WEEK 1

[bathymetric]

Well, you've now met the brains of the operation, as well as the shockingly nice-looking young lady in charge of day-to-day business. Now all that's left is to get used to your accommodations - there's 24 other people in similar shoes to yours to meet in this building, you know! And who knows how much longer you might have them...

The daily routine in the facility quickly becomes obvious - the only way to tell time moment to moment is to check the strange device The Professor gave you, but at the same time every day the lights in and out of the facility go up, and at the same time every night they go down. Otherwise, it's almost maddening sometimes, how little happens in here. At least you have a few rooms with enough to hopefully keep you occupied. Who knows what secrets they might hold? And there's always that vending machine, if you can find something that fits in the coin slot...





MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
FRIDAY | SATURDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Peace Week! Enjoy it while it lasts. Remember, office hours for The Professor's Assistant are over here if you're interested, while regains can be deposited over here! ]

Comments

[bolderfell]

Hmph. Same way you can get out of my way or not, huh?

[But he doesn't try to push past or swing around her. A beat passes.]

Have you been looking into any of the rooms on your patrol?

[hardnosed]

[ Her very brief, very smug smirk serves as a confirmation. ]

Every other sweep. Spend too long in any of them, and it just leaves room for someone who's skulking around to use the halls.

[bolderfell]

[He shrugs. Apparently, that's fair.]

I was going to sit a while in the meeting room.

[hardnosed]

Seriously?

[ Jasper takes a few steps forward, no longer directly preventing Therion from going on his merry way, but if he gets moving she's going to just start patrolling in the same direction regardless of whichever way she was originally going. ]

There's nothing there but the screen and her chamber, and she's not coming out now. Even the one with the paintings is less boring at this time of night.

[bolderfell]

Have you seen her come out any time of day?

[But yes, off he goes, right in the direction he said he would.]

[hardnosed]

—you know what I meant. She's not going to see you.

[bolderfell]

I don't care about that. This whole time, I haven't seen her come out once since that first day. I want to see whether or not she really never steps past that door.

[hardnosed]

What, you're planning on trying something if she does?

[bolderfell]

It's information. Someone's movement, habits, vulnerabilities they try to keep us in the dark about--they're all things I can use.

[Some of us can't rely on brute strength to get places, Jasper.]

I don't think she'd be down here with us if the Professor thought we posed any actual risk to her. Not when she's part of this experiment that's so important to him. Until I know how she can protect herself, or what's in place to protect her if she can't, I'm not about to test my luck.

[hardnosed]

[ She can't really argue with the usefulness of this, for once! For those lacking true power, information can sere as a substitute. ]

Like I said. When someone finally tries something on her, we'll see what he's capable of.

[ And her power has been locked away almost entirely. It's the only reason she's made it this far without being the one to "try something." ]

I talked to her earlier. She doesn't know what measures are in place — or she's lying.

[bolderfell]

...Huh.

[That earns a frown.]

Weird thing to lie about. In her shoes, I'd make sure everyone knew. Lower the chance of an attack.

[Though he doesn't deny that it could be a lie. TRUST NOTHING. SUSPECT EVERYTHING.]

[hardnosed]

The less specifics we have, the less anyone can plan before making their move... but I don't know what to make of her. She acts so weak.

[ Which, to be fair, has been Jasper's downfall in the past. ]

[bolderfell]

It... could be a ruse. Get us to drop our guard around her.

[He sounds doubtful, though. Like. He has eyes. Angel is tiny, and she genuinely looks kind of frail...]

But I don't see how that helps the Professor when he already holds all the cards.

[hardnosed]

Then maybe she's supposed to be another card to play. Once people start to sympathize with her, he'll have one more thing to threaten.

[ From her tone, it's clear she's not the aforementioned "people." ]

I know at least one person here soft enough to fall for it.

[bolderfell]

You do? [It doesn't take him long to connect the dots.] Ah. Rose Quartz. She's the same type of...

[He waves at Jasper vaguely.]

...Person as you.

[hardnosed]

I'm nothing like her!

[ After her initial snarl, she forces herself to deliver the next few sentences in a calmer, colder voice. To continue in this vein is to give more and more hints as to why she finds the comparison so offensive, and to a person who's just said information is something he can use. ]

We're both Gems. She's a Quartz-type, like me, intended for a similar purpose. That's all we've got in common.

[bolderfell]

...I see.

[Yes indeedy. Therion will definitely remember this.]

But she's the soft one you mentioned, right? She does come off that way.

[hardnosed]

Right. [ And she's back in her regular mode of existence: pinpointing and ragging on everyone else's supposed flaws. ] And she can't be the only one, with this many weaklings about.

[bolderfell]

[He thinks of Mira.]

It's like some of them don't even want to survive.

[hardnosed]

Maybe they don't. Maybe they know they don't stand a chance.

[bolderfell]

...That how most people react to dire situations, in your experience?

[hardnosed]

Enough of them.

[ She could elaborate on this, perhaps. On the other hand: Nope. ]

[bolderfell]

Huh. Well, not my problem. If they won't help themselves, that's that.