GODLY AUDIENCES: RAY

[divus]

Comments

[divus]

...isn't that what you guys have to do here now because someone else set things in motion?

[That's a gray area she doesn't like.]

[selfimmolates]

Well, I guess it's fundamentally the same idea—but here, there's more room to have compassion for others. At the very least, you can pick and choose whose lives you don't care about.

[divus]

In a competition like this love is a necessity, too, definitely. It stops people from being ruthless for no reason...or killing out of boredom. [A pause as she thinks something over.] Are you really unhappy with whoever did this to you?

[selfimmolates]

... I'm annoyed, but if they don't know about my alignment, I can understand why they did it. Assuming a charitable interpretation, it was probably their idea of a joke.

It'd be hypocritical of me to be seriously angry, considering what I did to Takaomi last week.

[divus]

...if I had to guess, it was something they did to try and help me. [But she doesn't really know.] But that's also why I'm not going to look into trying to undo it.

[Ray deserves this =\]

Besides...I bet you can actually use this to your advantage to figure out people's alignments.

[selfimmolates]

Why pick me, then? Do I look like the kind of guy who'd switch to Love just because of something like that!?

[he's been trying very hard to seem like someone who wouldn't pick love for anything besides pragmatic reasons???]

... I was thinking that.

[the problem is that the process would probably involve him dying of embarrassment.]

[divus]

No, but you look like the kind of guy who wouldn't be honest or even change his ways very easily. [JUST SAYING.]

Yeah? [Good.] What's your strategy so far? You have it planned out already, don't you?

[selfimmolates]

[ :/ ]

It just happened! Even I don't think of a complete strategy that fast.

But the most obvious one would be whoever did this. It depends on how good of a liar they are or if they even intend to hide it if I come across them, but they might react if I show the effects around 'em.

Something similar goes for anyone else aligned with you. They might respond well to discussions about love... though on the other hand, I'd have some doubts about their intelligence if they make it so obvious what they value.

[a beat.]

Or they might get paranoid about why some random kid is talking to them about love. That might be good, actually.

[divus]

[Love reaches up and gently thwaps Ray behind the head. Be nice!!]

Don't make it obvious that you think people are dumb, that's rude. Anyway you have a point. If people are receptive to a topic they're more likely to tell you a lot. I don't know how you would even find whoever did this without talking to a lot of people though. [Hm...]

Start small? Make a pool of a few people you think you have suspicions about. [On the other hand.] You think paranoia would work?

[She can think of at least one person who'd flip out about it, at least.]

[selfimmolates]

[he's bad at being nice!!]

If someone started talking about love to me, I'd wonder if they were onto me. Of course, I'd also hide that, but people are different.

[divus]

It's worth a try and it's better than anything else we've come up with so far. Just be careful who you talk to? Some people are probably pretty cranky this week...

[You know. The music + poetry club.]

[selfimmolates]

Yeah, don't worry. I'm pretty good about not pissing people off when I have reason to put in the effort.

[divus]

A good skill to have. [Love continues walking ahead, footsteps light in the snow.] ...anything else you'd like to update me on? [What have you been doing, child?]

[selfimmolates]

[he's not stabbing guy for another two days, it's fine.]

Disorder and I are cool now, apparently?

[he's still half-convinced she's faking it.]

[divus]

Seriously? [That's surprising, but...] You must have flattered her somehow. Good job. What'd she have to say?

[Not that he has to tell her, but she wants to know.]

[selfimmolates]

That she's sorry for her behaviour last week? Have to say, I wasn't expecting that.

[divus]

Neither was I. That's...pretty nice of her. [...] Do you buy it?

[selfimmolates]

On the one hand, nothing she said was completely unbelievable. She claims the rumours about her are blown out of proportion, and Chuuya isn't helping. And Chuuya is dramatic. Plus, I did hear she could be sweet when she wanted to be, and she did something worthwhile enough to earn another follower this week.

On the other hand, after a week of a bad reputation, why wouldn't you lie to try and earn sympathy?

[divus]

Well...[Oomph.] I don't want to talk badly about her because I don't really know what she might have said. Sometimes she can be really nice? Like. Really, really deep down. She's nicest to Ambition and Cunning and that's where you can see it most. Buuut I think you have a point that it could be a tactic.

I don't really know what the others are trying now. You may have to keep talking to her and scoping out her motivations.

[selfimmolates]

'Cause I just love talking to people who curse me when someone else was the one who pissed them off. But yeah, fine. I'm leaving Indulgence and Ambition to Senri until I know what to get them, so I might as well suck up to Disorder for now.

[divus]

I really doubt she will, and if she tries it I'll just curse one of her own. [Petty.] Are you guys really splitting up who gets who now?

[selfimmolates]

Why test to see what offerings work when I can delegate that task to Senri and have him report back?

[divus]

And this is why you're my strategist. Just don't get him cursed or killed either, okay?

[selfimmolates]

I'm not responsible for whatever ideas he comes up with on his own.

[divus]

That's true, but if you're instigating...[Still maybe your fault.] But he'll probably be fine.