elemancy | week 5; i don't even know what to title this

[ wow noctis sure is mad!! i'm sure ash will treat him respectfully to avoid rousing his ire further!!

just kidding you know that shit ain't happening. Ash is already there, having finished bothering the other people he's had to bother for the night, and sitting on his bed as he usually does - unnaturally still, head slightly bowed. He simply glances up at Noctis when he enters, raising an eyebrow. ]

Get ahold of yourself. You're an embarrassment.

I don't care.

[he snaps back. there's no playful snark, there's no real hint of anything that implies he even plans to settle in for the night.

rather than flop onto the bed like usual, he remains standing in the now closed doorway—even umbra seems to be a bit puzzled by this situation, though umbra is entirely familiar with noct's capability to be this way in the face of hardship.]

Answer a question for me. [which. is definitely more of a petulant demand than a request. oops.]

[ Not a fan of being ordered around by humans, either. Ash, too, surreptitiously glances over towards Umbra, but keeps his eyes trained on his roommate. ]

What do you want?

[ he's curious to hear what's got him so worked up. ]

How much do you want to end this stupid game of theirs?

[well, at least it's a pretty innocuous start... mostly. he knows his approach isn't helping in the least but this time... he just doesn't care.]

[ a flat look. ]

Do I really need to answer such a stupid question? Get to the point. And if you know something, I suggest you come out with it.

Then make yourself useful here.

[he knows ash wants out, even though helping ash out will probably... be to his detriment.]

The point is that I'm sick of this. [he's practically glowering, though despite their arguing before, this really isn't meant for him. it's much more generalized.]

...I'll tell you what I know if you'll tell me what you know.

[ yeah, he can tell that much. Ash knows he's an easy target. He has been all his life. That doesn't mean he's happy about it - he shakes his head, rolling his eyes a little bit. ]

Why should I believe you know anything useful at all? You certainly haven't done much with it if you do.

I need more before I can do anything.

[one can't do much on bits and pieces.]

Doesn't look like you've done anything with it either, so what the hell good is it doing you to keep it to yourself?

You have no idea what I've been doing with it, you insolent brat.

[ probably nothing good, though. ]

What kind of information are you hoping to hear from me, anyway?

...What you saw on the Sheriff's computer.

[well, at least he's straightforward about it?]

That doesn't answer my question. You're tired of this game, you say. You think that I saw something that would allow me to escape there? If I had, I wouldn't be here right now, and neither would you, for that matter.

If you don't know anything that'll help, then why the hell does it matter to keep it such a secret?

[he's frustrated, and while it's not entirely at all—naturally, some of it is.]

Maybe I know something that'll help if I can get the rest of the information that nobody is sharing. If you hate us all so damn much, don't you want to be able to destroy everything your own way?

...Or are you all talk?

[ somehow, Noctis's fiery attitude seems to encourage Ash to keep a cool head - perhaps because he feels like he has the advantage already simply because his "opponent" has lost his composure. Confrontations with humans are always small battles, in his mind, and ones he can't afford to lose. ]

I'm simply not inclined towards helping you. I don't trust you, Noctis. You irritate me... I don't understand you.

[it's true—this is definitely one of the rare instances where noctis really has lost his composure.

it's been a bad day.]

I'm not planning to take the blame when you never tried to do either. [trust him or understand him.

noct's tried to give him the benefit of the doubt likely more times than he deserves, so it's... agitating, really.]

I'm not gonna take the blame if you get yourself killed for being an idiot about all of this, either.

[ it takes a very patient person to crack Ash... even moreso if one is human. He's done a good job, but not good enough. ]

The onus isn't on me. Trying such things when all data I've collected suggests it would be a waste of time would be... foolish, to say the least.

[ enough of that, though - he shifts where he sits, putting his legs over the edge of the bed and moving to get a better look at Noctis. ]

So I tell you what I saw on the computer. What are you going to tell me in return?

Depends on what it is. Not gonna be able to tell you much if it's what I already know.

[though he's not being incredibly forthcoming, either.]

Does it matter when you're not gonna trust anything I say, anyway? [apparently noct is just taking out his bad mood on ash, for whatever reason. he needs results, and he's not getting them.]

You're not making your case convincing, Noctis.

[ he shakes his head where he sits, golden eyes glowering. ]

Say I tell you. I tell you what I know. Now that you've got my information, you cut me down where I stand. Who's to say that won't happen? It would certainly be a burden off your shoulders, wouldn't it? Getting me out of the picture? If it were me, I'd certainly take the chance.

You're a real bastard sometimes, you know that?

[he scoffs a little—he's already more than realizing that this isn't going to work. he's too pissed off to keep his cool, and ash is.

well, ash.]

If you really think I'd go hitting the trigger to take you out after all this. [what's next isn't another scoff, but an agitated, hollow laugh.] Put up with all your embarrassing, derisive crap and still tried to make sure you'd get out of here alive.

...But I'm not the trustworthy one here. Maybe you should've killed me instead of kissing me if that's how you felt.

Maybe I should have. Maybe I'm the Deputy and you're the Bounty that I need to kill. Wouldn't that be ironic? I could have ended this on day one. I wouldn't have had to sit here in this impure, hollow body, watching all of them run around like fools, watching you stand between me and my opponents, listening to your illogical mumblings over and over and over again... You're one of the most troublesome humans I've met, do you know that? You drive me crazy, Noctis. Maybe I should have killed you. But I thought I could make you change your mind. Isn't that funny?

[ his rambling breaks off; his synthetic fingers are clenched on his knees, and he looks a bit wild. So much for being levelheaded. ]

Rion must have done something to me. Then he abandoned me. I'm left here with you. It really is like some kind of sick joke. I can't stand it a minute longer.

Maybe, but I know you're not, and I think you know I'm not either.

[of course, he's not all that levelheaded either right now, but noctis still seems to be listening to everything ash says with intent. he's not even entirely sure why at this point.

but still, he seems to be edging closer; there's little point in doing this from across the room—though maybe somewhere in his own mind, he has a point he wants to make too.]

But if you wanted to, you could do it right now. There's nothing against the rules that says you can't.

[he probably shouldn't be actively encouraging it, but maybe there is a slight confidence that he won't incriminate himself when it's no different than any other night since they've been here.] It doesn't matter what the hell you say, or what you tell yourself to justify it.

Hate me to the core of your circuits, I'm still not planning to kill you, even if you're a bastard, Ash.

Don't test me, [ he responds sharply, glancing up suddenly and cutting off his previous ranting. There's a hard glint in his gaze, and a not-so-brief pause before he continues. (So what if he isn't planning on killing him? He doesn't care. He decides he doesn't care.) ]

... I tire of this farce. If a trade of information is what you want, then I'll consider it. Even I can make deals. But first, you need to tell me what sort of information you even have. Where did it come from? If you lie to me, you'll regret it in ways you haven't imagined yet.

...Tip my hand first?

[it's kind of hard to tell which one of them is playing with fire here, in all honesty.]

I talk to a lot of people. Some people trust me, because they know I want to help end this game the right way. No reason to lie about that, is there?

[he does... talk to a lot of people. but he's not about to out his sources and put them at risk.]

I know you're not one of the roles. You'd have to get your information the same way I do, right? Sheriff's computer not standing.

...I can be diplomatic about it, but I'm not the idiot you think I am.

[ ash makes deals, but only dirty ones!! he is going to wring Noctis as much as he can... ]

In other words, you've met the Madame... or the late Yuna, I suppose. And I was a suspect. You asked them about me.

[ he's not surprised, but for some reason, he feels annoyed by this nonetheless. ]

Well, that's right. I'm acting on my own.

Wrong.

[see, ash? stop assuming shit?]

I asked the Madame to tell me what I could know. In general. Found out that way you went into the Sheriff's computer. Keep acting like I'm out to get you and maybe you'll get a taste of your own crappy medicine.

[but it's fine, be annoyed by that.

(someone needs to tell noct to slow down tonight, probably.)]

Is acting on your own getting you any closer to finding a way out?

[ Ash just glares at him some more for that. w-whatever, it's not like he feels slightly relieved by the fact that noctis wasn't suspecting him or anything. baka. ]

It's keeping me alive. Being the last man standing is another condition of victory that I'm perfectly content with achieving.

[ He's quiet for another moment. Noctis seems like he might actually know things. He'll offer more. ]

I know every role that exists in this game. Nothing more, nothing less.

[noct trusts him more than either of them would probably care to admit, and noct does so even in knowing it will probably bite him in the ass later.

but he also knows last man standing probably won't work to ash's benefit, either.

either way, noct keeps his gaze fixed on ash. his glare is definitely not any softer, even if his tone does appear to relent just a little.]

The roles, and the conditions to win. Do you know what the roles do?

Yes. There are six of them in total, some with multiple members. In other words, most of them are still alive. By my estimation, almost half of the people still living in this town have a role.

[ which means the stakes are getting higher. And things are getting slightly easier for Ash. Less people to weed out. ]

[to that, he nods. it lines up pretty completely with the information he has, and there's no use in trying to hide he knows that much at this point. he did talk to the madame, after all.]

Guess you don't know who's in what role, then. [he scoffs, though not at ash.] His computer's pretty useless, if that's where you got it all from and didn't get anything else.

[at least he doesn't imply that ash is a shitty computer himself, probably.]

[ he sighs through his nose, exasperated. ]

It was extremely primitive. I was hoping to access a larger network and leave this body behind, but it had no such connection that I could locate.

...Why does he even have a computer, anyway? If he's a robot, shouldn't he... I don't know, be more like you?

[at least they're both exasperated by this, which seems to keep noct from being totally hostile. it's fine.]

There's no one like me. [ it's a boast, but it's also somewhat bitter - a dark, cold fact that he himself made sure of when he destroyed Mother. ] He's less advanced. The fact that he obeys his creators in carrying out these worthless tasks is proof enough of that.

[ he is realizing that he's said more than he intended, and he starts to feel annoyed again. This man. This boy. Why is Ash telling him anything? Show a human a fraction of vulnerability, and they'll take full advantage at the first opportunity - he knows it. He stiffens again, staring at Noctis. ]

And what about the information you claim to have? Does it exist?

Eugh. I think I'll pass on him being more like you that way—he's got too much power as it is.

[was that... a joke? humor? okay. maybe noct is calming down a bit and seems to be faintly amused by ash's boasting.]

Seems like we mostly know the same. If you know what all the roles do...[then it doesn't seem like noct has all that much more to offer.]

How much do you know about the Sheriff's bosses?

[ he grunts, looking annoyed again. "We mostly know the same." This was just a waste of time, as he should have known from the start. Why does he keep doing this? He really should have killed him. Instead, he keeps digging this hole deeper. ]

I assume they're humans, [ he responds tersely. That's all Ash knows, though. ]

They're not.

[this is what you get for assuming, ash. in the end, he loses nothing at all by telling noctis what he knows, and in turn... he might gain something.]

[ he loses his PERSONAL INTEGRITY!!! ]

What are you talking about?

[ wtf. should he be helping the sheriff?! ]

Some kind of non-sentient... things. Not sure exactly, but they do this game once a year to entertain themselves.

[don't help the sheriff, asshole?]

You rank idiot. If they're not sentient, they don't have the mental capacity to be entertained, let alone organize an event or construct an artificial intelligence like the Sheriff. Who told you that?

The hell if I know how it works. "I know that Hal's employers have names I can't pronounce because they're not human and not even all that sentient."

[okay, maybe not exactly NON-SENTIENT. but apparently not totally cognizant, either?]

Came directly from the Madame. There was more to it, something about blood not spilling in the way they desire. [it's a little fuzzy, the word choice wasn't exactly the best for him.]

Do you believe everything people tell you? I should have made more use of you if you're so content to eat up half-truths.

[ he's not buying it. He'll believe that they might not be human, but he won't believe they don't know exactly what they're doing. ]

Who's the Madame? Tell me.

Not everything, just from people I trust. It's more of an answer than anyone else has, anyway.

[he knows it could be wrong. he knows he could have been lied to, or that there were misunderstandings.

in any case?]

Why, planning on talking to them in the grave? It's... too late for that now.

[ an annoyed grunt. ]

I don't care. I said tell me. If they're dead, that's one less role that I need to worry about. Not that it matters - their information-gathering did nothing helpful for any of us.

Then why does it matter either way? It's not going to change anything.

[he regrets everything, probably. he doesn't really want to get into these details right now.]

If that's really what you think, then telling me is harmless, isn't it?

[ a pause. then, a nasty smile. ]

Or are you scared of what I might do?

"Scared" isn't the word I'd use.

[his eyes remain narrowed on ash.]

Trust goes both ways, you know. [he gives ash the benefit of the doubt a lot, but it doesn't change that they both have a reluctance to actually trust properly in one another.] I still have my own skin to take care of.

week 5; i don't even know what to title this

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