WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1

[You now know why you're here, Titled. The question now is, is there a way to get out of here without invoking the rules? What will those who brought you here do to get you to kill?

Time will tell.

There are fifteen strangers in this place.]

Comments

[foolishjustice]

[They are good friends, of course he uses a familiar honorific!]

Nor would I. And even setting aside the cruelty potential, there's also the possibility that the target, with their memories intact, would have nothing they would be willing to kill for. In that case, they could use the damage to our memories to motivate us in ways that wouldn't work otherwise.

[byanyother_name]

[Of course. Clearly Akechi's formal tendencies don't go quite that far.]

Agreed. Which I suppose lends some weight to the idea that our memory loss may have been deliberate, as opposed to a side effect of our trip or of whatever rummaging was done to create our profiles.

[foolishjustice]

[He's still using his last name, isn't he?]

Considering that possibility, they may have even been deliberately suppressed in order to cause their desired reactions.

[His lips thin for a second, as he considers an ugly possibility.]

Let us hope that suppressing is all they've done.

[byanyother_name]

[True enough, but for lack of desire or lack of invitation?]

Possible, though perhaps not entirely for that reason. The gaps in my own memory are haphazard enough that I find it difficult to imagine them all being related to providing me a motive.

[Besides, he can't see his motive changing for much.]

It seems more likely. At least in my own world, it's quite difficult to truly destroy a memory permanently. Far easier and less work to suppress them.

[foolishjustice]

[...Maybe more the latter.]

That assumes their only desired reaction is murder. They may also simply find our confusion entertaining.

[He shakes his head.]

Complete destruction of memories isn't what I was thinking about.

[byanyother_name]

[Imagine that.]

True, though... I think we have a significant problem in our lack of knowledge about how many parties are involved. There are things that might be inferred by the attitude of the text-sender, but we have no idea how many different personalities are responsible for all of this.

Tampering, then? That's an unfortunate possibility as well.

[foolishjustice]

We don't yet know what they're capable of, after all. And it would make sense for them to sow as much doubt as possible.

[A frustrated sigh.]

At the moment, I'm suspecting a large group. Both the resources they've displayed and the fact that they were able to abduct us from such varying locations, even across multiple worlds, makes me doubt this is the work of a few individuals.

[byanyother_name]

Of course. The more uncertain we are, the less likely anyone is to act decisively in ways they don't expect.

[He seems to think over what Akechi said for a moment before tilting his head. Kurama doesn't precisely disagree, but...>

That's most likely true. But we aren't likely to be directly dealing with all of them. While we will need to hunt the rest down, I think there's a natural limit on how many will be actively involved in controlling this 'game'. Too many cooks, as it were.

Besides, the one who sent the text doesn't strike me as one who thinks enough of others to work with them easily. They even felt the need to point out that they are not 'a blundering idiot like some others', which implies they don't think much of their fellows.

[foolishjustice]

That wording suggests either some incompetence the writer is agitated about, or exactingly high standards and arrogance. ...Of course, we also can't rule out that it simply refers to the Life Coach's...childish behavior.

[byanyother_name]

Or any combination of the three. I will say that arrogance was the first impression I got from the message sent to us.

[foolishjustice]

That may be to our advantage. If the mastermind behind all of this is discontent with their subordinates, it presents the potential for internal conflict. That would be a perfect opportunity for us to attempt to even the playing field somewhat, so to speak.

[byanyother_name]

Yes. Plus, if this person treats their subordinates in the way they speak to us, their discontent could become a usable factor as well.

[foolishjustice]

It may be too much to expect any of them to outright turn to our side, but all we might need is a simple refusal to cooperate with their superiors' wishes...

[byanyother_name]

In the right place, at the right time, it could make all the difference.