15strangers | (no subject)

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[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.

-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.

Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How do you know that for sure? [In Japanese, the choice of "you" and not a name is salient.] I mean, people are even getting paranoid about the milk now...!

Considering the questionable state of the food here, can you blame them?

[ He shrugs, totally casual about tossing that out there. ]

I only say it because those gray shirts really don't suit either of you, but hey. What do I know?

[ A pause lingers to which his smile falls a little. ]

Don't suppose I could ask you a couple questions?

Questionable? Well, of course. It's inferior to the pills. Just as the milk is "bad" from your perspective... How exactly do you think some of these things look from our perspective?

[Hiyori interlocks his fingers behind his back. At least the golf shirt is relaxing his posture a bit.]

But, sure, we can absolutely talk.

I admit it's only inferior when it comes to that it's not great being able to taste anything at all besides sand. [ Oh he's not bitter about that or anything. Like the strawberry milk cartons he's gotten from other people that lack the flavor he wants so badly. ] Couldn't say. Not unless you feel like sharing, that is.

[ It was never easy to get to things for most people, but Karma tended to lack a filter when he really wanted some answers on something. Trust had absolutely nothing to do with it, either. ]

Great. It's been bothering me for a while, so I'll get straight to it. Have you heard of any creatures called Noise?

[So, they were at an impasse with the food thing... Karma knew how to play with his food but also strike for the point. Hiyori sees no point in running away from the issue at hand.]

Much more than heard of them. I take it you've noticed the Noise here too, then. To be honest, we find them, what's a good word... [He adjusts his glasses, deliberately generating a glint of light.] Helpful?

I know what you're thinking. "With what"? Unfortunately, that's classified.

[ He knows how to strike and get to the point as that's what an assassin does, right? There was no need in beating around the bush when it was easier to get answers instead. Even if they could trust the hosts, it didn't change much other than that he'd trust the answers he would get. ]

Hard not to notice them around. This place is practically infested with them.

[ Something twists a little in Karma's expression, the casual, almost cheerful feeling he gave off seeming to falter just a little. ]

Helpful. That's unfortunately not a word i've ever associated with them but I can only guess it ties into that faceless corporation you work for and why we're here.

[ Thankfully he's never been the one to back down from 'you're supposed to trust them so you should be nice' as he'd even treat his own classmates the same way if they said the wrong thing. His gaze now is much like a curious predator's, studying everything in Hiyori's face as he continues onwards with his line of inquiry. ]

I'm guessing your bosses probably work or have worked with Sho Minamimoto, then.

Sho Minamimoto? I won't confirm or deny that, but your perspective is quite befuddling to me. [Hiyori is making the most of their two inches in height difference to get a good look..]

Hasn't your own good friend Shuuichi Minamino become a composer and agreed to run Reaper's Games?

[Hiyori leans back on his heels, humming thoughtfully.]

If he really expects to eliminate all use of Noise, not just Taboo Noise, then we've really got a lot more to talk about than I thought when it comes to our goal of eliminating all unhappiness...

How so? It seems pretty logical from where I'm standing.

[ If Hiyori thinks he can intimidate him, he's got something else coming. Having that little bit of height means shit to him and he's back to smiling as he usually does, keeping in mind what was said regarding Sho. ]

...You mean Kurama, but yeah.

[ Almost spoken like a reprimand, Karma then exhales a soft sigh as some of the friendliness dissipates from his expression entirely. Something doesn't sit right with him in that statement but he can't put a finger on it. ]

Except I think I much better prefer his way of doing it than yours. No offense. [ A laugh escaped him at that. ] Besides, what's the point in eliminating all unhappiness? If you wanted that, your bosses shouldn't have brought us all here again.

Eliminating unhappiness isn't as simple as avoiding it, is it? [After all, Karma is looking at him so strongly, when Hiyori is obviously making him feel less than friendly. Hiyori's smile hardly wavers at all. Maybe it does persist even when he can't avoid unhappiness.] You're on that trip to find Sho Minamimoto, after all, not run away from him. The negative elements of this situation are like that.

[What a euphemism... Hiyori spreads his hands to weigh the ideas.] It's my understanding that Noise are - a natural frequency, as Chariot du Nord put it. For you and Kurama to call Noise universally bad - fascinates me, truly. Perhaps I should ask the man himself more about his perspective on his upcoming game...?

[ That first part doesn't quite get an answer out of him, but more of a slightly pointed glare for a second or two, deepening just a touch afterwards. ]

Ah. You mean like what happened to you? Being like this makes me think you joined this corporation to avoid being unhappy.

[ Why yes that was a pointed jab at you directly, Hiyori. Sorry about that. ]

Don't you dare compare that to the situation your bosses put us all in.

[ If that look from before had been something, the utterly downright vicious look he shot the taller teen was almost harsh enough to kill someone if it were a physically possible thing. However it's just for a fleeting second, almost hard to miss as he laughs and his whole cheerful demeanor seems like it's back without a single pause. ]

I doubt he'd give you a straight answer or want to talk about it with you. As for us calling Noise bad? Well... we have our reasons and we also aren't the ones using them against people, either.