spinatalltale | [WEEK 1, WEDNESDAY SOMETIME: Akira]

[as ever, he seems ready to react when she's close. he's hardly threatened, but he knows he need to remain sharp, because she's quick-thinking and quick-acting.]

You're sharp, right? And probably nosy enough to go digging until you find all the answers you want.

[akira, don't encourage her, what the fuck.]

[she's keeping her stance lazy and non-threatening at least. he's got her beat as far as physical strength goes, she'd be no match for him in a hand-to-hand fight AND SHE KNOWS THIS. she wouldn't try anything]

Oh?

[presses the corner of her book against his shoulder]

What if I start with you?

[good luck, magilou.]

You have to get to Rank 10 to unlock my exciting backstory. You might be able to get the tragic one a little earlier, though.

[oh my god]

Ooooh, they're different! How fun! But that's not what I'm talking about; you can keep your tragic and-or exciting backstory for now, I'm not really interested.

[drops her book away from his shoulder]

What, if anything, do you know about the "roles" mentioned on the rules board?

[works for him, because he wasn't really looking to share most of that anyway, even though he doesn't really care much about his assault charges.

it's the phantom thief business he keeps to himself.

still, the mention of the roles makes his expression darken a little. akira shakes his head—obviously, the existence of the roles bothers him, but it doesn't seem like he's got anything to report about them specifically.]

I haven't heard anything.

[someone who would rather die than talk about her life knows better than to ask someone else about theirs]

Really? I'm afraid it's far too early in the game for me to feel comfortable taking those words at face value.

[and she pulls back, spinning on her heel to show him her back]

But I suppose even if you did know something, it'd be too early for you to divulge that information.

It seems like a waste to ask, if that's the case.

[really, magilou.]

I'm not really sure what you expected from it. [for him to be like OH YES, I DEFINITELY KNOW ABOUT THE ROLES?

pls.]

I can't stop you from thinking what you want, anyway. [and he's not really going to try and change her mind, because even akira knows that staunchly defending himself would probably only make her believe him less, even if it's the truth.

he knows how this works, after all.]

[I MEAN]

[YEAH]

[KIND OF??]

Oh, Mr. McGecko! Would you like some advice?

Not all answers have to be verbal.

[. . .]

Though I do give you props for being a tough cookie to read.

[he shrugs at that.]

I guess it's tough to read body language when there's nothing to actually read.[sorry, magilou. he's both tough to read and bothered by the general scenario rather than any sort of specifics, like a normal person would be.]

[AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IN THIS CONVERSATION IS REACTING TO THIS SCENARIO LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. also she tried]

[not very hard, but she still tried. give her cookies]

Then I suppose that's where we'll leave the conversation for now.

[she doesn't sound disappointed, even though she sighs]

But while I'm at it, I do have one more question to ask before we return to our usually scheduled shenanigans.

[honestly, if anyone here is questionable, it's magilou. akira's fine with letting the topic drop, in any case.

there's not really that measure of trust between them yet, after all. he doesn't know what to make of her and wouldn't doubt she could have a role—and all the same, she may be suspicious of him for the very same, no matter how he may have responded.

what a fucked up game, isn't it?

still, he'll let the topic go, tilting his head to one said.]

And what's that?

[Magilou the Least Helpful Most Sketchy Person on the Island ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

How do you want this game to end?

[it's a broad question, one that can be answered in many ways, and maybe she should be more specific about what she's asking from him. but. . . well, maybe she's also interested in how he interprets it before she clarifies]

[it's an interesting question, but not an easy one to answer.]

...Quickly.

[which isn't very clear himself, but whether it's because they find a way out of it or because everyone is going to die a horrible death, he'd rather it be swift to people aren't suffering for two whole months while people are picked off one-by-one.]

[. . . well. that's interesting]

Surprise, surprise. You're full of those, it seems.

"Quickly" can mean many things. Be it "we manage to stop the Chief overlords from forcing us to murder each other before too many people die," or "a whole forty-two people are killed off in a time span of one to two weeks."

[she isn't asking his preference between those two]

[he's an interesting guy.]

I know that.

[he's not going to give her preference, either. both still suck a lot, but it's not like there's any good outcome.

he's without the ability he would normally have to prevent this from getting too terrible; if he had access to the metaverse, surely he could change the distorted hearts that would be willing to kill easily, and if he could summon his personas, perhaps he could stop hal and pal from their stupid, shitty game, too.

but akira is a bit helpless like this, and it's frustrating in so many ways that bubble beneath the surface, threatening to spill over—but akira mostly just keeps his fists clenched in the pockets of is jeans and regulates his breathing instead.

right here and now, he really is just a high school student. his inner rebellion may be that of a phantom thief's but without that power, he's just a pissed off teenager, really.]

[she can't see his hands in his pockets. can't see the white of his knuckles or the tension in his shoulders. she can't read what's going on in his mind, barely knows anything about him other than that there's so much more to him than what he's willing to show people]

[even as she lifts her gaze to catch his in her own, she can't see much beyond those thick-rimmed frames, except. . .]

[maybe]

[a tiny flicker]

[of. . . hm. something]

[-- ah. so that's why]

You've got a certain spark to you.

[she says, voice light, a stark contrast to the seriousness of the conversation]

It reminds me a bit of her.

[??? who???]

[well, the latent tension that exists does get quelled a bit by that statement.

mostly because. well, yes. it's pretty confusing when he doesn't know who or what magilou is talking about.

but it does give him a chance to break the heavier tone that remains—he's not ready to address that spark of his, after all.]

Most guys don't like to be told they remind someone of another woman, you know.

[...yeah, he just flipped this back to their first conversation in one fell swoop.]

[. . .]

-- well, too bad! Because hers are some awfully big shoes to fill.

[strolls past him, hopping into the surf as it gently laps at the beach shore so she can kick some water at him]

[like a rude person]

[well, she is a rude person.

...he just doesn't actually mind it much.]

Ah. Oh no... I'm all wet now...

[it's the most deadpan distress to have ever existed.]

[at least he gets her]

Huh. And you're not melting.

Guess you're human after all.

Sorry to disappoint, I'm not actually the Wicked Witch of the West.

Very good! Because then I'd have to make you my eternal rival and kill you in your sleep so I could gain dominance as the one, the only, truly wicked witch of this island!

[. . . . . . . . . . should she really be joking about that now]

A witch highlander....

[she probably shouldn't be joking about this at all, and yet he get it.]

I'm glad I'm not a witch.

Yeah, me too.

[she says dismissively]

That way I can keep you alive for entertainment purposes!

Also, what's a highlander?

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