[video] [encrypted]

[trialbyliar]

[Someone has spent the last few hours holed up reading through everything on the network. Everything. Every post on both the public and encrypted networks, every comment, every introduction. He might have made notes if he'd had any paper, but for now he's just keeping it all in his head. And it's a lot.

But finally, he gets around to making a post himself. The new face that pops up on the comms is young, though the exact age is hard to determine – one of those baby faces that could be anywhere from like twelve to eighteen. He seems thoroughly unimpressed as he sits back to stare down the communicator screen.]

Wow, the corporate hellscape was pretty bad, but apparently there's a murderer on the loose, too? You'd think they'd at least switch up the genre this time.

[Who is "they"? Well, that's what he'd like to know.

But his expression abruptly changes, all childish excitement and wonder. He grins down at the communicator, nearly bouncing with excess energy.]

But how cool! A special network secret from Jorgmund? It's like we're spies! I'm sure with everyone working together, we can get out of this whole mess!

[Aw, how nice. Unfortunately, that optimistic energy suddenly disappears as the smile drops off his face, replaced with a sly smirk.]

Is that what I'm supposed to say? You're all pretty naive if you really think this network is any safer than the other one! I guess that's how so many of you have gotten picked off by just one killer, huh? What, did you just skip up to this mystery lady like "heeeyyy, you totally won't peel my face off, right?" and expect to be best friends?

[ bitch that's rude ]

Aaaanyway, I guess it's pretty standard to introduce ourselves on these things. Pretty rude of you guys to not even bother meeting people properly in person, but whatevs!

[He leans back in his seat, sizing up the communicator like it's an actual person prostate before him, and spreads his arms in a theatrical gesture.]

I'm Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. I'm sure we're all gonna be the best of friends!

[A cheery smile, completely shameless as he tacks on at the end:]

But that's a lie. You should probably know I'm a liar.

Comments

[trialbyliar]

[Huh. Another point for the alien. But being called "simplistic" for not turning away from the hard truths... That's a little annoying. The grin slips again, not entirely fading but shrinking to a less childish smile with a hint of a sly edge.]

You give up pretty easy. You really think there's no way to tell if someone is lying? A liar like me is good at recognizing when other people are lying, y'know. And there's aaalways a way to trap a liar, if you're dedicated enough.

[If Brainy really thinks everything in this post so far is pretense, then maybe he has an idea just how "determined" Kokichi is.]

But you're all so dead-set on this trust and friendship crap that you don't even wanna think about how you might catch any traitors. It's easier to hide behind "oh no, it's impossible!!" than it is to let yourself think about the cold, hard truth. You'd really rather get betrayed than actually think about it for more than a minute?

[googledox]

Because there's no way that someone might lie well enough to evade your detection.

And of course it's very wise to advertise publicly the ways or means by which someone might catch a traitor.

[trialbyliar]

Yeah, that'd be pretty dumb. Good thing it was a lie. I'm a liar, remember?

[googledox]

When it comes to the specifics of how some of us are securing our safety, some are prudent enough to refrain from speaking at all. Silence is a tool.

Just like provocation.

[trialbyliar]

You sure love using those ten dollar words, huh? Is that an alien thing or a you thing?

[googledox]

My apologies. I thought an Ultimate Supreme Leader could keep up.

[trialbyliar]

Who said I don't understand? Jeez, I try to be nice and get to know you, and this is what I get in return??

[googledox]

Your thin attempts at emotional manipulation are wasted on me, I'm afraid.

[trialbyliar]

Emotional manipulation? I'm just trying to make friends. Isn't that what you guys wanted? Make up your mind!

[googledox]

Attempts to vacillate between different moods won't leave me off balance either. Are you quite finished with the games? If not, this conversation is a waste of time.

[trialbyliar]

[He is never finished with the games, unfortunately.]

You're the one who responded to me, right? If you don't wanna talk to me, then what do you want?

[googledox]

To determine whether or not you're capable of dropping your antisocial behaviors when directly confronted on their specious nature. Otherwise, there is little chance of future cooperation and no reason for you to have access to the encrypted network.

And to make the answer visible to the operator of our comm network so they can decided what to do about it.

[trialbyliar]

You've already decided you've got me all figured out, huh? I'm trying have a conversation here, but you apparently only want to talk if I say the "right" things. It's pretty unfair to complain about my "antisocial behavior" but then shut me down when I try to just chat with you a bit.

[googledox]

I don't need to have you figured out. I don't need to know your true motivations. It's likely our network administrator will feel the same.

As I said before: it's all about risk and reward. Some things are too high risk and demonstrate too small a possible reward.

And you seem to suffer under the delusion that others will want to waste time unraveling the layers of your unparalleled genius. It is a delusion. And I say that as an unparalleled genius.

[trialbyliar]

[There's a long pause, his expression once again carefully blank. His brain's working a mile a minute, going through the whole conversation and different ways he could react. Ironically enough, clever observer might recognize these quiet, unemotive moments as probably the best indicator of what's really going on in his head.

What he eventually settles on is a shot in the dark, paired with a subdued smile.]

...You have a pretty good understanding of the network administrator, huh? Must be that unparalleled genius.

[googledox]

No, just common sense.

[trialbyliar]

I see.

[Maybe. He thinks he might see something, but nothing he can pull a trigger on – or even would, necessarily.]