felinguistic | (no subject)

...

Provided, of course, no one lies to you about who they think might be possessed that week, of course. You've always got to account for, and prove, misinformation that can filter in.

But it's not a bad idea. Hope that the people you're working with aren't possessed, and hope they can win over the people they need to sleep with that week.

Of course people are going to lie. They'll want to protect certain people, and that's when you go in as unobjective as possible. And it's always been a game about making sure people like and trust you, and knowing who you're working with.

Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't paying attention. That's the only way we're going to get out of here with as few casualties as possible.

[ he just raises his hands. ]

I've already said I have no interest in dying here. If it increases the chances of getting home, then I'm listening.

But at least you understand it has to be as few casualties, not no casualties at all.

I'm not naive enough to think it won't be no casualties at all. I've seen too many games like this where that never happens, so it's better to know now than be surprised later.

It's just a matter of convincing others to be okay with that.

They won’t have a choice. They either accept it and work to minimise the damage, or they don’t and crumble under their own empathy.

[ lovely ]

If we sit around playing babysitter then we won’t be able to solve anything.

Then I'd like your help in making sure people are willing to work together and that they aren't holding us back. I can't do my job if people think I'm being mean by asking questions they don't want to hear the answers to.

I'm not a good babysitter.

[ helpful. he's so helpful. ]

I don't have any problem cutting people off if they don't like intense questioning. [ there's a pause... where he really looks like he's thinking about something, quite intensely. ]

... Even if it's not always the best option, sometimes there's no choice but to be that cold when questioning. [ it's mumbled, rather than spoken. ]

...do you really agree with that? [He doesn't disagree, but the tonal shift is something that makes him curious, again, what Shiraishi's really thinking about.] Sometimes we have to be ruthless, especially now that we know it isn't always the person we're talking to. It could be a demon.

I do. Quick fire questioning leaves little room for overthinking and building stories that hold up to scrutiny.

Someone told me otherwise recently though, and... [ he shrugs, small and stilted. ] In some situations, she wasn’t wrong. She’d be the sort of person here to be against it.

But she is rarely always right herself.

You're not wrong about that. They don't have the time to string together lies. [But. He finds himself looking at Shiraishi and listening closely. A girl? Someone with opposing beliefs, then.

And also someone Shiraishi at least listens to, if slightly, which is impressive on his own.]

...so who is she? This girl.

I find it efficient. They let things slip without meaning to when they defend their actions, and when you latch onto them the lie breaks down.

[ he just smiles. ]

She's not here, so it's not important.

Yeah. They're basically their own undoing that way. Some might think it's a shitty method, but if they're gonna be ruthless you have to be ruthless back. [Dog eat dog world, etc. But no, he's not letting that go.]

It was important enough to mention what she'd think, so I'm kinda thinking that's not so true.

There's more nuance to it than I would have originally thought. But we don't have the time to be slowly coaxing answers out of people, or working on getting everyone here to trust us without question. It's the only efficient method we have.

[ ha. ] Whether you think it is or not, she's not here, so what good would you knowing do?

Some of us have also been doing both. [He's been working on speaking to people and earning their trust mostly for the sake of working together but also for his own means. If he understands people, it'll be easier to know what questions to present at any time.]

You brought her up first. You don't think it's important to know about someone else's philosophy you bothered to remember?

[ he just hums. ] It's not a natural skill of mine. Maybe you should take on the role of PR.

The philosophy? Sure. Her? No, not necessarily. She's too soft, too naive and a bleeding heart, but sometimes that's what people need. I can tell you that much.

I'd rather not. [He narrows his eyes in thought.] Does that somehow include you? Or did you find her to be a nuisance just like you find most people? She must've worked for the police department or you wouldn't even listen to her at all. Right?

She is a nuisance. [ wow tell junpei what you really think. ] But I've met worse. Stubbornness can be endearing, sometimes.

"Sometimes." Are you one of those people who doesn't like certain kinds of stubbornness?

Don't you think it depends on what the stubborness is being directed at?

Maybe so. But I think it also just makes you a sore loser if you don't like when it's directed at you.

People are stubborn with me all the time. It's if it gets in the way of what we're doing, then it's less endearing.

...has that happened a lot for you? Just wondering.

Everyone has different ways of working. Sometimes we don’t see eye to eye.

And sometimes we do because we force ourselves to. [But he shakes his head.]

Speaking of...I should go. I have someone I owe an explanation to, after all.

Hmm. Well, try not to get yourself in trouble with whoever you're explaining things too.