standbyrival | [private: shortly after the trial]

[private: shortly after the trial]

[woah where did paul disappear to it is mystery!!1]

[Down an empty hall/corridor, Yomeil might catch a little yellow round thing squeaking at him, trying to get him to follow]

[IF HE DOES, it'll lead him to Paul, who's hanging out somewhere private/isolated. Who hasn't memorized the map, THIS PLAYER HASN'T. Paul points at him]

You. Either you're a bold Communist or just got really unlucky with that hunch of yours. Either way, I want to talk to you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ What the heck is that thing. It's obviously trying to get him to go somewhere, so, sure, he'll follow along. What's the worst it could be? Somebody planning to kill him out of spite for how the trial turned out? He can't even say he'd object to that terribly hard at this point.

Oh, it's just the kid. The twelve-year-old is probably not out to murder him. Weird pet, though. ]

"Unlucky" isn't the word I'd pick, but sure. What do you want?

Long story short, I highly doubt I'll make it to the end of this game no matter which side you're on, so I'm going to take a gamble and trust you. It takes guts to make an accusation like that right off the bat, so if you are a communist, you know what you're doing.

Anyway.

The loud young man in the headband and the detective, what are your first thoughts on them? Despite being freaked out about this whole scenario and on the side of "justice," they really made no move to defend someone who could have been an innocent citizen before actual reason was brought up to vote for her. So I want to know your thoughts.

...The boy in the headband is just a kid. I haven't talked to him much, but he seems like the kind of person who follows the crowd in a stressful situation. You've heard of mob mentality, haven't you? I'm not ruling him out as a possibility, but his actions aren't suspicious.

The Detective.... I'm not so sure of. He doesn't seem very bright, but there's something about him that bothers me.

[ Yes, Yomiel, that would probably have something to do with the fact that your self-appointed arch-nemesis is also a detective in a white coat. ]

But I think Kimbley had a point when he asked why Seryu died this morning instead of him. The only reason anyone can think of is her passion for "justice," but Detective Fullbright would be the greater threat in that case. But the Communists converted someone last night. If they wanted to get rid of people who were passionate about justice, then eliminating one and recruiting the other would be, well, two birds with two stones, so to speak.

I'm "just a kid" too. Don't doubt someone's ability to be a crappy person just because of their age.

[but he listens to his reasoning with. . .well, his same grumpy deadpan expression, but it's thoughtfulish!!]

That would make sense, but what's throwing me off is the detective's vote. He voted for "nobody." If he had been a for sure communist, no one would have blinked if he helped move things along voting for moge-ko. There isn't any way to tell exactly when the votes were placed, either, but if he voted early on, that would be even less of a Communist move. That's why I'm so wishy washy on him.

As for Kimbley. . .that's the soldier guy, right? [paul vs names!!] Do you trust him?

[ Yomiel was a little too busy at the end of the trial to really pay attention to who voted what, so it's a good thing Paul did. ]

Moge-ko won that vote by a landslide. A dissenting vote wouldn't make an impact, and it'd make him look good. Or maybe he's just principled and a bad debater. I wouldn't accuse him yet, but he's one to keep an eye on.

Zolf Kimbley's some kind of military, yeah. I wouldn't let him have my car keys or anything, but I get the feeling he's not our enemy.

Hmph. He doesn't care who lives or dies in this mess, so he's not a friend, either. Still, I thought he was suspicious until it turned out he was just as clueless as the rest of us. I won't focus on him just yet.

[a beat, but then he nods in regards to the detective. Wait and see was prooobably the best option, though lbr Paul wouldn't blink at such a bright happy guy getting eliminated]

Then who would you be gunning for? I'm still suspicious of the loud kid, but I'll wait to see what he does tomorrow, along with some of the the others laying low. The Communists don't have to do any real work if the Citizens are mowing themselves down.

I don't have any solid leads. There might be something to the idea that the convert was a friend of one of the Communists, which would make Simon and Knightley suspicious, and those two girls, Rin and Sakura, they have "Tohsaka-style magecraft" in common and come from the same city. There's not enough there to make a solid accusation, but it's something to consider.

. . .noted. Ugh, people being "friends" or related just means feelings are going to get in the way down the road.

[a light shrug]

That's it for now. If you live through the night, good luck. If you're a communist, tch, well played.

[Paul actually directly seeks out Yomiel this time, wasting no time getting to his point]

You. Answer me one question--do you think the Communists are 100% on who the Loyalty Officer is now?

Are you trying to tell me I look like a Communist or that I look like the Loyalty Officer? Though either one would mean you need to get your eyes checked.

Says the shades guy.

I'm trying to tell you I'm willing to buy you some time. If you're a Communist, you've pretty much got the game in the bag with that act of yours. If you're a normal Citizen or the Loyalty Officer, whichever, you've got a chance, but not if all you role players keep getting picked off.

If you don't think they're on to the real officer, I'll bluff it. This game is getting more and more annoying by the minute and I'd rather go out on my own terms. If the Communists think I'm the Loyalty Officer, they can axe me.

It only works if the haven't scanned me or the real Officer, but whatever. I'm getting ticked off.

...That's a bold suggestion. I'll have to talk it over with the Loyalty Officer. Whatever we decide, I'll tell you what to do before the next trial comes around.

Do what you need to. And don't get me wrong, I don't want to die, who would? But if the Communists are who I think they are, they're cowards and it's ticking me off. And I'm half convinced I'm probably a clone of my real self, anyway.

Just let me know.

[ Yomiel discreetly pulls Paul aside somewhere private, we all know how this goes. ]

We talked it over, and we came up with a plan that should work out pretty well for all of us. We'll start from the beginning. You, of course, are not the Loyalty Officer. You don't know who they are. And neither do I. When that message about Phi showed up yesterday morning, you were pretty sure it was fake. It would be a waste of a trial to just argue ourselves in circles over whether or not it was legitimate, and you didn't expect that the real Loyalty Officer would reveal themselves just to save Phi.

So you picked out someone who you knew wouldn't be afraid to speak out during the trial and who you were pretty sure was clear: me. You claimed to be the Loyalty Officer and for proof, you provided the names of two innocents: myself, and the day's victim. Anyone could've known the second and of course I'd believe the first, but I was clearly emotionally compromised and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. And in response, I told you my own role: the Troubleshooter.

[ OK sure just casually drop that one in there Yomiel no big deal. ]

I do as you asked at the trial, and as it progresses, you become more and more suspicious of Anthy Himemiya. You're pretty sure she's a Communist, but we already have a solid pick for tonight's trial and your evidence is mostly circumstantial anyway. And Anthy has friends who will defend her, too. It'd be messy to try and get everyone to agree to executing her at the trial, but why bother with that when you've got the Troubleshooter convinced you're the Loyalty Officer?

You tell me you investigated her last night and she came up as an enemy, and suggest that I use my power to take care of her, which I do. She really is guilty, of course, and you're so caught up in the moment of victory that you let a little something slip that you shouldn't. Even something as simple as "I was right!" will do. I overreact, one thing leads to another, and by the end of it, the cat's out of the bag in a big, hairy mess as you confess to doing everything I just said you did.

And there we have it, all the attention's drawn away from the real Loyalty Officer without you actually having to put your neck on the chopping block. You got all that?

Edited 2014-11-13 02:08 (UTC)

[YEAH JUST CASUALLY DROP THAT, JEEZE. He gives him a wide eyed look, but stays quiet, nodding along]

. . .you all really thought this through.

Basically, I should bluff about bluffing. And the bit about Anthy isn't untrue, to boot. I just need to set you off afterwards, caught in my "lie."

That's all well and good, but you're ready to throw yourself under the bus, too?

...The way we see it, I'm either a dead threat or a living idiot. After yesterday, a lot of people think I'm the Loyalty Officer. And if I've been scanned on top of that....

This is for the best.

. . . [light shrug. this game is full of jerks but yall are some noble jerks]

If you guys say so. Who's your pick for tonight's trial, anyway?

Rin all but confirmed that Sakura's one of them last night. I don't see anybody arguing that one.

Makes sense. I'm kind of wondering when Rin will show back up, too.

Last question. When would Anthy be eliminated--during the trial with Sakura? I was under the impression the Troubleshooter picked them during the night, not unlike the Communists. So you've already targeted her?

Soon. Right now, if you're ready. I can only use my power once, but unlike everyone else, I can use it whenever I want to.

How about that. [a nod]

Alright, now is cool.

[you know how this goes]

YOU were bluffing too?!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[private: shortly after the trial]

no subject

LATE whoops

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

THE NEXT DAY

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

DAY 3, EARLY AFTERNOON-ISH

Re: DAY 3, EARLY AFTERNOON-ISH

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

DAY 4