but he has at least realized he should slow tf down since there doesn't seem to be anywhere he can buy cigarettes and if he runs out he's screwed. ]
I doubt it. Pretty much everybody I talked to was stressing about it as much as we were. [ which is both a relief and a problem. ] Wonder if that's why they gave us so much time.
[ thanks!! but yeah, hm. ]
It didn't go through. I couldn't even get to it? Like the message was there, I could still see it, but it wouldn't let me reply or even get rid of it. Sooo...so much for that plan.
Probably. But maybe that's like—a good sign? Like, giving us time instead of making us rush into teams that would just fall apart right away.
[ that's kind of? nice? maybe? ]
I didn't even think of trying to reply, so. I dunno, it was worth a shot. [ and she knows it won't work, but just for due diligence she takes out her phone to check that she has the same limitations. which. obviously she does. ]
Like they want to give us hope we'll succeed? [ there's some doubt, but sure. that's fair enough. ]
It came up when I was talking to somebody else, so I tried it out. [ he watches...but when she also is not successful he sighs a little. ] It might be something we keep trying every day until we get a real answer.
Mmmmaybe? [ yeah even if she suggested it, she's doesn't sound so sure. ] It's just, like, the ghosts were never this flexible. And everything they did was so rushed. This is all bizarre.
[ they had the night to run around freely and all, but the 'games' were faster. like the fucked up hangman and haunted i spy. ]
It's probably not gonna change, but it takes like two seconds to check, so. Why not.
[ he's a little less resistant talking about the ghosts now that it's just the two of them, but he still doesn't look too happy about it. ]
It feels way more calculated than what the ghosts were doing. That felt like it was just because of what we did in the cave and we happened to be there. This is more like...we were chosen for some reason, but we don't have any idea why. Like a long-con.
[ there's a shrug. ]
It won't change right away, but it can't hurt. I've been trying to read everybody's profiles, too, but there's a lot of information there. [ it's overwhelming, in a way. ]
[ she nods a little at the phone thing, now just kind of idly scrolling through profiles without reading them.
and she doesn't like it either but they've gotta buck up and talk about it sometime! ]
Yeah. And like, I kind of...
[ .......... haha actually. actually never mind. ]
Just—this is all a lot more structured. Keeping us in one district, giving us these phones, giving us the rules... So what's the con supposed to be? At least we knew what the ghosts wanted.
[ no, no! what if we talk about it never! into a box and send it out to sea, byeeee.
he looks up at her from where he's staring at his feet, raising an eyebrow. yes? what? ]
There's the whole rule about how we can erase each other. And the way we're earning points for the team by doing tasks, but they haven't told us what the tasks are. Could be a bunch of stuff we wouldn't do ourselves, but we don't get an option since it's under the guise of doing it for the team. Or something.
You know it's exactly what it sounds like. Why else would there be a trial? [ it's tiredly said, more resigned than anything. he will be the voice of reason here, and it sucks. ]
I think...as long as a team is earning points, they'll be okay. They just have to dodge facing erasure from other players. Like even if they don't win because they don't have enough points, if they aren't erased they'll just stay here. Who knows.
[ blackmail's a good way to put it though and he frowns. ]
"Your existence is now linked." Sounds like there's no way around that one.
[ just. a very long sigh. it's probably better that one of them says it instead of letting her just pretend that's not what's on the table, but... it sucks?
like, she doesn't even know how to articulate how much she hates that. ]
... Well... I was going to do whatever I need to anyway, so.
[ yeah, he doesn't know exactly what happened, but he is Aware. it's something he's been keeping in mind for all of his conversations with people and everything he's been trying to sort out since they woke up. he doesn't reply immediately, settling for a drag of his cigarette and letting the smoke drift from his lips silently. ]
...I'm not letting anything happen to us. [ he will just come out and say this. ] Not after everything that already happened. If whoever joins our team doesn't get it, then we'll make sure they do.
I don't know about that. I was talking to someone yesterday who told me she was turning down team offers because she didn't want to tie their fates to her. I don't think she's the only one who feels that way either.
[ it's not like alex doesn't get it? because as far as she was concerned she had already signed away her life. so. this has been weird.
... ]
But she'll have to team up with someone anyway, won't she? [ a more aggravated sigh this time, because an us vs them mentality doesn't come easy to her, so this is just concerning. ] Unless there are, like, exactly four people that feel that way.
Yeah. I think maybe she understood after I pointed it out, but...it's a little scary that people would just think that way without realizing what it means for other people. [ like fine, you do you, but try not to fuck over other people unintentionally in a situation like this. not this soon. ] It has to be exactly four or it's an even bigger problem. But if they already have our information and we're in their system or whatever, they probably won't let us get away with not playing in the first place.
...yeah, probably. [ just flat out saying it! ] Why would they delay it if they could just take care of the problem?
[ he doesn't sound happy about it, or like he entirely believes it, but he's under no impression that they aren't under someone else's will right now. it's all the more reason he's focusing on playing. ]
It'll be a really easy screening question for teammates.
[ she still hates the idea of leaving anyone to the proverbial sharks but sometimes you just have to say things confidently. and. do whatever needs doing. ]
I... think pretty much everyone here is interesting.
[ she like counts off on her fingers, here. ]
But for teammates—I don't know. Nahri seems cool? Wolfwood too, but he'd have, uh.[ how to say this kindly? ] Baggage? Since he can't be on a team with both the people he came here with.
Or it might be good to have people around our age, and Rin was okay to talk to?
Of course you do. [ no surprise, and he kind of thinks it's funny. he's letting her count and nodding along with this. ]
Maybe...not Nahri. I'm sure she's fine, but let's reconsider that. [ he does not explain why. ] I talked to Wolfwood yesterday and he told me about Vash and Livio. I was going to try and find him again tomorrow, see if he figured out what to do. It's kind of a crappy situation for him though, you're right.
[ hmmm. ]
Rin told me he met you. I know he has someone he's familiar with from home, but sounds like they don't get along or something? I didn't really ask. He seemed okay though, yeah. Nahida's nice, but if Wolfwood's right then she's got a couple of people from her world to look after, too.
[ she frowns because what was wrong with Nahri? wow! but she doesn't actually ask and just takes his word for it. ]
It could just... cause problems, down the road. [ but she doesn't want to condemn the idea of potentially trying to protect other teams. so? ] Aaand on the flip-side, yeah—I can't imagine not wanting to be on a team with anyone familiar. But that could get messy, too.
[ and nahida's part of a trio as well, so... welp ]
Those were my first thoughts. What about you? [ any Scouting Thoughts? ]
[ NO ONE HAS TO KNOW IT'S FINE. also don't just take his word for things, god. as if he wouldn't do the same. ]
We'll see. We still have time, so it doesn't hurt to ask. If I see Rin again maybe this time I will. We were talking a little about picking teams anyway. [ mostly that it's hard to trust strangers.
he takes his phone out then, leaning back to use one hand and scroll the profiles. ]
Uh. Some of the same as yours. If we're thinking people closer to our age, Kazuki offered food before I even spoke to him. Not entirely sure what his priorities are yet though. There's also Setsu. We kind of had a long conversation yesterday about some stuff, and I think they're pretty smart about how to play the game. [ scrolling. ] I talked to a lot of these people yesterday and there's first impressions, but I still think it's too early for anything definite.
[ a pause. ]
Shenhe is the one who told me she was turning down teams. But I think I understand why she said it now. She'll play along.
Okay. [ a little nod. she is also scrolling through profiles... ]
Kazuki's alright. We didn't talk long, but he tried to offer me directions. [ so that's points for being helpful. ] I talked to Setsu a little too and—yeah. They seemed smart.
[ hmm. ]
I do like Shenhe. She's... [ she pauses because she. already said she thinks everyone is interesting, but!!!! ] She's interesting. I wonder if we'd be able to work well together, though?
[ liking someone and finding them interesting doesn't necessarily translate to working well together. ]
[ they seem to overlap in their opinions for the most part which is helpful. he appreciates that. ]
You left a pretty good impression on her. She said you were reliable. [ he did not disagree either. ] I don't dislike her. But I wonder the same, especially since she already told me she thought it'd be better if she stayed here instead of going back.
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but he has at least realized he should slow tf down since there doesn't seem to be anywhere he can buy cigarettes and if he runs out he's screwed. ]
I doubt it. Pretty much everybody I talked to was stressing about it as much as we were. [ which is both a relief and a problem. ] Wonder if that's why they gave us so much time.
[ thanks!! but yeah, hm. ]
It didn't go through. I couldn't even get to it? Like the message was there, I could still see it, but it wouldn't let me reply or even get rid of it. Sooo...so much for that plan.
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Probably. But maybe that's like—a good sign? Like, giving us time instead of making us rush into teams that would just fall apart right away.
[ that's kind of? nice? maybe? ]
I didn't even think of trying to reply, so. I dunno, it was worth a shot. [ and she knows it won't work, but just for due diligence she takes out her phone to check that she has the same limitations. which. obviously she does. ]
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It came up when I was talking to somebody else, so I tried it out. [ he watches...but when she also is not successful he sighs a little. ] It might be something we keep trying every day until we get a real answer.
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[ they had the night to run around freely and all, but the 'games' were faster. like the fucked up hangman and haunted i spy. ]
It's probably not gonna change, but it takes like two seconds to check, so. Why not.
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It feels way more calculated than what the ghosts were doing. That felt like it was just because of what we did in the cave and we happened to be there. This is more like...we were chosen for some reason, but we don't have any idea why. Like a long-con.
[ there's a shrug. ]
It won't change right away, but it can't hurt. I've been trying to read everybody's profiles, too, but there's a lot of information there. [ it's overwhelming, in a way. ]
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and she doesn't like it either but they've gotta buck up and talk about it sometime! ]
Yeah. And like, I kind of...
[ .......... haha actually. actually never mind. ]
Just—this is all a lot more structured. Keeping us in one district, giving us these phones, giving us the rules... So what's the con supposed to be? At least we knew what the ghosts wanted.
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he looks up at her from where he's staring at his feet, raising an eyebrow. yes? what? ]
There's the whole rule about how we can erase each other. And the way we're earning points for the team by doing tasks, but they haven't told us what the tasks are. Could be a bunch of stuff we wouldn't do ourselves, but we don't get an option since it's under the guise of doing it for the team. Or something.
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Not that it's any better if teams get eliminated for not doing good enough at whatever runaround they give us, but... God. I don't know.
[ ... ]
It's like we're each others' blackmail.
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I think...as long as a team is earning points, they'll be okay. They just have to dodge facing erasure from other players. Like even if they don't win because they don't have enough points, if they aren't erased they'll just stay here. Who knows.
[ blackmail's a good way to put it though and he frowns. ]
"Your existence is now linked." Sounds like there's no way around that one.
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like, she doesn't even know how to articulate how much she hates that. ]
... Well... I was going to do whatever I need to anyway, so.
Being "linked" doesn't actually change anything.
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...I'm not letting anything happen to us. [ he will just come out and say this. ] Not after everything that already happened. If whoever joins our team doesn't get it, then we'll make sure they do.
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Yeah, no, of course. I'm getting you out of here.
And I doubt there's anyone here who won't be pulling their own weight.
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... ]
But she'll have to team up with someone anyway, won't she? [ a more aggravated sigh this time, because an us vs them mentality doesn't come easy to her, so this is just concerning. ] Unless there are, like, exactly four people that feel that way.
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Yeah. I think maybe she understood after I pointed it out, but...it's a little scary that people would just think that way without realizing what it means for other people. [ like fine, you do you, but try not to fuck over other people unintentionally in a situation like this. not this soon. ] It has to be exactly four or it's an even bigger problem. But if they already have our information and we're in their system or whatever, they probably won't let us get away with not playing in the first place.
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What are they gonna do to people who don't wanna play, Jonas? Kill them?
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...yeah, probably. [ just flat out saying it! ] Why would they delay it if they could just take care of the problem?
[ he doesn't sound happy about it, or like he entirely believes it, but he's under no impression that they aren't under someone else's will right now. it's all the more reason he's focusing on playing. ]
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It'll be a really easy screening question for teammates.
[ she still hates the idea of leaving anyone to the proverbial sharks but sometimes you just have to say things confidently. and. do whatever needs doing. ]
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...did you talk to anybody yesterday that might make a good match? Or even anybody interesting?
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[ she like counts off on her fingers, here. ]
But for teammates—I don't know. Nahri seems cool? Wolfwood too, but he'd have, uh.[ how to say this kindly? ] Baggage? Since he can't be on a team with both the people he came here with.
Or it might be good to have people around our age, and Rin was okay to talk to?
And Nahida is nice.
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Maybe...not Nahri. I'm sure she's fine, but let's reconsider that. [ he does not explain why. ] I talked to Wolfwood yesterday and he told me about Vash and Livio. I was going to try and find him again tomorrow, see if he figured out what to do. It's kind of a crappy situation for him though, you're right.
[ hmmm. ]
Rin told me he met you. I know he has someone he's familiar with from home, but sounds like they don't get along or something? I didn't really ask. He seemed okay though, yeah. Nahida's nice, but if Wolfwood's right then she's got a couple of people from her world to look after, too.
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It could just... cause problems, down the road. [ but she doesn't want to condemn the idea of potentially trying to protect other teams. so? ] Aaand on the flip-side, yeah—I can't imagine not wanting to be on a team with anyone familiar. But that could get messy, too.
[ and nahida's part of a trio as well, so... welp ]
Those were my first thoughts. What about you? [ any Scouting Thoughts? ]
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We'll see. We still have time, so it doesn't hurt to ask. If I see Rin again maybe this time I will. We were talking a little about picking teams anyway. [ mostly that it's hard to trust strangers.
he takes his phone out then, leaning back to use one hand and scroll the profiles. ]
Uh. Some of the same as yours. If we're thinking people closer to our age, Kazuki offered food before I even spoke to him. Not entirely sure what his priorities are yet though. There's also Setsu. We kind of had a long conversation yesterday about some stuff, and I think they're pretty smart about how to play the game. [ scrolling. ] I talked to a lot of these people yesterday and there's first impressions, but I still think it's too early for anything definite.
[ a pause. ]
Shenhe is the one who told me she was turning down teams. But I think I understand why she said it now. She'll play along.
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Kazuki's alright. We didn't talk long, but he tried to offer me directions. [ so that's points for being helpful. ] I talked to Setsu a little too and—yeah. They seemed smart.
[ hmm. ]
I do like Shenhe. She's... [ she pauses because she. already said she thinks everyone is interesting, but!!!! ] She's interesting. I wonder if we'd be able to work well together, though?
[ liking someone and finding them interesting doesn't necessarily translate to working well together. ]
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You left a pretty good impression on her. She said you were reliable. [ he did not disagree either. ] I don't dislike her. But I wonder the same, especially since she already told me she thought it'd be better if she stayed here instead of going back.
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