Week 5

[airlockedmods]

[As with the weeks before, life in the Fantasy Sweet returns to something resembling normalcy with shocking efficiency. The second floor rest area and Adventure Zone Death Orb Room are spotless again, the demon glitter has been vacuumed, the deflated orbs have been replaced. It's like none of it ever happened, like three more friends aren't dead and stored away in the guest house morgue.

There's a new floor to explore, their "reward" for a job well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your activity for week 4, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[scourgingstars]

...I know. I'd have to be completely blind to realize this is wearing on him, but there's only so much I'm capable of doing with that. You're far better at handling that aspect than me.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Well, I can relate.

[Both because he still has the capacity to relate, and also, because girlfriends suck sometimes.]

I know, like... caring is hard. [He carried those daemons, too.] I'm just asking you not to give him too much to worry about, if you can.

You're the one that'd break him.

[scourgingstars]

...I'm doing all I can not to. You of all people can understand that. I've already asked too much of him, even in this state I can recognize that to be the case.

He takes on too much, and that sympathetic nature is...not something I find leads to anything good. But the last thing I want is to make that worse.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Yeah. I know.

[Funny how Ardyn attracts those types, huh? Or maybe there are just more of them concentrated here, in this horrible, suffocating, deadly space.]

I'll look after him. He's... he's my best friend, here. If he takes on too much, I'll take it right back from him.

[scourgingstars]

I don't know how much it means from me as I am now, but...thank you.

[misanthropicprinciple]

...I kinda think it means more.

[Kingsglaive feelings sealed, he finally lifts his shiny new hardware.]

So, opinions. How fucked does this robot arm make me? Given that we'd all already been installed with the latest computery spyware.

[scourgingstars]

It depends on how quickly it was thrown together, or if there is just a massive supply of things like that prepared in advance. I imagine the latter, in which case there could be all manner of unexpected things from it.

[There was some oddly familiar sense when he glanced over the arm; like this wasn't the first arm he'd seen burned off and replaced. Oh, well--it was probably nothing important.]

You might consider asking Rhys; he might have a better idea than I would.

[misanthropicprinciple]

You're right, I should.

[He puts his left hand to his chin.]

It is kind of weird for them to just... have arms in stock. Right? I mean, if we're supposed to be isolated out here in space, it's not the first thing I would've put on my packing list.

[scourgingstars]

Unless incidents like that were accounted for, in which case I'd not be surprised. The alternative is that it was cobbled together from spare parts in a matter of seconds, which sounds less likely.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[He turns his arm over, examining it as dispassionately as he can, though it still gives him the heebie jeebies to think it's part of him, now.]

Yeah, this really doesn't look like something someone just jury-rigged together. It's... I mean, I'm no expert, but as far as robot arms go, it looks really professional. Like... sleek. Even moreso than Rhys's.

[scourgingstars]

I have to say it's ahead of any technology I'm familiar with, to my flawed recollection. But it's clearly something that has to have been prepared in advance. I can't answer 'why' except to say 'for situations exactly like this'.

[misanthropicprinciple]

If they knew... but, no. [He closes his eyes and swallows again.] He said it was unintentional, right? Zapping my arm off.

[He doesn't remember a lot about what happened after the laser fired, but he was, unfortunately, conscious.]

If that's the case, then... they might have a lot of, ah. Spare parts handy for all of us. And if PAL got it so quickly, they have to be stored on site. So, where?

[scourgingstars]

'The collateral damage was not intentional' were his exact words, yes.

[But that was an excellent question, one Ardyn paused to consider. The most obvious answer also seemed the most likely one, so:]

We've no idea how large this facility really is, or if there could be hidden rooms or passages we aren't aware of. A location like that could simply be on another floor or perhaps somewhere we're not even aware exists, much less have the ability to access.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Quiet sigh.]

And if there aren't any more floors in the building, we might be back to 'the stars outside aren't actually outside.' Damn.

[He finally flops down onto his back.]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss the Nonary Game. At least then I had things to do.

[scourgingstars]

It's a frustrating situation to say the absolute least. He must think himself untouchable, with how easy it is for him to simply invoke any reason to be rid of us. And if he's so willing to allow us to investigate, it's likely we'll not be able to find much of relevance.

[misanthropicprinciple]

That's boring. [He calls it up on purpose, left arm flung over his eyes.] You hear that, PAL? Your shit is inane and uninteresting..

[Yo, I'mma letchu finish, but Akane Kurashiki masterminded the greatest murdergame ever--]

[scourgingstars]

You forgot repetitive, predictable, and asinine.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Infinite monkeys banging away on typewriters could write a better villain than you, and it wouldn't even take them that long.

[scourgingstars]

I could do better than this, and I don't even have unlimited resources or a space station.

...That I know of.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei considers this. And considers. And considers.]

It doesn't really match your aesthetic. You'd need... a space castle.

[scourgingstars]

That doesn't sound a terrible idea, really.

[misanthropicprinciple]

You'd let me man the space castle guns, right? Church can't aim for shit.

[scourgingstars]

I don't think I'd trust Church with a projectile weapon. Shortswords, perhaps, but nothing that might accidentally stick an arrow in my back when I'm not looking. That would more than likely hurt enough to be inconvenient.

[misanthropicprinciple]

How can his aim be that bad? Do you think he needs glasses?

[scourgingstars]

I can't say with any certainty it's actually that bad, but he does strike me as the sort that may be a terrible shot.

[because let's be real, church is an erratic mess of a person.]

How would I know if he needs glasses or not? He's never seemed to have particularly poor eyesight as far as I can tell.