[Day 2 of Murder - Day 4 of School Trip - Evening]
Dinner had arrived with a slew of new maids. Talon pulled at the skirt of his maid uniform as he stood alongside Tobias, Lulu, Poppy, and Tristana all wearing matching uniforms. Turned out the staff did in fact have yordle sized uniforms and due to their smaller size, the skirts flared out and look much puffier than usual. Talon sat near his master Ezreal while Tobias tried not to yell at Kayn as the jerk laughed at the turn of fortunes. The two of them sat near Ahri's group but ignored any orders coming from them. Vi had given her own orders for them to follow. They were to not reveal who their master was and ignore any prodding coming from anyone else. Same thing went for the yordle trio who sat next to Rumble and Teemo, who tried not to stare. Tristana felt her face burn as she caught Teemo and Rumble looking at her anyways. Poppy was trying to keep her cool as well when she noticed the boys' lingering her way. Lulu could care less, she had been worried at first but found the outfit to be much cuter than she thought and enjoyed how it looked on her. Plus the blush she saw on Veigar's face when he saw her made up for any embarrassment that might come. The two players who had Poppy and Tristana as targets were confused by their sudden change.
The staff was continuing to serve food that wouldn't last much longer without proper refrigeration. After the massive lunch buffet, they had reeled back on how much food was being served in a single meal . The servers placed a small plate of teriyaki, a bowl of rice, and some leftover miso soup at each seat. Veigar and Kennen tried to pass out notes again to players without getting in the way of the staff. They got a few confused glances from people outside of the game but ignored them.
Lux heard someone clear their throat behind her and turned around to find Veigar holding a note. She opened the note and read it, interested to find that there was another scheduled meeting. Someone had a question about the rules and Veigar was going to clear it up. Lux looked over to Jinx who shrugged in response.
"How the hell should I know?" Jinx said. She used the ends of her chopsticks to stab into a piece of chicken. "Just cause I played before doesn't mean I know everything."
"It probably has to do about this." Ezreal said, revealing to the group that his new target was Poppy, and yet she was already dressed as a maid. Someone had somehow eliminated her before he did.
"Ah" Jinx said understanding now, "Poppy got caught with a hitman. That's why she's out."
"If that true, then wouldn't that make me her master?" Ezreal said glancing over to Poppy. "The meeting is probably to talk about how maids are passed around, or to complain about being a maid."
"Wonder why anyone would complain about that." Talon said, stabbing his own food. "Who wouldn't love being a maid to a weeb."
"For that sass, I demand your serving of chicken." Ezreal, pointed to Talon's plate and made a hand it over gesture. Talon stopped mid bite and dropped his chopsticks. They landed on his plate and he shoved it over to Ezreal who took it happily. The moody teen grumbled and ate his rice and miso soup. At least the soup had bits of fish so it wasn't completely bland.
Jinx was reminded once again why she was glad Lux was the one who eliminated her.
…
The rec room filled up quickly as all the players found their seats. Veigar was standing atop of the coffee table again, notebook in hand and eyes bouncing from player to player making sure no one has been left behind. Once everyone was situated he began.
"We got a handful of eliminations to announce, and it is only the second day." Veigar started. "From now on, if any eliminations happened I'll announce them at the end of the day, right after dinner. This is to keep everyone up to date with everyone else's status in the game, and shuffle cards around if we have to. Also it's to clear up a rule someone brought up while turning in an elimination. First things first thought" Veigar nodded to Kennen.
Kennen flipped through his own notebook, "Tobias was eliminated right before lunch by Vi, and Talon was eliminated by Ezreal via hitman, also right before lunch."
Poppy and Tristana stood up, joining Veigar and Kennen. It was Poppy's idea to clear this up, because there was no way she wanted to stay being Vi's maid.
"Tristana and Poppy were eliminated by being caught without their target card by Vi, right after Lunch. Who ever had them as their targets raise your hand, so they can give you their respective cards."
Ezreal was hesitant at first but ended up raising his hand. "I had Poppy as my target."
Poppy walked over to him and handed over his new target card. Akali raised her hand right afterwards, signalling for Tristana to hand over hers.
"Does this mean Tristana is my maid?" Akali asked, glancing down at who her new target is. She smirked, well this is going to be easy.
"That's what we need to clear up." Veigar said, he looked over to Ahri, who started this whole maid mess, "We have to all agree, should the player who did the elimination be the master, even if the elimination comes from being caught without their card?"
"That makes sense to me." Ekko said. "Why should someone else reap the benefits if you were the superior player?"
"Ekko, right." Jayce said, "Even if they weren't your target, you still caught them fair and square."
"No that doesn't make sense. Cause now the player has way more maids than everyone else. They'll be more likely to win out of sheer numbers." Xayah said, Rakan agreeing with his girlfriend. The rebellious girl shot Vi a challenging look. Her threat level was quickly rising according to Xayah.
"Then let's change the rule that hits can't be pulled off by maids." Talon said, hoping that he could revert his status back to being alive.
"Why do we even need the maid rule?" Lux asked, but was mostly ignored by the rest of the players.
"It's more fun when there's stakes at play." Ahri answered Lux's question. She cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "Here's what we'll do. Xayah has a point that the player with the most maids will have an easier time winning which is unfair, and we're not gonna mess with the Hitman rules that are already in place. Talon you're stuck as a maid. We'll make a simple yet effective change that will benefit everyone still in the game."
Everyone became quiet as Ahri paused for dramatic effect.
"Maids are no longer personal. Everyone can order a maid around as if they were their master."
"No... " Kayn whined. He could already feel the eyes landing on his back. Tobias too felt a shiver run up his spine, already knowing he'll be forced along to do Sarah and Soraka's bidding. Tobias' luck had run dry and karma had come to collect.
"Awww but that's not fair…" Vi also whined. She was strapped for five maids, and now she had to share them? Lame.
"If you want sole ownership… than you better win." Ahri said with a wink. "To prevent people fighting over which maid has to do which order. We'll have three simple rules. One, no order may last longer than an hour. Two, no master may take away power from other masters. And three, no master can override previous orders or orders already in effect. So no ordering something like 'Don't listen to Vi's orders' or 'Don't pull off that hit you were ordered to do'. Stuff like that."
"I guess that's fine." Xayah crossed her arms. So long as Vi didn't end up with the numbers advantage, she was okay with sharing her maids.
Veigar closed his notebook, "Then let the game resume." He hopped off the table and headed out of the room. Lulu followed right after him, arm wrapping around his as soon as she caught up.
A few others lingered but they too decided to leave the room. While having all the players in the same room meant safety, it also meant safety for your intended target. If the game was to move on, they would need to move on too. Lux left with Ezreal, and Jinx was about to follow them out when someone stopped her.
Vi smirked at the shorter girl, "Hold your horses. I got something for you to do and only you can do it."
Jinx gulped, she already missed being only Lux's maid.
…
"I hate this." Tobias said as he stood next to Kayn.
"Now you know how I felt." Kayn said. He lowered the grape bundle so Ahri could pluck one with her teeth.
"No complaining. Not my fault no one else snatched you up while they could." Ahri said as she chewed the grape.
Sarah clapped her hands, and Tobias walked over to her and lower a glass with a straw to her lips. Sarah leaned against the chair's arm and took a tentative sip. Tobias dabbed her lip with a napkin as she pushed the straw away. "They already knew we had our eyes set on these two. It's only respectful to allow us to keep them."
"Then why am I here?" Talon said through grit teeth. He was holding a magazine for Ahri to read. She snapped her fingers and he flipped to the next page. "I wasn't yours to begin with."
"Because the only person who would want to call dibs on you is also a maid." Ahri said, "Since she can't give orders, we get to have fun in her place."
"Where is Quinn?" Soraka asked. She waved for Kayn to bring the grapes over to her. His gaze fell as he walked over to Soraka. Ahri was corrupting the poor girl.
"I think she's with Sejuani last I saw…" Varus said, hands full of Soraka's hair. An intricate braid beginning to take shape. He waved for Kayn to bring him some grapes as his hands were full.
Kayn almost brought them over but then stopped in his tracks. "Wait, you're not part of the game!"
…
Quinn laid on her stomach and watched Ashe through a compact mirror. Just around the doorframe, Ashe was talking to Tryndamere at the dining table. Sejuani was right, Ashe was sticking to safe zones and other players. Only a few seats over was Xayah, Rakan, and Janna. The trio were whispering to one another. After a moment Janna pushed up out of her seat, and strided over to Ashe. Quinn tried to read their lips, but couldn't parse out any details.
"What're they doing now?" Sejuani said laying next to Quinn.
"Janna is talking to Ashe now."
"About?"
"I don't know, I can't read their lips through the small mirror."
Sejuani ran a frustrated hand through her hair. This was going as well as it had when she was tailing Ashe on her own. "I knew I shoulda grabbed Talon instead."
"Hey," Quinn pushed herself up so she could round on Sejuani, "Anything that jerk can do I can do better!"
"Fine fine, I don't care, just what is Ashe doing now?" Sejuani asked again.
Quinn huffed and laid back down. She eased the mirror around the corner and saw that the dining hall was empty. She angled the mirror around to try and spot her quarry, but no matter where she looked no one was there. No one not even Tryndamere who would have gladly stayed and ate any leftovers the staff had yet to clean up. "Huh, they're gone."
Sejuani pushed herself forward and grabbed Quinn's hand. She angled the mirror around herself and saw that Quinn was telling the truth. Sejuani was at a loss for words, she couldn't let Ashe escape again. She sprung to her feet and rounded the doorframe. Her eyes roamed the dinning hall and landed on a single staff member stacking plates onto a cart. Sejuani walked over and tilted her head in a polite bow. "Um, excuse me, I was wondering if you saw my friend. She was just here."
"Sorry miss," The staff shook her head, "I just started cleaning, I haven't seen anyone in here when I arrived."
"Okay, thank you." Sejuani bowed and walked out of the hall. Quinn was waiting outside, thinking maybe she could spot them leaving from a different doorway. They were long gone however.
"New plan," Sejuani said, "Janna, she was with Xayah and Rakan, that means those three are possibly teamed up and are recruiting Ashe. Which means I need to join a team of my own."
"Who should you team up with then?" Quinn ticked off names on her fingers. "Ahri, Sarah, Soraka and Syndra are a strong team. There's also Jayce and Ekko. Ekko is a veteran player and knows how to strategize. Lux and Ezreal are also better than I thought they be, they helped me get back at Talon. Everyone else I think is running solo."
"Ahri and Ekko's groups are out, I don't trust them. Gathering the solo players would be too difficult. Lux and Ezreal, however, are perfect. They're the underdogs. Everyone will underestimate them. Hell, they already eliminated two other players because of that. I need to get in league with them." Sejuani slapped a hand on Quinn's shoulder, almost toppling the smaller girl over. "We go find the blonde duo and with their help take down Ashe."
…
"Isn't this a little cruel, Vi?" Caitlyn said. Though her words sounded like they held concern, the satisfied groan she let out told Jinx otherwise. Caitlyn sighed happily and melted into Vi's arms. The bigger girl rested her chin atop Caitlyn's head. She looked down to see Jinx forcing a smile as she continued to massage Caitlyn's feet.
"She lost fair and square. She knew what the stakes were, and I for one thought Lux was letting her off too easy." Vi said. "Jinx once you're done with Caitlyn, you're gonna do mine."
Jinx growled through the smile, she learned real quick that any back talk led to punishment. "Of course, I'd love to."
…
Ashe settled down onto her futon alone, sending Tryndamere off to do his own thing. It looked like they were able to ditch Sejuani and Quinn at the dining hall and wasn't followed. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her kimono and waited. Ashe knew about the subtle power of being comfortable in silence and having others wait for you. When used properly she was in control of any situation she was in. It was how she was able to drag Sejuani along where she wanted, and never be forced to move at another person's pace.
Janna and Xayah wanted to team up with her, and she agreed to her them out. She insisted they should talk in her safe zone and no one else's. Ashe sat in quiet contemplation as she watched Janna and Xayah try to match her patience. They would fail, Xayah had Rakan as a boyfriend and that boy require constant attention, and Janna, while very reserved, always caved to action and not reaction. Ashe gave them five minutes, tops, before they started to talk.
As if on cue, Xayah leaned forward and cleared her throat. "I know what you're trying to do and it won't work."
Ashe raised a single eyebrow at Xayah. As if that was all she needed to say.
"Yeah I know. You're trying to act all cool and in control, but you aren't." Xayah nodded to Janna, "She wanted you on our team but if you're gonna act like you're in charge we have others options."
"Taliyah's off hiding without a plan of action, Akali won't step anywhere near Janna cause she thinks she has her card, Caitlyn can't lie worth a damn, Vi will backstab you when you least expect it, Sejuani thinks she can brute force anything, and the rest all have established teams already. I'm the only logical choice." Ashe said as she crossed her arms at Xayah. "You need me or else Ahri's group will steam roll all over you."
Rakan let out an impressed whistle. "Damn she's good."
"She's observant." Janna said, "She stayed at the edge of the group meetings, and has been mostly watching how the others been playing the game."
"Doesn't hurt that there's rumors about the game flying around, and anyone with half a mind to pay attention can figure out what each player's been up to based on them. Tryndamere has been great at keeping up with the gossip. Also everyone is pretty easy to read if you have the eye for it." Ashe shrugged. She attributed her sharp observation skill on the fact she was the captain of the archery team.
"But you are wrong about one thing." Janna narrowed her eyes at Ashe, "You need us more than we need you. You won't be able to stand alone for long, sooner or later you'll be the only solo player left, and then what will you do?"
Ashe smiled, matching the intensity of Janna's stare. "I have a plan in mind don't you worry about that."
"Bullshit," Xayah wanted to call Ashe's bluff, but that smug know it all look on the pale girls face looked so confident.
Ashe leaned back letting her elbows prop herself up, "Believe what you want. You won't beat Ahri without my help."
Xayah scoffed, she had just enough with Ashe's arrogance. No wonder Sejuani couldn't stand her half the time. She got up off the ground and was stopped by Janna.
"Okay we'll admit we do need you more than you need us. What will it take for you to join our team?" Janna asked.
Xayah looked to Janna then to Rakan, as if telling him telepathically that she cannot believe she's being undermined like this. This whole team was originally her idea.
"First move would be to establish trust. I asked you here in my safe zone because I didn't know who each of your targets are, one of you could have my card for all I know. Show me your cards." Ashe said with a tone that made it sound less like a request and more like a demand.
Janna glanced back up to Xayah and then down to Rakan, she already knew their targets, they weren't shy about sharing that information. Janna let Xayah go and let her retake her seat. All together they reached for their cards. "I have Vi."
"I got Ahri" Xayah said
"Soraka." Rakan said last.
"All of whom would be too much of a hassle to eliminate, unless…" Ashe paused, knowing that she was going to suggest something that would possibly break the deal for Xayah. The girl was a rebel at heart who rarely took being ordered around lightly "You all do as I say. With my help I'll be able to lead you to victory."
Xayah pursed her lips, she didn't like the idea of giving up control. Still she rather have her as an ally than an enemy. She nodded her head, and Rakan followed suit. Janna nodded when she saw Xayah wasn't going to push the issue.
"Okay we'll talk strategy now." Ashe said. "Do you know who has your cards?"
…
Akali still felt like she had to play defensive. Even though she had helped Ashe earlier today, there was no reassurance that she will return the favor when asked. All around her battle lines have been drawn between the players and only now had she realized that she was one of the few still trying to play solo. Her target, while easier to handle than Tristana, was teamed up with Ekko, and that boy was no slouch in the game. He knew to watch his corners and keep his ally close. She hadn't found an opening to even talk to Jayce because of how careful Ekko was.
She snuck through the dark halls, tracking her prey down to one of the unlit and unused rec rooms. They were being smart and not staying anywhere near the populated portions of the hotel. They must have a few of their own rooms they would consider safe just because no one would come this way. Akali stepped lightly up to the door and noticed that it was left ajar. Carefully she pressed her ear to the slim opening.
"Now that Lux knows I have her card, first thing I need to do is ditch it as soon as I can." Ekko said, pacing the room.
"You don't have to, we just got to figure out another way to get Lux alone." Jayce said, he leaned against the backrest of a sofa. "Our first plan almost worked, so it shouldn't be hard to come up with a second."
Ekko waved the thought away. "No you don't get it. Having your target know you're after them is the worst outcome, they will be on the lookout for anything you do. You'll never find an opening, or worse they might play that against you. That's why Vi always looks for who has her card before going on the hunt herself. We have to ditch the card, trade it with someone, anyone, willing for a trade."
An idea struck Akali, if she followed Ekko and tracked down who he traded with, she could share that information with Lux, using the knowledge to outplay Ekko and get to Jayce. Maybe even form an alliance with Lux in the process. Two birds with one stone. She noticed that Jayce was walking towards the door and she pressed herself tightly against the floor just out of the way. Jayce pushed the door open and peered into the dark hall. He glanced back and waved for Ekko to follow.
"We'll figure out who to trade with tomorrow, it's getting late and Ryze is going on night patrol this time." Jayce yawned and stretched.
"Right, don't want to risk running into baldy at night, meet back here after breakfast." Ekko whispered back.
As soon as they left Akali pushed off the floor and crept her way back to her room.
…
It was closing in on that window of opportunity, the slim crack between door and frame left the hallway in view for Syndra. The students that hadn't taken advantage of the baths during the day were now heading out for a nightly rinse before bed. Syndra waited by her door watching them go, paying attention who was leaving and who were staying. On cue Syndra leaned in as she notice Xayah walking down the hall with Rakan. They were playing it safe by going to the baths together. All according to plan, Syndra would wait for Xayah's return and ambush her then. Rakan wouldn't be able to go back to Xayah's room after curfew, Ryze simply wouldn't allow it, leaving Xayah alone in the hall. And even if Syndra missed Xayah's return she knew the punk rock girl would try to sneak out and go to Rakan's room at night. Janna and Ashe followed soon after the couple, Syndra cursed as her eyes met with Ashe's careful gaze. She eased her door closed trying to hide in her room. How did she know Syndra would be spying on the hallway?
That was distressing. If another player knew about their plans than they had to call off the hit tonight. No point in risky her own safety. She had to tell Ahri and Sarah about this. Syndra waited until she knew the hall would be empty. Creeping out of her own room, she moved to the stairwell, heading down to the boys floor.
On the boys floor Syndra saw Tobias, Kayn and Talon loitering around the hall. All three were waiting outside Kayn's room talking to one another. As much as Ahri wanted to string the boys along with increasingly more humiliating orders, she knew she couldn't keep them all night. She had let them loose when it came time to set her plan in motion.
Kayn pulled the pencil from his bun and let the braid fall out of place. He ran a hand through his hair undoing all of Varus' hard work.
"Your hair is getting pretty long now." Tobias said, running a hand through his own long locks. His wasn't as long as Kayn's, and more than once Malcolm compared it to a mullet much to his chagrin.
Talon watched as Kayn continued to undo the braids adorning his head. "Hmm, you think I look good with long hair? I was thinking of growing it."
"I don't think Quinn would like it." Kayn said with a shrug, hand coming loose as it tugged on the last bit of braid.
"I'm not asking if Quinn would like it, I'm asking if I'd look good with it." Talon insisted.
"Which is the same as asking if Quinn would like it." Tobias said. He smirked as he noticed the growing blush on Talon's face.
Syndra ignored their gossip, she strode up to them and waved. "Help me find Sarah."
The trio sighed and got to work. Here they thought they were done today.
…
"Syndra was watching you. Like I thought she would." Ashe said as she entered the hot springs.
Xayah nodded, "Guess Rakan and I can't go sneaking off together anymore…"
"You weren't very subtle to be completely honest." Ashe said. "After we're done here, we'll continue to move in a group and make sure everyone gets to their room."
"Then tomorrow morning, we plan our counter attack." Janna said, to which Ashe nodded.
Players Status
Lux - Alive
Jinx - Dead (Eliminated by Lux)
Janna - Alive
Poppy - Dead (Eliminated by Vi)
Lulu - Dead (Eliminated by Tobias)
Ahri - Alive
Sarah Fortune - Alive
Syndra - Alive
Soraka - Alive
Ezreal - Alive
Jayce - Alive
Ekko - Alive
Vi - Alive
Caitlyn - Alive
Quinn - Dead (Eliminated by Talon)
Talon - Dead (Eliminated by Quinn)
Ashe - Alive
Sejuani - Alive
Taliyah - Alive
Akali - Alive
Tristana - Dead (Eliminated by Vi)
Rakan - Alive
Xayah - Alive
Tobias Fate - Dead (Eliminated by Vi)
Kayn - Dead (Eliminated by Tobias)