I'm gonna fight 'em off, a seven nation army couldn't hold me back [W4, Sunday]

[hydrokinetics]

[He and Natalie had spoken about gathering together a small group of people to talk about the game and figure out their next steps. Pool together information, you know? It seemed logical. Natalie was logical in ways that Percy wasn't, just like Annabeth was logical in ways Percy wasn't and Percy was more emotional in ways the girls weren't.

After the events of this week, it's almost emotion that drives him to cancel the idea all together. Without Annabeth, was his part in this game even important? Did it matter to keep trying? Everything felt like it had fallen apart. People were dead. People were hurt. People, murderers were walking free and it was his fault they didn't come to justice.

Natalie had told him to take the night off on Saturday, but too much energy and pent-up anger led to time with Harry and Jason. Noctis and Percy always touched base, and Milla was always the one with the good questions, Natalie's suggestion for this meeting.

It's much later than he'd hoped. It's evening by now and it was an accident that he fell asleep that afternoon after three straight nights of not sleeping. He still looks to be a mess, but there are new bandages on his hands and he doesn't quite smell like booze. He's exhausted, hair ruffled and still sporting dark circles under his eyes, and yet there's what looks like a pizza on the table and a few drinks as he gets the five other people involved in the room.

Harry, Noctis, Natalie, Jason, Milla. Yeah. He trusted all of these people enough. A group of six suited Percy just fine.]

...thanks for showing up, guys. After everything it's...this probably can't wait anymore. Last week, Natalie and I thought it'd make sense to get all of us together and start brainstorming how to get out of this game. [There's a pause and a swallow as he regains control again.] This weekend was really, really bad for all of us. We need to start putting together the pieces of what we already know and see how we can fix everything.

What do we have so far?

Comments

[thatsthespirit]

[thinking about this]

I can see where Percy got the idea that the first role might be a sacrifice, though. If the second role finds them, and the first role offers to die for the sake of ending the game, and the crime scene is set up so the second role gets away with the killing, then is that not the first role choosing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of everyone?

[but the rest of what Percy said. . . she frowns]

But if the Sheriff gets the final say on the outcome, that scenario may not be pleasing enough for him to end the game entirely.

[elemancy]

[he hadn't thought of it that way.]

Wonder if you're right. I've got no idea, I didn't know anything about the first role to begin with. Just that it was something there, someone to hunt down the second one.

[thatsthespirit]

It'd require the cooperation of both parties, of course, but from the description you gave I don't understand why that couldn't happen.

[but it's really just an idle thought for now]

Barring the Sheriff being displeased with that result, of course.

[impulsiveness]

That, or the sacrifice is a big ol' asshole who's only interested in saving their own ass. Maybe someone's who's more interested in watching the world burn. Wouldn't surprise me if they made that sort of match-up.

[thatsthespirit]

Or the second role whose duty is to kill decides to continue the game, rather than end it.

[which!! again is another reason why she's asking Percy whether he trusts them or not]

That sort of match-up also wouldn't surprise me.

[impulsiveness]

... That's a possibility, too. But I don't think the game would be nearly as exciting if that were the case. No point in hunting someone down if the game would continue regardless of whether you did, or didn't.

[thatsthespirit]

[she nods, then shoots a glance in Percy's direction]

At any rate, it seems like the second role is filled by someone trustworthy. So that, at least, isn't something we have to worry about.

[expelliarmed]

What happens if that person is killed, though? Either, role, actually. Does the sheriff choose someone new, or is that option just gone?

[thatsthespirit]

[at that, she just shakes her head]

I don't know. That's a question for the Sheriff, unfortunately.

[hydrokinetics]

You think it's worth it to ask him something like that?

[thatsthespirit]

I do. If that person dying completely ruins any opportunity for the game to end early, then I think that's something we need to compensate for.

[so they know how much they have to protect that person]

[hydrokinetics]

...then one of us will ask the Sheriff. If he refuses to tell us, then we'll know we aren't meant to know yet.