Three | Action [Speak Up! Event, Stage 3]

[snipingmissy]

[This is just not working out. Not as she'd hoped. She was trying to stay calm enough to keep watch at the door and attempt to prevent Hol from leaving to turn himself in. Crowe and Ash had both seemed very much on edge, and by this point she couldn't blame them. But she couldn't help herself, and when she considered telling the next person that

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[walking_nuke]

You didn't hear? ... Oh trust me on'is, you're gonna wanna keep that handgun glued to your side.

So apparently these fuckers runnin'a town sent out a census form. Asked people if they were communists an' everything. This town sure does love its commie hunts. [Balin shakes his head in disgust.]

Shortly after'at, they turned the town into a war zone. Far as I was told, they manipulated everyone into killin' each other over'a threat of their fears comin' true. Others just jumped at'a chance to kill people

[snipingmissy]

[She's visibly processing this for a moment, before she shakes her head.]

Unacceptable. It seems their favorite activity here is to drive people apart.

..I wonder if the people in my house can defend themselves should something like this come up again. Especially the two children. I'm certain Hol could fight if need be..

[She sighs.] One pistol is clearly not enough.

[walking_nuke]

[Balin nods.] From some of'a people I've talked to over'a phone, we've got some real heavyweights in'is town. People who've been around long enough to get most'a their stuff back, more'an capable of wipin'a floor with a normal human with 'em. One pistol's a good start, though. Never hurts to have one handy as a last resort.

I wonder'a same about my household too, actually ... Don't know much about'a "missus" yet, an' my "son," he don't seem like'a fightin' type, but he's got a pretty sharp mind. The other kid's a drone.

[snipingmissy]

[She nods, thinking of Lust, who was both quite strong and likely willing to resort to violence.]

The two boys are very young. Ash...he's got those little creatures with him, and the yellow one can attack. I don't...I don't know about Crowe. And I know for certain that Hol won't even think of hitting a woman, though that's only because I initially attacked him myself and he did nothing.

[Riza sighs, shaking her head.] Maybe we ought to teach everyone some simple self defense.

[walking_nuke]

Eh? Little creatures? Don't think I've seen somethin' like that yet.

Self-defense classes ... maybe. Dunno how much'a help I'd be for that, though. I mean, I had'a take AFS CQC like everyone else, but I ain't rated as an expert in it ... Marksmanship, firearms safety, an' maintenance-I could do that, though.

[snipingmissy]

Well, I certainly could teach marksmanship and firearms safety much better than hand to hand combat, but seeing as not everyone in town is going to be comfortable using a firearm--or be able or willing to get one themselves..

It's all very bizarre. If the people in charge want us here so much, one has to wonder why exactly they strive to turn us against one another as well.

[walking_nuke]

[Balin nods.]

Yeah, that's true ... Heh, we're both in'a same boat sounds like.

[He rubs his forehead.]

Damn, I kinda wish one of'a Guardians I knew were here. They usually master'a CQC stuff, since they like to get up close an' personal with'a Bane.

[He pauses.]

I wonder'at, too. Why they bring us here, that is. The way I see it, either we're all lab rats for some sick science experiment, or'a guys runnin' this place are just sick fucks who get off on tormentin' whoever they can pull in. Still not sure which seems more likely here.

[snipingmissy]

[She frowns, shaking her head.]

I'm not certain which would be worse--that we're here for an experiment, or because they can simply keep us here.

[walking_nuke]

Either of 'em are pretty damn awful, yeah. Who knows, they're prolly one in'a same ... 'cause if this is some psychology research experiment or something, it sure as hell ain't ethical.

I'd heard studies about that before, how cruelty can breed in places like'is.

[snipingmissy]

People grow desperate when they see no method of escape. Unfortunately, that can lead to turning against the people who are in the same situation.

[walking_nuke]

'Specially with some of'a bastards they drug in here. You been listenin' to some of'a confessions on'a phone?

[Balin hasn't made an effort to conceal the writing in the notebook. The truth gas would probably keep him from doing so even if he wanted, though. It'd be pretty easy for Riza to see that he's been making note of certain statements made over the phone and when they were made, but only those "secrets" that would mark the person as dangerous.]

[For example, if she knows of Sideswipe and/or heard his confession over the phone recently, Balin has written some notes about it.]

[snipingmissy]

[She shakes her head, frowning.]

I have not--not particularly, anyway.

Those secrets are not mine to hear. Unless I heard something threatening, I tried not to listen out of the understanding that I wouldn't particularly want them listening to me either.

[She hadn't noticed his notebook until now. It wasn't that she didn't approve; she just understood the brevity of revealing secrets to the entire town and had chosen to respect that she was not the only one with an insatiable need to share things she typically kept very much to herself.]

[walking_nuke]

[Balin nods out of understanding.]

I can understand that, yeah. We've all been leaking our secrets like a bad faucet, an' a lot of 'em I just ignored-'specially all those people that've been yelling they're commies-but some of 'em ... I just can't ignore, yanno? Like when you hear of people sayin' they kill innocent people without remorse or things like that.

Better to remember it now than find out'a hard way later, I say.

[snipingmissy]

[She nods slightly.]

Anybody I should be particularly worried about, then?

[walking_nuke]

Well, lesse-

[He flips back a few pages to some of the notes he made when he was in his own truth-telling throes over the phone.]

I got warned by a few people about some of'a more dangerous guys in town. Like several people warned me about the same guys, so that tells me a lot 'bout how dangerous'ey are.

First one ... Gilgamesh. Looks like a lil' kid, but he ain't. You know how this town pulls in people from any time, anywhere? He's from five thousand years ago in my world. Five thousand One of'a first kings in human history, even.

The reason he looks like a kid now is 'cause he took some potion'a youth to make himself a kid, so he told me. Doesn't seem to like modern humans much, he picked up my call an' was all like "wow, you sure suck" over not knowin' how to ride a horse or bein' able to nuke things with my hands.

Anyway, he's got a weapon he was braggin' can split continents apart. Claimed it was what set Earth's continental drift into motion. He called it, uh-[Looks at his notebook.]-the "Genesis Star that Sunders Heaven

[snipingmissy]

Children who are incredibly dangerous.

[She sighs, shaking her head. It reminded her far too much of Pride, and she closed her eyes and tried not to think about how she was now unnecessarily terrified of shadows.]

That seems worse than the average passerby.

I'll take note of those names..