Swamped Chapter 220 Page 12

Well, start with what you know. They applauded the performance, and Hool confirmed it was your performance that got this far, they weren’t just copying the Protectors.

That means they can see what you’re doing. So this isn’t completely hopeless – you can communicate. You just have no idea what to communicate to them.

Maybe the trick is getting them to do the work somehow. If you could give them a question… well, they wouldn’t answer, but they’d probably think about the answer. That might get them closer if it’s the right question.

The other thought you have is that they applauded. In the context of watching a performance, applause is a fitting response. So maybe if you could create a situation where it’s appropriate for the audience to say things…

Like improvisational exercises. Okay, this may be your dumbest idea yet, but the last one worked, so maybe this one will too.

“All right, glad you liked that,” you say hurriedly. “Now we’re going to try something a bit different. We’re going to do another scene about a child being disowned by his parents, but we’re going to change some of the details. Or rather, you are! We’re going to take suggestions from the audience for how to do it this time around. So, first off, what kind of business should the parents be in?”

“Desert horse racing,” a Protector suggests.

“And what did they do that upset their son so much?”

“They built a racetrack that goes through Reth’s temple,” the other one says.

“Good, good. Now, for the final question. In this version of the scene, what job is the son going to do instead of taking over the desert horse racing business?”

You don’t know what to think when you hear the imprisoned person answer.