THE BOX OFFICE

[tellthestory]

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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[tellthestory]

[He does indeed open the door! And looks mildly surprised at who it is, because the law didn't announce itself]

Hello, Inspector.

[irreprochable]

Good afternoon.

[he nods! so polite!]

Do you have a moment?

[tellthestory]

...yeah, of course. Come in.

[Javert might be the only person to actually approve of the office's sparseness. The shelves along the back wall are bare, and all he has in terms of furniture is a desk and two chairs. The only decorations are the Red Death mask, still sitting on the corner of his desk, and a few instruments on stands clustered against one wall. He's got some papers and books now, but on the whole it doesn't seem like he's inhabited the room long.]

What's up?

[irreprochable]

[he walks into the room and takes it all in, but stays awkwardly standing.]

I was hoping to ask you some questions. I will endeavor not to make it sound like I'm interrogating you.

[d-ne was keeping him from talking to the balladeer for her own reasons but she may have had a point in what she was saying nonetheless]

Unfortunately, as it is my line of work, I'm afraid it's hard not to.

[tellthestory]

Right, I'll keep that in mind.

[He leans back against his desk, then, rather than sit himself.]

[irreprochable]

[javert is really bad at appealing to emotion. but he...understands that may be the best thing he can do.]

You don't seem comfortable with all of this.

[tellthestory]

I...I mean, I'd definitely hoped there wouldn't be any actual murder.

[irreprochable]

I can tell.

[this is it this is javert playing good cop]

How did you get caught up in all of this?

[tellthestory]

[good job I guess]

Wellllllll, my last job ended pretty badly. I don't know what would've happened if Management hadn't showed up to help me out. They offered me a job and brought me back here.

[irreprochable]

Were you in trouble with the last one?

[tellthestory]

I don't know if that's the right word. There wasn't really anybody in charge like there is here - no managers or anything. I just had some, uh...disagreements with the others.

[irreprochable]

Were they going to hurt you, monsieur?

[tellthestory]

They probably would have killed me.

[so there's one death, at least, that the management prevented]

[irreprochable]

No wonder you feel so indebted to the current management.

[tellthestory]

Yeah. I don't...

[He pauses, then sounds like he's picking his words carefully.] There's some things I would've handled different, if it were me. But they must have their reasons. If they just...they've helped me so much. If they were just plain bad people, they wouldn't have bothered. They probably just didn't really think the incentive would work either.

[irreprochable]

Or, they've found your incentive just as they've seen ours. They're playing you, too.

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer folds his arms.]

Well, I don't think that's true. They did ask if I wanted to do this - if I hadnt, they probably would've just gotten someone else.

[irreprochable]

And left you to die? That doesn't sound quite as helpful as you make them sound, either.

[tellthestory]

I mean, I was already here when they offered me this show in particular. They wouldn't have kicked me out over something like that.

[...they wouldn't, right? Yeah, totally.]

[irreprochable]

And if you morally objected now?

[tellthestory]

[The question seems to catch him on the back foot a little.]

I...did commit to an entire show.

[irreprochable]

Surely, if they would not have kicked you out over something like that...if they are as good as you say they are, they would understand that this business doesn't sit well with you. You seem like an upstanding gentleman, [i mean not really but hes trying here ok cut him some slack] they could understand not wanting to aid and abet murder.

[tellthestory]

I haven't aided in any murder! [Ah, there it is.] If you people want to run around killing each other, there's not much I can do about it.

[But, after a moment, he does have to admit:]

...the incentives weren't part of the original plan, though. That's...really excessive.

[irreprochable]

Did they decide to add them to ensure we did it?

[tellthestory]

It was an added layer of temptation, I guess.