thefoundation | WEEK 2

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round 2

WEEK 2 - TRIAL

TRIAL

The morning seemed so far away yesterday - yet, it also seems too soon when morning comes and you are all yet again ushered to the third floor by The Lady. The Captain is there, in all of his....glory? It's hard to tell.

The doors close, and he speaks up, this time reclining on one of the couches in the room.

"You know the drill - Since one of you have died during the game, it's your responsibility to try and vote someone out. You have six hours to talk about it, but then-"

He taps on a box on the coffee table in front of him, labeled 'VOTES'.

"-you'll have to put in your vote so someone can be punished. You all saw what happens when you refuse to play, right?"

He leans back, placing his hands behind his head.

"So get to it."

As he says that, music begins to play in the room...

VICTIM: YOSHI NANASE

27 GUESTS REMAIN.

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... Are you telling us to be suspicious of you? Kurusu-kun.

[She mostly just sounds confused and exasperated, actually. What the fuck is going on with you guys. What.]

[I MEAN]

That's-- actually the complete opposite of what I said.

[She's just shaking her head, scrubbing her hand through her hair and getting it messy. Man. Y'all are giving her a headache.]

It's not working very well, is it? You already know that Niijima-san knowing about the Barghest is suspicious, but you're going to try and cover for her by using Escardos-san.

[...]

I'm really tired of all of you painting targets on yourselves, you know?

I think the only one that would know about the Barghest's name would be someone that's possessed by it.

[ he's just. going to state that fact right there ]

... Why do you think that?

Because everyone was surprised by it, no? I wasn't, but that's because I don't really have it in me to be surprised anymore. If the Barghest and Akira want to accuse me of their doing, then I guess that's fine.

[ he chuckles sadly ]

I just didn't think I'd be lied to my face like that by Akira.

Why don't you have it in you to be surprised, Escardos-kun? And what are you accusing Kurusu-kun of lying about?

[It's genuine curiosity. There's quite a lot going on here and she doesn't fully understand Flat's side of it any more than she understands the other two.]

Well, I tried to argue my case throughout the day, to no avail. It only makes sense that the Barghest would accuse the odd one out in order to protect themselves.

It's just that...after saying those nice things, I didn't think that Akira was covering for her, too.

You're odd, Escardos-san, but I really don't think you can call yourself the odd one out. Not in this crowd.

[She'd thought he was over-the-top, but she'd not thought him obviously odder than anyone or anything else at the resort. But then, she's probably not the most reliable when it comes to judging people.]

One more thing. I think that, even if Kurusu-kun believes you to be the Barghest... And even if that turned out to be true, he wouldn't have been lying.

...

There's someone else who could know. Games of mafia almost always have a "detective" role.

. . .

Blue Angel. . . you're not familiar with the rules of mafia, are you?

Not very familiar, no. The most detail I know is the pamphlet they gave us here.

[And the little she's looked through on her tablet, but it's not like she had all that much time to dig into things before everything.]

. . . there is a role in most games of mafia known as the detective. It's a town-aligned role, and it allows someone to check other people in the game for their roles.

[but. that's all he's saying. he's letting her assume the rest]

[...]

I stand by what I said.

[But it's still not suspicion she's glaring at him with. She's pissed.]

I'm tired of you all painting targets on yourselves.

This is how we play the game.

[he says firmly, almost authoritatively, voice not wavering a bit]

I'm not dead yet. And this is what it took to out Yoshi-kun's killer.

[She exhales, closing her eyes briefly, and then answers in just as steely a voice.]

No, I don't think that's how you play the game.

[Because first of all, Makoto had obviously made a mistake. This isn't how the game usually goes. Somehow she's not entirely surprised, either.]

[DEEP BREATH IN. . .]

. . . no, you're right. It isn't.

[there's usually no actual stakes involved. nothing this serious, anyway]

We'll talk later.

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latebluemer - 2018-12-08 22:53 (UTC) - Expand

[ SAME ]

[ honestly, same fucking hat but she's also aware that Akira is kind of right ]

Akira is not suspicious.

He may have told me, but my arguments were based on actual observations.

[WELL, suspicious beyond the normal level.

don't make her fight you. she'll fight you.]

Edited 2018-12-08 21:17 (UTC)

[HAVE THE LONGEST SIGH EVER. It just goes on for a while.

She's not going to have fisticuffs with you, Makoto, please.]

I don't want to suspect either of you, either. But this information came out of nowhere and I'm really... [she's just!!!] What actual observations are those, Niijima-san?

He changed his reasons for why the puppy scared him from it being a ghost, to being afraid it would eat everyone. The ghost example wouldn't have worked, because he was excited about the hotel being haunted, as well as bragging that his best friend is a ghost.

The puppy eating people is... strange, and I'm not sure how he made the jump to that in the first place.

Then, there's the fact that when I said 'Barghest', he was completely unfazed. As if he didn't immediately that he should be shocked by that name.

I'll give you that his arguments are inconsistent, and he could have been acting like... like someone inconsistent to make it so that they'd work for his cover.

[God. They're meant to be figuring this out after two weeks of knowing each other, this is honestly the worst. This whole thing is the worst.

But it's the last point that makes her go quiet. She's silent for a little while, listening to the uproar around them. There are a few people involved in this fiasco, aren't there?]

... If Kurusu-kun is making a false accusation, he'll be targeted next week or even sooner. If he's making a true accusation, he'll be targeted. So will you, Niijima-san.

... Then so be it.

I'll gladly put my life on the line for Akira. And I will do my best to help everyone here. Bur we don't move forward unless someone is willing to make an argument, and if people would have believed my arguments sooner, we wouldn't be here.

[She makes a small and frustrated noise.]

No, we have to move forward. Last week proved that.

[Of course she knows that, intimately. Even without a game like this, you don't find the path forward without risks -- she's always had that awareness; but a game like this, where people are used as the sole pieces...]

But it's not really about believing in your arguments, is it? Not this time.

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