Whatever happens, Isaac should probably destroy/ditch the phone with the body. Holding on to a murder victim's phone is just asking to get caught.

Send Issac with both bodies, Hank and Jim on supply run.

Control Hank.

Let's control Hank! Jim is a wild spirit that can not be tamed.

If we can control Hank let's make him and Issac kiss.

Artsekey 2016/04/14(Thu)16:51 No. 716554 ID: 0b5c9b
File 146067791878.jpg - (420.18KB , 1600x1200 , ps51.jpg )

>>CONTROL HANK
>>I say we go with Hank.
>>control hank
>>Control Hank.
>>Let's control Hank! Jim is a wild spirit that can not be tamed.

You are now HANK O’RIELY.

You are a 23 year old college student attending Brokeland College majoring in PHYSICAL THERAPY.

Your best friend is ISAAC CLEMMONT, and he MURDERED SOMEONE earlier today. Specifically, his ROOMMATE’S GIRLFRIEND, Lindsey. Instead of going to the cops and confessing what he’d done (he says it was in SELF DEFENSE), he’s recruited a STRANGER YOU DON’T TRUST. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days and smells vaguely of BURNT PAPER; you know he is probably an ART STUDENT, but you honestly don’t care enough to ask.

You are REALLY, REALLY STRONG. You work out a lot and are employed as a LIFE GUARD at Brokeland’s pool. You couldn’t afford to go to college if it hadn’t been for your ROTC scholarship, which requires a LOT OF WORK and TIME. It’s part of the reason you and Isaac started to GROW APART.

You are REALLY, REALLY LOYAL. Even though you and Isaac grew apart over the last few months, you promised to LOOK OUT FOR HIM a long time ago—a promise that was REAFFIRMED when you both got accepted to Brokeland. You TRUSTED HIM, but right now you are really, really worried. The Isaac you knew in high school wouldn’t have killed anyone, you don’t think, but you are FAIRLY UNOBSERVANT and often GIVE PEOPLE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT to a fault. Sometimes it takes you a while to realize things.

For example, you are just now realizing that ISAAC SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OVERPOWER LINDSEY.

You are not PERSUASIVE, but you easily TAKE CONTROL OF SITUATIONS. People have called you a NATURAL BORN LEADER. You follow your heart over your mind, and right now your mind is telling you this is all REALLY, REALLY FUCKED UP.

Jim walks away to get on his motorcycle after discussing the specifics of EVIDENCE DISPOSAL with Isaac. They are being way too casual about this. And that guy? He makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You suspect Isaac has known him longer than he claims he has (why else would he have CALLED HIM before he called you?) You’re glad that you’re riding to the End of the Echo with Isaac alone; it’ll give you some time to sort this out in your head.

You slide into the passenger seat. Isaac shoves the garbage bag in the space at your feet, and puts the DUFFEL BAG in the back seat. “Bumper still dragging?” You ask, white as a sheet. You can’t take your eyes off the BAG. It feels WARM and it’s AGAINST YOUR LEG.
“Yeah,” Isaac gets into the driver’s seat, turning the key a few times to get the engine going. “Haven’t had time to take it to the garage.”

You can’t believe that you’re talking about his CAR. You think it might be your way of avoiding the subject.

Isaac backs out of his parking spot and Jim zips by on his motorcycle. He’s heading west. The car pulls out of the parking lot, and Isaac puts in one of the CD’s he burned a few years ago. You almost forgot he was into INDIE MUSIC.

You have time to talk to Isaac alone and GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. He seems STRANGELY FINE and that WORRIES YOU.

>>716554
>vaguely half-remember some article you read once about delayed reactions

RATIONALIZE that Isaac probably used his environment to overpower Lindsey. He was on his home turf, he knew the geography better than the enemy!

Make HORRIBLY TASTELESS JOKE about how Isaac should probably start listening to DEATH METAL to try and lighten the mood.

You have no choice. You have to kill your friend before he kills again.

Well pull your feet up or just kinda avoid touching the bag
>ISAAC SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OVERPOWER LINDSEY
he was probably on an adrenaline rush so that mightve helped in his situation

>ISSAC shouldn't have been able to overpower LINDSAY

theres so many different things that could have happened to make it easier for him to get the upper hand on her, adrenaline, the environment, hell she might have tripped

if youre that worried about it, just ask him. why would he lie to you when youre already this far into this shit?

Issac didn't say Gabe was already dead, though he was probably already fatal. Maybe he helped him?

>>716554
"Isaac...... Are you OK?"

You promised to protect him man. You're already too deep to turn back, emotionally and in the eyes of the law.

Try to crack a joke, Issac is probably in shock.

Try to get some answers out of Issac. You can guess what's in the bag, but see if he at least feels bad about the murder/s? Get a read on his mental state, maybe he's in shock?

Artsekey 2016/04/15(Fri)14:28 No. 716758 ID: 596541
File 146075570609.jpg - (418.19KB , 1400x1200 , ps52.jpg )

>>RATIONALIZE that Isaac probably used his environment to overpower Lindsey. He was on his home turf, he knew the geography better than the enemy!
>>he was probably on an adrenaline rush so that mightve helped in his situation
>> so many different things that could have happened to make it easier for him to get the upper hand on her, adrenaline, the environment, hell she might have tripped

You know ISAAC couldn’t have overpowered Lindsey alone, but rationalize that ANYTHING COULD HAVE HAPPENED. He could have been running on ADRENILINE or caught Lindsey by surprise. You really believe he did it in SELF DEFENSE—what’s done is done, you guess. It doesn’t matter so much how she got the way she is now (that is, at pieces in a garbage bag by your feet).

>> if youre that worried about it, just ask him. why would he lie to you when youre already this far into this shit?

That doesn’t mean you aren’t curious. “Hey, dude,” You start, avoiding eye contact, “How’d you… uh,”

“Wh—oh.” Isaac glances away from the road at the bag, “Lindsey. It’s kind of a blur. I just swiped this butter knife off the counter and…” He makes a STABBING MOTION. “Y’know?”

You really don’t know. Isaac half-laughs; he’s nervous.

You don’t think that matches the STORY ISAAC TOLD YOU EARLIER, but he seems like he’s ON EDGE. He might be IN SHOCK, but…

You KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF SHOCK VERY WELL. It was part of your LIFEGUARD TRAINING. Isaac looks VERY RELAXED.

It takes you a long time to reply, “Yeah.”

There’s a long silence.

>> Try to crack a joke, Issac is probably in shock.

>> Make HORRIBLY TASTELESS JOKE about how Isaac should probably start listening to DEATH METAL to try and lighten the mood.

“Hey, think we can put on some… death metal?” You grin, but your brows don’t move. You just look like someone faking a really worried, sheepish smile.

“Really, man?” Isaac huffs, smiling, “Not the time.”

Another long stretch of silence. There’s a car RIDING ON YOUR ASS. Isaac seems to notice, and you know he’s predisposed to ROAD RAGE. He’s doing that thing where he’s sinking down in his chair to get a better angle on the side-view mirror to direct his glare at the offending driver, but he’s otherwise TRYING TO IGNORE IT.

The tailgater HONKS.

Isaac speeds up. His speedometer says 72; you pass a limit sign reading 55. You’re moving too fast to read the NEXT SIGN THAT YOU PASS.

You hear a PHONE GO OFF. You think ISAAC JUST GOT A TEXT MESSAGE. You can offer to READ IT FOR HIM.

As HANK, you can choose to either HINDER or AID Isaac's quest to hide the bodies-- as HANK finds more UNEXPLAINED CONTRADICTIONS, his TRUST in Isaac will DROP.

You want to HELP YOUR FRIEND. Is hiding his mistake the best way to do it?

Feel free to use the disthread to talk about this more! I just want to make it clear that you don't HAVE to work towards Isaac's goals as Hank, but you certainly can!

Hiding this and never speaking of it again will surely be the best idea for you and your friend's physical and mental health, Hank!
Maybe you should PULL OVER and let this noisy tailgater pass. That way, Isaac can read the text he got on what is definitely his phone!

Whatever you do, stop speeding! If the cops see anything out of the ordinary, one thing will lead to another until you're found out.

>>716798
!!!!

You're in too deep, Hank, now you'll get in trouble too if Issac is caught, regardless of whether what he's doing is right. Warn him that speeding is going to catch the attention of the police and land you both in hot water. You might want to be wary of Issac though. If he turns out to be a cold blooded murderer, what's really keeping you safe from him if you say something he doesn't like?

Issac's inconsistencies are probably originating from his fear of the police. You know he's got a history of roadrage, and probably got into trouble over that, so it makes sense that he's afraid of what they'll do if they got involved.

Additionally, you got your scholarship through the army, though he called you anyways so he must have realized you won't sell him out over it, but if he's still lying, maybe he's worried about you disciplining him. After all, you did kind of yell at him when he tried to keep you out before.

Issac's nervous -- you could probably give him a hand job to see if it helps him relax.

Either get him to pull off and over to read his texts and let these jackasses pass, or get him to slow to the speed limit.

The best way to deal with tailgaters is to go exactly the speed limit. Exactly. Then when they inevitably rage pass you blow them a kiss. Really works.

Tell him to let the tailgater pass or something, remind him that speeding will draw attention

As much as you want to help him (you really should probably call the police) getting caught speeding right now is probably a really bad idea

try to break it to him easy that maybe he should slow down and let the dude pass - don't let him go full on road rage

>>716959
Could tell him you need a second to get some fresh air... I mean, you are sitting with a bag of death.
Then, once you step out for a breath, let him know that he shouldn't go so fast if he doesn't want to get pulled over for speeding. Cops have speed traps in all sorts of places.

Artsekey 2016/04/17(Sun)11:16 No. 717330 ID: 88bd07
File 146091700461.jpg - (281.24KB , 1188x1017 , ps53.jpg )

>>Either get him to pull off and over to read his texts and let these jackasses pass, or get him to slow to the speed limit.

>>The best way to deal with tailgaters is to go exactly the speed limit. Exactly. Then when they inevitably rage pass you blow them a kiss. Really works.

"Dude, the limit is fifty-five," You say.

"The road's empty," Isaac rationalizes, "And if you haven't noticed, we're kiiiind of in a hurry."

"Yeah, but if the cops pull you over, we're boned." You tell him.

"Oh, shit," Isaac hits the breaks-- he obviously hadn't thought about that. The tailgater behind you HONKS and SLAMS THEIR BREAKS before revving their engine and TRYING TO PASS YOU.

Isaac speeds up and doesn't let them in for a solid minute-- thankfully, there are no cars going the opposite way. Isaac rolls down his window and FLIPS THEM THE BIRD as they pass. They return the favor and then ZOOM ON.

Since you're going the speed limit, you can actually read the next sign you see. It's one of those big orange diamonds with large black print:
ROAD WORK AHEAD. BRIDGE CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE
10/17/16 THRU 11/1/16
9 P.M. TO SIX A.M DAILY

It crosses a small tributary of the End of the Echo. There's no way the people that passed you saw the sign-- they're probably in for a SURPRISE if they're lucky and an ACCIDENT if they're not.

If you hadn't let them pass, you think, that might have been YOU. You are kind of wondering why you let ISAAC DRIVE.

You tell Isaac about the sign you read, and you decide to take an ALTERNATIVE ROUTE. It takes a little bit longer, but you eventually arrive at the END OF THE ECHO. Isaac parks in a small dirt lot that's out of the way, and the two of you get out to stretch your legs.

You leave THE BAG OF DEATH in the car. You can't do anything until JIM arrives, seeing as he has the shovels and won't be able to find you if you WANDER.

It's chilly out. Jim's bag is still in the back of the car.

You don't trust Jim. You don't even know when he's going to get here or if he's coming at all. In fact, you are kind of NERVOUS that he was setting you up for the cops. If you get caught with something like this, your life is RUINED.

You are having SECOND THOUGHTS and--

Did Isaac just pull a SEVERED FINGER out of the POCKET OF HIS HOODIE??????

Oh holy fuck.

That is totally a novelty stylus. it's oozing novelty jelly and is novelty vinegar-scented.

Suggestion 2016/04/17(Sun)12:34 No. 717338 ID: 9f0151

>Scream, time for screaming, it is scream time

Sorry, Hank.
Isaac's a budding sociopath.
Jim's a perpetually stoned monster.
They're dumping the remains of their victims.
And you're caught in the middle of it.
So, yeah.
Sorry.

you are too deep into this to back out now man

just, deal with the rest of this and once its over and done with you'll never have to talk about it again

>>717338
This is definitely the time to scream

Suppress the urge to scream. You made a promise, but jesus a severed finger is really creepy! Tell Issac to try and convince you to step out next time he uses that! And go out and sit on the back of the car or something while you calm down.

Demand to know why Issac didn't bring you a severed finger. Isn't he your friend?

Repress the urge to scream. No screaming in ROTC.

Maybe ask him what the fuck.

Artsekey 2016/04/17(Sun)16:31 No. 717412 ID: 88bd07
File 146093589355.jpg - (572.55KB , 1400x1200 , ps54.jpg )

>Scream, time for screaming, it is scream time

You don't think he noticed that you SAW THE FINGER. He puts it back into his pocket and looks at you like he's wondering what your face is all about.

You want to SCREAM.

>>Repress the urge to scream. No screaming in ROTC.

No screaming in ROTC!!! No screaming in ROTC. Thats not a thing but god damn it that thought gets you through it and you REPRESS YOUR SCREAM.

By repress, you mean hold in until it becomes a weird wheezy noise.

>>go out and sit on the back of the car or something while you calm down.

Isaac is giving you a quizzical look. He looks like he's about to ask you if you're okay, but you beat him to it. "Yeah, fine!" You say. Your voice is unusually high-pitched, "Gunna wait in the car for Jim!"

You scurry back that way and find a seat in the BACK OF THE CAR away from the BAG OF DEATH. You are freaking the fuck out. Your best friend KILLED SOMEBODY and... kept a finger??? From one of the corpses??? That's fucked up. You feel fucked up for being part of something this fucked up.

You are PANICKING. You have your PHONE with you-- you could still call the police.

Jim's BAG is still beside you. You are kind of afraid of what might be inside.

You want Isaac to be okay.
You definitely do not think he's okay. You are kind of starting to think he's OKAY with WHAT HE'S DONE-- and you aren't even sure he's TELLING THE TRUTH. What he told you about the knife DOESN'T ADD UP, and even if it did, IT WAS SELF DEFENSE. He has the bruises to prove it! The cops WOULDN'T HAVE ARRESTED HIM.

It occurs to you that the bodies are in a GARBAGE BAG.
Those garbage bags are not HUMAN SHAPED.
You were sitting next to chunked up people on the way out here and you feel like you might TOSS.

What the hell are you going to do?

Remember, not only are YOU in shit that is way too deep, but so are THEY. Sometimes people go way overboard in the case of trying to get away with something. Isaac probably just fucked up harder than you originally imagined. Try to stay calm.

Keep your promise. If you can stomach it, or are alright emptying your stomach, ask Issac for the real story. Assure him you won't rat him out, but you gotta know exactly what happened. Even if he's got some weird thing that makes him okay with chopping people up, you, as his friend, can at least keep him out of situations where that would be a "viable" option.

You can't let this continue.
Despite your friendship with Isaac, you know what he's done is wrong.
You have to get in touch with the authorities.
Don't try to handle it yourself. You could end up hurt or worse if you do.

>>717412
punch self in dick accidentally in the throes of your own confusion

become braced by the pain

Realize that this isn't any worse than what you'd be seeing in the army, and also remember that time Isaac helped you out of that jam that one time himself.

Can you be sure about the cop thing? People like to think that if they "just do the right thing" that it will all work out.

But even in a simple cut and dry self defense case you can end up with years of lawsuits and peoples lives being ruined after the fact.

And that's depending on if you even get a fair trial. What if the judge was a friend of the deceased family? Or evidence gets mishandled? Its a dangerous area.

Listen his story is going to be odd. He just went through a bunch of crazy stuff and honestly is probably scared you are going to abandon him. Can you honestly say that you have not given him any signs that might have made him withhold info?

If you want to know about the bags just look at every tv show out there. They are all about people panicking over murders and cutting up bodies. Of course impressionable youths are going to watch and the second something bad happens that's what they think is normal.

Just go ask him about the finger. If he has a good reason find out what it is. And if he is just clutching it desperately while in shock then he probably needs a hug.

Ask Issac if he's picked a major yet.

Check the contents of Jim's bag! You want to see how bad this situation really is. What if Issac's befriended some kind of hitman for hire and that's why he's going down this path?

If you want to leave this with a normal life, keep your promise with isaac. But, ask for the truth. Why call jim? Why the finger? He's your best friend, and trust works both ways

No cops man. even if you didn't promise him you'd help, ROTC kicks people out over parking tickets. They won't give a fuck about your promises. You'll ruin both of your futures.

It's too late to turn back now.

(Also dude if you ever plan on going to war you can consider this practice. Steel yourself.)

Go kiss Issac.

>>717412
Go ahead and toss if you want, its completely understandable. As for what Issac did, you know the right thing to do, but Issac should be the one who needs to understand the gravity of the situation. You cant just turn him into the cops. Thats not going to set him on the right path, its just going to put him in an environment full of other killers and gove him a grudge against us. You need to get him to understand the error of his ways and get him to admit his own guilt to the authorities. All you need to do is watch out for that Jim guy.

okay look, now would be the best time to call the police.

yes, issac is your best and closest friend, which means that you should be doing the best thing you can for him - which is turning him in.

call the police.

>>717612
and lose your rotc scholarship? bad and lame idea

Artsekey 2016/04/20(Wed)12:40 No. 717976 ID: 95574b
File 146118124475.jpg - (300.34KB , 1361x1013 , ps55.jpg )

>>No cops man. even if you didn't promise him you'd help, ROTC kicks people out over parking tickets. They won't give a fuck about your promises. You'll ruin both of your futures.

>>It's too late to turn back now.

>>punch self in dick accidentally in the throes of your own confusion

>>become braced by the pain

You decide to STEEL THE FUCK UP. You do this by INFLICTING PAIN UPON YOUR PERSON, specifically PUNCHING YOURSELF IN THE DICK. This distracts you from the situation significantly because holy FUCK your dick hurts!

This provides you with a moment of CLARITY.

You're in the shit now, and this is probably not any worse than it's going to be when you're deployed.

If you get deployed, ever. If this somehow doesn't all backfire and ruin your entire life and career.

You RESIST THE URGE TO TOSS even though the car smells like carnage. Calm down. Happy place. Haaaapppyyy place.

You find your happy place. It's a place where you are not here and your best friend did /not/ unceremoniously murder someone in self defense. It also has a lot of fucking food, because you are kind of starving right now. You were so worried about ISAAC you forgot to have DINNER after your work out.

You feel like you should stop at Denny after this is all said and done. It just feels like the type of place that people who do stuff like this go in the middle of the night to get their pancake fix.

>>Check the contents of Jim's bag! You want to see how bad this situation really is. What if Issac's befriended some kind of hitman for hire and that's why he's going down this path?

Your eyes wander over to Jim's bag.It's just kind of sitting there. Watching. Intimidating. You're kind of worried that some freaking bomb is going to go off if you open it, but that's a REALLY STUPID FEAR.

You decide to open it and brave whatever is inside. What if Jim is some kind of serial killer? Maybe this will help you UNDERSTAND HIM. Maybe it's something you'll need to warn Isaac about.

You open the bag.

Artsekey 2016/04/20(Wed)12:43 No. 717977 ID: 95574b
File 146118141611.jpg - (444.22KB , 1361x1013 , ps56.jpg )

The zipper slides like new. In fact, the whole bag looks brand new, but--

the top layer is cluttered with several layers of PAPER, and the top sheet is written in RED PEN INK.

STAY OUT OF MY SHIT, HANK.

It's signed with a small "fuck you" encircled by what is undoubtedly a SARCASTIC HEART.

Considering you met Jim LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO, you don't know how he could have written this message unless ISAAC HAD TOLD HIM ABOUT YOU BEFOREHAND, and guessed that you would be tagging along.
And that you'd... open his bag.

Paranoid, much?

Regardless, it is still a WARNING. Should you keep digging?

>>717977
Nah, man, leave it be. Think of it like this:

If he's hiding something illegal or dangerous, he might do something bad to you out of fear of getting caught.
If he just doesn't want you snooping around his stuff, you'll be pissing off somebody who's potentially unhinged and might do something bad to you out of spite.

Looking any further would just be a Lose/Lose situation for you.

This round goes to Jim for thinking ahead. Just keep thinking of food and how hungry you are.

And how you're sitting next to a bag of meat.

Fresh meat.

cmon aren't you a liiiittle curious how it tastes

hey man do you have some beef with hank. because people taste like veal apparently

>>717977
The less you know, the better. Sleeping dogs and curious cats and all that.

Dunno if going through his stuff is a great idea right now, what if he really is a serial killer and ends up having a grudge on you if you do check out what's in the bag
Though you could try and make it look like you didnt, although that would be kinda risky

>>717978
This is good reasoning. If you're still curious, just have Jim tell you what's inside when he returns. Better to gauge a person from interactions between yourself and them than little paranoid leaps your mind makes when you haven't had any.

>>717977
>Should you keep digging?
And put your fingerprints all over this possible murderers personal belongings?
No way

Don't continue this guy is dangerous. Just close the bag and have a talk with jim.

yknow what you should probably do what the paper says

getting on the bad side of someone who is probably very good at murdering people doesnt seem like a good idea

Artsekey 2016/05/10(Tue)17:36 No. 722475 ID: dd4cbd
File 146292698379.jpg - (185.07KB , 800x600 , ps57.jpg )

>>The less you know, the better. Sleeping dogs and curious cats and all that.

You don't dig any further in Jim's bag. The note's specificity makes you UNEASY, as does the RED INK and the SARCASTIC HEART. You feel like you don't know him well enough for him to be able to JOKE AROUND WITH HEARTS LIKE THAT.

You zip his bag back up, and take another minute just to yourself to calm down. The night outside is calm and clear-- absolutely nothing like you'd expect it to be when you're trying to bury bodies. It's STRANGELY CALMING.
But then it's not, because you remember that saying about calm stuff happening before a storm and oh SHIT what if the storm hasn't even hit yet??? Holy shit. You might just be riding the TITANIC here.

Before your paranoia and worry can totally consume you, you HEAR PEOPLE TALKING OUTSIDE.

Artsekey 2016/05/10(Tue)17:55 No. 722478 ID: dd4cbd
File 146292814503.jpg - (78.97KB , 800x600 , ps58].jpg )

You GET OUT OF THE CAR and see the silhouette of JIM AND ISAAC against the headlight of JIM'S MOTORCYCLE. They look like they're talking about something-- you can tell it's a laid back conversation.

Suddenly, you aren't HANK anymore. You feel like you kind of wasted your time as Hank, honestly. All of that good snooping you could have done, the lawful decisions you could have made... all stuck in a pit filled with uncertainty and fear. Fuck that!

Instead...

Make sure that patsy Hank kept his paws off your bag.

Artsekey 2016/05/10(Tue)18:30 No. 722489 ID: dd4cbd
File 146293024061.jpg - (237.16KB , 800x600 , ps59.jpg )

You are JIM an HOUR BEFORE YOU REUNITE WITH ISAAC AND HANK.

You've just arrived at THREE STONES GAP. You left Isaac and Hank about fifteen minutes ago because you know you need a SHOVEL and other IMPORTANT STUFF.

You CHECK YOUR STATS even though you didn't particularly WANT TO. It's always good to know what your assets are before you go into the shit, you think.

You are more CUNNING and PERSUASIVE than Isaac was, you realize, and you are FANATICALLY LOYAL. Your DETERMINATION is through the roof, and your RHYTHM is INSANE.

This means you will NEVER miss a beat in conversation. Your ability to lie is BASICALLY PERFECT, but your ability to talk your way out of situations is WEAK. You have no VISUAL or VERBAL TELLS for when you're making stuff up, but you have to be VERY CAREFUL about what comes out of your mouth.

You get off your MOTORCYCLE, parked on the SOUTH SIDE of Three Stones Gap. You can hear the faint thudding of music coming from beneath the bridge.

You know you'll find YOUR OLD FRIENDS down below. Your old smoking buddies. You haven't seen them in MONTHS, but you know they'll have the ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES YOU'LL NEED.

You also want to tell them goodbye.

--INVENTORY--
BLACK SHIRT
BLACK JEANS
SILVER CHAIN NECKLACE
MOTORCYCLE HELMET
SWISS ARMY KNIFE

You take a moment to REFLECT. Do you have anything else you need to CHECK before you GO REUNITE WITH YOUR OLD FRIENDS?

This takes place while Hank and Isaac are at the End of the Echo. It's a slight hop back in time to cover both sides of the story. Play wisely!

>>722489
Reflect on your LATENT PSYCHIC ABILITIES.

Your PARACHUTE.

Seduce Issac.

eat some drywall, it probably tastes like corn chips

Artsekey 2016/05/11(Wed)15:28 No. 722592 ID: 647886
File 146300571912.jpg - (116.54KB , 800x600 , ps60.jpg )

>>Reflect on your LATENT PSYCHIC ABILITIES.

They aren't latent. You've KNOWN WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT for YEARS.



>>Seduce Issac.

Eventually. You're going to get to that, but you've got a lot to do between now and then.

Like, for example, picking up this shovel from your old stoner friends, getting rid of Hank, and STARTING YOUR CROSS COUNTRY CRIME SPREE.
That's going to take a few months, you figure, and will provide ample opportunity for SEDUCTION.

Besides, he isn't even here right now! You sent Isaac with Hank to the END OF THE ECHO, and they're probably there waiting for you RIGHT NOW. All this thinking is WASTING TIME.

You slide down the side of the bank with a practiced ease. There are string lights underneath the bridge, only on after eleven P.M., and you can see everything clearly.

The bridge has three flat sections underneath it, and each section is connected to the next by a few wooden planks. YOUR OLD FRIENDS decided it was a perfectly safe way to walk over the deceptively dangerous river below.

It looks like only a few people are around tonight. You recognize TONYA, SCOTT, and JEZIBEL from back in the day. They're sitting around an old radio along with two people YOU DON'T KNOW.

Nobody has seen you. It looks like they haven't started smoking yet.

You know they save the last bridge platform for storage, and you know that's probably where your things are. you can't get there without walking by your old friends-- platform one leads to platform two, and platform two leads to platform three on the north side of the river.

What do you do?

>>722592
take off your pants and walk in on them waving your dick about like a helicopter

Utilize your INSANE RHYTHM to spit fire as you retrieve your stuff.

Kill them one at a time without being seen.

Part your hair in the opposite direction. They'll never realize it's you.

If you talk to them then leave with a shovel that's gonna be sketch if the cops question hem. Be unseen. If they catch you then you can lie your way out of it, no problem. They already trust you.

So, what's this about getting rid of hank? So early? He's been useful so far.

>>722594
How could you NOT dick helicopter in? Nobody messes with dick helicopter.

>>722625
You're already burying one body. A few more won't hurt.

>>722665
Like these guys are new to dealing with cops. As long as they don't know the specifics, it's all fine. Walk over, say Hi, maybe get a couple new names, but let them know you've got some things that need doing tonight and get your stuff.
>>722676
Given the lack of persuasion, that would just draw in too much attention. Best to keep to simple, laid-back things, like "aint worth your time, don't worry man."

recall what Jezabel looks like and why she's useful.

>>722676
Actually, dick-helicopter in and then SEDUCE THEM ALL with your INSANE RHYTHM DICK-HELICOPTER.

recall why theyre useful
just be casual, say hi, and move on

Artsekey 2016/05/13(Fri)18:02 No. 723003 ID: 647886
File 146318776714.jpg - (269.09KB , 800x600 , ps61.jpg )

>>How could you NOT dick helicopter in? Nobody messes with dick helicopter.

>>Actually, dick-helicopter in and then SEDUCE THEM ALL with your INSANE RHYTHM DICK-HELICOPTER.

God, you would. You so would. In fact, there's so much dick helicopter in you that you UNZIP YOUR JEANS before remembering that there are TWO STRANGERS hanging out with your old friends. They might do something DRASTIC like PUNCH YOU. In the dick.
Seeing as you're planning on using that later, you RE-ZIP YOUR TROUSERS and save this SICK MANEUVER FOR LATER.

>>Like these guys are new to dealing with cops. As long as they don't know the specifics, it's all fine. Walk over, say Hi, maybe get a couple new names, but let them know you've got some things that need doing tonight and get your stuff.

You go ahead and walk up to the first bridge support platform. You see JEZEBEL and TONYA, and they see you too. The two STRANGERS are off to the right, and it looks like they're occupied with one another. You're pretty sure Scott is TAKING A WHIZ BEHIND THE BRIDGE INTO THE RIVER.

Tonya has CUT HER HAIR since the last time you saw her. You've known her for about FOUR YEARS, and you're aware that she partakes in DRAG RACING. By day, she works as a PHYSICAL TRAINER downtown. By night, she RIDES THE STREETS AND TAKES NAMES. You figure she'll join a BIKER GANG eventually.
She could also kick your ass. You know this because you used to FAUX-BOX with your pals back in the day. When she sees you, she looks VAGUELY INTERESTED and you can see the START OF A FRIENDLY SMILE.

Jezebel looks the same as ever. She doesn't TALK MUCH, but when she does it's often POIGNANT and INTELLIGENT. You've told her a lot about yourself, including YOUR VISIONS ABOUT TH FUTURE. She thought you were CRAZY and for a while you thought she was RIGHT. She looks like she's better friends with Tonya than she used to be, and when she sees you she looks DISMISSIVE and a little HURT.

Jezebel's dad is a cop. She HATES HIM.

The two STRANGERS look completely engaged with one another. The shorter one looks kind of YOUNG and CUTE. You can't guess the age of the WALKING VOID that has his arm draped around her, seeing as his face is mostly covered by his trademark "I'm being rebellious and trying weed for the first time" look.

Scott is /still/ taking a piss. God, Scott.

Scott was a GOOD FRIEND OF YOURS, but then JEZEBEL told him about your obsession with that RED-HEAD GUY YOU KEPT TELLING HER YOU SAW. You guess she had GOOD INTENTIONS, but you STOOD YOUR GROUND when Scott confronted you about the whole 'future sight' thing. It caused a SCHISM in your relationship. You and Scott don't HATE EACH OTHER, but hanging around them got AWKWARD after that. He got INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED with your PERSISTENCE ON THE ISSUE, as did JEZEBEL. They told you to KNOCK IT OFF AND GET HELP or LEAVE.

So, you left.
It paid off.
You kind of want to say 'told you so'.

Speaking of Scott, he flunked out of college three years ago and passes drugs around to the new undergrad students every year. That's how you MET HIM. He's kind of a low-life.

"Hey," You say, offering a wave.

"If it isn't Cockatiel," Tonya chuckled, taking a long drag from her cig. You don't smell any WEED, which is kind of weird, but you guess it's early in the night. "Long time since you flew by."

Jezebel rolls her eyes, looking away towards where SCOTT IS PISSING. She rethinks this and looks back at you.

"No kidding." You say.

"What's with the getup?" Jezebel asks, her tone aloof. You're dressed in ALL BLACK, much like VOID MCGEE over there.

Scott pokes his head around the corner, and you can hear him zip his pants.
"JIM, MY DUDE." He practically YODELS, "Jim-- Jimmy John, I thought you woulda /died/ by now, man! Where the hell have you been?"

It looks they MISSED YOU, at least a LITTLE.

It's time to tell them where you've been and what you've been up to. What do you say?

>>723003
"Eating drywall, covering up murders, you know. Crazy guy shit."

>>723003
I have a date with destiny, and she's got a thing for shovels!

Being a man with the plan, it seems destiny had a thing for me after-all.

Though keep the info low, but mention that you've been doing well though things have been a bit more hectic then usual.

"Y'know, the usual. Eating drywall, covering up murders-- Crazy guy shit. Crazy life shit."

You say it over your shoulder as you WALK PAST SCOTT towards the FLIMSY PLYWOOD BRIDGE that will lead towards the SECOND SUPPORT PLATFORM.

The absurdity of your claim and your RHYTHM make your statement come off as HUMOROUSLY NONCHALANT. Scott thinks you're joking.

"That's sick, man. Life's sick." He follows you because he wants to KEEP TALKING TO YOU. He looks like an EXCITED PUPPY. Or he would, if he wasn't wearing a SAFETY VEST and OVEN MITTS. He doesn't have a lot of cash-- or he didn't when you knew him. He was a COUCH SURFER, but given all the STUFF SITTING ON THE SECOND SUPPORT PLATFORM, it looks like he lives here now. It's good to know someone is always doing worse than you are.

"Where're you going, dude? I've got some beer-- why don't you sit for a while and catch us up on all the crazy shit you've been doing. You graduating this year? Oh-- oh! Jimmy, you've gotta meet Amy and Rod. They're a fuckin' riot!"

You assume Amy and Rod are the two strangers you saw earlier.

"Would, but can't. Got a date with destiny, and she digs shovels." You WINK at him.

That seems to THROW SCOTT OFF. Your SUAVE RHYTHM makes you look SELF ASSURED, CONFIDENT, and CAPABLE.

"...So you came back for your shit." Scott surmises, now more bitter than excited. "Fine, whatever. <i> Whatever. </i>"

He acts like he's going to stop talking, but he's NOTORIOUSLY BAD AT SHUTTING UP.
"You ever find that red-head fuck?"
Scott ISN'T VERY SMART, and he's VERY SENSITIVE.
"Hope your imaginary friend was worth leaving all this--" He motions to the SQUAD underneath the bridge. Its a motley crew. "Behind."

You think they're EXPENDABLE.

You think they might be USEFUL.

Amy's not bad looking, maybe you can use her to manipilate Isaac.

You don't give a shit about them right? Right. Then we should conjure up a situation to let one (or all) of them take the fall for this. It'll be much easier than just burying a body and hoping no one ever finds it.

Tell Scott you want his help.

Expendable and not giving a shit are two different things. Don't just throw them under the bus, get your stuff and do it right. HOWEVER, they could be involved in this just enough to where should something unforeseen go horribly wrong, the heat falls on them instead of you.

Jim is doing a fine job of manipulating Issac on his own.

Ideally, what we want them to do is start a fire at, or near Brokeland College. Doesn't matter if they get caught, because these criminal masterminds will LEAVE EVIDENCE, and they will establish that the fires being set having nothing to do with any missing students.

Really just thinking aloud, though.

>>647886
"Well, you guys certainly didn't try too hard to keep me around."
Play up the bitterness, guilt them into being guilty while you get your shit

Id say something along the lines of 'yeah actually, busy night ahead' to the 'did you find the redhead' part.

Why are you so loyal to isaac? I know meeting some dude after 'dreaming' of him for a long time would make you likely to stick with him, but you seem way beyond that.

Guys, he's loyal. He loves his friends. Don't be idiots.

Artsekey 2016/05/15(Sun)16:31 No. 723470 ID: f6a008
File 146335506496.jpg - (125.67KB , 800x600 , ps63.jpg )

>>"Well, you guys certainly didn't try too hard to keep me around."
>>Play up the bitterness, guilt them into being guilty while you get your shit

>>Id say something along the lines of 'yeah actually, busy night ahead' to the 'did you find the redhead' part.

"He's not an imaginary friend, dickmunch. In fact, I've got a pretty packed schedule tonight."

Scott's quiet while you CROSS THE LAST PLANK TO THE STORAGE SUPPORT. The shovel is propped up against the stone, easy to see and easy to grab.

===INVENTORY===
+ ONE OLD SHOVEL
---------------

You prop the shovel on your shoulder and turn back to start your walk back to shore. Scott's staring at you like he's trying to PIECE SOMETHING TOGETHER. You know it'll take him a while.

"I found him," You clarify, shrugging with a small smile. "His name's Isaac."

Scott looks SPEECHLESS. "... you aren't serious."

>>Why are you so loyal to isaac? I know meeting some dude after 'dreaming' of him for a long time would make you likely to stick with him, but you seem way beyond that.

"Dude, look," Scott looks FRUSTRATED, "I told you-- Jezebel and I told you to go get help. You were having weird trips, that's all! You can't just drag some guy who fits the bill into..." He trails off. He looks CONCERNED.

"I didn't drag him into anything," you say, "it all fits, Scott. All of it. He's the guy. He's my guy."

"Jim, the guy you used to talk about was a fuckin' murderer -- a serial killer, dude. Are you telling me this ginger guy you met kills people?" He asks it like he expects you to say NO and realize how ABSURD THIS PURSUIT IS. He even laughs a little.

You don't know a lot of things. You don't know WHY YOU CAN SEE THE FUTURE. You don't know why you can only see ISAAC'S FUTURE , but you do know his future INVOLVES YOU.
You know he spends the rest of his life with you.
And you want that life to be as LONG AS POSSIBLE.

You decide to WALK PAST SCOTT rather than continue this potentially INCRIMINATING conversation. Scott GRABS YOUR SLEEVE FIRMLY.

"What's the shovel for?"

...You regret TELLING SCOTT AND JEZEBEL about what you used to see in your DREAMS ABOUT THE FUTURE. They know EVERYTHING YOU SAW ABOUT ISAAC. You used to talk about it a lot when the visions were worst because it CONFUSED YOU and explaining it out as weird dreams HELPED.

You know you and Isaac end up TOGETHER.
You know Isaac ends up one of the most WANTED MEN IN AMERICA.
You know you'll be his ACCOMPLICE.

You told Scott and Jezebel this OVER A YEAR AGO, recounting it as a CRAZY DREAM. It looks like Scott remembers it, at least a LITTLE.

>>So, what's this about getting rid of hank? So early? He's been useful so far.

HANK was never supposed to be involved. He was SUPPOSED TO TAKE THE FALL AT THE DORM for the FIRE after you handed him the can of INCRIMINATING AEROSOL, but you can fix that later. You're sure the future is SET IN STONE one way or another.

>>723470
It might not be as ironclad as you think, beyond it all revolving around Isaac.
If you play your cards right you might get the twinky ginger AND the hefty military man.

>>723471
wonk

"[deadpan] you are not gonna like this answer. [beat] i found the man for me and hes really into sexy construction workers, sooooooooooooooo"

i mean.
pretending sex was involved worked out for us before.

Only so much we can do here, if we KNOW Isaac is eventually wanted for his actions tonight.

I don't think Jim is strong or ruthless enough to silence these witnesses, so lets just try to fly under radar.

Shrug/shake him off. He knows the answer to that just as well as you do.
It'd be easy for him to "trip" and fall off the bridge. I'd rather not add to the number of people dying tonight though, so I'd say only do it if you can for sure get the others to save him.

>you want that life to be as LONG AS POSSIBLE.
...Do you have a reason to think that it would otherwise be cut short?

>>723470
Future invariably cannot be ironclad.

What you are miscalculating is his past. Issac is BEST FRIENDS with Hank. You can see future bits but your predictions miscalculated Hank's importance to Issac and vice versa.... Threeway?

Hank appears a to be a rare catalyst capable of creating different futures. From what I can see, Six different futures stem from him right now.

Two were recently cut off from possibility, the perfect one, where he takes the fall for the fire, and the opposite one, where Issac called him first, approached this differently, and ended up not becoming a serial killer.

The Third would be where Hank goes to the police. Your foresight and careful planning so far has prevented this from happening, but its not out of possibility yet.

Fourth would be you killing or seriously harming hank in such away that you alienate Issac from you before he fully blossoms, ending your time together.

Fifth would be that you successfully remove Hank from the picture without alienating Issac.

And Sixth, and by far most difficult, would be to Corrupt hank into another accomplice.

As it stands, the most likely outcomes are negative. Things are not going to plan, no matter how much they seem to be. Tread carefully.

Utilize your INSANE RHYTHM to rap your way out of the situation.

Do an interpretive dance.