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

[robitussin]

Okay, first off, some clarification on something I asked last week. I know you gave me the whole spiel about how we're going to be stuck here if we don't earn the right to leave within two months, but... Does being stuck here include the whole brainwashing thing you did to Rean?

[cartesio]

...if you do stay trapped here I did plan to make you forget everything about the deaths and about me. I still think that's not brainwashing, but in general that's what I intend to do.

[Sergeant, that's brainwashing to some extent]

[robitussin]

...Am I the only person you've told this, or does anybody else know yet?

[cartesio]

I figure you're going to tell everyone, won't you? Your meetings have been quite productive on spreading the information around.

[Therefore logic dictates he doesn't mind everyone knows this. Maybe because he hopes it'll be once another incentive for everyone to get out of Cartesio via being authorized to leave. Nobody wants the Sergeant touching their minds at all]

[robitussin]

[Almost immediately, she shakes her head.]

No. Not this. I'm not going to give everyone information that's going to encourage them to kill each other even more than they already are. That's why I'm asking - if anybody already knows.

[cartesio]

...Sakura may know.

[Kind of. He didn't outright tell her that, but he's sure she'll deduce it. Sakura can be intelligent, after all]

[robitussin]

But nobody else. Okay.

[There's a small exhale of... not exactly relief, but something close to it.]

I don't suppose there's anything I could do to convince you to hold off on mentioning it to anyone else?

[cartesio]

Why?

[That's encouraging enough, isn't it? He seems to be open to this suggestion if she can convince him]

[robitussin]

Because I don't want people to go on a killing spree when they realize they're going to eventually get their memories fucked with, duh.

[She bites the inside of her lip, thinking.]

What kind of deal would make that worth it, for you?

[cartesio]

I could use this as the next incentive, if you think it's that good.

[Keep giving him ideas, Natalie, that'll go well]

You tell me. What can you offer? I'd like to think I'm not picky, so go ahead. Propose something.

[He sure doesn't want to ask for anything impossible for Natalie, and he has a feeling she wouldn't accept the one thing that comes to mind]

[robitussin]

Fuck off.

[But then she pauses to think.]

Okay, before I give you a serious proposal, I want to make sure you're not only going to accept any ideas that involve killing people. Because... We've been over that.

[cartesio]

Not everything is about death and murder, Natalie.

[He sounds a bit offended, haha]

[robitussin]

Wow. You could have fooled me, since that's, like, the entire point of this place.

[She frowns, though, thinking.]

What if I messed up one of the buildings here?

[cartesio]

That could be a good idea...

[He actually seems to like the sound of that]

Sure. Which one do you plan to mess up?

[robitussin]

Can it be any of them, or do you have a preference?

[cartesio]

Leave the diner and the Lodge alone.

[Those seem to be the only ones he's vetoing. Other than that, aim for whatever building you want]

[robitussin]

Fair enough.

[...]

How tough would it be to break one of the windows of the mausoleum?

[cartesio]

Those are just glass. It shouldn't be too hard. [He shrugs, opening his arms in what's a mocking shrug] But do you really want to go break stuff over there? I mean, I don't mind, but I thought you should have a heads-up: if they see you, the townspeople sure won't be happy.

[It's up to you, Natalie]

[robitussin]

Is there anywhere they would be ecstatic to see trashed?

[cartesio]

...okay, I get the point.

[Touché]

Do whatever you want. I won't tell the others about you-know-what.

[robitussin]

Okay.

[...]

There isn't, like, a groundskeeper in the graveyard at night or anything, is there?

[cartesio]

There's none, don't worry. It's shockingly easy to go anywhere you want in this town, as long as you don't call attention to yourself.

[robitussin]

Okay. And there's no kind of cameras or alarm system that's going to go crazy when I mess it up, right?

[cartesio]

This town is starting to grow more weary of you all, but not to the point of installing cameras and alarms into their graves.

[You'll be safe, Natalie!]

[robitussin]

Okay! Just checking, jeez.

...I had one more question, before I go.