chrysaline | Magolor PCs

[ Sometime after the slightly concerning network post: ]

Are you alright, Magolor? Crea didn't actually get mad at you, did he?

Edited 2023-06-18 05:59 (UTC)

Honestly, better me than someone he's actually mad at?

[ did he go and make himself a distraction from the dour mood and tension of certain parties looking like they wanted to snap at each other? maybe. ]

That's true... I think there's been enough fighting today. Where are you? You didn't answer the favorite food poll on the network, but I can bring you something if you tell me what it is!

I'm over at the book cafe on Sungem right now?

And I didn't answer because I'm not really all that picky, I guess ... I'll take something with fresh fruit, though? I don't always get that as much unless I'm planetside!

But yeah. I think most of us have had enough of fighting for today. Like, even the head guys pretty much said as much.

I really don't think they can complain, when the situation is their fault... but I'll be right there!

[ Can Magolor raid the buffet himself? Yes. But this is a goodwill gesture. Psyche will swing by the book cafe very presently, carrying a veritable armload of fruit, tarts, and strawberry cake, balanced precariously on probably the largest plate she could find. ]

Oh, good. I'm glad you're still here.

Yeah, just making the point that if they're the ones telling us to stop and cool it then it's probably pretty bad.

[ but he will remain patiently at the book cafe, idling in the little library nook until she arrives with her entire haul in tow.

he may blink a little at how much she brought with her, in fact, but anyway. ]

I'm not that prone to wandering, I think. Plus it would've been kinda mean to tell you I was here and then head somewhere else.

Might've tried it on someone else, though, just to kid around. Depending on who they were.

[ pause. can he help her get everything set down at like, the coffee bar or something? ]

You know you didn't actually have to bring anything, right?

Well, I did take a bit. I would've just had to find you! I wouldn't be mad.

[ She laughs, but she'll certainly let him help her out before she drops anything on the floor.

Look, she has no idea how much a morb eats. He said his friend eats more than Beel, so... She'll still puff a little sigh of relief when everything is settled. ]

I know. But, well... I couldn't really think of anything else to do. I thought you were probably tired after everything, and sweets usually give me a little energy back.

Well, you're right about that. Not because of anything I had to do today, but ...

I hate fighting. Nothing good ever comes of it. It's so much easier when people just get along, but, well, I know the odds of that are astronomically low.

[ especially after what all happened today and last night. he'll huff a bit of a sigh, his ears going flat for a moment before he relaxes again, waving her over to take a seat. ]

Still, there's enough here we should probably split it? Hope you brought enough utensils.

[ She nods, and her expression dims a little. Those ears are how she feels right now. But she plops down into a seat and pulls forks and plates out of the bottom of whatever bag she piled things in. Planning! ]

It's getting worse, isn't it? I know it's not surprising, with everything that's happened. I don't know what I could have done differently. But that's why I wanted to make sure that you're alright, at least. I'm really glad you kept things from getting out of hand earlier.

[ Twice? Probably? More than that now. ]

I think you're giving me a bit much credit, haha! But it's okay. I can handle myself, mostly. Even if things have been getting worse...

[ forks and plates! thank goodness that psyche thought to be prepared. a slight distraction from things getting worse, as both of them put it.

he'll pause for a bit before spearing a bit of the strawberry cake, what's visible of his expression going strangely muted for a moment.

(he also won't begin to eat until psyche does. sorry, it's nothing personal.) ]

Still, it's nice of you to worry.

[ It's okay. She gives him a little smile that eloquently says "all my friends at home are professionally paranoid" (does it) and takes a bite of tart. ]

It's hard not to worry a little. We've been counting on you for a lot of things. [ All the tech, stealing the butter knives. ] I'm glad to hear it anyway, though. And it's nice to talk when we're not in the middle of one of those trials.

... have you?

Huh. I don't really think I've been doing all that much.

[ outside of pranks like stealing all the butter knives, anyway. dunking crea into the ocean. ]

I don't think I've been able to do all that much here, but I guess that's true for everyone, isn't it?

I think we'd have a pretty hard time without some of the things you know about technology, though. And if we ever got a chance to see what the administrators used to bring us here...

[ Well, big dreams. But also the pranks are important. She makes a wry noise of agreement and stabs the tart a little more to relieve her feelings. ]

You mean, the powers? It's... still frustrating.

[ his ears droop, and he looks hurt? ]

I see how it is. You're only keeping me around because I'm useful! I didn't think you had it in you to be so cold...

[ takes a forlorn bite of his cake, before continuing: ]

... Just kidding. But no, I don't just mean the powers. Though that's a pretty large part of it...

[ a sigh. ]

I dunno. I'm not the only one tired of just repeating the same thing every week, right?

[ No... not the ears... The dismay on Psyche's face is immediate. ]

That's not what I meant! Just that you've helped a lot!

[ Wait, a joke? Her anxious clarifications trail off and she puffs her cheeks a tiny bit at Magolor. She doesn't know him well enough to fling a strawberry at him, though. ]

...No. I feel the same way. I really thought everyone here would. Crea sounded so angry at the first execution, and... I don't know. I really thought we'd be closer to an answer by now.

You and me both.

[ another speared forkful of cake. ]

... Honestly, what are the odds that we're going to have some kind of final confrontation with those two before we go?

[ honeyed promises or not, he gets the feeling they're not just going to let them go so easily. ]

[ Psyche blinks in mild surprise in the middle of her next bite of tart. ]

Oh... I never really thought we'd be getting out any other way. [ Ehe? Optimism! ] Will you be okay with that, Magolor? Maybe... you're right, that nothing good ever comes of fighting. That's why I don't want us to fight each other. But I really don't think anything will come of trusting them, either.

Edited (caffeine pls give me prepositions) 2023-06-19 16:35 (UTC)

If they're the ones that make it necessary, I'll be fine. [ a small, huffed sigh, his tone turning wry. ] I said I don't like fighting. I didn't say I can't.

And I guess I've been watching them for a reason. Ever since what happened with Merlin, anyway. So don't worry! I'm really, really not expecting to come out of this friends with them, or anything like that.

I thought that, from your abilities. It's a little the same for me. I can fight if I have to, but... I just like to try to find other ways.

[ cue laughtrack in week 6 ]

I'm glad, though. I just... don't know what to do yet. After Merlin, I felt like doing something really reckless for a little while. If we could stop them, we'd still have to find a way out of here. But it would be easier, wouldn't it? I don't think they ever planned on helping us.

[ 'are you tired of being nice
don't you just wanna go apeshit' ]

I'm still waiting for them to pull the rug out from under us. Like, you know, more than we're already expecting. They said in the beginning they pulled us here to buy themselves time, after all. Not exactly shining paragons of altruism and generosity, there.

[ not even from the get go. nevermind merlin's warning on the network, that other week. ]

But you're right. It's a matter of knowing what to do, and when to do it ...

It just feels like that time is approaching soon, and we still don't really know all that much, do we?

Edited 2023-06-20 02:48 (UTC)

I really wanted to believe that they had their own circumstances, too. I'm sure they do, but...

[ Well, guess what group is paying for it. Psyche pokes the tart morosely. ]

One way or another, it has to be, doesn't it? We don't have much time left. It's more people every week. I really hope we're not too late already.

[ It's already too late for a lot of them? ]

I mean, they probably— nah, definitely have their own reasons. It's just that whether those are good or justifiable or not is a completely separate thing!

[ magolor is ... also nudging the strawberry on his cake slice around. ]

... Yeah. It just keeps getting worse and worse. Like we're encouraging the distortion's appetite instead of feeding it, if that's still even the actual truth. But we haven't found much since that one trip Haruka and Zelkov made, not for a lack of trying, I'm sure, and...

[ that was... two weeks ago. was it really only that long? ]

Even if it's justifiable to them, no matter how you look at it, they really do just see all of us as disposable. I don't think there's a way to justify that.

[ But she gives a slight shrug and finally starts picking at her tart again. Obviously she's biased in this. ]

They don't seem worried at all, do they? Either they're very good at hiding it, or I guess... they were expecting this all along. I wish we had a way back into that lab. Or just a place to start, even. It feels like we won't find out anything else until they let us.

That's really the most annoying thing about this! [ a sharp gesture, a hand waving around animatedly in agitation. ] They're just slowly feeding us little bits at a time. Really, they have full control of the narrative, what they want us to know and think. What they're letting us.

And they're not worried at all by how most of us would probably rather toss them off the waterfall plunge if we could.

[ so that sure does speak of a certain kind of confidence. a huff, before he relents by delicately stuffing another annoyed forkful of cake into his mouth. eating around the mask is a careful affair. ]

I'm pretty tired of it, if we're being honest.

It feels like they have no reason to worry. First with Merlin, and then the power they showed off on Skywarp, and when we tried to get to Crea last week...

[ Bluntly, they keep getting kicked around. She sighs a little, but it's not going to stop her from morosely munching away.

Also from being kind of fascinated by how he's managing around the mask, but. ]

You, too? I feel a little better just knowing someone else is frustrated, too. I wish we could just... I don't know. Ask Shuda to start blowing up walls until we find another hidden lab.

[ She does just wanna go apeshit, thanks. ]

When we tried to get to Crea...

[ he nods. ]

Right, they did stop us. [ no disagreement there, their showing thus far has been. poor. ] But ... we also learned from that they're not infallible. Zelkov and I managed to get things through before Overhaul put up that glass wall. And there's a tell, I think. He has to touch whatever he's reshaping.

Which means they do have blind spots or weaknesses. We just have to figure out exactly what they are, and how to manage to take advantage of them.

But haha! I don't think Shuda would mind if we asked him to do that. It'd make all three of us feel better, I bet!

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