changing and replacing this mask, show time;

[recrypt]

Comments

[survivaltricks]

Can't it be both?

[she is totally trapped, and Akira smiles a bit playfully]

[recrypt]

Well, you do have yourself a captive audience right now, and a Doll does have to listen to what humans have to say...

[ second fox bunts his hand. why did you stop ]

[survivaltricks]

. . .

You don't have to listen to me if you don't want to, 45.

[he will DIE ON THIS HILL]

[recrypt]

Relax. I'm teasing. Or, rather... I'm sort of a special case, I suppose.

[ strokes a hand through her fox's fur. ]

Things would be a lot different if I were operating under the exact same compliance protocols that most Dolls are under. But you're missing the point. What can I do for you, Akira?

[survivaltricks]

[he allows for no teasing about a Doll's lack of free will B( B( B(]

You were inspecting the items everyone turned out from their pockets at trial. Why. . .?

[recrypt]

[ ha ha,,, ha... sometimes you deal with your shitty situations by making light of it, okay ]

Hmm, call it curiosity, maybe. Let me ask you something, Akira.

All of the objects in the shop that are notably pink are of a certain persuasion, right?

[ they're weapons. they're all weapons. ]

[survivaltricks]

Yeah. They are.

Almost like a certain pink-shaded voice wants us to use them.

[yes. he has absolutely noticed]

[recrypt]

Right. And I'm aware that some of us might have received objects of the same color, presumably for 'winning' in a given week...

[ well, guy did say he received it 'last week' during trial. unless he went on a secret excursion somewhere... but hm, she might need to backtrack a little. ]

The reward vouchers for completing tasks each week show up in a plain paper bag for you, right? Unsigned note?

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

[he. actually has something to say about that, but--]

Yeah, that's correct. [. . .] Along with the weekly "prize."

[recrypt]

Hmm.

[ she hums. no visible reaction? ]

And, just to verify, the rewards the Directors gave us for our little extracurricular activity last week... that came with a signed note, correct?

[survivaltricks]

That's right. Something from the three of them specifically.

You're thinking that Pinkie is responsible for handing out weekly rewards and vouchers, aren't you?

[recrypt]

Possibly. Or rather, it's looking fairly probable at this point. Mind you, I'm only collecting data with no clear conclusion as of yet.

[ can't play the game without getting a shape of the board, but it's difficult getting pieces at all, let alone knowing what to do with them. ]

It's apparent Pinkie clearly wants us to play into this competition... But, I don't know, the reward items seem relatively harmless compared to the ones in the shop, unless there's a catch to them I'm not aware of.

[survivaltricks]

[hmmm. . .]

Well. . . I have a theory about the weekly rewards, but it's hard for me to confirm it when I don't know anyone from a-- ah, particular team.

[he digs in his pocket and pulls out a pink kazoo, placing same between his teeth sadly and giving it a light buzz]

But I think everyone receives the same series of items at the end of the week. The first week it was kazoos and harmonicas, and the second week it was. . . weird flutes and horns.

But only those on the winning team get versions of those items that actually do something.

[and aren't just. . . you know. useless kazoos and harmonicas]

[recrypt]

... Haha. So you think they're handing out consolation prizes to everyone, huh. I don't know enough people to confirm, so...

[ us desperately trying to rub two braincells together at trial and right now ]

... Surprisingly musical themed, though. ♪ Think we can convince them to quit with a soulful instrumental serenade?

[survivaltricks]

[hmm. . .]

I know they're giving out consolation pries to everyone who loses. But the "consolation prizes" given to the winners aren't consolation prizes at all. That's what I'm saying.

[it's like. everyoen got kazoos but some people's kazoos are cool and do badass things while everyone else's are just useless]

The musical theme surprises me, too. Do you think Pinkie is unexpectedly musically inclined?

[recrypt]

Right, I understood that part. But you're saying it's not just necessarily a runners-up situation, correct? It's both losing teams.

[ hmmmmm ]

Our friend the pink snake certainly is proving to be unexpected in multiple ways, I suppose...

[survivaltricks]

Yep. And I know that for a fact.

[sad kazoo noises]

. . . and they are. You know I asked one of the directors if I could speak to them, yeah?

[recrypt]

[ whomp whomp whomp but it's kazoo ]

... I did not. You told me about plans to see if you could contact not-pink indirectly, but not about any plans to try to contact pink.

[survivaltricks]

Yeah, well. . . I was told it was impossible.

[UNFORTUNATELY]

And I haven't figured out a way to contact them indirectly. Winter also stressed that trying to contact them might be dangerous.

Like. . . asking for a red bell to talk to the mansion levels of dangerous.

[recrypt]

... Haha. Well, that certainly isn't good. We'll table that, then.

[ damn there goes the idea of summoning pink by idk, playing Elegy of Emptiness on the instruments or something ]

You've spoken with the group that went into the cabin in the woods, correct?

[survivaltricks]

Yeah; I have. Giyuu gave me his laptop, just in case I can fix it or find another one to which to transfer the harddrive.

[raking a hand through his hair now]

I also talked to Natalie, who asked the directors about that cabin, and. . . some of the directors themselves.

[recrypt]

Oh, I hadn't heard that part.

[ or so i hope, because sometimes you are just (back)tagging pcs for a while and sweating ]

What have you heard? And... Did any of them mention that strange picture they found?

[survivaltricks]

[that's such a mood, mauyn]

. . . none of them mentioned a strange picture, no.

[h-hm]

But Natalie was told by the directors that the cabin that burned down was another "residual." I confirmed that with Winter and Heart myself, but neither Natalie nor I know whose residual it is.

[because it can't be Giyuu and Dimitri and Shinobu's right? because they didn't recognize the equipment. . .?]

[recrypt]

Which of our locations would have had CCTV screens for surveillance involved? It sounds like there was too much technology involved for either the temple or the castle, and I doubt the island would have had all that many luxuries...

[ ... ]

In any case... it seemed like some sort of doodle, maybe. It's hard to say, because I couldn't look at it for long without my visual functions starting to throw errors at me, and it was blurred beyond recognition outside of a simplistic 'key.' Red was bad, white was good.

Predictably, it was mostly a mess of red, but... it seemed there was a bit of blue in there too?

[survivaltricks]

A doodle you couldn't look at for long. . .?

[huh]

[. . .]

Hey-- do you think it's a picture of one of our counselors? We can't see what they look like under the cloaks and hats and frills, so maybe. . .

[he trails off a little thoughtfully]