mark iii suit ❦ [ text + two encyptions ]

[starked]

we might have a problem.

[ normally tony wouldn't bring this up at all, but creepy red smile thing is really fucking creepy and this is some shit out of a horror film. ]

not a demon problem, because unless i'm wrong winchester and the angel thing have that dealt with. was going to mention this before that came up, but not all of us can split our attention between two things. actually most of you can't.

right, though, problem of the ship variety.

[ and then an attachment entitled i am a smile and i am creepy is sent to everyone's device. ]

i know what you're going to say, tony you made the creepy smiling thing mad. you're going to get us all killed. no, i'm not. what i did was discover something kind of important. the good ship tranquility is watching us. and as much as i'm cool with being watched, kind of want to know who the fuck is watching me on this huge ship. weirdly enough.


i know you two are watching everything. what do you say about this?

[ finally tony adjusts his device to video and if they pay attention, they see that he's in his suit. it's a bit of a way to intimidate them, but he's not going to come right out and say it. ]

Okay, whatever, you two are in charge along with Kirk. I don't care, if that's one of you two, I want to know. Everyone does, but I'm the one who asked the questions and got the answer so I get the first answer.

Comments

text ; locked | stay away from mr. s OTHERWISE YAY TRUBBEL he's so proud ;;

[became]

[ welcome to con 101 with professor caffrey. ]

All right, so one possible goal is to start panic. Here's another angle: maybe it's not panic, maybe it's doubt. How many of us met before this? We just had demons looking like everyone else-- what's to say one of us isn't the one behind that keyboard? Take it a step further, maybe the person (people) behind all this is seeded in with the rest of us. The best cover is looking like everyone else, after all. We start doubting each other, maybe somebody looks shifty, and sooner or later our smiling friend doesn't even have to do much work, just sit back and watch.

Not saying any of that is more than guesswork, but divide and conquer is a classic. One mark, by themselves, is much easier than pulling a job on a small group. (Crowds are easier-- mob mentality-- but only with a different approach, I'll get to that later.)

So then the question is: why would they want anybody nervous or isolated or doubtful? If they're the ones who brought us here, it's not like they need to play on our doubts to move us around-- kidnapping proves otherwise.

Which means... your turn. Fill in the blanks here, give me two possible options.

[ neal's anxious, down under the mask-- he knows these tactics (or thinks he might recognize the basic patterns, at least) and while he prefers to work with charm and some gentle persuasion, men like keller excel at the strategies he's pretty sure he can see shaping up here.

there's a reason neal won't work with men like keller. ]

Okay, something a little lighter on Stark. He's got an agenda, but I'd say he's on the up and up when it comes to this. So instead of working out his angle, tell me how you'd con a guy like that.

text ; locked | mr. s? .......sure thing...

[cons]

( 1 ) They think we're getting too comfortable? Even with the demons, it's not like (as far as I can tell) anybody's been making major breakthroughs in the 'how the hell do we get home' department. For the most part, we've settled here. Maybe they want us to doubt that, get scared, go looking for a way out again.

( 2 ) Why they would want us isolated is an easy question, but I don't really want to think about it. Not that I think they just brought us here to kill us one by one, that's a little too John Carpenter for me. As far as I know we've just been assuming we were brought here to run the ship since the last crew kicked it, but there's likely more too it, right. No idea what though.

[ Because thinking about it is scary and well, she's had enough scary for a lifetime. His next question makes her eye the comm for a moment, leaning back in her chair and getting comfy with fun thoughts of cons.

I wouldn't. I only con chumps, and Tony Stark isn't a chump. And they're connected through Stark's network post, so. ]

Just curious, how heavy are your encryptions?

text ; locked | DO NOT DO IT. NOPE.GIF.

[became]

Not bad, not bad at all. But here's another thought:

Maybe they're not who brought us here. If Ward and Resnik have told anyone how or why that happened, it hasn't trickled down to the general population yet, which means the person (people) we really need to be concerned about are still waiting for their cue.

But they can bring us here without resorting to cryptic messages and emotes, so why the shift? I'd say we're dealing with two problems here, not one. Which is... a concern.

[ the other concern is that logic proves false here, and their smiler is one and the same as their jailer; while that cuts down on things they don't know, he'd rather a dispassionate big brother than the kind of captor who likes to play, first. dispassionate means logical, in general-- predictability.

crazy isn't predictable, and neal's life depends on being able to predict what people will do next with a fair amount of certainty. ]

Oh, nowhere near heavy enough to keep him out. [ ...why so cheerfully blase, neal. ] My specialty never was hacking. But we're not discussing anything he can't see-- unless Mr. Stark has a problem with hypothetical teaching moments, of course.

text ; locked | but daaad....

[cons]

[ hey what hold the phone ]

I always thought W & R were the ones that brought us here. Maybe not the reason why they're without a crew right now, but that it was their decision to snatch and goo us? That was just an assumption, though. Am I wrong for sure?

I think the shift is because it's been 6 months and the only answer we've really found is a big red smiley on the door. Maybe he/she/it/they is/are getting bored of us.

But alright, am I supposed to believe there's some kinda big bad on the ship that killed off the last crew and is now sending us creepy red text messages to shake things up a bit? That's... how this is gonna go?

[ sarcasm = somebody's outward reaction to inwardly feeling genuinely freaked out. But right, he changed the subject for her, so she'll take the chance to talk cons. ]

I'd focus on his ego. Normally I feed into egos with a damsel in distress deal, but I think I'd get a better reaction if I went against it with him. He doesn't need somebody else telling him he's great; finding a reason to tell him he's wrong without being a bitch about it would leave a more useful impression.

text ; locked | no buts, crime babby.

[became]

Why? I'm not disagreeing with you, but why? Work through the motivations with me. If they're behind everything, why play games about it? And why bring mostly people who can't help them with anything? As evil plans go, it's not great. Like I said: not saying you're wrong, but the first step is working your angles. You (generic you) can make the best lifts in the world-- if you read the mark wrong and try to pick the wrong pocket, you're still out of luck on that wallet.

Okay, entertainment's one theory. So stretch that farther-- buy a dog, get a TV. Why adopt this motley crew just for something to watch? There are easier and less labor intensive ways to find a way to pass the time.

[ because the other option is this is one big reality tv show, and then they're all dealing with the kind of person neal takes scrupulous care to avoid, at home. ]

Not the most hopeful option, is it?

[ neal doesn't like it either, wichita. ]

Good, good. But here's another option: don't leave an impression. It's a riskier strategy, but men like him pay attention to very very bad and very very good. If you don't need to get close to him, go for solid and steady and unremarkable. Throw on a maintenance uniform, if you can't insert yourself on the work side-- almost nobody looks at the face above the company logo.

text ; locked | >:c

[cons]

Because they can't run this thing by themselves forever? And maybe they can get people here, but that's as far as their control really goes. They can't handpick us, but they can get us here. Not ideal, but I just think if I were one of two people stuck on this giant ship, I'd take what I could get and hope that maybe I'd get a space engineer or two. But then, I don't think they're a threat to us. Either that or they have no issue in thoroughly abusing the "we're clueless too" card.

And not just entertainment, I mean maybe they're bored with the fact that we've chosen to get comfy instead of digging for more clues. Even if it's hard to dig behind sealed, metal doors. I'm just saying, I think you're right in that there are two different problems we need to think about. There's the why we're here in the first place (my working theory is still W&R), and what the red text wants us to find out. it said "you should focus on what really matters".

So, what matters?

[ jesus texting so many words is hard. but she likes being able to see what she's saying before she sends it, so she'll keep on doing it. ]

I thought you meant here. But back home? I only worked with what I had [short skirts, nice legs, and a great butt, what don't you fucking judge her. ] so playing dress-up beyond what was in my suitcase was a little out of the question. Man, I could think of a hundred fun ways to con somebody like him if I could get my hands on just a few more things. Also, I guess it'd depend on what I was trying to get off of him. I'd bet even his pockets have encryptions.

text ; locked | N O P E

[became]

Then why not put us all to work? Seems pointless to kidnap yourself a crew then just let them wander around the ship.

Maybe I'm wrong, but if I had to bet-- either the personas they're showing us are a con, or they're not the people we should be concerned about. (Well. Most concerned about. Anybody with that many secrets is a concern no matter what.)

[ and neal knows from secrets. ]

Okay, so if you bring in the new animals in the terrarium and they hide under a rock, poke them with a stick. That is good thinking.

Overall? The basics. How, when, where, and why. I'll add 'who' too.

Just the easy questions, right?

[ he's kidding. ]

Back home, a generic uniform is the easiest thing in the world to get. Put on a bright yellow windbreaker and the right expression, you're suddenly airport parking. People automatically trust people like that-- maybe not to be smart or worth notice, but the idea is that 'I paid for their service, my half is done'. Sneaking into that transaction and getting out before you're noticed is a good bet for anything that doesn't need a personal touch.

text ; locked | and hey since when was i downgraded from child to babby. ffuuu.

[cons]

Because they're just two people, they can't really make us do anything. At least I don't think they're rocking any secret powers. If they were, they'd probably still have a crew. Wow, I'm starting to paint a picture that makes those tools seem worthy of some sympathy. They did still (maybe) kidnap us.

This is getting confusing. I don't think they're a concern. And if it's a con? Then I can't wait to play along.

[ /chest puff ]

And no, c'mon shut up, really, tell me what you think it means. "getting things to work right". I didn't even realize anything was broken. What's Stark talking about?