SERGEANT NPC CONTACT

[cartesio]

The Lodge is located on the hills near the town, large and strange. It contrasts a lot when compared to the rest of the town -- its gray and white walls are quite the change from the vibrant and colorful Cartesio, the plants and bushes that are planted on the lower levels of the Lodge only make the contrast more obvious. There are many windows, but no matter how much you look you don't see anyone passing behind them. If you didn't know better you'd think it was completely empty.

But it isn't empty. The Sergeant is there.

You won't get too far into the Lodge before you encounter the Sergeant. There he is in the lobby, standing in front of a door that leads deeper into the building. No matter at what time you come or what you do, he'll always be there, reading self-help books, or with a mirror, practicing his next speech/confrontation. When he's not facing all of you at once, he seems to be easier to talk with.

Want to bother him?

Comments

[cartesio]

[The Sergeant points at the outside]

I think it's time for you to leave.

[Sorry, Natalie. He refuses to elaborate]

[robitussin]

What? But - I have at least, like, ten more questions!

[cartesio]

Tough.

[Want to continue the next day?]

1/2

[robitussin]

...Fine.

[After another brief pause, she heads out the door.]

[robitussin]

[And, as the bracket text helpfully indicates, she's absolutely coming back the next day.]

Hello?

[cartesio]

[The Sergeant looks even more frustrated today Monday. At least Natalie can have the solace it's not because of anything she did a moment ago, but still...that's a seriously unhappy body language he has.

Once Natalie enters, he sighs, like she had interrupted something extremely important -- he was rehearsing]

...am I going to get ten questions today?

[He's already dreading it. Nosy thirty people and their drive to seek answers, geeeez!]

[robitussin]

[She notices his body language immediately, and that's why the first question she asks is:]

Uh, depends, are you going to throw me out again if I try?

[cartesio]

...no. I won't. [He sighs. Maybe he did overreact, he thinks] I'm not in good mood but I'll listen. Shoot away.

[robitussin]

[She nods.]

Okay. First off, what were you doing before I came in here? It seemed like you were in the middle of something.

[cartesio]

Rehearsing. I like to think carefully the words I'll pick when I have to address all of you at once.

[He even sounds a bit embarrassed to have to admit that]

[robitussin]

Are you planning on doing that sometime soon...? What about?

[cartesio]

On the lack of bloodshed, of course. What else? [He irradiates anger] It has been a week, and none of you have done a thing. It's revolting.

[robitussin]

And your assumption is, what, that a strongly worded disappointed speech is going to change that?

[cartesio]

[.........yes? He sure hopes]

Are you insinuating something else will be needed as well?

[robitussin]

I mean, you made it pretty clear that you wanted us to do this already. Everyone already knows. Why would saying it again do anything?

[cartesio]

All this time I had intended to be kinder. Shouting a lot didn't lead anywhere and I was going to go back to doing that, but if that's not enough...

[He did have a few ideas stashed for emergencies]

[robitussin]

[There's a brief pause, before she realizes what he's implying as he trails off.]

What? No! No, no, that's... Nothing else you try will work, either. That isn't what I meant!

[cartesio]

[Tooooo late, Natalie. But he also notices she's trying to backtrack, so he waves a hand and tries to change topics:]

Nevermind that. Any questions you want answers to?

[Have fun knowing you gave him the last push to get motives going, Natalie]

[robitussin]

Wait - no! I'm not going to never mind that! Just, please forget I said anything, seriously!

[cartesio]

I'll forget this conversation today ever happened.

[He taps his helmet as if that was enough for that, cracks his knuckles and says:]

...h-how unusual of you to visit me at s-such a time. Welcome, Ms. Goodman.

[Yeah, he's totally pretending he forgot. He sounds so amused he almost couldn't pull off the sentence at the first try because he was stifling chuckles]

[robitussin]

[After a moment:]

Fuck you.

[cartesio]

You just don't know how to take a joke.

[Somehow, having fun at Natalie's expense seems to have gotten the Sergeant in a better mood -- almost like he's a normal everyday person instead of, you know, the evil military guy trapping you all here]

I should thank you for the laugh, I guess. Thanks? Whatever.

[robitussin]

[The frown is still there, but...]

Can I ask the other questions now?

[cartesio]

Go ahead. [It does seem the good mood makes him a bit more carefree, at least...]

[robitussin]

Are more places going to show up on the map again, the way they did this week...?