OPENING LOG.

[enjoyers]

Characters: Everyone!
Date: August 11th
Rating/Warnings: Nothing as of yet. Mark anything that qualifies a warning in your subject line!
Summary: Arrivals.
You want happiness. A company called RECOVERjoy has offered it to you, so you've signed up with them. Gaining happiness can't hurt, right?

Suddenly you're in a room, an apartment, with three other beds and unfamiliar faces. This is your assigned room, and it's quite crowded. You don't get much of a chance to think as your phone beeps--it's not your phone, maybe you've never had a phone, but there's one in your hand so you check it. It's a smart phone, nothing special about it, but now you've received a text from RECOVERjoy.

Welcome to Joywick! We're so happy to have you!

You've arrived in your assigned room, we hope you like it! Don't worry, you can move out once you've collected enough joypoints. Speaking of, if you'd like to check your balance, there's a special application that tracks it for you right on your phone! Handy, right?

... Did you check? If you did, you'll notice you have no joypoints. But don't despair! We're giving you a special mission. Make three (3) friends and get 200 joypoints! Gee, that's easy! Of course, we can't put a level on something like friendship, so just get to know people. Don't miss out on these easy points! We'll give you more information about joypoints once you're done.

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

You're in this for 1 million joypoints, aren't you? Might as well get started.

(AFTER THE MISSION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED OR ONCE 24 HOURS HAVE PASSED)

You receive another text from RECOVERjoy.

Great job on the mission! Or not so great job for those who didn't do it. : (

Well, you probably want more joypoints either way. Here's how! Look for another person. I bet they look fairly happy, right? Why are they happier than you? Because they've got the joypoints you need! The only way to get those joypoints is to steal theirs. How? Take their happiness away. It's easy! Maybe a rumor here, an injury there... but if you want the big points, be creative!
You want to be happy, don't you?

Wishing you happiness,
RECOVERjoy : )

... Not quite what you expected when you signed up. You can't leave, though, you still owe RECOVERjoy 500 joypoints and, well, you came here for a reason.

Comments

[noisy]

[ ... at least he's honest about lying???

curious and curiouser. ] You're being way too harsh on yourself, stranger! Why, I bet there's a set of sticky fingers just lurking beneath that humble surface.

Believe in yourself. We might even make a rapscallion out of you yet.

[outfoxing]

[Don't knock his precious llama stickers they make or break a proper poster...

Also that tactic is not going to work on him twice!! Gonna have to bust out a new trick now, because as things are, he's just smiling amiably after sliding his hands into his pockets.]

So it was yours. You should take credit for your work instead of hiding in the closet, shouldn't you? [This is all said in a very greeting-an-old-friend kind of tone.]

[minus]

『Too strong a word, but same general principle! With a terrible expression like that, you'll scare everyone off.』

( He shuts up long enough to take a look at the phone, however, and then around the store like 'duh who doesn't'. But he has also taken note of things such as Meredith's clothing, his general disorientation with his surroundings, the way he holds the phone.

Kumagawa smiles nice and wide, and gives him an answer. Whether it's a straight one or not, Meredith might have to gamble on. )

『I am. Would you like me to help you?』

[varmint]

[Elijah seems a little too focused now on the phone, and only when he comes across a vast list does he glances up- At Meredith's phone.]

Making sure we can contact each other. [He applies less pressure to the touch screen than he did before, and the list quickly scrolls until he catches the sight of the 'M' section. He taps the name, and waits.]

How extraordinary. [He grins.] And convenient!

Anywhere...

[cosmicella]

[ Ranka, being the kind-of-adventurous (or just too curious for her own good) when she wants to be lass she is, is out and about trying to familiarize herself with the city!

... Not one of her best ideas. Unfortunately for her, she gets lost quite easily. You may see a young girl walking around with an expression that clearly says "I'm lost and I don't remember how I even got here."

She's not really paying attention to where she's going at this point. So, sorry, if she accidentally bumps into you. ]

[adieuche]

I hope so, though who's to say the next set will be any better?

[He sighs and takes a moment to straighten his glasses.]

You're rooming with two girls? I'm surprised.

the shame will be passed down to your children and their children's children

[noisy]

Wow. Do you usually dress yourself in the dark, or did you have a rough night?

[ WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT COMFY WHEN YOU CAN BE ~*~STYLISH~*~ or more importantly NOT WEARING SOCKS WITH YOUR SANDALS !! ] Seriously, though.

Even if there exists a medical condition that calls for that kind of footwear, at least have the decency to invest in a pair of nice dress shoes.

[ and is he even wearing sandals because oh god, who'd be losing joypoints faster in this kind of situation ]

[sockswithsandals]

[Offensive isn't frightening--this detour isn't going to go as well as he thought if he's going to be labeled offensive and disgusting but not actually inspiring of fear. He'll be bored, for a start, let alone uninspired when he finally leaves. It's a rocky start, certainly, although he's looked at this kid enough to feel something is decidedly off about him, so--it's someone else's defect if he can't frighten them, surely.

That will do. He presses a hand over his eyes for a moment, scowling, then pulls the hand down his face and takes a deep breath, collecting himself.]

Jump-- [do we have to talk about manga...] As an avid reader, you ought to understand the importance of letting the plot run its course, shouldn't you? You can't just change it in the middle, without resolution.

[outfoxing]

[As observant as he is, that subtle shift doesn't scoot by him unnoticed. He doesn't comment on it though, choosing to nod in agreement instead.]

It would be much easier to do it without the aid of a looming corporation too, wouldn't you say? To have that kind of ability without needing to bend over to cater to the rules set by someone else... Do you think that would be ideal?

[minus]

『So, it's true.』

( He speaks mostly to himself, in tones that are perplexed and curious at the same time. A hand covering his mouth, as though to continue muffling his words.

After that, he brightens back up and nods briefly to Ranka. )

『You're a very optimistic girl, Ranka-chan. It's endearing, and it makes even a terrible guy such as myself feel a hundred times lighter. It's sickening, but sweet at the same time. I hope you don't end up associating too much with me, if this is how you feel.

I'd like to give you this warning, but only because you're so cute - I'd hate to see you hurt.』

[varmint]

[Elijah, although troubled, listens in something only barely less that rapt attention. His eyes keep to the screens inside, even if to him they are merely glowing, transparent boxes- entirely alien and yet already familiar. He hasn't the faintest clue of what the boy means.]

You could say that. [He happens to manage a smile that isn't completely there, but it sticks anyways.] I wonder what the reason could have been that they believed it best to take it away from you?

Maybe you're more toxic than you let on. [KIND of stating the obvious, but the boy seemed all too eager to get inside the store, all too eager for what was beyond the glass.]

[cosmicella]

[ Oh? Oh, oh? A comrade in arms in being lost...!? ]

It's okay! Ah, I wish I could help out more but... I'm a bit lost too.

[sockswithsandals]

[He hates llama stickers and stop talking to him like an old pal...!]

Waiting. [He does not hide, wow, how juvenile would... that. be.]

I'm not going to do something to ruin the whole scene.

[adieuche]

A temporary reprieve, I think. For the moment, I was able to convince him that it wasn't in his best interest to kill his easiest source of points.

[He sighs, turning away from the window, seemingly abandoning the idea of arming himself. It's not like he has the points to purchase something, anyway.]

You're having troubles with your roommates as well?

the curse of wobbuffet casts this name into despair

[sockswithsandals]

[he is so wearing sandals]

A medical condition...? [Seriously when did he miss the memo about KIDS BEING MAD ABOUT SHOES WHAT'S HAPPENING.]

I don't like dress shoes. They pinch.

[don't look down he is wiggling his toes awfully]

[minus]

『I could be right about what I said too.』

( There's a very important moment, and it happens right about now. That moment where the teen stands absolutely still, like a lake so deep that it's black, and so still that it's a mirror. And this black mirror reflects all that is negative and impure about the human condition as he does absorb it. So, basking in Elijah's roving, half-there aura is doing naught but kicking the Minus into overdrive. He doesn't have to really, fully try to be socially acceptable.

His friends aren't here. Just this interesting stranger. )

『I wonder what you'd offer for information like that. One toxic stranger to another, if you please.』

[varmint]

[Elijah wasn't really one to peer into shop by shop, but considering he was from a different timeline completely, everything deserved at least one look over.

However, the same can't be said for one Aisha and a disobedient arcade machine. Elijah doesn't see her right away- he's sitting across from the machine, near the fake gambling slots. At the moment all he hears is the 'BANG BANG BANG' of her foot going at it, and he had to glance just to see if perhaps, he could intervene.]

Maybe you're not kicking it hard enough. [SARCASTIC Elijah is not charming at all.]

1/2

[noisy]

[ -- alright, back up. sure, his methods were more or less a bit misleading (hahaha), but things worked out in the end, didn't they? ]

I did - [ he's speaking slowly, enunciating it, standing his ground even though it looks as though Neku might snap and lash at him at any moment now. ] let you all go home.

I even kept home in one piece. You and the rest of your posse made it back, safe and sound.

[noisy]

In fact, you all looked quite happy the last time I saw you-

[ -- at Hachiko, but that'd be telling. ]

So wouldn't you say all of this antagonism is... ah, I don't know, a bit much?

[adieuche]

And horror stories would be yours?

[Yagyuu attempts polite disinterest, but the slight tightening of his smile betrays his discomfort with the topic.]

[sockswithsandals]

[Giving him discomfort is just encouraging, reflected in the way his eyes light up and he leans forward just- slightly-]

Yes! I love horror stories! The chilling atmosphere, the rising suspense, the mystery so close to being unraveled until that very moment where it reaches its climax--the scream! It's incredible.

[--at which point he has sort of spun away to throw his arms out and bask in his horror story emotions. After a moment he calms the hell down and turns back, dropping his arms again.]

You're not a fan, are you?

[bound]

[ Meredith raises an eyebrow- no, he had never actually planned to leave Elijah alone for very long despite whatever rules and regulations this place wanted to enforce. He couldn't quite appreciate the technology as much; it was hardly necessary to him.

Then he feels the phone vibrate in his phone pocket and pulls it out swiftly. He glances from the caller-ID to Elijah and lets it ring a few times before he picks up the call. Wow how do you hold this thing. ]

Hello? [ With a smile. ]

[varmint]

I've yet to deny that you were ever wrong.

[He chuckles, although the sound is dry and somewhat strained. He could definitely use a cigarette right now, and he's feeling oh so fortunate that they didn't decide to sneak those off his person. Elijah lights one, and already feels more situated.]

I suppose I have nothing to offer, as of yet, [It's already been made clear Elijah can be brutally honest with this boy.] But when that time comes, would it be wise of me to take you up on that offer?

[bound]

[ Meredith, shockingly, doesn't find Kumagawa quite pleasant enough for him to say yes. Although to be fair, he wouldn't hand it to anyone; he figured he might actually need it eventually.

Instead Meredith puts the phone away decidedly and shakes his head. ]

Where are you from?

[terribubble]

[ unlucky roommate #3 also did look at her phone! feferi isn't exactly the happiest clam right now either, but she can totally go down with this mission.

she's not afraid of him but she doesn't exactly appreciate the knives he's playing with. ]

You're a prince?

[ well, that caught her attention. ]