[Prologue, Saturday: Hikage]

[doublecrows]

[hi Hikage!! this evening Akechi can be found making post-trial coffee in the kitchen, if you happen to stumble across him in the process of same]

Oh, Hikage-san. Good evening.

Care for a drink?

Comments

[psychedelica]

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.

[doublecrows]

[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.

[psychedelica]

[ 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.

[doublecrows]

[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?

[psychedelica]

[ 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.

[doublecrows]

[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?

[psychedelica]

[ 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?

[doublecrows]

[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.

[psychedelica]

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

[doublecrows]

No.

[he shakes his head in response to that question]

I am a hero. Are you?

[psychedelica]

[ 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. ]

[doublecrows]

[oh. he looks surprised, before he nods]

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

[psychedelica]

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

[doublecrows]

[he nods]

Would sharing your objective give your title away?

[psychedelica]

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?