Meeting

[incrediblystressedout]

[Yes, she expects all nine of you to squeeze your butts into her bedroom with her. It'll be standing room only, but thankfully this sample bedroom isn't as cluttered with random kid-detritus as he one at home, mostly because she hasn't been to the toy store yet. She's wearing an unfortunate combination of a black t-shirt (still with a starburst on it, or something close enough Joey can pretend it is one), a leather skirt, leggings, and ballerina slippers, and has a notepad and some kind of frog mask in her lap.]

Okay. Just to put this on the table. This is a meeting for how we're going to get out of here. I am done with this bull and I think so are all of you.

There's no such thing as an inescapable prison, especially not if it's made out of a shopping mall of all things! I'm no expert in criminal activities, but I think we're supposed to have a couple here, right? All I know is the first step is to have meetings in the bedrooms: no cameras, and they're soundproof.

After that, what I am an expert in is solving puzzles. That means making a list of our assets, and a list of the problems to be solved to get out of here. I've got mad dancing skills and an unused ability to animate some object like I'm a wizard or something. What's everyone else got?

Finally...we need to keep alive. No one goes anywhere without a buddy, okay? Not even the bathroom. This is basic stuff. Ideally, groups of three, but we've got ten people, so...

[She looks over the group.]

Anywhere, we're all here, and we're all sick of this, right? What's everyone else got?

Comments

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena genuinely deliberates not going to this meeting, but her cheek still aches from the slap she has received for her assumed passivity and some part of that bugs her enough to make her way down to Joey's place. She's dressed in her baggy replacement clothes and she has a notebook and pen of her own. The notebook is one of the cheap kinds and it has 'DIARY' handwritten onto the front, if anyone cares about looking at that.

Helena hates how cramped this bedroom is and she'll try her hardest to secure a spot by the wall to avoid being pressed in between bodies. ]

I can electrocute things. Same as always.

[ In a more badass fashion than a certain other someone. ]

Can we even sleep in each other's rooms though? If not, then grouping up is always going to be difficult. And even then, I can't say I trust many of you after yesterday.

[incrediblystressedout]

[Joey shakes her head.]

Bedrooms should be safe. I don't know any way around the locks on the doors. But like, if you need to go to the bathroom at 2 am or whatever, text someone. Hopefully two someones. No one else needs to die here, but someone might get...desperate...at the motive again.

[She then thinks on the electricity.]

Do you think your electricity might be enough to overload something electrical? Like the elevator? We can't really test that without being ready to fight, but...

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena considers this for a moment, then nods. ]

I assume so, yes. I feel like this power has gotten stronger again this week.

[theirmagic]

[ Ursula is here, but she's not looking very good. Her eyes are red, and she looks, frankly, exhausted. She doesn't say anything--what could she say? At least, not for awhile. Eventually, though, she does quietly say: ]

I... I can make... p-potions. That's... about it.

[incrediblystressedout]

[Joey's been crying herself, but fortunately as the person who called this meeting she had time to wash up and change clothes beforehand. She looks at Ursula sadly.]

That could be really important, Ursula. Actually, I have a book I've been meaning to ask you to take a look at...

[theirmagic]

A book? Of what sort?

[ She sounds tired. ]

And, um... I don't think I can make anything huge. No resurrection potions. But I can make repair potions, or probably luck potions, maybe...?

[beguiledcard]

[ Somehow, some way, someone managed to get him here. He immediately went for a corner. There are no glasses on his face. And also not a lot of emotions, either, but that's for the Monday toplevel.

There's a tightening of his jaw before he gives his input. ]

You've all seen what I can do.

[ Tone steady, voice steady, but... eyes to the floor. ]

... And I'm sure you all saw what happened before Shuuichi-san and I were knocked out.

[ They do need to talk about that, consider what he remembers feeling... ]

[theirmagic]

Yes, I saw that... what was that...? Was it because it was you two, or was it because there were the two of you?

[beguiledcard]

It wasn't quite like anything that's ever happened to me before, but it happened after we officially declared ourselves teammates.

[ "Quite" -- it wasn't like any of those times where he felt the bond between himself... and anyone... solidify. ]

On my end, it felt like I'd suddenly gained some kind of insane power boost.

[ He's falling quiet for a second... but then he shakes his head, forcing something else out. ]

To me, it felt like we could have taken on the world, if not for...

[ ... does he really need to say it? ]

[comesaround]

[ Something about Karma just seems impossibly tense when he shows up, quiet for a few moments until she asks about what they can do. He almost hesitates before finally deciding to answer. He's got a lot to think about since the memory he received this time was... something that left a bad feeling that wouldn't go away. ]

Same as usual. If I gather energy in my fists and hit someone right, I can send them flying. Simple as that.

[ Casting a brief glance over at Akira before looking back to Joey. ]

How do you suggest us setting up this 'buddy' system to start with?

[incrediblystressedout]

[Joey notes the look. She'd gone after Karma for a minute too, because she didn't want to believe Akechi was the killer any more than Akira did, but that was behind everyone now, right?]

Don't go anywhere without another one of us within sight, especially at night, and triple-especially after we get our "motive". Two people might not be safe, but three people should be...

[comesaround]

...If that's the case... I'd like to stick around Shuuichi-san and Akira-kun.

[ Spoken without even the slightest bit of hesitation. After what they pulled last week, he's not going to trust them not to make stupid decisions. At least he's not thinking about all the accusations people were shooting at him throughout that one point in the trial. ]

[beguiledcard]

[ Yeah.

He noticed too. ]

Should we just focus on having a minimum of three around the time of motive announcement, then?

[eyesofdespair]

Honestly, there's very few of you here that I'd want to be in the company of that much.

[And the way he says it is a bit harsh and seemingly uncaring. Yeah, he's still a bit bitter over the accusations and how he was forced to lie so much to not become even more suspicious. Plus with what he remembered, there's little point in trying to protect him from a murder now.]

Look, I kept quiet during the trial because I knew it would actually make me more suspicious and I knew I didn't do it and didn't want to risk everyone voting for the wrong person. However, my skills are more on the criminal side as I'm now remembering so I'll make use of them and see what I can dig up here.

[incrediblystressedout]

None of us want to die. I don't think anyone went after anyone at the trial because we disliked them. We were all just trying to find the truth, and the truth sucked hard for a lot of us, and that's all there really is to say on the matter. It's going to be the same thing if this happens again, which is why we're going to stop it before we get to that point.

[Well, that, and as mentioned: no one wants to die.]

What all have you remembered how to do?

[eyesofdespair]

I did keep quiet on my occupation because it would have been suspicious, but I also don't remember everything as well. Ouroboros is a very secretive society and its members remain in the shadows. My skills are various, but associated with being a skilled fighter and skilled at remaining hidden and evading capture. Good thing for all of you that I have absolutely no reason to go home.

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama stays close to Akira, green eyes that had previously been lively and welcoming despite their dangerous situation gone closed off. He physically closes them as he considers Joey's words.

His voice is quiet and steady but also coolly distant.]

My ability is primarily destructive. I can fire five potentially combustible bullets, one arrow-like strike that causes weakness, or, now that our powers have strengthened again, something that seems almost similar to a fragmentation grenade.

I believe by this point, everyone is aware of my capabilities as a detective.

[incrediblystressedout]

You're also not afraid to charge that big murder-cat thing, I noticed. We probably are going to have to deal with that, or whatever's causing the actual executions, or both. I'm guessing you'll still be up for fighting it?

[byanyother_name]

[That gets a spark of genuine emotion for a moment, pain and anger.]

I wouldn't suggest trying to stop me when we find the one behind this.

[scienceofmagic]

I just got more money. But funds are important here, since it means I can cover food for people who can't afford it.

[ She'll take a deep breath, then. She's surprisingly lively after her reaction to the execution. ]

...But I have something important to say. Before I came here, I explored the new areas. In the toy store, there's a game. It works like a ouija board. I talked to Goro Akechi with it. ...I promised that I'd do my best to keep us together and... And honestly? If we survive this, there's such thing as resurrection magic. It's almost painfully easy to make the potion. And while it's forbidden, I imagine none of you are about to snitch on me or Ursula for making it if it comes to that.

[beguiledcard]

...

[ He already knew from talking to her...

Right now, his jawline is tightened and his gaze is somewhat faraway. ]

[incrediblystressedout]

...ressurrection potions, huh? Those sure do sound incredibly handy.

[theirmagic]

[ ... Ursula sideglances at Croix, but doesn't say anything else. Her gaze also... seems distant.

After a long pause, though, she finally says: ]

Mayenab Dysheebudo. Please remember that patience is important, Croix.

[steelmagnolias]

[ Ren twirls an unlit cigarette in his fingers as he speaks. It's more out of a nervous need to be doing something with his hands than out of a need to smoke right now; he's well aware that lighting up while people are around is pretty rude. ]

I haven't tried using my power yet at will, but the other day, I almost had a nasty fall down some stairs... I'm pretty damn un-invincible normally, but you probably figured that.

[incrediblystressedout]

[You smoke in her room and you are dad-grounded, a thing Joey has wished was real for over ten years now.]

Wow. Yeah. It does seem like you really got a handy one. So it'll kick in whenever you know you might get seriously hurt?