Week 4.

[trustharder]

WEEK 4 And as the third week in the Vault comes to a close and the fourth week begins, the Survivors are once again down by two. Mion Sonozaki died on her own terms, and Yato died fulfilling his duty as God of Fortune in the best way that he knew how; the shrine built in the game room on Saturday stands in their memory. Saturday is given to regrouping and sleep; there aren't any bodies to be found on Sunday morning. But that doesn't mean the night was uneventful - it seems something else may have brought you some newfound clarity. Or perhaps not... Once again, that spiral staircase leads farther than you remember, clear up to a previously inaccessible fourth floor. Go ahead and explore as much as you like; even if the Kingmaker sounded a bit unhappy with you last weekend, the fact remains that you're still doing what you seem to have been brought here to do. SURVIVORS REMAINING: 21 SURVIVORS REMAINING: 20

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week two of Trustfell! Save your threads for coins and the coming week's activity check; don't forget to check in to this week's activity check and submit your memory regains!

The text and calling posts are still active, for the sake of contacting the jerk who's keeping you here, to be used at your leisure!]

Comments

[sleepingkogoro]

Go with it...I won't lie, I want to do that.

...the thing is that I'm sure it's not going to last for much longer. Once it's all over maybe the best I could do is move to a faraway island, where nobody has ever heard of Sleeping Kogoro and I never work as a detective ever again.

[That sounds nice. Run away of your problems, that's always healthy]

...but I don't know what will I tell my daughter if I do that. I can't drag her with me and I can't leave without telling her something, because otherwise I'm sure she'd look for me to the end of the Earth.

[Bam. Mouri puts his face against the counter]

I can't just tell her her father got duped by a seven year old kid into playing top detective to the whole nation of Japan.

[Excuse Mouri, he is wallowing in his own self-pity. Have patience if you stick around, Stan]

[goodforsomething]

[...this sounds like one hell of a story.]

Uh...well, don't feel too bad. My whole town got conned by an eight-year-old once.

[sleepingkogoro]

[It takes a moment for Mouri to raise his head]

Really? How did that happen?

[goodforsomething]

What can I say? Gravity Falls is full of morons.

...but to be fair, that Gideon was a slimy little creep. He started drawin' tourists away from the Shack when he was...geez, maybe six? He had this whole child psychic schtick goin'.

[sleepingkogoro]

Child psychic, huh. Definitely sounds like the kind of thing some people would believe. It sounds like you didn't fall for that, that is good.

[Because his horror house was being affected, Mouri thought. Surely Stan sorely missed the quarters Old Ghoulie didn't receive during that kid Gideon's spotlight time]

But he got caught, right?

[goodforsomething]

Sure. Turned out he had cameras all over the place spyin' on everyone! Now that's how you get your psychic thing to stick.

He got packed off to juvie, but not before knockin' a big hole in my house. And goin' after the kids.

[sleepingkogoro]

[In a way this is comforting to Mouri. A child psychic apparently conning a town and getting caught for it gives him a bit of hope the situation over at his world will get solved like it should be.

...somehow, the thought of Conan being sent to prison doesn't mesh very well with his feelings, though. Despite what that kid may have done, he's still his charge for the moment]

A kid did all that? What was he, some kind of precocious evil genius? That's the kind of stupidly ridiculous truth I never thought I would hear other people went through!

[At least Stan is also making Mouri be a bit cheered up. After taking another drink he offers Stan a glass, just in case he wants]

I suppose when he tried to go for your kids you got in the way to stop it. You don't seem like the kind of man to stand aside and see something like that just happen.

[goodforsomething]

[Stan sighs.]

Tell ya the truth, I didn't know until afterwards. I'd already put 'em on a bus back to California. Figured they'd be better off at home away from all that mess. I never thought he'd go chasin' after them.

But I was the one who found out about all the cameras, and they kicked his ass and dragged him back in front of everyone. [He sips his drink.] Kid messed with the wrong family.

[sleepingkogoro]

[At least there was a happy ending of sorts. Gideon got caught, revealed as a fraud, and it was all thanks to Stan and family. That is how it should be]

Sounds to me that is something to be proud of. Who cares if you got a hole in your horror museum and the creep tried to chase those kids! It all ended well and that is what matters. [Because that is what he wants to believe. Everything ending well in his own life is what he wants]

I bet this is something your kids will be talking about for a loooooong time!

[goodforsomething]

[Stan chuckles.]

Heh, yeah. It ended pretty good. We built the whole thing back up, and now the whole town's on our side! Great for business!

[Not to mention the other things he gained that day, decades of waiting that finally paid off. Even if Ford was still being a dick.]

[sleepingkogoro]

What, weren't they on your side before?

[Don't even think to blame Gideon for not being popular before, Stan. It wasn't only his fault]

[goodforsomething]

[He can weave whatever narrative he pleases and no one here will EVER KNOW BETTER]

Nah, Gideon had 'em all suckered pretty good. Played the cute kid thing to the hilt.

[sleepingkogoro]

Cute kid versus old man. Yeah, I can see how he won your town's favor.

[Because you are not exactly a beauty to behold, Stan. Welp. Another drink finished, another served for himself]

...

...if I decide not to return to my world can you give me a job in yours?

[How low Mouri has fallen]

[goodforsomething]

[Oh. Dear lord.]

Eh. Listen, I'd like to, but...I dunno if I'm even gonna still have the Shack by the end of the summer. Or if I still have it now, I guess. Mine's not really a star you wanna hitch yourself to.

[sleepingkogoro]

I see. It's settled, sheep-herding in Wales is my future.

[Mouri shakes his head]

I'm sure your Shack will be back for you when you return.

[goodforsomething]

Wouldn't count on it. Technically my brother owns the building - he's gonna be throwin' me out on my ass once the kids leave.

[Stan sighs.]

Maybe I'll just come herd sheep with you.

[sleepingkogoro]

What? What kind of jerk would do that?!

[Not the coming to herd sheep part, the throwing brothers away part]

[goodforsomething]

The ungrateful asshole kind.

[Yeah he gets it]

[sleepingkogoro]

Never got along with him?

[Not having a sibling Mouri doesn't know very well how brotherly relationships are supposed to work, and he is too drunk to be perceptive at all]

[goodforsomething]

No...no. It wasn't always like this.

[sleepingkogoro]

Then what happened? Why would he go and throw you out just because he felt like doing it?

[Something is telling Mouri he may be prying too deep but yeah, he is not the champion of inhibition right now]

[goodforsomething]

...it's kinda a long story.

[sleepingkogoro]

Do you feel like letting it all out?

[Let's be partners in disgrace, Stan. You have an asshole brother, Mouri has a potentially ruined life...it is not so different]

[goodforsomething]

[Stan shrugs.]

I screwed stuff up for him a while back. Pretty big, too...but I've spent thirty years since then tryin' to make it right. I thought...

[He'd thought maybe it would be enough. Stupid. He huffs, trying to pull out of that particular downward spiral.]

Besides, I'm the one who paid off his damn mortgage. It's kinda my house too!