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[locked to new hires] [video] clues
Alright, locking this because if the guys in the other rooms are being anything like us there's messes we don't need the corps seeing us fuckin' making, or worse, but whatever, point is:
[ South holds up a colour printout of all the current Hires faces, with all the teens and younger circled, but numerous others' faces crossed through with Xs:
Guts
Kevin Armstrong
Breq Mianaai
Ronald McDonald
Alia
Dan Sagittarius
Agent Washington
Agent New York
Agent South Dakota
Sarah Kerrigan
Aiden Price
Lavernius Tucker
Carolina
Agent North Dakota
Nora Valkyree
Sam Winchester
Brandon Saint John
Rune Saint John
Garviel Loken
Mackenzie Haynes
Rogue ]
We found a fuckin' doozy. Gonna guess the crosses mean we specifically weren't what this thing was fuckin' looking for in a target for copying.
Like we said earlier, we also found Santa's sack in the shower like the thing was trying to wash it out and a whole lot of candy it probably dumped from it. The closet in here was missing a medium uniform and the locks in here are all fucked, but like... carefully fucked. And... that's it? [ she looks over at Kerrigan as if to confirm, then back at the camera ] So far, anyway.
What the fuck's everyone else found? Assuming we haven't been the only team actually getting shit done.
[ South holds up a colour printout of all the current Hires faces, with all the teens and younger circled, but numerous others' faces crossed through with Xs:
Guts
Kevin Armstrong
Breq Mianaai
Ronald McDonald
Alia
Dan Sagittarius
Agent Washington
Agent New York
Agent South Dakota
Sarah Kerrigan
Aiden Price
Lavernius Tucker
Carolina
Agent North Dakota
Nora Valkyree
Sam Winchester
Brandon Saint John
Rune Saint John
Garviel Loken
Mackenzie Haynes
Rogue ]
We found a fuckin' doozy. Gonna guess the crosses mean we specifically weren't what this thing was fuckin' looking for in a target for copying.
Like we said earlier, we also found Santa's sack in the shower like the thing was trying to wash it out and a whole lot of candy it probably dumped from it. The closet in here was missing a medium uniform and the locks in here are all fucked, but like... carefully fucked. And... that's it? [ she looks over at Kerrigan as if to confirm, then back at the camera ] So far, anyway.
What the fuck's everyone else found? Assuming we haven't been the only team actually getting shit done.
[just off-screen, technically on video but not really]
[Then washes out again, then again, repeatedly, flickering images of hallway walls and open doors flitting onto the feed for bare seconds at most, as if whoever's got hold of it on the other end is looking for something. Eventually the hallway glimpses might look familiar.]
[A miniature red star bursts open in the hallway in front of the security booth Kokichi's squirreled himself away inside, just long enough for Cure Passion to wave, before she disappears in another flare of red light and reappears beside him, a giant trashbag full of candy slung over her shoulder. She leans over and drops it on his pile o' notes with a thunk, a sincere but overly casual smile on her face.]
... hello, Kokichi! We got all this candy, so I thought I'd stop by and ask if you wanted any?
no subject
He only just catches the familiarity of the images and snatches up his comm, alt-tabbing back to a message he had pre-written just seconds before a magical girl suddenly materialized besides him. The comm goes swiftly behind his back and he quickly plasters over his tense surprise with a pout, immediately all casual ease.]
Jeeeeez, warn a guy first, will you?
[Internally, he's screaming. He couldn't hide all his scribbling in time, but the pre-written message was a higher priority and he needs to have a finger subtly hovering over that button in the worst case scenario...
He makes a face at the candy – probably the first time in his life he's ever done that.]
And can't you read the room? I mean, there's an imposter out there somewhere and you're wandering around offering kids candy? My mommy told me not to take candy from strangers, y'know!
no subject
If I'd warned you, you wouldn't still be here, would you? And if I'm going to have the best chance at being where I need to go next, wherever that is, it's here!
With you.
[She pulls out a peppermint, rolling it between her fingers, her elbow resting on her other palm.]
It'll be easier to save our friends if we work together. [Her expression turns thoughtful.] I don't know about what anyone else thinks about it, but I think you're my best hope for actually knowing where I most need to be to stop that imposter as soon as possible.
[Then she winks at him, beaming, and unwraps the candy to pop it in her mouth.]
I just thought you seemed like someone who'd like sweets, so I thought you'd appreciate the gesture if I brought the bag to you first, you know? Even when we're all frightened and paranoid, we still deserve to be comforted. Even you.
no subject
Ugh, I'm gonna barf. Did you really have to bring that sickly sweet crap in here? I mean the magical girl monologue, not the candy. But whatever, I was lying anyway. No one ever actually cared enough to warn me away from candy-wielding creeps!
[He just babbles on like he's not thinking about any of it. One hand reminds behind his back – finger hovering over the send button on that message, which alerts all the New Hires to an attack and details his exact location – but he shoves the other into the bag. Kokichi fishes around for a bit, mixing up what he can see at the top of the bag, and then digs until he pulls out a grape lollipop seemingly at random. He wrinkles his nose at it and scoffs.]
Ewww, who likes grape flavor? You can eat that one.
[He carelessly tosses that one into her lap. The challenge goes unspoken, of course. Like hell is he eating anything a stranger brings him right now without being sure that it's safe first. For all he knows, all of it is drugged except for that one specific peppermint as she's trying to lower his guard.
Paranoid? Him? Nahhh.]
no subject
If I were a little less thoughtful about the circumstances, this is when I'd say you deserve to have someone care enough to warn you about such things, and offer to help. But, well, [she smiles, conscious of the irony,] I am the weird person bringing gifts of candy, so it doesn't have nearly the same reassuring effect I'd like it to, does it?
[She blinks when he tosses her a lollipop, then raises an eyebrow in total and genuine bewilderment, straight up not comprehending why he's tossing her his rejects except to try and get a rise out of her, which he should know he can't by now - at least not that way. She hasn't even considered he might actually think she'd try to poison him. What would that solve?]
You know, my skirt is not a replacement for a garbage can ...
no subject
[He can certainly grin and snicker like he isn't on edge with a murder monster prowling around somewhere.
But hey, they logic tracks for him. This thing has clear intelligence. It plans out its crimes. It's hunting kids and for all intents and purposes, he is a kid. It clearly knows the powers of the New Hires and drugging someone is a solid way to even the playing field when dealing with superhumans, right?
He digs for another piece – still the same kind of grape lollipop – and tosses it into her lap alongside the first.]
Maybe it'd look less like garbage if you filled it out better? So eat up! It couldn't hurt a stick like you to put on a few pounds!
no subject
[So his words instead prompt her to reexamine the candy he's tossed into her lap, brows knitting together in puzzlement. What could he possibly be trying to provoke her into doing, by eating the candy? It's not like he could have drugged it on her that quickly, after all -
[And her eyes widen as the realization hits her in that same breath.]
[Carefully, she reaches down and unwraps one of the lollipops, and wets it once, before putting it in her mouth and rolling it around between her teeth for a little while. She hums around the candy, then slips it back out and appraises the dark purple orb, stuck as it is on the end of the tightly-wound paper stick.]
[After a second, she turns to him and smiles, soft and reassuring.]
You know, I can't test all of them for poison for you first, Kokichi. That many sweets is bad for your teeth. But ... I can at least tell you the grape flavored ones just seem to come dosed with the usual awful grape flavor, so far. That's what you wanted to know, right?
no subject
His free hand darts to his mouth as in in shock as he plasters on a horrified expression.]
Woah, you think some of them could be drugged or something? That's super scary! I can't believe you wanted me to test them for you, you jerk!
[Clearly, she's making a point of throughly sucking on the sweet to ensure he knows she's not faking it. But he dislikes being seen through like this, especially when he's this on edge, so he'll just...pretend not to know what she's doing. His disgusted expression says it all, really.]
Were you trying to make that look sexy? Ew. Just so you know, I'm not interested.
no subject
Kokichi ...
[She presses her lips into a line, and looks away, eyes wet. She forces a hopeful smile onto her face, as sad as it is nonetheless.]
I promise, you'd still be worth knowing even if people did know the real you, underneath all those defensive insults.
[Then she sniffs, taking in a shuddering breath, and wipes at her face. She laughs, pure and bright and all kinds of "aw shucks isn't it cool that I can say this about myself though" thrilled.]
Besides, I'm a lesbian, anyway, so I'm not either?
no subject
I think that candy must have been laced with something after all. It's making you all sappy and gross.
[Does he ever let the wall of bullshit down even a bit? It sure doesn't seem like it.
But he does lean forward, suddenly snatching the other lollipop from her lap with a deft hand. The comm gets laid down, casual as can be, like he hasn't had an iron grip on it this whole time. He needs the extra hand to pull the wrapper off the candy.]
You're lucky I'm around to double-check for you, huh, Sappho? Even at the risk to my own health...
[He pops the lollipop into his mouth, grinning around the stick. And then of course he has to add (slightly mumbled around the sweet):]
Oh, but that's a lie. I've actually been lying a lot! Grape's my favorite flavor.
no subject
I don't know if I'd call it luck, but that's exactly why I'm glad you're here! Even if you're only doing it for your own reasons, I know I can trust you to help us all survive this.
[And then she gives him another sad, wistful look - that turns instantly impish. She even sticks her tongue out at him at the end, to boot, just to emphasize the teasing lilt of her voice.]
You know, if you keep on lying all the time like this, I'm going to start to think you've been lying all along about being any sort of supervillain, too!
[... she makes a note that she'll have to look up Sappho on the Rig Google later, to figure out what kind of name he was trying to call her, there.]