Week 2

[airlockedmods]

Week 2

[The Champions have now been here for one week, and while the dud of a first incentive didn't tempt anybody, the fact remains obvious: a lack of murder isn't going to be the thing that gets you out of here.

Blaze Dudely and Rox have not made a reappearance since Tuesday, leaving you to your own devices for the moment. That door they entered and exited through remains locked, and there is no new area to access this week. Are you sure they're even still back there? Despite their absence, you all wake up on Sunday morning from strange dreams. What to make of it?

You can only hope it's not a bad omen for the rest of the week.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Don't forget to turn in your AC for Week 1, submit your memory regain, and turn in your Benefactor threads! ))

Comments

[theundertaken]

It's not really that. I mean, I don't mind if I adopted a dog? Just...I dunno, it's weird. Wouldn'tve thought anything of it if everyone else didn't have the same thing happen.

[playthedamncard]

Not much happens in your life, does it? [It could be an insult, or it could just be...we have witches and warriors and gunslingers and CEOs, and then we have a couple painters and a barista. It's an uncanny mix.]

[theundertaken]

I could do with a little less happening, honestly.

[His smile actually has a touch of ice this time; maybe this isn't a thing he wants to talk about.]

But, uh, guess it'd seem that way compared to "sixteen-year-old CEO".

[playthedamncard]

[how the turn tables!]

Something less happening than adopting a dog? Does that mean there's excitement in the life of a Champion Portrait Artist after all?

[theundertaken]

...I mean, I moved back 'cause my mother might be dying of cancer. Don't know if I'd call that exciting, but I could do with less of that.

[playthedamncard]

Not something anyone needs in their lives, certainly. [He'd apologize, but, y'know. He's Kaiba.]

[theundertaken]

Yeah.

[.......]

So, anyway. Where'd you get your start?

[playthedamncard]

I didn't start studying business practices in earnest until I came under the tutelage of the man who owned the company before me. Though as for money, my father was moderately well-off. I wouldn't have called him rich, but he did have a not-insignificant sum of money to inherit, so he must have known what he was doing on that front.

[theundertaken]

...I'm sorry. [Because that's a lot of past-tense regarding the father.] How'd former-CEO guy end up taking you under his wing?

[and why don't you care about him dying horribly?]

[playthedamncard]

I challenged him to a chess match and won. Mind you, he was a grand champion, and I had barely reached double digits in age. It was thoroughly embarrassing for him.

[theundertaken]

...yeah, I can definitely see that. You're a chess prodigy, too?

[Do those correlate? He knows there's chess prodigies in his world, but he can't recall if they were also business savants or whatever.]

[playthedamncard]

I studied his tactics, plays, moves. I knew everything I could about him, while also being naturally good at the game.

[theundertaken]

[so you creeped]

Right. I mean, that'd have to be impressive for a dude.

[playthedamncard]

I made a bet with him. More like a business deal. I played to his pride to even get him to agree. He respected that, in a way. Or at least pretended to.

[theundertaken]

...I'm starting to see why you didn't like him

[whooooooo makes business deals with, at most, a nine-year-old]

[playthedamncard]

You have no idea.

[theundertaken]

[Max just shrugs. Yeah, probably not, he has very little information about this dude.]

Big important businessmen shouldn't be creeping around messing with kids. Even if they are prodigies.

[playthedamncard]

[There's a half-moment where he's tempted to correct, to just blurt it out, but in the next half-moment, he just stares at Max, considering.]

I can't tell if you're doing this deliberately or if you really are so naturally affable and talkative that it lets people let their guard down. [Like, he'd put money on the latter, but it doesn't hurt to be paranoid around here.]

[theundertaken]

[.....what]

I mean, if you don't wanna talk about your creepy dead mentor-guy, we don't have to. That's, uh. [He can see where it's a sensitive subject and mildly regrets pushing it?]

[playthedamncard]

He was a ruthless warmonger who sold my soul to the military-industrial complex. I'm still paying for his sins to this day. [If Amelda's revenge scheme is anything to go by. If Noa's revenge scheme was.] But I turned KaibaCorp around, not a machine of war, but hope for the future, happiness for children.

One of his many lessons--one of his final lessons--that he taught me was that losing is equal to death. That Rox Petuu seems to be just as devoted to the idea as him means that I can manipulate her and the odds in my favor, so long as I'm given the chance.

[theundertaken]

[...........that got intense.]

[theundertaken]

That's, uh, great. The. Happiness for children part.

[??????????]

[playthedamncard]

[welcome to talking with kaiba enjoy your stay]

I already have an amusement park. Close to opening another overseas. So that part is going well.

[theundertaken]

Oh shit, yeah? I used to live right near Disney, I'm all about that theme park life.

[He is totally cool with talking about this instead of the military-industrial complex!]