[It's a bit late by the time Katy heads out to track down Junpei, but she eventually finds him (spins roulette) out on the deck. There are few places left on the ship that aren't downright cursed, so although she's been avoiding the deck this week, she's glad to find him out here. The fresh air will be... nice. Needed.
Maybe he tries to greet her or maybe he doesn't notice her until she's like right there, but either way, she slugs him hard in the arm.]
I know you've got a role, and it lets you sniff out other roles. Haymitch told me. What the fuck?
[She will never stop being a brat over being left out of the loop.]
And before you start with me, yes, I'm aware there's rules, you couldn't tell me, whatever.
[But she's still grumbling as she yanks her cigarettes out of her pocket—a different pack this time, Junpei might notice. Someone's made use of the gift shop.]
[He's on the deck and his head's reeling from everything which means that, like, yeah he isn't noticing until he's suddenly punched in the arm!?]
Katy, what the fu-- [The words die as soon as it registers what she's just said. And now he's just. Staring. Blankly. For a long moment.
...and his expression very slowly clouds over like he's going to be responsible for a third body today.]
...what exactly did Haymitch tell you? [Also he's eyeing the cigarettes and he, like, doesn't normally smoke but he's sorely tempted to ask because he's livid goodbye everyone.]
[But she sighs, and after she lights up her cigarette and takes a puff, she offers it to him. Yeah, she saw that look, and she super gets it.]
He told me you two were working together, and that you'd uncovered a shitload of others with roles. And that you can't say shit unless I tell you I know what's up first.
[Hence why she opened with that.]
I know what he can do too, as you'd expect. He's all hellbent on keeping this shit under wraps, but I don't see the point.
[Just. The same withering look and he'll take the cigarette. He's tried once or twice in his life, so it's only one drag before he passes it back. It was possibly just out of spite, but who knows.]
...I didn't even know Haymitch and I were really working together until a few days ago, even though I found out about his role on Saturday. But I won't lie, I'm pretty fucking pissed he told you more than I would've liked. No offense against you, but there are people with those roles I'm trying to...["Protect." The word dies a little too easily.]
The point is there are still people out there I'm trying to find and until we really know what all of the roles can do and what the point is, we can't just start telling everyone out in the open. Especially since some of our roles have been getting killed.
But, since we're being honest--[The word's spat out, an effect thanks to a feeling of broken trust from Haymitch.]--I was going to check you next week if I didn't figure it out from you first.
So, what, you're the role master, and you get to dictate who's in the club? He's not stood up on the bar banging pots and pans announcing to the whole goddamn ship who's up to what. He's pretty fucking paranoid about that sort of thing, if you hadn't noticed.
[She readily takes that cigarette back, slouching against the railing with her arms folded.]
He told me, and that's it, because, go figure, he's trying to protect people, too. He trusts me, as he fucking should.
That is my job, Katy. So yeah. Until I know why and fully underestand one of my goddamn rules, I am! Okay? [There's an aggravated noise and--] Shit!
[And he punches the railing because that's a great idea. At least it's away from her. It's very unfortunate that there's something else going on here because this would probably be less of a problem if he didn't know a lot of other things.]
...look. I'm sorry, okay? I just...had people I promised I wouldn't share their identity, and I shared with Haymitch because we're under the same umbrella. I had specifically asked him some things and told him some things and...
Never mind. [Sometimes you just have trust issues that keep getting blown apart.] ...what do you want to know?
[She just watches him a moment, not reacting much as he takes out his frustration on the railing. Sometimes it be like that.]
Fine.
[She takes a breath, getting her thoughts in order. They're playing the assumption game now, since apparently that's how these roles work.]
You're actually King Shit over there, solely responsible for uniting the roles, keeping everyone on board safe, and getting us out of here with as few casualties as possible. The people with roles dying? That's on you, big shoots. People dying without roles, that's on you, too. You're just that special, in charge of all of us with everyone's blood on your hands.
[Oof, the sarcasm.]
Confirm or deny? Your job, the literal rules of your job, say that you're Team Captain.
[Still sarcastic, but it's softened, like when she gives her brother shit for being too hard on himself. Which, hey, applies here. She'll circle back to the rest in a moment.]
["You’re used to feeling like the cleverest man in the room, aren’t you?" "Absolutely not."
"Your reluctance to consider that the people closest to you could succumb to demons is a liability. To yourself, and to those very people."
"They expect you to steer them to safety. So it's a matter of keeping yourself at the head."
"I don't think I'm the one the needs assurance. Consider it a reminder, just in case."
He hears her, and he hears those other words from people in his head and it's a very blank look that he casts her as he picks up on the sarcasm and can't even throw a quip right back. He seems to be holding his breath and letting these things rotate in his head. He remembers the rules of his role and he thinks about the people whose trust he's already broken by even sharing with the people who are supposed to help him and maybe it still would've been easier to work on his own until he fully understood everything. But. Too late for that now.]
[She's quiet for another few moments—she tends to take her time in conversations like these—as she flips around to lean against the railing, looking out over the waves.]
I wager I'd look at it differently than you. Whatever position you've been slotted into, it's made-up. No one in real life plays by rules like this. The weight of the world isn't on your shoulders, even if this stupid game is telling you it is.
[She takes another hit off her cigarette.]
You and Haymitch have too much in common. I figured out his role all by myself, for the record. I'm not useless, and I'm not going to go spreading this shit around.
So I've heard. [Which like. Hit and miss, some people have told him to rely on others and others have told him that he's the one to be relied on. Sometimes you play games where you have teammates and sometimes you don't.]
I know you're not useless and I know you're not stupid. I overreacted. [You think?] I just needed to know I could trust people with what I've been finding out and...whatever. I get it.
[She nods, passing him the cigarette again if he wants it.]
You're forgiven.
[...]
Conditionally. You don't let this sour you on Haymitch and we're square. We ought to be working together.
[She's put in a lot of hours trying to convince him of that, so she doesn't need a setback, lord.]
Well, in fairness, he spilled the beans about you and some of the others before I caught on. I didn't even know roles existed up to that point. Obviously he was in the loop, so figuring he had a role was easy, and after that we talked about what kind of shit he knew. I put the pieces together. Guessed right on the first try.
[Mostly, anyway. She flicks her spent cigarette butt into the ocean before, ah, right—it comes shooting right back at her, splashing her in the face with seawater. She just fuckin' lets it happen at this point, grumbling apathetically under her breath.]
[Sure. He'll take another puff because today is enough to actually be a little more than stressful and he hands it back before he just. Frowns.]
...kinda makes it hard not to sour me on him when you lead in with that. [Still not thrilled, even though he knows why Haymitch did it. But it's a tricky situation and trips a bunch of wires and dredges up old memories from multitudes of timelines.] But I suppose it would be easy to guess after that, yeah. Hope the others know he spilled, too. Whoever they are. I don't want to know, because that's going to be something for Haymitch to deal with.
[Little does he know. It says something that the rebound butt only gets a slight smirk from him. It says something else when it fades immediately at the question.]
Life? Experience? Literally what you just told me? Take your pick. [He's bitter, but what else is new? It's maybe less relaxed and playful than she's ever seen him but he's glaring daggers at the ocean instead.]
"Assume everyone you meet is a thief." It means you shouldn't trust strangers so easily. And I've tried to trust the people here. There are plenty I do. There are some I still don't. But in games like these even the people you trust the most can, and possibly will, backstab you if you're not one step ahead. Sometimes your own teammates will turn on you because of something they think is true. Sometimes the person you love will take away your choices to succeed in their goals.
Humans are a mess and trusting them is only easy if you stay on the surface. When you get into it all, it's the most terrifying thing in the world.
He and I have been working together from the beginning. I'll be honest, I don't get the shock factor in that reveal. It's not like we've been hiding it.
[She takes a moment to wipe the water off of her face with her sleeve.]
Dick and Beck are the only others that know that I know. It came up when we were helping Beck with her eye. Haymitch was there.
[So, yes, the chain of information is clear. And as for his answer... She listens carefully, watching him as he talks.]
You two really do have a lot in common. I'm sorry. Someone must've really let you down for you to think that way.
[It's said gently, respectfully, because she can only understand where he's coming from to a point, and she knows it. This situation is hell, but it's hands down the worst thing that's ever happened to her. She's not so sure it's that easy a contest with Junpei. He'll elaborate if he wants to, and if not, that's his right.]
Where'd you hear that? "Assume everyone you meet is a thief."
It's not surprising, I already knew that. It's why I told Haymitch that I had to wonder about you and asked him to be discreet if he talked to you about it. [And this is why he's annoyed, amongst other things.] I made a promise to Beck that I wouldn't tell anyone about her. I only told Haymitch in confidence because we're working together. You can see what the problem is.
[It was still his own fault, but. He just...glares at the sky instead. He can glare at everything and there's a bark of a laugh before he just. Shakes his head.]
Japanese proverb. Wording's a little different but same thing. [He doesn't want to explain but this week's been awful with memshares that the constant reminders aren't helping. So there's a pause.] I never told you why I dropped out of school and became a detective, did I?
Hate to point out the obvious, super chief, but sounds to me like the slip-up with Beck is on you. And what does "discreet" even look like in a situation like this? Do you think I would've let him dangle vague little snippets of intel in front of me without giving me the full story? You ought to know me better than that by now.
[She shrugs.]
It's possible he hasn't told me everything. It's not like I'd know better, out here on the fringes.
[There's just a hint of bitterness to that. She's so sick of stumbling around in the dark.]
But the fact remains that he saw fit to tell me what he did. I'll stand by him in that.
...maybe it is. I don't know anymore. [And that's frustrating, too.] I didn't think he'd actually tell you the list of people to prove a point is all. Can we agree on that? Given that things are getting worse I still think it's the right thing not to completely tell everyone everything. Especially since nobody is safe from possession.
[But with that point he drops it and digs a hand into his pocket. A moment later he's pulling out what looks like an emerald-cut diamond ring. He turns to lean his back against the rail.]
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polyapathy) wrote2019-10-19 01:33 am
week 3; friday post-investigation; deck
Maybe he tries to greet her or maybe he doesn't notice her until she's like right there, but either way, she slugs him hard in the arm.]
I know you've got a role, and it lets you sniff out other roles. Haymitch told me. What the fuck?
[She will never stop being a brat over being left out of the loop.]
And before you start with me, yes, I'm aware there's rules, you couldn't tell me, whatever.
[But she's still grumbling as she yanks her cigarettes out of her pocket—a different pack this time, Junpei might notice. Someone's made use of the gift shop.]
no subject
Katy, what the fu-- [The words die as soon as it registers what she's just said. And now he's just. Staring. Blankly. For a long moment.
...and his expression very slowly clouds over like he's going to be responsible for a third body today.]
...what exactly did Haymitch tell you? [Also he's eyeing the cigarettes and he, like, doesn't normally smoke but he's sorely tempted to ask because he's livid goodbye everyone.]
no subject
[But she sighs, and after she lights up her cigarette and takes a puff, she offers it to him. Yeah, she saw that look, and she super gets it.]
He told me you two were working together, and that you'd uncovered a shitload of others with roles. And that you can't say shit unless I tell you I know what's up first.
[Hence why she opened with that.]
I know what he can do too, as you'd expect. He's all hellbent on keeping this shit under wraps, but I don't see the point.
no subject
...I didn't even know Haymitch and I were really working together until a few days ago, even though I found out about his role on Saturday. But I won't lie, I'm pretty fucking pissed he told you more than I would've liked. No offense against you, but there are people with those roles I'm trying to...["Protect." The word dies a little too easily.]
The point is there are still people out there I'm trying to find and until we really know what all of the roles can do and what the point is, we can't just start telling everyone out in the open. Especially since some of our roles have been getting killed.
But, since we're being honest--[The word's spat out, an effect thanks to a feeling of broken trust from Haymitch.]--I was going to check you next week if I didn't figure it out from you first.
no subject
So, what, you're the role master, and you get to dictate who's in the club? He's not stood up on the bar banging pots and pans announcing to the whole goddamn ship who's up to what. He's pretty fucking paranoid about that sort of thing, if you hadn't noticed.
[She readily takes that cigarette back, slouching against the railing with her arms folded.]
He told me, and that's it, because, go figure, he's trying to protect people, too. He trusts me, as he fucking should.
[She gives him a look.]
But no offense against me, right?
no subject
That is my job, Katy. So yeah. Until I know why and fully underestand one of my goddamn rules, I am! Okay? [There's an aggravated noise and--] Shit!
[And he punches the railing because that's a great idea. At least it's away from her. It's very unfortunate that there's something else going on here because this would probably be less of a problem if he didn't know a lot of other things.]
...look. I'm sorry, okay? I just...had people I promised I wouldn't share their identity, and I shared with Haymitch because we're under the same umbrella. I had specifically asked him some things and told him some things and...
Never mind. [Sometimes you just have trust issues that keep getting blown apart.] ...what do you want to know?
no subject
Fine.
[She takes a breath, getting her thoughts in order. They're playing the assumption game now, since apparently that's how these roles work.]
You're actually King Shit over there, solely responsible for uniting the roles, keeping everyone on board safe, and getting us out of here with as few casualties as possible. The people with roles dying? That's on you, big shoots. People dying without roles, that's on you, too. You're just that special, in charge of all of us with everyone's blood on your hands.
[Oof, the sarcasm.]
Confirm or deny? Your job, the literal rules of your job, say that you're Team Captain.
[Still sarcastic, but it's softened, like when she gives her brother shit for being too hard on himself. Which, hey, applies here. She'll circle back to the rest in a moment.]
no subject
"Your reluctance to consider that the people closest to you could succumb to demons is a liability. To yourself, and to those very people."
"They expect you to steer them to safety. So it's a matter of keeping yourself at the head."
"I don't think I'm the one the needs assurance. Consider it a reminder, just in case."
He hears her, and he hears those other words from people in his head and it's a very blank look that he casts her as he picks up on the sarcasm and can't even throw a quip right back. He seems to be holding his breath and letting these things rotate in his head. He remembers the rules of his role and he thinks about the people whose trust he's already broken by even sharing with the people who are supposed to help him and maybe it still would've been easier to work on his own until he fully understood everything. But. Too late for that now.]
Depends on how you look at it.
no subject
I wager I'd look at it differently than you. Whatever position you've been slotted into, it's made-up. No one in real life plays by rules like this. The weight of the world isn't on your shoulders, even if this stupid game is telling you it is.
[She takes another hit off her cigarette.]
You and Haymitch have too much in common. I figured out his role all by myself, for the record. I'm not useless, and I'm not going to go spreading this shit around.
no subject
I know you're not useless and I know you're not stupid. I overreacted. [You think?] I just needed to know I could trust people with what I've been finding out and...whatever. I get it.
...how'd you figure him out anyway?
no subject
You're forgiven.
[...]
Conditionally. You don't let this sour you on Haymitch and we're square. We ought to be working together.
[She's put in a lot of hours trying to convince him of that, so she doesn't need a setback, lord.]
Well, in fairness, he spilled the beans about you and some of the others before I caught on. I didn't even know roles existed up to that point. Obviously he was in the loop, so figuring he had a role was easy, and after that we talked about what kind of shit he knew. I put the pieces together. Guessed right on the first try.
[Mostly, anyway. She flicks her spent cigarette butt into the ocean before, ah, right—it comes shooting right back at her, splashing her in the face with seawater. She just fuckin' lets it happen at this point, grumbling apathetically under her breath.]
What makes you think you can't trust people?
no subject
...kinda makes it hard not to sour me on him when you lead in with that. [Still not thrilled, even though he knows why Haymitch did it. But it's a tricky situation and trips a bunch of wires and dredges up old memories from multitudes of timelines.] But I suppose it would be easy to guess after that, yeah. Hope the others know he spilled, too. Whoever they are. I don't want to know, because that's going to be something for Haymitch to deal with.
[Little does he know. It says something that the rebound butt only gets a slight smirk from him. It says something else when it fades immediately at the question.]
Life? Experience? Literally what you just told me? Take your pick. [He's bitter, but what else is new? It's maybe less relaxed and playful than she's ever seen him but he's glaring daggers at the ocean instead.]
"Assume everyone you meet is a thief." It means you shouldn't trust strangers so easily. And I've tried to trust the people here. There are plenty I do. There are some I still don't. But in games like these even the people you trust the most can, and possibly will, backstab you if you're not one step ahead. Sometimes your own teammates will turn on you because of something they think is true. Sometimes the person you love will take away your choices to succeed in their goals.
Humans are a mess and trusting them is only easy if you stay on the surface. When you get into it all, it's the most terrifying thing in the world.
no subject
[She takes a moment to wipe the water off of her face with her sleeve.]
Dick and Beck are the only others that know that I know. It came up when we were helping Beck with her eye. Haymitch was there.
[So, yes, the chain of information is clear. And as for his answer... She listens carefully, watching him as he talks.]
You two really do have a lot in common. I'm sorry. Someone must've really let you down for you to think that way.
[It's said gently, respectfully, because she can only understand where he's coming from to a point, and she knows it. This situation is hell, but it's hands down the worst thing that's ever happened to her. She's not so sure it's that easy a contest with Junpei. He'll elaborate if he wants to, and if not, that's his right.]
Where'd you hear that? "Assume everyone you meet is a thief."
no subject
[It was still his own fault, but. He just...glares at the sky instead. He can glare at everything and there's a bark of a laugh before he just. Shakes his head.]
Japanese proverb. Wording's a little different but same thing. [He doesn't want to explain but this week's been awful with memshares that the constant reminders aren't helping. So there's a pause.] I never told you why I dropped out of school and became a detective, did I?
no subject
Hate to point out the obvious, super chief, but sounds to me like the slip-up with Beck is on you. And what does "discreet" even look like in a situation like this? Do you think I would've let him dangle vague little snippets of intel in front of me without giving me the full story? You ought to know me better than that by now.
[She shrugs.]
It's possible he hasn't told me everything. It's not like I'd know better, out here on the fringes.
[There's just a hint of bitterness to that. She's so sick of stumbling around in the dark.]
But the fact remains that he saw fit to tell me what he did. I'll stand by him in that.
[...]
You haven't, no.
no subject
[But with that point he drops it and digs a hand into his pocket. A moment later he's pulling out what looks like an emerald-cut diamond ring. He turns to lean his back against the rail.]
You want the long or short version?