The diner hums under flickering fluorescent light. Burnt grease, stale coffee, empty booths. Jaims Tepes steps in from the night road, and only one patron sits ahead, hunched over a laptop in the corner.
The journalist does not look up. Their fingers hover over the keys, frozen, while the screen paints tired blue over their face.
Jaims Tepes
Hungry.
A waitress behind the counter glances over, then quickly pretends to wipe the same spotless mug again. The room stays too quiet for comfort.
The Journalist
If you are looking for coffee, it is terrible. If you are looking for directions, I might be worse.
The journalist finally turns. Dark circles, cracked lips, and eyes that keep flicking to the laptop as if it might bite first.
The Journalist
You look like someone who knows how to keep a secret. Mind telling me if this town has been lying to me?
✓ Quest Accepted
Manipulate the journalist into following you
“Does the Oracle let me see what the journalist is working on”
NO, AND WORSE (Even, rolled 90)
The journalist slams the laptop shut with a sharp, metallic crack, their knuckles white against the casing. They pull the device into their chest, shielding the screen with a frantic, defensive hunch that makes the air in the diner suddenly heavy.
Jaims Tepes
The screen is not just locked, it is wiped clean.
The Journalist
You are not the first person to ask, and you are definitely not the one I am waiting for.
“I sit down across from him and ask him "do you enjoy secrets?"”
SUCCESS (Good Psychology, rolled +1)
Jaims Tepes pulls out the chair across from the journalist and sits, slow and deliberate, as if he has all the time in the world.
Jaims Tepes
Do you enjoy secrets?
The Journalist
They stare at him for a beat, then the grip on the laptop eases. Not trust, not yet, but curiosity cuts through the alarm.
The Journalist
Sometimes. They are cleaner than the truth, and usually more useful.
The waitress keeps wiping the counter, pretending not to listen. The diner hum fades around the small table, leaving only the soft buzz of the lights overhead.
The Journalist
If you are asking because you have one, then maybe sit still and tell me why it sounds like a warning.
The journalist tilts the laptop a fraction lower, no longer hiding it quite so hard. They wait for his answer, eyes steady now, but still guarded.
Director's note
The secret of magic and Castlevania
“I smile at him. "This world has secrets no one knows. Well except for me of course."”
SUCCESS (Good Psychology, rolled +1)
Jaims Tepes lets the smile arrive slowly, like he is sharing a private joke with the room itself. The journalist notices it and leans in despite themself, the guarded edge in their posture easing into interest.
Jaims Tepes
This world keeps secrets no one knows. Well, except me.
The Journalist
That sounds impossible, and somehow practiced.
The Journalist
That kind of line usually comes from someone trying to sell me something, or scare me off. Which are you?
At the counter, the waitress glances over once, then goes back to her glass, the diner quiet enough to make the pause between them feel deliberate.
The Journalist
Because if you are not either of those, then maybe you are the first person here who is actually interesting.
“"I am in fact neither of those" my grin turns slightly predatory. "Would you like to hear the secret? I can't tell you with anyone else listening thought"”
SUCCESS (Good Psychology, rolled +1)
Jaims Tepes
I am neither of those.
Jaims lets the grin sharpen just enough to make the offer feel private. Across the table, the journalist’s shoulders ease, then square again as curiosity wins out.
Jaims Tepes
Would you like to hear a secret? Not with anyone else listening.
The Journalist
...Yes. But not here.
They close the laptop halfway and rise, eyes flicking once toward the counter before settling back on Jaims. The waitress keeps polishing a glass, pretending not to watch.
The Journalist
If you are leading me somewhere, you had better mean it.
Quest Complete
Manipulate the journalist into following you
Skill Upgrade: Psychology Good→Great
