week 3 ( thursday )

[subordinacy]

[anyway zia you gave me permission so

hi max.]

So, four endgames, huh?

[... If Max also goes "I don't know, actually" at him, he's going to punch something.]

Comments

[concertmaster]

You should really worry about yourselves first.

[ but ]

... Maybe next week.

[subordinacy]

... All right.

[He's quiet for a moment, before:]

Also, I'm not saying that I want to do this just yet, and I'm betting it's not allowed anyway, but... would it be possible to make some sort of deal where if a specific person is targeted... I'd be targeted instead?

[concertmaster]

...

[ there's a long pause. ]

If you pull off an Erasure-- as in, Erase someone and get away with it during trial-- you could ask for that as a reward.

[subordinacy]

... Yeah, I thought it might be something like that. Well, it was worth a shot...

[But he's not going to erase someone for it.]

[concertmaster]

It's not something I can do for free. You guys shouldn't be giving away your place willy-nilly anyway.

...

[ ... ]

Who was it for?

[subordinacy]

[...]

Akira. Call me an idiot if you want.

[Jacopo would have his suspicions, one way or another, but Setz doesn't doubt that their conversation only confirmed them.

... He doesn't know what he'll do if something happens to Akira because of him. More than that, he doesn't understand how it came to this—that he'd have to choose between the only two people in his life who told him that he could be more than how he was while alive. (That all of the thoughts his father planted in his head were wrong; now, he could finally break free.)

Well, actually—he does know. It's because he screwed up. In the end, both Jacopo and Akira were wrong about him.

Maybe he really is useless to the end. He doesn't know how he can stop any of this.]

[concertmaster]

...

[ here's the thing. Akira may possibly have maybe be working on maxing out (ha ha) Max's social link. And so max may or may not have a slight, tiny, minuscule bias over the guy. Possibly.

Which is why this happens: ]

I know this shit seems Reaper vs Reaper biased right now. But the most important people in this Game are the Players, Setz. [ nickname upgrade??? ] Ultimately, you outnumber the Reapers. The final outcome of this Game will be decided by Players actions. Yeah, I think most of them are fucking idiots. But you getting that knowledge might actually mean something if you let it.

There are some things only the Players can prove.

[subordinacy]

[Setz looks at Max in surprise, because ?????????

... He appreciates it, though, even if he doesn't know how to express it. He knows that this isn't the sort of thing Max says easily, if nothing else.

But, anyhow. Setz takes out the letter he wrote after his earlier conversations, before handing it to Max. It's easier to focus on business than emotions.]

On that note... Akira and I thought that I should try and write an anonymous letter so that everyone else knows this info. Will it be censored if it's from me, seeing as how I have no rules binding me?

[concertmaster]

[ honestly him not answering is a Good Thing because that means max can pretend that moment never happened.

Anyway, he looks the note over. ]

I doubt there's anything on there the Composer would object to. It doesn't look like it anyway. You got all that info fair and square, and it's Player-sourced. I'll type it up and put it up next Monday.

[subordinacy]

[He breathes in, and then out.]

Thank you. [...] Do you think this will make things better or worse?

[concertmaster]

I'm a neutral party on all matters regarding this Game.

[ ... ]

But for the result you want? I think this might help.

[subordinacy]

... I hope so.

[Because it feels like everything else he has done in this place has gone wrong.]

[concertmaster]

Like everything else. It depends on your fellow Players.

[ a beat and then a wince ]

So I wouldn't put all my hopes on it if I were you.

[subordinacy]

Don't worry. I'm not.

[He's too dead inside for that much hope now, thanks.]