[Yuki Shuka]

For Cruelty's Sake --- TAG nue masahiko NPC Dai Ri WORDS 219 - -

H

is student accepted the offer to work with the prisoners. Dai Ri simply nodded, folding his arms together, hands tucked within the opposite sleeve, as he turned and began to lead Masahiko through the prison. Even as the walls moved and changed around them, altering their path, Dai Ri walked with the confidence of a man who had worked in this prison for decades and knew its every intricacy. Soon enough the two of them left behind the proper prison cells and instead found the holding cells, where recently arrived prisoners were being kept. Officers would come through and perform interrogations, ease off, come through again. So went the process until they were satisfied with information collected.

Dai Ri stopped at one of the doors, picking up a small clipboard from beside it. Case files as well as the questions and answers that had already been returned. He offered the clipboard to Masahiko.

"This one appears to be a smuggler. Working with mercantile groups to bring contraband. We're trying to discover more about his supply line. He's stubborn, but he's also a coward. You should be able to press him." Dai Ri had faith in Masahiko's capabilities.

For that reason, he would step aside and allow Masahiko to enter the room. He could take care of the questioning himself.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[nue masahiko]

FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER

Masahiko took the clipboard with a brief incline of his head, listening carefully to Dai Ri’s explanation of the prisoner and their goal as he flipped through the clipboard’s contents. He made a small noise of understanding of his objective, but was otherwise silent for some time: they had moved from practice to execution, and this was not just about refining his control of a new technique but also reinforcing his worth and capability as an interrogator. He considered the information gleaned regarding the man’s personality, considered his strategy, and then slipped on a persona like a cloak across his shoulders. Clipboard tucked under his arm, Masahiko knocked gently on the door to announce his arrival, and then ducked into the room in the manner of one apologetic for the intrusion. "Good afternoon,” he said smoothly, taking a seat. The chair was strategically placed between the prisoner and the door, subconsciously alerting the prisoner to the physical blockade between himself and freedom. "My name is Nue Masahiko. I’m hoping that we can come to an agreeable accord, mister…?” To Dai Ri, undoubtedly, Masahiko’s aim would be clear: ingratiate himself to the prisoner, treat him like a person, while subtly increasing the pressure on an unconscious level. Enhance his fear while framing himself as the prisoner’s only ally.

Yuki Shuka -- 217

LAIKA OF THQ