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 Shinnosuke just so happens to be that afternoon and holds out its leg. The message is short and simple:
Got a job for you. Meet me at the farm at dusk. No show, no job. Keep it a secret, rewarded very well.
- Hal
P.S. Burn this.
And that's it. Of course, if Shinnosuke chooses to listen to the message, he will find the Sheriff at the farm at dusk, chewing a piece of tobacco and watching the sun set. He'll be greeted with a tip of his hat and one word:
"Bounty."
And then he holds out a small notebook. Looks like Shinnosuke's been chosen for one of those roles that were mentioned. Good luck.
... Are you screwing with me? If they don't orchestrate weirdass gameshows where the contestants kill each other, they'll go around destroying universes?
What do you think they feed off of, ya dunce? Pain. Excruciating amounts of it. Emotional, spiritual, etcera. Why do you think I ain't programmed to feel it? Can't put a Sentient in charge of this, they'd fuck it up.
If the point of this is our pain, then why give us a shot at winning at all? To give us hope before crushing it?
... Is it even possible to win this game and bring everyone back, or is that just a lie?
[He doesn't know why he even bothers to ask: it's not as if the Sheriff would tell him if it's false, and regardless of the answer, he has to keep fighting, if only for his sister who's still alive.]
Those are two different questions. Yeah, your hope will be crushed but yes, you will come back at the end. If the Bounty Leader wins and picks it, everyone can go home to their chosen universe, memories wiped. Ain't a problem.
[Thanks for admitting that their hope's going to be crushed???
But memories wiped, huh... Well, makes sense. He supposes that a lot of people wouldn't want to remember what happened here. At the very least, he, well, doesn't really want the memory of his sister's death.]
Chosen universe? [...] So it doesn't have to be their original world? And do their memories have to be wiped?
[He takes in a breath—he's feeling calmer than he was before, although it's less that he's okay with everything as it is that his natural tendency to repress is kicking in.
Again, he should probably not have a meltdown in the Sheriff's apartment.]
If I'm allowed to ask, how... are the other Bounties doing? Anyone find each other?
[He knows he's doing a shitty job of it, with all of his leads going nowhere. His reasons for suspecting Jason fell flat (even if he's not necessarily in the clear), Xion's informant (provided she wasn't lying) turned out to be the dead Riku, and then he thought maybe Ezio, but nope. Damn it.]
You're allowed to ask. One of them found the Bounty Leader. If the two of you find either you or your other one still out in the cold, I'll unite all of you together.
... Out of curiosity, what are those hints like? Not asking for an actual one [or well it'd be nice but he knows that's not happening], but how... vague are they?
Once told 'em there was only one woman and four males in the group of Bounties. Next time I told 'em that all the Bounties were hanging out without 'em because they weren't being very sociable and a few of y'all had met already. Stuff like that.
Well, shit. [Okay, Bounty Leader really needs to live. Got it.] Good to know that I'm technically contributing even if I haven't found another Bounty yet.
[...]
You said a few of us had already met. Can I ask if I've already spoken to all the Bounties at this point?
[Granted, by now, the only person he hasn't spoken to in some capacity is Okabe, so this is a pointless question unless by a stroke of luck Okabe is one of the Bounties.]
[Thanks, Sheriff, because otherwise he feels a lot like a failure—except he winces a little at the mention of the Post Office, because he's trying. Not to think about that.]
When you gave the leader a hint about how we were all hanging out without them—that was in the second week?—how many of the other Bounties had I met by then?
Aaaand when you said "one woman and four males"—aside from the dead Ocelot—does that imply that the female isn't a minor and the four males are of a varied age range?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sheriffexe) wrote2017-01-13 11:09 am
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... All right, so what are they? Is this all really just a stupid game for their entertainment?
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And yeah. If y'all kill each other, they feel sated, don't have to kill other universes. Simple solution to a pretty weird bloodthirst.
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... Are you screwing with me? If they don't orchestrate weirdass gameshows where the contestants kill each other, they'll go around destroying universes?
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If the point of this is our pain, then why give us a shot at winning at all? To give us hope before crushing it?
... Is it even possible to win this game and bring everyone back, or is that just a lie?
[He doesn't know why he even bothers to ask: it's not as if the Sheriff would tell him if it's false, and regardless of the answer, he has to keep fighting, if only for his sister who's still alive.]
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But memories wiped, huh... Well, makes sense. He supposes that a lot of people wouldn't want to remember what happened here. At the very least, he, well, doesn't really want the memory of his sister's death.]
Chosen universe? [...] So it doesn't have to be their original world? And do their memories have to be wiped?
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You can pick wherever, whatever, however. You can also choose to keep your memories but most people'd rather not.
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[He takes in a breath—he's feeling calmer than he was before, although it's less that he's okay with everything as it is that his natural tendency to repress is kicking in.
Again, he should probably not have a meltdown in the Sheriff's apartment.]
If I'm allowed to ask, how... are the other Bounties doing? Anyone find each other?
[He knows he's doing a shitty job of it, with all of his leads going nowhere. His reasons for suspecting Jason fell flat (even if he's not necessarily in the clear), Xion's informant (provided she wasn't lying) turned out to be the dead Riku, and then he thought maybe Ezio, but nope. Damn it.]
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[Read: is the leader also doing a shitty job of playing detective.]
So none of the victims up until now have been Bounties, right? [Just making sure his math is right.] And none of the kills have been their work?
[He's assuming not, since they ask about the victims' roles every trial, but.]
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[That was surprisingly generous??]
Is there a catch to this, or are you just taking pity on my own inability to find any other Bounties?
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[ A snort. ]
You can ask about your other Bounties, kid. You just never do.
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[Goddamnit.]
So, what kind of stuff am I allowed to ask, then?
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[ You make a whole ass out of both of us. :\ ]
Whatever, I suppose. I told you Ocelot died, right? Only four of you left. Uh. Dunno. Stuff.
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Ocelot was a Bounty?
[Okay, he thought that it sounded like there were only four Bounties left a couple seconds ago; good to know it wasn't just his inability to count.]
... So what happens if the Bounty Leader dies? Especially if they get offed by the Coal Miner for inactivity, like Ocelot was?
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Yeah, he was. Wasn't doing as much as the rest of ya though.
[ But, right. ]
Eh, guess you gotta kill your way down to one then.
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[...]
You said a few of us had already met. Can I ask if I've already spoken to all the Bounties at this point?
[Granted, by now, the only person he hasn't spoken to in some capacity is Okabe, so this is a pointless question unless by a stroke of luck Okabe is one of the Bounties.]
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[ A shrug. ]
And yeah, you have.
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When you gave the leader a hint about how we were all hanging out without them—that was in the second week?—how many of the other Bounties had I met by then?
Aaaand when you said "one woman and four males"—aside from the dead Ocelot—does that imply that the female isn't a minor and the four males are of a varied age range?
Or are these too much in the hint department?
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[ That's all he can say though. ]
Yes, it does.
Eh, it's mostly confirmed already. I'm just giving ya a yes or no.
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[Ahhhhh. Great, now he's going to be paranoid. Or, well, more paranoid than he already is.
Who does he talk to a lot, by the Sheriff's standards? ... That's not a small number of people, which actually weirds him out.]
Can I ask if it's just one that I "speak to a lot" or multiple? Not necessarily within a specific timeframe this time.
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