Sharp Edge, Sharp Mind

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi was tired of rabbit hair, and hoped to simply scrounge up a light snack after a particularly tiring few conversations.

As she entered the kitchen, she immediately zeroed in on the tall and loudly-clad individual, apparently trying to sharpen a shank.

She had a choice, to either turn and leave immediately, to walk in and pointedly ignore him, or to speak up and hope nothing she said would prompt one of those chopsticks to aim for her.

"I'm doubtful the employment of a weapon will disengage whatever system they've put in place to prevent you from hurting them, if that's what you're planning."

She says, making her way toward the fridge. She fully assumes he is making this as a weapon against the wardens, given the yelling she heard from the other room not too long ago paired with Kaoru's earlier threats against Ei.

Kaoru Naito

He looks up at her, chewing down and swallowing his ice so he can reply.

“Aw, c’mon, ya gotta guess I’m a lil more creative than that.”

His response is playful and he kicks one of his legs back and forth now.

“Y’know, lotsa guys get into artsy shit in th’ slammer, say the isolation frees ‘em of expectation ‘n shit, let’s ‘em find their inner selves, like motherfuckin’ monks.”

Emmy | Akemi

"Mm, I cannot say I have yet to witness very much creativity in here, as of yet. Though Ms. Carter seems rather convinced you would be a fine addition to her purported 'Art Club.'"

She pulls a carton of cherries out of the fridge and opts to snack on those.

"I had assumed you had it out for that horrid rabbit, given that I'm somewhat certain I heard your voice screaming 'fucking rabbit' from the projection room not too long ago." She makes air quotes as she says this.

Kaoru Naito

(cw: implied animal harm via empty jackalope threats)

"Ugh, nah, he fuckin' rabbit's rarely 'round. Doubt skinnin' th' damn thing would do jack. It's just a lil bunny mascot thing, prolly not even real, damn robot 'er somethin'."

He grumbles, stopping his sharpening to twirl the not slightly sharpened chopstick in one hand.

"The wardens 'er the ones up my ass, always on our case on some shit or th' other… I'll give ya the lowdown real quick, their fuckass machine freaked Robert out bad, he got all fighty with 'em 'nd their stupid shut-down mindfuck didn't work t' stop 'im, so they whipped out this new lil trick." He grabs one of his belts and does a yanking motion with one hand, "Grabbed his coat 'nd turned it on, I guess, dropped t' the ground tied up like a hog in a net."

He glares at the kitchen's entrance before grinning and stabbing a stick in the air idly.

"Bea got my ass a bit lil; look out, they ain't above hittin' a bitch who can't hit back, geheheh."

Emmy | Akemi

"I had assumed we were all drugged when I first saw it. Nothing has yet convinced me otherwise. A robot seems an equally valid theory for how truly stupid our situation is."

Her eyebrows raise at the description of Robert's plight. That explains the vague commotion outside her neighboring cell, anyway.

"I suppose these straps aren't just for show after all. Lovely."

She rolls her eyes.

"I'm certain them sulking away with some bruises will do wonders for how they address us lowly criminals from here on, not as though they've shown very much care thus far. For how little they know about anything here, and how clearly obedient they are to some mysterious force, they seem rather keen to assert their 'absolute authority' despite having no grounds to say they've earned it. It's as if they resent us for having the audacity of being kidnapped to this place to be their test subjects. Disgusting."

Kaoru Naito

“Right— that’s what I’m fuckin’ sayin’!” He agrees emphatically, already on Team Akemi. She’s the realest now. No one else has been saying this with him (as explicitly) and it’s been making him a little crazy. He feels like, 12% bad for assuming she was going to be annoying to talk to (it’s such a low number because he still thinks he would’ve been right, if they weren’t being unified over this).

He goes back to sharpening his chopsticks while sitting back.

“Fuck ‘em, actin’ like they have it half as bad. Their job’s easy ‘long as they stay in line, we don’t even get t’ know what happens to unforgiven motherfuckers. They must’ve thought that means we’re gonna start kissin’ up t’ get a good vote—“ he whittles the sticks roughly, “‘nd that pisses me off. I ain’t beggin’ for shit, not from some dumbfucks who won’t talk t’ us straight.”

He grins a little as he adds, “‘nd you can think I’m a dipshit for mouthin’ off at ‘em, won’t bother me none.”

Emmy | Akemi

He absolutely would have been right had the topic of conversation been anything but this. Akemi is a born Hater and will happily allow that to guide a conversation for quite a while.

"Even without their air of superiority, their individual attitudes are equally vile." Akemi grabs a napkin for her stems and cherry pits before continuing.

"Ei seems like a man who walked into a classroom and declared himself a teacher despite having no credentials. He reeks of desperation to be respected despite having done very little to even attempt to show grace or kindness, yet he equally lacks any sense of authority. Sie appears afraid of everything, despite the power they wield, and I can hardly detect whether they are that legitimately useless or if they are putting on a show to earn our deference. Of the three, I have the fewest qualms with them, but it is hardly a fair competition when faced off against the others. And then Bea…the way she looks at us sickens me. She acts like we are animals in a zoo, here for her personal amusement."

She pops off the stem of a cherry and forces out the pit before continuing.

"It is an idiotic move to mouth off to the point of restraint, but they have created an environment where questions and protests are given little other recourse. I killed a man, fully expecting to be jailed and potentially executed for doing so. I have no interest in begging these dunces for forgiveness when they scarcely seem to know which way is up."

Kaoru Naito

"Aw, really? Lil Ei-ght Ball's the best one, lil bitch's all shaken up like a champagne, 'f we keep hittin' the bottle he's gonna pop-"

As he describes it, he grips one of the chopsticks and it snaps in his hand. Looking at it disinterestedly, he tosses it onto the counter and lifts his foot up to open the drawer below him to grab a new one, breaking it open to try and sharpen a new stick. The other one wouldn't have been sturdy enough, he decides.

He grumbles as he continues, "Other two piss me off more, reek 'f insincerity. Smug, not takin' this 's seriously 's they should. Lil beeby deeby bitch's doublin' down on denial feels like, pisses me off more than anythin'. Though, Bea's climbin' up th' shitlist after today. Fucker acts like her not wantin' t' be here's unique, 'nless she's gettin' a laugh."

He'd never say he didn't deserve to be kicked, but that doesn't make him like it happening. Her limit is a lot lower than Ei's is.

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi was not very fond of this man's manner of speaking, nor his fidgeting way of carrying himself, but he was clearly insightful and shared some very similar opinions to Akemi. She watched the display of snapping and sharpening another set of chopsticks and made a mental note to tread somewhat carefully, here.

"I suppose that is a fair assessment. Of the three, Ei seems to take this 'job' the most seriously. What, exactly, do you believe he will do when he 'pops'? I, for one, would be rather keen to avoid a sudden power trip from a man like that. Desperation to assert authority can lead idiots like them to do heinous things, and we have precious few ways to fight back."

While she didn't like Ei, the prospect of someone who can restrain and potentially punish them suddenly snapping was not a very encouraging thought. She knew well enough that fighting something like this too rashly was dangerous. Some things needed a slow and steady fight.

"…insincerity is an apt word for it. I did not commit a murder to be framed as a form of entertainment for Bea. I hardly believe her sense of judgment amounts to anything more than how we pander to her sensibilities. That fact is even more sickening, given the power imbalance they know to exist between us. We are more of a concept, or a cartoon character to her than we are people who have in many cases undergone severe traumas."

Kaoru Naito

“Ehh, I think a fella like that crumbles when he breaks. I ain’t too worried. Thinks he cares th’ most, that’s why I’m bein’ so nice t’ him.”

Yeah sure. He’s being nice. By whatever Kaoru standards he’s operating on.

“Why didja commit a murder, then? No judgement, ya don’t gotta share, I’m just tryin’ t’ get a read on the room. Y’know, Sie was talkin’ t’ me ‘bout needing t’ become a better person. Lil fuck’s bein’ mighty optimistic, or, worse case, he’s bought in on Jigsaw’s bullshit.”

He doesn’t hide his bitter amusement with the quoted phrase.

Emmy | Akemi

If what she had seen was his definition of 'nice' then Akemi truly had no idea what 'cruel' looked like to him. Surely this conversation would be saintly behavior by that metric.

"Crumbles, hm? An interesting prospect. So long as most of us don't end up restrained and punished by the other two for such a slight, I see no reason to care what happens to him. You seem rather keen to be a part of this inevitable crumble."

Akemi cannot hide the disgust in her face at the notion of 'becoming a better person.' She had no idea what 'Jigsaw's bullshit' referred to, but she wasn't about to ask for elaboration. She figures there are enough context clues to work it out.

"I killed him because he deserved to die and I was not left many other choices. Judge that for what you will, I truly do not care what anyone in this place thinks of what I did, least of all the wardens. I did the world, and myself, a favor, and nothing I endure here will convince me otherwise. Several people here; as far as I can gather, killed someone on accident or by proxy rather than intentionally like I did. There is nothing about me that warrants rehabilitation, but there is even less so for cases like theirs, if that is what Sie meant. They seem to speak from quite the high horse, all three of them."

Kaoru Naito

“Nah, no judgement here, that shit’s hardcore. Yer right ‘bout the accidents too, ’ve been thinkin’ our kidnappers are really stretchin’ that murderer excuse.”

He continued his sharpening, by all physical metrics more focused on that, but clearly more mentally focused on their conversation now.

“Are you one ‘f those like, ‘I did my part now it don’t matter what happen t’ me’ kamikaze angel types? Satisfaction by the blade ‘n all?”

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi was rather surprised the two of them had much of anything in common to discuss. Then again, she never quite had a goal of going around intentionally making enemies, it often just happened naturally. Perhaps it would eventually be the case here as well. It likely would. But best not to antagonize an unpredictable man with a shiv.

"Referring to all of us as murderers in the first introduction certainly painted a picture of their pre-established opinions of us. Whether they admit it or not, they are already biased if they're using that kind of language."

Kaoru has the hard hitting questions apparently. Lucky for him, he was fairly good at asking the questions she doesn't mind answering for someone like him.

"In a way, I suppose. It is not as though I took no steps to cover my tracks, but I was under no delusions I would walk away from it. I was far more invested in his death than my future."

She glances at the sharpening stick as she removes another pit fron a cherry.

"You seem familiar enough with that attitude. What of your crime and motivation?"

Kaoru Naito

“Y’ put it real nicely, I’ll just steal yer words: did the world and myself a favor. Fuckers deserved it, kinda people that ‘re gonna drag everythin’ down if ya let ’em stay’ round, right? Black hole motherfuckers…”

“‘cept I planned on gettin’ away with it, won’t pretend I didn’t. Pretty sure I did, ‘sides this whole mess—which, I know, obviously someone caught us, but I mean I didn’t have no cops on my ass ‘er nothin’, whole thing was nice ‘n clan-de-stine,” he emphasizes each syllable, whistling after.

He holds a hand over his mouth, sayin quieter, “Straight up, think one of a couple people snitched on me. Sad, ain’t it? Can’t trust anyone nowadays!”

He doesn’t sounds too serious with the accusation, but that doesn’t make it an unserious accusation.

Emmy | Akemi

"Utter parasites, then. The sort of person who believes themselves to be untouchable, and who overinflate their own sense of self-importance."

She affirms. Then she pauses and considers that angle.

"I was careful, and made myself an alibi. I had assumed those efforts failed, given that I'm here. I was merely at home, with his corpse in the other room, before I awoke here. No one would have had an opportunity to find him without my noticing. I have no idea how I was discovered, or by who, despite knowing it was always a possibility. Not recalling much of anything between my actions, and arriving here, tells me that some memory tampering is a possibility."

She says this bitterly, clearly not fond of the unclear level of control she had over any of this situation. Her eyebrow raised at the suggestion that he had been ratted out.

"Hm, so you had others who knew about your crime? Or at least the potential of it. I cannot say the same, as far as I know."

Kaoru Naito

“Just one person.”

He leaves that at that.

“Interestin’… Lemme think…… Far as I ‘member, I was still… well, actually, that’s weird t’ think ‘bout.”

He taps his dull chopstick on his chin, rocking back and forth idly as he thinks.

“How long must’ve we been unconscious fer? ‘er how much did we forget, I guess… I don’t know nothin’ that makes a fella forget ‘sides being drugged up durin’ th’ going-ons. I guess there’s kindsa hits that can do it, but ‘yer head’s workin’ way too good ‘fer that, at least, geheheh.”

He’ll leave the verdict out in how well his own head is doing.

“The weird thing is, if anyone up ‘n kidnapped me ‘er did something to me, a buncha people should’ve seen it… Unless they broke into th’ hospital later, I guess,’nd I hadn’t woken up, or worked they there, or someone let ‘m in, would anyone break in fer this…?”

He keeps thinking, biting the end of the chopstick.

Emmy | Akemi

"Likewise. Not that there aren't other deserving parasites out there…mine was the only one I needed to kill."

She, too, will leave it at that.

This is feeling awfully reminiscent of her discussion with Vincent, though this one seems to have a certain edge to it that the former did not.

"My current thinking is, if our captors have the technology to automatically translate language, project subconscious thoughts into interactable set pieces, diminish our capacity for violence, and restrain us at the push of a button, they likely also have the means to decide what we are able to remember about the events following our crimes."

She frowns deeply, crossing her arms in obvious dissatisfaction at not fully knowing what has happened to her.

"I was in a coherent state of mind, last I can recall. If I had been caught, or confessed, or otherwise arrested, I have absolutely no recollection of interacting with any other person following his death. I was entirely alone and healthy. I have little doubt that such details to the contrary have been somehow removed from our memories in service of whatever sick experiment they intend to conduct here."

Kaoru Naito

Kaoru stares at her for a second like she’s actually caught him off guard.

“… They can automatically huh now?”

Guy who can just speak English and Japanese fluently being made to really think about this for the first time. This mostly matters because he felt like the captor’s influence was limited to set places, like the shower’s entrance and the projection machine: the idea it’s omnipresent influence… bothers him.

“<You understand this? Heyy, toss me a cherryyy.>” he says in Spanish, the exciting third language under his belt.

“‘nd okay, I know we’re bein’ smart, ‘nd shit, but put a pin in the good theories ‘n all, I gotta ask: did you kill yer husband? Just gotta get that off my mind ‘f it’s wrong, y’know? A lotta ladies I knew shoulda done theirs in, geheheh.”

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi stares back, likely only a little surprised that not everyone had noticed the language discrepancies. Being multilingual was something of a good excuse, but equally likely with Kaoru was the possibility he had just never been listening close enough before.

"I am doubtful that most of the Americans here are fluent in Japanese, and yet I have been understood by everyone I have spoken with."

Akemi makes the same disgusted face she made when Ellie made the same insinuation regarding her victim. She flicked a cherry in Kaoru's direction in a surprisingly generous gesture, then shook her head. Did she really give off the impression of some jilted wife? Things to consider.

"My uncle, actually. What about you?"

Kaoru Naito

He catches the cherry and pops it in his mouth to inelegantly but efficiently carve the flesh off, spitting the pit out into the nearby sink like a bullet. Pchoo. He keeps the stem to start twisting up in his hands.

He notes the disgust, he actually puts his hands up in an apologetic, caught sort of gesture.

“Uncle, I see, I seeee… Sorry, y’ said there’s a guy in yer house, step one’s th’ most obvious guess, gotta get it outta th’ way. Family makes more sense t’ me, that’s shit yer stuck with. Sucks.”

He lowers his hands and has the two chopsticks between two fingers now as he starts using his nails to pull the cherry stem apart at the grain.

“Hmmmm hm hm hmm… Kinda complicated relation, now that I’m tryin’ t’ condense it down… How’s liiike… my stepdad’s old friend who was kinda like a church pastor type who I worked fer since I ‘s lil, who tips good but’s annoying as fuck? That a type a’ guy? A Garrett?”