chiseler | We drown traitors in shallow water [post t5]

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!the cradle project

We drown traitors in shallow water [post t5]

[There are a lot of things Luke could have said about the trial and the way things played out. There's a lot of things Luke could have said about someone like Kazuma fooling all of them and the anger people felt...but he won't. He won't say anything about it to just anyone.

He won't talk about how he gets it. How he knows first-hand what that's like. How he's hardly affected by this at all. It's a pretty fucked up situation, but...over the course of the last week he's come to find there are people on this ship that are a little more delicate and need to be watched over. It's sort of like watching kids back at Camp again before everything went to hell.

Adam Parrish is one of those people. He hadn't stuck around for most of the after trial, but later in the evening he continues to think about the fact that Adam was genuinely upset about the betrayal.

...gods, why did coming back mean having to feel things again? Uggggggh. So maybe he feels bad. And maybe he's a little worried but Adam has other people to look after him, doesn't he? But what if they're busy? What if they also have problems and he's left alone and it turns into bitterness and angst and anger and--

--yeah he doesn't get much time to think on all of that before he finds himself in front of Adam's door. So he pauses, scrubbing a hand over his face before curling his hand into a fist and knocking.]

Parrish, you in there?

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[ Adam narrows his eyes. Not in an angry or upset manner, just scrutinizing. It seems, at first, to be a distraction. He wouldn't put it past Luke to divert the conversation and hope Adam forgets. After all, Adam would do the exact same thing.

But the more he thinks about it, maybe it isn't. ] Do you mean the third parties? [ Those have been on his mind since he read the rules, especially because he's heard no one talk about them. He's endlessly curious about them and, well, it would be a good distraction. ]

I think they've been given a lot more information about what's happening and that might include a threat to stay silent. Unless you're talking about experience. Then, yeah, there seem to be a lot of murderers here.

[For once he's actually asking out of genuine curiosity and also to make a point. If Adam wants an answer, he's going to make him work for it, at least. It's the fact that he's open to these questions and that he's self-aware enough to realize what's happening that allows Luke to continue talking.]

Little of column A, little of column B. It's less of a question of how many murderers we have on this ship. I can probably guess just by looking at some of these people. It's the third parties I'm interested in. Who they are, if they really exist, what they're being offered...stuff like that. We're getting motives each week. What if the third parties are getting motives that are even greater in order to ensure silence and also getting them to carry out their bidding? I want to know how we could even tell that sort of thing.

[ Adam is definitely relaxed now and he's even smiling. Not a creepy Kazuma smile. He actually just seems really pleased that Luke is asking the same questions he's been. It was starting to seem like no one cared about the third parties. Or they all knew something Adam didn't. Though with that strange segue, he feels like Luke also knows something. ]

I've been working on that actually. [ He digs around on his desk for a moment and comes back with some little pieces of paper. He'll show them to Luke, but they appear to just be random letters. ] I've been trying to get people to communicate with me through coded messages. Something is being done to ensure their silence, but maybe they'd be willing to talk through something unmonitored. [ That smile does falter. ] No bites yet, though.

[ He sets the notes down and tilts his head in question. ] Are you trying to tell me something or...?

[Thank you for not being a creepy 8 year old, Adam. He watches, allowing for room to get the paper and he pushes himself enough away from the wall to get a closer look. The letters don't mean much to him other than to confuse him and he blinks, about to ask "why" when Adam charges ahead with the explanation.]

While that's not a bad plan, guess it would also depend on if they want to talk. If they're being promised something much greater then who knows? They might be doing whatever they want to do. That's about the point we've gotta start looking at everybody's character.

[And a shrug.] I'm mostly looking at all possibilities here. I'm not really sure how I feel about letting this play out as we keep killing each other off week by week just because somebody else told us to. Not really a fan of doing things just because somebody else said so. [But no. There is a little more to it than that, but that's about maybe 85% of it.]

[ Adam nods because he's also considered that. Considering the silence he's received once he asks about the third parties, it's entirely possible they just don't want to tell him. Which he can't really blame them for. ]

Also, the message plan hasn't exactly been tested. It could be that they know everything we write down. I wouldn't take that chance if I was threatened... or going to receive something good. [ He leans more toward threats, but given all the motives, it's possible that they have what a certain amount of people would want. ]

That's why I've been trying. I'm not really comfortable with people having roles and then not even knowing what the roles are. If you have a plan, I'd help with it. But that's all I can really tell you.

And all I can really tell you in all honesty is that I don't have another role in all of this. I don't know what Alice is planning, I don't know what's living in the vents, and I don't know what our next move is. I know as much as you know.

[...however.] But I think I know how they might be thinking if they're really operating under promises. Even at their most threatened or most promised, if people feel like they can't handle the load that comes with being an outside party, they'll crack to at least one person. That's kind of another reason I was interested in getting a system going like Adrien and I suggested.

[ Adam does believe him. He doesn't really know enough to disbelieve anything, and bringing something up only to lie about it doesn't seem like Luke's plan here. Not that he really understands what he's thinking by bringing the third parties up. ]

Yeah, well, if we had to choose our partners I probably would have gone with... [ The disgusted look on his face suggests Kazuma. He would have specifically because Kazuma seemed so innocent and unwilling to murder at all. ] That's my problem with it. You're tying someone to another person who they might trust, but it could just be making them an easy target. [ Actually, he's not really that selfless. He just doesn't want to partner with someone who's going to kill him. ]

Yeah. There's the flaw with that. [He seems utterly unconcerned about that, but that's just Luke being as detached as possible. Somehow he's not surprised that Adam would have chosen Kazuma. They were all pretty fooled…but then again, he's finding a pattern in most of their killers. They seem innocent. They seem okay. And then it's always those ones that flip and hit betray.

…then again, he surprised the entirety of Camp Half-Blood when he betrayed everyone, so maybe it really does make sense.] It's not a perfect system, but it's what I'm working with right now. It takes a lot more than just trust. It's putting people with people they're on an equal fighting ground with just in case somebody flips out. It's putting groups of two with other groups of two to crosscheck each other. And even then it's probably not enough, but I've gotta keep trying whatever it takes. [They all have semi-selfish motivations at the end of the day.] I want answers. If this is how we're gonna get them, then fine. I'm not afraid of anybody on this ship.

[ It's a better plan than Adam's, he feels. The notes aren't accessible to everyone, there's no motivation for anyone to respond to him. This one uses people's natural tendency to create intimate relationships. It's good. Not perfect, but people are going to die anyway, aren't there? ]

Alright. I'll support you in it. Although this last trial, I think, might make it harder. [ He shrugs. ] If we get a group of people doing it, though, and we have success with it, it'll attract more. We just need a core group. [ There's a hesitant pause. ]

I guess we wouldn't make very good partners. [ But that's his way of saying he wants to. Luke is probably the only person he'd trust to be around; he's pretty sure Dorian and Bull would partner up. ]

Nah. We just make a few tweaks to it and we should be okay to go. We have a little while until Friday to figure something out...Fridays are always d-day, right? Wonder why nobody's gone off that pattern yet. If we get a group together, it'll inspire everybody else, you're right.

[He pauses then, laughing under his breath.] Kid, you'd probably be better than my last partner. [Granted his last "partner" was somebody who was actually just using him and then tried to kill him but whatever. And the partner before that kicked him off a cliff.] Besides...there's something to be said about working with somebody you're not exactly like. Means you're on guard more and you really pinpoint who you can trust.

Maybe they want us to be able to rest. You know, all considerate. [ What a stupid joke, but he kind of needs to find some humor in the situation right now. He knows what it's like to live in utter misery and he'd rather not go back to that.

He doesn't expect Luke to seemingly be alright to partner up. He assumes, of course, that the implication is his last partner was pretty awful. After all, Adam doesn't have much to give in return. He knows Luke is pretty good for protection, so he's not going to turn that down. ] Then I'd be alright with it. In return, I'll pass on any information I find out. And, I don't know, be a good alibi for whenever you're a suspect again. [ It'll probably happen. ]

If that were the case you'd think they'd wait til Saturday. [Its fine. He can appreciate a sense of humour even if it's morbid. Maybe especially if it's morbid. For a brief moment he's appraising Adam again as though debating what the boy can offer him. All things considered, he could use an extra set of eyes. And anyway, again, if he can do something right that can't hurt his chances when he gets home. It doesn't hurt that he's already grown a little fond of him.]

Deal then. But what makes you so sure I'm going to wind up a suspect again?

You're kind of naturally suspicious. [ Sorry but it's true. ] You avoid questions, you have a sword here, and you've been known to sneak into vents.

[ He sounds partially fond, though. What a horrible idea to make plans like these right after what happened, but if he isolates himself from everyone, he knows he's going to have a hard time. Plus he, admittedly, does want to be friends with Luke. ] I don't think we've gotten back to what you were talking about earlier, though.

That'd be pretty normal where I'm from. [The grin says otherwise though. He knows he has a tendency to avoid everything and be a sneaky kind of guy. That's what his dad's known for, after all. On the other hand Adam doesn't seem to find that to be a bad thing and thus Luke's unbothered.

...of course, he'd be more unbothered if they hadn't come back to the original point and his mouth draws into a thin line.]

Ah. Guess there's no convincing you that it's just that, huh? [He rolls his eyes upward to look at the ceiling instead.] Remind me which part we were talking about?

[ Adam scoffs in laughter, finding it hilarious that Luke is proving his point right after he made it. Avoiding questions, check. Hopefully there's not a vent nearby. Now this just kind of seems like a challenge: will Adam forget and leave it alone? No, he's more on top of things than that. ]

Something about you having more at stake than most people here. [ In fact, he remembers it clearly due to how awful it sounded. ]

[Goddamn this kid. He looks unimpressed but at the same time he's well aware he walked right into this. He's still not looking at him though.]

...you'd fit in with Athena's kids too, you know that? [But okay. How to explain...] Let's just say there are some things about me that if people knew, they might think I'm an easy target. I'm not, by the way. I don't go down easy. And like I said...I'll do whatever it takes to get answers. That was pretty true back home, too.

[ He'll take that as a compliment. And still Luke is continuing to be incredibly vague. It's only slightly frustrating, but mostly intriguing. He does like having to piece things together. ]

How would you be an easy target? [ Oh, maybe he doesn't want to spill his weaknesses. ] Considering we just partnered up and you've taught me everything I know about defense, you probably don't have to worry about me.

Let me ask you something. [Oh gods here we go...] What're you hoping will be waiting for you when you get back home? Who's there or what's there that you want and need to get back to?

[Bear with him, Adam, it's progress.]

[ Well, this isn't a question he minds answering anyway. He'll give it to him. ] My friends and... well, some people who really need me. I'm also going to college in... a few months? [ He really hopes time up here is similar to time on Earth. But anyway, college is only slightly less important than people waiting on him. Those are the main reasons he really doesn't want to die. ]

[Well look at that. Another kid with a bright future ahead and someone people rely on. Why doesn't that surprise him? He appears thoughtful for a moment, nodding in consideration after a while.]

You ask just about anybody on this ship what their motivations are to get back home and out of here alive, I guarantee you that most of them are similar. People. Goals to meet. Answers to find. Everybody's got those. [...except him. And he can't quite bring himself to say that out loud despite it weighing on his mind for weeks now.]

Play the game right, we'll get you back there.

[ He nods at that, always assuming people would have similar motivations. He never figured it was special. Although he remembers Kazuma telling him about how his friends wouldn't care if he went missing—if that was even true. Love is a privilege, he always tells himself. ]

And you're different? [ He doesn't know why Luke says we because he's pretty sure no one cares about his own reasons to get home. ]

[We, of course, is mostly himself and whatever powers he can use to make that happen. Himself and Adam, if he has to. There are a few people he'll make sure get out of here. It might just take a little bit of dirty work.]

Yeah. Can't say I have much left waiting for me back there. Figure if people knew that, it'd make me an easy kill. Make people think I wouldn't fight back much since I've got less to work for. Never said it made sense, but you can't tell me it wouldn't be somebody's motivation.

[He's treading the conversation carefully, still waffling on which direction to take it.] You know how easy it is to plant a seed of doubt in somebody? Even the gods can be tricked into tearing themselves apart.

[ That makes him frown. It sounds like something he would have said a year ago. And it makes sense given what Luke's told him. He ran away from his family, dropped out of school... of course he would feel like he has nothing. It makes Adam relate to him a little more. But that's not true, right? ]

What about Annabeth? [ Even if she's grown now, they must still be close. What he says next is... confusing. He doesn't see how that relates about being an easy target or having nothing to go home too. But it's obviously important. ]

Did that happen? That's how she saved Olympus? [ A pause. ] But you doubt?

I doubt some things, but it's not up to me anymore. I did my part. [And fucked everything up in the process.] It's up to Percy and Annabeth now. [He almost appears sad at the mention of Annabeth. Usually he looks proud of her or annoyed when he thinks of some smartass remark she'd make if she were here. This is different, and he chooses not to answer. "What about Annabeth?"]

...what do you know about the gods and the titans? Anything?

[ Adam assumes his part was in helping Annabeth, but then he can't quite get why Luke no longer seems proud. He isn't sure he's ever seen him sad, but this may be the closest thing. ]

Well, I know the titans were in charge... Everyone knows the part about the titan eating Zeus, which didn't work, and then the gods won the battle. They, uh, imprisoned? Killed the titans? [ It's been so long since he's had to think about Greek mythology. It distracts him enough from trying to figure Luke out, but he begins to think he's assuming too much about him. ]

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