don't be afraid,

[shitglasses]

COMPROMISE OR DIE

CIRCLE is a 2015 film about 50 people waking up in a room with no memory of how they got there. Slowly they realize they have to choose who lives and who dies if anyone is to escape. Only one can walk away.

Fifty people is too many for a thread, so how about two?

SUDDENLY, you wake up in a strange dark room with another person. Maybe you know them; maybe they're a total stranger. There's no way to escape and only one way to survive. You find nothing of use, no doors and no windows, just a note etched into the wall: DECIDE WHO LIVES. IF NO DECISION CAN BE MADE, BOTH DIE. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR.

Ready, set, go.

Comments

[enter Lusamine, self-absorbed childwoman, but!!! Genuinely loving mother trying her best now]

[timidlyblooming]

The officers Jenny are often seen patrolling and seem to take their job quite seriously. Nanu, on the other hand... seldom left his home, where he spent much of his time lazing about with his many, many Meowth... and if he wandered out, it was quite aimless, though he might claim to be patrolling.
While it would be very hypocritical for such a punk-looking teenager to judge anyone's looks, Gladion was mostly suspicious because he was deeply protective of his sister. He listened with wide eyes to Shota's story.

Lusamine's tears stopped rather quickly and she clapped her hands together, standing straight up, giving poor Lillie a bit of whiplash. With childish joy, Lusamine squealed, "A hero!! That's so cool, I've heard of you!!! You're not as flashy as the other heroes—"Lillie looked mortified by her mother again, Gladion blinking and burying his face in his palm, Mohn's relieved, but dazed, expression didn't change—"Can I take your picture?!"

Lusamine was incredibly childish and whimsical. Yes, a lover of (decidedly more theatrical) superheroes.

"Mom, Lillie?" Gladion said, irritably, as he joined his, at this moment, abandoned sister.

"Ah... right! Oh, you're so right, Gladion, how did I get so easily distracted...?"

ha, alas I don't know he'll have too much patience for her but maybe we'll get there

[eyerasure]

Lillie wasn't the only one who experienced whiplash when her mother shifted moods so abruptly. Shota blinked at her, surprise quickly replaced by a flatly disapproving stare. "No."

Parents were always the worst part of both his jobs, whether they were his students or someone like Lillie's. He'd happily never meet any of them if it were possible. Lillie and her brother were equally exasperated by the outburst, so this was nothing new, it seemed. Good thing he hadn't brought along one of the flashier heroes, or who knew how much worse it would be.

Lusamine at least remembered what was important after her son prodded her in the right direction. Sighing, Shota tried again, interrupting her. "As I said, your daughter was kidnapped and smuggled out of the country. I suspect the main operation is based in Japan, but there are collaborators on the island I need to bring to justice. I need your help in identifying how they were able to access your daughter so I can track them down."

He hoped Lusamine and her husband didn't need him to spell out that Lillie could still be in danger until the culprits were caught. She needed to be careful until the danger was gone, but he didn't want to completely ruin her sense of security in her own home, that would already be suffering after being kidnapped.

[Lusamine can be a bit more serious when it calls for it!]

[timidlyblooming]

“What could they want with our daughter?” Lusamine asked, sounding distraught.

“On this island? It’s usually such a peaceful place,” Mohn commented, gently placing a hand on Lillie’s shoulder.

“Maybe it’s best if Lillie goes inside to rest, after such a long flight,” Lusamine said, helping her daughter into the limousine, seeming to finally grasp the situation at hand. “Hobbes will be waiting for you with a meal, okay? Gladion! You stay with Lillie, alright?”

Her voice was sugary sweet, but Gladion looked ready to protest, wanting to help take down the threat.
“If you and dad are staying here—” he began, but Lusamine gave a very cold look, smile still in place, that seemed to force Gladion to behave, although he still looked annoyed.
“For Lillie,” Gladion insisted as he walked back to the car; it seemed he preferred to think of himself as protector than protected… Lillie gave him an apologetic little smile and he seemed to go from indignantly angry to taking watching over her very seriously, alert for threats.

This left Shota alone with Mohn and Lusamine.

and she cares about her kids so that counts for a lot!

[eyerasure]

Shota had his suspicions as to why Lillie had been targetted but her parents didn't need to hear them. It wouldn't help anything and could taint their recollections.

He was relieved when her mother realised she'd been through enough and staying for the discussion would only add to her stress. Watching the children climb into the limousine, he waited till the car had peeled away and left him alone with their parents.

First things first.

"You need to see who had contact with Lillie the day she disappeared. It's possible someone who works for you was involved in her kidnapping." They wouldn't act again so quickly but it was something that needed to be investigated.

"I have a few leads to follow but anything you can give me will help me track the culprit down faster." He might not look like the best choice for tracking down anything, his hero outfit well-worn and rumpled from the flight and making no attempt to take notes as he stood slouched with his hands jammed in his pockets but he was what they had.

[timidlyblooming]

"She was only at school and home," Lusamine said, brow creasing with worry. "Aside from her teacher, the Professor, her classmates, the maids and butler, she shouldn't have encountered anyone..."

"Someone who works for us...?" Mohn asked, also looking confused.

Aside from lower-ranking staff, the ones close enough to know the Aether family's children personally were all (mostly) trustworthy people they'd known for years! The only one with any reason to begrudge Lillie had been...

"... Faba?" Lusamine asked, expression darkening. "... but, why?! She'd even forgiven him and he was absolved of his crimes. I even sent him to teach at her school o—"

She went silent, blinking as she realized she'd only added to the reasons to suspect Faba. She sighed heavily and held her head. "Could it really be him again...?"

[eyerasure]

"It's possible. I'll need to talk to him and all the staff that were at your home that day." As much of a motive as Lusamine had just offered for the man in question, Shota couldn't allow himself to become fixated on a single suspect without evidence.

The family might not think it was any of their maids, but statistically, many crimes were committed by people close to the victim. He couldn't dismiss the possibility it was someone they didn't suspect.

"If you can bring together everyone on your staff who had contact with her that day, I'll come by later to talk to them. Don't let them know why they're being questioned. I'm going to follow up another lead first."

Stepping back, he picked up his luggage, ready to leave and do just that; there was just one thing he needed to do first. "Keep an eye on both your children; we don't know the culprits won't try again. I'll give you my number. You can call me in an emergency."

[... yet another, MUCH longer delay, sorry!]

[timidlyblooming]

((Sorry for the loooong delay, I got caught up in stuff, both work (ER shifts and on-call days) and rp-related (focused a lot on my other muses in the Pokemon dressing room I have... way too many characters in, despite not being very good at juggling characters), I also wound up delaying things so much because I was too picky and wanted to see the later eps he's in, fff. Then, I also lost my reply that I had in the comment preview page, so I had to start over... ^^;;;; So! If you still wanna complete the thread, we can, if not, that's okay too and maybe we can play again some other time! ^_^/))

Lusamine and Mohn listened carefully to Shota's instructions and followed his advice, thanking him.

Should Shota follow up on the Viren lead next, he'd have little trouble tracking him down, as he's opened up yet another business in addition to his Pokebase (Pokemon baseball, effectively) stadium and Viren Tower which he even broadcasts from... he'd also built ever more gaudy golden statues of himself (slimmed down and sculpted to be far more conventionally attractive, of course, much like idealized portraits of the wealthy elite). It would seem he'd gotten all the richer on very short notice, yet again, in ways that don't quite add up with the businesses he ran...

It would be very easy to track him down, just follow the money (and garish golden statues), but perhaps more challenging to reach him past his rough and burly goons employees, but Shota could probably take them on easily. They aren't even that loyal, so they might balk with intimidation or sell him out!