AUDIENCE FOR: Jason Todd

[guestservices]

Comments

[guestservices]

Hm.

[sure. but they focus on the question instead. ]

You don't suppose it suits you? You may consider it a whim of the hotel itself.

[unrecked]

What, you're saying I'm a giant lizard? A dragon?

[This is funny and a bit disgruntling to him, but whatever. He can't, like, do anything about it. THIS IS REALLY FUCKING WEIRD, THOUGH.]

A whim? Great.

[guestservices]

Prickly, perhaps? [they find it a little amusing themselves despite their own claws and fangs.] Though one can't be sure.

If my notes are correct, nothing like this ever occurred on your island or what-have-you, correct? This is new to you.

[unrecked]

It got you guys, too, apparently, so you don't have a leg to stand on.

[So there.]

Yeah. [THEIR NOTES. Oooooooooooooooo, Jason haTES THERE ARE NOTES ON THEM SO BAD. His skin crawls.] A lot of this is new to me. Nothing was this... fancy, or whatever. It was just an island, and all we had to do was murder, or run.

[guestservices]

[they actually look down.]

I have two, actually.

[anyway.]

...sounds straightforward in the worst way possible. But if you'd like, I could provide you with some insight of what's occurred in other places. It may help you prepare better.

[unrecked]

Okay, smartass.

[JASON IS LITERALLY ALSO A SMARTASS. Stop, don't steal his schtick.]

Uh... sure? But why? Why bother helping me with something like that? And I swear to God if you say it's your job...

[guestservices]

[they almost look like they would be preening if jason could see their face.]

Because a lack of knowledge is infuriating for both you and for me.

[unrecked]

[STOP THAT.

He doesn't say anything for a moment because, okay, he can't argue with that logic at all. His lips thin a bit.]

Okay. I'll humor you. I'm all ears.

[guestservices]

[they seem to think of how to start.]

As I'm sure you're aware, many of these games ran for at least two months' time. Every week, in several of them, a particular oddity of the environment impacted all of the players involved. I suppose it's a way to ensure that you're tied to the game and cannot be released until your involvement has run its course. By my observation, they only last for one week, at which time another cycle begins. For the most part, they're harmless. Meant to be more of an annoyance than a true detriment, and often times they only impact yourself rather than linking you directly to another person.

[unrecked]

That wasn't true the other week. Didn't really enjoy being hivemind linked to Gautier for a week.

[Less because he felt things from Sylvain (it was still weird), and more he despised Sylvain being able to feel things from him.]

But whatever. It happened, it's done. This week, I look like an overgrown lizard. What else?

[guestservices]

I did say often times, not every time. If you're asking me to predict what happens next, that I cannot do. What else are you unaware of by now? You've been aware of roles. You've quickly learned about the way Thursdays turn out. You catch on quickly.

[unrecked]

How am I supposed to know what I'm not aware of if I don't even know it's a thing that happens?

[This sounds more rhetorical than anything.]

Roles I know, but not what kinds. Which doesn't bother me so much because I'm used to digging in Gotham. [Nosy Bat.] Almost all of this is new to me. The store, this, [he holds up one of the clawed hands] all of these different places popping up, people being put to sleep at night on Thursdays, having eight of you to keep up with, a bunch of people going on little wild adventures. Is that it? Any more surprises?

[guestservices]

[you know i think i probably meant "aware" but i'm an idiot so it's fine, jason can just think gemini is stupid too.]

Fair enough. [...] The gift shop isn't common in all locations, but rather a unique trait to this hotel. Physical, mental and emotional changes are meant to be taxing and test your fortitude throughout the game. Thursday nights, several locations have reported being locked into the rooms they are in and put to sleep precisely at midnight, though some places have been noted as to force its participants back to certain locations an hour before that.

I think eight is larger than most places, outside of that station, and the adventures have happened but even now we are unaware of them until after people have returned. There is no real warning for those. As for future surprises, I think you already faced one with the revival of Mister Strife, seeing how we were all surprised by that.

[unrecked]

[NO STOP]

Yeah. We definitely never had someone dead just sit back up again afterward for whatever damn reason. [Thinking fondly of Damian.] We did have a protective role, though. Rainsfords. They could stop a person from being hunted.

So I assume it might be something similar, who knows. A pretty lucky guess then, if it’s guess work.

I’m not complaining, but why are you so quantitative? It feels like I’m talking to Tim.

[guestservices]

Who could say? Mysterious things seem to happen here without reasoning at all times. If it happens again, perhaps there will be other answers.

[the question surprises them though.]

I...should I not be? Were you not expecting it?

[unrecked]

I hate surprises.

[Very Bat of him. But this happens more than anything, so whatever. He will deal with it.]

It just surprised me. There are eight of you, so one of you had to be the nerd, right? [JASON, BE NICE.] I guess it surprises me because you'd expect someone as particular as this about notes and details to not be foolish enough to maybe make a employment deal with a weird hotel owner.

[guestservices]

I suppose that would be me, yes. [they sound exhausted by the prospect.] You think of me as foolish then?

[no comment on the rest of that.]

[unrecked]

[Yeah, look. He's a Bat. No answer is about as good as a straight answer. Dodging his questions and theories...]

Yeah, but don't feel bad. I think we're all foolish, me included. Kind of hard not to be a bit of an idiot when someone dangles another person or something else in front of you, right?

[He's making assumptions, but it doesn't matter exactly if nothing is clarified.]

[guestservices]

I suppose some of you really could have denied the contract and refused to sign it. Yet here you all are in exactly the same position. A somewhat dangerous game for those who aren't careful.

[unrecked]

I don’t think refusing to sign would have mattered to an asshole who took the hostages anyway. Forcing our hands a little, don’t you think?

You know, if I find out any of you had any involvement with that outside of your arms being twisted, I’m going to be pissed.

[guestservices]

Not necessarily. I imagine you could have avoided signing in the first place, and perhaps some of you actually thought of doing such.

[but they shrug at at that.]

You don't suppose it's better to channel that anger directly into the situation at hand?

[unrecked]

I don't think it works like that.

[Not as a jab at Gemini. Mostly as a big jab at the damn hotel and whoever Nightman is.]

Don't worry. I've got a hell of a lot of anger to go around. Everybody can have some.

[guestservices]

Then so goes the question. What do you plan to do with it?

[unrecked]

I guess that depends on who makes me mad the most. Look, we were suspicious of Ivan, but we had a way to check her. And we did. She was clean. I can't say the same for any of you personally.

I trust you about as far as I can throw you. That's fair, isn't it? When you're pulled into murder hotel under almost false pretenses and given a bunch of shrouded caretakers.

[guestservices]

Oh, I find that to be completely fair. So many of you are trusting already and it's only been a few weeks. It only makes sense to be suspicious and work within your own means rather than assuming we will take care of everything. Draw your own conclusions, if you will.

[. . .]

Might I ask how you checked her?