[Week 6, Thursday: Nico]

[doublecrows]

[he imagines Nico is still reeling from Reyna's presence yesterday, but. . . well. some questions must be asked]

[and so, wherever Nico may be this fine Thursday afternoon, Akechi seeks him out]

Di Angelo? A moment, if you will?

Comments

[resumed]

[The quirked eyebrow doesn't bother him, and instead he debates how to reply.]

My other objectives weren't bad. But this one involves physically harming someone. You know how that's going to look to other people.

[doublecrows]

I do.

[he doesn't seem bothered by the nature of Nico's objective. why would he, when he was a Blotter all those weeks ago?]

Then I suppose the best course of action would be to complete the objective in secret, or find a volunteer. Even so--

[Nico never confirmed he was a Villain, but Akechi finds the need to point this out, anyway]

We have a full list of every Villain in this game. We know that you are either a Hero or a Civilian. In that case, you wouldn't need to complete your objective at all, since those two factions are well accounted for.

[resumed]

[...

Well. That's not at all surprising. Not all Historians are useless, it seems, but it also doesn't change anything that he said. It does allow him to course-correct for a bit.]

How short are you on your Villain objectives? [He'll explain why shortly. But since Akechi already has that information...]

You would be correct about my faction though. It's good to know the other two have met their minimums.

[doublecrows]

["not all Historians are useless" ARE YOU SURE THEY GOT ALL THEIR GAME INFO FROM NON-HISTORIANS]

We need at least two more. The White Rabbit has completed two, and an unknown Villain has completed three.

[which doesn't seem too bad, but with the low number of Villains in the game and the difficulty of Villain objectives, it's. . . a bit stressful]

Why do you ask?

[resumed]

Because I've been trying to get a villain to complete their objective and I'm not sure how else to do it without consequences for them. [So if you have any ideas, Akechi, by all means.]

[doublecrows]

[it's hard to give suggestions when he doesn't know the nature of the objective, but. . .]

If it involves killing someone, then again, you could assist them in finding a voluntary victim. You could also frame someone, or find someone willing to take the fall on their behalf.

There's no pleasant way to go about it. I imagine, based on our low Villain numbers, that the populace would be far more willing to spare them despite their crime, anyway.

[resumed]

I already volunteered myself and was told no. [Bemused. It would have solved everything and yet he got a bigass resounding no.]

...you think everyone will really protect and spare the villain faction?

[doublecrows]

[they must really like you Nico!1]

If they care about reviving the dead, then yes. If they don't? Then of course not.

But I do recall how everyone tried to ensure they weren't voting for a Villain at the last trial.

[resumed]

[He's under zero impression that Akechi doesn't know who he's talking about, but whatever.]

True. [He ponders for a brief moment.] ...I'm currently tied to a Villain, as you know. I need to keep her alive.

[doublecrows]

Izumi-san.

[title unknown, but Natsuo confirmed her faction]

If she is interested in completing her objective, send her my way. I will do what I can to protect her in the process. That is my duty as a Historian.

[also he killed someone and is still alive? so. uh. yeah]

[resumed]

If you betray her, I will kill you myself. [Casually. Almost cheerfully! But he also knows he doesn't exactly have a leg to stand on. He doesn't have an additional role or anything and he's aware that he's not as strongly aligned with the remaining members of the castle as he could be.

Nevertheless he has to protect Kyouka above all else.]

She told me about it and she's refused to do it to me even though I've asked her. [He rolls his eyes.] I understand her reservations though, given the way things have gone here.

...I also believe she would have little reason to cooperate should something happen to me. That's why I'm staying alive as long as possible. [Otherwise he'd probably try to get himself killed to follow Reyna, basically.]

[doublecrows]

[that gets a chuckle from Akechi]

I wouldn't dream of it. Not when we're concerned about numbers.

[and when Nico would know it's obviously him. it's not that he has moral qualms with betrayal (obviously), it's just. self-preservation]

Keep staying alive, then. We'll likely need your help in encouraging her to act.

[resumed]

I'll do what I can then. It's the best chance we have. [A pause.] What else do you guys know so far?

[doublecrows]

[. . . mrrrrgh]

You still haven't told me your faction.

[he points out with a dull look]

I'm not even asking for your title. Just your alignment.

[resumed]

Oh. [Look he thought it didn't even matter after he confirmed he wasn't a villain.] Civilian. Nothing special.

[doublecrows]

[of course it matters!! and Akechi looks pleased once he gets the answer]

Then, to answer your question, we know every Narrator's alignment with regards to factions.

[now that Nico has spoken up]

We also have information concerning the past game, seeing as we were once participants of same.

[resumed]

[...he looks a little impressed at least.]

Good work. So you'll be able to monitor the numbers from here and help us balance out who's left. [That's actually great news. There's even a slight glint of hope in his eyes?

But regardless.] The information about the past game...is it important?

[doublecrows]

That's correct. And we intend to do just that.

[he doesn't think the Historians are the only ones with that information, but. now that their group knows, they can do what they can to keep things even]

I believe it is, although we have yet to truly discover in what way. We've experienced four memories of the last game so far, each one related to current events.

That letter Varian-san shared at the past trial was mine. I attempted to write to Beauty and Beast-- Hiro Hamada and Yona-- to gain a better understanding of what happened a year ago.

[resumed]

...that must be difficult. Getting memories back like that. [Hm. Dislike. Nevertheless he's listening and he's actually cooperating now, look at that.]

I'm going to assume Varian's not a Historian given that information, but I'm glad he shared. It gives everybody enough of a heads up. I do have to wonder why you're getting memories piece by piece. [He raises an eyebrow.] Have they written back with anything useful?

[doublecrows]

No more difficult than other things.

[such as MURDER. but you know]

They attempted to explain to me why we five were the only survivors from that game, and why we were brought back to play in this second one. Apparently, the five of us were somewhere outside of the castle-- some place similar as to the places other Narrators have explored in previous weeks-- when Beauty attempted to take Tiger-san's life. Our absence from the castle is what spared us.

They believe we should end the game in Dragon-san's favor, which is the ending where the most "balance" is achieved. That does seem to be the road we're traversing at the moment, doesn't it?

[resumed]

[Point.]

I suppose that explains why it's you guys specifically. [Dragon's ending though...give him a moment.] ...if we keep wiping out numbers of the villain faction, no. Our kills have to be more strategic.

...but doesn't that mean killing more heroes and civilians?

[doublecrows]

[. . . hm]

You're clever to have picked up on that.

[resumed]

[Is it cleverness? He's not so sure. But...]

Then what do you suggest we do for people who are picked to be weekly killers? Track them down and pick the victim for them?

[doublecrows]

That is a thought, far easier said than done. Perhaps we could send a letter to the public requesting any Blotters seek out a Historian to check factions before they choose their villain.

That would, of course, require them to trust us.

[resumed]

...the last time I infiltrated a region that would have gotten me killed, I had to keep everything to myself and work with them to build enough trust. It took a few months and lying to a handful of people before explaining my motives. Since we don't have time for that, I'll ask you this. Do you think people trust the Historians individually without knowing you guys are Historians?

[...Akechi's a murderer so like. ??? And he knows who he does and doesn't trust here, so double ????]