WEEK 3

[bathymetric]

Well, the tail end of Week 2 could have gone better. That's the first thing to note.

The second thing is... hang on, should it be Week 3 yet? You've all gone to sleep (or... not, in the case of anyone who doesn't), but when you wake up (and you do all wake up), the calendar and clock on your device informs you that it's Sunday. In-character, all characters explicitly have absolutely no memory of Saturday.

Your sense of time isn't the only thing that's changed - a new branch of the facility has opened and become active overnight, giving you new resources and places to investigate, should you so choose. There's also a new channel on the television, though whether it's an improvement over the last one is questionable.

Otherwise, though, things have mostly settled into normalcy again, or at close to normal as you can find in this place. How long that peace will last, though... that's becoming increasingly uncertain, moving forward.



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 3! Turn in last week's AC over here, and regains remain over this way! And for the sake of consistency, Angel's office hours remain over yonder! ]

Comments

[emberserker]

You've seen her, haven't you? With those things in her head, I wouldn't be surprised if she were part machine herself. And with how he seems to replicate magic with machinery, it would follow that he could make her do whatever he said.

[nothingcanstop]

...She has cybernetic implants. They keep her from sleeping. Maybe they do other things too.

[ Highly disturbed by this whole thing!! ]

[emberserker]

So that's why she answers the door even after hours...

[nothingcanstop]

It means she can monitor us better.

[ Though Della doesn't seem to like that, for a few reasons. ]

[precognit]

Not up close, I admit. You think she might be some kind of...cyborg?

[She's pretty sure that doesn't exist in her own world, but here...???]

That's sick. I can't fathom just...just using someone like that.

[nothingcanstop]

...She doesn't know how she got that way. It could've been a necessity, but...it might not have.

[ Della is very firmly in the camp of you gotta do what you gotta do to survive, with that kind of thing, but. If it was involuntary, you know, that's a little. ]

[precognit]

[Alice turns to Della, horror dawning on her face.]

...You mean someone did that to her? Like some kind of...medical experiment.

[Her voice goes flat on those last words, and without quite realizing it, she's trembling slightly.]

[nothingcanstop]

I don't know. [ And though it helps nothing, it feels like she should lower her voice. ] She said...it was personal. Not related to any of this. That was all.

[ A moment and-- ]

Why don't we go somewhere else? Like...get something to eat. This all was a little much, come on.

cw medical trauma

[precognit]

Y-yeah. Good idea.

[Alice doesn't want to think about this, anymore. She doesn't want to think about Angel or how she could have been in a place just like Alice was, but worse. Alice endured electro-shock treatments, over and over...but she wasn't turned into a machine.

Her hands are shaking, she realizes. And—she hasn't fed in a few days. Della is right.]

Thanks. I could use something to eat.

[nothingcanstop]

[ Della offers a hand. Yes, it'd be awkward given their size difference, but come on. ]

Whatever you want, I'll annoy the chef for you until we get it.

[precognit]

Um—

[Alice is suddenly animated.]

You know, why don't you let me grab the food? Find us a table. I need to walk out my nerves a little bit.

[please be a good enough excuse please]

[nothingcanstop]

[ That's...certainly a little strange, uh... ]

Alright... Any requests?

[precognit]

Oh, anywhere is fine.

[Alice forces herself to relax, to stop acting like she's going to jump out of her skin. She'll get Della's order, and then go over to the window. But when she comes back, there's only one thing on the tray, and Alice looks...disturbed.]

...That's so weird. They didn't have my protein shake.

[Y'know, her juice box. The one that's the only thing she's ever seen eating or drinking out of? That one. She sits down next to Della and gives her a fake smile.]

I'm sure they'll have more later on. I'll be just fine in the meantime.

[nothingcanstop]

[ With a frown, Della takes her food (Della absolutely has a turkey sandwich because It's Funny) and taps her fingers on the table. ]

Don't have it? What the hell... It's a shake, it's not fine class dining.

[ She starts to stand. ]

I'll go talk to 'im.

[precognit]

[Alice says nothing about this because she has exactly zero room to talk.

She shakes her head back and forth quickly.]

N-no, Della, it's fine. Really.

[See! Her voice is level and calm and reasonable, because she's squashing all her panic down to the depths of her questionably-existent soul.]

[nothingcanstop]

Look, if they're gonna keep us here the least they can do is not let us starve.

[ She turns her head around to the ceiling, like...looking for a camera. ]

Is that too much for you, Prof? Too much for your lab rats?

[ Growing anger... Ugh- no, this is about Alice, okay. ]

The point is, if that...what is it, like a...special diet? [ Della is quite observant so. Yeah, she's noticed Alice kind of sticks to one thing. ] Did he say anything about when they'd have it again?

[precognit]

[Alice stares down at her hands on the table for a moment, trying to gather herself. Reaching for that well of serenity that she's always able to pull from.]

Yes, I have a condition, it's...easier on my stomach that way.

[She shakes her head, looking a little more herself now.]

Nothing. But I'm going to go talk to Angel tonight, maybe she knows something about it.

[nothingcanstop]

[ For a moment, it looks like Della might let it go, but-- ]

What are you going to have in the meantime then? If Angel's even up to taking visits...

[precognit]

I'll find something my stomach can handle. Plain rice, or something.

[She'll even eat some, if that's what it takes to keep people from being worried...though, actually, they should still be worried. Alice certainly is.]

[nothingcanstop]

[ Hmmm. Della studies her for a moment. Is this...something she should push about? It'd be something she'd push with her kids, but-- but no matter how desperate she is for her boys, none of the people here are her kids. Not in age, not in blood.

So, she sighs and nods, tilting her head a little. ]

Alright. As long as you have a handle on it... But if you can't talk to Angel, let me know, and I'll... [ Er. She'll what? ] I'll let that chef have it. ...Verbally.

[ Ha! Nailed it. ]

[precognit]

Thanks, Della. I'll let you know if I need you to browbeat someone.

[She's smiling, but make no mistake: Alice is tired. The past five days has been a whirlwind of unfortunate events, and this is another worry she doesn't need. But she's happy to sit and keep Della company while she eats.]

Found anything good in the new rooms? I heard something about power tools...

[nothingcanstop]

[ Something to take their minds off all of this... That sounds like a good idea. Something to keep positive. Della returns that tired smile...but somehow she can get hers a bit wider. A bit more real.

(Experience is how.) ]

A workshop. I'm sure some of the others will like the fabric room or the art room better, but it's nice to see some good old fashioned tools.

[precognit]

[Alice nods, but something else caught her ears; she perks up considerably.]

A fabric room? Is there a sewing machine?

[nothingcanstop]

[ Oh, what's this? She nods. ]

And patterns, and different materials... Why, you got an interest in it?

[precognit]

Are you kidding me? Della, I have several fashion degrees.

[it's time for this place to get FASHIONABLE]