day two

[guestcontrol]

dreamland day two 40 players remaining. There are no clocks in your dorm room to help you mark the passing of time, but at a certain point, in the early hours of the morning, a cheerful chime tune plays over the loudspeaker. Whether you're awake or asleep, the door to your dorm room is now unlocked. You'll have about a forty five minutes, in which you can get ready or grab some breakfast, before the door that allows you into the park unlocks. By this time, you may or may not have noticed that one of your number is missing. The chimes play again, to announce that the park is open, and the rides and music begin to come back to life as a voice plays over the loudspeaker. "Rise and shine! Let's have a lot of fun today, or at least all of you who are left!" You will have until 4 PM to explore the park and talk amongst yourselves. Somewhere in the park, you'll find the body of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. rulebook character statuses private conversations graveyard Voting will close at 10 PM EST on September 27. Though a special comment for discussion will go up shortly before voting, you are encouraged to discuss who to vote for throughout the day. Voting

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a query from your pink seamstress

[flatview]

[ and taking Clash's initiative from the day before, Nui climbs up on one of the Mess Hall tables, stamping her parasol down to get attention ]

Hey, we actually need a plan of action! If we keep dropping like flies, the VIPs are gonna win in no time at all. I mean, there's 40 of us left, so it'll still be hard to fish for culprits, but we can't afford to sit here twiddling our thumbs!

Okay, so...we have no crime scene evidence, no line of suspects, and a day of deliberation. Kuzuryuu died from bludgeoning, but there was a bullet wound in his leg. Sakaki got exploded, like that Malik guy, but his bracelet was a little different. Oh, and Sakaki's bracelet said he was a regular guest.

Who has some ideas, here?

[photonement]

Well, if there's one idea I'm sure about, it's that bracelet of Sakaki's.

On the bulletin board, it tells us how many VIPs and roles and regulars are alive, right? And they had--Kuzuryuu, they had his name there. That was when we could all learn at the same time he was dead and a... an innocent guest without a role or anything.

But for Sakaki, there was no loudspeaker or anything. We just heard the noise and followed that. So that's why the bracelet was programmed to tell us what his deal was.

[flatview]

Well, that almost outright tells us it was the detonator who killed him, right? I dunno if the rules said anything about the VIPs killing more than one person per night, but there's always that.

Oh, and Sakaki's and Malik's bodies looked kinda different, too. Malik's arm was all weird and bulgy, but Sakaki's looked fine.

[photonement]

Yeah... There was nothing wrong with Sakaki's wrist at all. So, what we know is that the detonator "meets at night" and then the person who gets the key can use it at any time - like in the middle of the day today. And with Kuzuryuu... not exploding at all, we can be sure that the VIPs are killing people so since only one person died we can be sure they wanted to kill Ishtar, not some detonator.

[flatview]

I wonder if a person can get more than one detonator's key. Like, you can hoard two or three at the same time. Or if they can even give a key to same the person twice.

Do you think they gave a key to someone on the night that Malik died? I mean, they definitely did last night, if it was them who killed Sakaki.

[photonement]

The only way we could know for sure is if the person who got that key came forward, and I'm not sure he or she'd even wanna do that with... [Well. Kurapika the cuckoo-clock]

But I mean, if there's a rule against giving a key to multiple people, or the person with the key passing it around if they feel like it... would htat be in the rulebook? Even Levi's explanation that he doesn't choose whose alignment he learns, that's in the rules if you squint real close at the buddy cop description compared to the detective one.

[siggey]

I want to talk to the Detonator.

[ Not going to beat around the bush at this point. Since everyone's gathered and our time is limited, I need to ask what's been on my mind, ever since the explosion happened and the news spread. ]

Actually, no, I just want you to hear what I have to say. I'll make use of Aya's tabloids too, if that's what it takes to reach you. So if you're here now and you're listening, Detonator...

Please, don't give out keys anymore. If you have to and don't get a choice, can you also let us know? The rules aren't specific on that point. I do really want to know who you gave the key to, that could help us a lot. But it's not like we can force you, so if you don't give any signs, we'd just have to keep struggling with what little we currently know.

[ I take a deep breath before continuing. ]

Either way, nothing changes the fact that Yuya died today, very probably due to a key that you gave to someone last night or the night before. There should be a convert now too, but that they've given no sign means people are somehow made to take their roles as killers seriously. That means we can't know if everyone is genuine with their feelings, the only ones who'd know are ourselves.

...But I want to know anyway, how you feel about today. Is this what you expected to happen? Did you know beforehand, or at least had an idea, of how the person you're giving the key to was going to use it? Because...

[ I vainly smack down my fist against the table.

...

Damnit... ]

[jingler]

[K pauses, not sure what to say. He thinks it's a request in vain because admitting to being the detonator in such a tense situation could spell doom for that person. It makes more sense for the detonator to wait until after voting and speak with Levi.

In the end he decides to hesitantly put a hand on Sigma's shoulder, trying to comfort him.]

[siggey]

You don't have to come forward. A note somewhere, tell someone else, even that stupid paper. Just... something... anything.

[ I know it's K because of the noise his robe and armor made. I can't turn to face him though, at least, not yet...

Is there really nothing we can do? Have we no means to trust and rely on each other at all...?]

[jingler]

Sigma...

[He feels at a lost, not sure what to even say. K assumes he was never good at comforting others because he can't think of anyway he can quell Sigma's despair. It doesn't even feel natural to be comforting Sigma, which strikes him as far and beyond strange.]

[siggey]

I'm fine.

[ Sighing, I straighten myself before turning around to face him. ]

Sorry. This just... didn't have to happen.

It doesn't have to happen again, either.

[sunshade]

[ patchy actually looks a bit sad ]

Do you think emotional appeals are going to work? If you say 'killers made to take their role seriously,' there's a chance the detonator could be thinking the same.

'I have to give this explosive to someone, or X happens.' Perhaps they're being blackmailed?

[siggey]

[ I had to take a moment to breathe before answering. ]

I don't know, but I have to try. Unless the Detonator will be putting their own life on the line if they try to clarify the rules about how their role works, that's... still information that can help us, maybe understand why this game is happening in the first place.

[foetida]

How do you know the detonator's behind this? [She crosses her arms.] If someone who has the key got converted, why did they target Yuya of all people? If I were a killer, I would have gone after that short little idiot who claimed to be the detective.

[photoshot]

Unless Mr. Levi was the convert. I'd hope he'd be smarter than just attack a random target with a valuable weapon like this, though.

[foetida]

I'd hope the detonator would be smart enough not to give someone that suspicious a tool to murder more people with.

[siggey]

Only for the distribution of keys. Some people have been saying maybe the Detonator's working with the VIPs. There's no way for us to know, I don't believe it myself. But the detonator should at least know who they gave the key to, whether or not they choose to share that information.

[ I run a hand through my hair in frustration. ]

Yeah. We don't know if the person who used the key is a VIP or not either. The VIPs should have better targets if they're taking this seriously, but like Clash mentioned before, instead of having to decide as a group, the individual with the key has the agency to choose for their own reasons. Which is why if the detonator can guess, since they should know who they chose to give it to...

[ Assuming it wasn't planned... But I feel ill just considering the possibility. Why...?]

[foetida]

It doesn't make any sense for someone on either side to target Sakaki. There was no reason to suspect that he had an important role or that he was a VIP.

...unless there's someone here who knows something we don't. Who was close to him?

[siggey]

...Actually, there might be one.

[ We're out of options, and whether I like it or not, we have to face the truth. ]

Nowhere in the rules say VIPs must be buddied with VIPs, or regular guests must be paired with regular guests. Hell, can we even say if the Medical Team, Buddy Cops, and Conversion Busters are people from the same buddy group?

...

Because if that can actually happen, then there are even higher odds that a VIP can be paired with a regular guest who has a role. So if that guest goes...

[foetida]

[A huff as she puts her hands on her hips.] Are you being deliberately obtuse? If a guest who's partnered with a VIP dies, then the VIP dies too. No one would be stupid enough to kill their own buddy, not unless they were suicidal.

[siggey]

I'm not! I'm just saying that if Levi's claim to be the detective is true, it's possible that he's got a buddy who's a VIP, and that can be the reason why they... got someone else to take the blow. And that while taking out the 7 VIPs is supposed to be the quickest way to end this game, 14 people may actually need to die in total to make that happen.

[ ... ]

The number will keep rising too, with every conversion. In the end, hunting down the VIPs may not be the way to end this game, with as little casualty as possible.

[ineptus]

Is there a way to end it with as little casualty as possible...?

[Sorry for the little girl interrupting, but she's kind of been losing hope in that idea almost by the hour...]

[siggey]

...

[ I shouldn't be talking about this with a little girl. The very fact that this is happening is nauseating, and for a moment, I wasn't sure I could answer her at all.]

...

Yeah.

Yeah, there is.

[ I repeat myself for my sake, since thinking about it logically, there is a way. ]

Every night, the VIPs decide to kill the same person that the medical team will stay on to protect. That way, there's no deaths in the morning.

...

If the Detonator has to give out a key, they should try to always give it to the same person who's not going to use it. We don't know if keys stack, but if it doesn't, then that lowers the risks for everyone too.

...

Finally, during trials, we have to keep voting to execute no one. That way, the VIPs will eventually win through conversion, but no one will have to lose their life again.