DAY FIVE

[judgejudy]

DAY 5 Complex Population: ??? It's 8AM, and you wake from that deep, dreamless sleep that enforces curfew as always. There's breakfast avaliable in the cafeteria if you want it, as well as meals from 11AM-12PM and 7PM-8PM, but otherwise? The day is yours. Take your time to explore the complex, relax, and enjoy each others' company, as who knows what the next day has in store? Though as you explore, you may notice that there's a new door unlocked and a new place for you to spend the day. Even better, it's two rooms! You'll find a dated computer lab, but at least you can play classics like Kid Pix and Ski Free. Connected to the lab is also a small movie theater, though the movie selection only goes up to 1940... Also, anyone taking a stroll by the fountain this morning may notice something odd about it. The water is red. — This post is for the first day as defined in the schedule. This post is for general mingling and CR buidling, and will not include significant plot interaction. ic rulebook character statuses character profiles private conversations graveyard

Comments

[selfdenying]

morning - cafeteria

[Alfendi Layton, looking somewhat tired, is in the cafeteria, tapping the edge of his pen against his lips as he thinks - he's looking down at his notebook, which seems to be filled with a ton of scrawls. Look over his shoulder to see what he's writing, and...well. One example of a sentence looks like this:]

AYSDO LMINT NEEY OMFA TALL YNAIN

[It looks like absolute gibberish.]

[When he notices somebody behind him, he just looks over his shoulder and smiles, his tone light.]

Oh, hello. [A pause.] It isn't nice to look over people's shoulders, you know.


evening - semi-closed to alice, will possibly be open later

[Much later, after the whole amputation business is over, Alfendi hurriedly makes his way throughout the Complex, looking like he's in search of something - when he sees Alice standing by the fountain, he pauses, before approaching - he looks strangely desperate.]

Alice... [He frowns.] I'm sorry, but you need to give me more, Alice.

[selfsufficiency]

"Need to"?

[Alice is a little more jittery than normal. There's some blood on her clothing - holdovers from the amputation - so one might think it's nerves from that, but... she doesn't think it's the case. It shouldn't be the case. She's witnessed much more graphic things than that before.

She's done worse things than that before. So why...?

She narrows her eyes and folds her arms across her chest.]

I don't need to do anything for you.

[selfdenying]

I'm sorry, Alice, but I'll have to disagree with that statement.

[He's usually very calm, and he is now, but there's a tension in the way he holds himself, a sort of hardness in his gaze.]

[He shakes his head.]

It wasn't enough. It worked well, and I need more...I can't just stop while I'm at it. I'm sure you can understand that.

[selfsufficiency]

You can disagree all you want, but I'm not giving you anything.

[The last word comes out in a snarl, and Alice's fingers dig into her skin where they're resting on her arms, but her lips curve up into a cruel smirk.]

I never should have given you anything in the first place, if you're just going to act like this now. This isn't how you should ask for favors, Alfie.

Go on. Beg for it. That might get you better results.

[selfdenying]

Alfendi.

[He corrects, ever so curtly. His eyes narrow, giving him a somewhat fox-like look with his wide and rather insincere smile.]

I'm being polite, you know. I'm asking nicely. But Alice, dear, I'm hardly going to beg. I'm not that kind of man.

I know you have more, so I'm sure you'll be generous again, won't you? Help a man out.

[selfsufficiency]

You think I'm going to be generous?

[That's a riot. Alice actually laughs so hard at the words that she doubles over, clutching her stomach. Her? Generous? Please.]

You really don't know me at all if you think that. [She doesn't straighten up just yet, but she does look up at him with a glint in her eye.] I'm not giving you aaaaaanything. What are you going to do about it?

[selfdenying]

Alice, you really pride yourself on being stubborn, don't you?

[He steps closer. He's taller than her, so it's quite easy for him to loom over her like some large, gangly tree.]

Please don't get me angry, if you could. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. [I'M SORRY I HAD TO] Just be a dear...I only need one. I'm hardly asking you for all of it.

... This is your last chance.

cafeteria

[newlugers]

[ it sure does look like gibberish. It's also unfortunately similar to some of the weird puzzles that crazy Alfred guy used to lock up his mansion. What is it with these people and puzzles? ]

What's that? Some kind of riddle? [ no apology for being rude... ]

[selfdenying]

Ha, hardly not. I mean, for others I suppose it could be a nice little puzzle, but this is all for myself.

[He turns the page over to a new unblemished page.]

I'm writing notes to myself. The self that hasn't really seen the light of day all that much, I mean.

[newlugers]

Notes to yourself...

[ okay, what Al is saying is some grade-A crazy talk. Steve raises an eyebrow at him, and surreptitiously edges back just a little bit. ]

So when you were acting weird the other day, in other words, that was...?

[selfdenying]

[His expression falls slightly.]

...Yes, Steve. Unfortunately, there's something very, very wrong with me.

[He lets the statement sit in the air, heavily, and he glances away when he notices Steve has stepped back. Ah, of course he would...]

I'm not dangerous, you know. Ill, yes, but dangerous? I don't think so. Please, Steve, don't worry.

[ondirectionlaugh.mp3]

[newlugers]

[ yeah, steve isn't a nice enough guy to be totally okay with this. Especially since Alfendi now has more in common with Alfred than just the first 3 letters of his name. ]

You sure? You seemed pretty ready to go after Veronica back there.

[selfdenying]

Did I hurt her, Steve?

[He smiles wide, though his eyes are narrowed, almost like he's saying it as a challenge for Steve to prove just how dangerous he is.]

I don't know all the details, of course, but me yelling obscenities and such isn't the same as me wanting to needlessly hurt a person who doesn't deserve it.

cafeteria

[turinged]

[she has the decency to look embarrassed when he admonishes her, at least, turning her attention from the paper to his face.]

I am sorry. I was simply curious.

[selfdenying]

That's alright. Ah, I can't really fault you for being curious.

[He chuckles, brushing it off, and there's a pause before he pipes up again, cocking his head at her with a curious look.]

Ava, are you familiar with codes and ciphers?

[turinged]

[she shakes her head.]

I do not have experience with them, but I think I could learn to solve them with enough time to uncover the key.

[selfdenying]

Aw, that's a shame. They're quite the nice little challenge.

[He smiles.]

Maybe I should write out one personally for you to give it a go? I'm sure you'll like it, what with your skills.

[turinged]

[a small smile emerges as she nods.]

If you would be willing, Alfendi, I would like that.

[selfdenying]

Very well.

[He thinks for a moment, before tearing out a piece of paper. He rips it in half, jotting down a few things with his hand covering his work, before he moves to the other piece and writes down a strange set of letters, handing it to her.]

CGTAO AVYLO ORUTN NEWLN NALIS DREDE

[He taps the piece of paper with a finger.]

Give this one a go. It's called the "Rail Fence". This message in particular has three "rails". If you need any tips, let me know.

cafeteria!

[puffing]

Yeah. And?

[ hi, Alfendi! bet you didn't expect to look over your shoulder and see this guy. he's pinching a cigarette between his lips as he leans forward to get a better look at the supposed gibberish that was preoccupying his attention. ]

Considering I held a meeting in the cafeteria and you thought this was more important, I was decidedly curious. What are you losing your mind over, exactly?

[ the last thing he needs is for Dr. Alfendi & Mr. Layton is to get angry at trying to solve a puzzle and snap. he wants to try and keep the people in his apartment alive and seemingly innocent for any further bullshit trials. ]

[selfdenying]

I'm not losing my mind over anything. Please, Bigby, do spare my feelings.

[He smiles (though still, he manages to look vaguely offended). He shrugs, tapping at the notebook with the end of his pen.]

I've found a way to let the other me know what's going on. Which will work in everyone's favor if I do turn into him out of the blue.

[puffing]

Calm down, calm down. Was just teasing you. Take it as a good thing.

[ it means he kind of likes you, but BE OFFENDED IF YOU WANT. sensitive baby.

at least his explanation was plausible. it makes him purse his lips in thought. ]

You don't want to just leave a normal note with a signature? Why's it got to be encoded like that?

[selfdenying]

[He got offended over the notion of someone eating plain pasta once. He's that sensitive. God help him.]

Oh, I know, I wasn't being serious. [Or was he? But he nods, always happy to explain.]

I don't want staff to read it. For example, what if I turn into the other one and I don't read the notebook right away? I'm writing down who I think is staff and my strategies and thoughts about how to combat them, and if a staff member discovers the notebook before I do and reads it, they can easily work against me.

[He smiles, pleased with himself.]

So, I'm writing it in ciphers using keywords that only I know.

[puffing]

'Course you weren't.

[ god you're such a big baby, Alfendi. it'll make sense when he finds out you're getting into fights with EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD GIRLS!!!

Bigby's still looking more closely at the notes while he furthers his explanation, and it brings up a point that he didn't think he nor anyone else would consider. maybe he shouldn't talk about it, but... Alfendi is a roommate, and all of them ― regardless of how much some of them liked fighting with one another ― agreed they would work on a certain level of trust. ]

Have you considered that "the other one" might not be innocent? Your memory's kind of... skewed, to say the least. What if he is staff, or one of the other roles?

[ Judy totally would give one half of him a role. totally. ]

[selfdenying]

I have considered that, yes.

[He nods, his expression turning serious as he closes the notebook, giving his full attention to Bigby. This is a concerning topic, to say the least.]

Of course, I don't know what he experiences, and he doesn't know what I experience. We've all ascertained that. But I honestly don't think he's staff, at least. First of all, there's the fact that he doesn't seem to know what is going on every time he appears. His notes from the profiles in the commissaries are example of that - he summarizes them in the same way I do, like he's reading something for the first time. He doesn't even seem to know who is dead or not - he didn't mark Diva or Charles as dead, for example, which I would've done. If he was staff, what purpose would he need to jot down this information? He doesn't know I exist - the notes are for him and him only, as reference, and if he was staff, he would certainly already know who's who.

[As far as the other roles go...well, he can't say anything about that. He doesn't even know what the roles are.]

Anyways, it does sound very silly, but...I have decided to put trust in myself. I am not a man who would willingly go along with murder in any sense. I do believe it's the same way for him too, regardless of how he acts. An angry man isn't automatically a murderer.