Monday, December 13, 2021: Undisclosed Location, 2:36PM
It was a common source of gossip in their uncommon workplace. The kind of stuff subordinates liked whispering to one another when they ran out of stuff to talk about. Donald didn’t pay much mind to it. Ultimately, when asked, he had no choice but to confirm it himself…
The rumors were true.
Those two had a weird relationship.
It was impossible to describe it succinctly or summarily without going into organizational and familial history. Both men, however different, valued privacy primarily and so both roads were covered with clever camouflage. So, what could be done? What could be said? Don saw no other option but to shrug and say that it was just odd, eerie…weird. And that was, somehow, someway, normal. This wasn’t a normal workplace. It was uncommon. Otherworldly. Alien. An international terrorist organization.
Donald took up his intern duties. He poured warm drinks, he served tiny sandwiches and he took meticulous notes. However uncommon the workplace, his job seemed to be the most everyday among them.
Greynolds enjoyed keeping him on his toes, but even the normally unflappable Jimmy G stood on his tips when around Tracen Danya. The big man himself. Tracen was respected by all within the organization as far as Donald estimated. More so than the last Danya, least in private. He was more reasonable than his father and this was a family business, lest anyone forgot. It was impossible to discuss one Danya without bringing up the other…and the other was very rarely brought up and thusly neither discussed. This added to a degree of mystery that made Tracen all the more threatening and mystifying. He was impossible to read and it seemed that only Greynolds among the organization could grasp at some of his letters.
“Things are going about as smoothly as we could’ve hoped for. You should be proud,” Greynolds said in between bites of sandwich and sips of tea.
“Don’t be so paternal,” Tracen chastised and Greynolds shrugged. “I don’t necessarily feel pride in things going as planned. That’s the point of a plan.”
Their relationship wasn’t paternal, probably only ten to twelve years separated them. Their relationship wasn’t friendly either, but it was built on a trust and understanding. They weren’t quite brothers, but the bond had been built in blood. Greynolds was the only man alive who understood the pressure Danya faced.
“No, but you do feel frustration in things you cannot control. That’s why you’re mad at this slew of slip and falls,” at this point Greynolds put on a mock baby-voice. “Boo-hoo! They keep on dying by accident and not by assault! We specifically asked for assault! Waaaah!”
“Not your best material,” Tracen muttered beneath closed eyes and pursed lips.
“If it doesn’t come with something constructive, it is a review and not a criticism,” Greynolds noted with a smirk. “I’m a star, I don’t pay attention to reviews.”
Jimmy G chuckled, but Donald noted Tracen’s chastisement and general demeanor. It was a common thought, that Donald himself had at one point, to make Greynolds the one who pulled the strings. Don had been around the man a lot and he could say with certainty that Greynolds knew plenty and did more…but there was only one puppet master in this organization. Jim provided advice and utilized a comfort and confidence without hesitation. He did not offer Tracen direction. The relationship was much more subtle. Greynolds had controlled the AT for a time and had managed to navigate it through its largest test in its history. There was no grander endorsement, aside from the Danya name itself, for Tracen than the crown Greynolds had placed on his head. Greynolds was the only man alive who knew the pressure Tracen faced.
Donald got the feeling that Jimmy G loved to remind Tracen of that.
Never out loud, never publicly, but in the passive aggressive way that men like Danya and Greynolds thought more provocative. Plausible deniability for implausible and undeniable crimes. Such was the Greynolds way.
“So,” Tracen swallowed his sandwich and sipped his drink, “be constructive.”
“There’s no need to control everything. Even the things you can’t control, can’t control you. This isn’t gambling. You’re not playing with house money,” Greynolds said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “you’re the house. You can't lose.”
Tuesday, December 14, 2021: Undisclosed Location, 9 AM
"First up today we have the murder of Przemyslaw Ziemiak by the coward Julia Guercio. Przemyslaw never even saw it coming.
"Evie McKown opened her score sheet by shooting Chloé Delacroix after a domestic dispute,"
Tracen look down at the notes in front of him and raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"Our intern has excitedly scribbled that she MckOwned her, so there you go, that's his contribution."
Tracen shook his head and tossed the paper to the side and took a sip of coffee before continuing on.
"Moving on. If you need proof that the weather conditions are rough out there, then Kyle Emerson is here to help, as he stayed outside and died of hypothermia. Would have thought you guys would have been dressed better considering you were going to a ski resort but here we are. But, in good news for all of you left alive, that brought us to the halfway point! Congratulations, you made it!"
Tracen gave a small golf clap to punctuate his point.
"Anyway, our next kill also features a new contestant, as Karen Nguyen shot Maya Press. It seems that more people are making moves now we get deeper into the game, so you best be on the lookout or you could be next.
"Speaking of next, we have an old reliable killer up next as Chiara Masina was stabbed to death by Katelyn Graves! I have to say, it is her classic method and by god is she effective. This kitty continues to have claws and always seems to be on the hunt.
"Meanwhile, we had some good old hand-to-hand combat as Derek Caldwell was felled when Kai Rosado-Prince snapped his neck. Which is what happens, I guess, when the most physical activity you do is...beatboxing? Jesus Christ, think Kai did us all a favor there.
"Daniel Ozanne got to experience the circle of life as after making his arrival on these announcements yesterday. He falls today to Juanita Reid, who has sneakily notched up three kills now. Huh, always a bigger fish I suppose.
"The next kill on our list is some good old-fashioned fratricide as Lúcio Oliveira was slashed in the guts by Molly Oliveira. I hope Mum and Dad aren't watching because otherwise, that's gonna be awkward at family dinners.
"Meanwhile in the spooky basement, Salem Fox thought he saw a ghost and shot at it but it was only the pale skin of Colm Forsyth.
"And finally for today, two old friends from school met up and had a wonderful time sharing their feelings and...wait a minute...this doesn't seem right...ah! Here we are Fred Hobbes was stabbed to death by Juanita Reid. He probably should have stuck to being a sidekick."
Tracen stacked his papers together and put them to one side before continuing.
"We're now onto our danger zone update portion of the proceedings, and joining everything else that's already off-limits to you, we are adding the rest of The Mine, along with The Gym and The Rec Room, so I hope you got your workouts in and also your asbestos exposure probably. Oh, and by "the rest of the mine," we mean that both the Worker's Changing Rooms, and Mineral Processing are now part of the explosion zone.
"But not if you're our Best Kill Award winner Julia Guercio! Congratulations, your prize of a fancy new weapon along with a plate of panko crumb coated baked haddock, mashed potatoes, and a decaf chai tea latte, can be found in the Worker's Changing Rooms!
"And that's everything for today! So get out there and seize the day and also maybe a gun if you can get your hands on one. Keep up the good work."
DAY EIGHT: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2021
Weather: The stayed the same and the heavy snowfall has continued across the island, causing reduced visibility. The high is around 30 degrees F, -1 degree C in the morning with a low of 16 F, -9 degrees C, in the evening once the sun has gone down. The sun rises at 9:11 AM, and sets at 3:17 PM. There is a brief period of 5mph winds in the early evening with a longer period around midnight. The moon remains in the waxing gibbous stage.
Here are your rolls for this set.
Summary:
1. Ashlyn Graves (Gundham)
2. Joshua James (Ruggahissy)
3. Madeleine Molliqaj (Applesintime)
4. Elodie Hailey (KamiKaze)
5. Greg Craig (Kermit)
Also, congratulations to Maraoone for winning the Best Death Award! Your quote nomination thread will be up shortly!
As an important (!!!) additional note, rather than us having to DZ even more areas, the thread limits for the Lower Mountain Pass, the Old Road, and the Snowfield are all being reduced to one thread (or multishot) each, effective immediately. As to avoid causing too much inconvenience, any already ongoing threads in these areas that happen to be over the new limits are exempt, and will be allowed to run the rest of their course.
As a reminder, there are three days for cards and for regular posting to wrap up for threads that are now in danger zones and a further seven days for leaving posts.
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