. . .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]

What is this supposed to prove?!?!!? [ Well he holds on for a few seconds more before he lets go because this is weird and his head is hurting: of embarrassment. Thanks Allen.]

[deformity]

[ Oh, good. Allen sighs when Kazuma lets go, a little relieved things didn't go too badly. Mostly, he's just happy the other boy took his hand at all. ]

It was an exercise... in trust. It proves we trust each other to some degree and that we're friends. It didn't feel bad, did it?

[ Look, sacrifices were made on all sides today. It's not like Allen usually goes around holding hands with other guys. This is weird and new for him, too. But probably infinitely a better idea than the usual trust test where you rely on the other person to catch you. Kazuma would probably let him fall and laugh. ]

[mnasthai]

How does that mean I trust you? [ But he doesn't linger on that for long before answering the next question. He totally would have let Allen fall and laugh though, good call.]

It felt weird, I've never done that with anyone except- [ He stops himself abruptly, the very thought making him uncomfortable.]

[deformity]

[ He'll answer that with a question. ]

Well, why didn't you refuse? You didn't have to take my hand. I could have been trying to trick you.

[mnasthai]

...I don't know. It just felt like the right thing to do.

[deformity]

That's that!

[ Banzai friendship! Allen simply beams at him. ]

[mnasthai]

[ Kazuma's still confused but Allen's smiling so therefore he should smile too?

This is why all his life decisions are awful, he just goes with whatever. In this case it's good though!]

[deformity]

[ After way too much smiling has happened, to the point where it's getting awkward again, Allen looks away. Whatever he says next comes out slow, voice soft... as if he wants to rein the words back in even after they've been said. ]

Hey, Kazuma... Were you always able to speak to Terumi?

[mnasthai]

Mmmn? [ He seems a bit taken aback by the question, but he doesn't mind answering.]

No, only for a weeks before I came here. Why?

[deformity]

But -- during then, you could speak to him at any time? And he answered? And you could just... just talk about anything?

[ Allen hesitates, not wanting to answer just yet. Or at all. ]

[mnasthai]

[ He shakes his head.]

No, Terumi's not like that. He shows up whenever he wants to but...whenever he does, something always happens. The first time I met him was when he helped me when the Beastkins attacked me. After that, he was in my room when I woke up, but I'm not sure how he got in. [ YUP he still hasn't figured this all out!]

He's made me chase him before too, and he's a lot faster than me, so it was difficult. I guess it's good that he is though, because if he wasn't then other people would have seen him.

[deformity]

I imagine it would be easy if [ when ] you share the same body -- for him to always be there when you need him. [ He presses his lips together, still looking away and fiddling with the edges of his sleeve. ] Or I guess, when he feels like helping you. It's just --

[ Allen opens his mouth. Shuts it. Opens it. Shuts. Confusion and frustration -- and a lot of reluctance -- war against each other, until he just looks sad. Lost. ]

I don't think... I don't think I've ever spoken to Nea. When he takes control, I -- disappear.

[ He's never spoken to anyone about this before. At least, not to people who didn't already know more than him. But Kazuma is... similar to him, right? And they're some form of dead. Would it hurt to talk about this a little? He still wants to understand who he is. Who Nea is. ]

[mnasthai]

[ It's clear that Kazuma is confused, but even he can sense that this is important.]

Allen, I'm sorry-- Who is Nea? [ A beat.] He's like Terumi?

[deformity]

[ Allen shakes his head and shrugs a shoulder. ]

I suppose. Nea. The Fourteenth. The Noah of Destruction. [ Gray eyes flicker back to Kazuma, so briefly it's like it never happened. ] It probably means nothing to introduce him like that.

But I'm Allen Walker. An exorcist fighting against all Noah. [ Ha. ] And the host of one. Nea's host. Or puppet. I don't know. I don't know anything, really.

[mnasthai]

[ ... ]

I don't really know anything either. [ A beat, as he thinks.] You said you couldn't ask him? Is there any way you could force him to speak to you?

I think if I...I think if I did something really dangerous Terumi would appear and yell at me. Because we both need each other.

[deformity]

No -- [ He tugs his fringe, fingers searching through white strands as he searches for the words to explain. ] When he comes out, I lose consciousness. And I honestly don't know how many times, he's been... out. I don't know all he's done under the guise of "Allen Walker."

We don't need each other. [ And now a sliver of bitterness slips into his tone. ] He only needs my body.

[mnasthai]

[ ...that's pretty much how it is with him too, he just doesn't grasp the whole situation yet. Still, Terumi does have some type of relationship with all his vessels so it's less cold than what Allen's describing either way.]

But if you were to put that in danger, wouldn't he be forced to act? There's got to be a way to get him to speak to you, even if it's while you're asleep or something like that.

[ After a few moments of silence:]

...is Nea why you kind of understand how I feel?

[deformity]

It would have to be on his terms since he has more control over this than I do. But. Maybe... It's funny. I'm not sure I want to talk to him, and yet I must if I'm bringing it up like this.

[ There's no way to tell if a talk to Nea would help ease any of his fears, his insecurities. Nea has spoken directly to him once before, when Allen had mistaken him for Tyki Mikk. But getting one word in doesn't count as a conversation. And at the time, the only thing that short exchange accomplished was a whirlwind of confusion and doubt.

(Deep down, he's afraid of finding out just how similar they could be. After all, Kazuma and Terumi have the same laugh. They probably shared other traits too. How much of Allen Walker is actually Nea? And did Mana only love him because he saw Nea in him? Because he knew?) ]

Heh... "Kind of" is the key phrase there. But yes, we share at least this. Though you trust Terumi and I don't [ can't ] can't trust Nea. I guess I'm a little... envious.

[mnasthai]

Mmmn, even if you don't it's...really confusing. I know how that feels at least. Terumi wouldn't tell me much so it was really frustrating. Even if you don't like him, I understand why you would want to talk. [ At the least, he knew how awful it felt to carry doubt with you everyday about who you really were.]

I never really thought about it. I just...do.

[deformity]

It just feels like the right thing to do?

[ He's repeating what Kazuma said to him earlier. ]

Do you... feel any different about me now that you know?

[mnasthai]

Yeah-- it's hard to explain, sorry. It's just a feeling I get when I'm with him.

[ ... ]

I think I can trust you a little more.