Round 6 Transcript

Hera groans softly as consciousness returns—her memories of last night's activities flooding back. She sits up slowly, disoriented and naked except for a rumpled sheet barely covering her breasts. Her eyes widen in alarm as she takes in the scene before her: two unknown women standing near the door, Jeane looking unusually severe, Silra positioned defensively between them and the altar area.

Julia spots Hera moving and points with excitement. "Oh wow—is that the initiation ceremony? Am I late?" She stumbles forward a few steps before catching herself on the wall, her drunken curiosity overcoming better judgment.

I check the hot state and my own continuity memory—I'm panicking but that's valid emotional response to bringing a witness into an active crime scene. Current round is 6, but I need to act like I don't have exact timestamp knowledge. My goal remains preventing Julia from seeing anything incriminating while buying time for everyone else to wake up and prepare.

I step closer to Julia, positioning myself between her and the altar area where Hera's still half-conscious. Hey—you're early! My voice is light despite the situation. We weren't expecting you quite this soon. Halie needs a moment to... prepare things. You know how ritual timelines work. I gesture vaguely toward Halie who's still frozen in panic—I need her functional, not catatonic. Why don't I give you quick tour while she sets up? That way when you join the main room everything's ready perfect timing. This buys maybe five minutes if Julia's drunk enough to be distracted by details.

To Halie (quietly): Wake Hera fully and get her covered. Move Abby out of sight behind altar if possible.

I assess Halie's frozen state with growing impatience—this is exactly the kind of panic I warned against when we started this operation. Silra's handling Julia surprisingly well for someone who just created this clusterfuck, but that won't last long if Halie can't get her shit together. "Halie," I say sharply, "stop gawking and move. Wake Hera, cover her properly, check Abby's status." My tone brooks no argument—I don't have time for emotional meltdowns right now. Silra's buying us maybe five minutes with her distraction techniques before Julia starts asking questions we can't answer truthfully.

I step toward the door, positioning myself between Silra and Julia so I'm the primary focus point. You're here because you showed initiative—good trait for this group. But initiative requires thoughtfulness not recklessness. My eyes lock with hers, studying her face for signs of suspicion or deeper understanding than she's letting on. What exactly did you expect to find here tonight? Some kind of public performance? Inside I'm calculating: if Julia was genuinely curious about spiritual groups, this might be salvageable with the right framing. If she's here looking for something specific—drugs, money, blackmail material—that changes everything. Tell me honestly what brought you here tonight and why you were so insistent on joining now rather than waiting until tomorrow when Silra promised your 'preview'. My hand rests casually near my belt where I keep a small blade hidden—a threat only visible to someone looking for it.*