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

[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.

[vytis]

Of course, I suppose you've waited long enough. [He gestures to the fireplace.]

[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:

Kaoru's Motivation
Success!

The picture shifts to an image of Chizuru. She is looking directly at the camera, as though she is only just noticing it. The location she's in seems unclear.

Once Kaoru succeeded, he learned the location of Chizuru.

Another card then appears:

Failure!

The picture returns to the image of Chizuru, but the image gradually begins to fade away.

When Kaoru failed, Chizuru was taken away, and he never saw her again. Where did she go? is she still alive?

The image changes again - it is no longer black and white, but suddenly an incredibly realistic and modern video of Chizuru. The feed appears to be live.

The video ends.]

[souredsweet]

[videos in general are entirely foreign to Kaoru in general, who watches with a quiet mixture of disbelief that only grows more and more agitated the longer the images play out.

...it's not like disbelief can last forever, though. not when this man has already proven that he knows extremely personal facts about them, the power to reach across time and space, the ability to touch entirely different worlds. surely, pinpointing one single person wouldn't be outside of this man's abilities at all.]

Chizuru... Chizuru, Chizuru, Chizuru— [Kaoru's eyes remain fixed on the image until the video ends and then turn sharply toward Lithuania. there is no point asking if it's possible - how it's possible. there's only one thing to confirm. the voice that speaks is no longer soft or gently lilting in elegance, but harsh and curt, well-measured.]

These terms - how can we trust them to be true? That you'll uphold your end of this?

[vytis]

It wouldn't be very fair of us not to uphold our end. Of course, if you don't believe us, you can always take a chance--but if you're wrong, you'll have to be prepared to never see you sister again.

[souredsweet]

[naturally, that is a chance Kaoru is wholly unwilling to take. it doesn't even need to be said aloud.]

I'll hold you accountable if you are lying, but Chizuru's life belongs to no one else. [Kaoru's posture straightens then, shoulders having hunched a little defensively over the course of the video.] If these are your incentives, it seems you've picked well indeed.

[vytis]

We've done our research, of course. It does help streamline the decision-making process.

[souredsweet]

Impressive. [said very flatly.]

Will you indulge me for a moment and answer a few questions, then?

[vytis]

I'll answer to the best of my ability.

[souredsweet]

[a nod.]

To be certain that I understand, each one of us has to commit and get away with a murder in order to achieve our incentives, correct? ...Will there be enough time for all five of us to do so? [Kaoru's main concern, though there's one more question:] Also, does the murder have to be committed by one's own hands in order for it to be considered theirs?

[vytis]

You have to commit and get away with a murder, yes. There should be enough time for each of you. As for the murder itself, whoever commits the murder most directly is considered the true culprit for purpose of our game. You can also have accomplices, but prizes are determined by the number of victims.

[souredsweet]

Is there an upward limit on the number of victims per week? [since it would really be quite nice if they could just get this all done in one week...]

[vytis]

No one can kill more than two people per week--and there can only be one crime every week.

[souredsweet]

Those are the only questions I have for the time being, then.