaps some essential details that should be thought upon. ]
Our worlds have the same name, and we at least superficially appear to be the same species. [ This is at least good starting evidence. ] The final most important aspect, of my world at least, is the existence of Originum. It remains the bedrock of our cultural and industrial standard.
Even in the future I can't imagine it would just vanish? Do you have any natural black minerals in your world that contain large amounts of energy? Industrial derivatives can cause illness, but mild exposure is the basis for Arts... or magic.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-27 07:56 pm (UTC)But I haven't.. heard of any abundance of black crystals... [ Kuja's face falls. ] Introducing certain impurities during the growth process could make them, I'm sure, but... the name 'Originum' was never mentioned.
..While we have lost a lot of records, and while my world's natural resources were... Long ago used up... if these black crystals were truly so ubiquitous...
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 06:15 am (UTC)[ It's not hard to pull up a sleeve to show Kuja a few scattered crystaline growths. If that mineral isn't familiar to him then their worlds could not be the same...or the gulf of time must be truely enormous. ]
...Do not take my words to mean I think your theory is without merit. I've heard some tell of the theory time may bud like a tree. Branching paths may have had a singular origin point; Perhaps our homes are only siblings.
What is your home like, if I may ask?
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 06:38 am (UTC)My, my. I've never seen one of ours so inflicted.
Terra, as I know it, is...
...Ah, it's really.. almost indescribable. Seeing it is the best way to understand. But-- you said Originum, it does things to you if you're 'exposed' to it...
If you're Terran-- my kind of Terran, or close enough-- it's entirely possible you'd be able to receive information directly from the crystals I can make.
I could show you.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 06:58 am (UTC)[ It's hard to keep a bit of childish excitement out of his voice - overwriting the usual overwrought eloquent tone. He'd never been allowed to watch such things, but of course anyone his age would be dying too. Not only that, but images of a world not seen by anyone in (his) Terra? The books you could write on the subject! The music you could compose!
But...oh he doesn't want to seem overeager, strange. Showing memories is surely no large ask if Kuja offers it so freely to a stranger. It's quite hard, but he tries to school himself down to a mild interest, even if his ears and fidgeting hands surely tell his true excitement. ]
Origanum is a powerful conductor of energy, and if your crystals contain a similar power, it may be possible. I would...not be against seeing your world? It could illuminate our debate beyond the need for my petty explanations.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 07:08 am (UTC)[ he doesn't know what a television is. ]
It's settled, then~!
Ah, they usually take a little time to make... [ hmmm. he shouldn't get ahead of himself here. he DOES have one on hand, but it's very large and also filled with a lot of very personal thoughts. best not use that one. ] I don't have any convenient ones on-hand, so give me... [ Kuja looks up at the sky, forgetting that he has, like. A phone. ] Hmm. Already past noon...
Tomorrow morning. I've a standing appointment I must keep, first, but after that... I can show you Terra, as I knew her.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 07:36 am (UTC)[ This he has also heard of! They have arcades, another thing he's never been to, Ebenholz is already reevaluating his mental expectations to be even higher. Maybe there will be exciting battles, or puzzles? ]
Ah, but there is no rush. [He didn't want to watch a movie anyway. He's not disappointed. Nay. Not he! ]
I of course, have nothing but time until this island explodes. Please find me again at your leisure.
[ He'll be like, around. No one else on this island wears this much black, Ebenholz can't be hard to find. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 08:11 am (UTC)So I will~! Expect me.
[ aaaaaand he's off.
Fortunately for their brunch plans, the big exciting train drama happens after the next morning, so Kuja's got some precious free time to roll up with a crystal with a soft, golden glow in his grip. It's about the size of a soda bottle, though much wider around the middle. Kuja's entrance now is much the same as his last; why fix what isn't broken? ]
Hellooo~o. I've brought the record I mentioned. You recall, don't you?
no subject
Date: 2023-01-31 06:19 am (UTC)Anyway, morning finds him practicing flute in an open part of the island. He absolutely freaking hates how Kuja just randomly appears, even if he does remember (and was excited for) these plans! It makes him mess up a note, and even now he's tapping it against his side in pure embarrassment. ]
Hello. [ He will not be adding extra o's at this time. ] Nay, I did not forget. You weren't lying on the turnaround on your magic. You created all this in one night?
[ It's huge. His crystals took a couple of days to set in at least, and they're barely a fraction of the size. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-01-31 12:32 pm (UTC)The sour note just puts a smile on his face, though it WAS rather painfully shrill. Though he pretends at being so polite... Kuja can't help but relish giving someone a little start, now and then. Keeps them both sharp. ]
I was motivated. If we can prove that there's a connection, even if it's with a notable point of divergence... so much of Terra has been shrouded in mystery for me! Of course I'm curious.
[ Also, Eben might be about to die horribly with the rest of the islanders, and that puts a little bit of a damper on the chance for future chats. ]
Now-- the test to see if you can absorb the crystal's light properly is simple... we need to get out of direct sunlight, to avoid interference, and then you need but bask in its glow.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-01 02:29 am (UTC)Even proving our respective arts compatible would be worthy of a thousand papers. [ A noble prize even. ] Though I am not a scientist... I am very curious about your world. I haven't had much chance to travel.
[ He scoots forward to try and get a better look at the crystal, pulling up his own sleeve curiously to see if the orignium on his arm seemed to react. Right now, in the broad daylight? He wasn't sure. ]
Hm. Would the church work? Or was there another building you had in mind?
for shinny
Date: 2024-02-17 01:57 am (UTC)You eye your partner, weighing your options for how to get out of going after the lever next. You surprised yourself with the inexplicable sense of sympathy you had for Sou Hiyori. Not enough to outweigh the show you watched him put on in the trial, but enough you let yourself be paired with him on this game. An idiotic decision, but the rest of the group must have been pleased to pair troublemaker with you instead of Kanna for once. He’s probably not going to split the stars, and serves you right. ]
We may as well give up. [ You don’t speak as quietly as you should, but you roll your eyes and hit Sou with the slightly pained expression that always worked wonders for getting away from your minders.] The timing is too tight on this level, we may as well come back with more athletic partners.
[ I’m not a coward. You think. I’m risk adverse. Dying by vote seemed fin and fine until they went ahead and made it so public and unpleasant. Kai had the right idea when his back was against the wall so I’d like to muddle along until I can find a way out of here that isn’t so awful. ]
You can still go with Keiji, yes? Just make him do this.
yesss come to me
Date: 2024-02-17 05:21 am (UTC)He never liked this sort of thing even when it was fake and 'all in good fun'.]
Keep your voice down.
[His voice is detached and steady only because the rest of him is hidden behind his scarf. He's thinking, but also who knows how well that thing can hear.]
I don't care if you want to die... but don't go dragging anyone down with you.
[Is this meant to be encouragement? Shin please never work at a suicide hotline.
It's also kind of a lie, it's been bothering him, in a darkened room where everything's been locked away. It's thrown him off, because while he's had some time such that he's not as set off kilter as he was in the trial itself, he still can't understand it. If he could read Franz's thoughts and see that balking at the reality of it some part of him might bark 'Ha!' but he can't. Was it all some grand gesture or ploy instead, like Shin's own with Kanna?
Shin shifts against the wall, pulling back from peering around it, catching the tail end of the expression. It's an uncertainty he's heard before, incongruous coming from this confident guy.]
You've been keeping track, huh?
[It's stalling. Shin can, in theory, but... he can't waste Keiji on this. There's only one pairing set each, and Shin knows, and despises the fact, that he's going to need help on the arm wrestling one because if his partner on that fails, he's guaranteed to lose. He's not looking forward to Keiji making him eat crow about it, too.]
We're already halfway through. Going back and doing it again with someone else means more time at risk. Let's just get this over with.
[He's hoping the logic is persuasive enough, despite the incoming contradiction.]
...Although since we're safe behind the wall, we can catch our breath for a bit.
shin in squid games how well would he do
Date: 2024-02-17 07:35 am (UTC)[ Yes, mother. You think privately to yourself, but your better nature keeps your less savory thoughts hidden. You're still making an annoyed expression, so the meaning gets through anyway if this man has any sense. ]
I'm helping you out with the tokens, aren't I? Where's my thanks? [ After you've done so little and then balked the second things looked difficult. Yes, its hard to imagine why Sou is not more grateful to your efforts. You're pretending of course, that you don't mind Sou's accusation as much as you do. You dislike being thought of as a burden, even to the groups pariah. ] I didn't realize I was killing you by pointing out better options. I'll be sure to keep that in mind from now on.
[ You have been keeping track. "What, like its hard?" You might even say. You've been doing it out of idle boredom mostly, trying to stay away from the worst of the group infighting. You have a pretty good head for numbers when you use it. The only person you have left to pair with is Reko... ]
Lets just get this over with... [ Repeating things when you don't know what to say is a bad habit. But its true you don't really want to go with Reko. Sou is preferable. ]
Fine. I hope you know how to make use of the time, because my head is killing me. You'll be lucky if I don't start seeing double soon.
it's a hard knock life montage
Date: 2024-02-17 08:21 am (UTC)He has remembered an ancient antipathy, as echoed across the eons. Ah yes. You.
The Customer.]
Ahaha... jumping the gun aren't we? We haven't got the tokens yet...
[Maybe the smile he fixes Franz with is a little plastic. Why was this guy more believed than Shin, again? No seriously, why. It's maddening. At least pretending to have amnesia seems to have worked and cooled things down a little...
Shin actually makes the purple disco elysium roll this time and realizes Franz thought he was referring to the Keiji thing instead of the noise itself. This doesn't help him much.]
Isn't rest it's own use of time? [You were the one wanting to get someone more athletic. Which, the sting is an old friend to Shin, but surely this is the next best thing?] If you're that eager to be done, though, I'll keep a lookout while you pull.
[Fundamentally, this is, like all of these disgusting games, about trust. In theory the two partners could just pull the levers independently until the bar was full. In practice, this is the safe way to do it... and more safe for one.]
thats right PEASANT. WHERE IS HIS ICED MOCHA VANILLA STRAWBERRY FRAPPACINO LATTE? WITH NO SUGAR
Date: 2024-02-17 08:38 am (UTC)Exempli gratia]
So? Weren't you planning on taking both? [ Excellent diversion, Franz! Now its your turn to stall for time because like hell do you want to jump out and go scrabbling for a lever. You are a bit genuinely curious, Sou has been inconsistent with how much he works for the group. Kanna kept him under wraps, the other coalition hates him, he raged so much in the first game it wasn't clear what he wanted. A mystery. And now he doesn't seem to want you dead, in a sense. ]
Anyway. I have a correction to make. [ You do sit up and rub your eyes, trying to ignore the increasing volume of your thoughts. The machine creak creak creaks in the distance. You glare at the lever, watching it wobble as your head throbs. ]
You were putting words in my mouth earlier. I never said I wanted to die. I said I would accept being voted for. I don't like being misquoted.
sighs. right away sir [dissociates]
Date: 2024-02-17 09:15 am (UTC)[Why is this suddenly turning into a Trial. His reflexive tactic is the same; deflect like a mirror and lie like a rug. Franz's reluctance makes perfect sense, but also of the two of them... who has the lower percentage? His attention does sharpen as Franz sits up.]
It's the same thing, isn't it? [Something something you're all fooling yourselves that you're voting with pure logic.] Don't pretend you don't know what voting here means.
[Mishima's death was very clear. Which was itself clearly the point. Was he really that naive to think it wasn't...?]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-17 06:58 pm (UTC)[ You're not actually sure if you would let him or not. Perhaps you would think you don't care, but then the idea of being stolen from would upset your fragile pride enough you'd actually stand up for yourself. ]
I feel like I'm the only person here who actually heard the whole explanation. [ You give an aristocratic little sigh, flopping your wrist at Sou flippantly. Come now, master of minds. You refuse to be led on a spin. ]
There can only be two finalists in this game. Unless we can find rescue, that means most of us are already dead.
[ You could continue but you find you really have nothing more to say. Is it too soon to give up? You weren't sure on that first floor, but faced with the prospect of voting to kill another person, it suddenly seemed so much more attractive. ]
he's not literally making this expression but he sure is feeling it mr krabs
Date: 2024-02-18 09:05 am (UTC)A-already dead, huh...
[Franz is hitting his insecurities DEAD on. He is being murdered here. It's the very thing he cannot afford to think, except by pushing it into the past. Shin is already dead. But Sou is still alive.]
So it's that you've already accepted the outcome?
[It's so alien to him. This... should be something to be happy about, since it's one less competitor... right? There's a crystal, deep in the earth and formed under heat and pressure, that still shines with a desperate animal hope of escape, a way to sidestep kill or be killed completely. It'll be unburied later, but for now...]
Ahaha... you really don't make any sense you know. Stalling like this... do you prefer death by human or machine?
[AND YET YOU LIVE IN A SOCIETY.]
its not like he cares or anything b-baka
Date: 2024-03-08 07:15 am (UTC)But you have your sick sense of pride, prince of a thousand enemies. It's a flaw you come by honestly. Your refusal to be toyed with is even stronger then your desire to live. ]
Why must I accept anything? Our situation is absurd! I refuse to accept it.
[ The pain in your head loosens your tongue, little fool. You aren't shouting, but the look in your eyes when you glance at Sou under your dark bangs is far more impassioned then your act in the trial. ]
What's the difference to you how I die, if you've your heart set on winning? Human. Machine. Dolls. Bah, its dolls all the way down. Well I'm no puppet. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
[ Your thoughts are filled with strings. Your grip on reality is slipping, you can feel them digging into your wrists, wrapping around your throat. It's the familiar sort of hallucination, the type that leaves you screaming at walls. You can't afford to loose it here. ]
The most human thing we could do is refuse. Like right now, I refuse to go get myself killed for your sake. Why should I trust you?
guess who got more iconnnns
Date: 2024-03-08 07:57 am (UTC)The anger is an uncomfortable, warped mirror, the kind that gets weak laughs and aversive gazes from what it exposes, reveals. He can't afford to think about it right now, but Kai and Joe's actions did shake him. If his heart is set on winning, huh...]
Isn't that a contradiction? Refusing to die, and refusing by dying? Or are you just that contrarian?
[That's it's own way of being lead around by the nose in the end, isn't it?]
Ahaha... I'm sure none of us are here by choice, you know.
[He'd thought maybe Sara... but the facts of the matter are bad enough as it is, much as the idea tugs at his paranoia. The masterminds behind this clearly expected and accounted for their refusal. Franz is not unique in not wanting to go along with this. The strings are tight and taut around all of their necks.
"Why should I trust you?" he says... Well, the answer is, he shouldn't, but Shin doesn't want that to actually happen, since he needs anyone he can tear away from Sara. He wants out of this stupid minigame, and also the game in general, and that means deceiving others, knapping himself like flint until it's finally easy, somehow. So instead of saying any of this, what comes out is instead.]
Don't be stupid. If you die, I'm stuck here too. You've just got the best chances here.
[They kind of HAVE to work together... Shin hates it. But he also doesn't actually want the guy to die, so much as to prove his point.]
gasp
Date: 2024-03-08 08:19 am (UTC)[ You could just say yes. ]
You think me thoughtless. I've had days to ponder thus. [ You talk like an old book when you're mad. Too much Shakespeare, tsk. ] We're not here by choice, but we still have a choice. You, I, even little Gin. We all killed someone.
[ You slump back, your part spent. It hurts to hear it out loud, worse then your headache. You have been thinking about it for days. Three people really, but Kai and Mishima give you enough rope to hang yourself on the way out. ]
So the reason I should risk myself is just to save you... For you are doomed without me and I without you? Hmph.
[ Strangely, there's a moment of quiet. You put your head in your hands and stare at Sou. You look him in the eye like you're assessing him for the first time. What do you really know about Sou Hiyori? ]
Tell me one good thing about yourself. Then maybe I'll do it.
hand in insufferable hand
Date: 2024-03-08 10:07 am (UTC)...
[If there's one thing Shin has managed to achieve, it's something resembling a poker face in response to intense scrutiny and an unnerving stare. He can keep all his sweating internal... most of the time.
He's also flashing back to what feels like a million job interviews. Tell us what you bring to our company, Shin. Tell us how you're useful to us. The resentment and shame is normal.
Anything he reveals here is something he can't later, a tipping of his hand that Franz might be able to use to his advantage. If he makes something up, he might be asked for proof. And even then... there isn't much, is there? He's not strong. He doesn't have Sara's almost supernatural influence. The secrets he managed to glean from that dark room are right out. He's not even a good person, is Sou. There's his work with computers, but that's about it, and it might be weird how a jobhopper knows that. He's weak, the underdog. But it's clear Franz isn't going to budge without something. Getting caught in an impasse like this...
His desperate rummaging through his own mind stumbles upon a dusty box.]
Well... I'm a pretty good swimmer.
[He used to be really proud of it; the one kind of physical exercise he could not only do, but could do well in. He can't remember when or why he stopped. It's painful to think about now. And not actually all that helpful, he's silently kicking himself.]