idolpro | 3 WAY PRISONER'S DILEMMA: Taisho Roman Revolution

[ The room you wake up in is barren. The floor, walls, and ceiling are all metal, and the only furnishings are a large television-sized touchscreen monitor and a massive pane of glass cutting through the room, separating Kuzuebiko from the rest of the unit. You can beat against the glass as much as you like, but it won't break. Both the touchscreen monitor and the elevator doors are on the same side of the room as everyone but the hostage.

Once Mukuro finishes his intro spiel, the monitor display switches to a catalogue of pictures of flowers, each with their name, associated meaning, and a checkbox underneath them: ]

Amaryllis (Red&White) - Talkative
Baby's Breath - Purity of Heart
Calla Lily (White) - Maidenly Desire
Camellia (Red) - Perish with grace
Camellia (White) - Waiting
Cherry Blossom - Transience of all things
Foxglove - Insincerity
Hydrangea (Blue) - Heartlessness
Iris - Faithfulness
Lantana - Change of Heart
Marigold - Despair
Morning Glory - Willful promise
Mountain Laurel (Red) - Ambition
Oleander - Caution
Poppy (Red) - Fun-loving
Poppy (White) - Rejoice
Poppy (Yellow) - Success
Tulip (Red) - Fame/Charity/Trust
Yarrow (White) - Conflict

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Looking at unit 1 with eyes narrowed. ]

The first unit doesn't appear to be trying to communicate an identity, so much as communicating how they wish to deal with conflict.

Yes... but I'd assume they're trying to communicate that we should trust them, and not try to save only ourselves.

They did seem to specifically choose a flower with trust as its theme.

To read them in the order sent— we plan to play with caution through the conflict. Perish with grace indicates a certain sacrificial bent, and a willful promise after trust is fairly clear.

The question is if it's true. It sounds like this unit has decided how they're going to play regardless of messages received, as well. They are either going to betray, with this as a red herring, or they are going to trust and have decided to take all consequences.

I'd assume the opposite. If they'd like to coordinate trust all around, there are more straightforward ways to say it.

Then you think they're trying to say they'll trust even if we betray them?

That is what I read into it, distasteful as the message is.

[huff]

Well, they could also be saying that to be deceptive. That seems like a big bet, though.

Yes. As I said, I think the message is clear. The only question is if the message is true.

[ He's not fidgeting, but he does keep glancing at the screen as if expecting something else to show. ]

Mm... it might be safest to be ambiguous with our response. If they're being sincere, they'll trust us either way. If they're trying to convince us to trust them so they can betray us, we may not want to assure them they succeeded.

In that case, we may just wish to send the white camellia. It portrays some indecision, without making us into traitors if we play trust we do not mean.