Disclaimer: All characters and game elements belong to NetEase. I own nothing but a will to write.
It is another day, another boring game.
The Photographer stands idly by the camera, leaning against it as he spins the photograph in his hand. He has just eliminated two survivors, and is currently waiting for the Mechanic to finish self-healing and save her chaired teammate. He would've finished the match minutes ago if it were an ordinary day, but he was too preoccupied with other matters that he decided to give them a chance to escape, those matters being his thoughts that pertain to a certain survivor.
Joseph has always considered himself to be a well-mannered hunter: not too savage neither too cruel. He does what he wants in the game, and what he likes is to finish matches as fast as he could, not wasting any time to eliminate them all. He would snap a photograph and find everyone's mirror images to deal damage to them then find them in the real world to give the finishing blow. It is so thrilling to hear their screams of mixed surprise and terror when he pops up right behind them, incapacitating them in one swift movement. He may not be good at chasing, but he's proud of his unique strategy.
That match that day was pretty fun. It took some time for him to find the survivors because they'd learnt where to hide but one of them made the mistake of hiding in a locker mid-chase. The riotous rescue that followed afterwards disoriented him but it was all pointless since he still caught the three girls. When they've vanished and the Gates roared, he just had to teleport to the last person's future destination. When he arrived just a second after, Joseph waited for the petite female to run away; the thrill of the chase always adds flavor to his hunts. But when all she did was stare at him, looking him over like some piece of art, he suppressed the urge to down her on the spot, more curious about her irregular behavior.
In his past life, Joseph has prided himself for being a handsome man who always earned compliments for both his looks and talents. However, in the game, he looks like a damaged porcelain doll, devoid of color and beauty—the very reflection of his shattered dark soul. He doesn't really mind his appearance in the game—and besides, he looks like his former younger self in the manor anyway—but he likes how it scares off the survivors every time they see him coming.
But when the red-haired little woman didn't run away from his marred face, the hunter didn't feel like moving lest he disturb her concentration. In return, he studied her as well, taking in the delicateness of her face, the shabbiness of her clothes, and the frailty of her form. She has a certain daintiness to her, owing to her youth and apparent innocence, something that Joseph hasn't seen for a long time. From what little he knows, everyone in the manor has done something heinous at some point in their lives, but the lady doesn't seem to even know what a sword was, judging from the way her eyes lingered on his saber.
When he heard her small-voiced question, he was pleasantly surprised. He doesn't talk to survivors—doesn't see the need to when they're all just prey to him—but when they speak to him, it's usually about how they won't go down so easily or something about how unfair his abilities are. They would even taunt or insult him about being old-aged or shorter than the other hunters which really gets on his nerves. But her statement wasn't like that; she was so sincere in her question to know about his role in the game. So, he decided to humor both of them with the strange conversation, where he learnt that she was a blind person who somehow ended up in a survival game of all things. He was genuinely confused, having never thought that the host would include handicapped people. Though by the fact that the woman got along well and finished the ciphers, maybe he was underestimating the power the Game Master could grant to people. Also hearing that he was 'tall' in her sight felt nice even if it's just misinformation.
Despite having the courage to boldly ask him, she was trembling like a leaf that he was sure she'd run off if he tried to say another word. So, he conjured up his photograph, hoping to dissipate her worries about his menacing aura and let her know that he just wants to have a chat. It worked and he found her child-like wonder at his trick so entertaining to watch.
He didn't want to eliminate her so he told her that and he felt that he needed to properly introduce himself. Helena Adams the Mind's Eye was such a sweetheart that he couldn't prevent the smile on his face. Suffice it to say he was charmed by her, appearance- and behavior-wise.
So, the Photographer did something he never did before: he spared a survivor. He could tell that she was disbelieving of his leniency by the way she was shaking as she pushed the buttons and turning back to look at him every once in a while. As much as he reminded himself that he was a gentleman, he couldn't help but stare at her small petite form. Perhaps it's because she was so unlike him: small, young, and cute.
Seeing such a sincere smile on a simple sweetling… made him feel an unfamiliar warmth in his cold chest. Perhaps not everyone is as 'wicked' as he is, he thought. Perhaps there is still a spot of purity in this tainted world.
The notification returns his attention back to the present. The two survivors have gotten up and started healing each other. Joseph grins as he pushes himself off the apparatus, ready to play once more.
It hardly takes one minute of arduous chasing before the two have fallen down once more. This time the hunter balloons the Mechanic, letting the Lawyer remain on the ground.
"You're evil," the blonde jumpsuit-wearing female hisses as her form is settled on the nearest rocket chair. "You should've just eliminated us earlier!"
The girl's screeching voice is so annoying to his ears but letting her see his irritation would only spur the former to spit out more insults. Still, his torment is too much that he can't help but snap at her.
"I did give you a chance. It's not my fault that you're simply too weak to escape." He completes the jibe with a taunting smile.
The Mechanic only glares back, a treatment he occasionally receives from hotheaded survivors. He turns away to go after the other victim when the squeaky-voiced girl murmurs, "I don't believe it."
Joseph stops in his tracks, curious at her sudden change in tone. "Believe what?"
"That you spared Helena because you were 'nice'. You just tricked her into thinking that, didn't you?" she vehemently accuses—if looks could kill, he would've been impaled already by her dagger-like glare.
"She said that?" he queries, focusing on the intriguing trivia and disregarding the accusation. He doesn't consider himself deserving to be described as such, but he can see why she would claim such an allegation. He wouldn't even be surprised if Helena called him a 'good person'; it just seems like her to say something overly nice about someone who's not, not because of ignorance or naivety but because she did see something good in him. Without even meaning to, he finds himself smiling at the thought of her—a fact that the spectator doesn't like.
"Then perhaps it's true," Joseph finally decides, "and you're just not much of a friend to believe her."
"How dare you!" the indignant Mechanic barks. "Stay away from her, you monster! Stop filling her head with your lies!"
He chuckles at the pointless threat. "Speak for yourself. I don't want to hear Helena speaking your foul language," the Photographer snipes back as he walks away from the air-bound missile.
"Don't say her name, you—!"
Whatever else the blonde had to say, he was relieved to not hear as she flies off towards the sky. Behavior like that really grates on him, so much so that he misses the old humdrum of a normal non-threatening conversation with someone 'normal'. Sure, he spends time with the other hunters, but even they can be boring to talk with when the topic goes back to the game. Perhaps it's the artist in him that seeks something else, something different from what has been routine for a long time. A craving for something bright to light up his black-and-white life…
He halts in front of the Lawyer who's still trying to heal himself and crawl away from him. When he doesn't make a move to pick the victim up, the survivor looks up at him in confusion. "What are you waiting for?" the man asks, incensed at being downed for the third time in the match.
Still lost in thought, Joseph gazes at the man's glass-rimmed face and remembers another survivor who wears glasses. Weirdly enough, Helena pops up in his thoughts every once in a while. Has she bewitched him? Perhaps that's her special ability: charming the hunter until they lose the will to eliminate her. But it seems to only work on him, as it wasn't long after that she instantly became one of his fellow hunters' favorite preys. Her blindness and frailty make her an easier target and her decoding speed only makes it more urgent that she be taken out of the match. Those qualities and her dainty appearance make her the perfect prey. That's why it confounded them when he remarked how he just let her go without consequence. Mary and Jack had teased him about how he'd let his guard down once he saw a cute girl, but Joseph can't understand how they wouldn't be able to stop themselves from hitting such a defenseless darling.
He stops that train of thought. Her hold on his mind is too strong. But, he doesn't feel mad about it; on the contrary, it's rather intriguing. It makes him wonder what the nature of this fascination is and if she feels the same about him.
"Lawyer, I want to know something," he says seriously, earning the survivor's confused look. "If you answer truthfully, I'd let you escape."
"What… Is this a trick?" Of course, he's skeptical.
"No. If you want to bleed to death, I'd just let you be."
The bespectacled man scoffs, "It's not like I have a choice anyway…"
That's enough for him. "What did Helena say about me?"
Besides the pained expression he wears due to being incapacitated, a look of utter bewilderment covers the brunet's face. Nonetheless, he answers all the same, eyeing the Photographer uneasily. "She said that you were… nice—'very nice'. You talked to each other and you did that 'amazing' card trick. She even said that you looked 'tall and handsome'." He really looks uncomfortable saying all that.
Joseph blinks in both surprise and amusement. He did leave a good impression on her, just like how she did on him. She didn't even mention how scared she was at first.
"Just talk to her, will you?" the impatient Lawyer makes his presence known. "From what I've been hearing, she sounds like she misses you."
He feels a bit of excitement from those words. Perhaps that's what he's really looking for: acquaintanceship with someone who thinks differently of him. Maybe friendship wouldn't even suffice—but it has to be Helena, he just knows.
"You're right," the hunter concurs, finally picking up the man. Dropping him off to the dungeon's hatch, he thanks him smilingly, "Thank you for your compliance to my request. You may now go."
"My pleasure," the survivor replies in a strained voice that sounds almost sarcastic, jumping down the hole immediately after.
As the match ends, Joseph looks over the dimming horizon with a smile gracing his face. He's finally found the color to enliven up his monochrome world.