LETTERS

[antitrust]

If you have something to drop into the suggestion box, this is where it goes! Either shoot me a link to the comment/thread where it was done ICly, or comment directly with whatever it is you'd like to send off!

Comments screened for privacy; no reading each other's private mail without permission, after all.

Comments

[decrees]

[There's a new letter in the box on Monday morning. It's short and simple, but the handwriting is eloquent and flowing.]

Conductor -

I would like to know the state of Albion in my absence. Who is ruling the country in my place? How long has it been since we were taken?

- Logan ("Sovereign")

[There's an addition at the bottom that looks a bit rushed in comparison to the writing above.]

I trust you are taking good care of our weapons?

[...Part of it is that he misses his sword and the rest is... well. Reaver's guns are very important to him and it would be a shame if anything happened to them.]

[antitrust]

[Aaaand come the next morning, there will be a reply in your room, Logan. Sitting on the desk.]

Sovereign,

While your concern for your country is nothing short of admirable, the answers you seek will not be provided so easily; I'll give you nothing that you haven't earned, because I believe in people receiving what they deserve.

However, I can tell you that your weapons are safe and being maintained. I know how to properly care for firearms and swords, though I don't use them myself.

- Conductor

An Herr Chorleiter (hovertext for translation!)

[crimsonchin]

Sehr geehrter Herr Chorleiter,

Ich hoffe dass dieser Brief erreicht man schnell. Ich hoffe auch, Sie sprechen Deutsch.

Wer ist Ihr Lieblingskomponist? Meiner ist Händel.

Ich möchte, um Ihre Arbeit zu hören.

Mit besten Grüßen,
Asuka

god help my grammar after i've been awake this long

[antitrust]

[...And come morning - ]

Frl. Asuka,

Obwohl Händels Werk ist sicherlich ausgezeichnet, persönlich habe immer bevorzugt Beethoven – einfach eine Sache der Vorliebe!

Aber das ist nicht relevant, nicht wahr?

Da ich mir vorstellen, das ist, was Sie wollen, um von Anfang an wissen - ja, das ist mein Deutsch gut, danke.

Obwohl...vielleicht werden Sie meine Arbeit eines Tages zu hören.

- Herr Chorleiter

[moonflute]

[ As noted here, Luna wrote a letter for the Conductor and one for someone back home in the hopes that asking nicely will get the Conductor to maybe consider sending it for her. ]

Mr Conductor,

I was hoping you could grant a request of mine, though I won't be terribly surprised if you don't.

The attached second letter is to a friend back home, Goz. I was hoping that you could send it to him. It's innocuous, as you can see, and gives no hints as to our... current situation, which you know is less than ideal. You can read it for yourself to see. I just want to make sure he and our friends back home don't worry themselves into a frenzy over mine and Sol's absence.

Please let me know if this is possible or not.

- Luna

[ The letter to Goz is pretty short and as Luna described-- basically "we're fine, don't rip the place apart while we're away, take care of things, be home soon" in a nutshell, with no details. ]

[antitrust]

[The response she gets back is brief, delivered in much the same way that Sol's was.]

Miss Luna,

Your request will be considered.

- Conductor

[zomgboom]

dear ,

i need a piece of pipe and a can of oxygen, please.

- taby

[note: that is not a spelling error. she spells tabby like that in canon.]

[antitrust]

Your request has been denied, Dynamic, but it was a valiant attempt.

[clearasmud]

Please provide instructions for how to use the kitchen equipment. I trust what people have been able to tell me, but I'd also like to hear what the owner has to say.

[antitrust]

Seeing that trust is the point of the exercise, you should try putting their advice to good use. Your request has been denied.

[shuttermouse]

[ Instead of writing anything, Chie decides to put the picture of Sol she took with her shitty toy camera earlier in the box just to see what'll happen. ]

[antitrust]

[...A lot of nothing, apparently! You're not getting it back, however.]

[oftheland]

A music guy, huh? Maybe you ought to play one of your compositions for us sometime.

...but really, I do have something I'd like to ask for, if it's not too much of a bother.

[antitrust]

[Well, you'll get a letter back eventually, waiting on that table for you.]

Perhaps I can sometime.

What is your request, Geotic?

[housenurse]

Dear Conductor-san,

If it's not too much to ask, could you please give us at least a dryer in the laundry room, so we won't all die from mold? Also, Mordecai-san would like some fabric softener, and he's very nice, so you should give him some!

Thank you! ;)

Sincerely,
Sukuyo

[antitrust]

As neither of those things are strictly necessary, I'm afraid that your requests have been denied. (Also, do tell Universal that a lack of fabric softener is still an inconvenience and not a detriment.)

- Conductor

[blazeit]

Hey, Conductor.

Did you do something to my body?

I mean.

I'm guessing you already know there's something abnormal about my body.

[ It took him quite a few versions of this letter to get it down to a passing level of politeness but eventually, curiosity got the better of him. After all, his superpower is literally a physiological part of his body; it's part of how he works, so it's freaking him out more than he cares to admit that it's not working right. ]

[antitrust]

Volatile,

I didn't personally do anything to you, no. I can't say for certain what has been done; all I have are theories for right now.

I can't provide you with answers I don't have, unfortunately - though I do know about the physiological circumstances you're referring to, yes.

- Conductor

[samsa]

[Kaneki deliberated on what to write the Conductor for some time. There are some...very pressing concerns he has, after all, concerning his ability to live in this place long term. Something he can't tell anyone about for obvious reasons, but...would the Conductor even know about it? He can't decide if he should even bring it up.

In the end, he tells himself that he has time. He has a few weeks, at least. He's got time. But now that he's lingered in the mail room for so long, it feels weird to just leave without writing him anything. ...so the letter ends up reading thus:]

Conductor-san,

I've been looking around the building, and I've noticed a lack of reading material. I was wondering if I could possibly request a book from you? It doesn't have to be anything incredibly profound, but I'm just curious to know if there are any books available here. If not, that's okay.

-Ken Kaneki

P.S.

Thank you for putting your profile on the bulletin board.

[antitrust]

[And you'll get a letter back the next morning, at least; it's typed, though the first word seems to have been scratched out by hand.]

Acqu Mr. Kaneki,

Unfortunately, as it has been deemed to be not strictly necessary, your request has been denied.

With regards to the profile - you don't have to thank me for such things, but it's been noted and appreciated regardless.

- Conductor

Sent Tuesday night, she. would not shut up.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Dear Conductor,

In the shock of the other day's events, a few questions slipped my mind, and more still found their way to me in the night. I meant to send this yesterday, but it was hard to acclimate myself to the atmosphere and properly focus. I hope the window for inquiries is still open, nevertheless.

If this is something you covered with some of the others, I'm sorry for dredging it up once more, but that cursed inability to focus sapped my attention span while you were having your little Q&A. Several of us have woken with injuries. The older man, the police officer, he was very injured, wasn't he? I caught enough to know you weren't aware of his state, and that got me thinking! Can you tell me if you were responsible for the other injuries on us? One man, for example, has an unexplained scar all the way around neck! This is incredibly unsettling, Conductor.

In somewhat more petty news, would you mind providing ladders or at the very least step-stools? I'm not exactly on the tall side, and poor Chie must have such a hard time reaching anything!

Thirdly, you stated in your rules that our needs would be "met" throughout the exercise. This question may seem silly in light of that, but I must make sure. The food is safe to eat, isn't it? See, it sounds silly. Moving on.

I doubt this will receive an answer I'm pleased with, but I have to try asking nevertheless. Is there anything you can tell me of my friends back home? I think you understand how distressed I was when you told me the man in the mask wasn't you. Though you've no reason to give me any news, good or bad, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't attempt.

Time's actually aided my last question, as I've had more time to observe. I've noticed many of us seem to have woken up in a different pair of clothes than we last remember wearing. The uniform you've provided me is nice, I'm not complaining about it. Rather, I'm confused. I've seen a few others wear theirs while doing laundry, but what stuck out to me was this: they have variety in their clothing. So, this question is really two-in-one; why did you take my clothes, and why give me two of the same uniform? I promise this is more a curiosity than anything.

I just wrote "my last question" above, but I have to amend that. I can't imagine I'll get a favorable answer to this, but since I'm sending this, I might as well. Our only correspondence is with you, isn't it? This mail room only has one destination. If I try to send letters written to, say, someone not here, it'll be useless. Is that right?

Forgive my endless letter. I wanted to include as much detail as possible, as I worked so hard on this. I'm sure you don't mind, though; straightforwardness isn't something you're fond of, by your own admission! On that note: in the interest of being entirely honest, I hope you don't mistake my formality for friendliness. I wouldn't want to be disingenuously kind, especially since it's something you dislike.

Trust that the next time I write to you, if at all, it will be a much shorter composition. You encouraged investigation in your rules, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. As you apparently know, I'm one for puzzles, and it seems this is the highest level I could ever find.

Sincerely,
Ashley

[antitrust]

[And the next day, there will be a response laid out on that table, the same as Sol's was on Monday. It's typed, though the first word seems to have been struck out by hand.]

Disc Miss Ashley,

The window for inquiries is always open.

To answer your questions in order:

1. I was not responsible for your injuries. Any marks or wounds you may have found on your bodies upon awakening were there when I received you.

2. Unfortunately, your request regarding the stepstools is not deemed strictly necessary, and as such it's been denied. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage the rest of you to interact and trust each other, remember; surely that can extend to reaching the upper shelves.

3. The food is certainly safe to eat, unless one of your fellow Participants renders it unsafe. I haven't tampered with it.

4. I can't offer you that information at this time. However, your attempt has been noted.

5. Your clothes weren't in any state to be worn around this facility at the time of your arrival. The uniform happened to be what we have here.

6. Your only direct correspondence is with me, yes. However, some have tried sending letters to others with the request that I send them out. I've told them that their request will be considered.

Believe me, I know better than to mistake formality for friendliness or kindness; any animosity you feel toward me is expected and quite frankly warranted, and I'm fully aware of it.

I wish you the best of luck in solving this particular puzzle, however - genuinely, not facetiously, as I understand it's difficult to tell via text.

- Conductor

[rickdiculous]

[Something is bugging Rick about the jumpsuit in his room. He has two theories about this, and both seem equally plausible - especially given Morty's own outfit. So, he's going to sneak off in a relatively quiet time and drop a small letter in the mailbox:]

Are you affiliated with the Galactic Federation?

[antitrust]

[Well, you'll get a response back in a reasonbly timely manner, at least, though it's equally brief.]

I can assure you that I am not, Enduring.

[clearasmud]

We need a laundry line. Is it alright if we nail planks into the wall in the process of building one? If not, we're going to need more supplies than what's available to us.

[antitrust]

That would be acceptable.

[clearasmud]

[ At 7AM sharp the next day after their phone conversation, Youko deposits a messy note. ]

Hard alcohol that won't kill a human body if you consume it.

[ Is there any alcohol? I don't know. She'll need to look harder, but she needs her own stash anyway. ]

[antitrust]

[There is not!]

Unnecessary. Denied.

[...And apparently there will continue to not be!]

[ninehundredlives]

You said you like to compose music.

Would you give me some of it?

[antitrust]

Might I ask what your interest is in having it? "Give" is an interesting word - I'm assuming you mean some sort of recording...?

[charcoalfeather]

[....A letter seemed like the best idea for contacting the Conductor. The only problem to arise was...what exactly she could send?

....An hour of thinking about it, and the most Rakka produced, and she was reasonably happy with, was,]

Hello?

-Rakka

[She has to check if it works. Okay?]

[antitrust]

[Well, she'll get a reply eventually, laid out the same way Sol's was; the letter itself is typed, though there's one word that seems to have been partially done and scratched out by hand.]

Hello, Uneras Miss Rakka. Is there something you wanted...?

HOW ABOUT ONE MORE BEFORE FRIDAY

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Dear Conductor,

I appreciate your swift response to my questions. As noted previously, this letter will be much shorter, so you can relax; I imagine some of the others are giving you a much harder time, though, so maybe a long letter would be more appreciated? I digress.

Since you told me before that my wonders are always welcome, I figured you wouldn't mind a follow up. First, one I forgot to ask before. Look at me, I worked so hard and still! Oh well. There's some worry among the other Participants (and myself of course) that the building is booby-trapped at night. Naturally I don't want to deliberately go against the rules and sleep out there, but if it's necessary to leave, I don't want to trip some kind of wire. Are there or are there not traps set up?

Secondly, this is a curiosity of my own. Can you see us? That is to say, are you watching us right now? Someone who gathers so many people together wouldn't want to leave them to their own devices; I imagine you have cameras of some sort, but is that true?

Now, I'm not quite sure how to word this one. I suppose clarification is what I'm asking for. You said in your previous letter that you had "received" us, and that's a very interesting word for you to use. Do you mean to say someone else did the abducting, so to speak?

Regarding my clothes: I don't suppose my hat or my ring are salvageable at all? They are both very important to me.

I couldn't help but notice the piano in the ballroom. You've said you can only provide us with the absolute necessities, but we have access to our own music. Don't misunderstand; I'm incredibly pleased with it, even though I myself can't pay, but rather I was wondering-- did you provide us with it because of your own interests? Composing music, after all. What sorts of things do you write? You seem like the classical sort of man.

Now, I said this would be a short letter, but I rambled on once again. Please forgive my misjudgment. I hope you really do consider sending out other letters. I have a few that I'd like to mail, if possible.

Sincerely,
Ashley

[antitrust]

Miss Ashley,

I meant what I said before; your questions are always welcome. I'm not one to turn away people that are seeking answers, even if the answers I provide are not always complete.

Again, to answer your questions in order:

1. You can ask Abiding for confirmation or denial of your concerns with regards to these things.

2. As implied by the first answer, yes, I do know better than to leave the lot of you unsupervised.

3. The circumstances that brought you here are complicated, far moreso than can really be explained right now. It's largely irrelevant to the circumstances as they stand, however.

4. Your request regarding your clothes will be considered.

5. I said that I'm only willing to personally provide the absolute necessities. The piano in the ballroom is a feature of the academy - i.e., not something that I was explicitly asked to provide. Technically speaking you don't require beds, either, as the floor is an entirely acceptable place to sleep, albeit an uncomfortable. But they were provided for you as a feature of your room. There's a difference between things that have already been voluntarily provided and things that are being asked of me - treatment for Ardent's injuries is considered a necessity, whereas Dynamic's repeated requests for a pet chicken do not currently fall under that sort of requirement. Does that clarify it well enough...?

That said, the ballroom was here when I acquired the building, though I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it in its own way. I don't play very much myself, and I don't really write the music down either, I've always been terrible at transposing and translating what I hear into written notation. But I'm always composing, I'm always hearing things. It's mostly classical, though, yes; I'm not sure whether I'm pleased that you worked that out or a little angry at myself for being so predictable. Well done either way.

- Conductor

[oftheland]

...you know, after all that, the least you can do is provide us a bit of liquid fortitude.

If nothing else, I'd really just like to pour one out for the fallen, if you don't mind.

[antitrust]

Your request will be considered.

[blazeit]

[ One very special letter delivered on behalf of Oh My God, Oh My Fucking God, I Didn't Ask To Care About Some Fucking Nerd Being Dead. ]

Conductor,

Fuck this, fuck this STUPID game, also especially FUCK YOU. I don't get it AT ALL, it'd be one thing if you trapped a bunch of assholes who honestly might deserve to die but what the hell. Kaneki didn't DO anything. He was literally a cannibal with some kinda fucking biological cannibal weapon, and he still wouldn't use it because he didn't want to be a killer and now he's dead. What. The. FUCK.

Don't get me wrong for a single fucking second. It's partially the murderer's fault that he's dead, but the rest of the fault? IT'S YOURS.

I just want to know... not that I expect to get a straight answer, but:

How do you feel about all of this? You getting off on this sick show or something? Is there some DEEP ASS REASON that a mere mortal like myself just CANNOT COMPREHEND that all this bullshit is happening. Or are you just that kind of twisted.

-- Bakugou.

[antitrust]

Bakugou -

I don't recall ever claiming that I'm not likewise responsible for everything that happens here; dodging culpability isn't something I believe in. I don't intend to simply dismiss everything that happens here, or to try to forget it, or to make myself believe that your lives are worth nothing, because none of that is fair, is it?

As for how I feel about it...I find it interesting. I wouldn't say that I'm getting off on it, but it's been quite some time since I've seen a group like you. If you want to think that I'm just that kind of twisted I don't see much point in denying it. I've always been different, and I know that it's not in a good way - there's a difference between "different" and "fucked up", and I'm aware that I trend toward the latter far moreso than the former.

There really aren't very many feelings attached to this for me. It's just something that I've chosen to do, and now I'm doing it, and so are the rest of you. I like seeing the results but it's more a matter of interest than pleasure, because I'm likewise aware that I don't do pleasure or happiness very well.

Does that answer your question?

- Conductor

[announcemyvictory]

Dear sir,

I hate everyone in this establishment

My apologies for checking in today rather than yesterday. I'm fairly... rattled, I'm sure you understand. My fellow captives have been trying increasingly harebrained ideas to escape, but none of them has gotten any further than uselessly flailing at the bulkhead. Something about dampened powers or some such nonsense. Though I suppose the time-space idea wasn't nonsense either.

I unfortunately wasn't able to find if any other "powers" had been kept, aside from Rakka's experiments in controlling those wings of hers, which only served to make her moult everywhere. Really, it's like it were summer. Though I honestly can't tell what season it is in here to begin with... But if someone else turns out to be a flesh-eating monstrosity, I'd like to be prepared!

Some of them have been trying to get together and plan, or at least find some way to ascertain why we're here, but nothing seems to come of it. It usually derails into insulting somebody, most likely Mr. Sanchez or somebody else who deserves it.

What is even the point of

I hope this finds you well.

Regards,

Elise.

[antitrust]

Miss Elise,

May I ask what factions you believe are being formed, if any? I'm curious about these attempts to plan.

In return for your information, I can confirm that no one else is in Acquiescent's position, biologically speaking, but I will also personally warn you to stay away from Abiding/Dio Brando. He's a vampire, I'm fairly certain; do what you will with this knowledge, but primarily use it to protect yourself.

- Conductor

[shuttermouse]

I want a parfait, a box of Oreos, and a Snickers bar.

- Hori

[antitrust]

Unnecessary. Denied.

[heymcfly]

[ Marty already wrote up a letter, but ditched it. Instead he writes this:

Conductor,

Someone said we could write letters, is this true?

It only seems fair because you stuck us in this hellhole with psycho murders.

Marty

The writing's pretty damn bad, but Marty's more concerned about getting in contact with the Doc, rather than anything else. ]

[antitrust]

I've told others that I would consider sending letters to the outside, yes. You're more than welcome to write them, and your request will be considered.

[forcegalactic]

Dear Conductor,

Please do not listen to Dynamic's request for chickens, no matter how many names she gets on her petition. First off, they're unsanitary to keep indoors. Second, we don't have the supplies required for raising and feeding them.

If you're going to do it anyway, please put them in a pen. Maybe you consider that an inconvenience, but I and most of civilization consider it to be necessary when it comes to farming. Trust me, I live in a town with plenty of farmers, one of my best friends is a hypercattle rancher, and animals take up plenty of space.

I hope you really, really reconsider this.

Regards,

Universal

[antitrust]

Universal,

...I'm sorry, what?

Don't misunderstand me, I understand how chickens work, but it's more the assertion that there's some sort of legitimate petition for chickens floating around - exactly how many signatures does this request have affixed to it?

- Conductor

[decrees]

[You're getting a letter in the box on Monday; the top one is addressed to the Conductor and the one beneath it is simply addressed to "sister" so uh. That's a thing.]

Conductor -
I have a letter I would like to send to my sister. You may look through it if you wish, but it does not contain any information regarding the situation here. Should you not find it acceptable to send to her, I would like to know.
- Logan

[The letter below that isn't as rushed but it does contain several sections that are almost illegible due to how Logan has attempted to scratch them out. By the end his handwriting is nowhere near as composed and elegant as it normally is, so it looks like he just gave up.]

Sister -
I imagine you're livid right now and I sincerely apologize for my absence. I will return to Albion as soon as I can, but for the time being I have something I must request of you.

There is a man in Ravenscar Keep by the name of Faraday; release him and pardon him of his crimes. If you are not acting ruler for whatever reason, ensure that Walter does as I've asked. Faraday will be useful in covering Industry and his advice will be absolutely essential for ensuring Albion's economy remains stable.

Reaver will not be returning to Albion. Something happened He was I will discuss the situation with you when I return home. It is something I cannot handle right now I could do nothing for him It was my fault

There is also something else I need to tell you regarding Albion's future. There is no way to prevent We will not be able to I cannot tell you any more at the moment. Again, we shall discuss it when I return.

I am so sorry Please forgive me for I never should have

I will return as soon as I possibly can. Until then, please keep Albion safe. I trust you I understand that you will be furious with me for this and for everything I have done to you and I fully expect to be greeted by armed guards when I return. If you don't punch me in the face, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

I miss you.

- King Logan of Albion

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[A letter with shaky handwriting, some tear stains. Definitely not the most cared for.]

Conductor,

This isn't like my usual letters. I tried to write one yesterday but tore it up. You probably saw all that. You probably saw everything I did. I'm getting straight to the point. Why didn't I remember one of my best friends dying next to me until Sunday morning? What the hell did your associates do to us? Can you tell me any of this? Can you at least tell me if you're working with the man in the mask, or is that freak horror-show a whole different nightmare?

You said you won't tell me what's happening with my friends. Fine. But can you tell me anything? What do I have to do? Please.

- Ashley

[antitrust]

[The letter she gets back in return is equally terse; whatever's going on, it seems the Conductor's either in A Mood or just not in the mood required to deal with this shit in particular, take your pick.]

As I've told you before, Miss Ashley, I know nothing about these men that you keep asking me about. I'm not affiliated with anyone you know back home, or anyone you don't know but are suspicious of, as the case with that individual may be - I have nothing to do with whatever your life was like before I received the lot of you.

As for your memories, that isn't something I can answer for at this time.