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(no subject)

Characters: Yomiel, anyone
Format: Any
This log is: open
Location: Conquest courtyard
Summary: Yomiel finally shows.

There's someone standing almost casually on the edge of the courtyard, hands in pockets, rucksack over shoulder, and - observing. He's been keeping out of sight for the past few days, trying to find an easy way out of here - flipping through the handbook in that rucksack had been all the evidence he needed to decide he didn't want to stay. But he hadn't been able to find one, of course. So it looked like he was going to have to follow the rules here - at least for the moment.
He hadn't been teaching any classes for the past few days, obviously, and he very probably was going to be punished for that, but he didn't care too much. Couldn't do much to a corpse. No, first things first - limitations were annoying, so he needed to find a Player for - next time, perhaps, he wasn't sure of the time - even if he wasn't too fond of the idea. And see who else was here and if he could use them in any way.

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Apollo was just making it back to the dorms from campus, straight from the library, carrying the three books he'd checked out in his arms, against his chest. As he'd learned from his short time here so far, without the surety of getting vowed to someone, the rest day was the best time to take advantage of what he might not be able to access during the week. He still didn't think much of the whole bribery aspect behind it, but what else could he do?

His steps slowed a bit when he saw the taller, unfamiliar man standing there. Apollo's sure this has to be someone new, because he'd definitely remember seeing a hairdo like that. "Uh, wow. How do you get through doorways with that thing?"

...yes. Yes, this one looked like a good prospect. Good enough, anyway. Yomiel grinned to himself. "Practice. Did you really expect any other answer?" Most doors were tall enough anyway, if just barely.

Right, time to skip to and over the pleasantries as quickly as possible so he could get to business. He stuck out a hand, wondering with a touch of amusement whether the other could manage to juggle all those books on a single arm for long enough to shake. "Name's..." - a short pause to consider whether he should use his alias, then deciding there was no point, since this place had his name on record somewhere - "Yomiel. And you?"

"I wasn't sure what to expect, honestly. But that's a good one." And he could appreciate a good use of hair gel. This guy looks so effortlessly cool that Apollo doesn't think he's seen anyone other than Prosecutor Gavin with that kind of style. ... Or that kind of height. What an unfair combination.

Apollo's had plenty of practice with carrying books around, so he doesn't have too much of a problem shifting them under one arm instead. "I'm Justice, Apollo Justice." It's a firm, but short handshake he gives Yomiel, made all the shorter when he discovers that the cool is literal - his hand feels a lot chillier than Apollo expected, leaving him furrowing his brow as he pulls away.

"... You're new here, aren't you? When did you show up?"

The hand's slipped back into his pocket as soon as the handshake is over with, that - almost-trying-too-hard-to-be-friendly grin never leaving Yomiel's face. "Apollo Justice, eh? I'll remember that."

He shrugs in response to the query. "Last week. Not that long." And... that actually leads into his own question.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get to be a Player for next round, or find one? The handbook doesn't go into much depth beyond the things you're not allowed to do without one." And his next step - he needs to be allowed into that computer room. He'll see where else to go from there.

"And you're on this campus? You didn't sneak in from Fortitude?" That was weird. Apollo's always going in and out of the dorms, thanks to having to teach his own class, so surely he'd have seen Yomiel before this. Where else in town was there for a new arrival to even go?

"Eager to get involved, huh? Sorry, as far as I'm aware, the Players are chosen randomly, a few from each school. There's always an assembly right before the next round where they announce who the Players will be. That should be... tomorrow, at noon in the foyer."

"Conquest, right? That's what I was told getting off the train." He doesn't let the skeptical look phase him - he is telling the truth this time, at least.

Not... eager, exactly, but he does need the advantages of being an Owned Weapon. "So... what? Do I just stick around there tomorrow and try to latch on to someone if I don't get chosen?" How did one actually go about getting a Player?

"Yeah... so you're in the right place. What dorm are you in?" Apollo was curious about it, and all the more so because something seemed a little off about this guy. It was nothing he could put his finger on, and it bugged him.

"That's pretty much how it's done. I know there's a forum you can post to if you can't find anyone in person tomorrow... but I can't imagine a Player turning down a willing weapon." Then Apollo sighs softly, hugging his books in closer. "It's a crazy system, isn't it? I've even been told there's a real possibility of our school getting punished for losing these stupid fights."

That actually took Yomiel a moment to remember - he hadn't been in there yet. Didn't need to sleep, after all. That had helped him not be seen 'till now, he thought. "1-B." ...and maybe he should have made something up, this one might know where that dorm was and be suspicious, but he... could always say he'd been sleeping outside, he supposes. He isn't going to reveal his cards yet, especially since...

"Right. I'll try that. Thanks." He shifts the knapsack on his back slightly. Foyer tomorrow, he'd remember. Meanwhile - on this system. "...do you know what the whole point of all this is, then? Being forced to fight and the Weapons and everything?" All he'd been told was that it was - a game. And that he couldn't leave. Surely there was some sort of plan behind it, though.

Edited 2012-11-23 06:22 (UTC)

"1-B ... Well, if you're in the Red dorm, then you're right across the hall from me." He could be in the White dorm, but ... still, Apollo's sure he should've at least caught a glimpse of him, if that was the case. He wants to ask about it, but for the moment he's holding back, having to remind himself that normal conversations shouldn't involve as many questions as he asks during one of his cases.

"... All I've been told is that it might get us out of here." Now there's some frustration leaking into his tone, "I don't know what the fighting's supposed to accomplish, exactly, but there's a puzzle to this place. It's believed that if the puzzle is solved, we might be able to go home. And those towers around here, like the one there behind the dorms? That's a part of it. Opening one is also how all that chaos happened yesterday."

Shaking his head, Apollo ran a hand over his hair, the spikes promptly bouncing back into place. "I can't say that I trust it. I'd love to find some way out of here that doesn't play into our captor's hands, but I'm not even sure where to start."

...he was, actually. But he certainly wasn't going to mention that right now, not if Apollo didn't press for it. He'd just have to be really quiet when he finally did go in there, and pretend that was the reason no one had ever noticed him entering or leaving. ...dorms, though. He hoped he didn't have a roommate, that would be - more difficult to explain.

"...I wondered what the commotion was." So, a puzzle. "- question. Nobody knows the reason for fighting, everyone wants to get out, and schools can get punished for losing, right? Why not just stage the fights so they're always a tie? Unless that's part of the puzzle too."

...on the other hand, why bother putting effort in straightening that out? He doesn't care about these people, he just needs to get away himself. And if their captor did this just for a puzzle, there's no guarantee they'll be allowed to leave later either. "You're right." He shakes his head and shrugs. "Anyone ever tried to just - leave on a boat or something?"

So Yomiel didn't have anything to say about the dorms? It was still suspicious, but Apollo didn't think he could push the issue without getting confrontational about it. It was nice to run into someone that agreed with him, instead of assuming they should just do whatever they were told.

"That's because the punishments aren't part of the system. That one's all thanks to how gung-ho our headmistress is. There's some in Fortitude that'll lose to us on purpose so it doesn't become a problem... but I'm not sure exactly who will do that." Apollo's keeping his voice down now - there's no telling who else might wander through and overhear them. "Staging a tie might be possible, but it'd be tough to manage. Usually the fights end when either the Weapons or the Player on one side passes out."

"I really don't know what's been tried or not, but ... it seems like if escape was that easy, no one else would be here. There's still some people that have been here since the fighting first started. I've already spoken to one of them," he mentioned, but he says it like it's left a bad taste in his mouth.

Ah. Getting quieter, was he? Yomiel wasn't too worried still about anyone overhearing - what could they do to him? - but better to go along with that anyway. It'd make him seem more normal and he didn't want to scare this one off when this was someone helpful. So he lowered his voice in kind, glancing about out of the corners of his eyes - not that it was visible what with his shades.

"So forfeit simultaneously." The handbook had mentioned those - and also skimmed over punishments, then again. "Or take something in that knocks both Players out." ...actually, now he was considering something else - the headmistress was only one person, right? "- better yet - don't play around with rules. Just attack whoever's in charge without starting up any official 'battles' and take over."

"I looked around some myself, but better to check. ...oh? And what did they say?"

"Are you serious?" Apollo hissed it to him, taking a quick look around himself. Okay, he doesn't even see anyone else, but that suggestion still came close to giving him a heart attack. "Fine, fixing the battles might be possible, but taking over the place? There's no telling how powerful the headmistresses are, or what they can do - you've noticed that not everyone here is human, right?"

They might've had the greater numbers, but it seemed entirely too risky. At least in the battles, no one truly got hurt. After seeing that huge turtle thing that had appeared with the opening of the tower ... if the headmistresses were in on it, there was every possibility they could do crazy things like summon monsters out of thin air, too. Apollo doesn't know; he hasn't been here long enough to find out.

Shaking his head with an almost frustrated look, all he says to that is, "He filled me in on the punishment part, that's all. They do it for breaking the rules, too, not just for losing battles." Apollo rubs the spot on his left wrist where his bracelet should have been, wondering now if the tidbits he'd been told by the 'old-timer' had been given in good faith after all.

"Entirely." Yomiel's back to grinning cockily - perhaps a bit annoying right now, actually, but he doesn't care. The bit about what they can do is a fair enough point, yes, but - "Fine. Don't do it directly, then. Slip some poison in whatever they eat or drink. Easiest idea off the top of my head, and I'm sure there're more."

To be fair, he does have - a trick or two up his sleeve as compared to anyone else here, even the non-humans. He does know he's still dead, after all, even if for some reason he can't perform any ghost tricks. Yet. Can't harm a dead person. As far as he knows, at least.

"Ah. Figures. Then I suppose I'll be up for something soon." He doesn't seem overly bothered by that prospect, though. "Still, what if it is possible to just escape, and the only reason people haven't tried is they've been told it would already have been attempted? Worth some more experimenting with."

"W-What?! No, no way, that's completely out of the question! Where would you even get it? It's not like you can waltz into the grocery store and pick up a bottle of poison!" Now Apollo's gotten louder again, entirely by accident, so disgusted by the idea that he even takes a small step back. Just because Apollo was briefly willing to entertain the idea of a revolt didn't mean he'd be a party to murder. There's no possible way Yomiel meant it, was there? That had to be some sort of morbid joke...

Taking a deep breath to try to calm himself down, he shakes his head, "Anything that isn't too risky is worth a try, but... what do you mean, up for something? What did you do?"

Oh, he meant it all right. A few years of being dead did that to you. Seeing as Apollo seems so revolted by the prospect, though - he assumes because he doesn't like the idea of killing others, that's usually it - he lets the grin fade and shoves in impatiently, "Brew some up yourself. And I didn't say you have to kill them, if that's what's bothering you. Just get them incapacitated enough to have some sort of advantage. Knock them out for as long as you need and just keep re-dosing them, maybe."

Yomiel waves his hand dismissively. "Haven't been showing up to these classes I'm apparently supposed to be the teacher of. That's against the rules, I gather."

"No, it... wouldn't be worth it. On a lot of levels." Apollo shakes his head at that, at a loss when it comes to explaining why. Despite all the fighting and other crazy things going on here, no one was actually being hurt by being trapped like this. So hurting someone else to try to get home ... that just wasn't right, not to mention how underhanded the use of poison was. It amazed him that Yomiel could talk about it that way.

"You're sure a paragon of responsibility, aren't you?" Apollo said it with a mutter, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm not actually sure what the punishments entail, so all I can say is ... good luck."

"Not worth it? When they've kidnapped everyone here, dragged us to fight for their own amusement, and punish at their own leisure if we don't do well enough?" He pauses, then shrugs and adds, "If you say so."

"Yeah, yeah." His tone is just as dismissive now. "I'd be surprised if anyone expected me to just cooperate right after getting off the train. I'll see what I can do about teaching from now on."

...right, he's found out what he needs - simple enough - so he might as well go now. A bit abruptly - "...thanks anyway. See you." - followed by a two-fingered salute. He stops for just a minute before leaving to tack on a last, "Oh, right. And if you see a cat with a red handkerchief 'round its neck, mind bringing it to me? Don't think he's here but if he is I don't want those headmistresses getting their hands on him."

"Yes, I do say so," Apollo replied stubbornly. "It could be a lot worse." And talking to Yomiel had helped put that into perspective - as badly as Apollo wanted to go home, he wouldn't ever take it to the level of hurting someone else to do it. If there was more than one solution to every problem, then there could be more than two, or three... it was just a matter of finding a better way.

He couldn't say he was very sorry to see Yomiel go, not with how the guy nearly gave him the creeps. "Sure, maybe I'll see you around the teacher's lounge. But..." And then Apollo trailed off, furrowing his brow as he gave Yomiel a questioning look. The majority of what he'd said had been loud and clear, except for one thing. "... What's a 'cat' supposed to be?"

"As long as you're fine with just sitting around and waiting for it to get worse." Eh. Yomiel might as well go find out more about these towers later too. Though he's not too confident that this 'puzzle' will let anyone out, taking a look at it might reveal more about those behind it.

"A cat?" Yomiel actually turns his head back over his shoulder to give Apollo what would be a very odd look without the shades. "...small animal? Pointy ears, usually long tail, short- or long-furred depending, notorious for catching pests? Don't tell me you've never seen one."

"Hey! I'm not going to sit around. I can find methods that don't involve hurting someone, that's all." That statement of his is enough to make Apollo a little huffy, and he crosses his arms over his chest, eying Yomiel all the more doubtfully after that explanation.

"That's it? I..." He pauses to reach up and rub at his forehead, feeling a sudden headache coming on. "I don't... think so? It's not ringing any bells."

"Let me know if you can think of any 'methods' that don't." Yomiel sounds almost amused again now. Which probably isn't going to help Apollo's opinion of him any, but just that idea is so - laughable. If they were taken here by force, that's the only way they'll get out. Besides - as long as it wasn't permanent harm, did it matter that much?

That strange look only intensifies, but he's not going to bother continuing to question the other. No matter how strange it is not to have ever seen a cat. "...right. Long tail, short-furred, pointy ears, handkerchief around neck. If you see anything like that - ...I would be very grateful if you got him back to me." Hard to admit as that is.

"Yeah, sure I will." His reply is a touch sarcastic, but he's also getting distracted by the growing headache he's got. Apollo's trying to pay attention to what Yomiel's saying about the 'cat', but the knowledge keeps slipping out of his head nearly as soon as he's heard it.

"... I'll let you know if I see it." Though at this point, all he can properly remember was the part about something having a red handkerchief. Wouldn't it be easier for him to get another one at the store? Oh well, at least that should be easy to spot. "Good luck with whatever they end up doing to you."

With that, Apollo turned and made his way to the Red dorm, rubbing at his forehead once more.

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