week 11 - sunday (i guess?? after all the shit goes down)

[refactor]

[ Jack hadn't quite forgotten about wanting to talk to Dorian, but for a while after things calm down (at least, so much as they could), Jack just keeps to himself in silence. It's pretty clear that whatever the Queen had shown him had shaken him, since a thoughtful, pensive silence didn't exactly suit the person Jack had been up to this point... But whatever it is, eventually he at least decides that it can't stall him.

He'll take the time to ask Luke to accompany him, and Adam comes along as a result, which Jack doesn't actually object to at all in this case. He seems distracted more than actually really caring one way or another, and that carries to when the group goes to find Dorian too.

Still, that said, it might not exactly be a bad thing. Jack is more subdued by now, hardly the argumentative and baiting tone he'd been carrying earlier. ]

So. You had something to say to me, as I recall. Hope you don't mind me bringing my clique, since, y'know, not the most trusting guy.

Comments

[refactor]

[ There's a lot to address here between the questions about roles and what Dorian (and Adam) say, but he starts off with the easier one first. He nods towards Luke, though as he watches the drunken proximity of Luke and Adam, he can't help but have the corners of his eyes turn up slightly in amusement. You do you, guys. ]

Yeah, difference is simple, when it comes down to it. Started out, Kampff were just the assholes that were gonna keep the game running. Someone didn't feel like killing? We were supposed to step up to bat. Some did, some just got offed by someone else. Shit luck either way. I was the one that knew about the aliens, but it wasn't until after Liz and Rhysie that Alice gave the us the extra role of hunting aliens. At that point, didn't exactly care about that first goal of killing people off for the sake of whatever. [ He shrugs ] That, and y'all are really good at killing each other, so, yeah, we only had to do that once.

[ He really is very casual and dismissive about that part, so it's clear that this was never really a priority to him. It's hardly any surprise, considering the threat of an alien infection was far more worrying, and that's why when it moves to that topic, Jack does at least get less clinical. ]

But wasn't that simple. The way the message that told me about 'em was laid out? Couldn't let Alice catch on either. That's the problem. Couldn't tell anyone about the aliens, not even a hint, because was pretty sure that if she knew about them? We were all dead. Apparently that wasn't the case, so, yeah, I'll admit that it's pretty shit that I didn't give a hint before. But didn't think I could, and I won't apologize for thinking "as being alerted to their presence may cause Alice to intiate" was gonna lead into some bad shit.

[ He nods to Luke at this point, since he'll know what he's referring to next. ]

And for the record, did try and let y'all know earlier. That datapad that got left in the conference room talking about Harlan and epidemiology? Left that for you. Because I still think that's a fucking weird coincidence that we're stuck on a ship for some project that just happens to deal with the spread of an infection.

[ He laughs, since he's always been a bit bitter about that part getting glossed over, but he knows it's fair that they have to focus on the immediate. He waves his hand again, but it's half dismissive and half idle. ]

Look, I'm actually not saying I've done everything perfectly here for once. But, listen, if I could, I'd challenge you and any other idiot that thinks that they could've done a better job to friggin' try it. Because I could go through every point you've laid out here and lay out why I didn't do that. Pretty sure y'all think I'm just a monster that doesn't think this shit through, but, hey, got news for you, pumpkin. Already evaluated every question you've posed here, decided it wasn't the best way to go. So get off your friggin' high horse. You hate me, fine. Hell, you can even try and kill me, if that's your preference. But you shouldn't, least not till we're done with this shit.

[ He points at Dorian, which comes off as accusing, but it's actually the opposite. ]

'Cause if you've known who I am, at least half of it? Then you're not infected. Simple as that. So you're improving our odds here, because Adam's right. You're clear, so that puts us down at three people that could be housing our last piece of shit alien.

[tevinteriscoming]

I bring it up now because Jack accused me of hiding things, and I thought it unwise, given present conditions, to let stand.

[He doesn't address the rest of what Luke says. He's not here to argue he's a better person than Jack. Killing Arumat, the decision to frame someone to save Bull, are actions he has complex thoughts about and he hasn't worked through fully himself which parts he still believes were justified and which parts he knows weren't. Either way, he's not so concerned with the question of who is a murderer and the ethics thereof. He's known killers, and he is one now - the fact that he didn't twist the knife on his own doesn't change that. He knew Jack was a killer well before he killed Rhys; he'd talked often enough of his own notions of justice. He just hadn't expected Jack to be precisely that type of killer, vindictive and manipulative and volatile. A threat.

On the other hand, he listens to Jack's explanation, and, more importantly, to Jack acknowledging that he's likely clear. That surprises him; to him, it's been fairly evident he wasn't possessed ever since Bull's death, seeing as he'd been saved from execution for his part in it only by virtue of loyalty from Bull he had never anticipated or expected. He'd thought Jack's treatment of him as suspicious was based on personal biases, that he preferred to surround himself with people less openly hostile to his agenda.

Perhaps not. The fact that Jack willing to work together after all he just said is something. The fact that he acknowledges mistakes were made is something else. Not everything, but enough. He won't be able to let go of his anger over Bull, but he can look past it in the interest of something much more important, and he can also bring himself to acknowledge that Jack is right about one thing -- trying to stop the souvlaki has been much more complicated than he's allowed in his anger. A dose of humility, no matter how small, goes a long way with him.]

Very well. Consider my frigging high horse elegantly dismounted and sent off to the stables. What three?

[chiseler]

[That makes a lot more sense to him. For the most part this time he stays quiet. This is about Jack and Dorian and not commentary from the peanut gallery but at the same time Luke understands loyalty enough to realize that if Jack and Adam are going to trust Dorian, he has to do the same. He doesn't bother fighting off Adam's hand from where he's stopped his fingers from moving but he also tilts his head questioningly.]

Well not anybody in this room, obviously. [It's mostly mumbled for lack of anything else to say, though his eyes seem to widen the longer he thinks and starts to realize who, exactly, Jack means. It's then that he turns his head to Jack.] You really think so? Then it's about figuring out which one's most likely.

[antietam]

[ As much as he hates it, Jack has some good points and Adam isn't really sure what he would have done differently in Jack's place. It's something he's thinking about in an attempt to remain on his high horse, but Dorian's letting it go so Adam will too. He's been deferring to Dorian without realizing it here, but it shows enough that he trusts him. ]

Just three? What's the criteria? [ There's some he can guess are cleared, there aren't many of them left, but that still leaves him with more than three. He frowns over at Luke in particular. Has he not been telling him something? ]

[refactor]

[ PRETEND I SAID FIVE... BTW... I was working off my ooc list and forgot the mod characters that I took off for obvious reasons whoops ]

Well, can't tell you why in some of the cases, so you're gonna have to trust me, but. I know that Grell and Jason are clear, so add them to you, me, and these two, Dave for obvious reasons, Jessie for her role, and that leaves us with Judar, Yuno, Adrien, Marinette, and Clover. Out of them? I think we're lookin' at the furries, and really? Marinette's the strongest candidate here, I'm thinking.

[ He shrugs ]

'Course, I don't have strong reasons to write off Judar, Yuno, and Clover, I'll admit that. But since, I mean, if it weren't obvious, the blood thing was a total bluff. I was surprised we even friggin' found anything, even if I also think it was ultimately bullshit. But. Purely a gut feeling of looking at those two kids and seeing logic behind it from the alien's point of view. You wanna hide your biggest, most badass general? You pick a kid that someone would hesitate to cut off their head.

[ Jack pauses, since he'd wanted to say this earlier, but hadn't. Though since they're at a relative agreement here, he thinks he can say it without it coming off quite so badly. ]

...Which, hell, if I'm honest, I kiiinda figure that's why I'm the one that got the message here. Whether I'm really the highest ranking or not, I don't actually give that much of a shit about it, since it hasn't exactly helped me out here. But if it takes killing a kid to do what's necessary? Yeah. I'll kill 'em.

[tevinteriscoming]

Sounds logical to me. [Which may come as a surprise, given how defensive he's been of Marinette in public.] Before last week, I felt the most likely were Marinette, Yuno, or Jessie. Jessie's now been taken out of contention for obvious reasons. All guesswork of course with no means to confirm anything, but all of the souvlaki hosts so far have in some way appeared harmless or nonthreatening, but have been formidable in combat. Marinette and Adrien fit best, but it hasn't been exact.

Personally, I find Clover rather unlikely, if only because it was only by luck she wasn't a victim of Elizabeth's plot. Judar is a possibility; he's clearly better at making allies than you'd expect. Adrien is less incapacitated by his injury than one would think, and I wouldn't put him out of running either. But something does strike about Marinette.

I should like to know your reasons for being so certain of Grell, Luke, Jason, and Adam. They aren't who I suspect most, but I hope when you say that you know they're clear, you actually know. Your assumption that I'm clear because I haven't killed you yet doesn't fill me with confidence - perhaps attempting to use you to evade suspicion would be an equally good strategy as killing you would be.

[chiseler]

[...there's a pause, and he decides maybe it's up to him to clear most suspicions about himself. It's up to Adam if he wants to explain himself, too, but Luke shrugs in response.]

Some of us have already done the "possessed and murdering everybody in your path" thing. It's not likely they would return to me, I think? But other than that I wouldn't have waited this long to kill somebody if I was really interested in killing somebody. Not the greatest defense, but I'm also not exactly defenseless. Jack has a point. You want the perfect host, you stick with someone who seems harmless or someone with a very strong presence. Elizabeth fell into the latter, Dave's a kid...[He shakes his head.] And also if I was really hosting something you think that something would let me suggest we draw everybody's blood? Just a thought.

[antietam]

[ Adam is not entirely sure why he's cleared, really, other than not killing Jack and probably being vouched for by Luke. Those are fine with him, anyway, so he's not going to bother really defending himself, but he will add: ]

Luke and I have been keeping an eye on each other, too. It would have been easy enough for one of us to kill each other, plus you've probably noticed that we tend to stay close on Thursdays and Fridays. That sort of thing wouldn't exactly be helpful if we were planning to kill. [ It's not a perfect defense but it's more for Luke's case than anything.

Either way, he gives Jack a look that does not actually seem to contain distrust for probably the first time. Maybe Jack's admission that he will kill children gained some respect. ] We have to make sure no one's going to get in the way of us killing the last alien.