|
 Things are changing in Panthea, but few are truly capable of seeing it. Change is happening at all levels of the city, from the towering skyscrapers of industry to the seedy criminal underground. From an impending election where a new challenger threatens to shake things up, to the largest company this side of the country undergoing an unprecedented restructuring to combat growing pains, to the rumblings of a civil war that could tear the criminal underworld apart altogether – and a string of bizarre murders on top of all that? A grand lie is being pushed to Panthea, one even those at the top don't realize, and if the truth isn't uncovered soon, this beloved city could end up in flames. ...But that's not your concern, as you are simply a bystander with no hand in the matter, and no way to change the oncoming danger. And even if you would want to, know this: nothing is promised. Whatever fates these movers and shakers reach, they earned by their own merits. Your role is to simply witness, and entertain yourself with betting on the outcome, as you pursue the truth at the heart of Panthea. With all that said, the first question asked of you is the most important: do you think this story will have a happy ending? *** The Divine Deception is a visual novel game created and released by a developer going by the name of Themis. It released originally in December 2021, and is the second game in the 'Shuffled Deck Collection' – the first one being The Zodiac Trial, which I previously LP'd and can be found here. While not a direct sequel in the way you would imagine, the two games are set in the same universe, and references (and maybe the odd connection, if you're attentive) to the first game may occur, so it's recommended you read that one first if you want the full picture – though not a necessity. Unlike the first game, this one is a bit different mechanically as well. Rather than having branching paths with different routes based on early choices, Divine Deception is laid out much differently. This time around, we will be instead following multiple different perspectives and experiencing different paths simultaneously, all set in the city of Panthea – a coastal city where beneath a shiny, bright exterior lurks dark, interwoven connections and dangerous goings-on. Furthermore, unlike the first game, we won't be voting on decisions to try and change the course of events- rather, we as a thread will be betting on things, wagering our hard-earned chips on how we think things will shake out. The amount of votes we receive (both in the thread directly and privately) as well as the difference between the options will determine how many chips we put down – and how much we could stand to lose. Bet wisely, but bet honestly – after all, it's not like we're the one making the decisions.                                                                                                        
Mix. fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Apr 14, 2024 |
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 10:00 |
|
|
 Note: Is updating as the LP develops, so will contain spoilers.  The ones whose path we follow.  Laverna Smyth: An independent private eye that as of late has been finding herself pulled into police investigations to assist as a third party. Not originally from Panthea, but has been living there long enough to have made something of a name for herself. Eccentric, exhausting, and yet, ultimately, beneficial to most cases she's called in on. Is somewhat estranged from her twin sister, Eris.  Lock: A gambler who spent a lot of his time in an underground casino until a recent incident resulted in its investigation by the police. Has recently managed to trick his way into becoming Bach Underwood's campaign manager, for as of yet unknown reasons. His true identity, as well as the source of his current funds, is that of the Auto Larcenist, a thief wanted in the city of Aurea for a prominent bank heist. After being humiliated by Odin Deisma, he has used his connections to procure blackmail material of Aija and Devon interacting, as well as some kind of photographic proof linking Devon to the scene of one of his "jobs" - something that hasn't helped the growing number of people who want his head...  Vels: Vels is a newcomer to Panthea, having found their way here after a series of tragedies results in them having to flee their hometown, both parents dead and a furious gang out for their head.They have trained considerably in hand-to-hand combat, which along with their unassuming personality gives them an edge when it comes to their current situation - protecting Krish. Years of trouble and social isolation has resulted in Vels developing a paranoid streak, but it pays off more often than it doesn't... and now that they've seen behind the mask Polly wears, what will they do with this new information?  Eris Smyth: Online handle is 'Olif'. Laverna's twin sister, and an ex-lawyer, she is currently unemployed and trying to decide what direction to keep moving in... and has decided in the meantime that engaging with conspiracy theorists and trolling randos on social media is an acceptable use of her time. Much more prickly than her sister - and towards her sister - though if hard pressed she can admit to worrying her sister may be getting into something dangerous. Has assisted Lara in essentially defrauding both Deisma brothers for a substantial amount of cash, after Lara was sent her way by an online friend.  Mercury: A waiter at a well-known restaurant named Cassone's, Mercury came to the Mandjet ship to investigate the disappearance of their childhood friend, Jacy Nazea, who seems to have been one of many in a string of Duat-led lynchings which seem to include other Duat members directly. After having escaped the Mandjet with Lara, and having both encountered and then escaped from Odin Deisma and his mysterious war room, Mercury found themselves with the perfect opportunity to put to rest their biggest remaining threat - Thane, the Shadow of Panthea, who now lies dead on the ground in the woods outside Odin's mansion...  Thane: Very much not Thane, but rather, a target of Thane that managed to kill him somehow - and now finds themselves forced to assume his alias until they can find a way to disengage safely. While Mercury killed the Thane that was pursuing them in the woods outside Odin's mansion, does that mean this Thane is one in the same? Only time will tell... whoever they are, they seem to have a habit of playing things close to the chest and keeping others at a distance... which, ironically, makes them a perfect stand-in for the real Thane.  Devon Deisma: The middle Deisma sibling, currently estranged from his family and functionally nonexistent as far as the public knowledge is concerned. Struggles with a tendency to get lost in spiraling thought processes that negatively affect his mental health, possibly as a result of the abuse he suffered at his father's hand during his childhood... or the trauma he has from his time in the military... or both. Accidentally murdered a stranger outside of a bar, which led to him being picked up and groomed by Aija and Arrianne into forming an 'Anti-Conflict Trio', to act as their blade in the dark, taking down anyone that gets in the way of Aija's plans for Panthea to change.  The 'primary cast' of our story.  Aija: The current governor of Panthea, and currently favored to win the upcoming election and retain her position. Sharper than she initially lets on, Aija is definitely not someone you want to get on the bad side of. Her late husband, Tahka, was also Chief Arrianne's brother, but even with his passing the two women have a strong friendship of support - as well as a hidden partnership as two of the three people in the 'Anti-Conflict Trio', a private team formed to take out any threats to Aija's goals.  Arrianne Libera: Chief of Police. She commands a lot of respect from her officers, and likes to be hands-on with the larger investigations, rather than leaving it to those below her. Her brother, Tahka, was killed in gang violence in the past, which was the primary motivation for her more direct approach to police business, to prevent future incidents like what happened to him. Sometimes finds herself having to be a shoulder for Aija in light of stress - as well as her confidant and aide in the 'Anti-Conflict Trio', a private team formed to take out any threats to Aija's goals.  Art Deisma: Son of Odin Deisma, and current CEO of Olympo. The natural successor, he has a lot riding on his shoulders in regards to the company. Despite his position, his office is located on a restricted floor across from his brother Polly's office. Text messages on a burner phone Polly owned imply he has some contact with the Duats, and may have had a hand in Jacy Nazea's disappearance. Has paid handsomely for what he believes to be ownership of Odin's shares in Olympo upon his death, though little does he know his brother has done exactly the same.  Bach Underwood: Aija's main political rival in the upcoming election. A down to earth, generally liked guy whose milquetoast exterior hides a deeply passionate love for his city. Born in a backwater town named Stagbluff, he moved to Panthea as a child, and grew up seeing everything the city had to offer to people of all types and financial positions - something that he also recognizes has been scrubbed away with time and other's influence. Before his political career, he did data analysis for Olympo, and his only vice is a bit of light gambling once in a while. Is actually a plant that Aija will be paying handsomely to intentionally lose the election and continue her reign of power over the city.  Baldera Vasquez: A young police officer still holding onto her ideals. She has a reputation for being headstrong and impulsive, but it's hard to keep a smile off your face whenever she's around. Is usually the one to invite Laverna to help investigate - whether she has permission to or not.  Chara Tucker: Online handle is 'FuschiaD3mon'. One of Olympo's Chief Directors, despite her young age. Chara is disgruntled about the state of Olympo, and has been spending a lot of time working on a plan with Polly to usurp control of the company from his brother, Art. No nonsense and to the point, her devotion lies soley with Polly, rather than Olympo itself... though she insists their relationship is purely platonic.  Jacy Nazea: An ex-reporter for the Oracle who has been missing for an indeterminate amount of time. A childhood friend of Mercury's, and the one responsible for their presence aboard the Mandjet. Current status is unknown, but it's looking more and more like she was murdered - but by who, and why?  Kane Shay: Founder and head reporter of The Oracle, an independent news site that reports on all things Panthea. He claims to love Panthea and has a real fervor for his job. You'd be hard pressed to find a Panthean native who doesn't have an opinion on him - most of which are negative opinions, naturally.  Krish Devaki: They/them only. Krish is what you would picture if asked to imagine the idea Panthean citizen: outspoken, very community-driven, and eager to help no matter what is involved or who is asking. Unfortunately, their desire to help has made them something of a well known figure around town... which is a detriment when you find yourself on the run from the largest gang in the city, with a hit out on your life. Their dream is to be a writer someday... though they have yet to actually start writing anything. Considers Vels their best friend, and after Vels manages to lower a wall and explain what led to them arriving in Panthea, the two seem to be repairing their friendship...  Lara Naomi: A Senior Officer of the Duats, one who seems to be well liked by the lower ranked members. She has a rivalry with Yi for inheriting the leadership once Marduk passes, and her priority for Duat expansion seems to be that of ensuring they can regain the general public's trust (or, at least, indifference). Her last name reveals the secret she wishes to keep from the other Duats - her mother was the last to lead the Shikome, a rival gang that no longer exists in Panthea due to Duat meddling. When she was younger, before she joined the Duats, she lived with Odin Desima for a while, and seems to have left quite the impression on him as a result - which seems to have resulted in him bestowing his inheritance to her upon his death. ...At least, that's what he said he'd do...  Marduk: Leader of the Duats. Has marked Lara, Thane, and Yi as his Senior Officers, and those in the running to replace him upon his passing. Seems to be disappointed in all three for different reasons, and is implied to have forced Thane to assume the Black Mask as some sort of punishment or learning experience. Has been the leader of the Duats through multiple gang wars, and has an aura intense enough to unsettle even non-Duats. He was once part of an alliance with Odin and Zahhak to reform the city to suit their tastes - with Marduk handling the criminal side - but after Zahhak's arrest, he and Odin have gone their separate ways with an understanding to not step on each others' toes.  Odin Deisma: Founder of Olympo and long since "retired" - though he can often be seen hanging around Olympo's primary building and sticking his nose into things whenever it interests him. Seems to be willing to back the other players in the city should they prove themselves worthy of his interest; one such person is Lara Naomi, who he allowed to live with him for an extended period of time when she was younger, and whom he views as the greatest threat to his ideals. He was once part of an alliance with Marduk and Zahhak to reform the city to suit their tastes - with Odin handling the corporate side - but after Zahhak's arrest, he and Marduk have gone their separate ways with an understanding to not step on each others' toes. Has claimed to have rewritten his will to give his shares of Olympo to Lara upon his death.  Polly Deisma: Whether it's making a public scene or finding himself knee deep in another scandal, one thing's for sure - everyone knows who Polly is. Claims to be trying to turn over a new leaf after spending time working some of the entry level positions at Olympo (when not in his executive suite office across the hall from Art, anyway), as well as desiring to clean up his act. Currently renting out the house of the late Veronica Collins, which he's made his unofficial base of operations for the campaign to overtake Art and replace him as CEO. Has paid handsomely for what he believes to be ownership of Odin's shares in Olympo upon his death, though little does he know his brother has done exactly the same.  Seth Johnson: Another police officer, one who's been with the force for much longer. While often seen with Baldera, he is much more jaded than her - possibly a result of an incident several years ago, where his previous partner was killed while they were on a job together. Seth is also a mole for the Duats, and feeds them information/does his best to let them get away with gang business whenever possible.  Thane: A mysterious, violent, threatening masked man that Mercury encounters in the act of torture aboard the Mandjet. Thane is a Senior Officer for the Duats who was killed by Mercury in the woods outside Odin Desima's mansion, but his identity is still a mystery that has yet to even be hinted to...  Yi Giles: Another Senior Officer of the Duats. Originally from Panthea, he left town to teach ethics in a neighboring city for a while, but circumstances resulted in his simultaneous return and allegiance to the Duats. Has a rivalry with Lara over who will inherit the Duats upon Marduk's death; his area of focus on Duat expansion involve financial growth and expanded ventures. Seems to have had the previous Thane on his side, though whether it's as allies or leader and follower remains to be seen.  Those we will encounter from time to time.  Fang: One of Yi's underlings in the Duats. A tall man who rarely speaks, letting his action - and penchant for violence - do the talking for him. Surprisingly, spends most of his free time sculpting.  Gani: Governor Aija's second in command. Has a reputation for being a bit of an airhead, but that doesn't bother him. Has just been assassinated on accident, due to being mistaken for Lock. Oops!   Jia and Xia: A pair of siblings who seem to be Yi's underlings in the Duats. They would be much more fearsome of a team if the two weren't always at each other's throats.  Pandora: One of the Panthean police force, often seen helping out at crime scenes. Don't tell her anything you aren't okay with the rest of Panthea knowing.  Ossa: Bartender and owner of the gambling nest Nohoi's Nest, beneath a false restaurant of the same name. In his place, rules are king, regardless of whether they're fair or logical - if they're agreed upon by both parties, then they're upheld til the game is completed.  Zaochi: One of Yi's underlings in the Duats. A short, stout man who isn't much of a fighter, instead serving as more of a facilitator.  'The Devil': The owner and operator of a strange conspiracy theorist site. Claims to have been watching and collecting dirt on Panthea for decades, including information that they haven't posted to their site, but are they a trustworthy source, or just yet another internet freak? 'The Djinn': An anonymous supporter of Aija who seems to be feeding her information on the goings on around Panthea, seemingly with no intention of getting anything in return. Apis: The previous Chief of Police before Arrianne. Supposedly ruled the force with an iron fist and commanded much respect, to the point a massive portrait of him hangs in the main hall of the Police Station. He was first appointed by Zahhak... and eventually ended up being the one that took him down, once Zahhak's corruption became known to him. Zahhak Ubir: The previous Governor of Panthea before Aija. Was originally a political author with great ideals... and a willingness to do whatever it takes to reach them. Along with Odin and Marduk, formed a three-man alliance to reform the city to suit their desires, with him focused on the political side of things. Most of current Panthean legislature is by his design, even after he was arrested for corruption and unlawful dealings. Isa Dolus: A previous police officer who was well liked by pretty much the entire force, and who was well known for his capacity to solve cases that the others couldn't. Was killed in the line of duty while investigating a theft with Seth, something that - according to Baldera - has weighed on Seth ever since. Was Apis's nephew. Mix. fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Feb 13, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
... ... ... [BGM: Silence]   Good! Very good, very good indeed. For a minute there, I was worried I had set this up wrong. All right then. Guess we can get started. Welcome, reader. Glad to have you here.  Who... are you? Why, that is a good question, isn't it? Who exactly am I in all this? I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for you on that front. Who I am is a long and sordid story, one completely disconnected from the one we're here to tell. We shouldn't get bogged down in such details so early. But... you have a point. It'd be for the best if you had something to call me. Hm. Let's see then... What should you call me? ...All right, let's keep things straightforward. You can just call me 'The Narrator'. How does that sound? ”We” only communicate through given dialogue options, most of which are only conversational and have no impact. I'll be handling “our” responses for the most part, when it's just talking with our companion here, and I'll be using this dialogue portrait for “our” part in the conversation. Isn't it a bit impersonal for a name? You know what? You're absolutely right. So then... How about we go with 'Ez' then, huh? How does that sound to you? I get the feeling I don't have much of a choice in the matter. Oh, aren't you the clever one? We're going to have fun here, I can just tell. Anyways, now that we've got that settled, we should move on. There's a lot of ground to cover, after all. As much as I love small talk, it'd be irresponsible to engage in it at a time like this. Well, not that I'm opposed to being irresponsible. But I digress. What is this? This? What you're experiencing right now? How to put it... ...No, the more I think about it, the more I realize I shouldn't tell you. I mean, explaining everything would be a whole other story, and again, that's not the one we're here to tell. Honestly? It'd be for the best if you just forgot about all of this. Who I am, what this is... You won't find answers to those questions, not in this tale. So just relax, and accept it. All that matters is that you're going to experience a story, and I 'm here to help guide you through it. Okay? But I want answers! Ah, right. You always were an inquisitive type, right? Too curious for your own good. Well, tough poo poo, friend. You're going to have to accept that you won't always get answers. Who knows, this could be a good learning experience for you. ...Let's just move on. Tonight's story is one of immense drama. It is a story of a city, a story of change, a story of mortal gods. There is death, violence, betrayal, gambling, and above all else, deception! There will be sadness! Anger! Elation! Surprise! There will be... ...No. No, no, no! This isn't right. I can describe how intense the story will be all I want, but it still won't properly capture the feeling. What's the problem here...? How can I get you to truly delve into this story, the way you must?! … Oh. Right, duh. It's obvious, isn't it? It can't just be a story, can it? That's not enough for you. What you need is a game. ...No, that's not quite right. A gamble. This needs to be a gamble. Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Inspiration! It's flowing through me! This is the way to go, I can just feel it. All right, let's make this little tale into a gamble. How do we do that? Well, to start with, you can't gamble if you don't have anything. And in the state you're currently in, you don't even have a form, much less something you'd want to bet. Let me just... fix that.[20 chips gained.] There you go. I just gave you 20 chips. You can use that to gamble. With those chips, I'll let you make bets. Bets on what, you ask? Why, the very story we'll be going through! You can bet on certain outcomes, and when they're proven right, you'll double the amount of chips you bet! Of course, if they're proven wrong, don't count on getting those chips back. But hey, that's gambling, baby! Oh, and I'll also scatter in plenty of opportunities to make more chips in the story itself. Gotta keep this chip economy flowing if we want to really have fun. And, to top it all off, prizes! Right, because of course, it's not gambling unless you can win something. Once we're finished with the story, I'll open up a Prize Counter. You can use the chips you've won to buy all sorts of extras and goodies and the like.We'll be seeing what that's about... at the end of the LP!  Well, how does that sound? It's a lot more fun like this, right? Absolutely. Right! Yeah, this is going to be good. In fact, let's start betting already! That's right, the casino's already open! Wait, I don't know literally anything about the story at this point. So? Gambling's all about not knowing the outcome! So then, for this first bet, let's go big. The story we're about to go through... Do you think it'll have a happy ending?I'll explain how betting is going to work for this LP in a second, but first, let's give our answer. At the end of the previous game's LP, I left this question without any context since, well, we don't exactly get context here, either  The results of the vote were that this game will have a happy ending. Yes. An optimist, huh? We'll see how long that lasts. Alright, now you have to pick how many chips you're going to bet. Oh, but... thinking about it... You're not going to get the payout from this bet until literally the very end, huh? So betting big now, even if you get it right, might be a mistake, since you'll be separated from gambling funds. That is a problem, hm... Well, like I said, you'll be able to earn chips all throughout the story proper. But still, it feels like this should be considered somehow. Alright, how about this? Payout on this bet is doubled. That's right, if you get this one correct, you won't get twice the chips you bet back, you'll get four times that amount. That ought to sweeten the pot a tad, huh? So with that in mind, make your wager.So, the bets. There's going to be quite a few of these over the course of the LP, and we actually have to also wager a set number of chips each time too. The way I'm going to be handling the amount of our bets is pretty simple – after the vote is concluded, I'm going to take the percentage of the votes that didn't win and calculate what that percentage of the chips we currently have comes out to. That way, for bets where people are collectively in agreement on, we'll bet less chips as a result, but for bets where people are more divided, the bet will be higher – which means a higher potential payout as a result. As Ez said, we'll be earning chips throughout the story in addition to those we get from bets we won, but in the long run this is more of a way to see how many chips we'll have at the end and nothing more. Let's shoot for the top! In any case, this first bet is pretty straightforward – only 33% of your votes were for there being a bad ending, so we'll be betting 7 chips.  Awesome! First bet, in the books. So then, right now your chip count is 13. But don't worry, I'm sure chips'll be flowing out of your hypothetical pockets in no time! All right, that's that for setup, I suppose. On to the card stacks. Choose a stack, choose a card, finish the card, the next one in that stack is dealt, bada bing, bada boom. It's pretty simple. Complete those seven stacks, and then maybe we see what happens from there. Oh, and a tip – if you want my opinion, I'd spread out your time amongst the stacks instead of focusing on any one or two in particular. Move through them at a somewhat even pace, and I think it'll be a more entertaining experience. ...Or don't, I don't care, I'm not your mom. There's really only one restriction to how you move through the cards: some of them have these pesky locks, see. If you want to unlock those locks, you have to find a key of the matching level. Keys can be collected by completing cards. So basically, if you run into a roadblock, try a different stack. ...Oh, and only one use per key. Annoying, I know, but trust me, it's better this way. All right, and you're off! Alright, so, time to explain how this LP is going to work. This game functions similar to games like 13 Sentinels, Heavy Rain, or 428 Shibuya Scramble, where you're following multiple perspectives/paths that are all happening within a set period of time – though, what order they're in and how they connect is up to you, the reader, to figure out on your own! No narrative hand-holding here! What Ez said is true; we want to spread out our time between these stacks – each stack corresponding to a different perspective – because like she said, there are locks that can be encountered, and you get keys over the course of the story for hitting specific beats. Now, I could've put it to a vote what order we do stuff in... but that would be a lot of votes to have to keep tallying, not even taking into account the votes for what bets we're going to be making! Therefore, I feel that if we just go in order, left to right and top to bottom, that'll do well enough – and also ensure we get an even amount of time with each perspective, not to mention basically ensuring we'll always have the key we need whenever we encounter a lock! With that being said, next update, we'll start with the first part of the first stack...
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
[BGM: Silence]  Walking through a forest trail in the dead of night is certainly a unique experience. It's one that inevitably fills you with a certain amount of dread. Especially if that forest is in Panthea, an incredibly dangerous place. Especially if there are plenty of people who would rightfully want you dead. Even the most logical of people would have a tricky time with such a trek. You can be as aware as the next person that ghosts and ghouls don't exist, but when left with nothing but a flashlight, your thoughts, and the shapes the trees make, you can't help but see faces. The trick is to disconnect your mind from your emotions. Those faces might scare my emotions, but so long as there's a disconnect, that won't stop my legs from continuing the walk. Nothing can dissuade me from walking until I reach my destination. One might wonder why, if it's such a frightful experience, I would even bother to walk this far. I took a taxi up to the forest's edge, why not continue the drive to my destination? The people attending my destination weren't the type to go places they'd have to hike to.  There were a number of reasons. For one, as spooky as it might be, I liked the atmosphere these sorts of walks cultivated. The quiet, cool silence was entrancing. It felt empty. Perfect for thinking. And there was a lot to be thinking about. I was in no rush to the crime scene. I was already quite late. And I was okay with that. A private investigator should always be fashionably late. Let the grunt cops do the legwork, arrive in time to hear the evidence, and then take the glory of solving the case for yourself. So, a leisurely stroll felt appropriate. It gave me time to really consider the location I was heading towards. The geography of Panthea really highlighted the class system prevalent everywhere you went. Panthea was a city by a seaside. Most of Panthea was an urban jungle, cram-packed to the brim. And yet, Panthea also housed an expansive forest in its border. A forest with mansions and buildings and facilities with plenty of room between each other, reserved for those who can pay the steep prices such accommodations cost. The one small grace of this forest trip was that it assured that the victim – and most likely the murderer – would be one familiar with Forest facilities. Eventually, I reached my destination.  There were plenty of cars parked outside of the facility. Fancy cars. Police cars. And one familiar, dingy car parked haphazardly away from all the others. I let out a sigh. This could only mean one thing.  Sure enough, Kane stood outside, irritatedly smoking by the entrance. From his ill-kempt hair to his raggedy coat, he was a distinctive figure, to say the least. Clearly, he had been kept out of the crime scene – at least for now. Thank God for small miracles. As I approached, he soon spotted me. And with that flash of recognition, a small smirk crossed his face. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a recorder. Here we go.   Hey there, Laverna, right? Ain't you a sight for sore eyes. And sore eyes you most certainly have, Kane.Like the previous game in the series, who our perspective is following is “offscreen”, so for this LP I'll just be using the symbol on the matching card stack for their dialogue, respectively.  Oh, what did I ever do to deserve your barbs? I read the coverage of cases I work, you know. Yeah? So what's the issue? I figure I gave some pretty good advertising, don'tcha think? Well, I suppose I can't fault you on that front. How in the blazes are you even here? I know reporters tend to flock to tragedy like trees approach the sun, but even still, to appear before myself... Impressive. What can I say, I've got connections. When a crime happens, some people call the police, some people make money. And I'm not surprised I made it here before you. I'm surprised you're here at all. I know the police can work with private investigators, but usually not on high-profile murder cases. Is Panthea's force so desperate they need to consult for all their cases? Is that how you intend to spin my presence? Hey, if the shoe fits, you dig? Whatever it takes to prevent the blame from falling on the current administration. Whoa, hey, them's fighting words. Calling a journalist biased is tantamount to a direct insult, you know? Ah, so is The Oracle still intending to charade as unbiased? So, for the record, it seems like you have some issue with Governor Aija's administration. Care to expand on that? I've no issue with Ms. Aija. I simply think it weak that every opinion you intend to push upholds whatever the status quo dictates. Well, you know how it is. Objects in motion, and all. Is that so? I well wonder how you intend to score this incident to the administration's tune. Are ya kidding me? Some lowlife terrorist decides to assassinate a guest of Governor Aija? This is prime time sympathy fuel. And you're well aware the murderer is also someone connected to Ms. Aija? Well, that remains to be seen. Is that the story you're running with? I prefer not to parrot what others say. Only what I behold myself can I pronounce as truth. That so? All I gotta say is, good luck getting in. I'm sure it won't be a problem. I'm expected. Ah man, really? They're really gonna let some unknown like you in while they're restricting one of Panthea's most familiar faces from the scene? Oh? You hold yourself in that much esteem? That certainly is news to me. Are ya kidding me? You know what keeps the world turning, Sherlock? Information. Who has it. Who doesn't. Who you know. Who'll speak to you. How you'll spread it. I can't exactly argue with you on that. When you look at it like that, I'd say I'm the most powerful person in all of Panthea! Ha! Well, if nothing else, I always respect audacity. Perhaps we've more in common than I first thought. However, the first act of the story awaits me, and I ought to grant it a conclusion. If you're hounding an interview, at least let me acquire a look at the scene first. Go right ahead, Miss.With a mocking bow, Kane stepped aside. I took the expression in stride, and confidently entered the venue. [BGM: Ante Up]  I pushed open the doors, entering a completely different world. A bright, opulent, crowded world. One packed with fancily dressed citizens, with the occasional police officer scattered amongst them. It was a world of grand gestures, so I may as well play the part. The detective has arrived!  Oh, loving hell, s-seriously?Instantly, I was greeted with a less than friendly face. The balding, weaselly officer with a nervous fidget and annoyed look was Seth. We'd been acquainted a few times before now. Ah, Seth. Fancy running into you here. Seriously, who i-invited her? This is a murder investigation, we don't let third parties in. Oh, come off it, Seth. From the sounds of things, you need a helping hand. We need, uh, jack poo poo. It's been hours. There's no indication that we won't be able to handle this ourselves. So you say. But then again, men say many things in their lives. Some true, some false. Between the two, it can be difficult to differentiate until far into the future. That doesn't–Before Seth could object, a louder voice interrupted.   Lav!The beaming officer approached me directly, and before I could object, she came in for a hug. I had no choice but to reciprocate. When she let go, I was left wondering how close she thought we were. We really hadn't known each other for that long, and only in an official capacity. ...Well, I doubted having her on my side could hurt. You're looking real lovely as usual. Ah, Baldera. How you falsely flatter me. Falsely? Not a chance! Really, I love your outfit. It really compliments your grey eyes, makes them pop. Yeah, uh, speaking of your outfit, is this really appropriate for this sort of scene? Most private eyes I've met don't wear high heels.  Oh, come off it Seth. She looks proper official, at least official enough.Seth was right. My clothing was appropriately garish. It's certainly not the sort of thing I'd wear in my free time. But for this role, it would work well enough. Baldera, Seth, as much as I cherish your company, I did not come to discuss fashion. Though I've many opinions on the topic. No, I do believe Baldera has called a certain drastic crime to my attention?Sure enough, a mere glance to the left made clear why the police were here. I couldn't get a good look at this angle, but it was pretty clear that an old man had collapsed to the floor. Must be the victim.  Y-yeah, about that. Baldera, why did you call Laverna here? You know, my mother always said, the more the merrier. And two heads are better than one, yes, but also, there's a reason we don't let civilians help with our investigations. Laverna's not a civilian! She's a private investigator. And you know as well as I she's useful to have around. You saw the work she made of the last few cases she consulted on.Baldera brought up a compelling point. [BGM: Ura Dora]  Looking at it empirically, I was a good investigator. That was perhaps my greatest leverage in this situation. Despite that natural skill, it was still something of a surprise to myself that I ended up in this situation. I mean, I always knew I was bright. From a young age, I scored pretty high on intelligence tests. I got the hang of things far faster than my classmates and peers. I can still clearly remember how proud I made my parents, back then. We were never really a wealthy family. Middle class, at best. But at my pace, it looked like I was going to be able to get a scholarship to a really good college. And I had passions when I was young as well. I remember my first real investigation. It began when I was still a teenager. Far too early. Still, I felt compelled to try my best. The police had already given up on the case. Hearing that, you might think that's a sign to give up. But to me, that just signaled that it was even more important that I try myself. And sure enough, my investigation techniques got far further than the police could ever have hoped to. Despite the grim circumstances, I found that first investigation... well, to be frank, enjoyable. It was exciting, making progress in ways nobody thought that I'd be able to. And, eventually, my investigation succeeded. I had found the true culprit. I had done what I set out to accomplish. By all accounts, this should be a successful origin story. However... well, to make a long story short, affairs being wrapped up neatly when the truth is revealed is the realm of fiction. The ugly conclusion of that first investigation turned me away from the practice pretty severely. I really intended to give up my ambitions of being a private investigator then and there. But, well...  Maybe, at my core, it just fueled my intolerance towards injustice. Because here I was, private investigator of Panthea, at the police's service. And there was Governor Aija, highest authority in the city, approaching me with a strained look on her face. [BGM: Raise]   Ah, greetings.As she approached, Baldera immediately stood to attention. Governor Aija, ma'am. Pleased to be serving you. Ah, Officer Baldera, was it? Thank you, really. I'm glad to have such reliable members of our city's esteemed police force at my aid. Truly, it moves me to see Panthea's justice in action.Aija turned back to me. Speaking of, I don't believe I recognize you as one of our city's police officers. That's because she's not. Laverna Smyth, private investigator. Pleasure to be of service.I extended my hand, and Aija graciously shook it. Ah, charmed. You're here to help investigate, I imagine? I wouldn't be a particularly good investigator if I didn't, no? Ha ha ha, I suppose not.She turned to Baldera. I suppose I'm just confused. Last I checked, I didn't remember it being standard protocol for the police to rely on third party investigators, especially this early on. Ah, well, erm, that's because it's not, ma'am. Oh, is that so? Then is Ms. Laverna's presence some sort of reflection of your faith in your ability to solve this case?Baldera seemed to shrink under Governor Aija's gaze. Seth watched this interaction, then sighed.  Actually, ma'am, it really isn't that uncommon. I mean, we don't like to advertise it, so as to not get every j-justice seeking wannabe knocking at our door, but restricting ourselves to just members of the force can be... er, restricting. Really, uh, working with trusted investigators not affiliated directly with the force is pretty common practice. So then, is Ms. Laverna a trusted third party?I noticed Seth visibly grinding his teeth.  You know, well, I g-guess I'd have to say so. And of course, it's not like we're just going to let her go willy-nilly. I promise that I, personally, will make sure she's kept under careful, uh, watch. Just to make sure.After this, there was a pause in the conversation. The sound of Aija strumming her fingers across her other arm seemed to fill the entire room. Then, she spoke up.  Wonderful. Of course, I don't intend to come across as though I'm questioning your process. I was just curious about how these things are done. I'm so busy with my job, I rarely get to see these aspects of your work. Well then, don't let me bother you. Go on and catch a criminal! ...On behalf of dear Mr. Athen. We'll be sure to do just that, ma'am.Baldera saluted Aija, which seemed unnecessary, but Aija apparently appreciated it. With a small nod, she departed the scene. At her departure, I saw Seth visibly deflate. Well, uh, I guess that's settled then. Don't do anything s-stupid, Laverna. I'll be watching over you. Being stupid is simply antithetical to my nature. Uh huh.[BGM: Ante Up]  Seth gave me a pretty dirty look, but I made sure not to give any sign that I had noticed it. I was just happy to get the go-ahead to investigate. Now then. We have wasted enough time. If we delay any longer, the criminal will be able to slip out of our grasp. Luckily, that's not one of our concerns. Oh? Do tell. Yes, do tell. You're the one who brought Laverna in, it's y-your hjob to deal with filling her in. Sure. Not a problem with that at all. So then, let me give you a rundown of the crime. As I'm sure you're aware, the crime scene was this fundraising gala for Governor Aija's re-election. Most of the folks invited to this place are real fancy-like, not the type to go around committing murder like this. Tch. That's a way to l-look at it. You disagree, Seth? Way I see it, uh, it's the people at the top that have a lot more to lose. Sure, but that doesn't mean they'd actually do a freaking murder themselves! It's uncharacteristic. Maybe. Anyways, this gala's got a real strict guest list. I believe it was organized by Aija's secretary, Mr. Gani. They hired nine waiters and a small kitchen staff.I looked around, noting the various identical looking figures wearing tuxedos and plain white masks.  I presume the staff are the masked ones? Exactly. I wonder whose bright idea that was? I like it! It adds a sense of... I don't know, class, to the whole affair. M-Makes it creepy, more like. Whole thing has an 'elitist, Eyes Wide Shut' type vibe.I had to agree with Seth – making your staff wear identical disguises can hardly be described as good taste. It's a matter of elegance, Seth. Ambience is important. You're telling me. Thank you, Lav. Anyways, the staff set up the party, and then the guests came in. There's only one entrance to this venue, and people were IDed pretty heavily when walking in, so we can eliminate any unknown entities as suspects. You can, assuming your statements hold true. However, the rogue unfounded axiom is the murderer's shield. Can we truly ascertain that there are no secret passages to the building? Rogue panelings, hidden tunnels?I heard Seth let out a nervous chuckle. Well, you know... we can check for that stuff later. For now, let's just go over the case summary, 'kay? So then, the victim. Mr. Athen. He was a rich old man, a businessperson in his prime. Shrewd, insightful, and influential. He was a wrinkled bat clinging to life. Seth! Hey, i-it's true, alright? He doesn't have any living relatives left, he doesn't have any close friends. He lived alone, doing nothing but playing, uh, moneyball by himself, investing his h-hoard of cash into whatever he likes. He had a handful of years left, none of them important. Seth!! Am I wrong? It's a thing called common decency. It's just not right to speak ill of the dead! Look, it's not pretty, but it's relevant to know. It makes the motive of this whole thing really hard to figure out. Motive? Seth, didn't we already decide that it's probab– Hey, hey, woah! Seth's face flushed with annoyance. R-really? Really, Baldera? I thought I made this perfectly clear. Hey, hey, calm down. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I caught myself. No, I caught you.It was clear that the two were having a conversation that I was completely exempt from. That annoyed me more than I cared to admit, but making a fuss about it now wouldn't be productive. The motives of murderers are mysterious. They can oft be buried in deep and private histories, impossible for the passing eye to see. Only an amateur would rely on such a shallow thing to catch a culprit. Really? Y-you're going to call most police forces across the globe amateur? Because that's what you're doing. If the shoe fits. Relying on motives to reach the truth is like polling the audience as a hint in a gameshow. Perhaps it shall lead you to the right track. But it is far from certain, only to bring you in line with the common man. I am anything but. You're telling me. Besides, any murder mystery worth half its salt gives all the suspects a worthwhile enough motive. She's not wrong. At the very least, it's worth noting that Athen was a considerable donor to Governor Aija. It's not in her interest to cut off such a major revenue source. So, approaching it from the opposite direction, killing him deals a decent blow to Aija's campaign. Unfortunately, all our suspects should be s-supporting Aija. In theory, that is. In theory. So then, at a certain point all the lights in the building went out. The darkness most foul took over the building. Yeah, pretty much. Eventually, one of the waiters was able to get the lights back on. You can guess what had happened. Our victim had become our victim? It's really sad. You're right, Mr. Athen was on the ground, collapsed. When he was rolled over, a rag doused in something was found under his body. Forensics is still doing their thing, but we can pretty safely guess that this was the murder instrument. Ah, poison. It seems we're dealing with an experienced snake, not some novice worm. Right, this was premeditated. Any ways, when the light was out, nobody could've escaped the venue. One of the waiters was standing right by the entrance when the lights went out. They've testified that in the panic, they backed up into the door, and it didn't open until the lights turned back on. And of co urse, after the lights were on, nobody was permitted to leave until we arrived. I could listen to the cops just explain the scene for as long as I wanted, but that wouldn't get me any further than them. At some point, I needed to begin investigating for myself. I took a step towards the body. The sight of the corpse was slightly unnerving. As much as I had blustered, my experience with dead bodies was pretty few and far between. At the very least, there was no blood or gore to freak me out with this one. You could mistake Athen's stillness for deep sleep. The only thing frightening about this sight was how it made you question your own mortality. Well, time to get to work. Mr. Athen. Pleased to be working with you.I reached down and grabbed the body's cold hand. With some resistance, I shook his hand, as you would when meeting anybody. Lav! See this, this, this is what I'm talking about! This is why we d-don't bring in third parties. Putting on an annoyed expression, I turned to those two. Relax. I'm wearing gloves, you pansies. There's nothing that moving his arm a bit will cover up – remember, the body was already jostled when it was flipped over. Still, it's a matter of protocol. We're well past that point.I turned back towards the body. So then, Mr. Athen, could you please testify as to your killer?I grabbed the body's mouth and began to puppet it as I repliced to myself in a raspy voice. 'You foolish child! It was pitch black! You expect me to have any answers for you? If I knew who killed me, I'd have said so already.' Well, you have me there, sir. It was at this point I started to become aware of the numerous stares I was beginning to attract from the party guests. Good. Fine. Irrelevant. This was a little thing called commitment, a concept far too few people really understood. This a, a, a part of your process? Always.Seth brought up a good point. It was time to do some actual detective work. I gave the body a once over, looking for anything unusual. My eyes first spotted a rag atop the body. This must be the suspected murder weapon they were talking about. Hmm... Looking close, it seemed as though a bit of the rag was caught in Athen's front pocket. Did it get like that when the body was rolled over? Or... I kept looking around Athen's body, in case there was anything else relevant. On his left shoulder, I saw a stain. It had been dried off with a towel or something, but you could definitely make it out. Something light yellow had spilled on him at this area. I moved over to it and gave it a tentative sniff. Oh, Jesus.As I expected. Wine.  Was anybody nearby Mr. Athen before the lights went out? No. As I s-said, he doesn't have anybody in his life. He came, uh, alone. I really feel bad for this old man. Not only was he alone, he decided to sit by himself in the corner of the room. Well, if that doesn't just bring a tear to your eye. True, it does seem a waste. An exuberant party like this? Or, gala, I suppose. It's a time and a place to make memories. Not to waste away, becoming a victim to time. Well, in Athen's case, a victim to time among other things. Make memories... By golly, I think I'm on to something! Seth, Lav, you two stay here. I'm going to follow up on my big breakthrough.Before Seth could get in a word edgewise – which he was almost certain to do so – Baldera took off. This left Seth in a grumbling mood.  ...gotta keep playing babysitter... Pep up, Seth. I've still got questions that need answers. Oh, th-then please, ask away. So the man was by himself. So what? Surely, somebody could've been looking in his direction, no? Eh... Doubt it. And why is that? Apparently, um, a big fight broke out right before the lights went off that drew a lot of attention. That Polly brat – one of the Deisma siblings – got into a huge screaming match with his ex. How garish. Yeah, sounds like the one thing that might've made this whole shitshow interesting. ...Well, besides the murder. Indeed. The timing on that seemed a little too convenient. I made sure to table that under the 'follow-up' column in my brain. What about the blackout? Surely that cannot be a completely unexplained phenomenon. If you're asking what's the deal with the lights shutting off, then I g-got an answer for you. The panel in the Boiler Room was messed with. Seems to be direct sabotage, but again, these are, are, are, early days. Need to get forensics on this. Do you want to check it out yourself? Soon enough. Not quite yet, however. Great.As I asked these questions, I continued to examine the corpse's location. There were some more notable objects to be found by simply stepping back a touch. Near the corpse was a broken wine glass. Red wine was splashed all over the floor by it. An incredibly important discovery. But perhaps even more important was the crumpled-up sheet of paper under the nearby table. Gingerly, I reached over and picked it up. As I unfolded it, I noticed that the sheet had already been unfolded once. Looks like the cops had already found this piece of evidence and placed it back down. Why, then, would they not mention it to me? I expected the paper to house some deep, dark secret. However, it looked to be a torn out page of the Bible. A page from the book of Psalms, to be exact. And on the page, a specific quote was highlighted in orange. ”Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” A bit on the nose, huh? With a questioning gaze, I turned to Seth.  What do you make of this piece of evidence? It's a B-bible page, isn't it? That much a child could deduce. I am inquiring you because, for whatever reason, you thought it prudent to not inform me of this page. I, er, just wanted to test your detective skills.Seth wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he wasn't making eye contact. Looks like it was up to me to push the issue further. Well then, let me demonstrate my skills. Not only did you hide this piece of evidence from me, so did Baldera. If it was a decision only one of you had made, the other would have chipped in earlier. Thus, you must have discussed withholding this piece of evidence previously.[BGM: Silence]  Continuing down that road, another discussion you had previously pertains to motive. So then, does this verse somehow pertain to motive? Laverna, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. I, uh–Before he could say more, one of the officers that had been talking with the guests approached. I recognized her. ...Pandora, if I remembered right. Hey Seth, I finished taking those witness statements you asked for. Oh, Laverna! Surprised to see you here. Are you also going to be helping us with the Cock Robin Murders? ...'Cock Robin Murders'? … God. drat it, Pandora. Huh? I– Go.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:48
|
|
|
[BGM: Kicker]  Without another word, Pandora scurried away. Confused, but sure enough that she'd somehow screwed up. Seth began to massage his burning red forehead, barely containing his anger. After a few more choice curse words, he began to pace back and forth. Finally, he turned to me. Alright, okay, gently caress. You are n-not to tell anyone about this, okay? And you're definitely not going to tell my boss that I told you. I'm only telling you this because I know you'll be even more of a pain in my rear end than usual if I don't. Believe me, I am well versed in secrecy. Laverna. Seth, I swear. I get it. I promise I won't tell a soul about this.I looked him straight in the eyes. Seth proceeded to pace back and forth a few more times, before taking a deep breath and beginning to talk. I'm just going to make a long story short, okay? And, and, and you're not going to ask any questions, you're going to listen and nod, and when I finish explaining, you're going to move on. A while ago, we found a dead body. We find them all the time; funny thing, though, is that this one was shot with a bow and arrow. And that's not what killed them, this was done post-mortem. ...'Who killed Cock Robin? I said the Sparrow, with my bow and arrow'. You're familiar, then. Good, that'll make this quicker. Before too long, we found another corpse. This one had its eye removed post-mortem. 'Who killed Cock Robin? I said the Fly. With my little teeny eye, I saw him die'. Okay okay, we don't need your running commentary for this. You get the point, r-right? Soon enough, we found that these post-mortem additions were following the poem. So, that suggests that they're all the same killer. I'm sensing a but. But, there's some issues with that theory. For one, the victims seem to be all different types. Like, a fair few have been influential. But m-many more are, erm, nobodies... So the deaths just seem random. Very well then, it's a serial killer's doing. That's what we thought until recently, when we actually caught the killer. Or, at least, a killer. We know he couldn't have done most of the other murders. And he claims he didn't even know that the body was altered post-mortem. The chief th-thinks that we got the wrong guy. But I... Maybe I'm not the b-b-best officer, but the evidence I found against that guy was strong. He definitely was the killer in that instance. And he definitely wasn't in any of the other instances. And naturally, you haven't let this trend out as public knowledge. O-of course not! That's standard serial killer procedure. So then, judging by the poem... you're up to the Thrush? Yeah. That's a lot of victims. Yeah. You really should've caught this person before now. ...Yeah. Well, fret not. You made the wise decision to bring me into your fold. I shall now catch this dastard, posthaste! Oh, just l-like that, huh? Relax, would you? We don't even know if this is the work of the Cock Robin killer. For one, the connection here is loose. But, more to the point, there's but so many people who could have killed Mr. Athen. That's completely against pattern, and for good reason. If the Cock Robin killer really is somebody in here, a thorough investigation and cross-reference with past records will find them. So it'd be suicide for them.Seth made a solid point. The Cock Robin killer... this was certainly a major puzzle piece. Not just for the mystery of Athen's killer, but for the mystery of Panthea. I filed that away for later. Very well then. Onto more thorough investigations.I crossed the room with Seth following in my stead, visibly annoyed. The first person I needed to question was... quite apparent. An argument that draws the whole room's attention just happens to occur right before the lights went out? That's a bit too good to be true. And in my experience, if things are too good to be true, then they're often not. I approached Polly Deisma, the person who apparently started the argument. It wasn't hard to spot him out. Next to his brother and his father, he stood out like a sore thumb. ...Swayed like one, too. [BGM: Stand]  Polly Deisma, I presume? Yeah, you got it. And what's your name, cutie? Really, dude? Hitting on an in-investigator? Laverna. Charmed to be of your assistance.I held out my hand, and with little hesitation, the man sloppily reached out to shake it. This just further confirmed what I already suspected. This guy was buzzed out of his mind. ...And that was fine in my books. Drunks tended to make my job easier. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to get your insight on a certain incident. I heard you got into a little spat earlier? Mind giving some info on that?Instantly, Polly's face soured.  How the hell is that my fault? I never said it was.  Well, you'd be the first. I just want to get an understanding as to how things played out. How they played out is plain and simple. That bitch texted me and started stirring some poo poo up that's just not true! And then! And then. When I called her out, she had the gall to play dumb and pretend like she hadn't texted it!  It's on my loving phone, honey! Piss poor job of playing dumb!I was... quickly losing interest in this line of inquiry. And I didn't love the attention I was beginning to accrue. So, think this is, uh, a key line of investigation? I'm beginning to suspect not. I'm just saying, if you're gonna stir poo poo, say it to my face. And at least cop to it, my God. But apparently, hic, apparently I'm the embarrassment here. I'm the family disgrace. ...I think there might be a bit more here to unpack than I was planning on. You think? Look, Polly, it was lovely meeting you. For what it's worth, it sounds like you were totally in the right.This predictably put a smile on his face. You know, you're right. You're a good detective, you're a smart detective, you keep at it. Naturally.At this point, a much more well-dressed man who looked oddly similar to Polly stepped in. It didn't take a detective to work out that this was Art Deisma, Polly's older brother.   Hello there, Laverna, was it? I apologize for my sibling. He's... well, he's troubled. I hope he didn't cause a scene. Oh, he was just lovely. That's encouraging to hear. A nice change of pace.Subtle.  At any rate, I'm frankly mortified by recent events. If you need any help, I'd be more than willing to give you my full support. No, I'm afraid that's completely unnecessary.I... hadn't meant this to be as harsh as it came across. Still, hearing this, Art looked crestfallen. Before he could respond, however, I heard a chuckle. It appeared the head of the family had been listening in on this exchange.   Swing and a miss, Arty boy. It appears this lady's a biiiit too wise for your usual buttkissing.Art's face crumpled even more.  I was just trying to make myself helpful. And look how that worked out for you.Odin Deisma chuckled some more at his dejected son. I assure you both, I've this situation well under control. Of course, if you ever have any future troubles, I'd be happy to assist you in investigative matters. After this exchange? I'd prefer not to. Besides, I already have people for that sort of thing. Uh, Laverna, if you're not getting anything out of this, I think this might be time to bail.Seth was absolutely correct. I gave the pair a meek bow, then proceeded to walk away.  I wanted to search the area where the lights went out. The boiler room. ...But I didn't know where that was. I could have asked Seth. Instead, I began to wander about the place. Was... this the way to the boiler room? Nope, no, that was the way to the restrooms. What about this hallway? ...Aha! This must be it. I entered the room confidently, and sure enough, it looked like a boiler room. The boiler room, I presume. You could have just asked.Seth, who had been following the whole time, sounded thoroughly unimpressed. Well, I wasn't doing it for him. Whatever. You're right, for what it's worth. The, er, power outage or whatever happened here. That panel right there, in fact.He pointed to a very obvious panel with switches and wires. It appeared to be vaguely burned, though by what I couldn't tell. Are we aware of what happened? No, I'm afraid that's awaiting further analysis. At the very least we know that whatever caused the blackout's origin is in this room. This isn't, uh, some power cable elsewhere being cut or something, the criminal was in this room.With my skill set, looking at the panel itself wouldn't get me anywhere at all. Instead, I turned my attention elsewhere. I began to sweep the room, looking for any detail that may be of use. I was hoping for a dropped note, or perhaps a string of a distinct color caught on a door handle. ...Nothing quite so obvious jumped out at me. But there was one thing of note. That's a window on the wall, is it not?Seth looked up to where I was pointing.  Uh, yeah, that looks like a window to me. What, do you think somebody got in or out through there? B-because, hate to tell you, I don't know if someone's arm could get through there much less somebody's body.Seth exaggerated... there was definitely enough room for someone's arm. But he was right, it probably couldn't smuggle a person outside. But... perhaps it didn't need to. I'm simply filing it away. Oh? What's that about? You can't expect the whole truth to be apparent at present. Only when all the clues are revealed can such thing be determined. So, when evidence is relevant yet directionless, I store it in a limbo state. It helps– I've lost interest.I didn't have a snappy comeback to this. Instead, I simply made my way back to the main venue with the rest of the guests. I had done enough venturing about. When I returned, however... I saw quite a peculiar sight. … [BGM: Silence]  Lay off, dude. I don't know the first thing about what you're saying! I just want to know why you did it! Were you a sleeper agent? Have you grown a deep resentment for your employer, and this was your way of striking back? Woah, woah, t-take it easy there, Baldera. What's going on here? What's going on here is that I found our culprit! Magnificent, Baldera. Please, show us your reasoning. I'll do just that, thank you very much. See, it was something Lav said. It got me thinking that people were probably taking pictures, right? This place has a lot of old fogeys, but even still there are a couple young'uns addicted to social media. I asked around, and sure enough, this one daughter took some lovely selfies. Lovely selfies, I'll note, that took place right before the lights went out! We know that our culprit had to be in the boiler room to shut the lights off. So anyone caught in these pictures has an airtight alibi. ...But I wasn't content ruling people out. No siree, I wanted blood. So I ruled the guest list against these pictures, trying to find who wasn't accounted for. And one person was mysteriously missing at this time. Secretary Gani. And I'm telling you, I was just taking a poo poo! Nothing sketchy with that, you feel me? Save it for someone who'll buy your story. Hate to say it, uh, Secretary, but Baldera here has a point. It doesn't look good for you. ...But it doesn't look bad for you either. Lav?[BGM: Showdown]  It was a valiant effort, Baldera. I admire the tenacity. But to deliver a killing strike, you need more than that. The truth is rarely as clear to the observer as you expect it to be right here. And... I'm afraid your reasoning simply doesn't hold weight. Alright. You think I'm wrong? Bring it on. Prove me otherwise. It would be a privilege. Here, I'm gonna lay out how Secretary Gani committed this murder. From the start, Athen was Gani's target. First, Secretary Gani went to the boiler room to turn off the lights. Then, without any issue, he walked his way right on over to Mr. Athen. Ha! From the start, your entire argument was built upon a support structure of sand! That is to say... it can't hold its own weight. Pray tell, how exactly would the dear secretary make his way to Mr. Athen? As you said, it was pitch black dark! Unless you intend to label him a descendant of an owl – a sensible enough argument, I suppose... - then this is a worthless path to walk. That's, well... Okay, gosh, you got me on that front. Gani might not be the direct killer. But he could easily be an accomplice! Think about it Lav! I checked those photos from social media. They occurred right before the blackout, so anyone in that picture couldn't have turned the lights off in the boiler room. Cross referencing it with the guest list, well, there's just one name missing. If all the other guests are accounted for, then by golly it's gotta be the secretary! Here is the heart of the matter. Perhaps we can eliminate the guests from suspicion. ...Perhaps. However, there is a whole subset of person that has evaded your memory, dearest Baldera. As they say... perhaps the butler did it? A butler? Well, I get why they're suspicious with the masks and all. But don't think I'm just some idiot, you hear? I already thoughta that. We know a total of nine butlers were hired. The pictures show a group of three by the stage, and four of them about the main floor. That adds up to seven. If you add the butler by the main entrance, and the one in the kitchen – accounted for at the time of the blackout by the kitchen staff – that's nine. That should rule out all these butler types, right? Butler types... what a fitting title. True, nine butlers were hired. However, can you prove that only nine donned the mantle of “butler” during the party? Uhh... Well, I think I can. So, if there was someone who wanted to pretend to be some butler, earliest they could arrive was when the party was getting set up. That's the earliest you can imagine? How limited your mind must be! For all we know, this dutler – disguised butler – infiltrated the building far before preparations began. They hid beyond detection, and once the party began in earnest they assimilated to their surroundings. Okay, okay, maybe you could sneak in like that or something. But what about getting out? Because the culprit was inside the building when the lights went out. Again, this is an assumption, Baldera. And you know what they say about assumptions. They make an rear end out of.... us all, in the end, when you think about it. No, I'm not wrong about this, Lav! The lights went out because that panel in the Boiler Room was messed with. It's an unshakeable fact you'd have to enter the boiler room to do that. And okay, maybe some device could mess with the panel. But we didn't find anything like that in the dang boiler room! You'd have to be in the room to remove the device. Ah, that is the crux of your misconceptions – the root of all confusion! There's a small window in the boiler room. Depending on the flexibility of an entering arm, surely that could be one way with which to remove the device. I... Lav, you're killing me here! Okay, but what about the actual murder? Because Mr. Athen definitely died during the blackout! He was killed with that poisoned rag. This is the axis! Huh? I said... this is the axis: the axis upon which our whole perception of this case shall swing. I'm not following you here. Uh, ditto. You see, there is a clear contradiction at the scene of the crime. It stood out to me from the very beginning. However, alone, it was like the rhythm of a single instrument. Only in concert with the rest of the track can I hear the murderer's symphony.This would usually be the point where Seth cut me down with a typical dismissive remark, but surprisingly I maintained the floor. It appeared as though even he realized that I was on the brink of a big discovery. Look at the stain on the man's clothes. Made from wine of a light yellow color, if I had to guess. Now then, witness the spilled wine bottle by Athen himself! Dark red! Blood red. Clearly, somebody else spilled their wine on the man. Sure. Okay. So? Have we tested the red wine for poison?A brief bout of silence. I mean... it's going to the lab just like the rag and a bunch of other forensic evidence. We'll know if it's the m-murder weapon soon enough. But poisoning specifically Mr. Athen's wine seems pretty difficult for, uh, a few reasons... Murder is a difficult business, Seth. If it wasn't, the assassin market wouldn't be so lucrative, and we wouldn't be as casually rude to our coworkers as we tend to be. But with the proper preparations, anything is possible. It's simply a matter of being thorough. Lav, it'd help if we had a clue about what you were talking about right now.I must admit, this part of my job was a lot of fun. [BGM: Ante Up]  Here we have the detective, right about to lay out some grand deduction. Haven't you gotten such a deal? You've paid for the whole seat, but you've only used the edge! ...I mean, you didn't pay anything, and you don't actually have a seat, but I think I make my point. Some great truth is about to be spoken! ...So? What is it? … Well come on, I'm waiting. Oh, you didn't think you'd get to just sit around and let Laverna do all the heavy lifting, did you? Non, au contraire, you have to help Laverna out! I mean, you don't really, this all has already happened. But still, I figured this would be a good spot to inject some interaction on your part. Everyone wants to be a detective, right? I'm sure you do. So come on, let's engage in a linguistic journey! I'll even show you how it's done, so you don't get too cranky. Watch. Alrighty, deductions are less about figuring out what happened (Laverna'll usually already know, more or less), it's more how to say it. Presentation is everything for someone in her line of work. This means stringing together a great proclamation by alternating from prepositions or conjunctions to statements of fact, until you have a coherent and correct train of thought. Right now we can only see our conjunctions, “if” and “then”. Unfortunately, we need to proceed a bit before seeing the statements. A touch inconvenient, but it is how it is. Luckily, it seems like we're forming a very simple deduction. I have to imagine “if” will go first. So let's select that. Okay, now we see the full scope of things. You'll always get all the conjunctions and statements you'll be working with from the start. The downside is you have to use all the conjunctions you get. Anyways, I'm just gonna... Okay. Yeah, I aborted that little tutorial section prematurely. Just seemed a little basic. You get it, right? It's not a super difficult concept? Yeah, uh, totally. (Lie)  Did you... did you just say 'lie' out loud? Oh dear. That's not a good sign. Might want to check that out, make sure this thing isn't having any unfortunate side effects on you. … Oh, sorry, I should finish with this first. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, deduction tutorial, right. You said you understood it, as I recall? Great, let's move on. Could I give you a pro tip, though? You see, I'm a real stickler for grammar. I don't like people who don't talk good. So please, if you're trying to say something, be precise in your phrasing. Say it as grammatically correct as possible. I'll try and work with you as much as possible, but if you're just mindful on your part, it'll make it easier on both of us. Oh, but don't misunderstand me. I won't be pleased by just any flaccid deduction that's syntactically coherent. Making valid sentences is a prerequisite for most humans. I'm looking for actually correct deductions, okay? If what you say contradicts the facts, you're barking up the wrong tree. ...Okay, let's just get to it. Oh, I almost forgot. I was going to have difficulty options. Right, what say you? How confident do you feel about all of this?We're going to be doing the hard difficulty for everything in this LP. I see hard, I choose hard. A gamer of principle, I see. Very well then. Your funeral. Deduct or die, syntax champ. I'll give you, uh, let's call it 7 chips for each time you finish one of these deductions. Oh, but if you make an incorrect deduction, I'm taking a chip off that reward. It's time for you to learn in the best way: by doing.Okay, so, Deductions are one of the four minigames that we'll be encountering over the course of this LP. It's pretty straightforward – alternate between X (conjunction/preposition) and Y (fact) pieces to form a coherent sentence that gets across the solution while using all of the conjunctions/prepositions. How we're going to actually represent this puzzle in the LP is that I'm going to provide the “formula” (that is, lay out a representation of the order to alternate) and then provide each option in both sides. You can solve the puzzle yourself that way, if you're interested! I'll spoiler the actual answer at the bottom. We're going to get 7 chips for each of these regardless (since, well, I know the answers), so this is more for fun. With that, let's get started!X + Y + X + Y + X + Y + X + Y. [X] -If -And -Then -Or [Y] - The killer was disguised as a butler. - The killer is hiding in the building. - The killer left before the lights went out. - There are currently only 9 butlers present. Solution: If there are currently only 9 butlers present and the killer was disguised as a butler then the killer left before the lights went out or the killer is hiding in the building.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:48
|
|
|
[BGM: Double Down]  [You won 7 chips!] Okay then, the simplest way to teach is to demonstrate.I grabbed Secretary Gani's arm and pulled him next to the corpse. You sir! You shall play the part of the victim. All right, neat. Do I need to like, do something? Unnecessary. Simply act according to my commands. Sick.Next, I ran to the nearby waiter who had been guarding the door. I ripped the mask off his face and put it on mine.  Ow! Thaaaank you. Is the mask necessary? I like masks. That's n-not what I asked. Just hush, Seth, she's saving our asses right now. Correction, she's saving your rear end. I am saving the victim's spirit's rear end, by helping pursue his murderer! Now... to begin the tragedy. I am a waiter. I have a meaningless existence, doomed to be forgotten, to die unloved. Doo do-doo. Hey!I mimicked typical waitery motions. Except! That is just a facade! I'm not a waiter at all! Correct, you're a headcase. Baldera, the kind soul she is, stomped on Seth's foot for me. My plan starts by planting a most foul device in the boiler room.I began running over to the boiler room. Hey, wait up! Here I am, planting the device.I mimicked placing a bomb on the panel. Next, I make my way back to the party.Right as Seth was catching up to Baldera, I turned 180 degrees and fled the room. Oh god damnit what was the point of this?Soon enough, we stood next to the would-be victim.  Now, question for the class: what is the identity of our murderer? How should we know? I do not seek a name, merely an occupation. ...Waiter? Assassin. Uh, what about a magician? It appears the secretary is most fitting for the title 'detective'. Oh, I'm actually happy with my job. A man of conviction – I like it. Yes, what happens next is an act of sleight of hand. The faux waiter 'bumps into' Athen, spilling some wine on him. And with this opportunity, he does three things. He poisons the man's wine, he plants the rag in Athen's front pocket, and he drops the crumpled-up psalm on the floor near Athen's table.I mimic doing all three to Secretary Gani. Up until now, I had Baldera and Seth's attention. However, at this stage, Seth raises an eyebrow. Seriously? You don't, er, think that's a little much? Yes, it is. Murder also seems a tad too far, but we can't judge others by our own standards. Now, this next piece is key. Right after this interaction, the faux waiter makes his exit from the party. And, once outside, he presses the activation device on his EMP, plunging the venue into darkness. It is in this darkness that the effects of the poisoned wine take hold of Mr. Athen, dropping him to the floor as though he were a mere puppet. The killer collects the damning evidence from the boiler room with incredible flexibility, and, like that, the situation is handled. Voila! Murder, in three acts.With this, I took a grand bow. Secretary Gani clapped earnestly. Baldera and Seth were less impressed. [BGM: Silence]  Wait a minute... what were the three acts? Laverna sweetie, this was a very nice story. But come on, really? You doubt me, sir? Uh, well, um, yeah. Yeah, actually, I think I am. Well then, have at you! Prove me wrong – if you can! Okay then.Seth walked over to the waiter standing by the exit. Did another waiter exit the venue right before the lights went off? Huh? Oh, yeah. The guy said he was taking a smoke break. That's... …huh.I bowed once more, and received another bout of applause from Secretary Gani. [BGM: Stand]  Well that's, uh, a slice of h-humble pie for me. I'm really not good at my job, am I? Why am I even here? Oh, come off it, Seth. Any good detective needs an adequate foil. It is the clash of two equal and opposite forces that creates progress. That doesn't sound right to me, but I don't have it in me to argue with you again. But wait, wait, wait just a gosh darn minute!! You!She turned angrily towards the masked waiter, raising an accusatory finger. This is some incredibly relevant testimony. Why didn't you say anything up until now?I clucked dismissively. Tsk tsk, Baldera, I thought you smarter than this. Isn't it obvious? We didn't ask! … I seriously can't believe that we're relying on h-her of all people. Lav, I... I can't... Words seemed to evade Baldera. I tended to have that effect on her. Why are you defending him? Whose side are you on? The truth's side! And you see, the truth has no sides. It is a sphere. A sphere of pure, idealized history, that we all must covet. It's slippery, so the only way to grab ahold is if we all work together, pushing it to the center from all angles. Okay, okay, I think we've wasted enough time with Baldera's typical hysterics. W-we don't need to waste more on your conceptual geometry lesson on truth. Which, um, for the record, is undercut by the fact that you started your lecture by saying you're on truth's side before proceeding to say it doesn't have a side. Ah, I see where you could get confused with that. To explain– Oh, sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. I don't care. I just didn't think it was important... Uh, so... does this mean we're chill now? Oh! Um, well, yeah, you're free to go. So so sorry for the inconvenience, really, I feel pretty awful about how this whole thing shook out. Hey, it's no biggie. Really? Yeah dude, we all mess up. I know I've screwed the pooch a fair share of times myself! Oh... well, good to hear. Boy are you lucky, Baldera. If it weren't for Laverna, you could've gotten in a whole heap of trouble. I m-mean, accusing the governor's secretary? If we took him in for an arrest, that would've been another PR fiasco. Well... you know, I was the one who brought Laverna. So, in some ways, I'm kind of responsible for reaching the eventual truth, right? ...Speaking of, Lav, I can't thank you enough for this. I require no thanks. Merely praise. Well, you're gonna get a whole lot of both from me. Way to help a girl out! Oh? So the thing to take away from this event was that you didn't come out looking unfavorable? Ms. Aija, ma'am!Baldera jumped to attention. What are you doing here? Ah, well, there was a little incident in regards to my secretary. Right, look, I'm really sorry about that... Hmph. Ah, all is forgiven. I'm not the type to hold on to grudges. Really? Of course! Look, I relate to you. I've made my mistakes in my past. ...My distant past, a far period of time from now, and minor ones which don't speak ill to any significant degree of my character. My point is, I believe in second chances... and the people. And I believe in forgiveness. Why, that's why I've given the most gubernatorial pardons of any of Panthea's governors throughout history. So simply look to the future. Of course, ma'am. Now, to the matter at hand.Aija turned to me. To most, her staredown would be, at the very least, slightly unnerving. Not so for me. I knew better. Hello there, Governor. Funny how we keep running into each other in this place. Oh ho ho. Yes. Humor. Anyways, I actually came over here to speak with you. It appears I misjudged you. I get that a lot. I can believe it. Perhaps more of an introduction is in order, then. You moved to Panthea not too long ago, no? Where did you live before then? A place less in need of my skills than here. Well, that narrows it down quite a bit, doesn't it!If only. Still, to move here in particular? I have to imagine there's some reason for it. Relatives? What's your family situation like? It's not unlike many others. Well, aren't you quite the mysterious lady? I like to think it increases the intrigue. It certainly does. You said you were a private investigator. Have you any interest in being hired onto my staff? This whole experience has certainly served as an impressive interview. And... there are plenty of matters I'd appreciate investigated. … Ah, truly, a flattering offer. I must bow to it. ...However, I'm not sure the cases you'd like me to take on are the ones I want to take on. I'm content at the pace I'm working at. Is that so? And... I imagine pay wouldn't be a factor that could change that decision. The only pay I require is the payment of justice. Well then. At the very least, since you've been working in conjunction with the police so much, I'd imagine it might be prudent to become an officer yourself. Surely that would help things, at least from a logistics standpoint? If you like, I could put in a good word for you with Arrianne. Ah... again, I must reject your humble offer. I'd prefer not to shackle myself to one client at present. ...Is that right?[BGM: Silence]  You're quite an interesting character, Ms. Laverna. I don't think I'll forget you. Few do. I can imagine. ...Gani. Come.And like that, Aija turned around and walked away with her secretary in tow. She had been quite diplomatic through most of our conversation. But, one of the reasons I was good at my job was because I could read people. Right as she was turning around, I could see a stern expression forming on her face. I can imagine that Aija didn't necessarily leave with a great impression of Laverna Smyth. ...Oh well. It can't be helped. [BGM: Pip Count]  You two done with damage control? Damage control? That's not what that was? Because, um, if it wasn't, that's what it should've been. Anyways, I've been thinking some more on Laverna's explanation. Let's say it's right, for the most part. ...Why? Why? Why is it right? It is right because I based my deductions on – No, no, not that. It's clear a lot of effort was put into making it look like the culprit was somebody in the party.Seth was right. When you looked at the killer's timeline objectively, a lot of unnecessary effort was put into the kill. Most of it could be explained if you assumed they really wanted to make it look like the killer was still inside the building. But we would've come to the right conclusion eventually! I mean, Lav, you really helped me out right there. But when forensics came back with the poison in the wine, when we collected more thorough testimonies from everybody involved, when we couldn't find any traces of the poison hidden inside the venue... Sure as the day shines, we would've eventually gotten it right. As tempting as it is to take some more pot-shots at this force, Baldera's right. It's a lot of effort for a temporary stopgap. Why?It was a really solid point. There must've been some good reason for why the murderer did what they did. A plan this elaborate wasn't constructed haphazardly. Truly, there can only be a single explanation. The culprit sought to buy that which all humans yearn for – time. There is some critical piece of evidence that would slip from our fingers had we focused our suspicions on those within this oversized coffin. That is the true purpose of this grand deception. Alright, Little Miss Genius, then what's this evidence that's slipping from us right now? Because, uh, from your description, I don't think there's anything like that. Hey, Seth's right! …You don't get to act so surprised at that with your track record. What evidence could we be missing, Lav? Ha! Isn't the answer to that astoundingly obvious? Um... no? Exactly! In which case, why would you presume that I would know that? … ...That's, um, fair enough, I s'pose. I-i-it really isn't...Fact of the matter is, I was stumped on that – just like I was stumped on a number of things. However, I'd have time to be stumped later. For now, there was something far more urgent taking up my attention. Entering the venue, quite late to the party, was Chief Arrianne – head of Panthea's police department. Instantly, all the other officers stood to attention. An odd, almost archaic show of deference, I thought; one I didn't feel the need to go along with. Nor did Arrianne, by the looks of things. She waved her hand dismissively, calling it off. I wonder, was that because she was currently in the public eye? Immediately, she approached me. [BGM: Opening Lead]   Laverna. Arrianne, what brings you here? I am the Chief of Police, Laverna. I make it a habit to join in all major investigations. The only reason it took me this long to arrive was because I was busy on the other side of the city when I got the report. I believe that was, um, a rhetorical question, Chief. Was it? Apologies, then, for the redundant answer. No need. Redundant answer is practically my middle name. That is quite the unwieldy middle name. Again, I b-believe she was being hyperbolic. And I was being sarcastic, Mr. Johnson. Oh. Apologies, it's sometimes hard to tell with you, ma'am. I am aware. Laverna, I do not suppose you would enlighten me as to your presence here? Isn't it obvious? Wherever there is justice, I appear. Hmm. I was seeking a more... literal answer.Instead of asking me again, Arrianne scanned the room. Before long, her gaze landed on Baldera. I presume Laverna's presence was your doing, Ms. Vasquez? Heh heh, you got me dead to rights, Chief. I just thought a little extra help couldn't hurt, you know? It couldn't. Well then, is that what Laverna provided? Extra help?Deciding to try and help, Pandora pitched in. Totally, Chief! Bringing Laverna in was a great idea! I mean, if she wasn't here, Baldera totally would've arrested Governor Aija's secretary for the murder. That would've been a total scandal! So it's a good thing Laverna was here.At this, Arrianne raised a single eyebrow. Is that right? Baldera gave Pandora a dirtier look than I thought her capable of. ...It is. Thanks for the report, Pandora. …Arrianne briefly regarded me.  Well then, I suppose that performance is worthy of brief praise. You have my thanks for saving my subordinates from undue embarrassment. The pleasure was mine, Chief. Chief? You have an issue with it? Not particularly. Just... only my men call me 'Chief'. Well, when I'm helping out on one of your crime scenes, you can consider me as one of your men.[BGM; Silence]  Arrianne looked me over, as though she was re-assessing me somewhat. As expected, this was the right tack with her. Very well then. I shall do just that.Arrianne turned back to face the group as a whole. To be honest, one question rises above all in my mind. Yes? Why exactly have you all allowed a reporter free access to a crime scene while not even bothering to cordon it off?For a moment, nobody knew exactly how to respond to this. Finally, Seth spoke up, albeit extremely hesitantly. I'm... sorry, chief? I, uh, I'm afraid I don't understand what you're referring to.Arrianne sighed. That is exactly my issue, Mr. Johnson. When I finally arrived, I was greeted with a most troubling sight. To the side of this building, I saw that slimy reporter Kane...[BGM: Bust]  And he was having a field day taking photographs of a corpse.Again, it took a brief moment for everyone to comprehend exactly what Arrianne was telling us. Then, in an instant, the room became electric. Before anyone could say anything, however, Arrianne spoke up. Now that she was here, we were under her orders. Pandora, you make sure none of the guests or the staff exit the building. Everyone else, follow me.She didn't need to speak twice. Personally, I felt like tripping over myself trying to rush to the scene. Exiting the gaudy building back into the dark night, filled with sounds of bugs and animals, was as much a departure as it was entering the building in the first place. A death in that well-to-do party felt like an anachronism... but a death here felt right at home. We followed Arrianne, who circled around the west side of the building. Turning the corner, I quickly saw what she was talking about. Further down the building, there was a section faintly lit up by a spare light that was attached to the building.  I could see Kane, merrily taking more pictures from more angles. Doubtless he'd already gotten enough. But, having unquestionably already encountered Arrianne, he must have known his time unaccompanied with the body was coming to an end. When he heard the oncoming posse, he put his arms up and slowly backed away from the body. I could plainly see a smirk plastered upon his face; he was cackling on the inside about the situation. He, unquestionably, found it hilarious. ...I also sort of found it a bit funny, but of course there was not a chance in hell I'd say that aloud. Some of the officers immediately began cordoning off the area, taking their own pictures of the scene. A medical-looking officer began inspecting the body up close. That would likely take a bit of time. For now, there's no need to concern myself with the body itself. There was another person much more willing to answer questions within arm's reach. Kane. Speak. Woah, woah, easy there! No need for the harsh stares, Sherlock. I think it's appropriate right about now, buddy. Tell us what you know. Hah! How the tables turn in such little time. What brilliant fuckin' irony. Before, you were acting all high and mighty... you weren't willing to give me an interview. But it looks like now you are looking for an interview from me. How about that? This really how you're planning on playing this? Thought you were smarter than that. If you would recall accurately – a challenge for you, I'm aware – you would know I did agree to an interview. I simply asked to delay it until I saw the crime scene myself. Alright, alright, relax. I was just having a bit of fun. What can I say, I like flexing some power when I have it? Real admirable trait, that. You know, I should be getting thanked right now. I found a dead body! And y-you reported it to the authorities immediately like a good citizen. ...Okay, okay, you got me there. Your conduct on this is bordering on a felony. Take it easy! I was just doing my due diligence as a reporter. Really, anyone in my position would do the same. Well, I suggest you start talking now, because as it stands, you're at the top of the suspect list. This chick serious? Kane looked between Seth and me, and after clearly not getting the support he expected, he shook his head. Ah, poo poo. Alright, here's the scoop, unfiltered. Really, it was a coincidence more than anything. You guys kept me out of the scene, so I got antsy just standing around outside in the cold. Began to pace the building's perimeter, just to clear my mind. Soon enough, I stumble across that scene over there. I knew that was a grade A chance, so I got out my camera and began doing my thing. Not long after that, your boss came and started chewing my rear end out. Like, seriously, that broad really needs to learn some basic time efficiency. I got the point in the first minute, didn't need the next nine. And that's it. Didn't touch the body, didn't alter the scene, didn't do anything like that. That's it? That's your story?[BGM: Kicker]  That's the truth, and you should take it to heart. And, while you're at it, maybe ask yourself why you and your little buddies didn't find this before I did. That's just shoddy work right there, plain and simple.I had to admit, I agreed with Kane on this one. The fact that none of the officers had bothered to canvas the scene at large up until this point was sort of embarrassing. I noticed Chief Arrianne gesturing for us to join her next to the body. We're going to have more questions for you. Oh, I'm sure.Kane's self-assured smirk got under my skin, but I couldn't dwell. Instead, I walked with Seth and Baldera up to the corpse. The other officers had already spread out a bit, so we could finally do some investigating. You have the floor. Do your preliminary investigation. She held a flashlight up to the body, and for the first time, I got a good look at the guy. He had collapsed on his side, and unlike the first victim this guy's cause of death was pretty apparent. The back of his head was awfully bloody, and looking closely I saw flecks of... was that bone? Gross. This guy was far younger than Mr. Athen – not much older than myself, as a matter of fact. He was dressed up, though not to the extent that many of the other guests had been dressed up. He could've fit in at that gala, but his wardrobe would've been mocked by some of the more judgmental guests. Any idea who this poor bloke is? Maximillian Collins.Baldera said this with an odd chill in her voice. Unfamiliar with the name, both Seth and I turned to Baldera, questioning. At this, Baldera became flustered, as though she needed to justify herself. The, uh, the nephew of Veronica Collins. She was the CEO of some shipping company, I think. And friends with Odin Deisma. Deceased, by the sound of things.Baldera just nodded. So then, you, you suppose this guy was on the guest list for this gala? Well, um, it could definitely be possible; I'd have to check. But at the very least, if he was supposed to show up, he didn't. I'd have known if anyone who entered the building had left. I took out a flashlight of my own and began looking around in the grass where the body lay. I noticed three cigarettes, each burned to a nub and crushed. Had he been waiting here for a time? Waiting for someone? But... that discovery was nothing compared to what I found next. Lying in the grass, covered in blood... a single bronze bell lay. Th-that's... 'Who'll toll the bell? I, said the Bull, because I can pull. I'll toll the bell.'I had to keep myself from grinning. This. This was getting interesting. … [BGM: Silence]  Ah, I love a good Whodunnit. Of course, usually you get to, oh, I don't know... know who dunnit? Ah, but we'll probably get an answer soon enough. But what really ties a mystery together is the detective! And folks – er, folk – we've got ourselves a wacky one. I wonder why so many detectives are wacky? I suppose it's a wacky profession to go into in the first place. Home to the justice-obsessed and the habitual narcissists. You have to be a degree of both to do what a detective does and feel like a good person. Guess that's why if you're not a wacky detective, you're likely a depressed one. ...Or both? Maybe detectives are wacky because criminals are wacky, and to catch someone out of your mind you have to think like them – to be out of your mind yourself! Yeah! I mean, that doesn't actually mean anything or make sense, but it sure sounds like it does. Whatever the case, Laverna sure seems a lot less wacky in her head. Booooooring. If you're wacky in your actions but not in your thoughts, you can't be True Wacky. You're just eccentric. ...Let's move on. I fear if I say the word 'wacky' one more time it'll lose all meaning. Whoops, I just did. Guess the word is meaningless. The arrogance of humanity. Let's talk about the victim. Or, victims. Love me a double kill. Killing more than one person at a time has always been a bit weird to me. Makes sense though I suppose. If you're already dipping your toes in the 'murder' water, might as well get your hair wet. Say, who do you think bit the bullet first? Athen or Max? Now isn't that a fun question? Why don't we bet on it? C'mon, it'll be fun. You can pretend to be a detective yourself! What do you say, you think Athen died first? Or Max?The winning vote was Athen died first, so that's what we're answering. Athen died first. Think the old man croaked first? Why, just because you saw his body first? Or is there a more in-depth thought process? ...Eh, I don't really care, let's just keep going. What I really want to know is how much you're betting.20% chose the losing vote (Max died first), so we're betting 5 chips. And there we go! We're gambling! That's gambling, baby! Now to watch the metal ball spin! Next update, we begin the next stack... and are introduced to our second perspective, Lock.
Mix. fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jul 9, 2023 |
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:49
|
|
|
Voting Athen died first. Killing Athen required multiple stages of setup. Obtaining a waiter disguise, planting a device in the boiler room to shut off the power, manipulating Polly into an argument as a distraction (may have involved stealing someone else’s phone). So the most likely timeline is the killer does all the necessary set up, then kills Athen. Then they exit, get spotted by Max who’s waiting around outside for some reason and decide to kill him to cover their tracks. The alternative possibilities don’t seem as likely- A) Killing a guy outside, then doing a bunch of setup work inside to kill someone else all whilst hoping to hell that nobody spots the dead body outside B) Doing a bunch of setup work inside, then exiting to kill a guy, then reentering, then finishing the kill setup then exiting again. Athen also seems more important/influential/powerful so has more of a reason to be specifically targeted.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 17:42
|
|
|
Athen died first I uh, looked up the poem
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 17:45
|
|
|
Max died first. Meta reasoning is that the poem is misdirection.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 18:34
|
|
|
Well this is an interesting set-up. I guess Gani, Pandora and Waiter are three of our other perspectives? I guess that would make Pandora the Gun in the stack, being a cop. Waiter would be the Mask. Gani being the secretary is harder to pin down but I guess that would make him what looks like the Computer.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 18:45
|
|
|
Elite posted:Voting Athen died first. This makes the most sense to me. Not to mention that Max's murder involved a lot more blood, which potentially would be harder to cover up if he was murdered first. Voting Athen.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 18:49
|
|
|
ApplesandOranges posted:Well this is an interesting set-up. If you're using the chip dialogue icons as your basis I'll go ahead and say that all of the non main characters in this LP will have those, there's a lot more minor spriteless characters this time (since, well, it's not a death game setup) so thats my workaround That doesn't rule out that any of the other perspectives aren't involved with the gala, though 
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 18:51
|
|
|
Mix. posted:If you're using the chip dialogue icons as your basis I'll go ahead and say that all of the non main characters in this LP will have those, there's a lot more minor spriteless characters this time (since, well, it's not a death game setup) so thats my workaround Are we sure it's not a death game setup? But that's good to know, I'd probably have been eyeing any chip icons with suspicion otherwise. I mean, I still will be.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 18:59
|
|
|
Elite posted:Voting Athen died first. Gotta agree with this. Athen died first.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 19:20
|
|
|
ApplesandOranges posted:Well this is an interesting set-up. I don’t think they’ll be our other perspective characters because they seem a lot less “fun” than Laverna. I mean the hapless cops Seth and Baldera have more personality than Gani or the Waiter... and they have extremely strong “side character“ energy. I’d expect: The dice is a gambler The fists is a fighter The computer a hacker The flashlight guard/cop? The mask a thief? The gun a cop/mobster? I also think this first section with the gala is probably towards the end of the timeline. Partially because it seems like things are heading to a big confrontation soon, and there’s a lot of ground to tread to find out how we got here and also we’ll because it’s at the end of that aforementioned poem. I’ll copy paste the poem here if anyone’s curious and doesn’t feel like looking it up; Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the Sparrow, with my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin. Who saw him die? I, said the Fly, with my little teeny eye, I saw him die. Who caught his blood? I, said the Fish, With my little dish I caught his blood. Who'll make the shroud? I, said the Beetle, with my thread and needle, I'll make the shroud. Who'll dig his grave? I, said the Owl, with my pick and trowel, I'll dig his grave. Who'll be the parson? I, said the Rook, with my little book, I'll be the parson. Who'll be the clerk? I, said the Lark, if it's not in the dark, I'll be the clerk. Who'll carry the link? I, said the Linnet, I'll fetch it in a minute, I'll carry the link. Who'll be chief mourner? I, said the Dove, I mourn for my love, I'll be chief mourner. Who'll carry the coffin? I, said the Kite, if it's not through the night, I'll carry the coffin. Who'll bear the pall? We, said the Wren, both the cock and the hen, We’ll bear the pall. Who'll sing a psalm? I, said the Thrush, as she sat on a bush, I'll sing a psalm. Who'll toll the bell? I, said the Bull, because I can pull, I'll toll the bell. All the birds of the air fell a-sighing and a-sobbing, when they heard the bell toll for poor Cock Robin. The naming conventions here also seem they should probably mean something here. Unless that’s all some misdirection of course.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 20:06
|
|
|
Mix. posted:Like the previous game in the series, who our perspective is following is “offscreen”, so for this LP I'll just be using the symbol on the matching card stack for their dialogue, respectively. Okay, sure, fine, but Laverna is very clearly  . The real reason she's a private eye is that she's impossible to loving get along with, right?
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 21:06
|
|
|
Octatonic posted:Okay, sure, fine, but Laverna is very clearly Yeah, a lot of that dialogue was difficult to read. One thing to note on the poem - there's a chance that the person who does the killing is different than the person who sets up the symbols. Hell, there's even a world where the serial killer is one of the cops, and opportunistically places symbols on bodies or creates them as necessary. And we know that in the exterior, the police were able to come and go. Also, an officer can more easily and without suspicion ask someone to go stand in a specific area for questioning. It sounds like Max was out there alive for a while based on the butts on the ground. So I'd say Athen died first, and further that they were not killed by the same people.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 22:56
|
|
|
Oh hey, ground floor, can't wait to see where this goes.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 23:29
|
|
|
Athen died first.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 08:52
|
|
|
Octatonic posted:Okay, sure, fine, but Laverna is very clearly Dirk the Average posted:Yeah, a lot of that dialogue was difficult to read. She’s giving me major flashbacks to that hat guy from the Pokémon Reborn LP a while back. That said, I’ve been looking forward to this!
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 09:55
|
|
|
I'm just here right now to say that Ez's smirk is appropriately infuriating. I'm not sure if her or Monkey was more smug.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 10:05
|
|
|
Okay, so we uh, have a guy named polytheism and his father is called Odin? Is that what i'm getting here? Cool beans bro. I think Athen died first. The simple deduction is this - we know 2 things: 1. Athen could not have died before the lights went off. 2. The guy exited shortly before the blackout. He said he was going for a smoke break and i think that's actually entirely true. It takes a hot moment to smoke 3 cigs and he must have removed the device by then... therefore he must have died way after Athen, presumably by whover he was waiting for. And yes, i am assuming that our dead guy here is, in fact, the murderer, it's just that there are more people involved.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 13:21
|
|
|
STABASS posted:Athen died first This seems like the obvious answer given what we know currently.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
Regallion posted:Okay, so we uh, have a guy named polytheism and his father is called Odin? Is that what i'm getting here? Cool beans bro. A lot of people in Divine Deception have mythology-based names. We have a Seth (Egyptian god of chaos and the desert), a Pandora (Greek girl who opened a box), and three of the people here have short versions of Greek ones, one which even have a direct link: Athen is short for Athena, and the two brothers, Polly and Art, are short for a pair of twin gods: Apollo and Artemis. Anyway, like with Zodiac Trial, I do have experience with this game, so I'll abstain from voting.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 18:21
|
|
|
Junpei posted:A lot of people in Divine Deception have mythology-based names. We have a Seth (Egyptian god of chaos and the desert), a Pandora (Greek girl who opened a box), and three of the people here have short versions of Greek ones, one which even have a direct link: Athen is short for Athena, and the two brothers, Polly and Art, are short for a pair of twin gods: Apollo and Artemis. There’s some more mythology links already. The word Panthea is from Greek, meaning "all of gods" . See also Pantheon In Roman mythology, Laverna was a goddess of thieves, cheats and the underworld. Ukko, also known as Äijä, Äijö or Uku, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder in Finnish and Estonian mythology. In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the three major Hawaiian deities, along with Kū and Lono. Kane’s paper is called The Oracle Baldera could be Baldr / Baldur / Balder Gani could be Ganymede Arriane, maybe Adriane? Of the names we’ve gotten so far the only ones that don’t seem to have even a tenuous mythology connection are Maximilian and Veronica Collins. Neither of whom have really appeared on screen (Max turned up but was already dead).
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 21:49
|
|
|
Athen died first. Think the old man croaked first? Why, just because you saw his body first? Or is there a more in-depth thought process? ...Eh, I don't really care, let's just keep going. What I really want to know is how much you're betting. 20% chose the losing vote (Max died first), so we're betting 5 chips. And there we go! We're gambling! That's gambling, baby! Now to watch the metal ball spin!Next update, we begin the next stack... and are introduced to our second perspective, Lock.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2023 03:11
|
|
|
Who doubtless makes the world more interesting but less safe.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2023 23:21
|
|
|
Another Pandora? I hope we don't end up with another Pandora/Ancora situation. =/ I do like our detective this time. (The game setup and detective route have been quite entertaining so far.) Mix. posted:So, the bets. There's going to be quite a few of these over the course of the LP, and we actually have to also wager a set number of chips each time too. The way I'm going to be handling the amount of our bets is pretty simple – after the vote is concluded, I'm going to take the percentage of the votes that [i]didn't win and calculate what that percentage of the chips we currently have comes out to. That way, for bets where people are collectively in agreement on, we'll bet less chips as a result, but for bets where people are more divided, the bet will be higher – which means a higher potential payout as a result. The voting setup to determine our wager is a bit counterintuitive. We almost had a situation where all votes were that Athen died first (i.e., bet nothing). Athen dying first was a supermajority, nearly impossible to overturn. I dislike how this setup encourages disingenuous voting. If I personally agreed that Athen died first, my goal would be to maximize the amount we bet. Going with these rules, I would've lied, voting "Max died first" to boost the amount we wager. If I personally thought that Max died first, I would have voted "Athen died first". This would increase the Athen:Max ratio, driving the wager down closer to 0. However, the setup is good since we cannot run out of chips this way (i.e., the rules only let us bet half our current chips at a time). I doubt it'll be a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps counterintuitive voting is one of the themes of the game; Aija is up for re-election after all. NeoRonTheNeuron fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Jul 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2023 04:58
|
|
|
Odds are low that we would ever get a unanimous vote but if we do then it'll loop back around to betting half our chips. ...but I don't think it'll happen personally
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2023 05:06
|
|
|
Mix. posted:Odds are low that we would ever get a unanimous vote but if we do then it'll loop back around to betting half our chips. ...but I don't think it'll happen personally Are you saying you'd... bet on it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2023 06:08
|
|
|
Are we taking that challenge, thread?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2023 07:49
|
|
|
Laverna is giving some real Hercule Poirot vibes with her being haughty while simultaneously being disarmingly weird.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2023 23:23
|
|
|
[BGM: Stand]  Ah, Panthea. A lot of people called it an ugly city. It was derided as rotten. Of course, I'm not talking about on the national scale. I'm talking about the people who actually live here. People wise enough to see all its faults. They look to how the Duats have taken over the streets. A low crime rate sure as hell doesn't mean crime doesn't happen. They look to how Olympo has slowly become a monolith of the culture. Nobody likes a big monopoly swallowing everything else. They look to how stagnant things have been for the last few years. People can always find things to complain about in their situation. And when that happens, they want that situation to change. They complain and complain and complain. And... they've every right to do just that. It's the right of every person down on their luck to lament their fortune. But me? At times like these, I tended to see the beauty of Panthea. No, not the beauty seen from the outside. I couldn't give two shits about how many mansions were built in some forest. The grand and beautiful designs all over the place didn't really match my aesthetics. Honestly all that stuff just made me more resentful than anything else. I found the beauty in this: the nightlife. The hustle bustle of the city. It was far later than anybody should be out and about, and yet – look at how many people were out and about! For business? For pleasure? For a mix of both! It was a city of hunger. And hunger... I could respect. Though, maybe that's just ego... for I was probably hungrier than anyone else traversing these dimly lit roads. And that hunger was motivating my little walk to a local 'restaurant'. I could see the distinctive sign further down the road. I was getting close.  It was at this point I suddenly began to do a mental check of my appearance. Gave myself a once over in the dim glass of a clothing shop. I was never one who overly cared about my looks... but I definitely cared about my look. When a passerby saw me, the first thing they'd notice was my flashy suit – a purple blazer with green stripes running down it. I wore it over a pure black buttonup... and the thing that kept it all together was the bright red tie. My pants matched the color palette of my blazer, if a bit more toned down. The only part of my attire that looked remotely pricey were my brown loafers. Yeah... it was certainly a look all right. Maybe a touch eccentric. Or, to put it less favorably, cheesy. If you really wanted to go for the jugular, it was slimy. But you know? I liked it. Liked it a lot more than the greasy mop of a wig I called my hair. But not much could be done about that. Pleased with my self-analysis, I turned around and leaned on the glass. Ah, man... it was times like this I wished I smoked. I mean, I was happy with my choice not to. Does terrible things to your lungs. And I planned to live a long life. Still, there were certain points in my life I desired exactly what cigarettes provided. I was pretty certain that if I was a smoker, I'd be taking a long drag right about now. Instead, the most I could do was take a deep sigh. Not nearly as fun. So then. Did I want to go ahead with tonight? If my hunch was right – and it tended to be – this would be the night that things really went into high gear. I was already in pretty deep in Panthea. To pull out now would be a massive waste of time and resources. Not to mention, I'd be giving up on the reason I came here in the first place. But the alternative...  People were fearful in Panthea for a reason. It was a dangerous place. And I wasn't scared of the Duats or something like that. Every indication showed that they were your typical gangster organization. Powerful, but I knew how to work around them. So then, if not them, then who? Like it or not, the Duats had carved out a pretty solid monopoly of crime here. There weren't really a lot of other threats that I could see. But... that just meant I couldn't see whatever other threats there were. And that was scarier than anything else. I had been to enough of these broken cities to already tell there was some deep darkness at the core of this place. And it might not be the type I could afford to cross. So why stick my neck out like this? I was putting a lot of skin into this game, but there was no need. It was a big country. There were plenty of smaller, risk-free fish to go after. Looking at it 100% logically, there was no need to go in deep like this. ...Ah, well. Gamblers weren't really logical, were they? Like I said, I was hungry. Enough with the hesitation. This was just pre-game jitters talking. I was smarter than just about anybody in this hellhole. A deeper darkness? Pssh. Since when did I get so dramatic? No, no, no. Every rube walking these streets showed their hunger on their sleeve. So long as I kept those hungers in mind, I'd be fine. Worst comes to worst, I'd just flee town. I was good at that, at least. [BGM: Dummy]  I stopped leaning against the glass and resumed my walk. I was really close to the destination: Nohoi's Nest. There was no big billboard advertising the location, or flashy colors. Just a humble wooden sign. But that's all the advertising a place like this needed. As I approached, a man swung open the door. Looked like he was leaving in an incredibly sour mood. I could hear him cursing under his breath. A few steps behind him, some blonde was also leaving. However, she was walking in the other direction. And she had a distinct smile plastered across her face. A familiar smile. Thaaaaaat's a story. But if I stopped for every story I came across in this town, I'd never get anything done. As I entered Nohoi's, I could hear the bell attached to the doorframe ring. New customer.  The restaurant was nice. Quaint little place. Little cramped, but that was fine. A couple wooden tables, some chairs, neat candle lighting. Some old posters of... musicals, were they? They had some signatures. Clearly something the owner felt passionate about. What was most notable was how the restaurant seemed to be empty. Usually this place had at least one legit customer ordering something. Must be a slow night. All right. Enough pussyfooting about. I walked up to the receptionist. Hey Mickey, what's up? How's it hanging? I'm doing okay, Lock. You? I'm, uh... you know. I'm doing. Sorry to hear that. Let's just say there's a reason I came here. But... you must get that a lot. More often than I like. Well, don't mind me. I don't intend to be a nuisance. That's the thing about nuisances. They rarely intend to be. How you wound me, Mick. But, seriously. You know me. I know a lot of nuisances. The way this conversation is going, I'm starting to think you're a nuisance yourself. Hey, I don't get a lot of company up here. I like conversation when I can get it. So that's why you should like me! I always give you some good conversation when I swing around. That's true enough. So then, what're you here for? You actually in the mood for a meal? I'm here for the same reason I'm always here. Because I'm hungry. ...Lock, you realize that doesn't actually answer my question. Micky, have I ever been here for actual food? I don't know, you could start. Our service is actually pretty good I'll have you know. Yeah well, no arguments there. But no, you know why I'm here. Mind letting me down? Without the password? Isn't the password reserved for newbies? Not regulars like yours truly? The password is the password. You need it to enter. Rules are rules. Jeez, you're killing me. What, you think somebody's gonna be able to just disguise themselves as me? Just say the thing, dude. Fine. 'I bet myself against yourself'. All right, this way.The reception gave me a nod and started moving to a nearby door with a big 'Employees Only' sign. ...A sign that was disobeyed almost 100% of the time. I followed him into the room, looking around one last time to make sure nobody was looking in through a window. Not that it'd be my responsibility if somebody saw this. The light was already on in the closet of a room. At first brush, it just looked like it was a room for storage. But then Mickey pushed on a specific plank of the left wall... and that plank pushed in... and with it followed the wall. A reasonably disguised secret tunnel. As soon as you went down that rabbit hole, however, the entire vibe changed. It wasn't suddenly fancy or anything. But, wood turned to stone draped with furs. It wasn't dark, it was dark blue. Then dark green. Then dark purple. Indeed, the lights slowly pulsed between the cool colors, creating a surreal atmosphere. I finished walking down the stairs, and nodded to Mickey as he began to return to his post.  This was the real Nohoi's Nest. The biggest and best underground casino in all of Panthea. It was one of the few places blind to riches in this city. Rich? Poor? Middle of the road? All were welcome, if you were willing to keep it a secret. And no place for elitism here. This was the only place you could really let your gambling spirit run wild. You couldn't afford to be choosy. ...Which is why you saw so many big spenders living it up in a dingy, underground lair. Concrete walls decorated with crude posters. Tacky fur carpeting. Dance music filled the air, albeit at a lower volume than might be expected. They had some pretty good sound insulation, but if you're running an underground operation you can't be blasting tunes at full volume. And you couldn't complain to the owner if you wanted to stay here. If they took complaints, they'd definitely have done something about the lighting. I didn't know anybody who appreciated the lighting – consisting of just low pulsating colored lights and a single disco ball. ...Oh, wait, I did know one person. Me. I mean, apart from the practical aspect, I just kind of dug the style of it for its own right. Not many places like this – places packed with elation and sorrow, where some were looking for a good time and some were looking to make money. Where all were living a life of vague illegality. A comfortable blend of illegality, for that matter. This wasn't a hole for hardened criminals. If the police ever busted this place, it's unlikely many charges would stick. But, illegal in the literal sense – it wasn't legal. That added an extra sense of tension upon everything else. This was my kingdom. These were my people. My gut instinct was to immediately hit up one of the tables... but hey, let's take it easy now. A good night out started with drinks. For now, I'd just hit up the bar. I made my way over, and luckily at the moment I was the only one getting a drink. That meant I could have a private chat with the bartender. I liked talking with Ossa. A shame he didn't like me. [BGM: Bidding]  Lock. Hmph. Hey, hey, woah, what's that reaction about? Just acknowledging that you're here. Yeah, here to give your bar some much needed patronage. My bar has been doing just fine, thank you. As has my casino.Ossa wasn't just the bartender, he was also the pit boss and the owner of this whole franchise. ...Well. 'Owner'. Anyways, some people might think that the owner acting as a bartender is a little odd... and they'd be right. But all things considered, this was a small outfit. Private rooms aside, the bar had a view of the entire casino, so Ossa could multitask. Besides, according to him, he enjoys the act of bartending. So, what'll it be, Lock? Have any suggestions? Yeah. My most expensive drink. Oh, you. … Oh, uh, I guess just get me some Methe vodka. At this, Ossa raised an eyebrow. What? Nothing, nothing. You intend on actually doing some gambling tonight? Obviously, or else I'd go to a bar, not a casino. Then I'm curious why you're starting with Methe. What can I say? I like me some vodka. Besides, I've got a high alcohol tolerance... and I do my best work when I'm just a bit tipsy.At this, I winked at Ossa. If he saw this gesture, he gave no sign of it. Instead, he slowly turned around and reached for the drink I had asked for. He made no rush in filling up my shot. Ossa wasn't exactly a fast mover. Another reason I was grateful to have his undivided attention. When he handed me the glass, I toasted him, then immediately downed the shot. That's the way to do it. Ah, that hits the spot. I'll give you this – you're a unique drinker. That's the best compliment you could give me. Now that that's done, just give me a glass of beer: dealer's choice. Just want something to sip for a bit. If that's what you want. Ossa shrugged, and turned back towards the rack. You know, you've been showing up here a lot lately. And I'd have thought that'd make you the least bit grateful. Me? Grateful to one of my customers? All right, bad word choice on my part. Just, fuckin', I don't know... less outwardly hostile. I really don't feel any particular way about you. If it makes you feel better, I've been told by friends that I give off a hostile air. I'd believe it. I only ask because your nightly visits have stood out to me. You strike me as the type to have a life.Implying that people who show up at your casino this often don't have lives, huh? Once again, I got the feeling Ossa had a weird resentment towards his own clientele.  drat straight I have a life, buddy. Gambling is my life! Hmph. Maybe I'm not being clear enough. You seem to have a lot of money to throw around. What can I say? I'm a good gambler. Not that good. I've kept track of your games. You don't win nearly enough to make a profit. Well, who said my winnings were from here? You're not helping your case. How do you figure? You and I both know that you don't make big bucks from gambling on a whim. You don't even make big bucks from being skilled. If you're saying that you made it big from some previous gamble from wherever you came from, then either you're a miraculous idiot...Ossa placed my glass of beer down on the counter with a bit of force.  Or you swindled that money.Ossa gave me a stare. I didn't break eye contact as I grabbed the beer and took a sip. What can I say, mon ami? I'm adored by many ladies. Miss Luck is just one of my conquests.If I didn't know him better, I would have thought Ossa just rolled his eyes like a teenage girl. I'm just saying, you better not be causing any trouble. You know what I do to cheaters, right? Ossa, the dried blood on your knuckle tells the story far better than you could.At this, Ossa just grunted and went back to polishing another empty glass. I intended to make some more small talk... however, before I could say anything, my eyes were drawn to the events playing out at the poker table behind me. [BGM: Keep Hitting]  gently caress off!The sound of a glass being slammed onto a table echoed throughout the place. Oh, this is gonna be good. Standing at one end of the table was Polly Deisma, Troubled Heir Extraordinaire. That dude was as good a propaganda machine against his family's company as you could get. He seemed to trip into scandals at every possible opportunity. And his family seemed to equally treat him as a complete disgrace.  On the other side of the table was a face I wasn't familiar with. It was some redheaded chick. The girl was pretty attractive, wearing some oversized glasses and a fashionable outfit. The stacks of cash sitting on her side of the table was also a plus. Behind her was her friend, who was wearing a slightly odd denim outfit. She looked less scared and more pissed off. Though... not nearly as angry as Polly was. You're really gonna *hic* just go in a casino and cheat people? Well not this guy, honey! I'm not another one of your stooges. Um, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I get being upset... I did take a lot of your money. But you bet it! I don't care about the money! I don't give two shits about the money! gently caress the money! What I care about is that you've got the gall to try and *hic* cheat me! Cheat you? What do you mean? I was really sure I followed all the rules, we went over it so many times...No use hollering there, Polly. You were in Nohoi's Nest, where the rules are king. If it's legal – hell, if it's illegal but it's not caught – then it'll fly and be enforced. Nu uh uh, no you don't. I'm a fuckin' GOD of this stupid star game. And I know for a fact you don't make the moves you made unless you know what the other person had. And the only way that works is if you've marked the cards! You're saying my moves didn't make sense? Well darn, I put a lot of thought into them, too. But it looks like I got lucky, don't you think?Polly's eyes flared with rage. The redhead was... not helping her case. By the bar, I noticed Ossa cracking his knuckles. Oh boy, were we about to get some real action in here? However, before the fun could begin, another person made a move. [BGM: Silence]   Oi, dipshit, think that's enough of that.A random girl beat Ossa to the punch. She looked a little familiar, so at first I thought I might've known her. However, I probably would've remembered encountering someone with hair dyed bright pink. Ow! For gently caress's sake, Chara, I'm in the middle of something here! You're in the middle of making a right rear end of yourself! Let's get out of here. Or what, do you want to be on tomorrow's front page as well? Really tryin' ta give your brother more ammo? You think I give a poo poo about what that dickhead thinks? Put me on a month's worth of newspapers for all I *hic* care. Yeah, see, that's the problem. As much as I'd love to watch you self-destruct, ya got a promise to keep, and some work to do. That means waking up at a reasonable hour. And that means getting out of this bog.The girl gave Polly another tug, and this time Polly stumbled with it. Fine, fine, fine. Bedtime for me.[BGM: Stand]  Before leaving, however, Polly turned back around. Don't think I'm forgetting you though, you cheat. These little scams are going to catch up to you one day, you hear me? Um...At this, the girl gave Polly one more push towards the stairs. Real sorry about him. He probably didn't mean it – he's just proper buzzed. Oh, it's okay, really. I mean, it's not your fault or anything. Well, it's my job to make sure he's not faffing about places like this, so it is a little bit. ...Be seeing ya.And with that, the girl followed Polly up the stairs and out of the casino. With the situation resolved, people began to look elsewhere. The scene had came and went. ...  Well, that was a show, wasn't it? Hmph. Oh? You look unenthused. Right. Really, you didn't get any enjoyment out of that? When you're in my line of work for long enough, scenes like that are too common to be interesting.Isn't that the sad truth. Good thing for the prince that his girl came and bailed him out soon enough. Things would've gotten really ugly for him had he kept pushing it. Ugly for him? I was a little surprised, but upon further thought, it made sense. Ossa was about to step in before the fight got broken up. He must've planned to take the redhead's side. Planned on putting that rich prick through the wringer, eh? Not if I could help it.'Not if I could help it'? Now what on earth did that mean? I considered asking him for a bit more info... but before I got the chance, I lost my privilege of being the only customer of Ossa's. If you're guessing that the walking disaster would've lost a fight to glasses, then I'd have to agree. ...Also, a scotch whiskey, please.Ossa just grunted at this. If he had disdain towards me, he hated this joker. And? Fair enough. Who the hell liked Kane? ...Governor Aija, maybe. For everyone else with half a brain, The Oracle was nothing but pro-state propaganda. And the head of it, Kane Shay, a limpdick puppet. ...Well, I'm sure he had his fans. You didn't get to be the de facto source for news without any approval. But you weren't likely to find his fans in a place like this. Made me wonder why he even bothered showing his face in a place like this. Maybe the dude was a masochist. Or secretly self-hating. Or maybe he was a real gambling junkie, desperate to get his fix! ...I sort of doubted that last possibility. [BGM: Challenger]  Walking Disaster, huh? That what you call Polly Deisma? What, you disagree with me? Not particularly. Just surprised that's the nickname you'd give him. And why's that? Didn't you recently do a puff piece for Olympo? I'd have thought you were on their side. Or are all the opinions you put out complete, hollow horseshit? I take it you're aware of me. Most around these parts are. Huh. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't say the same. You are? Lock. Lock, then. Kane offered a handshake. It felt a bit weird to take it, but flat-out rejecting it felt a bit rude. For the record, unlike a lot of reporters, I do at least actually stand by everything I write. And yeah, I back Olympo. I don't back Polly Deisma. That guy is a mess. Entitled little poo poo who hasn't done an honest day's work in his life. He's a poster child for the worst type of rich person. So you're saying there's a good type? Ha! All right, maybe you got me there.That non-response let me know that, yes, indeed, this guy probably did think that, but was savvy enough to know that this wasn't the environment for that sort of talk. I was in a confrontational mood, however. Seriously, why back Olympo in the first place? I mean, okay, maybe you don't care about them hurting local businesses. Iron fist of the free market, blah blah blah. But they're a big faceless corporation with a thousand branches that stands for nothing. Why go to bat for them? I wouldn't say I go to bat for them. Really? Look, there's some upsides to housing a big company like that. What, that we're gonna have a sneak peek to the real life version of every sci-fi movie before the rest of the country? That Panthea offers something. 'A thriving community of mom and pop shops' is nothing on a national level. 'Home base to one of the largest companies in the country' is something. Maybe you're right that Olympo takes a lot of small stacks, knocks them over, and makes a big stack. I say good! People only take note of a big stack! Hmph. Am I too drunk, or was there the faintest hint of being impressed in that grunt? Judging by the fact you've already gotten two refills, yeah, I'd wager you're too drunk. But... yeah, at least that's an opinion. More than I expected from you, to be honest. Well, here's to defying expectations! Kane toasted me, and went back to his drinking. Alright then, so answer me this. Why do you give a poo poo about how Panthea comes around on the national stage? How's that factor into any thing? Oh, I dunno, a little something called citywide pride? Pride for Panthea, is it? This the wagon you want to hitch yourself to? Matter of fact, I do. I care quite a lot about Panthea. More than most of these jackasses. You know, my grandfather was a politician. He had a decent part in leading Panthea into something that halfway resembles a decent city. If you're that into 'uplifting Panthea', why not go into politics yourself? Yeah, well. Given my parental situation, I don't think that's really an option for me.Parental situation? I tried racking my brain. ...Oh, right. I vaguely remembered something about Kane's father. I wanted to say that he killed his mother, but to be honest I wasn't 100% on the situation, and this didn't feel like the sort of thing I wanted to guess on. But yeah, when criticizing Kane, a lot of people jumped to making remarks about his dad. That felt... needlessly cruel. Hate the guy all you want, but don't drag some trauma like that into things. Yeah, I guess that's true. Sorry about that, for what it's worth. Eh, it's fine. It's whatever. Probably a dead end from the start anyways. After all, it doesn't look like I'm going to be winning popularity contests any time soon, and that's without becoming a politician. Ha! You've got me there.I took a sip of my beer, then continued my line of questioning. So what, you think journalism is the best way to 'help out Panthea'? There's a bit more to why I chose my occupation than that, Lock, but it certainly doesn't hurt.I lowered my voice a bit. If you love Panthea so much, why not point out the threat that the Duats pose? Downplaying it seems like it's going to hurt this city in the long run. I don't know what you're talking about. If you're referencing me mentioning that crime's been at an all time low, I'm not wrong. Oh don't give me that, you know that's not a good way of representing things. Isn't it? Again, I think you're assuming insincerity when I 'm being straight as a fuckin' arrow. I'm in favor of the Duats. You're what? Look, I don't know you, but I'm guessing you don't remember what things were like back when the Shikome were around, or any of the other freak shows. Panthea used to be scared. A warzone. Now, at least there's order.I wanted to rebut that... but he was right. I wasn't around for the Shikome. I didn't even know who they were. While I got the sense I disagreed with Kane, I also got the sense that he knew more about what he was talking about than I did. So I decided to just continue nursing my beer. After a brief bout of silence, Kane spoke up. [BGM: Silence]  You know, I didn't come here to talk politics. I came here to forget about it. So why don't you and me have a little bit of fun, huh? I'm flattered, but I don't usually do hookups in a place like this. I'm talking about gambling, fuckface. I was saying we should settle things the way they should be – over cards. Or what, you too chicken to actually gamble yourself?I checked my watch – an obvious knockoff of an expensive brand. There was still plenty of time to kill. And it could be fun fleecing this fool of some cash. All right, what the hell? I didn't come to drink, I came to gamble. I'll take you up on that offer. Ah, now that's what I like to hear! Let me finish this drink first, and we'll get right to it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 00:39
|
|
|
Gambling is a core theme in this game! The gambler is fun but lacks much of a reason to exist so far. Lock came to gamble but got sidetracked by Ossa, Polly, and Kane. It was interesting to learn more about everyone, but will the setup pay off?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 01:17
|
|
|
I'm sorry, but a purple suit with green stripes? Is he the Joker? Also, I have a feeling that Panthea is still a warzone. It's just been shoved under the rug and into the shadows instead of open warfare.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 02:51
|
|
|
SimplyUnknown1 posted:I'm sorry, but a purple suit with green stripes? Is he the Joker? No, he has brown hair. Which is a lighter hue than what I'd associate with who he's supposed to be, but so it goes.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 04:27
|
|
|
I see we’re playing the game’s rogues gallery :P A pompous detective, a smarmy gambler…
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 06:10
|
|
|
NeoRonTheNeuron posted:Gambling is a core theme in this game! Lock is definitely scheming something. Either he’s a very good gambler who’s been throwing games here waiting for an invite to a higher stakes game (where he’ll take everyone for a ride). Or he’s working another angle and has just been playing the role of gambler. All his comments about skin in the game and wasting time/resources only make sense if he has grander plans than just throwing his money away.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 19:21
|
|
|
Insertnamehere31 posted:Laverna is giving some real Hercule Poirot vibes with her being haughty while simultaneously being disarmingly weird. And she's sure making me update my mental image of those Inland Empire moments, talking to the hanged man
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 19:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 10:00 |
|
|
I basically always viewed Lock in my head as looking like... well, Dog from Zodiac Trial.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 19:41
|
|