Spy Games, 6/1

[saveyoulater.livejournal.com]

Sarah started the class by handing slips of paper to Katina, Agnes, Alice, Claire, Edmund, Effy, Griff, Karla and Liir assuming they were all here. "If you get a piece of paper," she announced, "don't read it out loud, don't show it to your neighbor, don't drop it on the floor. Consider it classified information."

The papers said THERE IS CANDY ON THE TOP SHELF OF THE CABINET IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, so it might not have seemed all that cloak-and-dagger, but Sarah was a spy.

"Anyhow, today we're talking about persuasion and interrogation. It's another basic piece of spywork -- somebody knows something you don't know, and you want to find out what it is. The ideal is to get them to tell you without realizing what they gave away, but that's not always possible. I'm passing out a handout listing off some common interrogation techniques, ranging from direct questioning -- which actually works most of the time -- to 'good cop-bad cop', playing on the other person's emotions, repeating the question until the other person gets bored enough to answer, or lying to convince the subject you already know everything anyhow. I'd recommend you take a few minutes to read through the handout before we move on." She did that, reviewing it herself while the class read.

"As you may have gathered from the start of class, half of you know something now. You're interviewees. The other half don't. You're interrogators. Interrogators, you can use any tactic up to the threat of physical force to find out what was written on the paper. No actual physical force, and if your interviewee seriously tells you to back off, back off. Work in interrogator-interviewee pairs or in small groups. And if you find out what's on the paper, you may put the information to use at the end of class. That goes double for any interviewee who makes it through without cracking."

Comments

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela shrugged. "How about a trade, then?"

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shook his head.

"No, thank you."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"You sure? Because I suspect there's more than a couple of things that I could tell you about Amber that you'd want to know."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Dammit. He'd been hoping by refusing the terms, he wouldn't know what he was missing.

"That's fine, thank you."

Though it was a sore spot, especially considering the trip.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela didn't know any details from the trip, but she knew how to act like she knew more than she did. "You sure? I'm pretty sure there's at least a thing or two you'd really like to know."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Would he? Hmm.

The question was, though, was did he want to invade Amber's privacy? After all, what kind of damage might it cause between Amber and Triela if Liir used that information without checking with amber first anyway? Or damage his relationship with her, since he hadn't just asked her instead of finding out from Triela. Unless the information wouldn't actually harm their relationship.

At which point, well, couldn't he just ask Amber for the information anyway? Which cut Triela neatly out of the equation. Hmmm.

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "I think I'm fine, thank you."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Not trade, huh? That meant it was time to escalate to threats.

"Have it your way," Triela shrugged. "I was trying to make it easy on you, but if you'd rather do this the other way." She leaned forward, propping her chin in one hand. "As Amber's roommate she's rather likely to believe me if I told her something about you." The 'even if it were untrue' was something she let hang in the air between them.

Not that she'd actually do that. Amber was her friend and this was just a class assignment, but threats... she could do threats.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That got a chuckle.

"If she still likes me after this weekend, I can't think of anything you could tell her."

And if it wasn't backed up by even a mention on the radio, well, he had that at least. They told everything in some form or another, but they also told everything.

He wasn't nearly as calm as the chuckle indicated, of course, but he stuck by it.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela's grin widened. "You think so? And that's a risk you're willing to take?" Especially over something as silly as a class assignment.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You'd be willing to harm Amber over a class assignment?"

For certainly, a lie would be harm. It would make her unhappy. It would be painful in an already somewhat stressful period.

Liir was more manipulative than he liked to put out.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela's eyes narrowed. "It's a mission," she stated flatly. It was a lie, but if he believed it then hopefully he'd understand just how far she'd be willing to go if that were the case.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He had no context for that, however. He didn't know her well enough.

"As it's mine to keep the information from you."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela sighed. "Well, then it's on your head. My Conditioning doesn't allow me to fail a mission just to spare someone's feelings." She pushed herself to her feet.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Quick thinking--

"Yes, but that doesn't make any sense, now, does it? Because if I don't tell you the information before the end of class, you fail the mission. Lying to Amber afterwards would simply be vindictive."

He looked up at her wryly.

"Not to mention that there are, no doubt, a number of squirrels reporting on our class. Who's to say what they'd report?

"You'd only damage your own relationship with her."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"You think I don't know that?" Triela asked sharply. "But the fact that the squirrels are reporting means I can't really not follow through. Because then the next time I made a threat people might think I'd fail to follow through again."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Reputations aren't built just on rigidity, but on shrewdness as well," he said, spreading his hands.

"Failing to follow through on this would only be wise. Following through would simply reveal you to be stubborn, cutting off your nose to slight your face.

"Not much of a threat when it harms you more than me."

...someone took after his grandfather more than he knew.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela shook her head and shrugged.

"Just remember all of this tomorrow."

She wouldn't actually say anything to Amber, but she wouldn't mind if Liir sweated it out for the rest of the day.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I don't generally forget," he said with a matter-of-fact sort of shrug.

"Want to try something else?"

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Nothing comes to mind," she shrugged. "Care to change your mind before I have to do something neither of us really wants to happen."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Not particularly," he said, leaning back in his seat to stretch out his legs.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Triela shrugged again and walked off.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He threw off a salute as she left before leaning back again.