tellthestory | THE BOX OFFICE

THE BOX OFFICE

This is where you can meet privately with the Balladeer! The Balladeer is almost always around during the day; just knock.

(Secretly, the door's usually not locked if he's inside. But you wouldn't want to be rude, would you?)

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I -

- yeah, of course. Why wouldn't they? We're working on this together.

So you'd know. If that were the case.

[ Hook, line and sinker? I'm so sorry, Balladeer....... ]

I guess it's a good thing it's not, then.

Yeah, yeah, no.

[He chuckles, a nervous sound.]

That'd be awful.

[ Aw, are you nervous Balladeer? It's ok, Hans is here. He's just a curious guy spouting ideas, is all. ]

How so? I mean, they'd be helping you, wouldn't they?

I don't...want anyone else getting hurt.

But the Management doesn't, do they? They don't care who gets hurt.

[ Yeah, yikes... siding with the Management would be pretty bad. ]

They said they just wanted a good show. I don't think good shows always have to involve people getting hurt...

[but. yeah he can't quite deny it out loud.]

Apparently this one does.

[ Not that Hans agrees, necessarily. ]

Is there nothing you can do to stop them? Fight back, as it were?

...like what?

I don't know. You're kind and charismatic, I don't see why you couldn't be in charge of the show over this... creepy Management, whoever they are.

...I mean, I did just get here.

[But he quiets, before adding:]

They used to be more hands-on, you know. This is the first show they've done here like this, but I think it's also the first time in a while they weren't so closely involved.

[ Hans nods. It seems almost crazy to imagine whoever's behind all this somehow being the Balladeer. Only not. ]

You mean in the last show, they were doing your job? Do you think they might miss getting to be hands-on?

I don't know what the last show was, but if there was a part for someone like me, then probably. I bet they were good at it, too.

...maybe they do miss it.

You should talk to them, if you can. Maybe they're lonely about all this. I'm sure you'll work better together as friends than just colleagues.

[ Plus how does Hans say "the Management doesn't trust you anymore" without ratting himself out huh?? ]

We were friends to begin with! At least, I thought we were...it hasn't been the same since this whole thing started.

[Well, since the murder did.]

[ Ooh, he's found a pressure point, huh? Damn, Hans feels kinda bad. Almost. ]

What do you think happened? What changed?

Well...the murder, mostly.

We don't agree on how to run this anymore, ever since the first incentive, and it's only gotten worse. They still act friendly, but it feels different. You know what I mean?

[you do, it's the thing he should probably be picking up on here too]

I do. It sounds like they're just... using you at this point.

[ It's a Hans-on experience, ok. Hans is doing his best to sound sympathetic here. I mean, Hans likes the Balladeer way more than the Management. For now. ]

Have you thought about doing anything? I mean, is there anything you can do?

Edited (question mark) 2016-11-09 21:55 (UTC)

...you're not the first person who's asked that. I just don't know what I can do. I'm not sure I could even get out of here myself if I wanted.

They're the ones with all the power.

[ Dammit, Balladeer, why can't you be more useful. Hans just wants to back the winner here. ]

It's too bad there isn't anything we can do...

You could consider not killing each other for longer than a week.

...sorry, that's not fair of me.

[ Hans barks a laugh, surprised to hear the Balladeer say something so... petty. Good to know he's just like the rest of them. ]

I don't blame you. Right now that seems like the only way to fight the management, isn't it?

But you'd be better off telling that to someone who's actually murderered someone.

The execution's all I really get for that.

[Though he tends to be pretty fucking salty during those, so]

If this show worked like my first one, they'd show up again twenty minutes later and we'd get in another fight about it. But that one was weirder about time than this.

Hey, let it out. I won't judge you.

[ Hans would be pissed too, if he spoke to everyone about not killing everyone. And they did it anyway. ]

Goodness, did people come back to life in your last show?

[ Like. For real?? ]

No, they were still dead. They'd just show up anyway.

[Because that makes sense.]

They were from all over in history. By rights, half of them died before the other half were born. So things were already a little...tenuous.

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trettende - 2016-11-10 22:23 (UTC) - Expand

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tellthestory - 2016-11-11 04:46 (UTC) - Expand

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