vault113 | WEEK 1 MINGLE

'cuz it's a sin to tell a lie.

Week 1

As you sleep, you find your mind plagued with strange dreams. You’re still trapped, of course, there’s no way to avoid that, even in the comfort of your own mind, but you’re alone. Utterly alone. The radios and jukeboxes scattered around the place all spring to life, as if they’re speaking to you directly. On the other end, you see people talk about you. From your own perspective, it can’t have been more than… 48 hours since you were taken. From the perspectives of those on the outside, the times don’t match up nearly so well. It might have been days. It might have been weeks. It might have been months.

The voices discuss you. They discuss the way things have changed. They talk about how you just suddenly disappeared without a trace. Maybe they’re glad, glad that you weren’t around to see what happened without you. Or maybe they’re angry. Maybe they know that it was your fault. If only you’d been there, none of this would have happened. If you’d met up with that friend, they wouldn’t have died. If you’d been there to save her, things would have been different. If you had apologized, maybe… or if you hadn’t abandoned your responsibilities…

You don’t get the specifics either way. Your dream - or vision, it leaves your imagination to do all the work. But there’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of.

You are running out of time.

Well, what’s there to be glum about? The vault is your home now, lovingly prepared by Vault-Tec™! Who cares what some ghosts from the past have to say about you, eh? It’s not like you’ll ever see them again.

And no matter how deeply you were sleeping, The Overseer’s voice sounds out on the intercom and seems to wake you immediately.

“Hello, lovelies. We’ve decided to be extra generous to all of you, so we bring some good news for a change. I’m sure in the last few days, you’ve gotten pretty sick of that walled off little cellblock you’re cramped in, so you’ll be positively giddy to learn that we’ve prepared and unlocked the rest of the first level for you all to explore to your heart’s content. If you’ve given up on ever getting out of here, make yourself at home. If you haven’t, well, there’s plenty of fun and interesting tools to integrate into your work whenever you decide to take advantage the former group’s complete lack of initiative or willpower.

Oh, and before I forget… check the common room before you go.”

With that particularly nasty announcement, you will find that the doors that locked the rest of this floor off to you have all been opened up. And in addition to that, the profiles have been made public, joining the rules as framed pictures in the common room.

And if you wish to contact your Overseer or her robotic assistant, you are free to stop for a chat.

NAVIGATION

Vault 113: a short-run murdergame

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I'm not old enough to drink.

[ Not that that's anywhere near the biggest concern, here, but he can't help but default to trying to keep up appearances – of course the straight-laced celebrity heartthrob would never dream of underage drinking. Even Shido always chides him like a child when he expects to drink with him, like he's not just going to pour him his glass of whisky anyway and hasn't the last few dozen times...

...Of course he's thinking about him when the bar is made to look like a fucking ship. ]

I'm just looking around.

I don't believe in repressive drug laws.

[ Absolutely deadpan, absolutely true. ]

But it's your call.

There's some cola in here. Same kind they have at the diner.

[ Ji-Woon trails behind Akechi and slides into a makeshift stool at the bar. His laugh escapes his throat like a fog. ]

We're in a kill-or-rot game of survival, and you're worried about being cited? Come on. [ He pats the seat behind him, and somehow, it doesn't seem optional. ] Sit down. Loosen up, kid. We're at less risk while everyone's awake.

[ His expression settles into something softer when he turns his attention to Klaasje. ] Surprise me. What's your favorite?

Well, it would be rude of me to turn down an invitation, wouldn't it?

[ Alright, he'll play along; better to make himself likable to as many of these people as possible for the time being, after all, and there's even advantages to letting them take him for a pushover.

He sits at the stool Ji-Woon directs him to, crossing his legs and folding his hands over his knee. ]

If you insist, then I'll leave it to our lovely bartender's discretion as well.

[ He shoots Klaasje a straight-from-TV wink. Not that he's given her more than a glance since he's gotten here, but she strikes him as the type who'd appreciate flattery. ]

[ Klaasje's eyes slide from Akechi to Ji-Woon like drops of shimmering oil, a tiny smile gently curving her lips. Words aren't necessary; she's glad to see him. (Although, who wouldn't be?)

Her expression retains residual warmth when she turns her focus back to Akechi and his audacious wink. ]

Pale aged vodka.

[ Her favorite. A smooth burn all the way down. She bends to rummage under the bar, emerging with a clear, unlabelled bottle, three glasses, and a brightly labelled second bottle sporting Nuka-Cola in bold font. ]

This isn't that. But we can pretend.

[ She fills two glasses with a generous pour of clear liquor, the third with half the cola bottle, and slides them across the bar. The cola goes to the kid, of course. She's not inconsiderate. ]

You'll want a chaser if it's your first time.

[ You're not fooling him, Akechi. Your paint is on too thick, and the cracks in your stage makeup are disgusting and obvious to someone else all too familiar with the routine. ]

I'm partial to a Tequila Moonrock, but I'll save myself the disappointment of asking if this American shithole has soju and mint. [ Ji-Woon grins as his fingers take the rim of the shot glass. It scrapes on the metal of their makeshift table as he draws it near. ] Want to do it together, Akechi, or do you need me to show you the ropes?

[ It works on his fans, and that's been good enough for him so far. ]

Oh, please, after you.

[ It might not be his first time in general, but it is his first time taking a shot of something this strong; he may as well lean into it. ]

[ Klaasje laughs, low and quiet. It's not an unkind laugh, but there's a sliver of amusement that's arch and sharp running it through. She picks up her own neglected glass and holds its rim to her lower lip. ]

Let's both show him, Ji-Woon. [ She entreats, languidly playful. ] Set a good example.

[ She'll down hers when he downs his, unflinching and swift. ]

I don’t know about good.

[ He stands, lifting his glass and smoothly threading his arm through Klaasje’s. Now entwined, he lifts the liquor to his lips, and offers a wink that — by his own standards — is far more charming.

When he withdraws and lets his empty glass clink on the table, he laughs. ]

WEEK 1 MINGLE

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