❧ Something To Talk About

[luministimods]

[the first thing people will hear when they arrive in the room with Croix and Wash is loud classical music from the same composer Caligin used to listen to (though that detail may only strike a few.) but the music is a small detail in this room. many will recognise the cold, forbidding room as one they've seen in secret transmissions sent to them via CAT. all lavishness has left it, however. none of the refinery remains except for individual pictures of each and every resident (past and current) left hanging on the wall opposite the collective of screens. all chairs--the two set in front of the screens and the one behind the desk--are empty.

the person of interest is sadly missing.

however, set in the corner of the room behind the desk is a door that stands out from the rest of the room, mostly because its decoration doesn't match the room. but it does with the other labs--and its name "LAB #3" can be seen. congratulations! the lab awaits you!

or does it? if anyone tries the door, they'll find that it's locked. at least this door has a doorknob, even though it doesn't turn.

but suddenly, the music cuts out and the screens flickering into life. the sneering face of the young man in charge of things looms across the many screens set alongside the office wall. there isn't much to see behind him, unfortunately; just a black, leather-like cushion. clearly, he's not entirely amused by this turn of events.]

So, I see you've all made it. [his lips twitch] I was promised quite the show, but overall, I'd have to give your performance a B-. None of you even died! Now that doesn't make good entertainment, now does it? We came close, though. How fitting two of you nearly died for a second time. And we did have some incidents of people disappearing for a time... No matter!

But oh, I can see from your faces that you just want to go home. "Boo hoo! I want to go home to mommy! I just want to see Insert-Loved-One-Or-Pet-Here again. Boo hoo hoo hoo..." [he pouts, wiping fake tears from his eyes. a split second later, his expression is cold and filled with contempt] I think not. You are far too valuable to be allowed to leave. Besides, an entire galaxy is enamored with you! And--[he lets out a little laugh]--you've all made me a lovely bunch of cash as well.

Now you must be wondering, "My goodness, why is he saying all of this?! Aren't the viewers going to hear and write in nasty comments and boycott the sponsors?" Well, the answer's fairly simple: the cameras don't always have to run. The moment you all entered the room, we ended "the season". Talk about a cliffhanger, eh? Mystery and intrigue, and ohh, you all are so damn fascinating! That trick with the things from your worlds coming here? So, so very surprising and we've had lots of requests to manufacture playsets of them, though I do feel that some won't be as marketable as others. No one would want to buy a stupid blue box, after all, unless you wanted one as a shed. But I have plans for you all.

[he leans forward, a smirk slowly spreading across his lips] Would you like to hear them? Or are you too busy trying to figure out how to open that door? Tell you what. Let's have a little chat--you and me. Who's first? Keep in mind I have a busy schedule, so I'll have to keep this brief. And if I tire of you, well, I have ways of quieting you. I'm not above cutting your air supply! And I can, too, if you keep me waiting. [but really, he's doing it for his own entertainment.]


❧ Plot Details: Something To Talk About **Quick-time Event**

Congratulations on making it through the maze! I hope you guys had fun--I know I had a blast, even though I felt bad when I had to send people back to the start... Like, really felt bad. But! We accomplished all four objectives!!!!

Here's what they were, in order of most important to least(ish):

1. Getting through the maze and reaching the upper level, and finding Lab #3.
   
2. Finding Audrey.
   
3. Finding information on the man in charge, aka the CEO, aka Filippo Resarci.
   
4. And last, finding Proctor.

And man, can I tell you how happy I am that we did? Ahhh, I'm so really glad it worked out! And if anyone is interested in seeing the map, this is what I was working with. Does it look familiar to anyone? But yes, for the most part, I had certain rules for the maze. It was a 50/50 chance in most rooms to get the right door or not. If you didn't, you were sent back to start. However, the doors weren't randomly ordered, and the right door didn't shift around or anything. (That'd just get confusing for me too, in the end.) And in essence, each 'team' had their own versions of the maze. Like no one going into the town square would find it half-flooded, like it had during Croix and Wash's time there, but if they were sent back to start? Yeah, they'd have to wade through that water again. This also kept teams from running into one another and you all were able to discover things about the maze as you went along.

Oh, also, for those of you who got to the Botanical Gardens. Do you remember that saying on the wall, "The past is the road to the present and onwards to the future."? The truth is, that was my way of giving you a guys a solution to the maze. It's actually quite literal. If you take the main events from the past--in this case, those in the first season since I didn't want to make it too long--then you would have your path for proceeding through the maze! I'm pretty curious to hear what other people thought it meant. One person actually got pretty damn close with it!

But looking back at the objectives, though, what has happened to Audrey since Sophie left her in the clinic? And where did Proctor go after his chat with Mu and Natsuo? Hmmm...

Anyway, your goal for this final mini-plot, before the end post goes up (and I can reveal all some fun stuff), is to find the key to Lab #3. And take advantage of the time to have a bit of a conversation with Filippo as well! And...you might want to, or else he's liable to kill you slowly. (Really, what a jerk.) He could easily be lying about the cameras being off--and yes, there are cameras set around the room, some visible and some hidden. He could also just decide to screw with you while everyone is searching, especially with the way the maze was with people... We'll continue to do the search text-adventure style (you can continue to do it how you were; I just need to know specifics about what you are doing so I can react accordingly), and meanwhile, conversations can continue as normal~! For a quick reference, here's the coding that I completely forgot to put in in the last post and kept forgetting to do like the genius I am if you'd like to use it and won't have to keep typing all the time!

<font face="courier"></font>

But yes, once the key is found, that's it! Just like last year (and the previous post) I'll answer the last of tags I have in this post, but then I'll put up the final post for this season and officially end this season! I figure we'll keep things to this post! If you want to threadhop and such, I'll allow it! But definitely don't pass up the chance to talk to Filippo. (And if someone wants to keep a list of places that have been checked in the room, please do!)

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, you can still make them here! Have fun, guys!

Once the key has been found, I'll update this:

Status of the Key:
FOUND!

Comments

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Everyone says that. Going back simply isn't worthwhile - from the start I preferred being here, so why would I bother risking my life for something inferior? I like the other people who are trapped here, I've had a place to live, I haven't been starving or anything, received no random beatings and very minimal harassment... Even if things were to get severe, these people have been exceptionally kind and strong, especially when dealing with a delicate thing like myself.

- If I had my way, I'd keep all of them here as well.

[luministimods]

[he smiles, but there is no warmth in it] Then I see we are of similar minds. You see, it would be very bad if anyone did leave. Think of all the innocent viewers in the galaxy who would be deprived of the people they've come to love and adore these past few months!

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. It's really lucky, isn't it? Becoming famous with absolutely no effort...



Considering how much this sort of operation must cost and with our access to things within the town, even without a concrete salary and, I guess, the noticeable prestige of being famous "actors," the compensation has actually been very good.

I suppose not everyone would agree with that.

[luministimods]

[this isn't entirely unexpected, but it's still strange all the same]

No, not everyone would. I'd say the odds are very, very slim. Although... [he looks off to the side, the sounds of papers rustling off-screen can be heard] Marketing hasn't exactly been able to find something to promote you. It's becoming quite the problem, actually.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

How is that possible? I'm by far the most beautiful and fashionable one here, so I would imagine-



What, is it because I'm not a strong heroic type? Because I wasn't born with any kind of mystical powers? Too ordinary? Too passive?

There's a child with cat ears and a tail over there and I'm fairly certain that it's the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. How am I supposed to compete with that?

dsjfakljkldfa

[painlessfighter]

[Natsuo's busy being... um... a brat... but he does take the time to call over:]

You can't be cute, you're an adult and you don't have your ears anymore! But you can probably still be beautiful or fashionable. Or whatever else you said.

oh hello

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

That's not how ears work!

[painlessfighter]

Yes it is! [Eyeroll!] Is everyone here forgetful?

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

You don't just lose ears. They're not baby teeth.

[painlessfighter]

Yes, you do! You lose them when you do it with someone! So of course adults don't have them! How do you forget something like that?!

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Wait, where you're from everyone loses their ears when they lose their virginity?



I wouldn't have them anyway, but just so you know that's not how it works anywhere but wherever the hell you were dragged in from.

[painlessfighter]

[Natsuo really doesn't get why that's so funny or weird.]

You believe the different worlds thing too? [Sigh] None of you make any sense.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

The idea of alternate universes sounds stupid, but it's the best explanation we have for... Everything. Don't you find it weird that none of the rest of us know anything about this? Unless of course we lost our ears and our memories after sex.

[painlessfighter]

No. [Smirk] But maybe you got screwed stupid.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

If only! That certainly would've made my life easier in the long run.

[luministimods]

None of the above. You don't need a power to be a hero or just plain extraordinary. And you certainly don't need feline traits if you weren't born with them--though I could easily fix that. Would you like cat ears and a tail?

[of course, he'd rather go back to talking about marketing strategies, but hey]

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

I'll decline. There's a certain point where it goes from being cute to creepy, and I'm fairly certain that I've passed that age.

Anyway, is there anything you could suggest? Something I could do to rectify that? I'm afraid my expertise is in casinos, not television, though I have been told that in many situations I make a rather compelling villain...

[luministimods]

[his smile becomes sharp] I can fix that little problem as well, if you so wished.

[he suddenly looks interested] With casinos? Well, Mister Seiya, I do believe we have a potential avenue for your marketability after all.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

You can make me a child again? Is that what you're saying?



I'm not interested in that anyway. I'd much rather hear about whatever it is you just thought of.

[luministimods]

Like I said, if you wished it. [he shrugs.]

How would you like your own themed casinos? Not just one, not just two, but a whole chain across the galaxy--all of them dedicated to you.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

The entire galaxy... Sir, that's... I can't... I-it's incredible!

[luministimods]

[he smiles again, but with less undertones of menace. this is actually a good thing] I gather that you like that proposal then...?

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! It's brilliant! I never would've even dreamed that something like this was possible!

[luministimods]

Here at Luministi, anything can be possible. Now! Let us talk about your signature game. What do you enjoy the most, Mister Seiya?

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Clearly.

My personal model revolved around high stakes, deceptive simplicity, and false hope. I had the standard casino fare with high minimums, but the main attraction was just a single pachinko machine that I designed much of. The rich would treat it as a novelty, a regular game of chance for a little suspense and excitement, but the poor generated the most profits - knowing that it requires no skill or intelligence, they would desperately claw at any chance they could get, stealing, selling everything they owned, sometimes taking loans from other branches of our company for a chance.

It worked beautifully.