Trade Secrets [Psyche-Terrorist Investigation]

Cecil can't help but smile at the reporter's resolve. Honestly, he felt like he was just spouting whatever came to mind for the sake of appearances...but here, she was someone in the middle of it all, who was willing to push on despite the threats that both of them had recently come to lnow. It really was a wonderful thing.
"Then you deserve applause for that much, at least."

It was a good thing the man from yesterday was here...Shotaro. He seemed to have this much more in hand than he had, and currently, he had found something very appealing to offer this reporter...something that he couldn't accidentally give before someone else spoke up, no less.
He kept quiet on this one. He knew he'd trip over his tongue otherwise.

"Applause isn't what I'm after Mister Revenant. I'm here for stories and the truth behind them. It's all I want after all." she smiled back cheerfully at him. Really, these Psyche-Terrorists aren't so bad like the Government claimed. Perhaps there was a level of truth these people had to say. But in this line of work, you could never really know. However, it looks like she would have to work harder now with the spotlight on her this time. "I can't say I know very much at the moment as an outsider. The Studio's manager calls herself Superbia and she's been set as the District Head for Vista Square. Everything goes through her first before it's published, but almost no one has ever seen her."

She found it weird that the Studio's manager never showed herself to her employees. When work was done, it was sent to her all the time. Sometimes it was frustrating when asked to make some edits, but it didn't seem so unusual at the time. There were always editors in every News Studios. Though it did interest her that there was so much in the Government's perspective and there was a lack in the Psyche-Terrorists'. But for her investigation to lead to this?


The realization hurt. Working for this long felt almost surreal in many ways. Despite Revenant's assurances that it couldn't be her fault, it still made her feel guilty for having such a blind eye to all of this. "What do you plan to do with this information anyway?"

"Superbia huh?"

Gabe took out his soulbound deck of card and started to shuffle as the reporter talking. It was something akin to a tick or something to keep his hands busy as he remained idle. On top of that, it was a good way to get his brain working as he heard more and more about the woman that's basically in charge of what gets printed.

"A few things. Maybe finding proof of false integrity if the truth of some stories regarding terrorists are being left out. Maybe revealing sensitive information that refers to crimes that were committed by the government itself but were silenced. Heck, maybe the identity of superbia would be a shock. Anything possible that we can find that corresponds to the misuse of their platform and corruption deserves to be revealed to the public. If they are clean, they have nothing to worry about.  You could be very well sitting on an exclusive if we find some information of the sort. It only depend if you are brave enough to print it as long as there is a small chance of factuality. Is there anything else you can tell us?"

Waiting a while, Gabe would hope that there was more for them to go by.

Things were going a lot more smoothly at this point - and all it took was someone else showing up and taking over.
As much as that might wound the ego of another person, Cecil knew damn well that he was not the one for that job in this case, and it did not wound him to admit it.
He shakes his head. "Even if you do not seek it, you are worthy of such recognition. It is simply a trait that can be somewhat under-appreciated.""

As Shotaro finishes speaking, Cecil raises a finger. "If I may..." He lowers his hand and refocuses on the reporter. "None have seen this Superbia, as you have said...and yet, you refer to them specifically as a woman. So the question is, how are you aware of their gender? Or, if not certain you know it, able to guess at it? And for that matter..." He folds his arms, in thought. "Hmm...is it possible you might be aware of someone who has met this woman? You stated that almost nobody had seen her...not simply nobody altogether."

"You don't even need to tell me that, Mister Shotaro. Hearing what you all had to say about the Government is all I need to get my motor running. But since I gave them the benefit of doubt, I can't say I know very much right now. But there's been a few rumors that I don't think have been followed up on. People claim there were screams from the Forest of the Lost a couple of nights ago... The Suzie Q District Head's possible involvement with brainwashing song and murders... It's actually possible there's a story there. And Superbia is likely involved in not covering any of this. I thought it was really strange the people appointed to investigate didn't come up with anything..."

In many ways she could feel the need to slap herself silly for being so complacent. The exclusive scoop was just there below her very nose. But this meeting was very necessary and a first step to an essential enlightenment to the truth behind the city. Sure, this would be the first time they met and their claims might be dubious at best, but they didn't try to harm her on first sight either. And besides, one of them was nice enough to compliment her. She shook her head gently at Revenant, "You're embarrassing me, Mister Revenant. But, no. I don't need it. And speaking of which, I used to have someone who was like a senior to me. She showed me a picture of what Superbia looked like once at a board meeting she attended before."

She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out her phone before pressing a few buttons to bring up an image of a woman on screen.

"I'll hold on to the promise from before.  This is an equal exchange, and this bit is important.  When terrorists are stated in a general sense, only the bad is prominent to receiving news. There are different groups of terrorists that believe in or go about things in a different way. The forest of lost incident has nothing to do with my group, killing is deplorable, we become the people we try to protect others from if we resort to it.  That's not why I do this, I feel as if those who are with me now share the same sentiment.  As for the Susie Q, it was true, that's what invidia was doing, the main populus was exposed to things they didn't exactly have a choice of in terms of consent.  Brainwashing can lead to other heinous atrocities, like murder. "

Folding his arm, Gabe would sigh.

" It's fair to assume that if we are involved, something's wrong, and we are working hard to try to expose it.  Anyway, I wanted to ask about the contact information of the senior.  Superbia's incognito status could be linked to another big secret, it's possible that some kind of threat or strange happenings started once the information was shared with you. Proof leads to justification, I'm sure your senior has that.  If anything foul is afoot, we have to return the freedom of the press to its natural order so that journalists won't feel afraid to print the truth or pressured to fabricate articles.  That's the intent, and we hope we can continue our working relationship with you. "

So, that was Superbia. That was, presumably, who they'd have their sights set on next...this was good. They had some very good info here.
But then, he heard about the state of the reporter's manager.

...brainwashing. It was an idea he found loathsome to its core.
He'd heard of its use when he first came to the playhouse, and now here, he had one of its older members confirming it was even more widespread.
And in all of this, there was now this distant senior...and Cecil couldn't help that think that even if brainwashing wasn't the specific method used, people capable of that wouldn't only be able to do that.
His anger burned hot at the idea of what might have happened.

"...I only hope they are still capable of providing such knowledge." There was a sudden bitter edge to his voice. "Shotaro is correct about my sentiments. To kill is deplorable. And the likes of brainwashing? Of laying hands on another's mind? That is a death too. Whatever is left behind is not the person that was there before."
Cecil takes a deep breath. "...please do not mind me. I...merely have certain ideas of my own, that are causing me frustration."

"I see... So doesn't sound like there are organized "chapters" working together... Then do they have a name to call themselves? What do you call your group?" She figured they were quite the chaotic and perhaps a diverse bunch. So little was known about them. But for them to have different "groups" was something new even for the Reporter before them. The thought of multiple rebels within the City promised of a very complex story. "The Cadets versus the Rebels" had a nice ring to it for an article title. But "The Government versus the Rebellion" was a grander scale that ticked up higher.

"N-no, it's okay, Mister Revenant. I think we may have similar ideas. But I can't say it's possible to reach her. Phone, social media... Nothing. I never knew why she cut ties like this and thought something happened between her and upper management. Nothing so serious, but... I don't know what's going on. If you guys are trying to get to the bottom of this... then I hope we'll keep in touch soon." The prospect of someone being brainwashed was chilling to be sure. But for someone she once knew? Her spine tingled. She struggled to remain composed, but the trepidation was etched across her face. There was such deeper and personal implications in all of this. She wanted to feel excited, but it wouldn't work for her, not like this. But now that she was here, she had one last question for them, "I still want to know if you know who was involved with what happened to the House of Cards these two nights ago. Was it you guys?"

What do we call ourselves? We call ourselves the platinum playhouse, i'd rather differentiate from other groups that may go through such measures that are unbecoming of what our own group represents. As for the answer of two days ago, it is true. My group was responsible for paying invidia a little visit. Even though it didn't amount to anything grandstanding, it just shows that the district leaders aren't invincible and that there are people willing to fight against them. This is something we risk our lives for, we would appreciate a fair reporting that represents the case."

Gabe glanced at the other two, giving them an apologetic look if they had reservations about him admitting their involvement.

"I kept my end of the bargain, but one more thing. Is there a reliable way to contact you if we had something? "

They worked upon calling cards, and even though it would be nice to stick to just the detective agency, Gabe wasn't made of money.

SQ Gained:

"So you guys really are serious..." She was genuinely surprised Shotaro would actually give out that information. But in a way, the woman could appreciate that level of trust here in the face of a culture that made it difficult to be truly honest. She drew out a business card from her pocket and handed it to Shotaro. "You can always find me at Smile News Studio if you all need to talk. But with Superbia around, it might be tough to keep in touch. I hope you can deal with her soon. Until next time."

She began to put her belongings away and then started to exit the area. But before she was gone, a single wave signaled her full departure. With her out of sight, the Psyche-Terrorists could also hear the tip-tapping of footsteps behind them. While he was small, each step was full of anger and of fury.

Gabe accepted the card and gave the woman a wave. After putting the card away, he would then him to himself as he looked at the others. However, the sounds of the big boss of the playhouse were disheartening.

"Larsinny, I know that you are mad at me, but I can explain. Look at us, this is it, this is all we have from when skelker went on his tirade of genocide and manipulating demons to his will. The rest of the terrorists foolishly ate into the palm of his hands and opt out to be more than rebels of the government pursuing the truth. We need allies, and I did make it clear that not all of the terrorists are the same. In order to build trust, you have to take a chance with some people and I do admit that it's a gamble. I'll do my best to take full responsibility if this blows up in our faces, but I honestly believe that this job coming up and having a reporter on our side to maybe take a bit of superbia's place can add more information that we can use, as well as spread the rumors before our hits. "

Tipping his hat, Gabe had not much to say.

" We aren't in a good place at the moment, but things can be better. Things WILL get better. I chose you because I believed in your method of doing things. I'm just asking for your trust of judgment on this if possible. "

Zappa listened to the confirmation of what they were called and the confirmation of their involvement with the incident with the other district head, honestly she wasn't part of it, she had heard them talking about it though when they first arrived, and as the woman left she nodded to her and then looked to Gabe, though before she could say anything the little footfalls of Larsinny could be heard and she looked at the little fluffy goat demon and as he got angry at Gabe she only nodded to what he had to say "You made no restrictions on our methods, we also require allies, while the gamble may be to great, at this point, with diminished numbers, we are required to take greater risks for rewards that will help strengthen our position" she agreed with this Shotaro person.


Unison listened to the final exchange and as the woman started to leave she memorized her face, she would keep tabs on her as much as she possibly could, though since her normal life kept her busy she doubted she could do much more then a passing watch on her, at the very least if something happened to her she would be able to tell the others, she hoped anyway.

That's when the cute cuddly and floofy Larsinny showed up, she still have the urge to pet him since he was so fluffy looking, even when he was angry, it made her want to pet him to calm him down, though she doubted it would have that effect if she did try it. She understood the reasoning behind what Gabe was doing, and she agreed with Zappa's mention that greater gambles where required, however "i would have to agree with Larsinny....we may have let to much information go all to soon, we have only just met this person, what do we know of her other then surface information? is she even safe? or is she being watched due to having been friends with the coworker that got....changed? is she already next in line? does her knowing the name of the place allow them to find it easier? we don't know and didn't think to ask Larsinny, granted he never told us anything about not mentioning it, however we shouldn't take that as permission...whiloe I understand the need to take greater risks, there is such a thing as taking to many or to large a risk" she said looking to Shotaro.

Larsinny could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Yeah, things got bad with Invidia and maybe some risky moves should be made. But to this extent? It's ridiculous. He angrily flailed his little hoofs towards Gabriel's and Trinity's direction before pointing at the other girl, "Sure I didn't! But I had faith in ya to not do anythin' stupid! List'n to her! I get dat we need to take risks, but dis is hitting it close!"

He wanted to vent even more. It was already bad as is with people leaving the Platinum Playhouse and possibly making an enemy out of his former allies. On top of losing a member to Invidia, could it get any worse? Apparently it did and he sorely hoped this wouldn't bite them in the ass. The goat-like demon heaved a deep sigh and gave a hard look at the group. "Ya got ya info, right? If ya do, ya guys know what to do. Let's make a visit to this 'Superbia' before they finally get a visit to our friendly Report'a."

He gave a knowing nod at Gabriel and looked back at the rest of the group if they had any other questions before departing for the night.

"I'm trying Unison, it isn't easy to account for everything, but you know at the very least I'm responsible. "

Before they departed for the night, Gabe had more questions.

"Three questions Larsinny. First, what do we do with the information that we have now? It isn't too much to go on, she runs the media news, likes to keep herself hidden, punished a person for threatening her incognito status. Editors are retiring and disappearing with no trace and no one is making the connection with the place that they work because its the media itself that's causing this and controlling the information from spreading out. What do we do with this? And two, when it comes to the rumor spreading, I think it would be better to disassociate from the reporter and continue to use the detective agency. Thing is, it'll cost a fine penny. Is there any way to receive support from the playhouse? If not, we would have the reporter make a gamble of her own, risking her life and safety to spread the rumor perhaps? There is a lot on the line for us as well that do the fighting. "

Clearing his throat, Gabe would rub his temples.

"And three... I seem to hit my limit with my abilities........is... this as strong as I'm going to get?"

So there were more questions and out of all them, it had to be the most experienced of the group. On one hand, at least he was trying to take it seriously. On the other, it was disconcerting on how he was going about all of this. His brows knit together in a frown as he responded to Gabriel, "If ya thin' that ain't enough, then just spread a plausible ruma'. It doesn' necessarily have ta' be true. I sed befo' that we must turn the peeps agains' the Heads, rite? As long as we spread a rumor, it'll do da trick. But having it be true helps a lot. We can' risk dat Reporter now. Why do ya thin' we're targetin' Superbia? With her out of da' picture, it widens our options on how to spread furtha' rumors. And by widenin' our choices, mebbe ya won' hav' ta' keep spending a pretty penny. So let's focus with dat and git it over with, a'ight?"

Despite Gabriel claiming to be a responsible guy, he sure didn't exactly put himself across as one. But they were all new Psyche-Terrorists. They needed the experience and the demon only hoped they didn't make too much of a big mistake that couldn't be irreparable. He found himself shrugging at his last question."Hell if I kno'. But if Skelta' and de others are any indication, no. Ya can get a whole lotta tougha'. Just gotta figure out how yourself. It might come on naturally, it did for them. I ain't a Persona Usa'. So let me know when ya git there. That all da' questions? We oughta get going before dawn breaks."