piper90 | [video] [encrypted]

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[video] [encrypted]

[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.

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[Kokichi looks up as he hears the door click, affecting a started expression. He isn't particularly surprised that someone actually hunted him down. He tends to inspire that sort of thing in people.

And he's done his research. If what he's read is to be believed, this one is a werewolf. Which sounds like some fake bullshit, but the Easter Bunny is here, so. Shrug.

But he doesn't let on that he recognizes her at all. Instead he grabs his communicator and yells into it, faux-panicked.]

Eek! There's a creep trying to corner me in the bathroom. Help!!!

[Stacia laughs, loud enough to carry into the comm post. Normally she'd say something about expecting help after his choice of introduction was a little rich, but at least a few people here would show up to help if they thought he was under genuine threat.]

Don't worry guys, it's just me! I didn't want to be rude after all...

[She raises her eyebrows at Kokichi, staying over by the door.]

You did say.

[Stacia is a good person trying to avoid a panic. Unfortunately, Kokichi is a little shit who cut his feed immediately after yelling that. So I guess we're gonna test the general goodness of the New Hires, now.

With the video cut, he looks a little less panicked, but his grin looks a bit shaky, like he's maybe trying to put on a brave face. He stands, pocketing his communicator and backing away slowly.]

And you decided to make your introduction in the bathroom? Wow, that's sketchy...

[Stacia bats her eyelashes at him.]

Well, I couldn't exactly make an introduction anywhere else with you hiding in one. [She pouts.] You were very hard to find, I looked and looked!

Who's hiding? Maybe I was just about to take a shower.

[He tries to keep some distance between him and the girl who can apparently turn into a giant wolf monster. Unfortunately, there's only so far he can back away before he hits the wall of the showers. Whoops.]

So you should probably take a hike, before your virgin eyes see something they shouldn't!

You'll be disappointed then, the showers only work during our assigned cleaning times.

[Stacia doesn't move from the door. Why waste energy chasing him around when he'd have to come to her to escape at all? Jorgmund doesn't feed them well enough for that.

She crooks her finger at him.]

Come on, you said we were all being rude by not introducing ourselves in person. I'm just here to show willing.

[Okay, and to smack him around a little. Just in Homid though, not in Crinos; he's probably just as traumatized by the so-called on-boarding process as everyone else.]

[Shit.

Welp. He at least knows better than to get within arm's reach of people who probably wanna hit him, so he grins and stays right where he is.]

Doesn't it kinda defeat the purpose of coming to find me if you still expect me to come to you? Sheesh, how lazy!

You're a little one-note, aren't you?

[Where is your ability to adapt, Kokichi? Your charm or charisma? What do you do when the rules change? If you're gonna describe yourself as the ultimate supreme leader, Stacia expects more than "gets beaten up by girls in bathrooms".]

[Excuse you, he gets beaten up by girls in many places, not just the bathroom.]

Oh, did you want me to entertain you? I guess this will get boring pretty fast...

[He shrugs and finally approaches her, though he stops just outside the range of what he judges to be her arm length. Based on what he's seen of everyone on the network, he doesn't think she'd seriously hurt him, but he'd still rather play it cautiously.]

But y'know, for someone who came all this way just to meet me, you haven't even introduced yourself!

I take my fun where I can find it.

[She watches as he approaches, smiling in approval when he stops just out of her reach. There's some cleverness, or at least a sense of self-preservation. Not enough to keep him from being a colossal douchebag to the only people potentially on his side here, but Stacia knows more than a few people who don't take "immediate physical safety" into account.

...Okay, she knows a lot of them. Garou are really bad at that sort of thing, especially the Ahrouns.]

I'm Stacia. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I don't think either of us would find much fun in that lie.

Wow, you don't pull any punches!

[He's cautious in his positioning, but everything else about his body language is designed to appear careless and nonchalant. He rocks on his heels, hands behind his back as he makes eye contact with her – and he doesn't even have to look up at her. That's rare.]

But that's alright. I hate liars, after all.

[Kokichi...]

Do you need me to pull them?

[There's nothing but apparently-genuine curiosity and interest in her voice. Her body language matches his, though it's possibly more genuine: she doesn't know if he has any powers, either from back home or received on arrival, but it's hard to be intimidated by most people when you know that you can turn into an eight-foot wolf-monster at a moment's notice.]

Do you now? That must make your life terribly difficult!

Nah, keep 'em coming! It's more fun this way!

[He seems to swing all over the place emotionally, one moment grinning and the next sighing heavily as if long-suffering. Clearly his life is indeed very difficult.]

But you're right, y'know. It's suuuper hard, because people lie all the time! And then even worse, they pretend they don't and then complain when other people do it! What hypocrites, right?

Good.

[Bouncing back and forth emotionally is a good technique to keep your conversation partner off-balance, at least until they figure out how to roll with it. Or maybe that's what he wants her to think?

Stacia bats her eyelashes, nodding earnestly.]

Ooh, and then there are the people who just tell you out-right that they're liars, as if that makes it all okay!

Yup, yup! You totally get it!

[ who let these two interact

Kokichi smiles pleasantly, all innocence and childish charm, as he gives her a curious look.]

But y'know...that felt pretty pointed. Almost like you were trying to say something right there. But I must be mistaken, right? The honest, straightforward Miss Stacia would never be that passive-aggressive.

[Ah. There it is. The obnoxious smirking is back.]

[It's Jorgmund's fault. If not for the fact they'd both been enslaved by the corporation, this would never have happened.

Stacia covers a gasp with her hand, eyes wide with apparent horror at the very suggestion. Really, it's that or try not to giggle, and giggling would be breaking character.]

Oh goodness no, I'd hate to be passive-aggressive! Those people waste so much time beating around the bush that they never get anything done!

[She curls a hand under her chin, tilting her head down to rest on her knuckles so that she can look up at him through her eyelashes.]

Gosh, you're so insightful, you know me so well and we've only just met! I bet a lot of people here are doing things wrong...

[Oh. He likes her.]

Nah, you just totally get me! I best we're gonna be best friends forever.

[This is only a lie if Stacia retroactively makes it one. Even though he says it in that same over-acted enthusiasm as everything else that makes everything he says feel questionable.]

But yeah, there're tons of self-righteous assholes like that here! Do you know how many lectures I've already gotten? I didn't ask for a bunch of replacement moms!

Oh absolutely, the best! [It's a possibility, after she makes it clear that there are some things she won't tolerate. Boundaries are important in even the closest of friendships.] Aww, I bet they just think you're acting out because you need guidance! A few of them get real mad that Jorgmund's scooped up people under whatever they consider the age of adulthood. But if you know how to talk to them, they listen up pretty well.

Huh. So how do you think I should talk to them?

[He rocks on his heels innocently, but there's a sly edge in the curious look he's giving her, older than the childish attitude he affects.]

[Stacia glances around and then leans forward, cupping her hand around her mouth like she's going to tell him a secret.

Mostly though, she's just seeing if he's forgotten himself enough to move in closer.]

[At first, he just arches an eyebrow, like he knows exactly what she's doing.

But y'know what? He wants to see what she'll do. So he smiles indulgently, makes an exaggerated gesture of cupping his ear to listen, and leans in closer.]

[It's interesting that he knows what she's doing, but still plays along. It may even say good things about his potential as a ally in the future, depending on how this next part plays out.

The hand Stacia had cupped around her mouth lashes out with supernatural speed to grab the wrist of the hand Kokichi's cupped around his ear and she hauls him toward her, spinning them around so she can pin him up against the door.]

I'd suggest being less of a fucking asshole about it.

[Had he been another Garou, she'd grab him by the throat to make her point. As it is, she presses her hand hard against his collarbone, just close enough to his throat to be uncomfortable.]

Your comment about faces particularly crossed a line. Cross it again and we're going to have a problem.

[He winces uncomfortably, but it's not too bad – Maki always went straight for the throat. This is comparatively pretty gentle. Isn't Stacia so nice?

Still, though. A werewolf or something, probably capable of tearing his throat out. He doesn't think she would, not from what he's observed thus far in person and on the network. But he doesn't have too much direct experience to work with yet, so he does some quick mental risk assessment and decides to play it safe. Don't poke sleeping dogs and all that.]

G-gotcha. Nooo faces.

[For all his big talk and even the one inch of height he has on her, he doesn't seem all that threatening like this. He's scrawny, shrimpy, pale, and the instinctive grip that goes to her arm is frankly pretty weak.]

[Stacia likes to be nice when she has the opportunity. It means she has the option of not being nice later.

She stares at him, hard, until she's certain she's made her point. Then she smiles cheerfully, like she had been before, and takes her hand off of his chest to pat his cheek.]

I'm glad we understand each other so well! It's always nice to meet someone else willing to ask questions about the assumptions people make. We should definitely put our heads together sometime, once you've gotten settled in. I remember the first day here is pretty rough!

[Well. If she's gonna play all friendly, he can definitely play too. He meets that stare for a moment, eyebrows only arching slightly when she's suddenly all smiles again, and then just as suddenly he's dramatically slumping against her.]

You're telling me! I mean, shock collars and bullies on the network and girls beating me up in the bathroom? I don't think I can't take much more of this...

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credit_not_blame - 2020-12-29 01:33 (UTC) - Expand

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