WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1


[So, once Zero has said his peace, everything is quiet as the week dawns. A new Game. Nonary, Decision, Murder. All three. It doesn't matter. Everyone is here to kill or die. The coin has been tossed, the die is cast. The rules are set; the watches are active.

The question now is, why? Why is this happening? Why you? Surely no one is so desperate to kill on this ship, right? Not when the people onboard are so interesting and varied. Perhaps everyone can get along; perhaps there's a way off the ship without bloodshed. Of course, if there is, it might be be best to be prepared for a long stay-there's no doubt Zero won't make it that easy to escape. Then there's the matter that-apparently-people have new powers they did not possess before, while those the strangers once had are gone. Perhaps it's time to test those out and see what they can do if you're not Kira.

So, let's see what happens this week. Hopefully it will be a peaceful one.

There are currently 19 strangers on this ship.]

Comments

[godspiousjasper]

[ Even for as quiet as her voice was, he'd caught it and even then it was like a finely sharpened dagger. His jaw tensed noticeably, that tension reaching up through his shoulders. ]

I do.

[ The door then opens and it's catching a glimpse of her face - both the blank expression along with the marks - is enough to drive in that earlier guilt and regret. Roland knew he did not personally cause those particular marks but a lot of the others? Those were the ones he knew he had a hand in causing.

He stepped closer, as to stand in the doorway. Not coming in further yet, as if crossing the threshold was not something he was allowed to do. ]

As far as yesterday is concerned? I had never intended to go that far with that game and had become caught up in the moment. [ His expression grew pained, full of regret and sorrow. ] Thirteen of those injuries you bear are my fault, when it should have only been one or two... and for that? I am truly sorry. You, Archer and Miss Ritsu did not deserve this.

[ Roland straightened up, sternly wishing it were him who were suffering all of those painful injuries instead of her. Not that it of course changed anything, but it didn't stop him from feeling that way. ]

If there's... anything I can do to make it up to you, I will do so.

[yesorwoof]

...thirteen, you say.

[The flat rhetorical question cracks like a whip. It's such an absurdly high number - if Roland had been hunting such a large fraction of the others, wouldn't she have heard of it from one of the five or so people she ran into? Then did he inflict so many wounds on the doll of one person, or is he blaming himself another way?]

I expected to be incapacitated. I knew before I even spoke to anyone else that the magic had been proven real and the best possible outcome of total abstinence was out of reach. What I did not expect was this savage race for one vaguely described prize that could not be widely shared. A race that would have drastically hurt someone in the process, even if all of us avoided the final penalty.

[What did Roland want so badly? A million Francs, a first edition bible?

Makima settles back down, still nearly-glaring at him rather warily but at an angle that is comfortable through the door. Her hands appear over the blanket as she clasps them together. Her arms are also marked.]

I have not wanted to impose my morality on others, but if setting a good example renders me such an inconvenience for everyone, I am left at an impasse.

[godspiousjasper]

[ In this instance, Makima was absolutely allowed to be treating him like this, given the circumstances. He'd spent time berating himself for what he'd done, but it could not quite compare to this. ]

I had blindly believed it would be alright if I did not seek out the others' dolls, not wishing to cause you all undue pain. [ A small exhale and a hand came up to brush against his rosary. ] I am at fault for not conferring with everyone to see who was abstaining from the game, and if I had been aware of such details? I would not have allowed myself to become so carried away.

[ There was nothing materialistic that he wished for, and if pressed? Would 100% admit as much. Her near-glare is something he feels he deserves, and with good reason, his gaze briefly falling along some of the wounds on her arms. ]

In this moment, I would not fault you for choosing to impose your morality on me nor anyone else. I... simply just wish to make up for my grievous mistake however it is I can.

[yesorwoof]

The other dolls? You inflicted thirteen simulated stabbings upon yourself?

[She's almost distracted by her curiosity about this, wondering if she misunderstood the situation in some way. After all, if it were one point for each self stab, his score of thirteen would have lost to as few as five three point stabs. Perhaps the others weren't as aggressive as she thought...]

Well. [Makima frowns deeply. She's in a lot of pain and it's hard to talk in long sentences. Might almost be easier to write this down. Instead she uses her ability to telekinetically bring over a water bottle and consumes almost a quarter of it, rather deliberately forcing Roland to wait in anxiety.] I am the one who did not fully inform others of my plans. I believed that to wander around too much would only result in more chaos. I was also a bit lax in my prediction of the blood loss in the penalty. I was sure that one or two dozen cups of blood could only be so much.

[And now she. Well. Reeks of blood. Hhhhhhhhh. His presence changing the angle of the atmosphere in the slightest way reminds her of everything hanging in the air getting hard to breathe again.]

Have you ever heard of the trolley problem...?

[godspiousjasper]

Actually they were to Alastor's doll since it was near mine in the Rec room. He had given permission and said his pain tolerance was higher than others so it wouldn't bother him.

[ So that should at least explain the way the two of them had managed to rack up so many points in such a short time.

Roland is surprisingly patient, so he's fine with waiting as she brings herself some water to drink. To some extent the silence is a bit much but he will wait as long as necessary here, and when she does explain herself? Honestly he could not fault her for thinking that way one bit.]

I... admit I had not expected the penalty would be enacted in such a cruel way. None of us did.. though perhaps going forwards I do believe if we communicate with each other first before acting on our own? We can prevent this sort of outcome from occurring again.

[ A blink. Then an apt look of confusion follows her question before he shook his head. ]

I'm afraid I have not.

[yesorwoof]

Of course, a trolley is rather regional, now that I think about it... [It's actually rather hard to keep track of the different backgrounds everyone originates from, so Makima doesn't immediately consider that he's unfamiliar with motor vehicle technology altogether. But what's universal enough? Maybe he just never heard of the problem in specific. What better thing to do on the Zero Escape boat than explain a philosophical problem in great detail? That's right. They're on a boat.]

Imagine that you're at the wheel of a ship. The ship moves straight forward in one direction, until you turn the wheel. Then you would need time to switch her direction back again. Suddenly you see one of your crewmen falling overboard and swept a distance in the current. If your ship continues fore, she'll get your rigging back within reach of the crewmen soon enough

Then a crack of thunder resounds through the sky. You turn your head starboard and see a small wooden boat has been struck by lightning and snapped in half. The crew of five men is clutching to the wreckage.

If you turn the wheel, you can save five people. If you stay your hand, you save one, and you can tell yourself that you let nature take its course.

Do you turn the wheel, Roland-kun?

[Almost imperceptibly gradually as she speaks, she has come to sit up at full height and look into his eyes.]

[godspiousjasper]

[ As she explains this little scenario, he listens quietly until she's finished. It's something he's never really been presented with before now, so it's worth to give some consideration all the same.

Though admittedly he wasn't entirely expecting her gaze to suddenly become quite so intense, it didn't quite show on his face. ]

It would go without saying that I would indeed turn it.

[ He does hold one hand up right after he speaks, his expression quite level and eyes not straying away from hers. ]

However. Most ships have rescue boats attached to them, and I would see one sent out to retrieve the crewman who had fallen into the water as we made to rescue the five men.

[ It was hard to say how she would take this or if his answer would meet whatever it was she was looking for. Something DID shift in his expression minutely, a peculiar sort of distant in his eyes as he recalled something. ]

It is not that I care not for the fallen man whom is a part of my crew, but I am also aware that I am but one man and I cannot save everyone.

[yesorwoof]

I can see it in your eyes that you're afraid I might call you a cop-out. But I'm not quite as far gone as that.

[All at once Makima seemed animated again like she had when they were talking before. The color is back in her cheeks to an extent though she's still pale from the wounds of course.]

One of Devils' favorite tricks is to create an illusion where a sacrifice seems to be necessary. Then taunt those left standing with their guilt. That's why it's important to be clever and not just strong.

Still... though of course I wish no one had such burdens at all... I'm a little happy to hear that someone else can feel how heavy the wheel is.

[godspiousjasper]

My, you truly are quite skilled at reading people, Miss Makima.

[ That's about all he could really say in response to her words, not really denying anything as there was no real point to it.

Either way she seems to have that spirited energy about her again and it's enough to have him relaxing a little. He's all too happy to listen to her speak about a Devil's tricks, though finding there was similarities when it came to how vampires could act in his own world. Beings known for their cruel, violent nature with no regard for human life... but he also knew they all weren't the same.

Noé especially wasn't like the rest of them. ]

I absolutely agree. In having both traits, it can truly help with handling a number of situations.

[ Roland nodded, allowing a soft exhale before a wry smile soon fell across his features. ]

Words can never truly describe that weight and it isn't easy to bear, but indeed you aren't alone there. I am also glad someone else here does understand that.