. . .trash bin

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ??? OPENING PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED _PROGRAM REBOOT? >N >SCAN PROGRAM . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . _EMERGENCY LEVEL LOADING LOADING. . . LOADING. . . LOADING TEXTURE-NIGHT-SKY, TEXTURE-FULL-MOON, TEXTURE-DIRT-PATH, TEXTURE-CAMPFIRE LOADING SOUND-CRICKETS, SOUND-GRAVEL, SOUND-WIND, SOUND-FIRE-CRACKLING UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOAD SUCCESSFUL TRASH BIN It feels more like an electrical zap than dying. Dying might feel a little bit more like falling asleep, but this is harder, more painful. If you've ever been electrocuted, the feeling might seem familiar; the discovery you make when you open your eyes, too, is likely very familiar. It's the night sky. Stars twinkle, a fire cracks warmly. You sit up and observe the surrounding area, and it's like you've woken up in some sort of canyon. The fire burns brightly, the moon shines beautifully, the crickets sing, and it is ... peaceful. Mostly. You know you're dead. This must be, then, the after life? Or something like it, at least. The horizon stretches on forever, the dirt and gravel seemingly endless. The moon is so big and bright, it's like you could reach out and touch her. There's a shed not too far from the fire, only but a stone's throw away, as if someone else might have made it, and then went inside it. Approaching it, you can see the light glowing inside it through the dusty windows that are littered with fingerprints. A computer screen, so large and wide that it's baffling, sits, waiting. Turning knob reveals that the shed is unlocked, and stepping inside... it doesn't feel any different from the outside. A chair sits in the center of the room, a strange contraption strapped to the head of it. It looks like it would lower itself upon the head of whoever dares to sit on it, and wires from it's bottom curl up towards the machines attached to the screen. Several smaller desktop screens sit beneath the giant monitor. They, too, are hooked up to the machines scattered around the room, to the ominous one perched on top of the medical chair, and they blink, as if fighting to stay alive without use. Pressing the giant monitor on, it lights up, and displays, strangely enough... a security camera feed. You push the button. It switches to another room. Again, another room. Again, another room. So on and forth. You peeping tom! But no one can blame you, in the end. You might as well digitally haunt the rest of the ship until the game ends, and AL-2955 can clean out the trash bin. ...Right? rule book taken characters information cards

Comments

[mnasthai]

Dorian too. You know, he's really arrogant but I can make better barriers than he can. His can only nullify damage mine can...well you saw. [ He laughs at that because it's a pleasant memory.]

[thanatosincarnate]

So... that man.

{ This is how they repay him for all that he's done? At the same time he wishes he can somehow not exist right now, something bitter and dark stirs in his heart. If he didn't exist at this moment, he wouldn't have to feel anything. It'd be an acceptable punishment for failing to avenge his brethren.

He's always been jealous of Dorian, in a way. The man was charming and smart. He always knew how to crack cases, except for the one with Elizabeth. Maybe he should've killed him first if he knew the man was going to be so deceptive. }

He doesn't care either, does he? And stop laughing about that moment where you decided to be depraved for that magical sphere.

[mnasthai]

I don't know, I stopped watching after a while because it was boring. It's pretty much the same thing every time, so probably~.

[ At the demand he just grins, and it's the same crazy grin he had during the vote reveal. He knew he liked you for a reason Arumat, this is the most fun he's had in weeks.]

If you want me to stop, you can try to make me, I don't mind. I guess I am depraved but this is how I am: no more lying, see?

[thanatosincarnate]

Try? Half-measures avails me nothing.

{ Arumat doesn't hear anyone say otherwise, and Kazuma had no reason to lie anymore. So it was probably true. Why did he care so much if the man did or didn't? Damn, he hated himself for it, and his hands clenched into fists. He shouldn't.

... But he did want to hit something, or someone. Bile rose to his throat as he pulled back a fist and threw it at Kazuma's face. }

[mnasthai]

[ Arumat's words and temperament just make him grin more--sending a shiver up his spine. He really had meant that he didn't mind if Arumat took a swing at him, but the good thing about embracing your true self means that he's no longer as slow as he used to be. Kazuma just turns slightly so it's not as much of a direct hit as was intended, but it still hurts.

And he's still smiling, though he is rubbing his cheek a bit.]

Oww... you hurt more than Miss Carta, but I shouldn't be surprised about that. Did that make you feel better, hitting an eight year old? [ Screw it, if even the captain of this ship was going to call him that age he might as well embrace it.]

[thanatosincarnate]

Surprisingly, it did, and I only needed to hit you once.

{ He sighs. No, it didn't. It made him feel like shit. }

And what, did that excite you, lad? That I decided to "try to stop you".

{ He'll just scoff. }

[mnasthai]

Aww that's too bad.

I don't think excite is the right word. [ Contrary to what Hancock and other people think! He's thoughtful for a moment, thinking about it.] Mmn it's more like...it feels good when people direct their anger and hate at me.

[thanatosincarnate]

At this point it might as well be the same thing.

{ "Feels good" and "excitement" was kinda the same-ish to him. }

Well, now it's over because I can't be bothered to waste my time beating you up. Did you see the aftermatch of the trial?

[mnasthai]

[ He shrugs, feelings are hard okay? What is this actual happiness deal, he's still so new to it.]

I wouldn't let you beat me up. [ He tilts his head-- he didn't have a "redeath" wish.]

No, like I said it gets boring people say they had a good reason blah blah blah... Except for the time demons came out of people, that wasn't bad.

[thanatosincarnate]

If you did, I'd have a lower opinion of you.

{ He almost rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, seeming to feel a little...better now that he got that one punch in. That was kind of a lie but he didn't feel like finding a way to probably... yeah. }

Ridiculous.

...

Where is "here" exactly, if there is a name for it? And have you been behaving, lad? I'm guessing probably not.

[mnasthai]

[ Kazuma just smiles.]

There's not really a name for it, I think. We didn't know much at all until we met with Captain Perkins last week.

[ As for the other question he actually frowns a bit.]

I haven't gotten into a fight with anyone if that's what you're asking, though I really only talk with Allen. Him and Shelley have been teasing me...

[thanatosincarnate]

Good. We've had enough conflicts to deal with involving innocent civilians. Challenges that are acknowledged between two parties, are, of course, always acceptable.

{ WAIT UNTIL HE FINDS OUT ABOUT CLOVER... }

Where is Captain Perkins now?

[mnasthai]

No one here is innocent, Arumat. [ Not when it came down to it, even if some of those here were victims they had still voted for the deaths of others. That's what Allen had told him anyway, and it made perfect sense to him.]

She's not around, though she said she would be back. Her house is really nice, there's a fire place in it.

[thanatosincarnate]

Don't correct me. You know what I mean.

{ He only tolerates that philosophical bs from one person and they're not here. ]

...That's it? Just a fire place?

[mnasthai]

[ He shrugs.] I know, but I'm not going to withhold what I want to say anymore either. Doing that was so tiresome before.

Other stuff too, you can go take a look if you want. She was a little testy last time we spoke, but she didn't have much time to speak to us, so. [ That and he totally went into her house without asking and made himself at home.]

[thanatosincarnate]

It's still a waste of breath to say.

{ It's going to take Arumat TWO WHOLE WEEKS to calm tf down. }

Why didn't she have much time?

[mnasthai]

If that's what you think. [ Either way he doesn't really care. Didn't you miss the new and improved "gonna say whatever makes me happy" Kazuma, Arumat?]

She didn't say, but she started to glitch towards the end of the conversation.

[thanatosincarnate]

{ Something in him snaps, irritated at Kazuma's tone. Yeah, even if someone approaches him like a day after, him being more "calm" simply means he won't try to deck you on sight.

But... he pretends to be calm for a moment. There's a reason why. }

...So. What are you being teased about?

[mnasthai]

[ Ah this is awkward even if he brought it up first.] They think I like Terumi. Junior was the one who started it because we were having a conversation and--

It's not like that. But we're not friends either. Allen thinks we're the same person, but I know that's not right. It's like were two halves to a whole? It's still confusing to me...[ If only Terumi could hear this, because he would smack Kazuma upside the head so hard. A vessel is just a body, nothing more but oops.]

[thanatosincarnate]

So Terumi is the one you have "the hots for".

{ Said with a straight face. He pretends to be taking this REALLY seriously. }

If you like men, it's fine. In Eldarian culture, we don't really care much about the whole 'attracted to same gender' matter unlike those from Earth do.

{ If he's being honest though, he tended to hide the fact of his own preference around humans. Not just because his potential love interest would die ( which they did ). }

[mnasthai]

W-what. No! [ This blushing is not helping his cause, even if it is really just because he's very flustered.]

I've never really thought of liking someone, let alone about their gender... [ Okay no, that's a lie and Arumat can probably tell. But it actually refers to someone else, a certain short blond alchemist who he has an incredibly tumultuous and toxic relationship with but...what does he know about feelings?]

[thanatosincarnate]

... Oh? So you do like someone...

{ Pause. }

... that isn't Terumi. Therefore, you've thought about liking someone before.

{ Him hanging around Todomatsu has brought him into attaining some bad habits... }

[mnasthai]

[ He actually falters, one of those rare moments where he's dealing entirely with how he feels without Terumi's shadow overlapping on everything.]

Maybe. Thinking about her makes me mad and... [ A lot of feelings and emotions, that all get mixed up and hopelessly tangled among one another.]

I don't know. The last time I saw her right before I came here, I attacked her. [ He really doesn't know how to feel about her and he just looks away. Part of him wants to laugh, but part of him feels really conflicted. Talking with Arumat is different than talking to anyone else, because in some way he really does like him.]

[thanatosincarnate]

You attacked her-- and what happened to her afterwards? Or do you not know?

{ Even if Arumat's still furious Kazuma betrayed him, he still liked him well enough. For whatever reason. They managed to get close enough that its possible their bonds could possibly be mended if Kazuma grew up. }

[mnasthai]

[ Arumat he really is 8. But maybe!]

I don't know. She was trying to stop me from getting the Azure, telling me she cared about me and all that when...she didn't care, because if she cared she wouldn't have spied on me for Nine!

So I forced her back with a quick wind spell and she hit the wall pretty hard. I didn't have time to deal with her because the distraction I caused to get into the Cathedral would only last so long. [ And he didn't want to deal with her then, especially with Terumi whispering in his mind. But here where he was alone, he kept circling back to their last encounter.]