allthenotes | (no subject)

[ Let's play "how long can he troll until he realises who he's talking to". ]

don't be like that Danny
come play with us
we'll be nice, we won't bleed you, we won't hurt you
:)

[... and now it's reminding him of his father.

That's just great.

There's another along pause before Dan feels like he can answer. He keeps hoping this will just disappear. But it's not a vision. So something here knows him. He feels a lot like something is out to get him. But he also feels very small.]

I'm not going to let you hurt me again.

[ If the use of 'again' didn't already ping him to something being wrong, the florid writer reminds Kaito to not take the joke too far.

Although now he's faced with the task of backing out of the joke slowly. ]

I'm not going to hurt you. I was just playing.
This place isn't wherever you're from, Danny.

[There's another hesitation before reply, but Dan's calming a little bit. He doesn't know if this is a joke, but the words seem a bit kinder now. More cautiously warning than taunting.]

I don't want to play that game anymore. I don't know where this is.

[It's probably telling, though, that his first thought for 'wherever you're from' isn't home so much as that old, haunted hotel.]

It's a castle with ghosts and monsters~
and guards who don't like games :(
What games do you like?

[ Exhibit A: a sample of how Kaito has embraced being a 'kid' in both name and nature. ]

[This is taking a turn for the... odd. He's not sure how to feel, but he'll keep going for now. The initial instinct to just ignore the hell out of this is fading, after all.]

Can't say I'm much of a game person, actually. Not anymore.

[There's a pause, and Dan has a sudden understanding that he probably shouldn't have. Not that he's 100% right, but he still shouldn't even know the name:]

Wait, the Grady girls?

Don't tell me you didn't realise until now! I thought you knew from the start.

[ Kaito is failing at realising he is actually talking to 'Danny' as much as Dan is making connections. He still thinks this is someone who recognised the reference.

And now he's going to be mistaken for a pair of creepy twin girls. ]

I didn't remember the name 'Grady.' It's been a long time.

[Had he ever even heard the name? Not directly, probably. But his father had, and maybe that's where Dan picked it up.

Still. Dan's less concerned about where he got that from and more the fact that he is apparently talking to those girls. What are they doing here? Did they follow him, like the other ghosts of the Overlook?

But as disturbing as this is--so far they're being fairly harmless. Disturbing, but harmless.]

And now it's all coming back to you, right~? Going to have a lot of fun coming up with games for you~~

Harmless ones that is. :) This is supposed to be fun not scary.

A little more than I'd like, yes.

[But they're promising to be harmless. And as much as he doesn't know what to make of this--but he decides he trusts them. To be well-intentioned, at least. He doesn't get the feeling that they had meant to hurt him with this message, as upsetting as it was.

But it does mean he feels so, so deeply sorry for these girls. He thought of what their father had done. And he thought of the fact that they had been trapped in the Overlook too.

Had they been like him?]

I could do with a little less scary. What kind of games do you like?

[Do, not did. That's important.]

[ Since there's no technology to speak of here, Kaito is limited in what kind of games he can entertain himself with or play with others. So-- ]

Word games! They're easy to do over these books. And everyone can join in as well. :D

That makes sense.

[A pause before he adds:]

What, like hangman?

[It's always struck him as a morbid game, but he's not inclined to turn these girls down, either.]

How did you know? :o Can you read minds, Danny?

[ A game of hangman can only end well. ]

[Well that's... Hm.

He doesn't want to lie to them, but he doesn't want to go advertising it where other people can see either.]

Might have been a lucky guess. Can you?

Not one bit! I don't want to know what others are thinking, that would be

[ Pause here while he thinks of the right adjective/description. He hasn't ever really needed to read minds to know what people are thinking but he has no interest in knowing specific thoughts. ]

not very nice. Sometimes people think cruel things. :(

Some people can be cruel.

[He's got first hand experience with cruel actions and thoughts, not that Dan himself is any kind of saint. More importantly, this goes toward the girls not being like him, after all.

But he's still curious about them. And he doesn't want to provoke or upset them, so:]

How much do you remember? About before?

We remember a lot of things. You need to be more specific!

[ Kaito's not sure if this person is asking him in-character or out of it. ]

[If only Dan realized that those were two separate lines of inquiry.]

The hotel, I guess. If you're okay with talking about that.

[ It's at this point Kaito is starting to realise he may have misinterpreted something somewhere. This guy apparently thinks he really is the Grady twins.

...Is there even a world where the twins of a horror movie exist? Ah well, it's fun pretending. ]

The hotel wasn't very nice. I like this place better. There are more people to play with!
Like you. :)

[There's a long pause where there aren't any words--just... dottings, tiny ink blots, where Dan taps the pen against the paper a few times.]

I know. I hated it there. I hope this place is better.

I'm sorry to say I'm not counting on it, though.

[ 'I hated it there'? This is starting to sound less like a joke and more like they believe it... But there's no way, right? Haha...ha. ]

It'll be better!
There's nice guards who'll keep us safe this time.

[ Short pause before he adds this line: ]

I'll be here as well.

[ Oh shit. ]

I think I'll pass if it's all the same. eAe;;;

Sorry, I'll stop.

Words are weapons. Actions have consequences. At least have a purpose if you're going to take aim.

It was a reference to something back home. I didn't think someone would react that badly to it...