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

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:ichabod crane, irene adler, jonathan harker, plot: riddles

Group C: Reynard, Ichabod, Irene Adler, Jonathan Harker

The plaque on the wall says:

I spy with my little eye:

One who has things to hide,
One who lives with wounded pride,
One who lives in constant fear,
One who wants no one near,
Two who lie and two who don't,
Two I trust and two I won't.

It's hard to trust the liars, yes,
But I'm afraid that is the test.
Still they'll have to trust you too,
Since they must confide in you.


The room is bare, save for two tables and one, bright light above. If anyone tries to walk out of the light, the light simply expands to accommodate them. All four participants must remain in the light at the same time. There is nowhere to sit, and even if they walk endlessly, they will reach no doors and no walls.

One each table there is a box with one gun and one bullet. Each box is locked to begin with, and the word Confide is emblazoned on the lid of each of them.


1. The two liars must confess their crimes.
2. Once they confess, the boxes open.
3. The liar must then shoot at the truthful person.
4. If the liars actually shoot at the truthful person, everything resets.
5. If the liars shoot past the truthful person, the doors open.
6. If the groups are split, everything resets.
7. They can try over and over again after the room resets.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-18 08:05 pm UTC (link)
John had been asleep until all the lights in his apartment flickered on. For a minute, he refused to open his eyes, not wanting to deal with it. He reached out, trying to locate Milo. The comfortable weight and warmth of the kid, who was sleeping with John until John got a crib, wasn’t where it usually was against his stomach. When his hand contacted nothing but air, he opened his eyes, panic seizing him. No, the kid wasn’t his, but he was still a kid, and the idea that he had rolled out of bed and hurt himself hit all of John’s paternal instincts.

But he wasn’t in his bed. In fact, he wasn’t even in his room.

Lurching to his feet, John stumbled back, whacking into a table. He reached out a hand to steady himself and looked about wildly. Why the hell was he in an interrogation room? Who had someone slipped into his room without him noticing? Why wasn’t Milo with him? He swung his gaze around, trying to locate a window and a wall, but outside the ring of light illuminating two tables, there was nothing but darkness. He turned the other way, noticing the other three people in the room for the first time. He recognized Cole after a moment and went over to him, glancing warily at the other two. “Hey,” he said quietly to Cole before raising his voice. “Any of you guys know what’s up?”

Instinct told him to get out of the light and see if there was a door, but he had a niggling feeling that nothing would be there.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-18 08:16 pm UTC (link)
Cole had been asleep as well, Salacia curled up on his chest and purring. He didn't realize anything was wrong until the pressure and rumbling vibration vanished, and there was the distinct sting of lights behind his closed eyelids. Frowning, he sat up and wrenched his eyes open - only to tumble sideways onto a floor that was nothing like the carpeted floor in his room.

"What the hell?" He winced, getting to his feet and blinking the spots out of his eyes. There were two tables with a box on each, one light, and darkness. Had someone kidnapped him? Where the hell was this? Cole immediately recognized Peter and John, but he had no idea who the woman was. Well, at least there were some familiar faces stuck in this place with him. "Hey." He shook his head, glancing at the other two. "No idea. I was in bed... and now I'm not."

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-18 09:00 pm UTC (link)
Iris, looking like a wraith in gray sleep pants and a shirt with nothing under it, was slowly backing from the tables as the others spoke. She too had been in an interrogation room, and she would not sit unless she had no choice. The spotlight expanded to accommodate her retreat, and she stopped, peering up once to try to find who or what was maneuvering that light, but to no avail.

She did no recognize the two who spoke, gray eyes blank, but as soon as she saw Peter everything about her seem to uncoil, and she moved around the chairs until she was next to him. She didn't say anything in greeting, but smiled a little before turning to the others with a conscious effort to keep her shoulders back and her head up. "It's a nightmare," she said, with certainty.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-18 09:39 pm UTC (link)
Peter hadn't been asleep, he was in his Mario pajama pants and a blue tee shirt for sure, but he hadn't been asleep at all. In fact, he'd been in the middle of a middle of the night Iron Chef marathon on the Food Network and all he remembered doing was getting up to the kitchen to grab his leftover dinner and when he turned the corner he'd wound up here. He was a lawyer, he'd been in rooms similar to this before, but usually he went there on purpose.

He looked around the room quickly, feeling a bit like a nervous hamster as his brain registered that he was in this strange place with Iris, Cole and a stranger. He raised his eyebrows and was about to say something when Iris made her way over to where he was standing and he smiled at her. "Hi Iris," he said easily hoping to put her at ease as much as he could before he nodded at Cole, "That's Cole he lives on 8, Cole this is Iris," he looked over to John, "We haven't met, but I'm Peter."

He was talking to everyone, trying to keep as calm as he usually tried to in these weird situations. He took everything with a grain of salt, and even though this was definitely strange, hopefully it would just stay a grain of salt. For the most part he was worried about Iris, the only thing worse than a nightmare was when it was actually real. "I'm not too sure about that," he said looking around from face to face but not moving from her side. "I wasn't asleep. Were all the rest of you asleep?" He looked around the room, it didn't feel like a dream, or even a nightmare, it felt startlingly real.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-18 11:07 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, the woman was right. This was a nightmare. But he took solace in the fact that why ever they were in room, it wasn't because of something he had done. He only knew Cole; these people weren't there to be used against him. Since Cole was alright, he started looking around, inspecting the area at the edge of the light. "I'm John," he said when Peter started introductions. "From 107. I'm the one on the forums who can't type."

Finally, he found something curious. There was a plaque hanging just on the edge of the darkness, as if the edge were a wall. He pointed at it. "Hey. Look at this," he said, beckoning the others over. Since he didn't think the woman, Iris, would actually stand close to him, he read it aloud. With a groan, he rubbed his hand over his face. He didn't have time for games, and that's exactly what the plaque sounded like. He had a kid he needed to get back to.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-18 11:15 pm UTC (link)
Cole turned towards Iris curiously, since this whole thing felt very real to him. "It feels a little too real to be a nightmare," he said uncertainly. "Besides, Peter wasn't sleeping. I don't think we'll be able to get back my pinching ourselves and saying this is just a dream." He wondered how Peter knew this Iris, but right now wasn't the time for those kinds of questions.

He followed John to the plaque, reading it silently with a puzzled frown. "It's a riddle. It's obviously here for a reason, so if we want to get out, I think we're going to have to do what it says." One who lives in constant fear - that was probably him, while the one who lives with wounded pride was likely Peter, considering the fact that his wife had left him for another man. But who were the two liars? And what would make them confide in strangers?

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-18 11:50 pm UTC (link)
Iris' dreams and nightmares were very vivid, and to her there was little difference between the room with two tables and a road that she walked when she was a girl or a hotel room she never wanted to be in. Yet the others seemed convinced, and while she recognized neither, there was enough detail in what they said that she did believe they were real--though not that where they were was any more actual than any other dream. Still, dreams had hurt her before, and she wasn't going to be flippant about it. She nodded when Peter asked if she had been asleep without offering more detail.

Iris felt that Peter mentioning her name was as good an introduction as any, and stayed silent as everyone stared at the plaque. She lost a good bit of color when she realized what it was asking, and without allowing herself to hesitate, she took two steps toward the table nearest her and tried to get the box open without success. "...What?" she asked everyone and no one.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-19 01:39 am UTC (link)
Pete was profoundly confused, he was pretty sure there was no question that he had the wounded pride, and his logical brain kept wanting to ask how is this possible? But he didn't really want to think too hard on that. The riddle was obnoxious, and he didn't think that hanging around listening to people confessing their sins was the best idea in the world. Certainly not with this building.

Everyone had garbage, and he was suddenly beginning to feel incredibly exploited and he didn't even have much to report. He knew that Iris had plenty of things that weighed heavily on her, things that he might never understand the full extent of, and he instantly felt awful on her behalf. His eyes moved over to where Iris had found herself and he moved the couple of steps to stand next to her again looking at the box as well. "We have to do what it says?" Peter asked looking at Cole like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears, "Or what? We just sit in here and rot?"

He had to wonder if it was just them, just this group being picked on, or if Lena was somewhere locked in a room with a group too. He wanted to make sure she was alright, but he knew that his place, for now, was here. He looked over and gave Iris a small smile, "I don't know if I really have a huge desire to know what's in that box," he said chuckling a little.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-19 02:00 am UTC (link)
Had John possessed a head full of hair, he would have torn most of it out at that moment. Scrubbing the back of his head with one hand, he turned away from the plaque. He wasn't brilliant, but he was pretty sure he was one of the liars, and probably the one with things to hide. He had a whole past he wanted to hide, and there wasn't a chance in hell that he'd be revealing that past. Not to these people, not to anyone. He didn't want to deal with the fallout. But there was Milo to think about. The baby.

Biting his lip to keep from swearing, he turned to Peter and Iris around the table. He poked at the box on the table closest to him and shook his head. "So what exactly does this thing want us to do?" he asked. "I... I really need to get back home. I've got a friend's kid staying with me. I really need to get home." He hated to sound desperate, but he didn't have time for this.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-19 02:46 am UTC (link)
Apparently Cole was the only one who seemed to be willing to work through this, but that was fine by him. This was a puzzle, and he was good at puzzles - physical obstacles, not so much. He went over to the boxes, noting that they had the word Confide on the lid, then went back to read over the riddle again.

"According to the riddle, two of us are liars, which really doesn't make sense because everyone lies - but I guess we're just supposed to take it at face value. They're probably more important lies, rather than everyday ones." He realized that this was an invasion of privacy, and even he had a few things to hide, but unless everyone wanted to sit here and wait there wasn't much they could do. "It says that's the test - trusting the liars, and them trusting the 'truthful' ones... confiding in them. The boxes have 'confide' written right on them." He regarded the others awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Honestly, if we do nothing... I don't know what happens. I don't know how long we'll be stuck here, and I'm not judging anyone, trust me. I'm just telling you what this looks like to me, and what that riddle is saying."

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-19 04:48 am UTC (link)
Iris would have stayed quiet, stayed behind Peter's shoulder and said no more than she absolutely had to, but John's confession about the child seemed to get through to her. She understood that Peter was the one with the wounded pride, and that left her and one other liar (there was no doubt that she was one of those mentioned). Cole's apparent earnest desire to figure out the riddle didn't help her understand whether it was him or whether it was John, but she couldn't trust either, regardless of what the stupid riddle said. The lights were starting to give her a headache.

"I lie a lot," she said, quietly, looking down at the box with the word on it. "It wants me to tell you something true?" Swallowing, she looked up at Peter, and then at the others. "...All of you?"

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-19 05:02 am UTC (link)
Peter was shocked by John saying he had a kid waiting on him, and then it dawned on him that this was exactly the guy he needed to see to look in on Milo. He felt like an idiot letting the kid stay only to have him dumped off on someone else. Either way, now was not the time but he made a mental note to talk to him after this, whatever it was, was over.

He appreciated Cole's view point, and was almost afraid to admit that it sounded sensible, well as sensible as Bellum could be when it got into it's moods. "This place is a fan of irony, in a room full of people, two of whom are liars, the lawyer is the one with the wounded pride." He said shaking his head. Maybe he should have been a chef.

Iris' words diverted his attention once more and from the looks of it she was trying to be the bravest little toaster in the room and he wanted to tell her she didn't have to do or say anything. Everyone lied on occasion and rooms full of strangers weren't supposed to hear about them! "I don't know," he said looking at her seriously, he didn't want anyone to have to do this, let alone someone he felt anxiously protective of at the moment. "Why don't I start? Just in case it is me?" he asked softly.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-19 01:24 pm UTC (link)
Shaking his head, John poked at the boxes. "The rhyme makes it sound like we can't all confess something, like it's just supposed to be two of us," he said, clearly unhappy with it. His gaze settled on Iris, his expression dour and seeming to say I'm the other one and I hate this, too. Scowling, he looked at the lid of the box. "Though I guess we could just try? See what happens when everyone talks?"

He didn't want to talk. Not at all. His brain was going millions of miles a minute, trying to figure out what he could say that wouldn't completely ruin his life. He couldn't leave himself open by telling them who he really was, and he couldn't leave them open. If this was someone's idea of a joke, it was sick. He didn't know about Iris, or Cole, or Peter, but he was fairly certain their secrets wouldn't get anyone killed.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-19 05:25 pm UTC (link)
It was entirely possible that he was one of the aforementioned liars, since he could think of a few things that he'd covered up or lied about in the past, but why did he have to tell these people about it? And what if he wasn't one of them, but spilled a secret anyway? There was really nothing that bad that he'd done... was there?

"Peter's the one with wounded pride," he muttered, half to himself. "And I'm probably the one who lives in constant fear." Unless John or Iris had their very own personal stalker, which he doubted. It would make sense for all of them to confide in one another, but that would only work if everyone was willing. "This is like some... messed-up trust exercise," he said, his voice a little louder. "If Peter wants to go first, then I'll go second, just in case." He moved over to the boxes, trying and failing to open them. Confide - would that open them? "I don't think it would hurt if we all confided something." He wasn't positive about that, but he didn't want to be the one pointing the finger at anyone else.

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-19 05:50 pm UTC (link)
"Then you're the trustworthy ones," Iris said, looking into Cole's face and deciding that, after John's rather deliberate look in her direction, that he must be trustworthy, along with Peter. She gave the latter a slightly sympathetic look. He was so sweet, and very trusting, along with trustworthy. "It's not you. It's me. And I guess... and I guess John." She didn't look at him.

"It can be anything, just a secret?" Iris licked her lips and dropped her eyes down to the box in Cole's hands. Moving a step or two away from Peter, just so that he wouldn't have to react by doing the same if he did not like what she said, she looked up at the light. "When... when I was young, young and stupid, I was in London, going to school. I made some young and stupid friends." Humorless smile. "There was a professor there... he was tough on evaluations, and nobody liked him, so we played a trick on him. It's a con, actually, and it has a name, but I at the time I didn't know that, and I just went along." She shrugged. "Anyway, we made it look like he had an affair with me. They were just going to blackmail him for the grades, but... well, it got out, and then they sacked him. His wife left him, and he moved... I'm not sure what happened after that. I didn't mean to ruin his life but I think that's what happened. I guess I got used to it after that."

She stopped talking, and looked at the box in Cole's hands again. It clicked open, as if on a spring. She sighed.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-19 07:23 pm UTC (link)
Pete looked at Cole trying to get some kind of help on this, there had to be another way than everyone standing around laying their deepest darkest secrets on the line. He smiled slightly at Iris, when she told him it wasn't him, but it was her. "I've heard that before," he said almost playfully despite the bad situation.

He listened carefully as she spoke, no judgment coming from his end at all, he didn't particularly approve, but he wasn't one to judge at all. When she was finished he nodded at her hoping to reassure her even as the box opened. He didn't know what he wanted to reassure her of, but just to let her know that she wouldn't find herself all alone in this weird situation.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-19 07:31 pm UTC (link)
Now, Iris's was a secret that wasn't about to hurt anyone. John needed one of those. Shit, did he even have any of those? He didn't think so. Stuffing his hands into his pockets in lieu of rubbing his head more, he looked at the open box. "Anyone wanna see what's in here before I say anything myself?" he asked, trying to stall for time something desperate.

Flipping the lid back, he pulled the gun out of the box. Well, that was just dandy. Eyes widening slightly, he opened the chamber with easy familiarity. "Shit." A single bullet was in the chamber, and he emptied it into his hand, holding it up. "So who's shooting who?"

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-19 09:31 pm UTC (link)
Cole didn't say anything. He wasn't going to force anyone to admit their secrets, but that didn't mean he was going to convince them otherwise either. He wanted to get out, and if they wanted to get out too then the choice was theirs. He listened to Iris' confession without interrupting, making sure his expression was blank. He was in no position to judge anyone, and people made mistakes. It was a fact of life.

When the box opened, he set it down on the table, not sure if he wanted to know what was in it. He frowned when John pulled out the gun, looking back to the plaque. "There must be a gun in the other box, too. Two bullets for two people... but we can't actually have to shoot someone. I mean, that's murder. Unless it's just in the arm of something, but even that..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-19 09:46 pm UTC (link)
Iris seemed to be losing what little composure she had left. She hadn't been sleeping well for months, overworked and, if she was honest with herself, underfed, and there had been more stress involved in this damn building over the last three months than there ever should be in any location anywhere. The lights were giving her a headache and without her usual armor of makeup and bright clothing she felt exposed and defensive and vulnerable.

"I'm not shooting anyone!" She backed away from the table again, and the light widened so that she could not escape it. Her eyes went a little wide. "What, one of you are supposed to shoot at me?" Her voice was losing volume but gaining pitch.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-19 10:23 pm UTC (link)
Peter looked from face to face trying to find out if there was anyone actually considering this stupid plan of action. He turned to look at Iris and tried to be as calm as possible as he held his hand out for her hoping that he could attempt to keep her calm. "Iris, take a deep breath, it's gonna be alright,"

"No one is shooting anyone. This is ridiculous," he said back to the group, clearly appalled. He looked at Cole, "Cole, man, I appreciate that the little sign on the wall is our key out of here, but I think we can all agree that shooting someone is not on the table for negotiation. Right?" He asked looking from face to face.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-19 11:02 pm UTC (link)
"No, no one's shooting anyone," John agreed. He sighed and figured they might as well see if there was another gun with another bullet in the second box. To do that, he'd need to confess something. He'd finally worked out what he would say, and while he wasn't happy about it, it would have to do. He trusted Cole, but not the other two. Not as much. Especially Peter, the lawyer. Lawyers, in his book, were bad news.

Setting the gun down, John rolled the bullet between his palms for a few seconds before placing the cartridge beside the gun. "I used to work for Arthur Worthington," he said, speaking slowly, carefully. He liked more time to process information than this and he didn't want to slip up or say something that would get anyone in any more trouble. "He had me arrange the deaths of two of his employees when his wife started showing any interest in them." He really hoped they would all take arrange at face value and not any further. He didn't need to deal with that. "And then he asked me to come here to keep an eye on his wife after she left his careful supervision." John shook his head, his lip curling in disdain. He loathed Worthington. "I quit his employ a few weeks ago when the wife skipped town."

He fell silent and lifted his chin, trying to get a view of the other box. It had clicked open, just like the other one had when Iris finished talking.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-19 11:19 pm UTC (link)
"I never said we had to shoot anyone. I don't want to shoot anyone - but the guns are here for a reason." He hadn't written the plaque, and he didn't know exactly what it said, but there were guns in boxes and clearly they had some kind of purpose.

Cole couldn't help but feel a little defensive, but he kept quiet and waited for John to confess whatever secrets he had. Although he tried to keep the same blank expression he'd worn during Iris' confession, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly. Well, that wasn't quite what he was expecting. But wait - the wife skipped town... Finn had been married to this Worthington guy? His gaze fell on the second box, and it seemed they'd completed at least the first step. "So that must have been the 'they'll have to trust you too, since they must confide in you' part."

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-19 11:57 pm UTC (link)
Iris was trying to take a breath as Peter instructed, but she looked at him at once as if he was crazy and as if he was the only person who wasn't. She stopped retreating, since it did no good, stopped dead where she was standing and then--well, stopped moving altogether. She was forcing herself to keep the panic at bay with hard breaths that she took at the last possible second. It wasn't much helping.

She knew what John meant when he said "arranged" but she was damn sure not going to ask for clarification. Horrified but speechless with it, she said nothing following his confession.

The wide gray eyes flashed from John to Cole. "What are you supposed to trust us to do?!"

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-20 12:18 am UTC (link)
The best thing he could do was keep his head and he put his hand behind his neck rubbing it slightly. He was half tempted to just tell Iris to shoot at him, but he didn't know if that would make it worse or not.

"I think..." he chewed his lip. "This game is missing an apple to shoot off the top of my head," he said sighing.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-20 12:49 am UTC (link)
John quirked a brow. "But we don't have apples. So what's that mean, Iris and I shoot in your general vicinity?" He didn't like that plan. She looked like a wreck, and it was a rule that you never handled a gun when you were a wreck. You were likely to miss whatever you intended to hit. And if you were trying to miss, well. It was just bad. "I dunno if that's a good idea."

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-20 01:08 am UTC (link)
"I think John's right. General vicinity sounds more... reasonable than actually shooting some part of our body." He trusted John to be able to aim properly, but not Iris. He didn't know her, and he also didn't know if she had any experience with guns or not - in addition to the fact that she was less than calm right now.

"We could do nothing and wait, I guess. Or we can try the shooting option." Cole looked at the ground, wishing he was wearing shoes.

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-20 04:18 am UTC (link)
Iris was definitely a wreck. She didn't have anyone she trusted as much as she trusted Peter--quite literally. Iris reached out and took Peter's arm in a grip that hurt. "I don't want to shoot anyone. I don't want to shoot at you. I don't want to shoot near you. I don't want to!"

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-20 04:53 am UTC (link)
Pete looked over at Iris when she grabbed his arm, and it did hurt, but he didn't make any move to dislodge her at all. He was about to start hollering at John and Cole, his protective nature was bubbling to the surface, but his logical side knew that yelling wasn't going to solve anything.

Instead he turned around to face her and held his free hand up calmly, "Iris, it's going to be okay. Whatever happens, happens. We're going to be just fine. I trust you," he said, and it was clear he meant it. He didn't let just anyone invade his dreams any time they wanted. He didn't know if it would help her at all, he wished he could take her to his beach right then.

He looked back to Cole and John, "Do we really need to do this?" he asked almost pleadingly.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-20 11:48 pm UTC (link)
John didn't know why everyone was looking to him and Cole. He didn't really like being in charge; he didn't like making decisions about people's lives, not like this. He was, however, determined he was going to hunt down whoever the hell had set them up like this, in this disturbing sort of trust exercise, and beat the shit out of the person. Asking people to reveal their secrets like this was disgusting.

"There's no way out," he said quietly. "Every time Iris backed up, the light expanded around her. I'm gonna bit that'll keep happening no matter how far anyone goes in any direction." His gaze strayed to the guns and the unloaded one. With steady hands, he loaded it. "And this is about trust. We trusted you with our lives. Now you've got to trust us with yours." He looked to Iris. "There isn't anything in the rules about helping each other. You hold the gun and pull the trigger, and I can keep your hands steady."

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-21 01:22 am UTC (link)
Cole glanced at John, wordlessly wondering the exact same thing he was - why were Peter and Iris looking at them? This had been entirely unexpected, and obviously no one wanted to shoot anyone, but he didn't know what he was supposed to say. She was never going to shoot straight if she kept freaking out, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her to stop. He didn't think someone had set this up, but rather something.

"John's right." His voice was just as quiet, but he wasn't going to stand there and tell Peter that no, they didn't have to do this; they could all just stand around and wait instead. "That plaque is there for a reason - doing what it says is the only way to get out. I'm sorry. I don't want to be shot at any more than you want to be the one who shoots, Iris, but it'll be okay. It'll be fine."

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-21 03:31 pm UTC (link)
Iris didn't think it was fine at all, but everyone telling her that it was, or would be, was reassuring in some way. If you're in a crowd on the Titanic and everyone is still laughing and enjoying the music as they're going down, it's hard to panic. She took a hard, shuddering breath, and forced herself to let go of Peter, one finger at a time. She looked down at the gun in John's hand and swallowed visibly. "...Alright." Casting a last, desperate look at Peter, she moved around the tables to where John was standing, waiting until Cole backed away before edging a little closer.

"I can shoot." Not that well, really, but she could do it. Firing a weapon was one of the bits of knowledge Iris acquired because it was a logical thing to learn; firearms were a major component in the world regardless of what the government of any country would like its people to think, and she thought that was as good a reason as any to learn how to use them. However, she didn't carry one, she didn't like them, and she certainly didn't make a habit of using them. "You'll aim. Away. Right?" The gray eyes gave John a hard look despite the red rims. She was going to have to trust him, too, if he was going to help.

She took a Weaver stance, which should have been relatively reassuring, and kept her finger off the trigger while she tried not to throw the thing as far away from Peter as she could. She tried not to think about it being Peter.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-22 02:09 am UTC (link)
When she looked at him Peter smiled at her, "It's okay," he said sounding confident. It wasn't that he was fearless, far from it, but he wanted her comfortable more than anything else.

He looked over to Cole and shrugged a little smiling at him as well. He was glad he was there, if anything just for the moral support. It was bad to be trapped in a room where you'd be shot at, or shoot at, your friends, but it could have been worse he supposed.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-22 03:28 am UTC (link)
Yeah, he was going to beat the life right out of the asswipe who arranged this. John gave Iris a reassuring smile as she approached, and he nodded at her question. "You'll be fine," he promised her, patting her shoulder. He stepped behind her, wrapping his arms under hers to give her some support. He cupped one hand under hers, and the other he braced against both their wrists.

Peering down the length of their arms, he checked the sight of the gun, adjusted their hold, and then nodded. "Alright, you're good to go. You can close your eyes if you want." John met Cole's gaze briefly, trying to reassure him, and then Peter's. He offered the latter man a small smile. "We're aiming above your left shoulder. If you're going to flinch, try to flinch to your right." He took a steadying breath. "Whenever you're ready, Iris."

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-22 04:02 am UTC (link)
Cole sensed that Iris wanted her space and backed away, making sure to give the three ample room so the bullet wouldn't hit him by mistake. Luckily he could back up as far as he wanted without having to worry about the light, and he watched Iris take the gun apprehensively. He didn't want to look too obviously nervous, but all he could think that it might just take one small flinch and the bullet would hit Peter instead of missing him.

He tried to smile as reassuringly as he could at his friend, resisting the urge to close his eyes and bracing himself for the sound.

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-22 06:45 am UTC (link)
As soon as John said he was ready, Iris took a breath too. It was almost impossible for her to get a steady one in, because John was so close over her shoulder, muscles contracting along her arms, that every tendon along her back and arm went painfully tense, as if waiting for a blow. She kept herself there literally by will alone, and she would have been shaking if she'd allowed herself one iota of slack.

She took another breath, unable to lean back into John's support, but at least not spurning it. Another, a slow in, and on the exhale she squeezed the trigger, exactly how she'd been taught, pulling and pushing with both hands to compensate for the recoil. Right-handed, she pulled right with the heart-stopping bang, and the bullet went wide. Without John, she would have dropped the weapon immediately, but her eyes were wide, wide open.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-22 08:32 am UTC (link)
Peter wasn't just hoping he didn't get shot for his own safety, but he was terrified for Iris. He didn't know what she'd do if she actually hit him. He didn't even want to think about it, and he wished there was another way of handling this.

He didn't know what else to do but stand there and take a deep breath and watch Iris, hoping his body language was as relaxed as possible. This would all be over soon one way or another, and he could just breathe through it. He didn't flinch with his whole body at the sound, but he was startled by it, it was almost like the anticipation of knowing it was coming made the sound all much louder.

But he wasn't hit. When it was all said and done he wasn't hit. He smiled at her and crossed the room slowly, "Iris, it's alright." he said calmly.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-22 07:13 pm UTC (link)
Pulling back, John gave Iris's shoulders a squeeze. Gently, he took the gun from her hand and set it on the table before steering her against a table. "Lean," he told her. Then he picked up the second gun and turned to Cole. He looked at the gun in his hand before lifting his gaze to the other man.

Lifting his arm, he aimed the gun a little over Cole's right shoulder. "Ready?" he asked, setting his finger on the trigger.

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-22 07:39 pm UTC (link)
For a terrible second Cole thought that the bullet might hit Peter, but it missed him by quite a bit, which was a relief. It also meant that John could aim well, although that didn't make him any less nervous for his own turn. Just standing there and letting someone shoot at him was something he'd never expected to happen, but apparently the building was all about the unexpected.

He took a deep breath, trying to will himself in advance not to flinch. "I'm ready."

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-22 07:48 pm UTC (link)
The minute it was over and John took the gun away, Iris' control completely gave way. She started shaking so hard that she couldn't see through the tears, and she stumbled over to Peter and took him by the arms again, then pressed palms to his chest, looking for injury. "You're okay?" As if she didn't quite believe it, she choked through a sob and asked, "You're okay?" several more times, until finally she was satisfied he wasn't hurt and she could dissolve into more tears without worrying.

Dimly she was aware of John and Cole speaking, and when they both went quiet, she inadvertently turned from Peter's shoulder to watch.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-22 11:01 pm UTC (link)
Pete nodded and put his hand on her arm gently, "Iris, I'm alright," he said reassuring her, and reassured her as many times as it would take. He gave her arm a gentle squeeze before his attention was back to Cole and John as well.

He watched carefully feeling a bit more confident about this whole situation after the last fiasco. He didn't particularly want to be on the business end of John's gun either and more than that he didn't want to see his friend get shot.

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[info]oscardelta
2010-05-23 01:10 am UTC (link)
After one more check to make sure he wasn't going to maim Cole, John pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed harmlessly past Cole's shoulder. Shaking ever so slightly, John flung the gun to the side. He was surprised when it abruptly stopped skittering across the ground, and he looked over his shoulder at it. And a wall. And a door. Both had suddenly appeared, and a sudden burst of adrenaline and satisfaction flooded him.

Immediately, he went to the door, turning the knob. He pushed it open and found the lobby on the other side. "Looks like we're done," he said, holding the door open. "Everyone out."

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[info]blackcatsrbad
2010-05-23 01:22 am UTC (link)
Cole held his breath the entire time, hands clenched into fists as he watched John take aim. Before he even had time to process what was happening, the gun went off with a bang, and he half expected to feel a sudden stab of pain - but there was nothing. The bullet had missed.

He exhaled in relief, following John's gaze to the door that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Thank God." He made sure Iris and Peter were coming before heading to the door, feeling an immense weight lift off his shoulders once he found himself back in the lobby.

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[info]nightmrholmes
2010-05-23 04:54 am UTC (link)
Iris couldn't get out of that room fast enough. She stayed with Peter until they were all through the door and the dark room vanished from the doorway behind him, whereupon it turned into the stair to the basement. Iris didn't care about the physics-defying building right at that minute. She just wanted to sit down and try to get her breathing under control so she could pull herself together and go back to pretending that everything was alright. She couldn't quite make herself sacrifice the support of Peter's arm, however, at least not until they were out in the lobby proper.

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[info]nylonghorn
2010-05-23 08:52 pm UTC (link)
Peter was feeling a huge sense of relief once the door opened, and like Iris couldn't quite leave fast enough just in case it decided to close up on them again. Once they were out he closed his eyes and took a breath. What the hell had just happened there? What was that even about?

He wanted to ask if Iris was okay, but it was obvious she wasn't, it was plainly obvious he wasn't either. This whole thing was pretty terrible, and he was seriously debating packing up a suitcase and going back to Texas on the first flight he could get. He didn't take off immediately, he wanted to make sure that Iris got home okay. It wasn't far, but she didn't look well at all. And he couldn't help feeling more than responsible for that, he should have tried a whole lot harder to find a different way out of that room rather than thinking it was a good idea for his friend to shoot at him, or for someone else to shoot at his other friend.

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