WEEK 4

[bathymetric]

Another trial, another week, and still you're probably running lower on answers than you'd like. And on people - you lost three since last Sunday. By the end of this week, you'll have been here for nearly a full month, yet still the days crawl on.

You wake up Sunday, again with no memory of Saturday, but this time with a simple message on your devices: You may resume requesting items, if you like. Enjoy. Guess it really was just a stealth motive after all, but at least it's being communicated that it's over! That's something, at least.

And when you leave your rooms on Sunday, there's another new area to explore! This one is... certainly more ambitious in its construction than the last one, to say the least. But hey, you have a pretty neat place to host parties, if you feel so inclined! That's... fun...

Hey, you gotta find the fun in situations like this where you can! Silver linings, right?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 4! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! ]

Comments

[fivestagegod]

[Birkin kind of vanished back into his room after the meeting on Tuesday, and he actually hasn't been out of his room at all since? That's...unusual, but it's fine. Probably.

He's not exactly being sociable on Thursday, either, but at least he's out of the room, albeit looking like a disaster by his own standards; he usually tries to at least make himself look presentable, but today it's just...jeans and tie-dye and that oversized locket he has with him sometimes around his neck, and he's back in the laundry room sitting in the back corner, just straight-up on the floor with his head resting against one of the machines that's currently turned on. Maybe he likes the vibrations, who knows. Either way, it's probably hard to tell whether he's actually awake or if he's just kind of crashed in here, but he'll actually look up if you approach and he's not being punished by anybody so it's pretty safe to assume he's awake, he's just...really out of it and seeming sort of zoned out.

He'll also be in the lounge for a little while, at least, though not for very long before getting up; he may be moving to leave with an audible "fuck this" under his breath, though he also doesn't seem aware of anyone else that might happen to be in here. So chances are good that it's not you, it's him.]

laundry room

[nothingcanstop]

[ Thursday is laundry day. Or, at least this week's Thursday is laundry day. Della's got...like, everything, she's also wearing that dumb tie-dye because you need to wear something, right? She barely notices Birkin's there until she gets her clothes pile into a washer, turns around and- ]

William? [ Is she more surprised to see him in the tye-die or this out of it? Good question. Della quickly approaches. ] Hey, you up?

[fivestagegod]

...Yeah.

[He actually didn't look up when she first came in, because Della's a bit recognizable and honestly, he has a hard time seeing her smashing his head in or anything. But he's responding easily enough, anyway.]

Not having an easy time of it, but I'm up.

[For what it's worth, he doesn't sound drunk or anything, either, and he's at least paying attention now.]

[nothingcanstop]

[ That's a good start, at least. She kinda...look, she wants to give him his space? But at the same time, she's kinda peering to see if his eyes are focused, you know, normal things. ]

Haven't seen you in a few... How're, uh...how're you doing?

[fivestagegod]

[They are, yeah. He just seems like he's...well, like he said, not really having an easy time of it.]

Not great, but I'll deal. You?

[...Birkin, she's not the one on the goddamn floor.]

[nothingcanstop]

...Better, relatively. [ At least she knows what...some kind of mental breakdown looks like? ] You want some help off the floor, buddy?

[fivestagegod]

No, I'm good.

[...Ostensibly. He is ostensibly good.]

You mind talking for a while, though?

laundry;

[snackooed]

[ Goodness, okay, of all the things she was expecting to see in the laundry room today, Birkin sitting on the floor and having a normal one certainly wasn't very high on her list... ]

Dr. Birkin...?

[ She almost asks him whether he's okay, but...well, it doesn't take a scientist to see that he's pretty out of it. At least it's pretty clear that he's awake, and it doesn't exactly look like he's in pain, but-- ]

Are you hurt? Can I get you anything?

[fivestagegod]

[Oh, hey, Ema.

He'll at least look up when she comes in; he doesn't seem drunk or drugged or anything, just sort of zoned, but he'll focus after a moment.]

Not injured or anything, no. Just one of those days, I guess.

[And then, like he's not the one currently hanging out on the floor- ]

How have you been holding up?

[snackooed]

I've...been better, myself. I think the week is taking its toll on...well, everybody, pretty much.

[ Some probably more than others, but... ]

It's kind of just this perfect storm of awful. So I can't say that I blame you for having a day. As long as it's...y'know, helping, on some level. Do you mind if I sit, too?

[fivestagegod]

[Well, he wasn't exactly expecting that, but- ]

...No, go right ahead.

[snackooed]

[ Eh, it isn't as though that machine hasn't been spitting out labcoats in droves. Even if this one gets a little dirty, there are spares to go around and then some. She's quick to park herself down... ]

Sorry. I don't mean to impose, if you wanted to be alone with your thoughts or anything. I know it was hard on you too, the other day.

[ It was definitely hard to miss that reaction, even insofar as his usual proclivity to be...brusque, we'll call it? ]

You don't have to talk about it or anything, if you don't want to. But I'm here, if you do. I wanted to throw that out there.

[fivestagegod]

[He kind of...takes a moment, just...let him breathe and consider whether or not he wants to actually say anything or not.]

...I'm not saying I'm going to kill anyone. [Just to get that out of the way.] But asking me not to is asking me to act both against my own self-interest, and against my daughter's. My whole family's, really, but my wife's better equipped to deal with what's...going on.

It's screwing with my head, that's all.

laundry

[thieviusraccoonus]

...Please don't be dead.

[Which is all Sly can say, mainly to himself, as he spots Birkin on his way in here for... something. There was something he needed, but what was it? Ah, well, there's a body here to investigate. Maybe.]

Hey, William. You still with us?

[fivestagegod]

[Oh, jesus, hi Sly- ]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm still with you guys, better or worse.

[He shrugs a bit, tries to shake it off. Today is...it's a day, okay.]

[thieviusraccoonus]

Good to know. Just checking, is all.

[It sure is a day.]

So... everything alright? Besides the obvious.

[fivestagegod]

Not really, but I'll manage.

[At least he knows he's being something of a shitshow.]

Pretty sure the motive's hitting a lot of people.

[thieviusraccoonus]

[ah]

Yeah, it is. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't getting to me a little, too.

[fivestagegod]

Yeah?

[...]

Who'd you get? For yours.

Laundry

[drladysounds]

...I never expected I'd be seeing you looking like this, doctor.

[Hi, Shelley huddles two washing machines from him, without turning it on]

[fivestagegod]

[...Hey, Shelley.]

I'm usually a bit more together than this, honestly. It's been a rough few days.

[drladysounds]

Yeah, I figured.

[So many people here have dreams, and...well, Shelley remembers William had told her his goals. Goals mired in an environment full of corrupt people. Birkin can't be the only one with that kind of goals, she figures, goals the corrupt ones would stop no matter what.

The Professor may seem very tempting if that looks like the only option, she thinks]

This is a very effective motive, but...if the Professor has a hand in someone's dream, I'm sure he'd use the chance to twist it into something horrible. He's petty like that.

[Her opinion of the Professor is abysmal]

[fivestagegod]

To say nothing of how there are still too many of us - the chances of defeating the whole group are low. We've managed to solve things at a pretty good pace so far, and acting now would be putting money on that not happening for a third time.

[So there's all of that; don't worry, he's been taking it into consideration.]

I'm not going to try to take anyone out, don't worry. I'd be lying if I said it didn't seem appealing sometimes, but I'm going to at least try to avoid it.

[drladysounds]

[Shelley is silent for a moment. Looks like she...has some doubts about believing that. But hey, if she says that to his face, that's encouragement to actually kill someone, so she decides to stay quiet]

Oh, you're right. If you actually killed someone I'd hunt you down myself. With evidence and accusations.

[But the fact he admits that much...it gives her some confidence. Maybe he really is telling the truth]

[fivestagegod]

...I'd actually be pretty mad if you guys didn't. I mean, I've made it pretty clear that I'm not going to forgive anyone who tries it, and I'm not going to be nice or merciful towards them. So I don't see why I should be offered stuff like that.