week 6

[airlockedmods]

[Even with three deaths two weeks in a row, life in the Fantasy Sweet returns to some semblance of normalcy come Sunday morning. The messes are cleaned up, the bodies are safe in the morgue (or in Kip's case, still in a liquor bottle in the garden) and with this new week comes a fresh crop of returning memories.

There is no new floor this week.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your activity for week 5, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[misanthropicprinciple]

Yeah, my funny bone's in the other arm. They've got a long ways to go before they knock the sarcastic asshattery out of me. [A pause.] Ass... haberdashery? Wait, no, that's buttons, I think.

[He straightens the deck a couple times against the tabletop, then spreads it face-up for Ardyn.]

Hey, do you have the same kinds of card suits where you come from?

[scourgingstars]

It's both, or was last I knew.

[fuck if i know what dialect of pseudolatin/pseudoenglish eos uses]

You do know that's a difficult question to answer if I don't know what suits your familiar with, do you not?

[you semantic fuck just answer him]

[misanthropicprinciple]

[He points to an example card, each in turn.]

Hearts, spades, clubs, diamonds. Numbers go up to ten, then there are three face cards: jack, queen, king. Aces either beat them or count as just one, depending on the game. Jokers are usually wild.

[He considers, then slides out the king of spades.]

Spades are also known as swords, sometimes.

[Look, Ardyn, it's you.]

[scourgingstars]

...

[That was a very cold, empty smile on Ardyn's face as he pulled over a chair and sat down across from Junpei.]

I was only joking. Yes, I'm familiar with them.

[He reached out with his left hand and flipped the card over, sliding it back to Junpei.]

[misanthropicprinciple]

[The one card face-down among all the rest. Junpei draws it closer with his robot hand, but then sighs and folds his arms on the table.]

It's still so weird to think about. You have cats and dogs and card suits, but not ducks or Santa, and then there's demons and ghosts and zombies...

[He gathers the rest of the cards together again and turns them all face-down, spreading them in an arc anew.]

Five weeks and I still don't know what might tie us all together. Besides us all being here, I mean.

[scourgingstars]

We may have to face the fact that one common thread is the only one we have; that there is nothing we actually could share that might have contributed to our selection for all of this. Even the most general categories--'all of us are human', 'all of us are alive', things like that--don't apply to every last one of us.

[misanthropicprinciple]

All of us are 'human-passing.' All of us are literate, which is actually kind of surprising, considering. [He waits for something else to come to him, then shrugs and shakes his head.] That's all I got.

[He flips over a card at random and gets the Jack of Diamonds.] Hm. [Junpei sets it aside with the still face-down king.]

I'm tempted to resort to divination at this point. I mean, what else is the point of having a literal psychic around?

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn rolled his eyes like that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard.]

Divination, really? If any divine force watches us now, I am certain they won't be our salvation.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Right, right. Because we could be in the history God abandoned, right? Or the gods, sorry. Who knows how it works in this time and place.

[Next he turns up the queen of clubs. His eyebrows rise at that, but off she goes to the side.]

Does fortune-telling sound better? I never put a lot of stock in any of it, honestly.

[scourgingstars]

Call it whatever you want, I'm not stopping you. Just pointing out how pointless it seems.

[misanthropicprinciple]

I used up all my pointfulness earlier trying to re-teach myself how to write.

[Which is likely just as frustrating as it sounds. He toys with turning one more card over, then says 'meh' and gathers them all together again into a proper deck.]

Well, what the hell. I don't know what I'm doing, might as well make the rules up as I go. Black is yes, red is no. Ask me a question, any question.

[scourgingstars]

I feel as though that might be awkward at best and a terrible omen at worst.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei takes this as the challenge it is and flips one card out of his shuffled deck.]

...Ah.

[Well then. He clears his throat and carefully puts it back.]

Maybe I should just stick to baccarat.

[scourgingstars]

...I did try to warn you.

[misanthropicprinciple]

You did, and I ignored you, and that's on me. I accept that 'I told you so.' I deserve it.

[...]

Okay but if my supposed psychic powers are that accurate...

[LEARN YOUR FUCKING LESSON, JUMPY.]

[scourgingstars]

You really think you'll get anything reasonable out of this?

[misanthropicprinciple]

No, but if I try to sort my memories out any longer today, my brain's probably going to implode. And I can't do nothing.

[scourgingstars]

That's as compelling an argument as any.

['because fuck it, i guess']

[misanthropicprinciple]

Hmmm...

[Holding 'Is this a good idea?' in mind, he turns over another card, and--queen of diamonds. Red means no.]

...You learn anything new this week?

[scourgingstars]

[shoulda listened to the cards, jujubean]

...A few things.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[He looks up inquisitively as he shuffles the card back in, but doesn't press. Being pushy and nosy is Church's job. Being sneaky and nosy is Junpei's. AKA, if Ardyn doesn't elaborate, he can always ask his broseph.]

[scourgingstars]

[One was pushy, one was sneaky, and one was just infuriating.]

What are you expecting? I assure you, it's nothing you need worry about.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Uh-huh. [To the cards:] Is it something I should worry about?

[Five of clubs. Oho. Junpei lifts his eyebrows.]

Black means yes.

[But he's teasing. Mostly. He really is going to ask Church.]

[scourgingstars]

...

[The annoyed look on Ardyn's face probably confirmed Junpei's question better than the cards could have.]

[misanthropicprinciple]

Should I ask?

[Eight of clubs.

Junpei looks a little smug, but it turns into something mellower as he puts the card back in the deck. He shrugs a little, shaking his head. He's not going to push the issue, but he does point out:]

You did appoint me your advisor. For advice.