PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS - AKIRA

[menially]

Comments

week zero - friday

[menially]

[Ah yes, what a surprise.

Guy doesn't wait to start scouring the camp for a few different people. Akira isn't one of the ones he expects to be finding secluded in a corner somewhere, especially not after that verbal outburst that probably half the camp could hear.

By the time Guy's handled more immediate matters, Akira is not out near the bonfires, nor is he in his cabin. So the blonde hustles his way over to the Director's Office. There's probably a small riot going on over there, after all.]

[survivaltricks]

[well there probably was a small riot, but fortunately by now everyone has dispersed. . . probably? either way, Akira appears to be alone, seated on the ground with his back pressed against the office door]

[he has his head resting against his knees so he doesn't quite see Guy approach]

[menially]

[. . .

Just gonna walk up enough to gently thunk him on the head with the back of his knuckles

he's got gloves on, it's fine]

[survivaltricks]

[jerking upright when thunked, surprisingly jumpy for someone who is usually so lax]

Ah. . . Guy. . .

[menially]

[hm :\ :/

He'll nod towards the mess hall.]

You think you can take a second out of your morning from warming the doorstep?

[survivaltricks]

[a soft huff, and he begins to push himself to his feet]

Hn. Doorstep seems warm enough. . . yep, I think it's break time.

[menially]

[good :\ He'll wordlessly lead the teen across the path and into the mess hall, marching over to grab a couple bottles of water, tossing one at Akira while he leans up against one of the tables, popping open the other.]

That first. Coffee later. Get something back in you.

[survivaltricks]

[his expression falls in surprise when Guy tosses the water at him, and he manages to catch the bottle after fumbling with it for a few seconds]

Oh. . .

. . . thanks. I'm-- I'm all right, though.

[menially]

Yeah, that sure was the posture of someone who was feeling ready to take on the world. You have me convinced.

[He sighs, tone softening.]

I heard the commotion earlier. What happened?

[survivaltricks]

[lllightly, but deceptively so]

I'm always ready to take on the world.

[popping the cap off of the water and taking a swig, silent for a moment before answering Guy's question]

You heard the announcement, right?

Putting aside that someone here is allegedly dead. . . some of us recognized those voices.

[menially]

Recognized...?

That audio was completely garbled -- how in the world did you recognize any of that?

[survivaltricks]

[ah]

I don't know.

[???]

From what I understand, small groups of people were able to understand different parts of the message. Chuuya, Dazai and Takko recognized the first voice. I don't know who-- if anyone-- recognized the second.

And the entire group from the mansion recognized the third.

[menially]

...Akechi Goro?

[unless that's just a random phrase that Akira likes to shout to the clouds]

Did you all know that person from the mansion?

[survivaltricks]

[another swig of water, and now he's resting his hip against the counter tops]

I knew him from before the mansion.

[aha]

But he was in the mansion with us, yes.

[menially]

[]

Did he normally make those kind of announcements, or was he just a participant like you?

[survivaltricks]

He was a participant. One of the biggest reasons we all made it out safely, too.

[aha]

This isn't like him. It isn't like him at all.

[menially]

Then chances are that it's not him. Someone's likely manipulating it. Maybe to just get a fierce enough reaction.

[His jaw sets.]

Were you able to talk to any of the Directors in depth this week?

[survivaltricks]

[his shoulders slump a little bit, because that's exactly what he wants to believe. in before Akechi shows up at trial to host]

I was, though I asked them more about themselves than I did the camp.

Did you speak to them, too?

[menially]

Not all of them. The ones I did talk to were pretty adamant that this wasn't going to happen, to the point of one of them demanding promises to subdue if things went wrong, not kill.

I also can't help but think of something I was told on the bus. Did you meet Jack through that board on the bar at all?

[survivaltricks]

Mmm, yeah. And they were all so insistent that I believe. . . I believe them.

[even now. . . ?]

And of course I talked to Jack. I named them.

[menially]

I figured it was probably someone else. They seemed pretty lax about it.

...

Did they mention reincarnation?

[survivaltricks]

[-- what??]

No? Reincarnation for who? Us?

[menially]

I don't know about us. But I wonder about our hosts.

It came up while talking about them, when I asked about what they remembered about previous journeys. That they have changed before based on what is needed.

[survivaltricks]

Jack said this? About Winter, Heart and Shadows. . . ?

[huh. . .]

. . . we do know this world is easily affected by outside forces. That's why so many things changed when we were brought in.

[menially]

Nah, just about Jack themselves. Sorry, I should have been more clear.

I didn't think anything of it right away, with how suddenly everything happened. Now that our situation is a little more complicated, I wouldn't be surprised if it extended to more than just that one instance.

Might be a long shot, but maybe it might be the reason we can't exactly see what any of them look like. Jack was a bus because they needed to be a bus. Maybe what our hosts are supposed to be hasn't been firmly decided yet. Like a constant, whose identity morphs with the environment.

[He'll shrug, though, glancing at his water bottle in thought.]

Not that we can really confirm anything right now. But it might be something to look into later.