WEEK 2 - SATURDAY; ANDERSEN (night, post-investigation, lounge)

[crushcard]

[ One small victory. At least this week, even with the higher body count, they have not sent someone innocent to their deaths.

The lounge is cleaned up, which is also something that he's appreciated. He has two drinks in his hand - hard tequila in one, vodka in another. Both on the rocks.

How many weeks does it take to turn a person into an alcoholic?

When he sits down across from Andersen, his expression is surprisingly neutral, although he slides both drinks over to him, let him take his pick. After that... first impression of Andersen being completely drunk off his ass, it's not too difficult a conclusion to draw that Andersen probably appreciates alcohol. It works well as a friendly overture.

He'll take whichever glass Andersen doesn't take. ]

How's your arm?

[ Or rather, the lack of it. He reaches over to take the remaining glass, swirling the alcohol in it and hearing the ice clink against the glass. ]

Do you still suspect Tsurugi?

[ Yeah, he doesn't. Beat about the bush much. ]

Comments

[crushcard]

[ There's a ghost of a smirk on his features. Where Andersen downs the tequila, he takes his time with his own glass of vodka instead. His glass is still slightly more than half full. ]

My apologies. [ He doesn't sound sorry. In fact, if read too deeply into it, it might sound even slightly condescending. ] Merely enquiring after your health, after your... ordeal from the past week. Did I have to bring flowers, too? I had you originally pegged for a man who preferred being direct.

[ He shrugs. ]

I voted for him.

[ Not that he had expected for anything to come out of it - in fact, the presence of one other vote for Tsurugi had been something that was... relatively unexpected. And considering that Seto has only discussed the possibility of such a scenario with Andersen, he can't help but wonder.

Anyone who's gotten away with murder is a threat, and Seto's no stranger to eliminating threats. ]

[crushcard]

[ It's a sign of respect, old man. He's only painstakingly polite with people he doesn't care enough about, or if he needs to keep up appearances. He's a performer by trade, not an actor. Everything on the dueling circuits - the larger than life posturing, the taunting, working a crowd, that's what he's good at. He's never been a good actor - barely passable, even by his stepfather's standards.

Still, being called out on it makes Seto flinch slightly. To his credit, it doesn't take him too long to recover. ]

The numbers speak for themselves. Kamui was going to be the majority vote regardless of whether I voted for Tsurugi or god forbid, Kaito. [ Kaito is a name that he did not expect to see up there. ] Even if it couldn't be swung to a conviction, I'm fairly certain that he is aware that there are people who are suspicious of him.

[ People like them. It's a warning, basically, even if it paints a target on their backs.

He takes another drink. ]

Do you still intend to wrangle some sort of confession from him?

[crushcard]

[ Or maybe they had believed that Kamui was genuinely innocent? Only theories, nothing concrete. It's not like he had a chance to speak with everyone at the trial, with how chaotic it had been.

There's a short, humourless laugh, more like a scoff than actual laughter. In contrast, Andersen's sharp gaze makes him lean back in his seat, almost to the point where he's lounging, although his body language still retains a little bit of tension, just in case. He's not one to completely let his guard down. ]

For a ten year old, you drink a lot. How did you lose your arm exactly anyway?

[ He's not buying the ten year old act, to be honest. And Seto will call him out on that. ]

Winning and justice does not have to be mutually exclusive factors. We all have a vested interest in staying alive, Andersen, but hell if I let innocents die the way Hana did, and how Kamui will tomorrow morning.

[ Death-T. The Quantum Cube. He's died once. Stared at death in the face unflinchingly, all for a golden puzzle and the spectre of a departed soul from 3,000 years ago. He's not even sure if he's ready to die again. But one thing's for sure: ] This game isn't new to me.

And you? Which one are you interested in?