15S R6 IC Contact

[mermaidkin]

[The greetings on the other end of the phone line by time of day.]

5 AM to 11 AM: Good morning, Stranger!
11 AM to 12 PM: Good day, Stranger!
12 PM to 5 PM: Good afternoon, Stranger!
5 PM to 11 PM: Good evening, Stranger!
11 PM to 5 AM: A little late, isn't it, Stranger?

[And then:] What can I do you for?

Comments

11:60 PM, or, rather, Midnight

[backuphero]

[There's a song, you see, sung by Kitty Kallen, that makes for perfect soundtrack dissonance. Jonathan's inclined to think otherwise, but having a song stuck in his head is better that nothing but that beat.]

I, uh, didn't really think you'd answer. I've got a couple of questions about what you're offering us.

[mermaidkin]

Hm?

[In these first few seconds it would be easy to forget how cold Hiyori has become; there's still the gentleness of breath that comes from inching over to the phone.]

Why wouldn't I answer? You think I'd give out my phone number just to hang up on people? Well. I can't say that wouldn't be kind of satisfying.

[Leaning in conspiratorially.]

But I didn't expect I'd get to answer your questions about the motive, Jonathan Morris. I'm sure you have crazy ones, just like you did for the Captain! So! Go on!

[backuphero]

Crazy, sure... I thought I was being as reasonable as conditions allowed.

[He doesn't sound irritated, though. Just tired, and not only in the way one would expect of the hour.]

I guess if you're expecting crazy, this'll be disappointing. There's got to be some rules about what we could and couldn't ask for, right? If there are, when are we finding out what they are?

call late late tuesday night/wednesday morning, because what is a sleep schedule

[narcoolepsysensei]

Haha, yes, I suppose it is!

But your little advertisement routine from earlier had me thinking, and I had... well, I'll say "a question" to start with. Maybe more. We'll see.

[mermaidkin]

I can put it in my timesheet either way, Kazuaki Nanaki! I'm fine. Say whatever's on your mind.

[narcoolepsysensei]

Say we do what you ask. Kill another person here, and get away with it.

Suppose we do that, and something unfortunate is to happen to us. Does that void the agreement?

Because frankly, I don't care what becomes of me. So long as Nageki makes it home safe, I'll do whatever you ask of me.

Wednesday night... TECHNICALLY Thursday morning....

[backuphero]

[It feels like sneaking around, especially after jolting awake unsubtly enough that he'd worried he'd awakened Vita, but not keeping his word would build up worse guilt than that.]

I'm an idiot and let it slip my mind and I'm sorry. I do want to check in.

[mermaidkin]

[Hiyori is clearly very excited that Jonathan actually called; keeping such a strict schedule evidently made him project that calling by midnight specifically was the plan and therefore the promise had been broken. Though it's not like the host deserves to have standards that high, you know? So, he's glad and not even bitter about initially staying hanging like that. However, he quickly steers the conversation to the fact that without Thursday going into full swing yet, there's still plenty of time for all fifteen strangers to convert before a murder occurs. Doesn't that sound great, Jonathan? Having the chance to save everyone?]

"Thursday night" - yeah, no, it's Friday Morning, sometime around 0330

[backuphero]

Don't know if you're the one I should be asking, but... what happens to us if nobody went for it?

[Jonathan's voice is just barely above a whisper. Why? He's in the bedroom, seated by the built-in vanity, talking on the telephone there (because where else would a handset in the bedroom be?). He's gazing at the bed, and the woman sleeping there, and he's silent in a way that speaks to words left unsaid for a few moments.]

She's asleep. I can't sleep. Didn't sleep. I'm scared if I do it'll happen again.

[In time, he'll lay back down and hold on to his wife and try to pretend anything in any world is remotely okay. But in this moment... he's fidgety and nervous and doesn't want to wake Vita up with that.]

Sorry for waking you up. I just... I didn't want to be alone, all of a sudden.

[mermaidkin]

[Jonathan did wake Hiyori up from a deep sleep, this much is immediately obvious. Not that he's mad or anything! At all! Whether that Jonathan didn't call earlier, or that he's calling so late now! A host always does whatever their duties for the strangers require! But having a more precise schedule does help their hosts meet their needs even more efficiently if that's what would make them happy. Just saying!!! It's a tiny physical drain and that's the only reason it's hard to imagine that on the other end of the line Hiyori is even physically smiling!

At first. By the time that the direct apology is offered, Hiyori has sufficiently adjusted to the situation and calmed down. He still doesn't like that Jonathan is whispering to him - it seems genuinely difficult for him to understand, parsing the words or the reason for doing so - and doesn't respond in kind at all but is still following along closely. Die-day concerns, not surprising. In the future, Jonathan will obviously realize when he looks at the autopsy report that the incident had already happened at midnight, but in the present, Hiyori diligently doesn't hint one way or the other whether he knows anything at all about the case, dodges and weaves and keeps him guessing. There's a faint air of guilt, sure, or at least discomfort from awareness that the situation appears to have negative elements, but that could easily apply to simply compliance in generating a situation of such intense fear in the first place.

That's what Jonathan's actual question is about, after all, the scenario where there isn't a case. Hiyori does state promptly that there was not actually an explicit mention of a time limit in this particular motive announcement, while past games have had motives with an explicit time limit. No other type of more flexible time limit was implied either, like the overarching premiere class threat on the plane. But even this isn't phrased in a way that serves as a concrete reassurance nothing would happen at all. Whether because they didn't murder on schedule, or because more time is passing in the City without that intense expression of personal desire. It's all a mystery.

Hiyori winds down by pointing out that if Jonathan joins the corporation, he will never be alone. This could be interpreted in many creepy or at least strict ways, but rather than confirming or denying any of them, he cuts deeper: on many levels, they practice what they preach, because Jonathan can call Hiyori whenever he wants.]

[mindless self indulgence voice:] IT'S 3 AM (saturday week 2)

[poorlovefool]

I couldn't sleep thanks to your fucking monsters. Thanks for showing us that, you asshole.

[Eric snaps at being chided once he calls, his voice as groggy as the 'excuse' suggests.]

Why were there people there? People I know. No one, no one could tell me whether or not that was real... that's not going to happen to us, is it? It can't, right?

[mermaidkin]

Yooooooou're welcome! [chirps the thanked Hiyori, just dumping honey the fuck on to compensate for the unique misery of having a schedule where you wake up at 5 AM, and getting awoken at 3 AM.]

That's a lot of different questions... If I didn't explain why Kazuaki Nanaki made his choice, can I really explain why anybirdie else was on that stage? [He laughs.] God, the things I've had to read up on in this line of work, you know?

I'll tell you this for starters. Your individual familiarity with Yusuke Kitagawa and Futaba Sakura was not the reason that you all saw what you saw.

[poorlovefool]

No. I don't. You think you're being so goddamn cute, don't you? [this is him not being amused by 'anybirdie', sorry hiyohiyo]

Okay, all right...

[that at least makes him feel less like he is being directly threatened here]

Then what about the rest of it.

(frozen comment) WEEK 4 UPDATE

[mermaidkin]

((YOU CAN VISIT HIYORI IN HIS ROOM, NOW, SCHEDULE TO COME))

Tuesday evening, week 4 - A message.

[otherworldlyking]

Not really how I'd like to speak to you.

[ Can you tell he wasn't a phone person? ]

If I feel like reaching out to you, we should be speaking face to face. Come and see me tonight. Or whenever.

[ Then he'll hang up. Sorry he's like this. ]

[mermaidkin]

Uh... OK???

[Getting hung up on like this was pretty confusing; he's trying to be perky but there's no time to get a polite word in edgewise. Honestly if he weren't keeping such a customer service attitude he'd consider it outright annoying. But about ten minutes later, Hiyori wanders out, in that new dark purple tie over his dress shirt and suit slacks. He is holding the ice rod in his left hand and the fire rod in his right. He looks like a lost cosplayer after dark at the con. He just figures that McBurn will be at his own house if he could make a call from the phone?]

...we already took off the jackets but we shouldn't be out without these things, so there's nowhere else to carry them. Ugh, if I've got to kill you it would be nice to at least have an audience!

[otherworldlyking]

Were you looking to go and have some fun after all?

[ McBurn was amused that he was in the new wear but it's not bad to do new fashion statements. Though he honestly couldn't be bothered to do one himself unless he was forced somehow.

He was at least waiting outside of the house door, as if expecting the other. ]

Sounds to me like you're feeling already bloodthirsty and we haven't fought this week, but we could change that up. Though I can't say I'm too fond of an audience myself.

general handwave-y summary thing since my brain fell apart on me again

[backuphero]

[So, excepting the well over twelve hours he spent sleeping off the first trial... Jonathan fell into a habit of calling Hiyori somewhat late at night.

Wake up, get a glass of water, stop in the living room and make a call. Routine. Maybe not a good thing, with IT's tapping going in the background of every moment, but something he fell into regardless.]

Sometime around 0530, Friday Morning...

[backuphero]

[A folded piece of paper is slipped under Hiyori's door.

Open it?]

[mermaidkin]

[Much later, after announcements have distantly been made, Hiyori picks up the letter with one hand. Using the other, he puts the radio on the desk, and then smooths out the paper to read on top of the radio.

So it doesn't acquire any glitter.]

week 4, after trial

[otherworldlyking]

[ Is it possible to visit Hiyori in his room, due to the week 4 update? ]

[mermaidkin]

[Yeah. He answers the door in gray pajamas.]

...you want pills instead of sandwiches?

[necroyalty]

[ Sometime before Ambro goes to bed that night, she'll slip this underneath Hiyori's door: ]

I realize that what I said earlier has no excuse, even taking present circumstances into account. I apologize.

Just know that I know you can do better than this.

Week 4, Wednesday Morning

[carryabigstick]

[It's week four and Estelle is finally almost feeling back to normal by the time Wednesday morning comes around. Which means it's time to clear up one final piece of business.

KNOCK KNOCK DUDE.]

Hey! Special delivery!

[...yes.]

[mermaidkin]

[Hiyori opens the door, already dressed, smiling wryly.]

So you really do have knocking in Zemuria.