theairlock | Week 2

Entry tags:

!round 2,
!week 2

Week 2

[Other than the reappearance of the Overseer, there's no real change in the routine. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets.

No other floors unlock, but Cece and Kip will still be appearing randomly to chit-chat.

All you know is... something has to change soon.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 1 and submit your threads for the Benefactors!]

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Your guess is likely to be as good as mine.

[The idea of actually talking to someone that was apparently some kind of daemon was an unnerving one to Ardyn, but on the other hand...well, Roland hadn't really done anything to warrant immediate suspicion. No point in refusing to be amicable, right?]

[Ardyn flipped the coin in his hand and caught it, slipping it into a pocket as he regarded the little yellow companion.]

It seems to function as some manner of instrument, though I've not seen anything like it before.

It's... got a face. Most instruments... don't have a face. How are you even supposed to play it?

[ Weeeeeird. He watches him flip the coin, but decides not to comment on it... yet. ]

...

[With a long-suffering look, Ardyn reached over and lightly squeezed the otamatone enough to produce a one-note aaaaaaaaaaa like it was objecting to even being touched.]

This other part seems to adjust the scale of it--I was trying to determine how it worked earlier, that's the most information I can answer with.

[ . . .

Slowly... watches this happen and. He just. Raises a brow, takes a sip of his coffee, and then says: ]

... It's like its entire life is suffering, even it's existence. This instrument appears to be having an existential crisis. ... I kinda feel for the little guy.

It's almost endearing, really. I've no idea why it was apparently granted to me specifically, but I'm almost attached to the odd little thing.

... I almost feel like they're saying you needed someone to bond with. Or maybe you should pick up the world's most tragic instrument, one or the other.

[ He's, uh, not sure. ]

How incredibly hurtful of them. [But he was laughing, so that was probably sarcasm.] I have quite a few friends, I am not so desperate that I need a distressed little musical note for company.

[ Roland gives the vaguest of shrugs, and he can't help chuckling a bit himself. ]

Well, maybe you can pick it up and then play them a song about how much you don't care for their aaaaaa-ttitude. Little guy seems like he might have some sort of range... probably.

I could certainly figure it out with a bit of time--it looks far simpler than your average instrument, to say the least. If we're fortunate, that might even provide a brief distraction from the current situation.

Honestly, it is at least something to do, yeah. I kind of wish they'd actually give us something to do. I mean, outside of the obvious killing each other thing, even if we did plot that out, in between, we'd have to be doing something. Checkers. Chess. SOMETHING.

They're... not the most thoughtful people when it comes to providing things for captives to do.

I suppose they expect boredom is as good a motive as any. Leave a prisoner locked up long enough, and insanity's certain to set in eventually.

[Ardyn shrugged, folding his hands on the table.]

Regretfully, all we're capable of at the moment may simply be to wait the matter out until those two idiots resurface to deal with their mechanical overlord.

Perhaps by then you'll be able to play them some kind of symphonic masterpiece?

[ Suggestion! ]

Maybe music can soothe the savage artificial intelligence. ... I mean, I highly doubt it can, but.

Or it finds so high a pitch that the damn thing simply explodes and solves all our problems.

Were that possible, I'm not sure they'd give it to us, unless your masterful fingers can make it happen.

I live to be surprised, after all. And I keep being surprised, of late.

I've found this place to have no lack of surprises myself.

[. . .]

Actually, with regard to surprises like that, I've been meaning to speak with you. If you should feel this isn't prying, of course--I was wondering just what your world's daemons are like.

[ A curious topic to pick. He wonders why Ardyn is asking, but... ]

Depends on the rank, honestly. Their Karma. A demon's form--a human's form, when they become a demon, essentially... it's dependent upon the Atma they're bestowed with.

[WHY INDEED]

[He at least seemed concerned about the subject, so it probably wasn't like he was up to something.]

...How does a human become one to begin with?

That's...

[ He rubs the back of his neck. ]

To be entirely honest... I don't know how it started. I... feel like I should know something, but... I don't know. ... Sorry. Can probably blame it on this place; I only realized anything was missing at all because everyone else pointed it out.

But, usually, a human becomes a demon when their data becomes infected by the Demon Virus. All humans have the potential, as far as I know, and usually the data is harmless... so unless they're forced to change, like by using the data disk I used to change myself voluntarily... nothing should happen.

So I can only guess the numerous soldiers in Karma City were all changed the same way. I wouldn't even think it was possible if we hadn't used a test subject first back at my base. He... it... well.

[ ... Roland's not... exactly happy about how that ended. Wow, that wall sure is interesting, isn't it. ]

...That is, I will admit, several words I don't understand--but that's enough to have an idea of the answers I sought. For a brief time I was worried it might be something like I find myself familiar with, but you're not like any daemon I've ever seen before.

If you find yourself missing memories as several of the others say they are, we'll find a solution to that somehow.

Yeah, a... few people seem to be worried I've been this or that, but I guess the demons from my world are a little... weird. They're largely mythological creatures? What people turn into. It could be anything from small pixie-like women, to half-snake people, to... ghouls or... goblin-looking things or just monsters with several heads and mouths.

Elephant monsters too. The society has a lot of different, weird demons on their roster, but none of them are unique like the Embryon are. I... think it might have something to do with our Atma.

[ He holds up his hand--the one with the tattoo on it, the one marked with a Lightning Bolt. ]

Or maybe our strong wills just translated to specifically strong forms... I know why my friends are like they are, but my form is... up in the air, a bit. Indra's... Indra's definitely an outlier. But if you're concerned I'm going to hurt anyone, no, I should be fine, as long as I have the pills.

Eos has an abundance of goblins on the roads at night, and half-human shaped snakes or spiders depending on what kind of dangerous places one might travel. I've no idea what determines the manner of daemon a victim turns into, and I don't particularly wish to find out.

[He glanced over the tattoo on Roland's hand, raising an eyebrow slightly; it didn't look like he was remotely familiar with it.]

Now, I never said that. If I thought you an active threat, this would be a markedly different conversation. As it stood, I thought it best to actually speak to you before I determined that.

[Beat.]

Do I want to ask 'what pills', or is that something that's certain to be incredibly concerning?

Edited 2017-05-24 11:00 (UTC)

[ ... Small sigh. He supposes he's just too used to people immediately jumping to "threat". Too many people live in fear of Tuners in his world. ]

... If you weren't worried about it the other week, I... wouldn't worry about it now.

[ ... It's not worth worrying people over. ]

I mean, in short, it's just a supplement. But there's something you should understand: Tuners in my world, the people who can do what I do. We carry a stigma. We're considered active threats to "normal" people. They... don't like us.

So I have to ask... why you WERE asking. Because there was a point in my life I was in a situation where I was questioning a group of Tuners before I was one myself, fear holding me back from seeing them as people.

[Ardyn held up his hands defensively, presenting as little of a threat as possible.]

It's as I said; you're unlike any daemon I've ever seen. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing for either of us to be worried about from the other.

On my world, there is a scourge that infects living creatures and mutates them into mindless creatures we call 'daemons'. They thrive in darkness and attack anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path, infecting them with the selfsame plague in turn. I was...concerned, shall we say, that either you were victim to something similar or some worse option I could not have imagined.

Edited (i'm redundant at 730 am who knew) 2017-05-24 11:37 (UTC)

... Why is there always some kind of awful demonic plague bugging humanity no matter where I go?

[ GRUMBLE. ]

Mankind really can't get it's act together, can it? ... No, I'm doubtful they're the same. As long as I'm... maintaining, I'm fine. The same is true of most people with the... condition. But if you let your Atma take over your self... you're done for. It's a pitiful existence to become.

I've seen it happen. People can lose themselves to the Demon Avatar within, and become nothing but a beast.

Considering ours is a scourge wrought by a god, I would assume the two are vastly different in origin.

I'll trust you to be able to maintain that condition, if that should be the case. I would prefer it not come to that, and I'm certain you will say the same.

(no subject)

honoraryembryon - 2017-05-27 16:06 (UTC) - Expand

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