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

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!