doublecrows | [Prologue, Saturday: Hikage]

[ coffee and not tea? gross. he was actually coming down here to get snacks for a certain someone. Despite all the events of today, he doesn't look that tired. Apparently, he really is used to this stuff. ]

... Is that coffee?

[tea is good!! Akechi likes tea!! but some stupid asshole got him hooked on coffee lately :/]

Yes, it is. Not the best cup I've ever had, but it'll do. Are you a fan?

[ yeah he knows how it is :\

that said, he seems to think about it for a little, then shrugs. ]

I'm more of a tea person, but I don't hate coffee. At this rate, I'm going to be awake for a while, anyway.

In that case, why not fill yourself up with caffeine to keep your engine going?

[he'll gladly grab a second mug for Hikage. he's no Joker, but he can at least make basic, decent-tasting coffee. sorry you don't get the good stuff]

[ it's fine, he hasn't had anything other than garbage afterlife food and drink in [redacted] years, he won't judge. Hikage accepts the mug with a small nod of thanks, but doesn't take a seat. There's a little bit of baking he still needs to do. ]

Yeah. There are a lot of answers I still don't have. [ he takes a sip of the coffee. ] ... You were friends with her, right?

[lord if he had ten yen for every person who asked him that question tonight]

If having two conversations with someone in the course of a week makes them a "friend," yes.

Edited 2018-06-10 07:05 (UTC)

[ sorry, ketchy... that answer alone tells him he wasn't going to get much out of this, though. ]

That's more than I had, anyway. [ a big ol goose egg, save for today's interactions. ] You were one of the last people to talk to her... But I'm guessing she never hinted at what might have been going on.

She didn't.

[TY DID OOCLY I JUST SUCK!!!]

I'm ashamed that I didn't pick up on the signs myself. I was suspect, and she had ink on her arm, but I sill didn't make the connection to murder.

[ IT'S OKAY I WON'T JUDGE YOU ]

... It's all right. To be honest, I hadn't put together most of it, either. The only reason I "knew" early was because the fact that her heel matched convinced me - and even that's something Cardia came up with, not me.

[ it's rare for him to be modest, but he can be... mostly because he doesn't have any illusions of his skill in puzzle-solving. he still sounds chagrined about it, though. ]

I was more wondering if she ever talked to you about working with those two, or her title.

[BLESS U SIB]

That's all it took to convince me as well. The stiletto knife was a pretty distraction, but the heel was conclusive for me.

[Akechi's modesty is feigned, I'm sorry]

She never did. We discussed the purpose of titles, but kept our own to ourselves, as per the rule book. She never mentioned working with Tiger-san or Dragon-san, either.

Of course not. That would make her suspicious. [ a sigh. ] I figured, but it was worth a shot.

[ he pauses, setting his mug down on the counter and heading over to the fridge while continuing to speak. ]

You think something bad will happen to you if you tell someone about your title?

No.

[that answer is immediate, as Akechi follows Hikage to the fridge with his gaze]

The rule book emphasizes secrecy, but then mentions we're allowed to tell those we trust. If anything bad happens, it won't be at the hands of our captors.

It'll only be because we choose to trust the wrong people.

[ a nod. he agrees with pretty much all of that. ]

Unless you want to blame Tiger and Dragon, yeah. [ as he talks, he takes out a small bowl with what looks like a big of leftover dough in it, setting it on the counter before going to find a baking tray. ] I've told some people, and nothing's happened to me.

[blinks a bit in surprise, now focusing on the bowl of dough]

If you've told several people already, there must be many here that you trust.

[ it is some average-looking dough!! maybe cake dough. there's not much left, so he must have been using it before - but what is left, he's rolling out into a few pancake-shaped flats. ]

Not exactly... If you want to get information, you have to give some up.

[you're going to make Akechi hungry, Hikage]

. . . naturally.

Are you implying something here, Hikage-san?

To be honest, I don't find you particularly suspicious, so not really.

[ hikage you absolute fool ]

Do you have an entire handgun, or just the silencer?

[HIKAGE YOU FOOL]

I was mostly wondering if you were subtly asking me what my title was, actually.

[a light chuckle, before he answers the question]

Just the silencer. It's a piece of evidence from a case I was investigating immediately before arriving here.

[l o l]

[ i mean he's not lying technically ]

Huh... That's pretty useless. [ he's going to put the tray in the oven now, excuse him akechi. ] If I asked you for your title, would you actually tell me?

[he isn't lying and that's terrible]

[he also seems to considering this, before answering]

I wouldn't. Not because I don't trust you, but because I have yet to tell my partner what it is. We've exchanged objectives, but not titles. I think he should be the first to know, before I share this information with anyone else.

Your partner, huh.

[ there's a pause as he tries to remember who that is... and then a sour expression on his face when he does. ]

You think you can trust that guy with information like that?

[ he's lacking a filter at best... ]

Have you heard of the term "mutually assured destruction," Hikage-san?

[Akechi that's so extra]

[ he makes a good point, though... ]

... Fair enough. [ setting those babies to bake!! now he just has to... wait. he'll pass time sipping coffee with akechi, apparently. ]

Does he say weird things to you, too?

All of the time.

[he doesn't even need Hikage to define "weird" because Eichi is "weird"]

[ ah... a fellow victim. He gives Akechi an apologetic look as he returns to his mug. ]

I thought so. I don't know what his deal is... If he tries anything, I don't mind if you come to my room.

[ he feels like eichi is the type to try and grab some ass or something okay ]

[well. admittedly, it's kind of nice to have someone to commiserate with over this]

I'll bear that in mind. Thanks, Hikage-san.

I just feel bad about your bad luck with partners. That's all.

[ he got... moderately lucky... steph seems like she's going to leap straight into danger as soon as she spots it, but at least the flirting is... less. we'll go with less. ]

Your profile says you've got good reasoning, too. If that's true, you'll be a useful ally.

[there should be more flirting when will you two kiss god damn it]

Well, thank you. [FEED HIS EGO, HIKAGE] I do intend to offer my skills to the group as a whole in whatever helpful way I can. Whether it will be enough. . . well. Time will tell.

[ THAT'S HIS BUSINESS!!!!!! ]

I don't think you should try to help the whole group. Some people here are lying to you. Of course, I think it's best that we find the culprit as often as possible... but I'm pretty convinced that there are titles who are working against us. You'd be better off finding a few people you can confide in.

[the entire castle is into Akeichi's business THE ENTIRE CASTLE SHOULD BE INTO STEPHIKAE'S TOO]

[Hikage's assertion gets a slow blink from Akechi]

Why do you think there are titles working against us?

[ isn't stephikage what naruto wants to be ]

It's just a hypothesis... But the titles are divided into heroes, civilians, and villains. There were a bunch of things that showed up last week just to confuse us, too, like that armor. It would make sense if the heroes were trying to help us survive and the villains were trying to make us fail, wouldn't it? Especially if one side is Tiger's and one side is Dragon's.

[I DON'T KNOW I NEVER WATCHED NARUTO. . .]

I think that's a bit too simplistic.

[wow, blunt]

Villains are just as much a part of a story as heroes. If narratives are their theme, then I think it's less about heroes helping and villains hindering, and more about everyone achieving the end of a personal story arc.

That's what our objectives are for. Or, at least, doesn't it seem that way?

[ COME ON AL!!!!!

the bluntness doesn't bother Hikage in the least, because he's the same way most of the time. In fact, it seems like it makes him take Akechi more seriously. He raises an eyebrow. ]

Is that what your objective seems like?

[I'M NOT A NARUTO PERSON!!]

My objective isn't something that would benefit the whole of the group, yes. But it wouldn't harm them, either. It's something more. . . personal, and individualistic.

Then yours isn't like mine at all. [ a beat. He stares at Akechi. ] Are you one of the villains?

No.

[he shakes his head in response to that question]

I am a hero. Are you?

[ he shakes his head, too. ]

No. I'm a civilian. One of the princes.

[ he takes a sip of his coffee. look at him, actually sharing information. ]

[oh. he looks surprised, before he nods]

Cinderella's prince, or Snow White's prince. Curious.

I'll leave which one to your imagination. I don't know who the other one is, anyway.

[he nods]

Would sharing your objective give your title away?

Probably not, but I'm not going to tell you what it is when you haven't told me anything. You can only get information if you give some up, remember?

[Prologue, Saturday: Hikage]

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it's a coincidence he's making something pancake-shaped i swear

DOUBT

I SWEAR!!!!!!!!

DOUBT!!!!!!!!

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