The message comes by carrier pigeon actually, which is a pretty weird way to deliver a message but of course, it's thematic. A very pretty looking brown pigeon swoops down out of the sky to wherever you just so happen to be that afternoon and holds out its leg. The message is short and simple:
You've been picked. Head to the Church this evening so we can talk.
- Hal
P.S. Might wanna burn the note. Ain't gonna help you any to share it.
And that's it. Of course, if you choose to listen to the message, you'll find the Sheriff sitting in the front pew at dusk. You'll be greeted with a tip of his hat and one word:
"Bandit."
And then he holds out a small notebook. Looks like you've been chosen to be the killer this week. Good luck.
The notebook only contains a few short rules as follows:
You are a Bandit. Your partner is also a Bandit. The two of you have been chosen to kill one of the townsfolk this week.
If you kill and get away with your kill, you will be rewarded.
If your partner kills and you help them to get away with it during the trial, you will be rewarded.
The one who kills may not reveal their victim to the other Bandit. You must tell me privately who your target is.
If one of you refuses to participate, neither of you will be rewarded.
If both of you refuse to participate, you will both be killed.
Both of you are allowed to kill.
You are allowed to kill each other instead.
You may not tell anyone you were here tonight or you will be killed.
Sei gets an early start for the Church, because she doesn't want to risk being late and getting herself killed like an idiot or something, and hobbles her way over to the front pew. Yup, that sure is the Sheriff.
...yup, she sure is losing her temper.]
If you had to pick me, you couldn't have picked me before I lost my leg?!
This is all bullshit to start with, and we haven't been able to catch anyone, and now they want us to kill too?! If I could walk right I could at least take out someone who might be a threat to the others!!
If last trial is any indication... There are probably three people plotting to kill again as we speak. If we let ourselves die, we leave the others without our assistance in the next trial...
And yet, we cannot simply perpetuate this system. We do not know who is guilty--and even if we had, vigilante justice is not any further "just" than simple murder.
[ON THE OTHER HAND... he can't just let Sei die either.]
... I have no intentions of dying either, I assure you. However, there must be something more we can do here.
Y'all got it all wrong. Last week was two bandits, like you two, and an independent party who just wanted to do it. Right now, ain't anyone plotting but you two.
...how do we know that independent party won't strike again?
[uuuuuUUUUUGH.]
I could care less about getting a reward, but I don't like the idea of dying for this stupid game... [UGH. SO MUCH UGH. She glances at the Sheriff.] Are you the one who picked us for this? Or did someone else?
Whether he kills or not, the one who determines what happens to everyone in the end is the last person standing, right? So don't threaten him like that!
[If she survives she'll send Barnham and Constantine home :c]
So, I invert it. You go home, no one else is there. Not one soul on the planet, just you. Think you could handle that?
[ And then Sei argues him and smh. ]
Yeah, but do you want to risk that? I said you earn what you get here. He doesn't want to earn it, he doesn't get it then. The winner wins everyone having a choice of what they can get, but not a definitive decision.
[She's seething, and sorely tempted to throw something at the Sheriff - but for once in her life, she manages to keep her temper under control. (Aren't you proud of her, Barnham?)]
...I do too, but I'll let Mister Barnham ask first.
[You're the one who picked the Justice Duo for this, Sheriff.]
What are the limits of our rewards? They are granted after the murder is successfully accomplished and carried out without being captured, I assume, but what is the limit that we may ask for?
Ain't no limits. Suppose you can't ask me to tell you who's what role or stop the game entirely but otherwise, eh. Not really inclined to put a limit on it.
[She claps her hands over her mouth and waits. ...maybe she shouldn't give him the chance to say no. Maybe she should kill someone, then demand that he do what she wants.]
[ He glances at Sei but he'll turn back to Barnham a moment later. ]
Nah, but I can't say I'll refuse it till you ask. Generally game-related things I have a chance of refusing though, unless I weigh the benefits to be substantial.
Yeah, I'd ask you to pick something else. You'll always get something, since you earned it, but I ain't gonna do game-related stuff if it'll break things. For instance, someone earned a reward last week and asked me about the roles. I gave 'em a list of all the role names, but not what they did or who they were. That was acceptable.
[..... hm. So they can't ask for who is what role, but they could get the roles. Someone has already done that, though, so it'd be a waste of time to question it.
(For a moment, he thinks of Xion's odd knowledge of a leader of bandits, and wonders--
No. Not right now.)]
... I see.
I shall... think on this. [There's no reward that's good enough for killing someone else, but... on the other hand, if they can stop this game, it will be a start.
(And Barnham needs to protect Labyrinthia most of all, and he hasn't forgotten those threats.)]
For this task, then... you shall provide us with the necessary equipment--shall we pick the victims as well?
[Sei really doesn't like this, but... it's go time. There doesn't seem to be any way around this, so once Barnham turns away from the Sheriff, she speaks up.]
I'll do it. I've... I haven't killed here, but... I've killed in the past. I don't want blood to be on your hands, when I could do it myself, Mister Barnham.
No, I - no. I can't ask for a reward if I'm not the one who acted, I wouldn't have earned it!
[She swallows hard.]
...I may have lost some things to this place, but I'm strong enough for this. I have to be, or else I won't have anywhere to return to if I make it home.
... I could not more ask you to shame yourself in that way than I could do so for myself.
Very well then. We shall work together.
[To kill someone.
GLAD WE CLEARED UP THAT PROBLEM. Because he can't really tolerate the thought of Sei having to go kill someone on her own and they really only need to kill one person, right??]
[Well, now that the world's dumbest argument is settled, she turns to address the Sheriff.]
That should be fine, right? If we carry this out together? I know you said we should tell you who we want to go after privately, but we fully intend to cooperate with each other, so...
Well, I'm not going to betray Mister Barnham, and I'm sure he won't betray me, so...!
[HERE GOES NOTHING.
...a victim, huh. Ash's name would be the first past her lips if she hadn't been so thrown by the revelation that Nui was a victim, not a killer, and so she forces herself to reconsider.]
What about Mister Keyes...? He seems a little, well...
[Sketchy?
...and also not a huge threat so he shouldn't make a big fuss so they should be able to get it done quickly and easily? If only they knew.]
Even so, though, Barnham thinks back to what (little) he knows of Simon.]
... Yes. If we must choose someone... Mister Keyes shall suit our purposes.
[If nothing else, now that Barnham's decided this has to be done, he's focused entirely on it. There's no going back now, and no room for wavering on the battlefield.]
Let us choose him. Truthfully, I would prefer an honorable duel to the death, but...
[She hates this. She really hates this, and it's written all over her face, but if they're going to do this... they need to do it right.]
However we kill him, we're going to want to make it look like he died in a different way. If it's a clean death, for example...
[She averts her eyes.]
We could use some blood from the chickens at the farm to look like it was a more violent struggle. We could throw people off the scent by laying a trail to somewhere else, too...
[He's quiet for a long moment, thoughtful. This goes against everything he's ever known to be right--but in a way, that only proves Sei's point. Besides, these murders... they're merit-based, according to what the Sheriff has said.]
... Very well then. If this is what must be done, that is what we shall do. We had best make use of the more commonly inhabited parts of town. There is little use to a framing effort such as this if it is not discovered quickly.
Perhaps... the railway station, or the town hall.
[Or the Saloon, but Sara would clean his clock for that so he won't suggest it.]
[They don't want to frame any particular person, after all. Just... throw in enough plausible deniability that people wouldn't assume they were the ones who did it.]
I'd prefer to avoid the town hall, if possible. It may get cleaned up before we're all locked in there, but just in case it isn't, I don't want to be holed in all day with the smell of chicken blood...
We could put something around the entrance, though.
Indeed? I fear we do not have much in the way of evidence that can be strewn about.
Perhaps the railway station or general store then, in terms of where the lay the majority of the blood. We must also decide...where the deed itself shall take place.
[...]
And by what method. We are in agreement that he shall not suffer, and that quick and merciful is best.
... Then we knock him out, and carry out the deed in the lake, is that your thinking? If nothing else, he shall not have to feel any pain if he is unconscious when it happens.
[...]
Though I fear I must admit, I have very little knowledge of the workings of a gun.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sheriffexe) wrote2017-02-05 02:23 pm
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Okay, seriously, what the fuck.
Sei gets an early start for the Church, because she doesn't want to risk being late and getting herself killed like an idiot or something, and hobbles her way over to the front pew. Yup, that sure is the Sheriff.
...yup, she sure is losing her temper.]
If you had to pick me, you couldn't have picked me before I lost my leg?!
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You must be mad.
[Aside from like... a concerned glance at Sei. U ok Sei]
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[That's. Probably not what he meant. But.. ]
This is all bullshit to start with, and we haven't been able to catch anyone, and now they want us to kill too?! If I could walk right I could at least take out someone who might be a threat to the others!!
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[AS FOR THE SHERIFF, THOUGH...]
Our would-be captor, however, is surely out of his wits if he believes we shall perpetuate this system.
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If we both refuse, we'll be killed. And...
[Her brow furrows.]
If last trial is any indication... There are probably three people plotting to kill again as we speak. If we let ourselves die, we leave the others without our assistance in the next trial...
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And yet, we cannot simply perpetuate this system. We do not know who is guilty--and even if we had, vigilante justice is not any further "just" than simple murder.
[ON THE OTHER HAND... he can't just let Sei die either.]
... I have no intentions of dying either, I assure you. However, there must be something more we can do here.
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Y'all got it all wrong. Last week was two bandits, like you two, and an independent party who just wanted to do it. Right now, ain't anyone plotting but you two.
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And yet you expect us to continue this farce on your behalf, with merely the threat of death to motivate us forward.
[barnham, kind of ok with dying for his morals. Ish. Sei dying for his morals, less so.]
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[uuuuuUUUUUGH.]
I could care less about getting a reward, but I don't like the idea of dying for this stupid game... [UGH. SO MUCH UGH. She glances at the Sheriff.] Are you the one who picked us for this? Or did someone else?
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[ A shrug. Then to Sei -- ]
You wont. If someone comes to me and wishes to kill, I let them. Ain't a role thing. A person thing.
And I picked ya, yeah.
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Tch. Your threats do not stare me. Labyrinthia shall be fine without me. [....probably :'(]
I do not suppose you would be willing to discuss who is intending to kill someone, either.
[At least they could...try to intercept that person??]
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[She... hopes.]
Whether he kills or not, the one who determines what happens to everyone in the end is the last person standing, right? So don't threaten him like that!
[If she survives she'll send Barnham and Constantine home :c]
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[ And then Sei argues him and smh. ]
Yeah, but do you want to risk that? I said you earn what you get here. He doesn't want to earn it, he doesn't get it then. The winner wins everyone having a choice of what they can get, but not a definitive decision.
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On the other, the thought of Labyrinthia, one devoid of people and completely empty, leaves him sick.
He's quiet for a moment, and then huffs out a breath. (He's going to have to do this.
For Labyrinthia, he doesn't have a choice. He knows what his duty is--and what he always puts first.)]
... Enough. I have a few question regarding our supposed... reward.
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...I do too, but I'll let Mister Barnham ask first.
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But the Sheriff snorts and gives a gesture for them to keep talking. ]
Go on. Out with it.
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What are the limits of our rewards? They are granted after the murder is successfully accomplished and carried out without being captured, I assume, but what is the limit that we may ask for?
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........ No limits.....]
Are those the only two options you shall refuse, then, regardless of the scope? [he's a lawyer, hal.......]
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[She claps her hands over her mouth and waits. ...maybe she shouldn't give him the chance to say no. Maybe she should kill someone, then demand that he do what she wants.]
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Nah, but I can't say I'll refuse it till you ask. Generally game-related things I have a chance of refusing though, unless I weigh the benefits to be substantial.
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That is what you are saying?
[Sorry, Sei, looks like you might as well ask.]
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[The word is spoken softly, under her breath, but with feeling. You're driving her to curse, Hal!! ...not that she needs much urging.]
...could you bring people back from the dead?
[A life for a life.
She'd trade a couple of people from the asshole squad if it would bring back Annabeth and Riku so Percy and Xion would smile again.]
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[ And he nods at Sei. ]
Yeah, but not for the game.
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(For a moment, he thinks of Xion's odd knowledge of a leader of bandits, and wonders--
No. Not right now.)]
... I see.
I shall... think on this. [There's no reward that's good enough for killing someone else, but... on the other hand, if they can stop this game, it will be a start.
(And Barnham needs to protect Labyrinthia most of all, and he hasn't forgotten those threats.)]
For this task, then... you shall provide us with the necessary equipment--shall we pick the victims as well?
[Or is that subject to a ton of rules too........
(This entire thing makes him sick.)]
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You pick your victim and your weapon of choice. I provide the weapon. I provide the victim if I'm able to. Then, you do as you want.
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Very well then. I shall have to discuss with Sir Seizaburo as to what shall be done.
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[Sei really doesn't like this, but... it's go time. There doesn't seem to be any way around this, so once Barnham turns away from the Sheriff, she speaks up.]
I'll do it. I've... I haven't killed here, but... I've killed in the past. I don't want blood to be on your hands, when I could do it myself, Mister Barnham.
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[He's a little startled and it shows on his face--before a little tiredly, he smiles.]
I certainly cannot ask that of you. This place...has taken more than enough from you.
[like, you know, YOUR LEG.]
I shall handle this--all I ask is that the reward you request is worth the cost.
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No, I - no. I can't ask for a reward if I'm not the one who acted, I wouldn't have earned it!
[She swallows hard.]
...I may have lost some things to this place, but I'm strong enough for this. I have to be, or else I won't have anywhere to return to if I make it home.
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I do not doubt your strength. I doubt any could.
The purpose of the reward, however... is to find a way to free us all from this game. In that, you must take it.
[barnham pls]
I shall handle the rest. If I did not do so, I could hardly call myself a knight of Labyrinthia, I assure you.
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[dear god please help these honorbound idiots]
Please, don't make me shame myself this way, Mister Barnham.
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... He sighs, heavily.]
... I could not more ask you to shame yourself in that way than I could do so for myself.
Very well then. We shall work together.
[To kill someone.
GLAD WE CLEARED UP THAT PROBLEM. Because he can't really tolerate the thought of Sei having to go kill someone on her own and they really only need to kill one person, right??]
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That should be fine, right? If we carry this out together? I know you said we should tell you who we want to go after privately, but we fully intend to cooperate with each other, so...
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The rule's in place to circumvent backstabbing. If you aren't, you're free to discuss it with one another.
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[A nod to Sei.]
Then let us begin by deciding upon...a victim.
[EVEN THOUGH HIS ENTIRE SOUL REBELS AGAINST THIS...
He knows what they have to do, and he certainly can't let Sei do this on her own.]
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[HERE GOES NOTHING.
...a victim, huh. Ash's name would be the first past her lips if she hadn't been so thrown by the revelation that Nui was a victim, not a killer, and so she forces herself to reconsider.]
What about Mister Keyes...? He seems a little, well...
[Sketchy?
...and also not a huge threat so he shouldn't make a big fuss so they should be able to get it done quickly and easily? If only they knew.]
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Even so, though, Barnham thinks back to what (little) he knows of Simon.]
... Yes. If we must choose someone... Mister Keyes shall suit our purposes.
[If nothing else, now that Barnham's decided this has to be done, he's focused entirely on it. There's no going back now, and no room for wavering on the battlefield.]
Let us choose him. Truthfully, I would prefer an honorable duel to the death, but...
[...]
I find it doubtful he is familiar with a sword.
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[She says this quietly, because she doesn't exactly want the Sheriff to hear her planning a mercy kill.]
That being said, we... do have to try and get away with it, too. So we should put together some false clues, if we can...
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[Barnham is clearly not made for this sort of thing; he gets what she's talking about, but it's still foreign to him.]
... Of course, I understand what you mean. We cannot die after all of this--it would be nothing more than a waste.
[...]
What, precisely, did you have in mind?
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However we kill him, we're going to want to make it look like he died in a different way. If it's a clean death, for example...
[She averts her eyes.]
We could use some blood from the chickens at the farm to look like it was a more violent struggle. We could throw people off the scent by laying a trail to somewhere else, too...
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... Very well then. If this is what must be done, that is what we shall do. We had best make use of the more commonly inhabited parts of town. There is little use to a framing effort such as this if it is not discovered quickly.
Perhaps... the railway station, or the town hall.
[Or the Saloon, but Sara would clean his clock for that so he won't suggest it.]
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[They don't want to frame any particular person, after all. Just... throw in enough plausible deniability that people wouldn't assume they were the ones who did it.]
I'd prefer to avoid the town hall, if possible. It may get cleaned up before we're all locked in there, but just in case it isn't, I don't want to be holed in all day with the smell of chicken blood...
We could put something around the entrance, though.
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Perhaps the railway station or general store then, in terms of where the lay the majority of the blood. We must also decide...where the deed itself shall take place.
[...]
And by what method. We are in agreement that he shall not suffer, and that quick and merciful is best.
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[Her voice is very quiet when she finally does speak.]
When the Sheriff shot Mister Sagihara after he didn't vote... it seemed like he died quickly.
[Bam, headshot, basically.]
...if we get him into the lake before we shoot him, any blood that does get shed should be mostly diluted by the water...
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... Then we knock him out, and carry out the deed in the lake, is that your thinking? If nothing else, he shall not have to feel any pain if he is unconscious when it happens.
[...]
Though I fear I must admit, I have very little knowledge of the workings of a gun.