- Location
- Internet
[X] Take her up on her offer. There's something going on here, and it's important. You need to know more.
Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete
- Thread starter SoaringHawk218
- Start date
- Fantasy
- Pronouns
- He
Oh there are a few downsides, but cooperating is definitely something we need to do
Vote closed
Okay, pretty clear win. No rolls for this one, let's see how this goes.
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Complications
[X] Take her up on her offer. There's something going on here, and it's important. You need to know more.
"Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?"
"Believe me, sir. I've been asking myself the same question for four years."
-Mayor Martin Smith and John
Your thoughts race as you consider your options. You don't know this Belle, but she did put herself at some risk to help you. It's clear the other Talons don't like her very much. Or that could have all been a ruse, trying to suss out who you are and what you want with the tent. Even if she was being honest, what sort of message would you need to deliver? To whom? Hopefully, any signs of worry on your face are simply being attributed to childish nerves rather than cold, manakete calculations (which is absolutely what you're doing. No fear at all.)
When Belle somehow makes the coin reappear and starts moving it back and forwards slightly, you find your eyes automatically following it. This, more than anything, helps you come to your decision. You have a role to play, and having seen what humans are willing to do for money, it would only make sense that Gwyn would accept.
"Okay, I'll do it," you say.
Belle smiles. "Good girl," she says before putting a hand on your shoulder and lowering her voice conspiratorially,. "So, here's what I need you to do. You see those woods over that way?" You glance over and nod: they're not close to either the town or the camp, but they're not far either. "Now, I have… some friends, shall we say, over there. They need a message from me, but I'm not allowed to leave the camp, since the other Talons don't like me very much. I assure you, it's all for a good cause."
You start to open your mouth to ask what she wants you to tell them, but she presses the tip of a finger to your lips. "Ah ah ah, sweetie, I'm not finished yet. Now, my friends are a little suspicious, so they'll only come out if you say some magic words. What you need to say is 'The stars listen.' Can you remember that?"
You frown; you know you look like a human child, but does she have to talk to you like you're stupid? "Yes," you say, perhaps a little more shortly than you should. "So when they come to talk to me, what do you want me to tell them?"
"Oh, you don't have to tell them anything," Belle says. "Just give them the note in your left pocket, next to your pet rock."
"My wh-" You blink as a horrifying thought crosses your mind. Your dragonstone is in that pocket, and as you shift experimentally you hear a faint crinkling noise that shouldn't have been there! "How-"
Grinning, Belle ruffles your hair. "Word of advice, kid: when someone touches you without your say-so, always take a second to check your pockets. It's a classic pickpocketing trick."
You fight back the urge to scream. If she'd put something into your pocket, she could easily have taken your dragonstone out. You would have realized almost immediately, especially if she tried to walk away with it, but the thought that she could have makes your skin crawl. Someone who's working with people who have done such terrible things, for whatever reason… that's not okay, you're not okay with this!
Something of your internal horror must have appeared on your face, as Belle's smile slowly fades. "Hey… Gwyn, I'm sorry," she says, taking her hands off you. "Look; I promise I didn't do anything bad, and I won't. I may not be the nicest person, but I'd never do anything hurt a kid." Maybe it's just you, but you think you see a faint flicker of anger cross her face as she says that.
Taking a deep breath, you nod, trying to master yourself. You're not Ryza: Yellow, lightning and magic. You're Gwyn, and you just got a little surprise. She wouldn't take what Belle did that badly. "Okay…" you force yourself to say. "So I just… go, give them the note, and leave?"
"That's right," Belle says, flipping you the coin. You scramble to catch it, clenching it in a slightly sweaty fist. "They'll probably give you a few more of those to help your daddy, but I can't promise that." She grimaces. "They… probably don't like me too much either." Shaking her head, she gives you a stern look. "Either way, don't tell anyone else about this, okay? At least not until you're safely out of town. It'll be our little secret, alright?"
You nod. You don't feel nearly as bad about lying to Belle as you did lying to Jace and his friends. She nearly touched your dragonstone without your consent. That's a big no-no. "Okay, I won't," you say.
Belle nods. "Alright, now get going, before Ubel decides to come out and interrogate you again." She gently nudges you down the path. "Act like you're going back into town, then split off when you're away from the camp."
Nodding, you start walking down the path, forcing yourself not to trot or run. You also force yourself not to immediately pull the note out and try to figure out what it says; surely its important information on how to get to Sypha. Still, best not to make Belle think that you're planning on going behind her back; she can still make a lot of trouble for you if she wants to.
However, as you continue down the road, the temptation finally becomes too much. Glancing around and not seeing the woman or any Talons about, you tug the note from your pocket and unroll it.
Frowning, you stare at the scribbles. Artemis and Robin have done their best to teach you, but after only a few days you've only mastered the runes themselves and a few simple words. Even to your untrained eye, however, you can tell something's off with the writing. Oh, the runes are correct, if shoddily written to the point where Father would have made you do them over again, but that's not what you notice. To be honest, you're not entirely sure what it is that seems wrong, just that something does.
"Pst! Girl!"
You jump slightly as you look around. There's some tall grass along the path that you just passed, and sticking out above it is John's head. A moment later, his arm and hand rise out to join his head as he beckons you over with a fierce frown on his face. You briefly consider just running: he's never seemed to like you and he doesn't look any happier with you now. However… you are worried about him and his friends, and maybe they have some useful information. Therefore, you hurry over after once again checking that you're not being watched. Thankfully it seems there's a pause in the number of people going either way.
As soon as you reach him, John grabs your wrist and jerks you down into the grass. He is not gentle about it. "Ow! That hurt!" you whine, trying to pull your arm out of his grasp. Sadly for you, in your heart-form you're not as strong as an equivalently-sized human, so he is able to keep his vice-like grip on you.
"What the void was that?!" he hisses at you. "You were supposed to keep the guards distracted!"
"I did!" you shoot back. "Let me go!" You don't want to zap him, but you will if he doesn't take his hands off you right now!
Thankfully, he doesn't push your patience, letting go of your aching wrist with a huff. "Then why did we get jumped almost as soon as Jace got started?" he growls.
You frown. "Hey, I did my best!" you say. "I kept talking to the two out front the whole time, even after they started threatening to hurt me! I thought it was your job to keep any others off him! If someone saw you it's not my fault!"
The two of you glare at each other for a few seconds before John finally looks away. "We thought we had every way covered," he mutters. "Jack and me were ready to keep them busy long enough for Jace to see what was going on. There must have been someone already near the tent that we didn't spot, and they must have heard something. If you're telling the truth."
"I am!" you insist. After a moment, you look around. You haven't seen or heard anything of the other two boys. "Are the others okay? Jace? Jack?"
John shakes his head. "Jace ran off. I'm pretty sure he made it out, but I can't be sure. He looked like he saw a shade, though. Doubt I'm gonna see him again for a week." His fist clenches. "Jack made himself a target. He made sure I got out by getting the Talons to chase him on purpose. I… I can't see him having made it out without them catching him."
Your blood runs cold as the memory of the massacre in the forests of Legerius flash behind your eyes. "I… Is there anything…"
John sits back, sighing. "I don't know," he says. "If they got him, he's still in there somewhere," he says. "I… I don't think they'd hurt him too bad: their boss made it clear that they were coming in peace and weren't going to do anything bad, but…"
'But that was before some of the town's children discovered their darkest secret,' you think grimly. "If they do hurt him… is there anything Glenhaven can do about it?" you ask worriedly.
John looks at you like you're insane. "The Talons are the biggest, strongest group outside the Imperial Army!" he says. "It's only because they're good guys that they aren't just taking whatever they want from us!"
The two of you sit in silence for a minute as you try to think. As much as you don't like the Talons, from the way you've seen them and the townsfolk interacting you get the feeling they aren't… completely monstrous. Maybe Jack will get off easy. Of course, this was all before he actively threatened their secret. You let out a hiss, you just don't know, and now you have someone else to worry about! You feel like you're moving backwards, not forwards!
It takes you a moment to realize that John is studying you strangely. "What?" you ask shortly.
"Okay, what's up with you?" he asks.
"…Huh?"
He frowns. "You're up to something. The others didn't notice. Jack's a big, dumb, friendly lug. Loves making new friends. Jace isn't thinking clearly since he thinks your cute." You feel yourself flush slightly, but John continues. "Me? I've been watching you, and you agreed to this all way too easily. Three strange boys asking you to go into a merc camp with them, a place that clearly makes you nervous? You agree. Then, when you're in, you're trying to figure out where everything is. Even things you shouldn't care about: why would you care where they keep their weapons." His eyes start to narrow. "Not to mention how you looked like you wanted to kill someone when you were listening to those archers. Archers saying something I couldn't hear over the babble."
You shrink back slightly. "I was just-"
John slaps a hand against the ground. "No! You are up to something. What's that you got in your hand?!" You realize you never put away the note from Belle. Before you can start trying to come up with an excuse, John makes a grab for your arm again. This time, you're quick enough and you scramble out of reach.
"What's going on, Gwyn?!"
What do you tell John?
[] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[] Be (mostly) open. Tell him that you already knew that there was a kidnapped girl in there, and that you needed to find out where the Talons were keeping her before anyone else got hurt.
[] Write-In
Assuming you're able to get the human boy off your back, you still need to figure out what you're going to do next.
[] Take the note to the people in the forest like Belle asked you too. As angry as you are that she touched your dragonstone, you don't think she's a bad person. Maybe her note will help you with your mission to rescue Sypha.
[] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[] Go find Jace. He saw something, and you still don't know exactly what's going on in that tent. Besides, you might be able to calm him and John down a bit by talking things over with them.
[] Try to get Jack out. He probably won't be as guarded as Sypha, and maybe you can convince Belle to help you. She did say she didn't like bad things happen to children.
[] Write-in
AN: A pretty short chapter, I know, but I wanted to let you make some important choices.
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- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
John's a sharp kid. Good for Jack and Jace, less good for us.
We don't have the Bluff score to pull off option 1, and option 3 is dangerous. So we should do something along the lines of:
[X] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Aside from making Robin worry less, I figure we'll be able to better evaluate whether we should help Belle's kinda-friends after we know what the note says.
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Should be a question mark at the end of this sentence, not a period.
[X] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
I'm pretty sure Belle is working for Mantrae and that that message is coded.
I was set to vote until I couldn't shake an issue with telling John about Belle. Given he's sharp enough to have caught everything he just laid out to us, I have to imagine he'll see through us telling him about Belle because our timeline just flat out won't add up. He notes our sketchy behavior extended back well before the failed plan execution so telling him what happened right around there will not explain our earlier behavior. I was halfway through a subvote to have Ryza just fudge the order of events and say Belle asked us for help earlier (and hence bailed us out when we got in some trouble) but honestly he might be sharp enough to realize that still doesn't explain our interest in the camp layout because Belle would just know all that herself and there'd be no need for recon. Honestly, if he hadn't demonstrated this level of insight I'd be willing to just roll the dice here that he couldn't see the holes in the story and would be distracted/mollified by the Belle story... but I don't like our chances on that now.
Which led into my other concern with him - if he's smart enough to piece this together, he may well be smart enough to realize he can trade info to the Talons to rescue Jack. I don't know how he would react to the full story but that can go wrong so many ways it wasn't ever really a serious option to me. However, I'm concerned it's actually more likely he may go to the Talons if we settle for just telling about Belle because from his perspective it seems like a really, really easy decision to sell her out for Jack's sake. Only we know that's a big problem. If we just try to get out of this situation we look even more suspicious and it's possible he tries to tell on us but I think that's the least bad option? The only reason I didn't hesitantly put my vote down for that is because I'm trying to see if I (or anyone else) can think of a write-in to navigate this. If it's simply a matter of concocting a fabrication that neatly ties everything up, I could probably manage but I don't know if it's realistic Ryza could do that on the spot and the bigger the lie we tell the more risk we take that part of it just doesn't add up or contradicts something.
As for the note, my inclination is to go to Robin with it. Though looking for Jace may not be the worst idea if we're worried John might be a concern. We could get hard confirmation it is Sypha there and if he can get John off our case all the better.
Which led into my other concern with him - if he's smart enough to piece this together, he may well be smart enough to realize he can trade info to the Talons to rescue Jack. I don't know how he would react to the full story but that can go wrong so many ways it wasn't ever really a serious option to me. However, I'm concerned it's actually more likely he may go to the Talons if we settle for just telling about Belle because from his perspective it seems like a really, really easy decision to sell her out for Jack's sake. Only we know that's a big problem. If we just try to get out of this situation we look even more suspicious and it's possible he tries to tell on us but I think that's the least bad option? The only reason I didn't hesitantly put my vote down for that is because I'm trying to see if I (or anyone else) can think of a write-in to navigate this. If it's simply a matter of concocting a fabrication that neatly ties everything up, I could probably manage but I don't know if it's realistic Ryza could do that on the spot and the bigger the lie we tell the more risk we take that part of it just doesn't add up or contradicts something.
As for the note, my inclination is to go to Robin with it. Though looking for Jace may not be the worst idea if we're worried John might be a concern. We could get hard confirmation it is Sypha there and if he can get John off our case all the better.
I'm thinking she was a genuine Talon who didn't know what the job was (or rather what it was going to become once we happened upon it) until they had Sypha and now is looking to defect if the opportunity presents itself. I agree she made contact with Mantrae's people though the fact that she says they don't like her much either makes me doubt she was a mole before the past few days.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Re: John figuring out we're not telling him something: If anyone can think of a good lie we can use that, but otherwise I think it's unavoidable.
Re: John trading information to the Talons: That relies on John thinking the Talons would accept that kind of trade from a kid and on the Talons believing him. Which isn't impossible, but the risk seems acceptably low.
Re: Belle: ...I can't think of a good pun and that pains me.
Anyways, Belle doesn't strike me as a Talon. Too casual, too un-martial a skillset, and the Talons explicitly call her a "backwater thief". I'd guess she's some sort of auxiliary, or one of the noncombatants that even premodern armies needed to function properly.
- Location
- USA
That matches my concerns. John's friend just sacrificed himself to save him and is in an unknown amount of trouble as a result. This town likely wants to keep a good relationship with the mercs. Throwing an outsider and someone with the Talons under the bus to get Jack off the hook and keep the town in the good graces of the mercs is about the best decision he could make in this situation. The first vote seems pretty tricky from my perspective. Throwing Belle under the bus is an absolute no-go, or at least it would make any cooperation with Mantrae's forces more difficult; even if they don't like Belle, whatever plan they come up with will probably rely on having an inside mole not under intense scrutiny or worse.
As for the second vote, I want to look for Jace. While missing the meeting time with Robin wouldn't be great, it's not exactly the end of the world unless Robin learned something mission critical. I'm way more worried about making moves with less complete information, and whatever Jace saw inside the tent has him scared. Maybe it was just Lady Sypha tied up or under guard -that would be pretty scary for a child- maybe it was something more. But as I've been saying for the past few votes, I'm suspicious. Depending on what's going on inside that tent, it may be something that we don't want to find out in the middle of a rescue.
What I'm currently thinking... will likely change
[] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[] Go find Jace. He saw something, and you still don't know exactly what's going on in that tent. Besides, you might be able to calm him and John down a bit by talking things over with them.
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Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ugggh. This is exactly the kind of delicate social situation that I& are not very good at navigating through.
I'd argue that the kid has an right to know what he's gotten himself and his friends into. It's too late for them to stop being involved, they might as well hear enough of the truth to start making reasonable decisions about it, possibly coordinated with us so that we can keep a fucking eye on them.
On the other hand, if we tell him that much and he betrays us, we're boned. Getting out safely with Sypha is gonna be hard enough without them knowing for a fact that we're coming. But then, we're also boned if we don't tell him anything and he decides to tell the Talons about us anyway. He does think they're the "good guys", after all. Whatever we do, it needs to satisfy him enough that he's willing to at least keep his mouth shut until we can make our move.
Ugh. We've got no ideas how to deal with John in a way that addresses both points adequately.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
This one's an easy choice, though. Never, ever miss a check-in for any reason short of "my life is in danger right this moment."
I'd argue that the kid has an right to know what he's gotten himself and his friends into. It's too late for them to stop being involved, they might as well hear enough of the truth to start making reasonable decisions about it, possibly coordinated with us so that we can keep a fucking eye on them.
On the other hand, if we tell him that much and he betrays us, we're boned. Getting out safely with Sypha is gonna be hard enough without them knowing for a fact that we're coming. But then, we're also boned if we don't tell him anything and he decides to tell the Talons about us anyway. He does think they're the "good guys", after all. Whatever we do, it needs to satisfy him enough that he's willing to at least keep his mouth shut until we can make our move.
Ugh. We've got no ideas how to deal with John in a way that addresses both points adequately.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
This one's an easy choice, though. Never, ever miss a check-in for any reason short of "my life is in danger right this moment."
Option two doesn't actually address any of the points he just raised, I don't think he's gonna buy that as a response. And we don't owe him any answers--he was planning to enter the camp before we ever met him, and it's no business of his. If someone wants to propose a brilliant write-in, I'd be game. But otherwise, it's time to ditch the kid.
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
What to do next kind of has to be check in with Robin. We're working with a partner, it's really not smart to go too far off the reservation. And the last two options can be rejected out of hand, as far as I'm concerned. Check in with Robin, then go deliver the note and use Mantrae's attempt as a distraction, I say.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
What to do next kind of has to be check in with Robin. We're working with a partner, it's really not smart to go too far off the reservation. And the last two options can be rejected out of hand, as far as I'm concerned. Check in with Robin, then go deliver the note and use Mantrae's attempt as a distraction, I say.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
TaliesinSkye
Occasional Editor
- Location
- Northeast Ohio, United States
Thank you for another fun chapter, @SoaringHawk218!
[X] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Don't tell him what you already knew, but let him know that one of the Talons saved you from Ubel and asked you to do a minor favor for her in return.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
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- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
@Fish & Chips: You need to add an X to the box. Only X-boxes get their votes tallied (sorry, PlayStation fans).
I think I've been talked out of telling John about Belle. But I don't want to tell him nothing.
I think I've been talked out of telling John about Belle. But I don't want to tell him nothing.
[X] Tell John that one of the Talons helped you distract the other guards, and now you're running an errand for her.
It's almost not a lie, which I count as a plus. Also:[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Tell John that one of the Talons helped you distract the other guards, and now you're running an errand for her.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Still willing to switch to a write-in on dealing with John but absent that I think this is our safest course of action. If he tries to go to the Talons about us he has nothing solid and likely would be brushed off by them. Even if they buy it I feel like the worst case scenario is general heightened security which is a setback absolutely but not insurmountable I think.
Waffling a bit on Robin v Jace but I think this is the right call. Maybe there'll be time after to look for him? I doubt it but it doesn't hurt to hope.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Still willing to switch to a write-in on dealing with John but absent that I think this is our safest course of action. If he tries to go to the Talons about us he has nothing solid and likely would be brushed off by them. Even if they buy it I feel like the worst case scenario is general heightened security which is a setback absolutely but not insurmountable I think.
Waffling a bit on Robin v Jace but I think this is the right call. Maybe there'll be time after to look for him? I doubt it but it doesn't hurt to hope.
[x] Tell John that one of the Talons helped you distract the other guards, and now you're running an errand for her.
[x] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[x] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Kid, you're smart enough to catch on to that you'd better believe not everybody is on the level.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
Kid, you're smart enough to catch on to that you'd better believe not everybody is on the level.
[X] Nothing. Dodge and deflect until he stops asking. Just leave if you have to. You don't want to get him further involved in this.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
[X] Take the note to Robin. Whatever's wrong with it, he'll have a better chance of being able to read it. Besides, you should let him know what's going on before he gets worried.
It's more that it prevents him from turning around and telling it to the Talons. If we tell him nothing he has nothing to go on other than vague, if justified, suspicion. He's unlikely to arrive at any truly damaging conclusion on his own. And trying to tell on us probably makes him sound unconvincing. ("Yeah, sure kid, we'll be on guard for some kid to come by and take down our mercenary company. Thanks for your service.")
If we tell him we have to balance the chance that he believes us and cooperates against him turning around and trying to exchange that information for helping Jack. In that sense, I actually feel like it's more a matter of risk/reward where the more we tell him the more likely he is to listen/work with us but also the more damage he can do to our goal of saving Sypha if he decides he'd rather just go to the Talons, who aren't an evil force to him, and save his friend over the concerns of people he hardly knows (Ryza) and doesn't know (Sypha)
The reason I think telling him something but not everything might actually be more dangerous is because that specific incomplete picture gives him a big incentive to become an informant. The Talons are Empire aligned so if we reveal there's a possible traitor in their midst from his point of view he can expose a traitor in an allied group and possibly get his friend back for doing so. It's a win-win. Explaining why "actually no, it's actually very important you let us help this sketchy Talon with their plan" is such a ridiculous sell to someone who already thinks we're extremely suspicious. At that point I feel like we're almost better off just telling him the whole thing because "we're trying to save a kidnapped girl" is a far more compelling reason for him to cooperate with us and answers his suspicion with honesty.
Given we were dealing with kids I wouldn't normally be operating with this level of intrigue planning but given what he's noticed and accused us of I'm officially giving him the benefit of the doubt here and managing risk accordingly.
But it's totally true I could be overthinking this a lot. I do that. a lot.
If we tell him we have to balance the chance that he believes us and cooperates against him turning around and trying to exchange that information for helping Jack. In that sense, I actually feel like it's more a matter of risk/reward where the more we tell him the more likely he is to listen/work with us but also the more damage he can do to our goal of saving Sypha if he decides he'd rather just go to the Talons, who aren't an evil force to him, and save his friend over the concerns of people he hardly knows (Ryza) and doesn't know (Sypha)
The reason I think telling him something but not everything might actually be more dangerous is because that specific incomplete picture gives him a big incentive to become an informant. The Talons are Empire aligned so if we reveal there's a possible traitor in their midst from his point of view he can expose a traitor in an allied group and possibly get his friend back for doing so. It's a win-win. Explaining why "actually no, it's actually very important you let us help this sketchy Talon with their plan" is such a ridiculous sell to someone who already thinks we're extremely suspicious. At that point I feel like we're almost better off just telling him the whole thing because "we're trying to save a kidnapped girl" is a far more compelling reason for him to cooperate with us and answers his suspicion with honesty.
Given we were dealing with kids I wouldn't normally be operating with this level of intrigue planning but given what he's noticed and accused us of I'm officially giving him the benefit of the doubt here and managing risk accordingly.
But it's totally true I could be overthinking this a lot. I do that. a lot.
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