Week 0

[productions]

Who: Designated Killers and Mastermind
What: Assignments
When: Early Morning, Sunday

[Early this morning, several guests will be awoken before 6 AM by a loud alarm ringing in their room. Lying on their desk will be a telegram, signed The Producer, instructing them to go immediately to the billiards room.

Once they arrive at the billiards room, they will find the door in the back open. They will then be able to proceed into the smoking room, where others await.]

Comments

[vytis]

[Once everyone is accounted for, Lithuania moves--finding a spot by the fireplace where he can easily be seen. Far from his earlier, nervous behavior, he seems quite confident now, as if he'd flipped some sort of switch in his mind.]

It seems like everyone's here now, so please listen carefully! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but I needed to make sure everyone got here. I'm the Producer--the one who called you all here, and the one in charge of this game.

The five of you have been selected specially to make sure the game runs smoothly for everyone. Pay attention, alright? We need to make sure there's a murder every week for our audience to watch--if none of our other contestants step up, it will be up to one of you to do so instead. We'll be giving you a bit of an extra incentive to ensure you have a good reason, so if none of you cooperate, you'll all lose.

If one of you commits a murder and is killed, you'll lose your incentive--however, if you win, you get your prize, instead. That makes sense, right?

[speakveryclearly]

[WHAT

LITHUANIA

YOU SEEMED SO MILD-MANNERED]

Incentive?????

What kind of incentive could you possibly be talking about? I really appreciate the customized clothes and all that, but I'm afraid it will take a great deal more than that to buy my cooperation!

[vytis]

Oh, no, that would be a little silly to provide for incentive, you're right. You've each received a customized incentive, of course. I'm sure you'll find it quite convincing, Miss Maryam.

[speakveryclearly]

...

[Her entire body is very visibly tense.]

Try me, sir.

[vytis]

Alright. Pay attention to the fireplace, now.

[An old-fashioned black and white video video begins to flicker in the fireplace. There's no sound, and the picture is shaky, but it is possible to see clearly what is happening. A title card appears, and then another card with text on it:

Kanaya's Motivation
Success!

The picture shifts to an image of what seems to be the matriorb. It is resting carefully on the ground it what appears to be a peaceful forested area.

Once Kanaya succeeded, she was given the matriorb.

Another card then appears:

Failure!

The image of the matriorb fades away, and is replaced with an image that is unclear at first, but gradually zooms out to reveal a pile of corpses of each of the eleven other trolls Kanaya was traveling with.

When Kanaya failed, the troll race was doomed to immediate extinction.

The image changes again - it is no longer black and white, but suddenly an incredibly realistic and modern video of the matriorb.

The video ends.]

[speakveryclearly]

[She tries to aloofly refuse to look at first, but by the time the title card is gone her eyes slide over and then they stay on the fireplace, stuck.

As the video plays every single muscle in her body relaxes - limbs slackening, eyes widening, jaw dropping - with the peace only possible for someone beholding the impossible. There weren't trees, on Alternia, ever since... the meteor incident? That's not right, exactly, not that it matters. And just when she almost thinks she's realized what she's seeing, some elaborate replica... the picture changes.]

A--ah--

[Their names - seem strangely unimportant, like they have since she's entered this mansion for some reason - but there's the one responsible, her former friend, and that girl who got herself backstabbed, and even rotted by old age the person who beheaded some of the other corpses in the disgusting pile.

After the final image cuts out, Kanaya becomes aware that she has fallen to her knees with one arm extended. She tries to clench that fist, but it's weak like her voice is creaky.]

This is - th-this is bullshit, we-we-we're on Earth... [She's kidding herself. The desperation in her voice is one step below the level usually heard in a declaration I'll Do Anything.]

[teenspirit]

[ Sonia begins screaming. This is the producer?! This kind-looking young man? ]

S-stop it! Stop saying such horrible things!

[vytis]

Please calm down, Miss Nevermind. I'd hate to see you lose your incentive simply because you refused to believe the rules.

[teenspirit]

I shan't play! There isn't a single thing that could compel me to do so!

[vytis]

You are the Princess Royal of the Autocratic Monarchy of Novoselic, yes? [Lithuania's tone says he's sure about that already.]

[teenspirit]

Oh...! My beautiful country! [ She begins weeping, abruptly. ] Please, send me home to mama and papa! There are so many that would die in my place! [ She seems to have no problem saying such a thing. ]

1/2

[pasodoble]

( And a laugh and joking, )

You couldn't have waited until a better time to play--

2/2

[pasodoble]

( Aaaand sudden, abrupt stop to the laughing and joking. )

Are you mad?!

[vytis]

I'm not mad and I'm not joking, Spain. You understand what I said, right?

[pasodoble]

( He understands and that's the problem. )

This isn't a game! These are human lives. ( He's so offended, he can hardly-- ) I refuse.

( Not again, not again, not again. He wasn't going to give his people another reason to. There couldn't be a prize worthy enough. )

[vytis]

You haven't seen your incentive yet. You won't refuse. [He looks absolutely certain about it.]

[An old-fashioned black and white video video begins to flicker in the fireplace. There's no sound, and the picture is shaky, but it is possible to see clearly what is happening. A title card appears, and then another card with text on it:

Spain's Motivation
Success!

The picture shifts to images from the country of Spain, but a rather different Spain. This Spain is incredibly wealthy and powerful. The political situation is unclear, but what is clear is that the people of the country are happy. A card spells out the following:

Once Spain succeeds, his people's condition was improved.
Another card then appears:

Failure!

The picture shifts again to images of Spain, this time the same country he left behind. The images show people growing sick; at first only a few with mild symptoms, but it gradually becomes clear a terrible plague has taken hold. The images show many people, most of the population, falling severely ill and dying. The survivors flee, leaving the country deserted.

When Spain failed, his people were wiped out by disease

The image changes again - it is no longer black and white, but suddenly an incredibly realistic and modern video that flashes several scenes - a busy train station in Madrid, the Parliament palace, a country town - in which hidden strange canisters are visible.

The video ends.]

[souredsweet]

As the one in charge of this game, are you responsible for our arrival as well, then? [it's obvious Kaoru is selecting words very carefully, grim-faced and looking displeased.]

[vytis]

[He nods.] I'm the one who devised this game.

[souredsweet]

And you believe these incentives of yours are enough to get everyone in this room to agree to your ridiculous terms?

[vytis]

I'm quite certain. We wouldn't have chosen the five of you otherwise.

[souredsweet]

[cautiously:] Will you be sharing these incentives any time soon? I think many of us would like to hear them for ourselves.

[aozaki]

It'll be easier to ask you, then. What happens after we die? [>not even asking about the other poor suckers outside, JUST THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM] And unfinished business at home, if you wouldn't mind indulging the cleaning crew of your cast. [gonna fish for a smoke now A+, this IS the smoking room, right?] I may be a freelancer, but I still have a few employees to check up on back home.

[vytis]

There's no guarantee you'll die. If you make sure you're not caught, you won't have that problem, right?

[aozaki]

Haha.

[chuckling without mirth, she casually puts her glasses away...]

It's unbecoming for a man to play coy, Producer-tan. Seeing that a good number of your hand-picked selections are having trouble adjusting to reality, wouldn't that help us all to clarify on that point?

[vytis]

If you commit a murder and are killed, you lose your incentive. Of course, the same thing will happen to all of you if none of you commit a murder on a week in which you are called to do so--which is probably what should interest you most, if you think the rest are having trouble.

[An old-fashioned black and white video video begins to flicker in the fireplace. There's no sound, and the picture is shaky, but it is possible to see clearly what is happening. A title card appears, and then another card with text on it:

Touko's Motivation
Success!

The picture shifts to an image of a massive pile of treasure. It is not clear what all the treasure is. Some seems to be bars of gold, while others seem to be magical artifacts.

Once Touko succeeded, she was rewarded with wealth and power.

Another card then appears:

Failure!

The images changes to a series of mundane still photos of Touko. It is not clear when or where they were taken.

When Touko failed, her magical ability was taken away permanently.

The image changes again - it is no longer black and white, but suddenly an incredibly realistic and modern video of the pile of treasure.

The video ends.]