WEEK 7

[parasomniacs]

Week 7

Monday - Thursday

[Despite earnest intentions to the contrary, last week had a business-as-usual murder trial. Well, you may not all act noble, but you'll be treated like royalty on this new floor. ...Except by Sheepy, who is still bugging you when you're awake. The strange distortions appear in the air before she shows up before everyone.]

Goooood morning! Sleep well? We unlocked the 8th floor, so make sure you move in and get cozy! The motive's on the way and it's one of my favorites! Have fun~

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[abought]

[On Monday afternoon Aki is not having lunch in the restaurant. In fact, she's not even exploring the new floor.

She trudged from the gift shop, where she acquires stationery and colored pencils in large quantities, to the lounge, where she sits drawing posters. Aki spends the next several hours scouring the hotel and putting these posters on the walls of all the floors.]

Truth or Dare Party!!!
Karaoke Bar, Wednesday, 6PM.
Do not dare anyone to commit murder~
And do not murder anyone who gets truthed into confessing murder ☆

[Aki is in better spirits in the restaurant at dinner, half an hour later than usual, where she uses her chopsticks to devour almost twice her typical portion of food.]

Lounge

[inordertobelieve]

[ Oh, hey, there's Aki and she's doing... something. Time to check up on her because that is an instinct he won't be getting rid of any time soon anymore.

Mikami approaches, eyes scanning one of the finished posters around and...... Uh. There are a lot of things to say about that, actually. Let's start with the least relevant for once? ]

Do you really think a murderer would value the rules of the game highly enough to confess?

[abought]

No.

[She finishes writing the tilde in the penultimate sentence and then turns up to smile at him.]

Evil is a choice, though. And the choice to not confess is something that would be very interesting!

[She touches the healed scars on her arm, completely exposed by her polo shirt.]

It's like how we all have to strip search...

[inordertobelieve]

They'd just make it seem like there was nothing to confess at all. If they made it this far without drawing suspicion to themselves, I wonder how easily detected their lies would be...

[ But more importantly: ]

So you actually are trying to get ahead of the motive.

[ Makes him feel better than her just having world's poorest timing, actually. ]

[abought]

..yeah.

[She nods, smiling thinly, glancing down at her tablet which is off to the side.]

I mean, even if only half the people confess... even if the other half of people manage to make out like it's no big deal... even if one of those people decides it's not that big a deal to murder someone... which I really hope they don't but it's not impossible at all that they will... What if they show up and let some hints slip while we're all chatting and having fun? Or what if all the other four suspects are people who confessed? Anything that can help--

[She looks up at Mikami through her eyelashes. In a delicate angelic gesture her hand is raised. Conversational. Oratory. This could be interpreted as tastefully and indirectly indicating a certain side of his face.]

I want to try too. My own way.

[inordertobelieve]

[ This is such a childish way of going about it, but in the situation they're in it's hard to belittle it. More than anything, it's sickening that Aki would have to try like this at all. Children trying for justice is a good thing, but murder....? Even with his own messed up childhood behind him, Mikami can't think of this as anything but twisted.

He nods at her and picks up a poster to reread the text in acknowledgement of the event. Actually he may also just be avoiding eye contact for a moment. ]

With so few of us left, it is a lot easier to investigate whom we still have, you're right.

[ Pause. ]

I've never actually played this game.

[abought]

[She brings down her hand slowly to put her index finger over pursed lips. Her eyes focus in the process - Aki has to transition from Seeking Justice to, like, thinking.]

That's ok. It was invented in America, I think. That would explain why Miss Winters knew all about it.

[She spreads her hands to vaguely suggest people sitting in a circle.]

Basically, one at a time we go, like, you'd say to me, "Aki, truth or dare?" And if you say truth, the rest of the group, we decide to ask you some question, like, "do you have any siblings?" But if you say dare, we go like, "I dare you to do a cartwheel!" And after whatever happens, it's the next person's turn.

[inordertobelieve]

[ .... yes, still sounds just as humiliating as he imagined it. He won't say that out loud. ]

... I imagine people get rather creative with both questions and dares, don't they?

[ Close enough. He just basically promised to come by saying it might not be a totally useless idea but, does he have to? ]

[abought]

Yes! I'm sure you'd have great ideas with your fresh perspective on the game!

[This is the beatific face of a girl who has been basically promised something she wants.]

Back home one of those books on slumber parties had a whole list of ideas. I never tested it out quite like this, though. Maybe I should get it from room service.

Lounge

[tibkins]

[Oh goodie, truth or dare! Shelley takes a close look at one of the posters]

Awesome! I haven't played this since I was in college!

[She even applauds a bit]

[abought]

Did you play spin the bottle too?

[She looks ecstatic to be getting any attention at all.]

I thought that might be kind of weird... but tell me if you have any suggestions for rules to make the game more fun or whatever!!

[tibkins]

Of course I did! It's not a college experience until you play spin the bottle and have to kick out a man from the dormitory.

[She was never the type to meekly go through college, that's for sure]

I don't think it's so weird. We need a distraction, a way to stay busy and fun. This is a good way. Do you think many will come?

[abought]

Well, that depends on how you define many!

[Her mouth laughs, her eyes say help me. Very much a bifurcated expression.]

I don't think it will be just us.

[tibkins]

I'll encourage people to join. Surely the spirits can't be so low everyone would refuse to join a couple cute gals in a harmless truth or dare game.

[Stay positive, Aki]

Why did you want to play this, by the way?

[She has the feeling why the game would happen, buuuuuut it's the kind of thing one shouldn't assume, she guesses]

[abought]

Easy. I don't want to get--

[Despite her initially smooth delivery, Aki seems to no longer find the answer easy. She blinks once, slows down.]

Cir... no...

[She examines her knuckles, which completely coincidentally flashes her scarred forearm right at Shelley]

Into more trouble than she already is. It's been so hard for her to trust anyone here.

[tibkins]

[Ah, Cirno...she wasn't doing great, last time Shelley talked with her. Shelley pushed her glasses up her nose, frowning]

Have you talked with her yet? I tried to convince her she could trust some people here, but...

[But it didn't work]

[abought]

[That depends on how you define talk. Aki pushes the corners of her mouth out horizontally.]

I need to try harder.

lounge;

[devilsnight]

[You know, he's got to admit morbid curiosity as to what new bulletin is going to be going up all over the damn walls by way of poster this time. So don't mind him, he'll just be checking out what she's doing, and - child...]

Well, that's one way to take care of things, ain't it.

[He's actually in an acceptable mood, despite the motive; he's aware most people aren't, but eh, fuck 'em honestly.]

[abought]

Isn't it just?

[She looks up at him. There's a loose stack of posters in both her hands and she slams the edge on the table (you know, to straighten the pile) with exuberant emphasis.]

I mean, I can't tie everyone up in their rooms and make them watch Blue's Clues until the end of the week. I don't know that much martial arts.

[devilsnight]

...Well, you're not wrong on that, anyway.

[holy shit, aki.]

You think it's gonna work?

[abought]

Define work.

[SUMMER VACATION HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN TOO LONG.]

I have to "take care of" a lot of things, here. All of them? Twenty percent chance, tops. Some of them? Maybe ninety percent!

[devilsnight]

How about the important ones.

[abought]

The most important one to me... ninety percent. No. No, eighty percent. Close enough, I hope!!

[devilsnight]

It's better than most people's odds when they set out to do stuff, I guess.

[He's done shit with way less of a chance of success, so.]

[abought]

[That catches her attention. She puts down her marker and turns her whole upper body towards him.]

Did you run with actual betting markets, mister?