you gotta be so cold to make it in this world

[scythegun]

[It's been exactly three weeks and three days since Yeager woke up in an unfamiliar location, surrounded by twenty-eight unfamiliar individuals and one very familiar face he'd really rather forget. Being here on his own would be preferable to being here with Alexei.

But somehow - against all odds - they've managed to play nice with one another for three weeks and three days. There have been three murders, three executions, and as of yesterday, three motives. Someone else will die at the end of the week and the cycle will repeat until they're all dead.

Yeager can't really say he cares all that much about the outcome. Dying hasn't scared him for a long time, after all.

The real killer here is boredom. The building they found themselves in prevents escape, but despite being laid-out like some kind of fancy manor (not like his, more like what he'd imagine the nobles of Zaphias to own) there isn't anything interesting to do here. He'd initially thought the first week was the worst, if only because they got a new floor the second week, but there hasn't been anything interesting on any of these floors.

(Never mind the question of "how big is this manor and why does it have so many floors", that's something he'd rather not think too much about. It doesn't really matter, does it?)

The most recent floor they've gotten access to is home to a gym and strangely an indoor garden of some sort; the others call it a "zen garden" and it held Yeager's attention for all of five minutes, which is probably a new record for any of the rooms on the new floors, sadly.

Needless to say, he's been very bored.

He doesn't bother heading up to the top floor today, instead he makes it up to the second before deciding the library's a good place to go. It's not that he has any interest in the books - he certainly doesn't - but it's still early and he's probably got a little while before Alexei comes in. Alexei surely will come in; the man practically lives here, after all. He's presumably done with his cataloguing and all that by now, but there are plenty of thick, boring books for him to study.

If Yeager's sense of time isn't completely screwed (and he's fairly sure it isn't), he's probably got a little less than an hour before all the clocks in the building chime, signaling the start of the day. That's more than enough time for him to rearrange the books. He doesn't move too many of them, of course! Just four of them, picked at random and moved to random places throughout the shelves. Once he's done with that, he selects one of the (many) murder mystery books and takes a seat, biding his time until Alexei shows up.

(It's not a terribly interesting book, but he can be patient when he needs to, and waiting for an hour or so really will be worth it. Surely this will get Alexei to do something with his face.)]

Comments

[ideismo]

[Alexei is one of those that would have to argue that just on principle - not due to any sense of optimism or because he truly believes in any of it, but because saving everyone like that is something he has to do, even if he knows it's impossible.

He hasn't figured out a way to do it yet. He's working on it.]

I do appreciate the lack of attempts at killing everyone's morale. I don't need that on top of everything else.

[scythegun]

[He wouldn't want to argue it with you, you wouldn't quit. Watching the optimistic ones slowly lose faith would be way more interesting!]

It's really not worth it, even if it could be amusing. I see no reason to draw that much attention to myself! A little entertainment wouldn't really be worth it.

[He's not exactly great on the self-preservation front, but he's not going to paint a target on himself like that.]

[ideismo]

[...You know what, if it avoids some kind of screaming argument, sure.]

See to it that it stays that way.

[That said, it's clipped but it isn't an order. You'd know if it was; as it is, this is more of a really brisk request than a proper order.]

[scythegun]

[It is a bit weird that you're not giving him direct orders to keep his head down at the very least to make things easier for you... Oh well, he's not going to question his luck.]

Of course. You don't ever need to start worrying about me~!

[ideismo]

I already worry about you as little as possible, and I'd like it to remain that way.

[...Wow.]

[scythegun]

I'd be shocked if you ever worried about me. You wouldn't want to give me a heart attack, now would you?

[He rests his left hand over his chest, but he's not even pretending to look hurt. His sense of humor is exactly this terrible.]

[ideismo]

[...You know, he kind of cants his head to the side a little like he's trying to sort out if that's actually possible? This is possibly the most awkward moment on the goddamn planet but eh, who's counting.]

Any concerns I may have don't really regard you as much as they do the problems you tend to cause. As long as you avoid being too much of a pest, there's nothing to worry about.

[scythegun]

[...you aren't supposed to take him seriously...]

What, nothing? I thought it was funny...

And anyway, I've been good so far, haven't I? I haven't made any trouble for you.

[ideismo]

You haven't. Surprisingly.

[He isn't going to thank you for it, but that's entirely fair, you haven't.]

[scythegun]

I am a bit unpredictable like that.

But don't worry, I'll continue to play nice for now. I am curious to see how this will end, after all.

[ideismo]

You want to see what finally drives me to murder someone.

[He doesn't doubt that much is true, even if he hadn't risen to it when it was said earlier.]

[scythegun]

I was talking about how this whole thing ends, but there's no sense in pretending that's the main reason. Yes, I want to see exactly what will make you snap. Will it be an incentive? Will it simply be because you want out of here? I really do want to see how it goes.

[ideismo]

You're taking it as a foregone conclusion that I will.

[scythegun]

Of course. I can't see you waiting around forever. I'd be genuinely surprised if you didn't decide to kill someone at some point.

[ideismo]

"Forever"...? Please. I kept my patience with the Empire for years. This is nothing by comparison.

[scythegun]

I'm aware. But this is an entirely different situation, and if you don't move, someone else might. Maybe they'll even be smart enough to get away with it.

Are you really willing to risk everything you've worked so hard for?

[ideismo]

Don't patronize me.

[That's immediate - still not an order, but quickly-given regardless.]

Am I willing to risk everything...? For the time being, yes, because I don't have a choice. Choosing to act - now, or anytime in the immediate future, for any reason - carries a far larger risk than inaction. Action pits the entire group against the individual; inaction keeps me within the group, which always stands a higher chance of winning than the individual at the trial.

I would sacrifice this entire group for my ideals in an instant if I thought there was a guaranteed way to do so. But attempting to escape that way is a fool's errand unless circumstances change. Don't think I don't know that.

[scythegun]

[It gets a soft sound out of him; it's not a laugh, but it's almost amused anyway.]

Fair enough. Perhaps I'm wrong and things won't go the way I'm expecting - you might not even need to kill, depending on how things go!

But that's part of the fun, ja? It would just be boring if everything always went according to plan.

I do look forward to seeing how this turns out, whatever you end up doing.

[ideismo]

[For a long moment, it seems as though he isn't going to answer; it gets a quiet noise of acknowledgement out of him but very little else, and he shifts position a little as though he's considering something that he isn't going to articulate. But eventually...]

I've already told you how this is going to end.

[It's straightforward and very blunt, though there's nothing harsh behind it. It's almost weirdly clinical, really.]

Nine or less people remaining. Two victors. One scapegoat.

What role you play in all of that doesn't matter to me.

[scythegun]

[Ah. That's... Well, it's something he had considered when Alexei first brought it up. He'd nearly commented on it, but decided against it; it wasn't really something he wanted to put too much though into, even as a joke.

He doesn't really want to consider it seriously either, but it's wiped the smile off his face and he's left with a cold and calculating expression while he works out what he thinks of it.]

...Nine people, hmm? I suppose we'll see how things go when our numbers get that low.

[There's an edge to it that he can't quite get out of his voice, but it's not angry or upset or... anything, really. He's just coming down a bit harder on the words than he'd like.

It would be stupid not to consider it, after all.]

[ideismo]

I still intend to save as many as possible.

[Just in case there was any doubt about that - he does mean it, when he says that. But...]

But there does come a time when pragmatism needs to take precedence. When it's no longer a matter of what one wants, but a matter of necessity.

When it's that easily won... I think that will be when it becomes necessary.

[scythegun]

At that point it would be stupid not to go for it. Someone else might, after all.

[...]

Well, as boring as this place may be, I can certainly bide my time to see how things turn out. Perhaps something will happen before there are nine remaining. Perhaps things will go exactly as you've said. It'll be interesting either way.

[ideismo]

Do as you see fit.

[He isn't interested in giving orders in that regard; whatever Yeager does, he does. He certainly could order him to wait, and to assist him once the group's numbers are low enough. But the fact of the matter is that he doesn't; it is what it is, really.]

[scythegun]

[It's strange that Alexei isn't ordering him to help.

Sure, he can see why Alexei wouldn't. It's not like he has any way to force Yeager to cooperate here, and attempting it could result in Yeager deciding he'd rather not and either stabbing Alexei in the back or otherwise attempting to drag Alexei down with him. Really, it makes more sense for Alexei to leave him to his own decision, because the most likely one he'll come to on his own will benefit Alexei.

The only other options are wait around or attempt to move on his own earlier, and neither are ones Yeager is really interested in pursuing. It's almost a bit frustrating how predictable he can be.

But he shrugs it all off, as he always does.]

Oh, I will! There's still plenty of time left to see where things go!

[ideismo]

[He really does have no need to issue an order for this, no; the solution he's offered is the most logistically practical, and one that has a guaranteed victory as an outcome. It would be stupid not to choose to cooperate, now that the option has been offered.]

Of course. Assuming no one gets ambitious, that will be at least another seven weeks in this place.

[...

It's terrible, but if we're all going to die here, he's sort of hoping somebody gets ambitious and we're not going to just be picking each other off in pairs into fucking infinity.]