speakveryclearly | (no subject)

[A FRIENDLY FACE! Kaoru is happy enough to see her, face brightening up a little while rounding the corner that leads to the exit. the question raises a bit of wariness, though; not directed at Kanaya herself, but wondering if something had come up with their group.

still, nothing reflects in Kaoru's expression but a mild sort of curiosity.]

I wouldn't mind at all, certainly. Right now?

If you're okay with that. It's right over here. [She jerks her shoulder in that direction, and if Kaoru seems amenable enough might just start leading the way in that direction. The distance is really short.

Closing door behind them...]

There are some things I wanted to talk to you about... not all of them are directly related to the game, which is probably convenient in the way it works out.

[and follow Kaoru does! though the outward politeness drops away a little once the door is closed, Kaoru's mood is still relatively high.]

I have plenty of time to spare, so feel free to talk about anything that you wish.

[Testing the knob's stopped quality before turning back to Kaoru.]

The first thing is... do you know how my information card prominently noted my status as a vampire analogue? [She taps her fangs gingerly.] That does in fact... include the blood-drinking for me as well. There's not exactly a ready supply of willing donors in this mansion, though, and the more heated things get the more true that will hold.

So if you would be interested in -- you can say no, of course. But in light of our publicly established acquaintance it would provide a good reason for us to be alone together without necessarily having been concocting some nefarious plot.

[huh, funny that even a place like this would have some manner of blood-drinking creature in it. THAT QUESTION THOUGH... it's not like Kaoru is expressly against the idea of being a donor, but vampires in general dredge up some less than pleasant memories.]

There is something in my world that is very much like a vampire as well, actually. Drinking blood doesn't induce madness in you? [it's a cautious question, since dealing with something like a rasetsu would be a real pain.]

[She slowly shakes her head, mouth expressing the serious thought she gives the question.] Almost the opposite, actually... I'm rather dependent on the substance, the longer I go without the less control I have over myself. That's never - actually happened, but I've never really had nobody around for a long time like this either...

[Waugh, she can tell this is a sore idea.] It would make a perfect alibi, you know - you'd have a mark to prove what happened and everything, nobody would know the time difference.

[Kaoru's own expression is unreadable for a few seconds, but eventually shifts into something less subtly hostile than it had been upon the initial suggestion.]

I'll only have an alibi as long as it's within a 24 hour period of being bitten. [a sigh! fast healing is hard when you... need to be a crafty murderer?!] Still, I will consent to this if it should keep you at top form. We'll need as many of us in as good a shape as possible to be victorious, both physically and mentally.

[The flickering tension releases, settling her into a warm, pleased glow.] Thanks. It won't have to be that often, just let me know when... you feel like it, I guess.

You could hide the puncture if you want to make sure your clothing remains unmarked. [She reaches over to where she laid out a ribbon for such a purpose, taking it between her two fingers.]

[it seems like a lack of tension in Kanaya is enough to even out Kaoru's mood, too, and soon any traces of displeasure are gone. ...or hidden, anyway.]

Hiding it may be a wise idea unless it is needed for evidence. I'll take that, then. [nodding toward the ribbon!]

If you are in need of it today, now would be a good time, yes?

Okay, then, if you're ready...

[Scooting closer without vampire grace at all, awkward motions the price of a No Sudden Movements policy, completely withholding any kind of agility. (On the bed? That's the gal pal thing to do, sit on a bed.) Then she ends up putting a hand on Kaoru's shoulder and leaning in to go for the bite.

(The skin on the other girl's neck is less smooth than she expected, and her fangs almost catch on something - but then they slip below collar level and sink in, the precipice she's been waiting to fall off for a long time, and where troll blood is elegantly flavored wine, humans have something more like firewhiskey, unrefined but hot and meeting a need deep inside the alimentary sac.)

The wrapping of the ribbon takes place in a quicker, smoother motion before her head entirely returns to eye level. Only a small edge visible, mostly hidden by hem.]

Thank you a lot, again...

[kind of her, to lack the sudden movements! it'd probably earn her a reflexive punch honestly... but Kaoru sits in silence, hands in lap, posture still refined and the picture of elegance even in the current situation. there's a wince at the sharp piercing feeling, but otherwise, no outer indication of being bothered in any way is given.

Kanaya, on the other hand, may note that Kaoru's blood is a little off. it's something that's impossible to judge by smell or look alone, but for someone who drinks it like a discerning wine enthusiast, the flavor profile doesn't quite match what a human's should be. that said, Kaoru raises a hand to touch the ribbon as soon as it's in place before leveling her a stare.]

You do not need to thank me, Miss Maryam. As I have said, I would very much like for everyone to be in good health.

Okay... [As the liquid settles in her dead body, something sure enough Feels Off about it, but she literally can't put her finger on it - by the time she unconsciously touches her hands to her teeth to make sure the color is the expected candy, there is no stain remaining. Ah, well. Efficiency has its costs.]

Moving on.... [Business...............] I made some effort to talk to Clyde the other day and I'm starting to think that he'll be a challenge to take care of, better left to someone who can take more than a beating. Namely, I'm becoming very confident - do you remember his dagger tattoo? I'm getting more and more confident in the conjecture that he's willing to use the provided weapons to defend himself.

[BUSINESS INDEED. the shift seems incredibly easy for Kaoru to make, expression dropping into something serious even as a hand lingers near the ribbon.]

It may be better, then, to frame him for the murder of another. A direct confrontation could be needlessly messy... But if things come down to it, I will volunteer myself to remove him.

Oh, that's a good idea. After all half of our eliminations will need to occur through the trial. That said, in general for armed contestants we could come up with a more elaborate trap. One group member wielding the chloroform or even a simple distraction and another on weapon duty...

That would be the safest way to go about it... To be honest, the more people we have working on one single murder, the higher our chances are of the actual culprit not being caught. Of course, becoming accomplices may also put the accomplice in jeopardy... [another sigh, and Kaoru raises a hand in a que sera sera sort of gesture.]

A risk I suppose we will handle should we ever come across it. In any case, we have numbers on our side when no one else does. It would be foolish not to use that. [...] Though I'm afraid I must ask, what exactly does chloroform do?

Chloroform is... [Uhhhhh... okay, she's got this...]

Chloroform is an Earth drug, usually used to knock someone out - you make a person inhale some, such as by pressing a tainted cloth over their face, and they lose consciousness for some time. However, I'm not sure if using enough all at once wouldn't be lethal... I'm not sure.

Ah. [a nod, and Kaoru lapses into a quiet sort of contemplative silence for a few seconds. it seems like a risky thing to use, and now there's the concern that everyone in this house likely has a bottle wow.]

...Do you know if it has a strong odor, or if it's lethal when imbibed? That could be another thing to watch out for, or something that could be used to take out larger threats.

There's definitely an odor, but I'm also pretty sure it's lethal when imbibed. [She thinks a moment more and then lights up.]

Hey. Do you remember when the hostess said whoever most directly commits the deed is the criminal? If we were to use the chloroform in such a fashion... and someone else were to deliver the tainted object itself...

[there's a bit of an "aha!" moment on Kaoru's end as well, but after a few more seconds of thought, the expression falls.]

I don't believe it would count toward our incentives, though, and that may be considered being an "accomplice" as well. We would become a suspect with nothing to show for it and risk execution without even the chance to be victorious.

...Oh.

[SHE'S NOT GOOD AT TAKING JOY IN THIS NEFARIOUS PLOTTING THING... clever sadism is hard what does she look like Rapture]

There's really going to be a lot riding on that suspect listing...

[it's okay not everyone is born to be a golden californian (murderer??)]

We could ask that snake the next time we meet up exactly what an accomplice entails.

Yeah... I'm coming up with more and more questions for him.

Hmmm. Speaking of accomplices - or allies, anyway - I noticed you've been talking with Gundam a fair deal and so have I. What do you think about him?

It's better to go in with questions than to assume, in my opinion. [a nod, and then carrying right on.]

Mr. Tanaka seems to be a rather... spirited individual. So far, I would say he is too much of a wild card to be of great use in terms of accomplices. In fact, I trust very few of the people I have spoken with. [by which Kaoru means "absolutely no one".]

I may have one person in mind but I will have to wait until further interaction to confirm or deny it. ...It's actually quite an unfortunate divide, looking at it objectively. I cannot name one potential ally outside of our own group, but there are quite a few who seem to me to be too dangerous.

There's nobody at this time whom I would trust with the truth of our situation or whom I have a particular desire to save. The divide you speak of... It's an acute problem. I really can only identify individuals who would be morally opposed to the means of our mission regardless of the ends, or else the braver souls would be of a more selfish sort.

It's a shame. If only we could swing the vote somehow...

Even if we cannot, five people is still a decent number. Assuming no other alliances are formed, that still gives us an advantage.

We will, however, need to act in order to destroy other forming groups, lest that advantage be lost. It is much easier at this point to pick targets rather than allies, unfortunately.

That's one advantage to this whole arrived-alone setup. Initially each contestant is a single cell.

Maybe some will want to attach themselves to us later once deaths actually start to occur...

We can only hope. Depending on the moral leaning of this group, they may be more inclined to fiercely abstain and go with all of their might after any potential perpetrator instead.

[And somewhere the part of Kanaya who haunted the graveyard rolled over in her coffin]

Do you think they're going to get excited about the hypocritical art of witch-hunting? It's a pretty human thing to do, I guess.

[tried so hard and only ended up a killer elsewhere...]

My, when you put it like that, it does seem to be something that has a high likelihood of occurring. [all things considered, Kaoru doesn't actually sound surprised at all. humans.png]

It would be in our best benefit, then, to create strong enough ties that they will be reluctant to cast suspicious glances our way on the days we end up in trial. One-sided, though, since trusting any of them at this point would be a foolish choice indeed.