[Well. Haha! Junpei seems to be idly pacing around the elevator, around the first floor, just sort of moving and trying to think. Luckily he stops when he hears Kanesan though and he turns, blinking in surprise before seemingly remembering how to respond.]
Better than Chuuya and Nathan, at least. [Bad joke time? Bad joke time! Sometimes that's just how you cope.] Everything okay?
Yeah. I know. [He glances at the bulky black watch on his wrist.] Carlos is one of the hardest people to kill, but what bothers me is why he and Polly were awake when Beck was asleep like the rest of us. Or if they were awake at all, and someone just broke into their room and kidnapped them.
[The former is more likely though.] ...guess I'm worried about him. I just saw him yesterday.
It could be how whatever we're up against works. There are demons that wait until everyone but their targets are asleep, aren't there? Or it could be another type of magic.
[ he doesn't know shit about demons so he's probably making this up, i'm sorry. but his expression does soften a bit in sympathy. ]
...I understand. I've lost a team mate before. The period after the battle, before we found out what happened... That was almost worse than learning he was really gone.
But we don't know for sure what happened to Carlos yet. Don't forget that.
It's a possibility. I haven't had a lot of experience...or any, actually, with demons but some legends talk about it. Stories. Movies. Stuff like that. If something sinister really exists here it'd explain how it's controlling people.
[...he has a lot to say, but it's Kanesan so he's not sure he wants to, but then again it's because it's Kanesan that he says the next thought that crosses his mind.] Not knowing is the part I like least, but if he's dead after everything we just went through in our timeline I'm going to kill him myself.
[Hm. Okay, so, kind of mad and kind of worried. It's fine.]
We could talk to Nikkari and the Genji brothers and ask...
[ they are the supernatural experts here, as far as kanesan is concerned. ]
...I can't say I don't get where you're coming from, but try not to be so hard on him. It's not always their fault, and most don't get the chance to come back from when they've been broken.
Most of my conversations with Nikkari are confusing. [Actually most of his conversations with most of the swords in general are a lot.] But if you think it'd help, I can try asking them again. They might listen to you more than me.
[But. Aha. Yeah.] It's kind of just a figure of speech. [Kind of. He might straight-up kill Carlos we don't know.] But I know you're right. Most things that happened in the last game weren't his fault either, even if it didn't seem that way.
[Though.] Does...that happen to you guys a lot? Being broken and coming back.
He likes the air of mystery, I think. But I'll talk to them about it again, when I can.
[ he's squinting at junpei. ] I don't know about any games, but we won't know for sure who's at fault until we gather everything and find the other two. And even then, it may not be certain. The message Dick found did warn us about being too trusting.
[ ...ah. kanesan pauses then, apparently uncomfortable with the subject, but - considering that humans have died, he shouldn't be squeamish, should he? ]
No. Once a sword is broken, there's usually no bringing them back. Only the saniwa has been able to do it, though I'm not sure if it's possible to summon one that's broken twice.
...kind of a scary prospective when you think about it. Even with the idea you might be able to come back somehow, eventually you run out of chances.
[But to come back to another point, he pauses again.] I heard about the message. And it's probably true. We can't tell who we can trust here when there's the possibility something else is controlling them. That's what made the last game difficult, too. [He rotates his left wrist to glance at his watch.]
Carlos and I were playing a game kind of like this one before. He told me we managed to get out alive, but doesn't mean much if we came here does it?
Tomorrow, people are going to start looking for the easiest answer, even if it's not the right one. We can't really afford to mess this up.
Yeah. To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to see Kiyomitsu again after he broke. Without our master's magic, he might be gone forever.
[ swords die, too, just in a different way thañ humans. kanesan may be a young sword, but ever since kashuu, he's worried about all of them ]
If you've done something like this before, then your experience will be especially helpful here, as well. You may have a better idea of what things to look for than most. Working together to solve this may be a risk, but it's one we'll have to take.
...That message did say we were meant to "repay the blood that was spilt," right? Then it's expecting someone else to die. We'll need to be thorough enough that only the wrong person won't be targeted.
[He wants to ask more about that but maybe now isn't the time.] I'm glad to hear it, then.
[But it's not like Kanesan's wrong. It's what Junpei thinks, too.] So you made that connection, too. That's what I'm saying. We can't afford to mess this up because if we find the wrong culprit, they'll probably die and whatever's on the loose will still be here. [Urgh.] The Decision Game wasn't always about a murder mystery, but we were suppose to solve puzzles and find a way to save ourselves. I've been trying to think of what we need to focus on most.
Even if it's a risk, it might be even riskier not to participate. So we make sure everyone's pulling their weight.
If the threat is still here, we'll cut it down, one way or another.
[ he seems very confident about this. ]
As much as I hate to say it, it's best of we focus on what we already have, and the rest will fall into place as we piece it together. The problem is, it's easier said than done. A number of the people here don't seem interested in working together at all.
Abernathy went straight to threatening others, if not outright attacking them. Zero may be just as volatile - her attitude means she probably won't work well with everyone. And Shiraishi... seems to find the situation funny, somehow. Whether he helps or not, it's probably for his own amusement more than anything.
[He's taking this serious at least because those are all definitely problems to be aware of. He's also spoken to all three of these people himself.]
Zero's difficult to talk to, but if you get her intrigued by something she's more manageable. And Haymitch has been through something similar to this, I think, but it didn't end so well.
...Shiraishi's a harder one to crack. He's the least likely to help if he doesn't see a benefit to it. So. What can you promise to someone like that? Not--you specifically, but in general.
The hard part will be finding exactly what it is to get them to cooperate with us. I haven't quite figured out what it is yet.
As for Shiraishi... [ he shrugs. ] Given how he's been treating anything, I wouldn't be surprised if he were the type to turn on someone just to see what happens. But as long as we're careful with him, it should be fine.
Do you think there are others we should be looking out for?
My former master was known for assassins, so I wouldn't be so quick to judge based on that alone. I'll keep an eye on him, though, just in case.
[ junpei seems to have good judgment? but he won't make a hypocrite of himself, or downplay the importance of any sort of job that hijikata or kunihiro may have done themselves. ]
Maou... He's very enthusiastic, isn't he? I can see how that could endanger someone, if he's not careful.
[ but he's the only one who was willing to talk haiku... ]
It's not that, it's talking to him and being kinda creeped out. [Listen. The man has needles and actually that's what makes him nervous, but he's not outright saying so.] Some assassins probably have good reasons for what they do, but I don't know if I could trust Illumi to help the group of us at large if someone could easily buy him off.
Think there's a way to teach someone to calm down?
Ah, that makes more sense. [ a nod! ] You’re right, it’s better to stay wary of someone like that. We’d have to be sure we have the best bribes in order to really keep him on our side, but there’s no guarantee of that here…
[ look, he isn’t against bribing anyone to get his way. if it works, it works.
at the other question, though, he... looks vaguely embarrassed. ]
...I wouldn’t be the one to ask about that. Kunihiro is better at things like that. My only suggestion would be to talk to him directly to figure out what might get him to back down.
That's the real problem. Until we know him better, we're not going to know what, exactly, would win him over. I might know someone who can find out, but I'm still not sure. That's why he's on my watch list.
[...hm?] Talking to him directly is also a pain in the ass, but I guess that's effective enough. [He tilts his head though.] You don't think of yourself as a calming person?
Then I'd ask that person to try. I think that's the best we can hope for, at this point.
[ since they. won't really know anyone that well within a week. ]
Not particularly. If you ask Kunihiro, he'd probably say I've got a bit of a temper. [ and he's not wrong, so kanesan just. sighs. ] And I'm not that good with the finer points of dealing with other people. That's his job, as a wakizashi.
I'll see what I can do. [Getting people to commit...a problem. But he still doesn't quite get what Kanesan's saying.]
I find that hard to believe, but we are still getting to know each other. [Kanesada's been nothing but chill with him? This means nothing when Junpei himself is not a chill person but whatever.] Wakizashis are littler blades, right? What exactly are you then?
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Better than Chuuya and Nathan, at least. [Bad joke time? Bad joke time! Sometimes that's just how you cope.] Everything okay?
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As okay as it can be, all things considered.
[ which is to say, not at all. people are dead. people are missing. ]
Carlos - was he a friend of yours?
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His expression doesn't exactly change, but there's a brief flicker of something when Carlos is mentioned.]
Ah, yeah. [...he wonders how many people actually don't know.] We were from the same place and we were together before we woke up here.
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[ he nods to himself, but anyway. his expression is grave as he continues. ]
Just because we haven't found him yet doesn't mean we won't. There's a chance, however slim, that he might still be alive.
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[The former is more likely though.] ...guess I'm worried about him. I just saw him yesterday.
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[ he doesn't know shit about demons so he's probably making this up, i'm sorry. but his expression does soften a bit in sympathy. ]
...I understand. I've lost a team mate before. The period after the battle, before we found out what happened... That was almost worse than learning he was really gone.
But we don't know for sure what happened to Carlos yet. Don't forget that.
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[...he has a lot to say, but it's Kanesan so he's not sure he wants to, but then again it's because it's Kanesan that he says the next thought that crosses his mind.] Not knowing is the part I like least, but if he's dead after everything we just went through in our timeline I'm going to kill him myself.
[Hm. Okay, so, kind of mad and kind of worried. It's fine.]
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[ they are the supernatural experts here, as far as kanesan is concerned. ]
...I can't say I don't get where you're coming from, but try not to be so hard on him. It's not always their fault, and most don't get the chance to come back from when they've been broken.
[ that
just whooshed right over his head ]
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[But. Aha. Yeah.] It's kind of just a figure of speech. [Kind of. He might straight-up kill Carlos we don't know.] But I know you're right. Most things that happened in the last game weren't his fault either, even if it didn't seem that way.
[Though.] Does...that happen to you guys a lot? Being broken and coming back.
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[ he's squinting at junpei. ] I don't know about any games, but we won't know for sure who's at fault until we gather everything and find the other two. And even then, it may not be certain. The message Dick found did warn us about being too trusting.
[ ...ah. kanesan pauses then, apparently uncomfortable with the subject, but - considering that humans have died, he shouldn't be squeamish, should he? ]
No. Once a sword is broken, there's usually no bringing them back. Only the saniwa has been able to do it, though I'm not sure if it's possible to summon one that's broken twice.
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[But to come back to another point, he pauses again.] I heard about the message. And it's probably true. We can't tell who we can trust here when there's the possibility something else is controlling them. That's what made the last game difficult, too. [He rotates his left wrist to glance at his watch.]
Carlos and I were playing a game kind of like this one before. He told me we managed to get out alive, but doesn't mean much if we came here does it?
Tomorrow, people are going to start looking for the easiest answer, even if it's not the right one. We can't really afford to mess this up.
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[ swords die, too, just in a different way thañ humans. kanesan may be a young sword, but ever since kashuu, he's worried about all of them ]
If you've done something like this before, then your experience will be especially helpful here, as well. You may have a better idea of what things to look for than most. Working together to solve this may be a risk, but it's one we'll have to take.
...That message did say we were meant to "repay the blood that was spilt," right? Then it's expecting someone else to die. We'll need to be thorough enough that only the wrong person won't be targeted.
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[But it's not like Kanesan's wrong. It's what Junpei thinks, too.] So you made that connection, too. That's what I'm saying. We can't afford to mess this up because if we find the wrong culprit, they'll probably die and whatever's on the loose will still be here. [Urgh.] The Decision Game wasn't always about a murder mystery, but we were suppose to solve puzzles and find a way to save ourselves. I've been trying to think of what we need to focus on most.
Even if it's a risk, it might be even riskier not to participate. So we make sure everyone's pulling their weight.
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[ he seems very confident about this. ]
As much as I hate to say it, it's best of we focus on what we already have, and the rest will fall into place as we piece it together. The problem is, it's easier said than done. A number of the people here don't seem interested in working together at all.
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Anybody in particular stand out to you? I have a few people to keep an eye on myself.
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Abernathy went straight to threatening others, if not outright attacking them. Zero may be just as volatile - her attitude means she probably won't work well with everyone. And Shiraishi... seems to find the situation funny, somehow. Whether he helps or not, it's probably for his own amusement more than anything.
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Zero's difficult to talk to, but if you get her intrigued by something she's more manageable. And Haymitch has been through something similar to this, I think, but it didn't end so well.
...Shiraishi's a harder one to crack. He's the least likely to help if he doesn't see a benefit to it. So. What can you promise to someone like that? Not--you specifically, but in general.
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As for Shiraishi... [ he shrugs. ] Given how he's been treating anything, I wouldn't be surprised if he were the type to turn on someone just to see what happens. But as long as we're careful with him, it should be fine.
Do you think there are others we should be looking out for?
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Illumi, for one thing. I don't make it a habit to trust assassins. And Maou might get himself and a few others killed by his own idiocy.
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My former master was known for assassins, so I wouldn't be so quick to judge based on that alone. I'll keep an eye on him, though, just in case.
[ junpei seems to have good judgment? but he won't make a hypocrite of himself, or downplay the importance of any sort of job that hijikata or kunihiro may have done themselves. ]
Maou... He's very enthusiastic, isn't he? I can see how that could endanger someone, if he's not careful.
[ but he's the only one who was willing to talk haiku... ]
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It's not that, it's talking to him and being kinda creeped out. [Listen. The man has needles and actually that's what makes him nervous, but he's not outright saying so.] Some assassins probably have good reasons for what they do, but I don't know if I could trust Illumi to help the group of us at large if someone could easily buy him off.
Think there's a way to teach someone to calm down?
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[ look, he isn’t against bribing anyone to get his way. if it works, it works.
at the other question, though, he... looks vaguely embarrassed. ]
...I wouldn’t be the one to ask about that. Kunihiro is better at things like that. My only suggestion would be to talk to him directly to figure out what might get him to back down.
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[...hm?] Talking to him directly is also a pain in the ass, but I guess that's effective enough. [He tilts his head though.] You don't think of yourself as a calming person?
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[ since they. won't really know anyone that well within a week. ]
Not particularly. If you ask Kunihiro, he'd probably say I've got a bit of a temper. [ and he's not wrong, so kanesan just. sighs. ] And I'm not that good with the finer points of dealing with other people. That's his job, as a wakizashi.
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I find that hard to believe, but we are still getting to know each other. [Kanesada's been nothing but chill with him? This means nothing when Junpei himself is not a chill person but whatever.] Wakizashis are littler blades, right? What exactly are you then?
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