unknownseas | WEEK 5

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week 5

WEEK 5

That's three murders now - and this last trial got more than slightly out of hand. It looks like you might be in for another tough week... or at least, maybe that's just the refusal of this place to change too much. You lose Saturday again, but maybe six-day weeks are starting to feel normal by now. Who knows? The cycle of day and night continues apace, changing so little.

Speaking of change, though, there's a new area to look through, the biggest and most complex yet. And the end of one wing of the facility, from the looks of it - though you can probably guess where more areas might start to open up.

And speaking of opening up (segues!), this week if you're out particularly late, you might sometimes see Angel out and about! So hey, maybe change is on the horizon.

Just gotta hope it's a change for the better, don't you?

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 5! 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! Or, if you want Angel to come to you, that's now an option! Simply put a prompt after lights-out into your toplevel and indicate you want Angel in the subject line, same as investigations! ]

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Little something I've been working on for a bit. It'll go down smoother than the 151-proof, I promise.

[ Anyone can see that this week is going to be a little tough. Thankfully, Ema's looking to keep it at least a little positive in here; the drinks she's been experimenting with seem bright and colorful, and the songs that she has playing over the boombox have a nice, upbeat tempo to them, easy to tap your foot to. ]

Though, you like the burn, right? I think I can tweak it just a bit to play a little more to your taste.

[ Looks like she's a little eager to experiment. She's glad to talk her through it. ]

Crush a couple of cherries at the bottom of the glass to get 'em nice and muddled up. Johnnie Walker Red is only 80 proof, but there's a bit of a spice flavor to it, and it's warm on the way down, just the way you like. Add seltzer for some fizz, a touch of vanilla, some lemon, and just a few drops of bitters...

[ Positivity. That's what Della should be focusing on right now, and she'll get back to it, she will, truly, but. Later.

She taps her prosthetic foot along to the music, not really listening to it, nodding along with Ema's explanation. It's not that she's not listening, she's just...not actively engaged. ]

You're getting good at this. The...experiment, barista thing.

It's kind of fun, you know? It's the closest thing I have here to doing lab work. [ The field work, on the other hand, she's more than got that covered. ] I'm used to mixing chemicals and seeing how they react with each other, and this is kind of the same thing. Of course, you're only saying that because you haven't seen how many drinks I've had to dump down the drain...

[ For every success, there's always about three or four failures. Sometimes more... ]

The positive is that it's not my bar, and it's not my alcohol. Makes me feel a lot less guilty about wasting anything, if they're basically giving me free reign of the place. Nova and Zerinda showed me a couple of tricks, too, so...

[ Just a little bit of sugar to taste... ]

It's a distraction, I'll admit. But it's one that makes me feel productive. And if I'm gonna channel my energy into something, it might as well be something that makes people feel a little happier, right?

[ And on that note, her drink's ready. ]

Mmm... Yeah. Yeah, I get that. The woodwork, it's something, but not really... [ Della shrugs. ] I could sure use an engine to tinker with.

[ Oh, right, her drink. She takes a sip. ]

...Productive is right. Good. Very nice.

See? Not quite as potent, but you can actually enjoy it this time.

[ She flashes her a grin, glad to see that it meets her standards! ]

By the way, speaking of productive, I wanted to thank you. For last Friday, I mean.

[ She rests her elbows on the bar and slouches over a bit, just to get a little closer to eye level. ]

I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten anywhere near as much of a turnout if it wasn't for you. You picked up a lot of stragglers, and it didn't seem like anyone who showed wound up regretting it or anything. I don't think I could've busted my butt like you did, so...I appreciate it a lot.

Me...? [ Okay, she really doesn't expect that. Della blinks and looks up from her drink. ]

Uh... Oh, I didn't...really do much. You know, they were probably going to come around, anyway. I know for a fact I actually scared a few of 'em off.

Well, some people like to handle these things in their own way. It doesn't surprise me that there are a couple of us who are a little more introverted, when it comes to dealing with complicated feelings.

[ She can think of a couple off the top of her head, really. ]

But I feel like you're not giving yourself enough credit, here. I was pretty worried that we weren't going to get anyone, after that huge mess. So even if we didn't get everybody, the fact that we got as many as we did...well, your energy must have rubbed off on at least a few of them. And at the end of the day, the people who came felt better when they left than they did when they got here. That's nothing to sneeze at. You put in work, so you should be proud of it, if you ask me.

[ Della glances away, after a moment. ]

No one deserves to be alone in a place like this. Even if it's not really something they're looking for, I wanted to give them at least...the option, of having a friendly face. A shoulder to lean on. Another... Another choice.

I think you're right about that. It doesn't hurt to tell people you're there for them. I don't think it ever does.

[ She rests her hand in her chin and smiles, a bit. ]

If there weren't people here to tell me that, I'd probably be holed up in my room, instead of making drinks behind this bar. So, I think you've got the right idea of it.

You...? [ She tilts her head a little. ] Huh. I...didn't take you for the...introverted kind.

[ She chuckles a bit, at that. ]

If you knew me back when I was a detective, before I got certified in forensics, you'd think I was a completely different person. Didn't talk to anyone, didn't make too many friends, just sort of...hamster on the wheel, you know?

[ Er, maybe she won't get that analogy...? ]

Just going through the motions, day in and day out. Like I was in a funk, no matter what I did. But I met some people, and I reconnected with an old colleague of mine, and that pretty much inspired me to hop back to it and get motivated...if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be working my dream job right now, so I pretty much have the lot of them to thank for that.

...By dream job, I don't mean bartending, by the way, of course.

[ A light, gentle smile, beak curled. ]

The dream job is forensics, I'm guessing. It's true, a lot can change, throughout the years. ...Must've been a huge change, from the sounds of it. Really, I'd credit you with being a...heart of this place, I guess. Everyone seems to like you.

[ Oh, Della, you really don't know the half of it-- ]

Hah! Well, maybe not everyone. I mean, just the other day, Anna told me that it was a wonder that I've lasted this long. And Jasper...well, I guess I wouldn't say that we don't get along, but I don't think I'd call us friends or anything, as much as I'd like to, on my part. There are still a few of us that I'd like to get to know a little better, too, of course, but...

I will say that means something, coming from you. Again, I think you give yourself too little credit. I know a lot of people think of you as a comfort. Heck, even Dr. Birkin told me that he appreciated having you around last week. ...Oh, but don't tell him I said that, please? I think he'd get a little short with me if I blabbed that...

[ She rolls her eyes a bit. ] Okay, Jasper and Anna is like grading on a curve, okay.

You don't have to worry about William, though, he mentioned...some things, so, I know he sort of...needed some talk. I'll keep mum about it, if you think he'd be miffed. [ A small sigh. ] It's... Thanks. I don't mean to be the Debbie Downer, really. I just... Well, I know how I'd feel if I were here...without anyone to talk to, so...

Ah, yeah, he, er...gave me the short version, I think, if we're talking about the same thing. And when I saw him the other day, I...well, like you said, it looked like he could use a friend.

[ She starts twirling her hair around her finger... ]

You know, we all come from so many different places, and we've all been dealing with our own things on top of all of this. You're not being a Debbie Downer for wanting to help people who could use it. I think it's admirable, more than anything else.

[ You know, Ema made this nice drink for her and she's barely touched it. Della sips some, as they talk. ]

I guess it's that... I'm usually not the type to dwell on what I can't do. It's... I don't do well with it. But, having so little direction here... Even with so many allies, friends, it feels like doing nothing. [ ... ] Except getting other people down, I've got that in abundance. Aw, jeez, there it is again.

It's not your fault at all. I'm sure that's why so few of us have been just keeping idle. There's not a heck of a lot to do, but if you spend all of your time in your own head, you'll get yourself into a funk. Some people are just, well, doers, scientifically speaking.

But in any case, you're not getting me down. Venting it out is healthy, and it's productive, in the long run. It'd be worse if you kept it all to yourself.

Yeah. Yeah, I know, I do. ...Guess I was just kind of used to it.

[ She says that as if she's just realizing that it's, you know...a thing. Huh. ]

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