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

suicide talk tw

[odasaku]

I see.

[ he doesn’t see the reason in it at all. however... this is his best shot. his only shot. ]

I lost five children I took care of to an explosion caused by a group of rogue soldiers. I took them most of them down, including their leader, at the cost of my own life. And, if it’s impossible to do so, then I’m not sure if there’s any point in living as an empty husk. A ghost.

[cartesio]

...

[Wow. That's heavy. The Sergeant is in silence, the shadows on his face retract very slightly, just a millimeter or two. It's impossible to know what's his expression, but something feels different for a moment]

There's always a reason to live.

[Then the moment is gone]

Five children...tell me about them.

tw mentions of explosions, kidnapping, murder of children

[odasaku]

...

[ oda notices the shift, but he has no idea why anything that he said would cause that. it doesn’t matter to him anyways. he won’t try to deny the man’s claim either— he gave up his reason to live in favor for revenge. now, he has neither revenge or a reason.

upon being asked, he sighs heavily as memories of the children float back to the surface. ]

They were orphans I helped take care of after their parents died during an armed conflict in the city I lived in. The oldest, Kousuke, was nine, while Sakura, the youngest, was four. The other three were Katsumi, seven years old, Yuu, six, and Shinji, five years old. I wanted to give ‘em a better life, and I had planned to leave the Mafia and become a writer once I had saved enough money but—

[ images of the kidnapping and the explosion that took their lives replace those of the children. ]

But the last I saw of them were their burned remains.

[cartesio]

Sorry for your loss. [Those condolences are given in a way that's nowhere as sincere as what happened just a moment ago was. Hm. Still, he asks:] Why a writer?

[odasaku]

It's fine. [ he doesn't need insincere condolences. he doesn't want sincere ones either.

he sighs. ]

I was once told I was "qualified" to write.

[cartesio]

You don't sound convinced. Are you that uncertain about your own skills? [A tinge of mockery enters his voice. Those air quotes say a lot about you, Oda]

[odasaku]

A writer writes about people’s lives— their stories. A killer does the opposite— they take away people’s lives and stories.

[ he shrugs. his self esteem has been non existant since day 0; the sergeant’s mockery won’t make it any worse. ]

[cartesio]

Nonsense. Lives and books aren't remotely the same thing. You being able to kill doesn't make you any less of a writer.

[The beauty of that comparison whooshed right over the Sergeant's head. Darn it]

[odasaku]

[ with a deadpan expression: ] Says the man that was reading a self-help book when I came in.

[cartesio]

That has nothing to do with this.

[The book vanishes immediately. Everyone in this town needs to stop poking the Sergeant's problems, he thinks. Yeah, looks like he's self-conscious about a few things]

[odasaku]

If you say so. [ oda takes note both how the book disappears and of how easy it is to make the sergeant self conscious. he can’t help but feel a bit of pity for the man— the others will probably attack that weakness like hawks attracted to prey when they find out.

it’s not that much pity, though. ]

Then I suppose that there’s no way you can help me bring the children back?

[cartesio]

...I could. Why would I do that, though?

[Well it's not immediate rejection]

[odasaku]

...I don't know.

[ certainly enough, that's not an immediate rejection. but oda recognizes what this is-- a negotiation.

one he's not sure if he can do.

still, he keeps his expression and tone steady, not letting his tension show. ]

Sakura told us about what happened last week. You forced them to commit arson, and then someone committed a murder. Dismembered someone. [ a pause ] Do you want to drag this town into chaos?

[cartesio]

My goal is not relevant. [He says that rather bluntly, looks like that part's not up to discussion] I will admit, though, that I do intend to do everything in my power to force you all to do some rather unsavory actions.

[Like arson and murder, just like you said, dear Oda. At this point the Sergeant recognizes Oda's line of reasoning, given he named quite the wish for himself. Is this going where he thinks this is going, he wonders]

[odasaku]

[ oda feels a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realizes where this conversation is going to go. even though he thought he had prepared himself for this moment, it still makes him feel conflicted. a part of him wants to end this conversation right now and go back to his motel.

he understands that he’s playing into the sergeant’s hands, the same way that he played himself into mori’s when he was asked to search for ango. he hasn’t learned, oda realizes— maybe he never will.

but... for a chance for the children to come back— ]

Is it necessary to force them to do this when there’s someone in front of you that’s willing to do that?

[ for the children to come back, oda will sacrifice anything. even himself. ]

[cartesio]

...yes. Yes, it's very important to force all of you to do what I want. That's not going to change. That said...

[The Sergeant stares at Oda intensely. He stays in silence, evaluating what Oda is obviously proposing]

You really are willing to do something for those children's sake. It's pretty obvious that's your goal. You're such a martyr, Sakunosuke Oda. A foolish martyr.

I don't get you at all.

[Still...he can't dismiss this. Finally, he shakes his head. What he says, though...]

Let me think about it. If you're truly willing to do something, then I may have an use for you, but I have to think it over.