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"N-no, no, of course I didn't!" Gregory's smile is wavering now. "It's not a common occurrence to see one. I do talk to ETF agents but it's rare to see footage of one in such quality!"
"Surely you would've seen it before if you knew enough advice to tell us what buildings to avoid!" Kiara sharply barks. "Unless that advice was meaningless! Even if you got told what buildings were safe by someone else, THEY had to see it."
"It's common wisdom!"
[SEEKER OF THE CITY] No it isn't? At most, you would avoid places already broken into since there's nothing of value. His advice back then sounded more like he was WARNING you about something.
Then it clicks for you. "Wait, wait. You said there were personal reasons why you were here. Reasons you 'couldn't tell us'."
Gregory's smile wavers completely. "Yes. And I told you why. I wanted to see old stories about my family-" You wag your finger at him. No no, enough bullshitting here.
"Look, couldn't you have at least thought of a better pseudonym than Lima Bean?" You hope to god he falls for this. "That's a really silly name. Seriously, is that your fav-"
>27: PASS!
"IT WAS LIAM BEAN! I THOUGHT IT WAS A CLEVER NAME TO USE, YOU-" The room goes silent after his outburst. Your allies are staring at him in shock while Gregory realizes what he just said. "I mean-"
"Oh, it all makes sense now! No wonder why he fucking appeared out of nowhere in the paperwork! That's why that note talking to Audrey was talking about a father." You swear you can see Maruyama's hair turning greyer by the second from sheer stress. "They were trying to veil some stupid nepotism!"
"Of course he had the key to the producer's office and the map! And how he could just fire someone out of nowhere without question!" Kiara is the only one smiling now. "And let's not begin to mention the camera systems! You set those up to find the anomaly, didn't you!"
Gregory is gritting his teeth as Maruyama and Kiara chatter among each other. You're busy staring him down. <<span class="mu-b">"Fuck it. We have a common goal."</span>> "Yes. And if that audio from your little drone toy is correct, it's looking for me too. I'm...the one who ruined this place."
"I was a young man. Foolish, naïve." Your allies shut up as he begins to talk. "I wanted to be a star, okay? This was my one chance to become something! Unlike now, my family name wasn't enough to insure my success back then. I needed to earn my stake. To show my potential."
"How fucking old are you? Wasn't this 75 years ago? You should be dead at this point."
"I am 96 now, Mr. Maruyama. That is besides the point."
"...Wait. The note said a fire had to be started. You're the one who burnt it to a crisp." Kiara's expression slowly twists into a snarl. "You stunted A-Company's production of films for months! Sometimes years! And the death count! It was in the high 90s, not even mentioning the injuries!"
"Do you think I had a choice?" Gregory slumps his shoulders. "Let me tell you a story."
