luministi | [Text/Action (if you wanna)]: It's Business Time

It's hard to type when I can't feel my fingers so I'll keep this short.

I've been waiting for a good time to announce this but there isn't one.

When we looked at Lab 3 I got this message:

This time, Ichijou Seiya, I do plan to tell you. I have tried the clandestine method under various disguises, but those offer little joy now, not when you all expect it.

No, this time, you get a bit of truth. A truth that, if your so-called saviors had possessed the forethought, you ought to have heard from the beginning. Unfortunately, we all know what is said about truth, especially if it is a truth that has been kept from us for so long.

There is a switch on the wall by the door to that room. Press it and you will see the "machines" you thought were tasked with returning you to your homes. These are but mere illusion, meant to fool you into thinking there was an actual scientific method of man's doing that could send you across worlds and through various dimensions. A clue to it all lies before you.

But the hard truth is: only two beings possess knowledge of the true way home, and neither are in a position to do so. One, quite willingly, will never do so, and the other won't get the chance to. He tried so hard to save you, but his plans have only led to my gaining an ever-increasing amount of strength over this beautiful experiment.

I have said before there is no escape and that, my dear friends, has never been a lie.

Good-bye for now. I eagerly await your screaming messages at me once more.

The part about the switch was accurate.

I was putting together a timeline for someone and realized: Nathan wouldn't tell me to forbid entry into that room for no reason.

If the machines were a ruse, the only other notable things there were pictures of us.

The pictures are what I was supposed to be protecting. The flash we all saw as we arrived here may have been a camera taking a picture like I originally thought.

That's all I have for now.

Find me if you need me.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sophie, as usual, isn't comfortable using text] What exactly is a camera? [her tone is urgent and slightly demanding]

[Ichijou, not as usual, is a bit afraid to talk to Sophie directly.]

A little device that almost-instantly creates a picture of whatever it's pointed at. I used to like them a lot.

[thankfully, Sophie is too determined to work this out to bother with being mad at Ichijou]

So it made those...pictures? And there's light when it does that? [she frowns, thoughtful] And they could be bespelled to keep us here...

Most likely.

A camera doesn't always flash when it takes a picture, but it does much of the time. Nearly every camera has a light attached to it since they work best in bright daylight, but obviously there are times when people want to take a picture and the lighting situation isn't ideal.

So the light on the camera is supposed to re-create daylight for the moment that it's making a picture of. A lot of people hate having pictures taken of them because the bright light hurts their eyes.

What you said about the pictures being bespelled - that's what I was thinking, since our mystery person said that the method of moving us around wasn't as scientific or technical as I thought it was. And I don't really understand it, but it's the only idea I have left right now.

[she listens closely, nodding as he explains. it's a relief to hear about technology that actually makes sense]

But then, who has the photos now? Nathan? Or... [she frowns, not liking the other possibilities]

I think I recall Nathan removing them from their place on the wall, but I don't know if he actually took them with him.

But considering the fact that someone else managed to snatch up his CAT, I'm not feeling very optimistic about the current whereabouts of our pictures even if they were on his person. If they were left in the lab, they were probably stolen when I was here by myself. Or I thought I was here by myself.

I would've just stuffed them under my clothes every day if I had suspected that they were so important. The thought just never crossed my mind before.

[her expression sours] Of course we didn't. We saw the machines, and Nathan didn't see fit to tell us! And now we're trapped, here with this... [she trails off, scowling. then her expression becomes curious] Mr Ichijou, where exactly are you?

I'm in the same place as everyone else. Though I might be a little hard to see because I'm curled up so tightly against the wall.

I don't even know why I bothered coming here. It just seemed really inviting, even though I'm sure I'm going to catch a cold or something from being around everyone like this when it's so chilly.

[she had a feeling he'd be sulking] I'm going to find you. Stay where you are.

[Sulking? Never! ... Well maybe a little.]

Why?

I mean, you don't have to.

[pointedly] Because the last time you refused to speak to me, you weren't well at all.

[can you argue with that logic, Ichijou?]

[He was going to type a retort for that, but deletes it about three words in.

He shouldn't be too hard to find. All Sophie has to look for is red hair on a shivering someone balled up in an oversized light brown coat.]

[and in fact it doesn't take her long to spot him! she hurries over to him. she's wrapped up in a gray coat and wearing a blue knit hat and gloves] Mr Ichijou!

[He doesn't even bother looking up - in fact the only movement he really makes aside from those that come from breathing and speaking is his persistent shivering.]

What is it? Nothing's any more wrong than it has been. I'm just cold. Everyone's cold. I hate being cold.

[what a friendly greeting! but she is relieved to see that he hasn't completely gone to pieces--well, he's breathing, at least]

Then you should be spending your time around other people to stay warmer!

[clearly unfriendly greetings get unfriendly greetings in return]

[Well now he's just going to be difficult.]

How would that even help unless we were all rubbing up on each other?

[this could be an endless cycle]

More people in a room raises the temperature anyway. And shouldn't you at least be nearer the fire?

[Text/Action (if you wanna)]: It's Business Time

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject