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

[induality]

[Although she doesn't know perfectly, she can imagine the sorts of things people are feeling right now. Scared, helpless, tense, angry... it's all very logical. And that dark atmosphere is just going to grow as the days drag on.

The weight on her head is strange and boy if the thought that she never wants to wash her head again isn't there, only just barely quieter than that thought that he's probably just using her for her knowledge of the situation.

That's fine with her though, really. She can't imagine any other scenario where someone so beautiful would keep paying her attention. Never mind that logic would point out that he's done it long before there was any indication her experiences might prove useful. Crippling insecurity and all.]

I'm... as good as I can be. As any of us can be. A-at least there's plenty to read...

[power_of_dominance]

We have to do whatever we can to distract ourselves from this. Anything to keep from giving in to that horrible new rule.

[He folds his hands on the desk, staring down at them.]

I fought so many monsters in the castle, but the thought of killing a person... I couldn't do it. Even if that meant staying here forever. Freedom isn't worth anyone's life. The worst part, though? I know saying that doesn't mean much, especially with what you went through. So if you don't believe me... I completely understand.

[induality]

[That's not different from how she feels although in a sense she's not sure she's not just trying to run away from it. Still-- it's better than giving in. Better than hurting another person.]

Y-you could trust anyone and the next minute they could be an enemy. We hardly know each other, any of us.

[She wouldn't even say she really knows Leon that well. But even though she can't say she trusts anyone, she doesn't want him to misunderstand.]

Th-that doesn't mean I hate them though.

[power_of_dominance]

I don't hate them, either. Even the ones that don't seem to like anyone else deserve better than this sick game.

[If only he knew how much his presence affected her, he might not be so quick to treat her the way he treats Mina when she's stressed: he reaches out and takes her hands.]

I promised I would do everything I can to protect you, and I meant it.

[induality]

Th-they wouldn't like it if they were the ones playing this game.

[Fukawa blinks. Someone who really wants to protect her. In a sense he's not the first-- but again, it was all about how useful she could be. She supposes her best chances of survival are to continue to be useful to the people who might be able to help her in turn.]

I'm not exactly sure what I can offer in return, b-but I'll do what I can to be useful to you. Y-you probably think I can't, b-but you shouldn't underestimate me.

[She's. A good. Tool...]

[power_of_dominance]

I don't underestimate anyone. You never really know what to expect, especially if someone has their back to the wall. And if you can surprise our captors, that gives us more of a chance to take them down.

[He will never treat her like a tool, even if she expects it. That's just not who he is.]

[induality]

[His answer catches her off guard. You think she'd be used to it by now but here she is, still confused by him.]

Th...that's good.

[It is. He has a good, solid view. And it's logical... their situation is bad but not hopeless.]

If this is anything like Hope's Peak we're going to have to get all the information we can about the pirates, their leader and the station itself. Because our only hope of getting out is to take down the person responsible-- the Mastermind.

[power_of_dominance]

You're absolutely right. As much as I hate to ask, having a framework to compare this to will help me, so... can you tell me about Hope's Peak? I'm sorry, I'm sure it's not a pleasant memory.

[And now she's going through a mess like that again. She'll either crack completely or end up being the strongest one of all because of it, that much is certain.]

[induality]

...i-it's fine. I already decided I would t-try to help stop you all from making the same mistakes my classmates made.

[Still, talking about Hope's Peak... she has to start from the beginning for the sake of her sanity.]

Hope's Peak Academy was an established school known for only accepting people who are the best at what they do. Just like we have titles as "Champions" here... at Hope's Peak, when you were enrolled, you had a "Super High School Level" skill or SHSL title. For example, I was the SHSL Literary Girl because of my achievements publishing different romance novels. Leon was the SHSL Baseball Star. You get the picture. Ours was the 78th class-- it was around a long time and there weren't any problems...

[She'll let him absorb and ask questions as she fills him in one chunk at a time.]

[power_of_dominance]

So a place for refining all kinds of talents? Nothing like that where I'm from, but I get the idea. You said there weren't any problems, but I'm guessing that changed.

[The killing game. Soma's dreading the details, but he needs to know what they might be facing here, if it's anything like what Toko and Leon experienced before.]

How did it start?

[induality]

Yeah. Something like that. If you went there, it was basically guaranteed that you'd succeed in life.

[It was strange, but... that was the kind of talk the place got.]

Honestly, we didn't have any part in it from the start. We just... happened to be in the same class as Junko Enoshima. She was the one... sh-she started it all. At first, it was just her and her twin sister. But... over time they gained a sort of cult following almost. That group was responsible for not only destroying Hope's Peak from the inside, but sending the whole country into despair. Riots, attacks, vandalism... the whole world was in terrible shape.

...this actually happened before our killing game began. But... our memories were t-tampered with.

[power_of_dominance]

Your memories? But you didn't realize that right away, I guess?

[How had they done something like that? And if it's true... then what if their memories have been tampered with here?

But that's nowhere near as awful as the idea that the entire world is falling apart because of two sisters. Just what had they done to bring civilization to ruin?]

[induality]

W-we didn't know until the very end, when we confronted Junko-- the Mastermind.. There was no way to know... all of our memories of the time we spent at that school were gone. More than a year's worth... totally sealed away.

[Even Fukawa couldn't tell him the full extent of what those girls did. Yet she knew now that their influence was... strong.]

[power_of_dominance]

Over a year? Dios mío, that's insane....

[But what if that's happened to them? He heard Noctis protesting that the age in his profile is wrong, but what if....

He takes a deep breath.]

I need to know more. Please continue.

[induality]

When it all started, we thought it was our first day-- that we'd all come to the school and were suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness and fell unconscious. When we woke up... we were in different areas of the school. We quickly realized we weren't alone and that th-the same thing happened to all of us.

But the door had been replaced with this g-giant metal vault. There were m-machine guns pointed straight at it.

[Just like here, if you got funny ideas in Hope's Peak, they were prepared to deal out fun punishments apparently.]

S-some people thought it was just some kind of weird hazing ritual... but when we met for orientation... Monokuma appeared. Half white and cute and half black and undeniably horrid-- Monokuma was a robotic teddy bear who called himself our Headmaster. Right then and there he explained the rules-- live a peaceful communal life in that school and never escape... or kill one of your classmates and get away with it and go free. And just like this place there were also rules against harming him.

[power_of_dominance]

[Soma is starting to feel vaguely queasy. Already it sounds like whoever put them in this prison was inspired by what happened at Hope's Peak. But why? What purpose did this serve, other than a sick game for the entertainment of those responsible?]

And your classmates started killing each other, one by one, all for a chance at freedom?

[induality]

Th-that's right. Each week there was a "motive"... and each week at least two people died.

["At least" insinuating that there were times when there were more.]

[power_of_dominance]

So you're waiting to see if our new "captain" follows the formula.

[At least two people a week... that's going to whittle their numbers down quickly if anyone takes the bait.]