❧ 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

[luministimods]

> On top of the desk, you see a one-a-day calendar, stacks of paper, pens, a crystal decanter half-filled with an amber liquid and two glasses, and a leather-bound notebook. As for drawers, there are three, two larger ones on either side of a central one.

> The center one has the normal accoutrement of any other modern desk: various office supplies, paperclips, stapler, etc--all in a neat and organised fashion. The right drawer doesn't contain much, though it does look like it was emptied in a hurry. The only things you do see left behind are several hole-punch dots, a book about cinematography, and a few wrappers from what coconut-based candy bar. The left one, however, contains things that definitely do not belong to Filippo. There are several pictures of Caligin and Verita together in various situations, a history book about ancient 20th century society, and an old picture of a younger Caligin with another man who must be his father--amongst other less interesting office things.

No, the profits are a wonderful by-product. I benefit from the profits and my associate benefits in...other ways. Father saw and knew such medical usages would only be in vain, so he purchased the lab right out from under Dr Caligin's feet. I don't know where they are right now--[though he really, really wants to know]--but Father... Well. He's resting. The poor old man has never quite been the same since that shot. Not even our modern medicine can mend him.

[and he...actually sounds vaguely sad about this. it's a very foreign tone for him]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Well, at least Mayor Caligin and the others are safe if he doesn't know where they are.]


>You are looking through the PICTURES in the desk when the man's sad tone makes you look up. You look up at his image on the screen sympathetically.

I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't realize he'd been injured. ...

[Honestly, from the mention Miss Ardes had given him, she'd thought he might have died already. Fuu pauses a long moment, wondering... if she could help with her magic. She's not used her healing magic in Luministi yet, so they wouldn't know to even consider it. But, she had to know as much as she could about the situation first.]

What happened?

[luministimods]

[that hint of sadness instantly leaves his voice] You must have missed when Miss Ardes shot my father last year. [a fact he only recently learnt about, mind.] I was under the impression that one of you had done it, but I had been mistaken.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Oh, no... It all happened so quickly - when Sheriff Iussus said that Resarci was still alive but Mister Caligin wasn't I'd- I'd assumed that the bullet had killed him.

[So this man is doctor Resarci's son... Rubbing at her temple for a moment she tried to sort out her thoughts. Doctor Resarci had done terrible things, but...]

I'm sorry, Mister Resarci.


>Done with the pictures in the desk drawer, you turn your attention to the NOTEBOOK on top of the DESK. You open it and start to read whatever is inside from the start.

[luministimods]

[quietly, staring her in the eyes] Do I look like I want your sympathy? If he hadn't gotten involved, nothing would have ever happened to him.

> You see a precise list of things that have happened during your stay in Luministi. Every detail, every broadcast from the "Mayor", as well as scribbled out notes all over the place. Seems there were other things planned but were moved around or eliminated altogether.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[That stare is rather disconcerting on so many screens. But she glances up from the book for a moment to address him.]

Even if you don't want it, you still have it. No one should have to suffer. But... I'm sorry. As you said, he made his choice.

[What choice would his son ultimately make?
Sadly Fuu drops her gaze back to the book, then her eyes widen in interest as she reads what is there. She quickly pulls out her own journal of events, nodding as she compares the two. She whispers to herself,]

Amazing! Of course, perfectly accurate. I wonder who kept it?


>You look at the FRONT PAGE of the NOTEBOOK to see if it has a name written inside. Then you skip ahead to NEAR THE END of what is written, scanning for mention of LAB #3 or a KEY.

[luministimods]

[he doesn't say anything more about his father, but he does watch in silent anger as she looks at the notebook. it is not supposed to be there and how it got back in the office, he isn't sure.]

> You don't find a name in the notebook, nor do you find any mention of Lab #3 or the key near the end of it. However, if you look back in the very beginning again, by chance, you will see mention of moving Lab #3 to a more secure location just in case.

[in a quiet, threatening tone] If you are quite through perusing that...

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

['Just in case', ne? Just in case us 'new residents' tried to get out again? As if we wouldn't.
With a shake of her head Fuu puts her own book away. His tone implies that he doesn't want her reading this notebook, but she wants to speak with him a bit longer, and he might shut down the communications if she keeps doing so...]


>Closing the NOTEBOOK for now, you turn to the STACK OF PAPERS and start scanning though those.

If I may, Mister Resarci, who promised you that we would be a 'good show'? After all, we were just lab rats before. [Fuu doesn't quite succeed in keeping all the contempt out of her tone at that.] There wasn't a talent scout among the researchers, was there?

[luministimods]

> You see that the stacks of paper are all about ratings figures (going up every day!), letters from sponsors with names that don't mean much about throwing more money into the "show", and fan mail addressed to you and the others.

My client and benefactor, naturally. Normally, I do all the planning, but this time, I let my client have a direct hands in this last event. And to my client, you were never lab rats--not in that sense, anyway--and not even when Dr. Caligin was running the show. He only told you what he knew, and that was the impression he was given.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Wow, fan mail! But the papers are still in her hands as she listens carefully to the man.]

... [Did she just hear all that right? (So there is someone even more malicious above Resarci? Great.)]

Who was giving Mister Caligin the impression that we were, if your client thinks so much better of us?

[luministimods]

[he smiles quite maliciously himself] It's quite simple, don't you think? Dr. Caligin gave himself that own impression out of sheer desperation. He was given the tools to develop something he'd been trying to create for years. It's no wonder he got carried away. From what I've learnt, my client did nothing to stop him; simply continued to provide for him the tools needed until Dr. Caligin's services were no longer required.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Fuu is getting the impression that there is a whole tangle of things going on past the few threads of fact she is holding.]

I don't understand - wasn't your father the one who was funding Mister Caligin's research? Although it would make sense for a project of this scale to have more than one financier...? [And of course, there is still the man in black that no one speaks of.]

[luministimods]

Father did fund the research and the lab while you were all here before. [he pauses for a split second, then chuckles a bit when he realises what Fuu means.] Oh, you think our benefactor provided money. Oh, no. That's not the case at all.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

... But what else is there?

[She has a very good idea, thank you, but she'd like to hear him say it.]

[luministimods]

Oh, don't play stupid with me. You already know what else there is...don't you? [looks her in the eye again]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly asking, in the hope that what you say will prove me wrong.

[luministimods]

[he's silent for a moment, then his eyes flicker up at something behind her] Turn around and you'll see your answer.

> And when you do turn around, you'll see the wall of everyone's photographs.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Yes... I understand.

[Looking at all the people who had been brought here, Fuu's eyes fill with tears. It takes several deep breaths and a long moment before she turns around.]

...
Your 'client', is it the tall man in black? No one else knows his name, and even you call him 'client' or 'benefactor'.

[luministimods]

Will that knowledge stay your tears? [oh yes, he saw you crying from that angle as well]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Honestly she doesn't know if it would. ...Honestly, she didn't think it will matter to him either way.

Rubbing at her eyes again, she shakes her head slightly.]

I'm not certain... Knowing would distract me from crying a while, but it won't change my feelings.

[Feelings of being used, of being frustrated and confused, and of sad compassion for all of them who had been gathered up and sold like so many sheep...]

[luministimods]

Then I will say this: my client does have a certain affinity to black clothing.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Thank you. [That doesn't say much, but in this context perhaps it is enough.]

I don't see why there is so much effort to keep him mysterious, though... you said that he went so far as to have a hand in this last event. He must want some recognition.

[Are the Luministi people under duress to not reveal who it is? Is there a chance that someone might recognize him?]

[luministimods]

You really think there is that much of a conspiracy? If there's anyone to blame for such a thing, you should blame my client since he is the one who has never bothered to give us his name. [but Filippo doesn't sound angry about this] And as a businessman who respects his clients' confidentiality, I haven't pursued the matter.

As for his hand in the last event, well, I encouraged it. Giving one's client a hand in their creation makes them feel better.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[We've been kept in a town against our will while nobody tells us what is going on. Yes I think there is lots of conspiracy going on around here.]


'Feel better,' ne? I suppose we gave him sufficient reason to feel badly.

[luministimods]

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? [smiles menacingly] But no, you made him feel really good. So good, in fact, that he wanted to see what else he could out of you.