week 2

[airlockedmods]

[With the sudden pirate takeover and the sudden, tragic deaths of the crew, the second week of the Starfield Penitentiary rehabilitation project is off to a rough start. After Price's call for parlay with the pirate captain, he was not seen for the remainder of Saturday but around 10 pm it is his calm but tense voice that makes the time announcement.

Buckle in, Champions, things are about to get bumpy.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 1 and submit your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[ebonyknight]

A petulant little ant that scuttles around on the floor calling herself a detective shouldn't be putting on airs and assuming she can speak casually with her betters.

[Could you not.]

[withoutred]

Oh, but I thought we were friends, Apollo-san~!

[ NOPE NOT STOPPING ]

After all, we're stuck here together for goodness knows how long. That means we're practically on the same footing!

[ No. They're not. Which she'll switch back to when they're done bickering for now, but right now this is hilarious. ]

[ebonyknight]

[Something about that phrase even if it was innocuous enough, even if it was a taunt and she knew it--

Apollonia! What a cute name! Hmmm, we need a nickname for you though... Hmm... How about...Apollo!

She grits her teeth angrily, trying hard not to put her fist in that smug face.]

Don't you start saying things that aren't true. You don't even believe it yourself and everyone here knows it!

[withoutred]

[ She feigns surprise for a moment. ]

What do you me~aaan "I don't believe it"...? You already know how I feel about lies, Apollo-san! [ She holds a hand over her heart, aghast. ] I'm hurt, truly.

[ Aaaand that's about all of that that she can say with a straight face. Erika breaks into.... well, cackling laughter. ]

Don't be stuuuuu~pid! Of course we're not on the same footing! [ wow that's... a face, alright. ] But hey, if you give me an opening like tha~aaat, I might as well~! You react so nicely, after all.

[ebonyknight]

Hmph. Just what I expected out of a child playing at a grown up's game. You don't even know the rules, girl.

[Apollo might have her armor now but her weapons are gone and even she knows picking up Erika right now would be a bad idea.]

[withoutred]

I know the rules better then you do.

[ For her part, she still looks completely unphased by Apollo's insults, or her armour ]

It's not my fault if you can't keep up.

[ebonyknight]

Those that waste time trying to be clever will break first.

[How about a punch to the face?! No, no. She doesn't punch Erika.]

You'll be one of the first.

[withoutred]

I could say the same to you.

[ She actually laughs now - while it's not the cackle from before, it's still not... pleasant to listen to. ]

Now now, Apollo-san, that could almost be taken as a threat. Adapting to our new lifestyle a little quick, aren't you...?

[ebonyknight]

Look at my profile again, girl. I know how people work. Even if I don't do anything, someone else will. Anyone with half a brain can figure that out.

[She snorts, it echoes in her helmet.]

Besides: the best way to solve a problem is break through it.

[withoutred]

.... you know, on that, we can actually agree.

[ Though she sounds a little surprised about it. ]

Mm, seeing what happens in the coming weeks will be interesting all the same. Who will be stupid enough to try first, I wonder.

[ And she tilts her head, staring directly at Apollo. ]

[ebonyknight]

We can but I still wonder about your comprehension.

[Keep your enemies close?? Clearly Apollo was never as irritating as this girl. Surely.]

You look at me but I would look at that old drunk first.

[withoutred]

[ She raises an eyebrow at the "comprehension" comment, but otherwise ignores it. ]

Him? No, no, don't be ridiculous. [ She flicks a hand dismissively at Apollo. ] While I don't doubt he'll try making a break for it eventually, he seems too paranoid to strike first. Why waste your chance that fast?

[ebonyknight]

You expect him to reason. Rob an alcoholic of their liquor and they become desperate. Give them it and they become stupid. Add the fact that old men are fools, he's the obvious choice.

[Isn't it obvious.] On the other hand, my point still stands even if he is paranoid. Someone might try to finish him and he strikes back, panics, and finishes the job. It wouldn't be unheard of.

[withoutred]

You haven't checked the kitchen again yet, have you? [ She didn't see booze, but that doesn't rule out that Rick already looted it. ]

But I will... partially concede the second point. [ For the first time in this conversation, Erika actually looks pained. It passes quickly, but +1 point for the Black Knight. ] He does look like one of the weakest present if you didn't see him during the attack. Separate him from Akande-san, and he's a tempting target.

[ebonyknight]

I can tell by the smell it's already been stocked. [Because. Stupid. Stinking. Sea food!!] That's why I said if you give it to them they become stupid.

[Hah. She's lucky that Apollo's face is covered by her helmet otherwise the small smirk would be present. Her voice, however, doesn't betray that.] If given a group and if the person was unscrupulous, they would look for easy targets. Children and the elderly. Getting him alone might be the troublesome part but someone could do it.

[withoutred]

In this group, those don't necessarily mean easy. To go by your specifications - the youngest two are Mozu-san and Pyrrha-san, and the eldest two are Rick-san and...

[ The pause here is not due to Erika not remembering something. It's due to how the fuck do we say Kiss-Shot's name out loud without sounding like an idiot. ]

... the self-proclaimed vampire. [ Nailed it. ] Out of those, Mozu-san might be the easiest to isolate and harm directly, but her profile does list hunting beasts as an interest.

[ebonyknight]

No, you're right. Usually there are younger targets than that. A peasant who hunts and a huntress wouldn't be easy to fight.

[At least you're not Kiss-Shot's cellmate.]

Out of those four, I would say that vampire would be easier. She sleeps too much, anyone would be able to slip into our cell.

[withoutred]

Of course, that would also require the would-be attacker to account for you, one way or another.

[ Just sayin'. ]

Mm, the two-person cell setup adds an extra layer of difficulty. Either you must kill both in a room [ or three, in cell 1 and 2's cases, but. a n y w a y. ] or find a way to account for the "spare". Or disregard the cells entirely - which would rule out the supposed vampire again.

[ebonyknight]

That and the agent.

[Hey, she dislikes CT but she exists too.]

The vampire still would be a good target. She has slept while the agent and I have been out. As I said, she's quite lazy.

[withoutred]

[ She waves her hand dismissively. ] I suppose CT-san also counts. But I believe she has... other reasons to be accounted for.

She's lucky that she only sleeps in her cell, then. I doubt the punishment for rule 3 would be as gentle as a thwack with a broom under our new management.

slithers in here?

[empathiser]

And what rules are those?

[ Because, y'know. He's seen a totem pole made of humans. There really isn't a rule to crime, other than someone usually gets screwed over. And he's fairly happy assuming any rule book to the situation they're in right now got thrown out around the time they got attacked by pirate robots. ]

[withoutred]

[ -whoops.

It takes Erika's face a second or two to reconfigure from "absolute troll shitlord" to "talking to normal people", but she manages it. ]

The rules of the mystery genre, of course. What other rules would there be for a situation like this?

[ And that's said with a completely straight face. ]

[empathiser]

[ Oh don't worry. He's made a note of that expression. ]

The mystery genre?

We're not in a novel. This is actually happening, in case you've missed a few things.

[withoutred]

[ She quirks an eyebrow at him. ]

Just because it's "actually happening", as you put it, doesn't mean that regular genre conventions can't apply. I've seen nothing to disprove it so far.

[ Also wow stop profiling her, gosh. ]

[empathiser]

To a point. But if you're using novels as a basis for crime scene investigation you're going to be sorely limiting yourself, and underestimating the actual crimes that have happened right in front of you. And their culprits.

[Genres and novels are meant to sell a fiction, and logic is sometimes damned along the way?]