InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Monkey See Monkey Do"

Bellum Anon (bellum_anon) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-05-18 10:00:00

Entry tags:

dorian gray, hessian, plot: riddles, sultan's daughter

Group A: Dorian Gray, Sultan's Daughter, Puss in Boots, Hessian

The plaque on the wall says:

The murderer and the runaway must sing this rhyme
So find who they are to keep in time.
While the rogue must find a name
That suits him true and not his current game,
O soldier, you are not immune to our song,
Confess a thing where you were in the wrong.

This room is absolutely blank white. There are no doors, no windows, and no corners. The air smells conditioned by machine, but there is no breeze, and a steady temperature of 70 degrees.

All the appropriate information must be revealed, and the first two people must then recite the rhyme together for a door to appear. There are no consequences if the group does not follow the directions... but there is no food or water, doors or windows, in the room.

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cyprian
2010-05-22 05:21 am UTC (link)

"That's the best idea yet," Trenton confirmed to the nameless one with an interested pop of his eyebrows. He could imagine there were few things worse than being labeled a murderer in this building. Of course, if there were worse things to be labeled, Trenton probably qualified for those as well. Still, he'd rather that information not be public knowledge.. for as long as was possible in a building like this.

Irritated with how long this process was taking, when he'd already done his part, Trenton scowled. "Let's get this over with. We don't even know if it's going to work, but I'd rather be out of here now if it does."

Drawing a heavy breath to cleanse his irritation, Trenton sank to the floor, not too far away from Joss. He gave her a contemplative tilt of his attention, and then a self-amused smile that said whatever he was thinking, he was currently sobering enough not to say it out loud.

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sultana
2010-05-22 05:39 am UTC (link)

Her eyes travelled to each one, before she gave another huff. Really what was the point in knowing these kinds of things unless you could tell others about it? Joss debated it for another few minutes, before sighing. "Fine." A funsuckers was muttered under her breath, but probably only Trenton could hear that.

It wasn't like she always kept her promises anyway. She inspected the nails of one hand for a moment, waiting for the others to reply. From the corner of her eye, she watched Trenton and his expression. Huh. Didn't he look like at her like she was a rat a moment ago?

The thought was shoved aside a moment later and she gave him a small smirk. It didn't really matter what it meant - faking the language was more important than speaking it.

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sharpcharm
2010-05-22 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Waiting for Joss to weigh in Chris decided that the long length of time before replying was a good sign that she wouldn't lie, whatever her answer was. Although out of all of them he nevertheless thought she was the least likely to agree to his idea and the most likely to start talking about what she knew if she got bored, since she had opened up so easily about her part of the riddle and so had little to lose. Trenton, he thought, had higher stakes and would probably not say anything as long as he wasn't provoked into it, while from Will's stotic, unforthcoming demeanour he judged him the least likely to speak about the riddle and its answers. The basic decency of people keeping their promises he only factored in so much as he thought the others in the room would.

And then, Joss gave her answer. It was, he knew, the best he was going to get under the circumstances. Chris didn't let himself think about the fact that part of one of his most well kept secrets was about to be exposesed, just spoke without preamble. "Sean." So used to introducing himself truly only in a slow New Orleans drawl, he was extra careful to keep the faux Illinois one in tact. Lord knows he wasn't letting anymore of his secrets out in the open than was absolutely necessary, including anymore of his actual name if he could get away with it. "My name used to be Sean." And then he glanced over at Will, more politely pleasant than he felt right at that moment. "Floor's all yours, man."

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reclamation
2010-05-22 11:12 pm UTC (link)

So they were all in agreement. William was nonetheless skeptical about the whole deal, even when Chris went ahead and gave them a different name. Who knew if it was even the one necessary to get them out of here? They'd probably find out if they were never able to escape, but nonetheless ...

Something where he was in the wrong. He'd been considering it ever since Joss mentioned him getting people discharged. There were a lot of things he wouldn't admit to even under the veil of 'secrecy' they'd set up. Hell, there were things he wouldn't admit to government agents. But this room was just a solid white brick, hollowed out to let them in. If they were going to get out and it was all depending on his answer, then he'd have to answer. But he wasn't giving them his real secrets. Just one that people wouldn't be too uncomfortable keeping.

"I've gotten men discharged from the Army, like she said." William glanced over the others to make sure they weren't suddenly going to ask any further questions. "And not because they deserved it, or needed it." There. Something he'd done in the wrong.

(But sometimes they'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and, well, it wasn't his fault, now, was it?)

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sultana
2010-05-23 05:59 pm UTC (link)

Joss listened to the two, an elbow on her knee, her chin on her fist. For things that they had to swear not to tell, it was awfully boring. People changed names because they were embarassing or because a new one would do things for them. Open gateways and the like. Chris was a boring name in comparison to Sean - though it did, vaguely cross her mind it was the area she grew up in.

And everyone did something out of spite. Really discharged? Who cared? People went and got themselves killed in the army all the time. It was probably a favor.

For once though, Joss kept her thoughts silent. A hint of self-preservation and the tension in the room made her think it over. She wasn't going to get anything out of saying things - keeping quiet and watching might be more rewarding.

Once Will was done, a door appeared in a wall to the left. Joss' eyes lit up and she bounded to her feet and towards it. Only when back in the lobby, did she look back over her shoulder to see if they were coming. "First!" She called out triumphantly.

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sharpcharm
2010-05-23 06:46 pm UTC (link)

When the door appeared literally as if from nowhere, Chris felt a relief great enough that he didn't even care right then how the hell that had even happened. His surname was safe, his cover was safe and the likelihood that he would be the owner of a brilliant criminal career in tatters and a jail sentence had not been greatly increased.

Without pause, he went after Joss out of the room. With his first step out of the white room some of his good humour returned, and he gave Joss a smile, "Only fitting for a lady." And then, to the three of them, as he had no intention of hanging around and discussing whatever the hell had just happened to them, "Pleasure to meet you all, circumstances aside, but I'm going to have to say goodnight. See you all later."

Another smile, and then he started off across the lobby in a confident stride. Unlike his normal habit, he intended to bypass the elevator completely and take the stairs, his mind already on two things: getting in touch with Katya so she could work her magic and make various records say Christopher Kyle's first name had originally been Sean, and having a well-needed drink.

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reclamation
2010-05-23 06:53 pm UTC (link)

Will couldn't help sighing in relief when the door appeared and Joss all but flung herself through it. Back out into the lobby, at least, and he didn't have that many floors to go. The lobby was as dark and barely-lit as ever, which was for once a real relief. He was sick of white walls. If he could just get back up to his room and sleep, maybe this would all turn into a really ridiculous dream. It wasn't like he had any physical mark to remember it by, just other people's secrets.

And William Decker was good at keeping secrets, especially when they were linked to one of his own.

He nodded briefly at the group and followed after Chris up the stairs, intending to get back to his room. Maybe have a drink before trying to sleep again, just in case he needed a little extra help nodding off. He didn't think he would, but who knew. Besides, after that kind of weird shit? He practically deserved a drink.

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cyprian
2010-05-23 07:37 pm UTC (link)

Trenton was the last to leave. After all of that huffing and puffing about getting the fuck out of here, the playboy actually lingered in his white-on-white cell. He watched the others from his spot on the floor. Joss who flounced with amphetamine energy and took off through the doorway like a toddler to a carnival. Sean, who seemed conversational and almost friendly, and the soldier, who's silence spoke of reservations. None of them looked back, and Trenton remained self-imposed on the floor for a moment longer.

Watching the door, he could see that it led to the lobby. It all led back to the scene of the crime. Of many crimes, and many more crimes to come. But the idea did not bother him as much as it might once have. It didn't thrill him, but it didn't depress him now. He knew that it should have, thinking about the things he'd done, having to confess them here. But he remembered his portrait, and somehow.. it just didn't really seem to matter. He'd never done anything truly bad. Not by his count, not by his memories.

Dusting off his jeans, Trenton stood and went for the door. The here and now, not just Bellum, but all of New York were for him. For what he wanted. Consequences? Guilt? Confessions? The building could try it's best on him, but he was beginning to understand that he was beyond anything's control. They could call him murderer or rapist or drug addict or sleaze. But he was becoming unstoppable, he just didn't care. He remembered that was the key. It'd always been the key. Even at Callum's funeral.. just tuck it away, tie it up with a noose deep inside, and eventually one day you'll be able to breathe deep and find it's simply gone. Magic.

Trenton breathed deep now, and his grin was absolutely lascivious when he went through the door, and out of the lobby, onto the streets of New York. Into the city if so much plastic and sparkle and hello, beautiful.

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