Roald slips into the prep room, and the shadows answer first. Halloway stands near the shelves, Miller near the door, both of them still as hooks.
Halloway
Someone has been busy. Papers do not walk off by themselves.
Miller
No, they do not. But boys do.
Roald feels the bundle beneath his blazer press hard against his shirt. One loose sheet still lies pinned flat to his chest, a white edge in the gloom.
Halloway
If the ledger is missing, then whoever took it is reckless, or very sure of himself.
Roald Dahl
They are hunting the papers, not me. If they find them, they find the whole system.
Miller’s eyes drop to Roald’s blazer and then away again. Halloway steps one pace closer, testing the air between them like a knife point.
Miller
Search the room. If it is here, we have him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the room search
“Is Halloway searching my blazer?”
NO, BUT (VeryLikely, rolled 88)
Halloway pauses, his gaze lingering on the ink-stained desk rather than Roald's chest. He turns his back to pace toward the window, leaving the search to Miller.
Miller
Check the floorboards and the bins. If he has them, he will have tucked them away somewhere stupid.
“I ask Halloway if he means to search my blazer”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Roald Dahl
You mean to search my blazer?
Halloway
If I must, yes. I am deciding whether the papers are there, or in his head.
Miller
Let him answer. A boy who carries evidence usually carries panic with it.
Halloway stops pacing. The cane lowers a fraction as he studies Roald’s face instead of the blazer front.
Halloway
You ask that calmly. That is better than lying badly.
Roald Dahl
It is easier to be clear.
Halloway
Then be clear. Is it hidden there, or somewhere I have not thought to look?
Miller pauses over the bin, listening. The search room goes very still, with the open ledger under Roald’s coat and the loose sheet pinned close to his chest.
“Do they already suspect that I'm hiding the list in my blazer?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 27)
Miller
He is too still. The blazer is not just fabric, it is a shield.
Halloway
You have the look of a boy who has found something he cannot afford to keep. I see the way you hold your breath, Roald.
Roald Dahl
They know. The ledger is not just hidden, it is the center of their attention.
“I offer the ledger if they let me go”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Roald Dahl
I have the ledger. Let me go, and I hand it over.
The words land cleanly. Halloway stops moving. Miller’s eyes flick, not to Roald, but to the hidden bulk under the blazer.
Halloway
You speak as if you are bargaining from strength. That is useful, at least.
Miller
If he has it, then he has already made the room unsafe.
Halloway lifts one hand, and Miller falls still. The search ends by inches, not protest. Roald’s quiet offer becomes the room’s new center.
Halloway
Show me the ledger, and you leave this room in one piece.
The threat is not shouted. It sits between them, settled and cold, while the papers on the floor lie untouched.
Quest Complete
Escape the room search
New Gift: Lockpicking Intuition
Quest Complete
Use the locker list as leverage
New Gift: Calculated Manipulator