CALHOUN HOUR - HUNTERS

[vivariummods]

Yet another day, yet another Calhoun Hour where characters find themselves waking up in a new and unfamiliar area. The first thing characters will notice that it's dusty and dark. With almost no lighting whatsoever, characters will be unable to see anything in front of them. Are they with someone else or did they wake up alone? That's something they will have to figure out after Calhoun's announcement. "Ahem, ahem. Testing, one two three, testing. Well, gooooood evening, test subjects! Yes, you have really been knocked out for that long, but it only fits the mood of today's game." He snickers then continues. "How many of you like the horror genre? I bet half of you do, but I hate it! Cheap and cheesy effects with lame jump scares, and what is this, The Human Centipede? "100% medically accurate"? Just ugh, that's not even horror. That's just an insult to science and medicine." "Anyway, I thought I'd put my own twist to trying out this horror business, so welcome to my little haunted school! Now, all of you should find yourselves a nice little camera and pocket flashlight. I want you all to do me a little favour and take a nice photo of at least five different of my best friends down there. I'm not asking for breathtaking photos, but at least put some effort into it, test subjects. Do that and, you know what, I'm feeling generous, I'll give you whatever you want in the shop and I guess a memory or something, whatever, we'll talk later, test subjects!" And with that, it goes silent... BASIC INFO ✖ BEGIN THE HUNT ✖ POST-EVENT MINGLE ✖ TURN-IN

Comments

[detectiveofthewest]

Weird? Heiji frowned a little. "Yeah? What was it? Your brother again?"

Certainly Yuusuke seemed to feature rather prominently in Sasuke's memories...

[not_that_sasuke]

"Sort of." Well... Yeah, okay, it was definitely Yuusuke. But that wasn't the part that bothered him, as annoying and confusing as the rest had been.

Another pause. He's going to sound ridiculous, he's sure, but the longer he sits on it, the more it's just going to bother him. "...This is going to sound weird, but..."

...

"...What do you think the chances are of a family of ninja surviving this long...?"

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji thought about this for a second, then nodded. "Sure, it's possible. Not in the way they used to be, of course, 'cause you can't exactly run around cities in ninja gear."

Sorry, bro, but did you think about who you were asking this question. Ghosts, now. Ghosts totally didn't exist.

[not_that_sasuke]

He really shouldn't be surprised that Heiji isn't.

"The point is to blend in anyway. Real ninja wouldn't go around in dark outfits." The answer is almost automatic, but... it's true, isn't it? Wearing dark outfits right out of a kabuki show would just be too obvious, unless you actively needed to attract attention for whatever reason.

[detectiveofthewest]

"So you're sayin' you're a ninja?" All this time, Heiji's joke had been secretly correct...

"Don't tell me -- there was an inheritance dispute over who was gonna take over the family business." Which in this case was ninja-ing, apparently. Actually, the ninja thing almost made more sense. After all, family disputes were exacerbated when the stakes rose. Maybe that was why Yuusuke was such a tosser.

[not_that_sasuke]

"I don't know for sure. It might have just been Yuusuke messing around." It just... made an alarming amount of sense regarding some of his other skills. But still...

Ninja? Really?

[detectiveofthewest]

"Well, what exactly did he say to ya, anyway? This just out of the blue?"

Knives, trees, wears black, named Sasuke...

[not_that_sasuke]

"There's more to it, but... He took something I needed, and he was offering a deal for it." So, y'know. Blackmail. "When I called him out on it, he just said 'ninja are allowed to be sneaky'."

Clearly we're back to only the most fun memories.

"...He also said he was in the ninja club, though. It's possible he was just saying things."

[detectiveofthewest]

"He... stole from you?" Whaaat. And what even was a ninja club. "Kinda hard to tell what that guy's thinkin', innit?"

Heiji crossed his arms. "You do seem pretty ninja-like, though. It's a good an explanation as any. Actually, it could explain a lot."

[not_that_sasuke]

"Well..." Not... exactly...?

"...He took some medicine from the infirmary. I was going to get it for a classmate, but he got there before I could." Not the most serious matter, but based on what he remembers, there had to be a reason they couldn't easily get more. The school didn't exactly seem like it was near civilization, at least.

"...You mean the knives, don't you." Namely his inexplicable skill with them.

[detectiveofthewest]

"Well, that's just low! That medicine's for everyone to use, not for one guy with a ninja hobby to hoard!" Honestly, who the hell took medicine from a classmate?

"Well, the knives is one thing. But also the way ya move around so quiet and how limber you are. Plus, guys tend to be a little more stoic, but you take it to a whole other level. Don't know too many people who could hide a gash like that. And when we were in that room with the electric hook and elsewhere, you ain't hesitate when you had to act."

[not_that_sasuke]

He was probably aiming to strike a deal. He didn't need the medicine himself, and he'd said as much when Sasuke confronted him about it. He must have known somehow that Sasuke would go for the medicine, meaning...

He completely fell for his trap.

He does seem a bit surprised at Heiji's observations however, clenching a hand by his side experimentally at the mention of the gash.

"...Do you think it's true, then? What he said."

[detectiveofthewest]

You ok there Sasuke. "I think it could be true, and that's really all we can say for certain right now. And if it turns out he was just blowin' smoke, well. Time to move on to another theory, right?"

Heiji didn't really ascribe positive or negative traits to ninjas, really. NOW DETECTIVES, THAT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

"Did I say somethin' weird? You look a little surprised."

[not_that_sasuke]

Oh. Well.

"...I just do a lot of those things without thinking, so... Hearing it is a little different." He'd never thought too much about how easily he blocked out pain, or at least not until Heiji got his memory. Nor had his reaction time really stuck out to him-- unlike the knives, he figured that part was more that he was quick on his feet.

...Although it really does just make him sound more and more like a ninja, doesn't it...?

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji laughed. "What, d'jou think the others were just slow? Anyhow, I guess I wouldn't know about my own case if it wasn't for other people's reactions. Hershel's always askin' me if I'm okay."

What are you talking about, murder is totally normal...

[not_that_sasuke]

"...I just thought I was a little quicker. But... if I were trained for it, all of that would make more sense too." It's just that unlike Heiji, he's still rather uneasy about what being a ninja could entail.

[detectiveofthewest]

"I think it might also explain another thing or two," said Heiji, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Listen, ninja ain't really a typical occupation, right? And it seemed like there was some... tension in your family, even before that one memory. Maybe that had somethin' to do with it. Family profession causing friction, that's a real common story."

[not_that_sasuke]

That gets a Look™ from him. Did he mean...

"Like succession...?" It... could be a factor, he supposes, but... If he'd given up fighting back, was it really still a concern?

[detectiveofthewest]

"Yeah, that could be part of it." Good job Japan, even your teenagers immediately jumped to questions of succession...

"Questions about duty or who's gonna take over the family business... things like that take a toll on relationships even if it's pretty clear who's inheriting what." Not to mention the whole pressure-on-the-eldest-son thing, worries about maintaining the family line, and so on and so forth.

[not_that_sasuke]

...

"You really think a matter of succession is what made him act like..." an abusive asshole, "that?"

He sounds dubious. Even considering strained relationships, if Sasuke weren't fighting back, what would be the point of taking it that far?

[detectiveofthewest]

"Nah, not just that." After all, plenty of families had underlying strains, but they didn't all resort to choking each other. "But I think it might've been a factor."

Especially if Yuusuke wasn't happy with himself. Or with whatever reflection he thought Sasuke might be on him. Or maybe he was just a jerk.

[not_that_sasuke]

Or maybe he just realized his little brother is a weakling and ripe for picking on.

"...Well, it probably doesn't matter anyway. Even if it was just a lie, I don't remember enough to be able to tell." And who knew when he would have enough to finally know for sure...?