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

CD corner

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena is on the way back from one of her semi-regular bathroom trips as she spots Dio. Initially she considers just walking past him, but their last run-in was unexpectedly pleasant and... what is he even doing? She squints and before she knows it, she has already stopped walking. ]

Is this performance art or do you need help?

[notgentle]

It's these manufacturers who need help, I'll tell you what. [This particular CD player had been pretty small, about a foot square, so he puts one hand underneath it and holds down the CD case in the open slot to show the unholy sandwich to Helena.] This is a CD, and this is a CD player. What the hell? Are they different brands or something?

[totalbullshit]

[ ... ]

[ She's half waiting for the point where he says "gotcha" and reveals the whole thing to be a circus comedy skit or something? But that isn't happening. So all she can do is examine the disaster with raised eyebrows. ]

You've never played a CD before, have you?

[notgentle]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

[This is a dilemma. If he says no, then that proves she knows something he doesn't, and that makes him look bad. If he says yes, then she'll mock his material interest in musical media. Well, shit, he has to say something before the silence gets awkward.]

I have my audio files on... memory cards.

[totalbullshit]

[ Joke's on Dio because the silence has been awkward from the very start. Helena is aware that they're all from somewhat different worlds, but the idea that someone has never played a CD before it still utterly alien. It's not like they're modern for her anymore either, they're just not forgotten. ]

So that's a yes.

[ Not letting him get away with pretending it isn't. ]

What are you even trying to play here?

[ She holds her hand out in the hopes of getting to examine the CD. ]

[notgentle]

It's this.

[He hands it over. If Helena has heard these pieces before, she might be surprised that Dio's preferences aren't more flashy like his--]

I don't know it or anything, just looked cool.

[totalbullshit]

[ ...oh that's. A glance at Dio, a glance back to the CD, an amused huff... ]

I understand why the visuals appealed to someone like you.

[ As much as it's phrased that way, she really doesn't mean it negatively. ]

I come as the bearer of bad news however. To play it, you'd need to unpack it. To unpack it, you'd need to pay for it.

this is after lunch but before the minigame I guess???

[notgentle]

[What does it say about Dio that despite his easily offended nature, he completely accepts Helena's comprehension without complaint? Is he that determined to allow specifically her to coexist with him comfortably? Or is he just that unironically convinced that cowboys and circuses and cymbals are cool?

He crams the CD back onto the rack with a clash of plastic.]

Well, that's not happening. I blew like half my budget on those AlaSCAM crabs. [Immediately defensive:] Thought it was a large portion.