Everyone convened around the table again, looking a bit confused. It had barely been five minutes since the last meeting, and now they were back here again. Everyone’s heads swivelled, looking for someone who knew what was happening — except the Mesmerist, looking straight at the Trickster. “The Trickster… did something to me the round before last. I can’t actually say what they did, but they did a thing.”

 

The Vampire was impressed by the Mesmerist’s acting, stuttering like she was trying to fight a suggestion. The Trickster just looked confused. “What on Earth am I supposed to have done?”

 

“You-” the Mesmerist’s mouth moved, but no sound came out as she maintained her pretense. “Last round I-” She scowled. “Damn, I still can’t say anything.”

 

The Conversationalist chimed in. “I saw the Trickster and the Mesmerist together for a bit last round — guess we know what they were doing.” 

 

The Trickster wheeled around. “That’s a lie! We were together for most of that round.”

 

The Confuser — the only other innocent actually left — cocked xir head. “Not looking good for you here, Trickster.”

 

“They’re lying, they’re just trying to frame me!”

 

The Confuser looked between the three of them. “Welp, guess it’s not going to change much from here. Either way, seems like the Mesmerist is compromised.” Xe tapped the tablet to start the voting, and then quickly entered their vote on their own phone.

 

Everyone else followed suit, and then the Mesmerist chimed in “Oh, gods daaaa…” and she trailed off, her eyes fluttering closed as she was taken out of the round. Her eyes flickered back open as The Mesmerist was an Impostor appeared on everyone’s phones.

 

The Magician’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, looks like we got one. Five left, two innocents. We could just randomly guess at this point,” they laughed.

 

The Trickster glared at the Confuser. “Well, we know who at least one more is!” He tapped at the tablet to start another round of voting, and the votes came in.

 

“Are you kidding-” the Trickster started, before freezing, their eyes staring vacantly at their phone. Then life returned to their eyes, and the Vampire looked at their phone, already knowing what they’d see: The Trickster was not the Impostor.

 

The Magician, Vampire and Conversationalist all looked at the Confuser, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. “Well, shit,” xe said, looking around at the three of them. “I’m it, huh? Well played.”

 

The Confuser only had one more shot — vote out the original Impostor. Without that, the remaining two would be perfectly ready to steal xir mind away in the next round. While the Confuser was looking at the Vampire, the Magician gave a subtle nod to the Conversationalist.

 

And then the Conversationalist chimed in, his smooth, soft voice pouring out across the table. “Look, if you’ll just listen what I have to say, I’m sure this will all make sense. Y’know, it’s nice to just listen, and get carried along in the flow like a river…”

 

As the Conversationalist kept talking, the Vampire could feel their own eyes dipping, and the effect being mirrored on the Confuser’s face. The Confuser desperately tapped to start the vote, xir movements already exaggerated and imprecise.

 

“...and it’s so relaxing, the thought of a babbling river, a whispering wind, aaaaaand you got me-” The Conversationalist continued, before slumping in his chair as the votes came in. The Conversationalist was an Impostor.

 

The Confuser shook xemself awake — and the Vampire followed suit — while the Magician gave a lupine grin. “Dear, dear me — looks like there’s still two Impostors left, and the game’s not over. Interesting. And there’s a bit to go before the next meeting…”

 

 

As the meeting ended, the Confuser had bolted away from the table, running for the loft, looking to put as much distance between xemself and the Impostors looking to take xir mind. It wasn’t like there was really anywhere to run though. The Vampire and Magician ascended the stairs, and there was simply no escape. The Confuser had even looked like xe was going to try and juke around the pair of them, but the Magician had just grinned wider at that possibility, holding her hands ready for a shock induction, and the Confuser had backed down.

 

The Confuser looked between the two of them. “So, how’s this work? You talk first? I talk first?” The Magician rolled her eyes as the Vampire laughed.

 

“Afraid the Star Wars references won’t save you, there,” the Vampire said. “Now, how about you just look me in the eyes when I’m talking to you,” they continued, dropping into their hypnotist voice. The Confuser’s eyes flicked to the Vampire’s, then moved deliberately away.

 

The Magician smoothly took up the induction, “Aww, but you like looking at their eyes, don’t you? Such a lovely feeling, right? You know just how nice it feels, yes?” 

 

“It’s fun to look, and you know just how vulnerable you’re going to be once you look. So why don’t you just get it over with? Give in, and let yourself just drift into my eyes…”

 

The Confuser’s eyes were flicking towards the Vampire, and xir fists were bunched up as xe tried to resist. The Vampire kept moving towards xir eyeline, even as the Magician moved around to get behind xem, ready to pull a shock induction off and end the game.

 

“But even as you’re trying not to look at my eyes, you’re wearing down your own mind, trying to resist your own desire to look. Imagine how tired that must be making you. I wonder when you’ll be too tired to resist?”

 

The Confuser’s eyes flicked onto the Vampire’s again — then away, then back again. And this time, they didn’t turn away. “That’s right,” the Vampire affirmed. “You’ll fall just like-” 

 

The Vampire’s phone buzzed. So did the Magician’s. The Vampire, surprised, looked down. An emergency meeting had been called. The Vampire looked to the Confuser’s hand — and saw xir phone, the button to call the meeting on the screen, even as the phone looked almost ready to slip from nerveless fingers.

 

Taking advantage of the Vampire’s distraction, the Confuser shook xemself awake. “Welp, looks like you were too slow!”

 

The Vampire scoffed. “Your last chance, I’m afraid. You dropped enough this time that I’m certain you’ll just drop—” the Vampire snapped “—the moment I get another chance.”

“If you get it,” the Confuser grinned.