The Storyteller 2024/06/26(Wed)23:49 No. 1093468 ID: 27e140
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Giovanni needs to be dealt with before you move on. You just need some level of certainty that he won’t sell you out. Sure, there are more permanent ways he could be dealt with, but going down that line of thought would just psyche you out of doing anything. For now, you just need to delay him. The others can figure out what to do with him later, if you can just buy them some time now.

It crosses your mind that you could appeal to him using your own feelings on Frederick Anderson. After all, you and Rodney have only gotten by as long as you have due to his charity in not demanding what he’s owed. The few times you spoke, he was always concerned for you and your parents.

The idea is discarded as quickly as it’s formed. When you think about it, there doesn’t seem to be any good way to mention your family missing rent payments without raising questions you’d rather not answer. You don’t know if Giovanni would ask them, but the other kids are nosey enough that they definitely would.

Enid: “Don’t act like you care about me. You only care about daddy! You’re only here because you want to feel better for what you did to him.”
Giovanni: “I-I’m not! I care– I really do care, but I can only do so much. I’m trying to do what little I can, and you just aren’t letting me.”
Enid: “Because you aren’t listening! I already said I don’t want to leave the others behind, so why are you still acting like there’s no other way?”

Still, it feels like you’re on the right track. Anderson clearly matters a lot to Giovanni, so any appeal you make should involve him. What do you know? What can you say about him?

Giovanni: “And let them keep digging, getting deeper into things they shouldn’t know? Dragging you with them?”
Giovanni: “They are going to get caught, and they will graduate early when they do.”

Until his death, he was keeping Enid out of the town’s public school system. He didn’t want her to Graduate, and that’s apparently the reason he was killed. Frederick Anderson tried to Protect his daughter…

Giovanni: “When that happens, their friends are going to be suspected as well, but you’re still new. If you aren’t in the initial wave, I can protect you. I-I’ll find a way.”

Graduation. That’s what’ll happen if Giovanni tattles on you. Everyone but Enid would graduate… Which is something Frederick Anderson wouldn’t have stood for! He actively stood against it, and lost his life in the process!

It’s a theory… no, hardly even that. It’s a guess. You don’t know what was going through Frederick Anderson’s head, or what he might have talked to Giovanni about in the past. Even if you’re right, Giovanni may have no knowledge about this topic.

Clive: “Is that really what Frederick would have wanted?”

He turns to look at you.

Clive: “That wasn’t the kind of man he was, right?”
Clive: “He was caring. Charitable. Kind. Would someone like that really be okay with… any of this?”
Giovanni: “Any of what?”
Clive: “This system. Graduation.”
Clive: “That’s why he kept Enid a secret from the others, isn’t it? He didn’t want to support the way this town does things.”

You understood it was a risk. There was a chance you’d be wrong, and your argument wouldn’t convince him. What hadn’t crossed your mind, however, was the idea that your words would draw out a response you didn’t want. Anger

Giovanni: “...Hypocrite.”
Giovanni: “Right, he doesn’t think Graduation is a good idea now. He gets blessed with a little miracle, and suddenly everything we’re doing is wrong.”
Enid: “G-Giovanni?”
Giovanni: “He never cared before! He’s just as guilty as the rest of us, so why should his little bit of luck change anything?”

You flinch back. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

Giovanni: “...But I supported him. He was my friend, and I supported him, because he’d always support me. It didn’t matter that he was being selfish and hypocritical.”
Giovanni: “It still doesn’t. None of that matters. He wanted Enid to be kept safe, because she’s special.”

‘Special’. ‘Little Miracle’. You’d only just caught it, but the way he talks about Enid makes it seem like she’s not like the rest of you. There’s something different about her.

Giovanni: “That’s right… That’s all that matters. I promised I’d honor his will.”
Giovanni: “That much… Even I can do that much…”

There was a slightly unstable edge to his voice, sending alarm bells through your head. You already knew you’d messed up, but the degree of failure was only just setting in. This conversation was well and truly over.

The others seem to catch it too. Enid hides behind Roger, who raises his arms protectively. You try to join them, adding another layer of defense, but you can’t move. Your limbs disobey you, as the sheer fear and stress pounding through your mind leaves you unable to move.

There’s nothing you can do. He’s an adult. If he wants to take Enid then he will. You’ve already done enough, just opening your mouth and making things worse.

Giovanni marches forward and, with a single shove, pushes Roger to the ground. That he could topple Roger isn’t surprising, but seeing him actually do it feels so wrong, almost taboo. Some unspoken rule you’d all accepted over the course of living had been broken, and by such a gentle man…

Enid: “N-No!”
Giovanni: “We’re going now.”

He clamps a hand around her wrist, and yanks her forward harshly. Whether out of terror or pain, she screams.

Time freezes, leaving you to soak in the moment. Enid is going to be taken away, and you were powerless to stop it. Roger was on the ground, and feeble Albert would shatter if he stepped in. You needed to act, and you couldn’t.

Enid is going to be taken away.

You’re all going to graduate, or be killed by Sheppard.

You’ll never see Rodney again.

And it’s all your fault. You missed your swing and ruined the ambush, you opened your mouth and ruined the conversation, and you froze up when you were the only one left who could act. Calling yourself useless would be giving you too much credit. You only made everything worse.

Your fears… your weakness… your Emotions… Those were the things holding you back. If you could just deal with those, then maybe… you could still do something.

…That’s right. Those feelings aren’t actually real, they’re just thoughts in your head. They only have power if you act like they do. If you really wanted to, you could just… turn them off, right? Stop thinking so much, and just do what you need to do?

Just for a little while… Just until Enid is safe… For her sake. For Rodney’s sake.

Stop feeling.







[ Trauma Response: “Calm” ]

The Storyteller 2024/06/26(Wed)23:54 No. 1093482 ID: 27e140
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WHAM!

You breathe. When did you start holding your breath?

The weight in your hand vanishes, as you hear something clatter against the floor. Something metal… The knife.

Someone taller than you grabs your shoulders. It takes a moment to realize it’s ‘Bec, staring down at you with a look of… Fear? Confusion? Concern?

The Storyteller 2024/06/26(Wed)23:55 No. 1093483 ID: 27e140
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‘Bec: “Hey, are you back? Can you fucking hear me now?”
Clive: “...I–”
‘Bec: “Good, okay. Hey Clive, what the fuck? What the fuck was that, Clive?”
Clive: “Huh?”
Enid: “What happened to you?”
Clive: “I…”

Your words trail off, as your eyes gaze down at the ground. You could see a large figure lying there from the ambient lighting of a dropped flashlight. It was shaking, and you could hear quiet whimpers coming out of it.

It was Giovanni of course.

The Storyteller 2024/06/26(Wed)23:55 No. 1093484 ID: 27e140
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You stare down the small puddle of blood, just long enough to know it’s spreading out slowly.

Clive: “...I stopped him.”
‘Bec: “Uhhh yeah. You definitely did that. Where the fuck did that come from?”
Clive: “...”
Enid: “Clive?”

You raise your hands and look down at them, seeing exactly what you’d feared. Red stains litter them. Blood.

You did it again.

The Storyteller 2024/06/26(Wed)23:55 No. 1093485 ID: 27e140
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And you don’t feel bad.

Everyone is scared and confused, just like before. They’re looking at you like you did something terrible.

And you don’t feel bad.

Maybe it doesn’t feel good that you lost control, but you aren’t upset with the outcome. Giovanni needed to be dealt with. You aren’t sad that he’s writhing in pain on the floor. That’s what he deserves for threatening your safety without a care for what would become of you.

If you hadn’t done it, someone else would have had to. Enid was about to be taken away, there was nothing else you could have done.

…You don’t feel bad.

That’s who you are, deep down at your core. You’re someone who does bad things, and doesn’t regret them. That’s the real you. Take away all of the rumors, all the kind things Rodney says about you, and whatever the others think about you right now, and there’s really only one truth left after that.

You’re bad.

It’s all you ever were, it’s all anyone will ever see you as, and it’s all you ever will be.

…It would have been better for everyone if you just graduated the first time everyone was sick of you.

Party Fear Levels:
[Clive: 90/100]

[ Clive’s mental state has become too unstable for The Spirits to continue guiding him ]

[ The Spirits will temporarily move to an available host ]

[ … ]

Select your host
A: The Genius
B: The Artist

A question: if we are swtiching hosts, will there be another sacrifice, like what happened when with switched to the Genius causing Lemmy to have something bad happen to him, and Clive and Franklin having something really bad happen to Jhonen?

Forgot to choose.

I would have picked the homeschooler, but shes not a choice.

Has to be Roger. Out of everyone, he is most scared of Clive, so he might need our guidance out of everyone concerning him.

>>1093487

Temmie is not currently available to make new sacrifices at this moment. Roger and Albert have already had their minds opened, and will not require additional sacrifices to join.

Well that went... about as poorly as it could be without any of the kids getting killed.
Yeah Rodger definitely seems the better choice here.

I'm of two minds on this choice.
If we want to help Clive, I feel like Albert is actually our better choice here, on account of there being some kind of previous connection there. At the same time, I'm also thinking that the time we originally spent with Roger couldn't really be considered "guidance"- I'm sure he's had some heavy thoughts stewing ever since the first thread.
I don't know if Roger can help Clive, but... he might be able to stop him? Not sure I want to think about what the expanded thought to that means.

I do think though, if we're continuing to focus on Enid, and any additional incoming physical crises, Roger is for sure our better pick.

I'm going with B.

>>1093491

That is what im thinking. Albert would be best to help Clive.

Though In my mind, my main reason for choosing Roger over Albert was so that we can keep his own fears and anxiety under control after what Clive did. I feel Bec will know exactly what to do to keep Clive grounded and help him, along with Enid and Albert. Roger's own feelings about Clive might esculate things if we dont guide him and his own arguments against Clive's actions may in turn cause Clive's fears to raise to 100.

I'm actually of a different mind, A for Albert bc we need someone perceptive and who can put clues together kind of asap since with the scream and this delay we don't have much time, and he's the slowest. Everyone else could speed ahead but he's the weak link and would probably figure something out the fastest

You know what the worst thing about this world is, Clive?
It is not that it has people like you in it.
It is that, deep down, this world is in love with people like you.
You love Enid. But the world doesn't love her, it loves you. It was going to kill her, and even though you deserve to be killed, it wants you to exist slightly more than it wanted to pretend Enid never existed.
If this were a world where justice ruled, you would be subjected to scrutiny, and given every chance to repent. The world would force upon you every 'opportunity' for repentance, but ultimately you would be the one to choose whether or not to accept such a mercy.
In this world, people like you are given no thought but worship, scepters and crowns are welded into their hands and heads and placed at the highest peaks of thrones and towers, where no other can touch them but they can touch everyone.
And they go completely mad.
Because the world loves them. And the world's love means no-one else can love them.

Now the question is:
Are you going to do something about that?
Because it pisses me off too.

Switch to Albert.

>>1093485
B.

Albert is the wrong person to be right now, he does not possess the kind of emotional guile we need to navigate this.

As an aside, I'm pretty sure Clive is low-empathy. Not sociopathic, he does care about his friends and values their wellbeing. He clearly has a sense of justice too.

This will be tricky to navigate him through, and involve some realizations about human nature that children may not be capable of understanding this young, especially through the veil of trauma.

B.

>>1093491
Agreed. Of all three kids who have had their minds opened, Albert needed the most guidance of them in order to avoid his negative character traits taking over. He’s also clever, and we’re in the stage of the game where we need to protect our most clever boi to get the most mysteries unraveled and end the cycle the most quickly.

Funny enough, in this case, I don’t think Albert would take advice that well, and as Liminori said, our guidance has actually been a hindrance at times. He thinks he knows best- and Roger is the one who has the best shot at guiding his impulses away from declaring what he knows at the top of his lungs at the worst possible time.

So while Albert is key, Roger is the one who we can help the most without screwing up.

...For the sake of keeping things noted, it's probably worth mentioning that Clive's Fear is the only one we've been seeing. He was at 64/100 before he resolved this situation himself at the price of a whopping 26 Fear.


Last Seen:
[Albert: 58/100]
[Enid: 34/100]
[Roger: 35/100]

Confirmed Current:
[Clive: 90/100]

It's safe to assume that any time anyone's fear reaches 90, we'll see more Trauma Responses.

...If nothing else, this is just another point towards Roger taking the lead, seeing as Albert's Fear is also pretty high, and we have some form of context on the weight of the gauge.
Assuming "critical fear cost for critical failure" is around 25 (give or take based on context and probably round up), this puts Albert right in that danger zone as well.

Also, I just want to say that Bec should totally have a Fear Gauge- but I imagine that the reason she doesn't have one is because her mind isn't and can't be opened.

>>1093566
Bec DOES have a fear gauge. It appeared after they found the corpse.
>>1093565
While you are correct that Albert has the highest fear at the moment one thing you need to consider is the fact that Rodger is weary of Clive at the best of times, And while him spending some amount of time with him has kinda made progress towards breaking that preconception that Clive is a violent person, Clive basically stabbing a man to death in front of him has probably undone most of that progress.
Basically I'm assuming if we really want Rodger to talk to Clive, Then we would probably suffer some significant fear gains in the attempt (in addition to any gained from witnessing Clive stabbing this guy).

Not to say Alberts a particularly great choice either. He DOES have issues about shutting his own mouth (though he's been better about it with Clive) and he's the one who suggested they all kill somebody (to which Clive had some particular thoughts about).

They're both bad choices but if I had to pick one after considering them both I'd probably still keep my vote to Rodger too.

The Storyteller 2025/04/22(Tue)18:04 No. 1106718 ID: c438a4
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[ The Artist has been selected ]

Update on current fear levels and Party member bonuses

Party Fear Levels:
[Roger: 50/100]
[Albert: 61/100]
[‘Bec: 42/100]
[Clive: 90/100]
[Enid: 44/100]

- Roger: [Considerate] - Roger is good at keeping the peace, and monitoring everyone’s status. You’ll be made aware what other members of your party want more often while Roger is around
- Albert: [Logical] - While traveling with Albert, you’re more likely to be told the likely outcomes of your options (based on the information you have).
- ‘Bec: [Delinquent] - ‘Bec grants you access to the lockpicking action.
- Enid: [Coercive] - Clive will be more cooperative while Enid is present.
- Clive: [Quiet] - Clive and those around him move silently. No noise penalty from performing standard movement actions.

…

…

You keep your gaze pointed to the floor, unwilling to look up and see the nightmares a second time. It’s not enough. The gruesome sight had instantly burned itself into your mind.

You can still see Mr. Snyder, lying in a puddle of his own blood on the floor, and Clive standing above him with the same impassive stare he always wore. Like it hadn’t even mattered. Like he hadn’t just lashed out like a wild animal.

It makes you want to puke.

To your side, you hear Albert muttering to himself.

Albert: “...but then why couldn’t he finish the job? Is it trauma? Can we rely on him to handle Sheppard if he’s emotionally compromised…?”

You want to call him out, continue fighting against his suggestion to kill Aiden’s dad. Instead, you hold your tongue. It’s not the time to start an argument.

The Storyteller 2025/04/22(Tue)18:05 No. 1106719 ID: c438a4
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Against your better judgment, you do glance up, knowing what’s waiting for you. Mr. Snyder is still lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, reduced to pained whimpers from the wounds Clive sliced into him. You don’t know if he’ll die, but he’s bleeding still. Does he need to see a doctor? Will he get better if he just lies still and rests? You don’t know.

And then there’s Clive. ‘Bec and Enid are still trying to get an answer out of him, but it isn’t a conversation. He doesn’t talk. Not one word. No indication that he’s even listening.

If you had to describe the air in the room, the only word that would come to mind is Despair. A sense of hopelessness hung over the scene before you, almost choking the air out of the building. Things had been scary before, but this? Clive had dragged you all over a line that you hadn’t been ready to cross. Maybe it was necessary, Mr. Snyder did need to be stopped, but was this really the only way?

Was there really no world where you just talked things out and made peace with each other? Even if most of the adults are keeping things from you, was Mr. Snyder really one of the bad ones? He just wanted to protect Enid…

You couldn’t know, and this awful plant wasn’t about to give you time to think.

A door opens. The sound cuts through the room like a knife.

The sound comes from near the spot your group ate at, the stairwell door. There was only one person in the plant besides your group and Mr. Snyder who it could be.

Seconds. That’s all you have before you’d be staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

In a flash, you grab Albert (using a bit more force than is usually safe for his delicate body) and drag him into the nearest cubicle. In the glimmer of Mr. Sheppards flashlight, you just barely catch ‘Bec stashing herself in another. You don’t see Enid or Clive, but you hope they’re with her.

The same heavy footsteps that hunted you and Albert before fill the space. With each thud, they grow nearer and nearer.

The Storyteller 2025/04/22(Tue)18:05 No. 1106720 ID: c438a4
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Your heart beats twice with each step. Then thrice. And then…

They stop. The only sounds are quiet sobs from Mr. Snyder, the tone of which change at the farmer’s approach.

There’s no way he can miss the blood, not with Mr. Snyder’s own flashlight illuminating the scene. How will he respond to the injuries?

…The pause is broken by movement, as Aiden’s dad takes a knee.

Mr. Sheppard: “Hey, you still with us, Snyder?”

The response comes out as a whimper, followed by a noise that vaguely sounds like recognition.

Mr. Snyder: “...Tadd?”
Mr. Sheppard: “What happened, Snyder? Talk to me.”
Mr. Snyder: “I…”

Your breath catches in your throat. How much will he really say? He must wonder that too, as it takes him a few breaths to answer.

Mr. Snyder: “It was an ambush. Schimdt’s son, Clive, h-he jumped out of the shadows when I found him. I didn’t see the knife before…”

Risking a peek, you glance out just in time to see Aiden’s dad rub the back of his neck and sigh.

Mr. Sheppard: “The Leftovers, huh? That explains a lot.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Was it just him? Did you see anyone else, or was he alone?”

Silently, you pray for him to keep his mouth shut. If he tossed all the blame onto Clive, you could still leave. Whatever they’d do to Clive, the rest of you might stay safe.

It’s not a surprise when that doesn’t happen.

Mr. Snyder: “No. I saw two boys. It was Bannister and Neddy’s sons. They were both with him. They jumped out and ran after Clive brought me down.”

You don’t remember Albert grabbing your hand, but you feel his grip tighten when the name “Neddy” is said.

Mr. Sheppard: “Just the boys then? No girls?”
Mr. Snyder: “I d-didn’t see anyone else; although, I wouldn’t be surprised if the other Dyad twin were here.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Hmph… No, Dyads only come in blonde. Couldn't be her.”
Mr. Snyder: “Sorry?”

He leans in closer, putting his head beside Mr. Snyder’s ear. You pull back, not watching closer for fear of being noticed. His voice carries tersely through the room.

Mr. Sheppard: “I saw a girl earlier. Real short one, with long dark hair. Sound like any of the little ones you know?”

A pause.

Mr. Snyder: “...Are you sure it was a girl? The Leois have long hair as well.”
Mr. Sheppard: “I’m sure they do, but it wasn’t one of Min’s boys.”
Mr. Snyder: “W-Well I’m sorry. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Hm…”

The Storyteller 2025/04/22(Tue)18:06 No. 1106721 ID: c438a4
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You hear movement from Aiden’s dad, and a distinct grunt of exertion as he drags himself back to his feet. He huffs a few breaths, before clicking his tongue.

Mr. Sheppard: “Damn… I hate it when Lynn is right.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Always with that damn condescending tone… Just once, I wish she’d be wrong.”
Mr. Snyder: “Huh?”
Mr. Sheppard: “So, how long have you really been doing it?”
Mr. Snyder: “Doing what…?”
Mr. Sheppard: “Covering for Anderson’s kid.”

The air grows colder. A pit opens in the bottom of your stomach, as you suddenly understand the shift in tone this conversation has taken.

Mr. Sheppard: “It couldn’t have been less than a week ago like you said before. Not when you’re in this deep.”
Mr. Sheppard: “You wouldn’t go this far if he stabbed you in the back, the same he did to the rest of us.”
Mr. Snyder: “That’s not true.”
Mr. Sheppard: “I think we both know it is.”
Mr. Sheppard: “You can’t admit it though, can you? Even when it’s out there, you just aren’t the type to confess to your sins.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Not when there’s no chance at redemption.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Coward.”
Mr. Snyder: “...”
Mr. Sheppard: “You were probably the only one who had a real chance of saving Fred from himself, and you let him down.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Walked down the road to hell hand-in-hand, because you couldn’t tell him no.”
Mr. Sheppard: “But when push came to shove, he still went under the bus so that you could keep on living, didn’t he?”
Mr. Snyder: “...”
Mr. Sheppard: “Jeez… Fred put that knife in there, but you gave it one hell of a twist.”
Mr. Snyder: “...”
Mr. Snyder: “Please, I don’t want to die.”

Mr. Sheppard lets out a long exhale.

Mr. Sheppard: “You’re lucky we’re in Cattenom.”
Mr. Sheppard: “Even trash like you can be Recycled.”

The Storyteller 2025/04/22(Tue)18:07 No. 1106723 ID: c438a4
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…






BANG!

…

…

You hear the sound of heavy footsteps walking away. The light that previously lit up the area goes with it.

It’s dead quiet.

[THIS DECISION MAY IMPACT WHICH CHARACTERS APPEAR IN FUTURE THREADS]

[YOUR SAFETY NET OFFERS NO PROTECTION FROM THE CONSEQUENCES LISTED HERE]

A: Leave
-Take everyone and leave immediately
-A certain truth will be forever lost, and that will come with its own set of consequences
-Directions are not required at this moment.
-Everyone would like this option

B: Stay
-Check the body yourself
-Something very good for Enid will happen later if you choose this
-Something very bad will happen to Roger later if you choose this

C: Pass the buck
-Ask someone else to check the body, while you leave.
-Something very good for Enid will happen later if you choose this
-If you choose the right member of your party to bear this burden, nothing bad will come of this
-If you choose the wrong person, something very bad will happen to them later

B. Roger is the most OPEN of the group to sharing his emotional state, and he'll be the best equipped to handle whatever... this thing is.

Sorry, buddy.

I’m thinking C, Enid
She is a lot more mentally prepared and braver about what is going on than we think I feel, plus I think Snyder is still alive, if he’s going to talk to anybody without screaming for the farmer’s attention in his dying breath for revenge, it will have to be her.

Plus if Snyder is still alive, if dying soon, it would probably be best if it was Enid who comforted him by being there for him to see her before he passes

D) Direct Clive to decapitate the now-dead Snyder and collect his head.

...Okay fine C) Enid

The fact that Sheppard just left his body there suggests to me that in Cattenom, Recycling is just something that happens after death here.
If I'm going based off of Franklin's thread, then it's best to assume that it happens immediately after death, which would be why any traces of 'it' were long since gone from Jhonen.

If we're to assume that the current risk is fear related, and because of that, Roger's fear is too high, then that would imply the only options that make sense here are 'Bec and Enid. And that does make sense to a certain extent, but I feel wrong to assume that looking at a more than likely freshly made body would incur dang near 50 fear-
-However if the danger is instead physically related to what recycling entails, then I'm not sure I'd want Enid to be checking up on Giovanni.

C: 'Bec, if possible. As the informant, if she's able to bear it, then she'll very possibly be able to get the most amount of people to know about it. If Enid ends up getting picked instead, well... I think about the only thing that can be said to make this decision not feel really cruel on its face would be to suggest for her to talk to him and ease him out if he's still alive after all that somehow, which I personally heavily doubt.

>>1106723
Albert has weak eyes and wouldn't be much use here since he also lacks any connection to the task at hand, roger is out by default, that leaves Enid or Clive. Of these two, I think CLIVE would be the most narratively-likely choices here. He has unresolved business here.

Send Clive.

C. Bec
While Enid seems to be ALARMINGLY resilient to trauma (seriously she only gained 10 fear as opposed to Rodgers 15 here) I don't think it would do her any good to see the one adult friend she's had outside of her dad in the state that he's currently in (stabbed and with bullet holes perforating him).
If anybody had a better opportunity to find something on a body physically (either alive or dead) it would be Bec. Plus she would probably know better than to let any authority's find whatever she finds (assuming of course the danger is from such things).

Thinking it through, I’ll change my vote to Bec. One thing I noticed is that Snyder did not mention Bec at all when ratting out who he found to Anderson. Even if he didn’t see Bec, he didn’t mention anything about hearing another girl’s voice that isn’t Enid’s, despite Bec talking to Clive after stopping him right near snyder (interestingly). Farmer Anderson was also able to piece together that Enid was here, which leaves Bec as the only one not under suspicion.

Maybe she has to be the one to search the body and hide whatever she finds herself because she is the least suspicious after all and the only one Anderson does not suspect at the very least raided the nuclear power plant.

The Storyteller 2025/04/25(Fri)20:38 No. 1106977 ID: c438a4
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Slowly, you exit the cubicle.

Roger: “Is everyone okay?”
‘Bec: “Yeah, we’re good.”

You hear her step out, accompanied by Clive and Enid. With Albert beside you, that’s everyone accompanied for.

Enid: “Is it safe to turn on our lights?”

Your stomach drops at the thought. The darkness was a blessing you aren’t ready to give up. Not when you know what the light will reveal.

Roger: “...Better not. Aiden’s dad could notice and come back.”
Enid: “Okay.”
Albert: “It sounded like he left to the East. Unless we’re intending to confront him, I suggest we head elsewhere for the time being.”

More than ever, you wanted to suggest leaving outright and going home. You hadn’t discovered anything useful yet, but you’d rather flee and live than stay here for even a minute longer.

Unfortunately, if Albert’s points before hadn’t been true before, Mr. Snyder had left you no room for doubt. Mr. Sheppard knows your names, all of you, save for ‘Bec. (Your guess is that he didn’t recognize her in his injured state, at least not well-enough to sell her out.)

If Mr. Sheppard leaves this building, there won’t be any more investigation. All of you will graduate, and that will be that.

Albert: “Or we could Kill him.”

…You’re running out of room to argue against that course of action.

‘Bec: “What about the Body?”

And there’s the other topic you really wanted to avoid.

Roger: “What about it?”
‘Bec: “We don’t know what Snyder was carrying. Some of it could be useful.”
‘Bec: “I’m calling dibs on his wallet.”
Enid: “You’re going to take his stuff?”
‘Bec: “...It’s not like he still needs it.”
Albert: “You realize that, even if we agree on principle, someone will have to rummage through Snyder’s pockets to find whatever he may be carrying.”
Albert: “Unless you’re offering yourself for this unwanted task.”
‘Bec: “Uhhhh, !@#$ that? I’m not touching a $#%@ corpse.”

Albert sighs, as the conversation comes to a standstill.

For a moment, you consider volunteering to do it yourself. It isn’t that you want to, it’s just habit. Your throat tightens before you can get the first word out, the weight of the task dawning on you.

You can’t do it. You just can’t.

Albert could probably handle it mentally, but you can’t exactly leave him behind to handle something like this, considering his health. If Aiden’s dad came back, he might not be able to get away by himself.

You don’t think you can rely on Clive for anything, and he isn’t even offering himself up. He hasn’t said a word, and you’d rather it stay that way.

The thought of asking Enid makes sense for a longer moment than you’d like to admit. She knows him the best, so you figure she might recognize anything important he might have better than anyone. Perfectly sound plan, right up until you really think about that first part. Enid knew Mr. Snyder better than any of you, as he was a friend of her dad’s. Does it really seem like a good idea to put her face to face with his corpse?

It does not. That left only one real option…

Roger: “I know you don’t want to Bec, but can you do it?”
‘Bec: “I just said–”
Roger: “You’re the one who brought it up! A-And… you’re the oldest.”
Roger: “Please?”

Honestly, you don’t know her well-enough to know how she’ll respond. From how she was earlier, you could easily have imagined her getting mad at you for even asking. Instead however, she just sighs and scratches at her beanie.

‘Bec: “Fine. Gimme your flashlight though, I’m not doing this $@#% in the dark.”
Roger: “Th-Thank you! And here…”

You pass her your torch, and she waves you all off.

‘Bec: “There’s a room straight North of here, down that hall. Go wait for me there.”
Albert: “Hmm, we’ll run into Sheppard eventually if he loops the entire floor, but we’ll evade him for the time being at least. That can work.”
‘Bec: “Yeah. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise. Dumb#$$...”
Roger: “Let’s just go. We’ll wait for you, as long as you reach us before Aiden’s dad can.”

As you turn to leave, she stops you.

‘Bec: “Wait.”
‘Bec: “...Don’t go to that room actually, hide in the one beside it.”
Roger: “What’s wrong with the first room?”
‘Bec: “Let’s just say that if you don’t want to be here, then you definitely don’t wanna be there.”

You swallow, remembering the corpse that greeted you at the building’s entrance.

Roger: “Right… The room beside it then?”
‘Bec: “Yeah. It’s full of papers. You can’t miss it.”

With that settled, the four of you head off as a collective towards the room ‘Bec pointed you towards. At some point, you notice the hall behind you get brighter. ‘Bec had, thankfully, given you a decent head start before lighting up the body to examine it, sparing you all an awful sight.

The Storyteller 2025/04/25(Fri)20:38 No. 1106978 ID: c438a4
File 174563872992.png - (340.69KB , 1000x1001 , 413.png )

The walk is silent, until you eventually find the rooms ‘Bec described.

Ignoring the first room entirely, you head a few steps East to the one beside it, finding yourselves in what could best be described as an Archive. There were shelves lined with the kind of cardboard boxes that adults use to hold files and folders. They were all rather organized, save a couple that had fallen over and one whose contents seemed scattered about a small area. You’re guessing that ‘Bec might have been looking there.

Albert: “Hm, waiting here might not be a waste of time.”

He immediately moves to a shelf to start investigating, while Clive and Enid meander to different corners of the room.

…Maybe you should leave the files to Albert for a bit, and focus on the emotional state of your group?

Choose up to two:

A: Check on Enid
-You have a clearer idea what’s bothering her
-She doesn’t scare you
B: Begrudgingly, Check on Clive
-As upset as you are with him, you’re more scared than anything. You don’t understand Clive
-If you face your fears and just talk to him, you might get some answers
C: What about Albert?
-Albert isn’t always upfront about his feelings
-He seems fine, but it may be worth checking in with him anyways
D: Investigate
-There’s a lot to go through, but you feel like your odds of finding something important are pretty good here

The worst part about being in such a critical situation for a prolonged period of time is that it makes it all that much harder to justify not focusing on arguably the most important thing, which in this case, would be finding information.

That being said, I'm still going to advocate for A + B, and failing that, B + D.

Albert seems fine, but since the Party Fear was last updated in response to Clive's trauma response, it's hard to say for sure. What I can say, however, is that I trust him to understand what he finds. But putting all that aside, Albert is probably the least relevant when it comes to the topic of Giovanni's death.

Enid is probably doing better than we think, in large part due to Actual Therapy, but even if she is, this definitely has to suck for her.

And as far as Clive goes, this is probably one of the few instances where we won't be getting much pushback from Roger as usual- the fact that it's an option means that he's considering it, and that alone is, in my opinion, monumental.

>>1106983
All valid points. I’m voting for A + B.

Albert has something to occupy his mind with. Clive most certainly does NOT. Even if he doesn’t like Roger, it’s something to focus on other than gruesome gory murder. Clive is undoubtedly remembering some things he’d rather not, so anything Roger does to talk to him will help his mental state far better than leaving him alone- no matter what Clive himself thinks.

Enid needs some reassurance. If ‘Bec being the oldest means she gets more responsibilities, then Enid being the youngest means she gets help working through all the things the two adults said about her.

I think it’s as temmie and once said iirc, we are not going to get all the answers to our questions during this quest. Not sure when, where, or if she said that, but that's a fact we have to accept. I think as long as Albert and Bec are investigating their respective areas, we should get the decent amount of information needed to continue if we're not getting a lot. mental health comes first

That said: Clive needs help, but Roger dodger knows nothing about him to help him properly, not to mention he's terrified of him. If we wanna help Clive, talking to Albert or Enid first about Clive is a must so Roger can at least get some idea of who he is to take at Least the first step to help,

as for whom, talking to Albert could be beneficial as it can probably help lower Albert's fear (his is the second highest), but I feel if we ask him about Clive, he will only give us analytical insight on him instead of insight of his personality, which would only help a little, but not quite the information we need. Right now, Albert believes Clive murdered his parents when in actuality, it was Rodney. Albert would only give Roger false information and fear Clive more.

Enid took some time to try to understand Clive as a person, if anybody can help Roger, it's Enid.

A. Check up on Enid to see how she is feeling considering she just witnessed her father's good friend get killed by Anderson, and if it leads into it, Roger should talk about his own fears about Clive, and his feelings about his actions here, and what he did to Jolene. While Enid knows Clive almost killed Jolene, I don't think Roger ever told her the full story, like events leading up to her beatdown from his perspective. Roger should be honest with her about his feelings about Clive for what he did if it makes Roger feel any better, even if it's hate. Maybe after, Enid can give Roger some insight from what she learned about Clive as a person who protected her from Anderson, and other thoughts. I feel talking to Enid will help mentally prepare Roger for Clive.

then B. Honestly not sure what to say to Clive at the moment until we get Enid's insight. But I remember we had 4 water bottles along with our 4 rations? though they probably got mixed with our rations, and got depleted when Clive, Roger, Enid, and Albert snacked. I guess if Roger and/or he still have some, suggest/offer drinking, stay hydrated. Otherwise... maybe try to think about why you drew him, what was it that inspired you to draw him despite your fear?

My vote is on B + D, and my reasoning is that Clive is in much dire need of someone to stabilize him right now.
Enid too, for that matter, but not to the point where it can't be adressed later, as she is still holding together and paying attention to her surroundings.

Albert is most definitely not fine, but his traumas seem to be more ingrained, seeing as how he is so resolute on killing Mr. Sheppard, and we might be able to add actual input right now as he sifts through the documents, and it could also provide something to ocuppy our mind away from the chaos around us.

A + B, use Enid as moral support to check on Clive.

>while Clive and Enid meander to different corners of the room.
Boy. That doesn't imply anything about these two characters and how they'll be interacting with each other going forward.

I'll pick D-B.
While I'd normally understand why people would go for Enid in these cases I don't think She'll be quite as sympathetic towards Clive as she would otherwise be given what he just did to one of her few adult friends.
Rodger needs some time to decompact what he just saw and calm himself down a bit. But Clive's behaviour NEEDS to be addressed at some point.

>>1107013
With that said. Now WOULD be a good time to hand stuff out at this point if we still have anything.

and after hearing >>1107013 argument, I'll change vote B, C. Yeah, Enid might not be too happy with Clive and would probably not have good things to say about Clive and won't help Roger's fear of him at all.

since Albert was wondering why Clive couldn't finish the job of killing Snyder, maybe he's been thinking about Clive from a different perspective, knowing him, he might have figured something out about him. Plus we should probably address Killing Anderson or not with him. He also has the second highest fear.

but yeah, B, C is my new vote.