[Week 3, Tuesday: Max]

[purrtagonist]

[wherever Max is, someone is bumping the back of his head lightly with a cup of-- GASP-- coffee! it's Akira. of course it's Akira. who else would it be]

There has to be a better place to hide that coffee maker than in the McDonald's bathroom.

Comments

[purrtagonist]

As I told Maya, that one wasn't my fault.

[concertmaster]

That you have to go "that one" doesn't say anything good about it.

[purrtagonist]

I didn't shut down any restaurants or food trucks, ergo I am completely innocent and have done nothing wrong ever, in my life.

[he says so matter of factly]

[concertmaster]

Well that sounds fucking believable, one hundred percent.

[sips coffee]

Your blatant lies aside, what's your list of questions for the week?

[purrtagonist]

[a snort as he takes a sip of his drink as well]

I'm becoming a little too predictable.

Do you intend to tell the Players about the-- [ah. hm. he has no good name for them, so. . .] -- "helper" Reapers?

[concertmaster]

"Helper"'s a big word. [slight sarcasm!]

I'm not going to out them as anything but Reapers. What their job is as Reapers isn't relevant to Players. They've got their own mission statement.

[purrtagonist]

Do you have a better one?

[equally as dry]

[concertmaster]

You could've just said "other" Reapers.

[purrtagonist]

Fair. But calling our two groups "Reapers" and "other Reapers" just sounds weird.

I feel like we need team names to differentiate ourselves.

[STILL. . . DRY. . .]

[concertmaster]

That's your inner addict to melodrama talking. Which is about the only trait you've got that's Reaper-like.

[purrtagonist]

I'll take that as a compliment. I like to stand out from the crowd.

[heh heh]

To change pace, since I know you don't answer Reaper-related questions. Where are the souls of the Erased residing right now?

[concertmaster]

They're in Hawaii.

[:|]

They're not somewhere you can access.

[purrtagonist]

Obviously. Otherwise I'd be asking you for a plan ticket to visit them.

[said in a deadpan]

I was kind of hoping you'd be more specific.

[concertmaster]

The Erased are not your concern, no matter how many of them are ex-members of your team.

[purrtagonist]

Then whose concern are they? The Composer's?

[concertmaster]

[he sighs]

I know you've got the whole rescue everyone shtick, but seriously, you might want to concentrate on saving yourself first.

[purrtagonist]

. . . [a sigh. his shoulders droop, gaze flickering down to his coffee, which he's now cradling in both hands]

I know.

[lord, does he know]

I'm. . . trying.

[using this break week to run plan upon plan upon plan through his head, things to present to Undine for her approval, to prepare for next week]

[concertmaster]

[... one whole sympathy gains Akira an awkward pat on the back]

Look. You should be thinking carefully about what you need to know, on top of what you need to do.

[purrtagonist]

[a laugh, humorless and short. thanks, Max]

I have been. Since Saturday.

[and coming up with solutions is. . . difficult]

I need to know more about what the Composer's endgame is. I know you said you couldn't talk about it before, but-- will there ever be a time where you can?

[concertmaster]

If they give me permission to. This Game... is a lot more complicated than it seems. I can tell you that much.

[purrtagonist]

I know. I gleaned that much from what you and Maya told me. Has no one else been asking you those same questions?

[concertmaster]

[.....ehhhh]

Outside of you and your partner? Sekreuz, I guess. That's pretty much it.

[purrtagonist]

[well, he knew about Setz, since that's something they talked about. but his partner?]

Ichigo? What kinds of things has he been asking?

[concertmaster]

[a beat]

Okay, that's my bad, should've clarified. I meant Undine. [a shrug] I guess Makoto and Yusuke asked a couple of things too.

[purrtagonist]

[. . . oh. pfffft]

Partner has many connotations in this game.

[he says with a bit of wry amusement]

That's good on Yusuke and Makoto. They're inherently rebellious, just like I am.