Week 3

[airlockedmods]

[It takes a disturbingly short amount of time for the status quo to be restored. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets.

There's a new floor to explore, a perverse reward for a trial well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 2 and submit your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

Time for 999 spoilers boogaloo!

[misanthropicprinciple]

[All right. He's sat on this long enough. Two girls are dead, another floor unlocked, and Junpei thinks now they've all got a sense of how this game is meant to be played. This isn't going to be pleasant for anyone, least of all him, but if he doesn't speak now, something worse might happen.

And enough of his fellow Champions have figured it out that he doesn't feel he has much of a choice.

When Junpei retrieves some morning coffee, he leaves the following note on the kitchen refrigerator:]

The last time I participated in something like this, it was called The Nonary Game. Nine of us were selected, kidnapped, and forced to solve puzzles to proceed through various locked doors under threat of death. We had nine hours to find a way out before we drowned. Three people were killed; we found the murderer among us and brought him to justice, but the mastermind got away before we escaped.

I'll be in the dining room all day if you have questions about that game.

- Junpei

[True to his word, Junpei's at one end of the large table in the dining room all day, sipping coffee, nibbling on snacks, and going over his notes. He's also added some junk and underwear to the inflatable pool he left out here last week. Every now and then, when he can't stand to look at his notes anymore, he takes out the eridium fragment and turns it over in his hands, trying to determine what exactly it even is.]

[tacomeme]

[He's tired after his 'confrontation' with Nari. But he feels... a little cleaned out. As much as he'd like to either lay in bed some more or continue his frantic run around the mansion he has to eat. Which is when he sees the note and Junpei in the dinning room. After a moments thought he pulls down some cheese cloth and sets to work.

When he does approach Junpei he sets a cup of something... very fruity and strong smelling in front of him]

It probably isn't even any more then 5% alcohol yet, if that. But you can get an idea for the taste at least. Proof of concept, or something.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei looks completely baffled for a moment before he remembers the trade from--God, a whole week ago. Holy shit. He rubs the corners of his eyes and laughs faintly.]

Christ, Hoshido. I completely forgot about our deal.

[He pulls the cup towards him, but pauses before he drinks.]

Only five percent alcohol, tops, right?

[tacomeme]

You'd probably have to drink the entire bag in the kitchen to even have a chance to get drunk at this point. It should be safe.

and yet no mention of ICE-9

[buddyoldpal]

[ Nishitani is making himself some morning rice when he spots Junpei's note. It sounds like the kind of weird shit you can't make up, especially considering where they're all at now. Damn.

But also he's making rice, so that's gonna have to wait. A few minutes later, he steps into the dining room with his bowl and sits down riight next to Junpei. Look, he doesn't really have any personal space. ]

Saw yer note, Tenmyouji-kun. Sounds like ya seen some real fuckin' shit. Guess it makes sense why ya know yer stuff.

How'dya get out? Ya solve the puzzle?

Well he and Church haven't decided what to tell the others about the corpse room...

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei offers his underworld buddy a faint, wry smile.]

Yeah. I did. Well, it was a group effort. -Ish.

[He sips his cooling coffee.]

Get this. The last part was a sudoku.

the kingdom hearts/ICE-9 room

[buddyoldpal]

Fuck, ya serious? [ SUDOKU??? ] Sounds pretty damn sick, makin' people solve fuckin' number shit. I'd ask why the fuck anybody'd do that but I know better than anyone that there's a point where sick shits just like messin' with people.

[ Sound like someone we know? He shakes his head. ]

Damn, least we ain't solvin' math problems fer food or some bullshit.

[serrata]

[ Yuuri sees the note when she comes down for dinner and doesn't really take in what it says for a few seconds. But then she stops and stares. A hundred little things suddenly seem like they're clicking into place, odd things he's said here and there and she feels like an idiot for not asking sooner.

Again, she feels like a bit of a coward. So many of them have come forward since this all started, being open about their secrets even if it hurt. And here Yuuri is, still being cagey and secretive even though people have died.

So when she finds Junpei in the dining hall, she's carrying her accounting book with her, the one that'd appeared in the dumbwaiter on Sunday and the emergency manual Mai had given her. She takes a seat opposite him, sets them both down and has to swallow hard before she can bring herself to talk. ]

... Um. I actually... I'm not really sure where to start with this. [ and as if to underline that, she gives a nervous laugh ] But... I thought it wasn't really fair for me not to talk about this when everyone else has been so honest. So I decided if I was going to ask you something, I'd need to be completely honest about what's going on in my world as well.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Oh. Rii-san. Uh, I mean, you don't have to...

[But it's her choice, isn't it? She's the one who wants to come clean. Junpei wavers for a moment, then resettles himself in his seat, folding his hands.]

...Something's happening in your world?

[After all, he was only speaking about himself. A semi-isolated incident.]

[serrata]

[ She shakes her head, with a tired smile on her face. ]

No, I... I've been meaning to talk about it for a while, really. And I promised I'd tell you if I remembered anything. So I don't really have a choice now.

[ she picks up the emergency response manual and pages through it for a moment, trying to collect herself. ]

I don't... exactly know if it's worldwide. For all we know, it could just be in Japan. But it's an epidemic of some kind. That much we do know.

[ she hesitates for a second because... the word 'zombies' sounds so silly, so pulp fiction that she worries he might think she's making fun of him. but she ploughs on anyway. ]

It's passed on through bites. And the people who get bitten... they get sick. They get very, very sick and then they... turn. And then they start getting hungry.

[ are you starting to get what she means yet, Junpei. ]

[scourgingstars]

[just gonna casually take up a chair nearby, he is here to listen to the shitshow]

I assumed you must have seen something like this before, but that sounds like nothing I could have imagined. Are you certain you're prepared to talk about it?

[misanthropicprinciple]

If I don't talk about it now, I have a feeling it'll bite me in the ass later. People who keep relevant secrets tend not to be popular in high-pressure situations.

[AKA, enough of y'all know that soon he'll start getting in trouble.]

And nobody likes a suspicious detective. It'll make all our jobs easier if I talk.

[scourgingstars]

I'm afraid that it would, yes.

How did you manage to escape?

I need more Tenbroji in my life

[desperateprayer]

[ ...She shows up in the dining room later. She hasn't noticed her own underwear yet. ]

...So that's what you meant when we talked. Isn't it?

Junpei is shaped like a friend

[misanthropicprinciple]

I'm not sure which time you mean, but, ah. Yeah. Probably. It's kind of been coming up a lot, for me.

He really is

[desperateprayer]

...When you were drunk. You... Were talking in a way that sounded like you had been through something like this before.

[cameupshort]

[Well that's a hell of a bombshell. But Finn's got some other questions before they quite get to that.]

Did you, um. Have any weird dreams Saturday night. Or Sunday morning, I guess.

[misanthropicprinciple]

You mean, did I remember something?

[He's already talked this over with Ardyn.]

I think we all did. How was yours?

[cameupshort]

If it was really a memory, it was- ...I remember who Poe Dameron was. Is.

[You were right Junpei, he's goddamn smoking.]

He's a Resistance pilot, we- the First Order had captured him. I was helping him escape.

He was the one who called me Finn, that's. That's where the name came from.

[And he's just going to slide into a seat opposite Junpei here.]

What about you?

Following that with some borderlands spoilers

[brokencode]

[Reading Junpei's letter left an uncomfortable feeling in Angel's stomach. They were starting to play the honesty game, and that meant it was time to lay some of her cards on the table. Not that she was particularly eager to do so -- she spent more time bouncing on her heels in the kitchen than she did making her way to the dining room.

She sat outside, waiting anyone in the room to leave before making her own way in. She sat near Junpei, silent for a long moment -- attention otccupied by the odd and unfamiliar piece of rock in his hands. If she wasn't mistaken, she could almost hear it... calling to her.

She shook her head of the thought. That couldn't be right.]

Junpei... You were honest with us. I would... like to return the favor.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei glances up, then gives her a level, measuring look. Of everyone here, his relationship with Angel is the most delicate--and possibly the most honest, too. She's the one he knows he got through to best about the nature of trust and survival in this place. Finally, he nods.]

Okay. Shoot.

[Unlike his response to Yuuri, he's not going to tell Angel she doesn't have to talk. He really, really wants to know.]

You, uh, mind if I take notes?

[brokencode]

[The siren hesitated, looking between Junpei and his hands. It... worried her, having all that she was about to say written down. Telling the man before her was one thing, but having it out somewhere where everyone could see...

No. She owed this much to Junpei for his own honesty.]

Okay. [She nodded to him, folding her own hands in her lap, then unfolding them and drumming her fingers against the table.]

I... have not been entirely forthcoming as to my title. I have my suspicions as to where it came from.

[goteachother]

[Queenie doesn't want to know. She knows she should, it might help, somehow. Having insight into what's happening here.

But she doesn't want to know and for once she doesn't have to.

That doesn't mean that she's going to let Junpei just suffer through reliving these awful memories without some comfort. So she brings him a mug of strong coffee around lunch time. There's also a plate floating beside her with little hand made donut sticks dusted in powdered sugar with a chocolate sauce in a cute little cup.

Because donuts and coffee is detective food and chocolate makes everyone feel better... right?]

How're ya doin', sweetie?

[misanthropicprinciple]

Hm? Oh, I'm okay. Nothing I wasn't prepared to talk about eventual...ly.

[He trails off, noticing the floating donuts and the chocolate sauce and the look on Queenie's face.]

Is that--uh, is that for me?

[goteachother]

[She nods, looking a little sheepish. The plate drifts down to the table next to him and she hands him the mug.]

Figured all of this can't be easy to talk about. [A hand on his shoulder and a little reassuring squeeze.]

Thought ya deserved a pick me up.