graveyard.

[foxhounds]

You remember dying. In fact, you remember the exact feeling and fear of how you died, and yet in the next moment, you're suddenly standing in a cold room. You're not sure how you got here at all, but it's as if you were suddenly put here the moment after you died. As you look around, the first thing you'll notice is that you're standing in front of an open casket. And you're inside. The corpse inside the casket is definitely you, and it's also definitely dead, which certainly makes this confusing. Luckily, here's someone here to explain. When you wake up, there's footsteps walking closer, and then a familiar face appears. Iván is here, or someone that looks very much like her is. All she starts off with is two simple words— "You're dead." Which would seem obvious, but she explains that you have been before you ever arrived to the island. The shipwreck and the island are't real, after all. This is purgatory, and the Hunt is a way to judge the souls of the living. People show their true nature when they're put in a stressful situation, so it was deemed that this was the way that these judgements would be passed. She explains that you'll know your fate when the game ends, but if you really can't wait that long, you could always ask, but hope isn't lost. After all, the "killers" are on your side. If they can win the game, then everyone can come back to life. They know this, and it's why they're fighting so hard to win. It's a shame that the odds don't seem to be in their favor, but that's also part of the Hunt. — Exploring your new surroundings, you'll realize that you're likely at the bottom of that giant sinkhole, at least if that light far above you is any indication. You no longer feel the need to eat or sleep anymore (technically, you never did, but the habits of being alive are hard to break), so it's a good thing there's enough to do while the game continues. You can watch the proceedings of the Hunt in one room where there's plenty of comfortable couches to sit in and lounge, as well as a fully stocked bar, if you feel like indulging. Another room offers a game room with cards, billiards, and any other games you'd like to play in a group. If you ask your host nicely, she might provide more, but for now, there's not much to do other than to watch and wait for the Hunt to end.

Comments

[meatery]

[Hey, they work for her.]

Nope. [Simply put. And hearing Fuuma's reasoning-] That girl doesn't know anything because she doesn't know anything, that's all. [...] That or she lied to him to protect someone.

[ossifragant]

[Greed's head shakes.]

She does seem to know more than she's letting on. But that game she played like this one was just on her phone, right?

[He doesn't know what a phone is but he's just going to roll with this.]

I wonder what she told him. He struck me as a... as someone with something to hide, when we spoke in private.

[meatery]

She's very confident in her knowledge about killers, I know that. But she still wasn't right, so I think she might just seem brighter than she really is.

[Yeah, Gi-ne is not a Rei fan, apparently.]

I think Fuuma is smart though, just a little too much. I heard him and Kamui talking during the day a lot, they're much better at this cunning plan stuff than we are. He's overthinking everything or thinking in the wrong direction or... something. Know what I mean?

[ossifragant]

To be honest, I had him pegged as the one behind this.

[It's not like Greed has ever had a conversation with the girl, and it's a little late now.]

....they're going to kill one of their own if this keeps up.

They're doing your job for you.

[Even if they are already all dead, he still doesn't like seeing women hurt.]

[meatery]

Mm.

[Watching the screen with a blank expression. Even knowing what she does, watching everyone die is still... upsetting.]

We haven't even killed half the people here, you know? At this rate, those three just have to stay out of trouble and the others will take care of everything for them. So long as they can stay safe at night...

[She's the only one who got caught in a trial, after all, and she was a special case.]

[ossifragant]

Yeah, I've noticed. It looks like paranoia is going to make this incredibly complicated.

[How much longer is this going to need to go on, anyway?]

As long as the others keep their heads low, they'll be fine.

[meatery]

I hope so... [Sighs and closes her eyes briefly.] If anyone was going to get in a fight at night, it was bound to be Tsurumaru... The others are pretty good at keeping out of trouble but...

[Ugh she's worried]

With Tayto and the other dogs we've probably only got another night or two, at least.

[ossifragant]

[There's three left, then, right? Hopefully they don't do anything suspicious...]

With three dogs hunting, this is... probably not going to end well tonight. For them, I mean.

[meatery]

Three dogs hunting and one kill from the Generals themselves... and then from whoever else decides to go a little crazy.

[She's pretty sure that's inevitable at this point. She just hopes her murderfamily stays out of the crossfire.]

Well, even if it's harsh, it's for the best.

[ossifragant]

With numbers like that, one more night of this might be all they have.

[meatery]

... It'd be good if that's true. I'm not sure they can last much longer without losing their minds. Some of them seem really... fragile.

[This hasn't been fun for Gi-ne either, but she's ridiculously used to death. She gets the feeling that's not normal for a lot of these people.]

[ossifragant]

I'm really not sure, myself.

I don't know how this game judges us, because all I see are a lot of paranoid, desperate people.

[meatery]

It's the will to live or something, right? "Life is for the strong". I always figured we were being judged on that.

[ossifragant]

Yeah, that's probably it.

I don't blame them-- they think they're playing for their lives. I was willing to do the same thing, after all.

[liven]

I think there's something off about her, still.

[ "still"? well, she just doesn't trust most people, so shijima's opinion is probably invalid...rei's too wishy-washy for her, except for the moments when she isn't. the contrast bugs shijima. ]

[meatery]

She's definitely an odd girl, even compared to everyone else here. [And that's coming from Gi-ne.] She just feels... Yeah, "off" is a good word.

[liven]

[ ANIMAL INSTINCTS TEAM AGREES, clearly they have to be onto something. Although since it's clear Rei isn't mafia, what they're onto is questionable, here. ]

A lot of the time she's wishy-washy, but then there are moments when she's very firm and almost a different person...it's weird. I don't like it.

[ how does this effect you at all, shijima ]

I don't like pervert Fuuma, either. [ because his name is fuuma, this is still the dumbest fucking grudge in the history of the world.......... ]

[meatery]

[THEY CAN SMELL IT what "it" is who knows]

Sometimes she just changes her tone and says something weird, too. Like when I was about to be executed, did you hear her? She got all creepy for a second and I have no idea what she was getting at. She's weirdly fixated on that whole "serial killers leaving signs" thing you started.

[Basically she makes Gi-ne's hair stand on end and she got annoyed about being told she didn't know anything about killers when she was the one killing people.]

I don't really get Fuuma. [He probably betrayed Orion?? But he also hugged her??] He's weird, but I think he's just doing his best.

[liven]

[ WHATEVER IT IS Shijima looks actually legitimately pleased someone is agreeing with her about this, it's been bugging her for ages. But she'd obviously never brought it up in game because she tried not to accuse anyone - though she did mention it to Kashuu, once. ]

I just did that to confuse people. [ HONESTLY, THAT WAS HER ENTIRE MOTIVE WITH THE CREEPY SHIT: BE AS CONFUSING AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE ] But that's what I meant...that sort of change in character occurs with her sometimes, and for all that she acts wishy-washy and needy a lot, she makes very firm statements sometimes like that...it's strange. Even if she's an innocent, I don't trust her an inch.

As to Fuuma, I don't like that sort of guy... [ guys named fuuma, she means. FUCK PEOPLE NAMED FUUMA ]

[meatery]

I thought it was either that or you being a bitch. [SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS DOING IT TO PISS HER OFF but yeah she believes that.] But yeah, she seemed so certain about that... But what's a weak girl like her doing spending time with serial killers? It's weird. And keeping up that sort of weak image all this time... It doesn't make sense to me.

[Like, she gets wanting people to underestimate you, but this much? While there are crazed killers on the loose and you know you're not one of them?]

Well, whatever her game is, I promise she's not with the Generals. I don't know if she has some other role though.

[She doesn't really have anything to add about Fuuma SHE DOESN'T GET FUUMA]

[liven]

No. My goal was to make things as confusing as possible. [ So she could slip through the cracks............IT DIDN'T WORK ] As to having another role...who knows? It's clear she's not one of the foxes, or Matt would be more concerned about all this.

[ since the foxes apparently pal around with matt all the time EVEN STILL. ]

There's only one General left we don't know, anyway...well, "we". [ Everyone but Gi-ne and Orion. Shijima has guesses, but doesn't seem to ultimately care at the moment. ] Unless that person went on a kill last night.

[meatery]

[WELL to be fair, they didn't find Shijima through any detective work. Bad luck, pussycat.]

[But yeah, she's not spoiling the last General for you guys just yet, you gotta work for it.]

I really want to ask Tsurumaru and the others what happened last night... I hope they wake up soon. [Rubs the back of her head.] If Kashuu was the one to kill Royce, then I guess our target must have been Max or Kashuu. But I can't see why they'd have picked either of them, we weren't worried about them at all last I heard.

[liven]

Tsurumaru had a gun. [ A gunsmith gun, she means. OBVIOUSLY ROYCE MAKES BAD LIFE CHOICES, c'mon bro why did you arm so many swords... ] As to that, I expect you're not going to be able to interrogate him first off.

[ Why...? ]

His comrades are going to want to have words with him.

[ Since he murdered Horikawa, who seems pissed off about it, and also shot Kashuu, who is definitely going to be pissed off about it. And all the others are probably going to be peeved about the same things, regardless of his ultimate motives. ]

[meatery]

He didn't though. [Said quite simply.] At least, not when Auger said he did. He would have told the rest of us if he did, so we could make a plan, and there are other people he would have gone after first anyway. Like I said, Kashuu wasn't on our list of concerns.

[Tsurumaru told them everything, after all, and she trusts him to at least be honest...]

I don't trust that Kasen guy's word.

[liven]

[ A shrug. ]

There's no point worrying about it...we'll hear the whole story soon enough.