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[marsascending]

Helloooooooo you've reached BARiTONES' Paloma! I'd love to chat with you but I'm away from my phone right now, so leave a message and you'll hear from me soon~

Comments

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

I'm no longer interested in the job, but I'm not going to stop until I can kill her. She's hurt too many people I care about, so I'm afraid she sealed her own fate.

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

I was thinking that it didn't seem like the sort of thing that would rest easily upon your shoulders. But still—impressive ambition, nonetheless.

I suppose even Asmodeus himself would find that level of vengeance something to be respected.

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

...mm, A few people said it'd make me miserable, but it wasn't until my, ah, "Ideal World" that I really realized that was true. Like you'd said earlier, I'm an entertainer, and I'd much rather be in the spotlight than in the shadows.

If only the target wasn't mommy dearest.

So is there anything you can tell me?

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Suppose I did have something to say—

Well, you'd understand if I wanted some assurances first, right? Who would you pass anything I say onto? And, furthermore, what would be in it for me?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

I'd be passing it along to the Liars. I don't think it's unusual for them to be concerned following the murder of one of their hosts, let alone one of their best hosts. All they want is how, what, and why, because they already know the who and where.

What would you want?

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Not passing it on to our very own Intensity, too?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

He's not the one that asked me to look into it. [ so no. maybe. ]

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

That's not a yes or a no, dear. If you're going to lie to me, just do it outright. It's more convincing that way.

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

Honestly? Depends. If you'd rather keep what we talk about between us, then all you've got to do is say so, because whether I say anything to him will hinge on if he says anything to me.

I know he knows more than he lets on. He's not stupid. Information is a powerful tool~

But really I'm just here at the behest of the Liars.

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Well, the thing is—I can't compel anything you do without the assistance of a member of Taisho Roman Revolution, and even if I put something like death on the line, you don't seem like the sort who'd shy away from a consequence like that if it meant getting what you wanted.

So tell Intensity whatever you want. Besides, I'm sure the fact that I shot Exael six times is on security camera footage.

Honestly the most surprising thing about that is that it was all it took, really.

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

[ she chuckles. ] And you've got that right. Death is really just an inconvenience, and the hotel thoroughly tortured me, so if you or anybody else thought they could trump that, well, I'd legit be impressed to see.

If I'm being honest, I'm kind of surprised I'm even being asked to do this, since there were cameras all over the place for the sake of the game. You'd think there'd be footage, but perhaps my ~*~faith~*~ is just being tested. [ she shrugs. ]

[ but she does arch a brow. ] ...me too. [ like, genuinely, she's surprised. ] Even those imp boss monsters took more than a couple of bullets. [ so she quirks her head. ] Did she look... [ purses her lips, trying to find the word. ] ill, because, LBR, I think both of us thought demons were, uh, less squishy.

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Well, she looked a little frazzled! She'd been working hard, clearly, delivering our fans an exciting time. Didn't even show us any exciting powers...

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

...come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her use her powers. [ or if she has she can't remember. ] But talk about boring. Not that I'd want her choking you out or anything, but getting to see what she's made of could have been interesting.

So why? Did you guys have a vendetta? Or are you just trying to thin the Liar numbers? Or maybe did you want to send a message? Or were you just taking advantage of the situation you found yourself in. All understandable, really!

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

A game like that, wouldn't anyone feel a little bit like killing the host?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

A lot of people like Exael. She's helped us out a couple of times, so, like, I get that she'd been the host, but to kill *her* of all of them..?

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

So, because you think she's helped you, you don't mind that she runs games like that? That she oversees every single iota of your customized suffering, in that place?

It truly must have been a staggering amount of work, setting all that up. What delusions would cause the most exciting drama? The most bloodshed? What new stressors would best drive us toward them?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

I never intended to imply she helped me, personally. If I'm being honest I'm not a fan of either side. I don't know about that though. She might run the games, but I get the feeling they come from the top. Does that abstain her from guilt, oh, absolutely not! but I'm just saying.

I'm not so sure running murder house took that much time & effort. We were given a chance of scenery, sure, but the inevitable ghostly mindfuck catalyst still followed the same old formula.

But to sum what you're saying up, you killed her because of the suffering she's made everybody endure?

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Oh, I think you've made it quite obvious where you fall when it comes to sides.

[ and she reaches out to gently touch the odd little ??tattoo?? across DVa's midsection with one knuckle. ]

And it seems you've yet to get an appreciation for logistics! Recycled or not, do you know how many hands something like that requires, especially when you add catering, live performances and herding crowds? If you're aiming for high places, you have to deal with those sorts of things, you know.

But I digress. Can you guess what the sort of person I hate most in the entirety of existence is, D.Va?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

[ smirks. ] In the end I hope to make sure that neither A nor B still stands, but until then I'm afraid I need to make nice with the side that offers the better temp. benefits. [ and she'd been unsuccessful in coaxing any of the people in vengeance hell to cooperate. ]

[ it might look like a tattoo, but it's actually a scar. enjoy the smear of pink blood that probably appears as a result of her touching. ]

... [ nods along with her. ] I don't doubt a lot of hard work went into it, especially when you put it like that, but this isn't the first time they've recycled a game concept. But that's besides the point. [ she looks down at the scar. ] I'm afraid I hadn't gotten a chance to, ah, "enjoy" it, but only because I was and still am living in a permanent state of existential dread.

No, what kind?

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

[ she looks at the odd smear of pink, raises her eyebrows, and then delicately swirls her hand in the water to get it off. ]

Well—

...actually, first and foremost it's other anthropologists, which is not really relevant to the subject at hand, but just behind them—

It's anyone who thinks that being nice has any bearing on how their actions are received.

And if you really want to take down the Liars at the end as well, stop giving them so much. They run on belief, you know. The more you accept their power, the more powerful they grow.

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

[ she'll make a note of that and then arch a brow of her own. ] If you're referring to how I'm conducting myself this isn't personal, so I don't see a reason to be anything but pleasant. I'm just doing a job.

...and I know. [ she splashes a bit of water on her chest. ] But I need them to take out the other side. If I could think of something better, then perhaps I wouldn't have to lean so heavily on them. And I also never claimed to be the best decision maker. In fact, I'm kind of the opposite. [ a genuine fuck up, or at least that's how it feels lately. ]

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

Oh, don't worry, it's not about you. You're really not the sort of person who makes me really irritable at all.

That's quite a lot to be getting on with, though—destroying Vengeance and then Lies, and then... well, happily homeward bound, is it, then?

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

...it's about them then, no? I... know a lot of people hate them, and I can't blame them. I mean, like, at least those belonging to Asmodeus' faction aren't smiling as they lie to your face, acting like everything they do is for the greater good, when it's for nothing but selfish reasons.

[ snorts a self-depreciating snort. ] I don't think I'm getting a happily ever after. It'd be nice, sure, but I just... I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to end up alone. [ sinks further into the water. ] ...it's part of the reason I surround myself with so many people, because one by one they all leave. [ sighs into the water. ] ...sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me.

Re: day 280.

[marsascending]

[ hmmmmm ]

.......well, what do you ask from people, out of your relationships? Friendships, romances, whatever's giving you the most trouble.

Re: day 280.

[420blazeit]

[ she twists and turns so she can bonk her head on the side of the pool. ] ...someone that's going to be there for me when I inevitably self destruct, because that's all I'm good for. [ makes some sort of incoherent noise. ] But, like, a less dumb answer is... somebody that's going to make me better, stronger, and just... compliment me, so that I, and hopefully they, feel whole.