bittybat | W3, post-investigation Friday

How far in the mines did they go before they went down in the skeleton hole? It sounds like they didn't do a lot of exploring, so there's probably lots and lots that they missed in there.

[ since who would stay in there after sei and natalie got taken. ]

I heard Seizaburo showed up under the church, so it's entirely possible there's way more down there than what the girls found. Dr. Lecter left me at the Sheriff's station to go take care of her. I'm not sure how bad it turned out.

So what, you think there's something even more than tunnels down there?

Yes. Why would he want to keep us out so badly if not? Suspicious. I'm going to keep digging by the clinic regardless.

Or people could try going down further in the mines, I guess.

[ she's frowning. ]

Do we know if the skeletons attacked them immediately? Or maybe they set off a trap?

[ AS SOMEONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE WALKING INTO A BUNCH OF TRAPS. she is curious. ]

From the way Milla described it, it was like something broke and then Natalie and Seizaburo disappeared. It sound of sounds like a trap was tripped to me but how would anybody set that up?

Easy, if it was the Sheriff. The only reason there would be traps is if there's something to hide.

If there are tunnels under the town through the mines, then... can't people use that to sneak around after curfew?

That could be how people are getting around without any of us noticing at all. How things keep getting so messed up. Out of sight, out of mind? But how can we even map something like that?

[Both of Damian's brows pull together suddenly and thoughtfully.] If there's a tunnel below the hotel, it'd be an easy access for any killers.

[He glances at Percy. Frowns.] We can mark it on the surface, but it would require someone going through the mines at all to know what was where.

I'm not sure if most people would agree to going there a second time after what happened with Natalie and Sei.

[ she reaches over to rub mrs. o'leary on an uninjured spot. ]

Unless you go without telling anyone?

[ although that would cause problems in the case they need help. the first group didn't tell the whole town they were doing, so no one else was around to help them when things went bad. ]

Nobody's going back out there without telling anyone. [There's a sharp tone to his voice. Mrs. O'Leary seems content with Papika as well, so he can allow that.] That was the whole problem, we're not losing more people if we can help it.

So...we're back to square one. Any ideas?

[Damn, Percy is as bad as him. But, look, he's Damian Wayne. He's gonna go without telling anyone.]

I'm going to try to lure out the person I need to find. [He glances between the two of them.] But first I need to figure out their role. I'm going to have to bait them twice.

[He pauses to think.] We should keep an eye on who gets put in the stocks next. [A somewhat apologetic frown to Percy.] It is probably dangerous to stay with them; I don't trust the Sheriff to be so lenient a second time after Todd.

Have either of you noticed anything suspicious from anyone?

[ she shakes her head. ]

Everyone I've spoken to are the same. Or, um, as "same" as they can be with all the stuff that happened... Wait. How are you going to bait them?

[ THAT SEEMS IMPORTANT?? ]

By treating everything as normal as possible. [That seems to be his answer.] People aren't acting suspicious because we're playing a game that involves chance and lying and blind guesses. If we're going to find anything and smoke somebody out, we have to be smart about it. Coming to them and immediately asking if they've spoken to anybody suspicious may not work anymore.

[A glance at Damian. Just sayin'.] Have either of you heard the titles of the roles involved in the game?

[Damian gives Percy a look. Don't fuckin' diss the way he goes about things, jerk.

He's quiet for a moment or two.] Bandits and Bounties. Those are the only two I know.

[ she perks up at that. ]

Is the bounty what you are? Or is that something different?

[ the wanted posters came immediately to mind, but ]

[Wait a minute.]

The Doctor, the Madame, the Bartender, the Deputy, and the Coal Miner. Those are other roles in this game. The Sheriff told someone, they told me. If anything...Damian--Robin--might be the Deputy if he's working with the Sheriff to find someone to kill and end the game.

[Sorry. Names mean something, he knows that. He hadn't planned on telling the kids or getting them involved but HERE WE ARE. THANKS GUYS.]

[Damian's brows immediately draw sharply together. He doesn't necessarily look surprised so much as he does confused.

WTF PERCY YOU HOLDING OUT ON THEM??????????????] Who told you that? Did they say what the roles were required to do?

[ also: ] What do you mean he just told someone?

[ THAT IS!!! SO RUDE??? WHY JUST TELL ONE PERSON ALL OF THESE ROLES WTF!!!! ]

Um... the doctor sounds like something that would be something like... healing...? The other names are kind of vague.

[He holds up a hand, and if it were any other week he'd almost find Damian's response funny and he'd go along with it.

This week was a bad week. He's gravely serious, his own eyes narrowed and expression tight.]

I'm not answering that, and don't look at me like that. We just found out a few days ago. [But he also kind of feels bad so he's scrubbing a hand over his face.] Somebody asked, he provided, answers came back to me. If anything, I'm sure it has to do with the fact that he liked the way he was being talked to. Annabeth was able to get information out of him, too, by treating him like a real person.

[He nods.] The doctor would be a healing role if our clinic wasn't boarded up and hurt Jason. The rest of them might just be names and have nothing to do with their actual roles. Like a theme? We haven't figured out what the roles do yet.

[Honestly, Damian looks pretty offended!!] You can't just say the names of all of these roles without telling us who told you!

What if they are the person I'm supposed to find? How can they know all of these roles at once? [PERCY, HE THOUGHT THEY WERE FRIENDS!!

With a grunting huff, he crosses his arms and looks sourly off to the side. It's not unlike having several puzzle pieces, but none of them fit in the holes.] A doctor treats injuries. A coal miner works in the mines. A bartender works--in the saloon? A deputy works with the sheriff of a town.

A Madame is the woman who oversee... prostitutes. [His face gets a weird expression, and he finally looks back at the two of them.] What does that have to do with anything here?

She gives them something... good?

[ she hums slightly, looking kind of thoughtful while simultaneously also carrying an odd expression on her face. ]

You can say the same for bartender though. [ now she just makes a slightly disgusted face. alcohol is apparently more offensive to her than doing the do. ]

[Damian stop!!!] After everything that's happened this week I can tell you that it's not the person you're looking for, so I'm not naming names. Do you want to hear the rest of what I have to say or not?

[He frowns.] The Sheriff tells us bits and pieces if we ask, depending on how we ask. That's how I found out some stuff from him, too, like the fact that if his employers feel like it they'll send a conduit down to us to deal with us.

[So that's weird. It's only when Papika speaks up that something occurs to him and he nods slowly.] ...what if the bartender's the one who left out the bear trap and the video camera? As for the Madame. [There's a grim look.] The Sheriff told me last week that if the Bandits refuse to or fail to kill, there's a failsafe. Pretty sure he means they'll get killed, but what if the Madame is someone overseeing the bandits?

Or trade secrets. [He still seems pretty grumpy about Percy withholding information. Perhaps like a bit of trust has seeped away, though he is no better in the trusting department exactly.] Anything could be a possibility when we don't have enough information.

Or when we don't know who we should be talking to for the information. [He returns the look Percy had given him earlier.] Any of those roles could be the one I'm required to find.

[ papika just gives them both a Look, omg boys stop being petty... ]

Um... does it matter who it was? Because it sounds like the Sheriff only told them what the names are but not who or what they do. [ she looks at percy. ] Unless they didn't tell you everything.

[ or unless percy is withholding information but she is nice enough not to accuse him of that. especially since she's just grateful she's being told anything at all ha ha. papika is fully aware that most people will just go right by her cause she's one of the younger ones here. ]

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