thefoundation | Week 3 Mingle

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round 4

Week 3 Mingle

The last week has brought the first spilled blood. Three of the contestants are gone, with the promise of more to fall soon. The atmosphere around the house will start to get heavy around Wednesday, which is when the first game of the week is. It's almost like the house knows something is up...

The conspiracy is beginning to unravel. Dazai isn't Dazai, and the cracks are forming in his act. But that act must be held up, or the Foundation will be brought in to take control of the game. Now everyone must play the part and act like everything is normal, at least on camera. That stress of always performing is bound to make someone crack eventually.

Once again, the cameras and microphones change. The contestants will have to search out new spots for their secret conversations. Even one wrong step, one wrong word, and it's all over for this group. Everyone is watching, and they need to play their roles.

They better keep an eye out too, because storm clouds are starting to loom over the area, both figuratively and literally.

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[ Just smilin. He appreciates whatever version of Cerberus, even the smol one. ]

The way you're positioned. Are you going to spend the night here?

[Side-eyes..... Stepford Smilestar isn't anything new but it's been a weird week and a weird general meeting and a weird everything so he's just side-eyeing all the things out of principle.]

Are imps like really into roofs or something. [does he even want to know] And 'course I'm spending the night here, it's got the best view in case somebody wants to come at me!!

[Flaps a hand at Alcor as a case in point apparently.]

[ How many nicknames can he earn over his time here, stay tuned to find out. ]

They often enjoy perching on high places.

[ Enjoy a whole lot of eyelash flutterin'. ]

...are you saying I would come after you?

[ Implying it and saying it are different! ]

[Depends on how long they both stay alive; confusingly, despite all best efforts, they are both still alive. So here goes nothing.]

Kinda like you, you mean.

[Also Nora likes high places but he's totally not acknowledging that because he doesn't like being compared to imps?? He remembers them being kind of low-level looking demons. There's a tilt of his head at Alcor's question.]

Eh, it was an example. Would you?

[Answering a question with a question, sort of. There's a casual curiosity there, actually, but no actual fear. Nora doesn't often show his fear, and in situations like this it's entirely absent.]

Yes, like me too. [ The comment doesn't seem to bother him, but at the question he pauses. Def some awkward silence going on, but after the dramatic tension he smiles. ]

I do my best to treat everyone equally.

[Ugh, you people and your weird random awkward and dramatic pauses. How do those even work. Nora side-eyes him and his answer and then makes an exasperated noise.]

That just means either you wouldn't go after anybody or you'd go after everybody equally.

Often I wonder about the very answer to that myself. But by my nature, it would have to be the latter if I choose to exercise my will.

[ Ideally, at least. There's some fuzzy (sparkly) lines getting in the way though not completely: Aqua will be the proof of that unfortunately. ]

Yeah, I thought so.

[Yeah, that's a sigh, also still exasperated -- but it's not like Nora had especially many illusions about what Alcor's like, or might be, even if he's not a demon and not any other especially easily identifiable magical being. He's demon-adjacent enough, though, all things considered.

Sparkles and ideals aside -- or not aside, as the case may be -- he peers over at Alcor for a moment.]

... Speakin' of nature, though, you were thinking? Earlier.

[Yes, he's good at this broaching sensitive subjects thing. Praise him (do not praise him).]

Ah, about my old name?

[ Just to make sure they're on the same page here. ]

Yeah, the-- the Anguished One? You've got a theme going or something...

[He's actually being careful with figuring out which name to say?? After all, he learned the other one first and ANGUISHHHH is a pretty heavy word for a fairly flippant dog on the best of days. He tucks his spear a little closer and kind of. Stares down at his feet and the ground below the garage for a moment.

His voice is a little quieter for once, who is this.]

And all the stuff. About why you're here and everything.

Ureumono... [ He slips into Japanese here for a moment because it was his default language for a while. ] They are all my name, but some of them are more personal.

[ Some not both which is relevant. ]

Alcor is a star in the Big Dipper, it is often eclipsed in brightness by Mizar, which is why it is sometimes called the Forgotten One. For a very long time, that was the most suitable moniker for me. I was alone, because I was the only one of the Septentriones who grew to have their own thought, their own identity. I should not exist, so it was essential that I did nothing, that I did not interfere in the natural order of life. I failed in the most important principle. Humanity is...I have always loved it, and that love drove me to grant them the gift of fire and language.

It was lonely, but it was bearable if I could watch mankind grow. Even if I did not know why I came to be, and that I was broken and an error in the system, it was enough. It should have been enough, but I despaired and anguished for thousands of years.

[ He's settled into a seated position, one knee brought up to his chest, gaze to the stars. There's some things he's skimmed over that maybe they'll touch again at some other point because for a box he's awfully complicated. ]

[Of course Alcor has a zillion names; like Satan, like the demons who are a big deal, like some humans even (he is probably thinking of human actors here but anyway), he seems like the type who's hard to contain into one or two words. Still.]

... Stars again, huh. I guess I never really looked at the stars in either world. Human or the demon one.

[Maybe that's why he had so much difficulty connecting the (constellation) dots here; the sky is something he hasn't had the leisure or the freedom to pay attention to most of the time. There was way too much to do at home when he finally made it to the human world. And here... here, he could look at the stars but they don't remind him of anything in particular.

It's strange to look at a sky that's twice-removed. Even stranger to try and swing the connection to the noodle next to him.]

S'that why you always talk about 'em -- I just thought it was some kinda weird way of explaining yourself. But I mean, you keep talkin' like you're actually a robot or something, maybe I was the one thinking too deep for once. [there's a snort] I don't get it, though. You did some stuff with humans so you shouldn't exist?

Even if you're doing all the shit you're not supposed to do, that's just proving you're around even harder.

[Right, they talked about existence once and it was just as bizarre as the rest. There's a lot of little bits and pieces that he's also not sure how to put together, and he's impatient to, but it's probably too early for that.]

I am not a robot. But...if I was, things would be simpler.

[ His smile here is firm and a bit bitter. ]

Yes. There is a natural order to the universe, and by acting I disrupted what was meant to be. I do not know what would have happened if I left humanity to it's own devices. But I did know that Polaris had deemed them unnecessary, and therefore eventually slated for deletion.

And so I interfered again...so you are correct once more. I became friends with a child, Hotsuin Yamato, who I thought could free humanity from its fate. He was a born leader even at a young age, taming Cerberus on his own when he was only six.

[ And here his smile turns wry. This may begin to explain why Alcor dotes on Nora in his own weird way. ]

You keep talkin' about plans and systems and things, it's really all like robot stuff. Plus the programming and everything.

[He's not arguing, but he is musing about it, frowning a little at the smile that reminds him of some expressions he's previously seen. He doesn't especially like seeing it, but--]

So what are you, some kinda General up in the sky or something?

[That's the closest he's got in terms of comparisons, especially when it comes to Satan, the Dark Liege, the ruler of two worlds in her strange way. He's never looked for a throne to usurp anywhere else. There's a quiet grumble as he tries to grapple with the idea of deleting humanity. Y'all and your programming terminology, it's really hard to get away from robots like this.]

It ain't a natural order just deleting humanity or whatever, though. Humans are kinda like cockroaches, at least a bunch of 'em -- you kick 'em and kick 'em but they keep popping up whether you want them to or not. And they keep finding newer and stupider ways to piss you off... [okay, but he's getting off topic, a blink marking a slow realization] Oh. Yamato and... Cerberus, huh.

[He remembers that name. It doesn't come up as much as some others, especially here, but the sound of it is of course familiar. There's a conflicted expression on his face now; it's hard to know how to feel about things like this.]

Edited 2019-07-18 05:20 (UTC)

[ Unfortunately he's just going to nod and smile to what he is for now—laying it all bare that he's actually a world destroyer right before he is an accomplice to murder is pretty foolish. He can address other parts though. ]

If you are speaking of typical ways to destroy humanity, you are correct. They are very resilient no matter the circumstance. But Polaris is capable of eradicating them and returning everything to Mu, nothingness. Before I arrived here Polaris had done just that—the only remaining humans on Earth were several thousand in the Kanto region of Japan.

[ Alcor also doesn't really know what to feel, especially tonight. In the end his smile softens to something fond and a bit shy. ]

Yes. Cerberus was a constant companion of his, and therefore to me as well given our proximity to each other until Yamato reached adulthood.

[It's true, there are times and places for things and eventually Nora will absorb the existence of 'star' in addition to the facets of 'box' -- as always Alcor is way too many things at once but in some strange way that makes it easier. If there's one thing Nora is good at it's the easy crunching of a great number of things down to the most straightforward atoms.]

So then Polaris' gotta be like ruler of the sky or something, but does that seriously mean there's just a switch to flip the humans off?? 'Cause that's what it's sounding like.

[He's still only been in the human world for less than two years, and so much of those two years were spent away from civilization that it's unnecessarily difficult to get a sense of just how many humans there are and the scale of any of it.

Add on another uncertain layer to the confusion cake here because once upon a time he really would have thought wiping out a ton of humans was a good show. Now? Now it's all complicated. In comparison, trying to grapple with Alcor's weirdness is almost easier, even if he does have to look away from all the smiling.]

... It's still weird hearin' about other Cerberuses, you know. There was just the one back home, and that was me. You never got more than one at a time. So it was probably totally different.

Edited 2019-07-19 05:43 (UTC)

...in a sense, yes. But rather than a switch it is like emptying the entire world into a black hole.

[ This isn't the first time he's dealt with glances away from his wanton honesty, especially regarding this topic. He's typically used to more of a pushback than this, so it takes him a moment before he continues, his tone matching his smile. ]

The Cerberus in my world was not capable of communicating in a humanoid form like you are, so that much is true. But it is a unique summon, at least in the sense of Yamato's Cerberus. I have never seen someone a pure white Cerberus before he summoned his. And he kept the very same Cerberus at his side for almost two decades.

Black holes... Black holes like one of those star things where it sucks everything in like some kinda crazy rip in space, right... Don't think I've ever seen one of those before, freakin' stars are crazy.

[Yes, freakin' stars are crazy is apparently his reaction to tipping the entirety (or most) of humanity into a black hole. Also there's no actual way to see a black hole but that's neither here nor there; it's already a lot to expect him to know a black hole and its details given his lack of proximity to the night sky, the universe at large and many of its inhabitants and component parts. Also schooling.

Anyway, Nora's slightly less distracted at this point, so Alcor does get a grumbling noise about delving into this topic. Especially in the way in which he's doing it, something echoing back to very recently and also years ago at this point.]

I ain't ever been any kind of summon. Which is why bein' a Cerberus under contract was a pain in the ass, demons like me ain't-- we ain't even supposed to be familiars. [there's a distinct break there, a pause that dropped into the conversation more than it entered through the front door, but Nora plows forward] So even if it was a special Cerberus wherever you came from, it's totally different!

'Cause Cerberus is just Cerberus. And I'm just me.

[He seems fairly insistent on this point, though where the stubbornness is coming from exactly is anyone's guess.]

Yes, exactly, And I suppose we are. [ That is the understatement of the days and week to come, but he says it all light and coy, like he's telling a joke. And he very well may be at this time, or it might just be the first real hint at the chaos underneath that runs down to his core, as much as his curiosity that sparkles all over his many facets. ]

I see... [ He says this but he's clearly thinking and turning it over in his head. After a beat he confidently adds: ] You are Nora, nothing more, nothing less. And I am happy to have met you exactly as you are.

[Nora just side-eyes him -- it's debatable how much of all that quiet-loud chaos he'll see coming, because he's both bad at reading people and somehow not terrible at it depending upon who you ask and how many fucks he actually gives, but. Alcor is Alcor, all the same.

And Cerberus has always been an indoors dog; howling at the moon and the suns and stars is a past-time reserved for other demons and other creatures. He's still learning, whether that's a good thing or not, and it's easy to take him off guard.

Case in point: the bizarre expression that manages to land on his face a split-second after Alcor does... whatever he did just now, suddenly pulling out words that-- he's not actually sure how to take them.]

What-- [Nora just stares at him for a moment before he makes a face] You can't-- That's not-- I mean that's kind of it, but it's not!!

[Local Dog Flails Uselessly When Identity Suddenly Albeit Vaguely Validated]

I can't? I just did, and I meant what I said. [ Half playful, but 100% genuine. He responds with a smile of course, but it's a gentle one. ]

If you would like to clarify, go ahead but it will not change how I feel. [ Tonight is just the night for bold declarations in many directions. Sometimes he's oddly good at this feelings stuff. And sometimes he may just be aware of it too. In this particular scenario, he's actually had a lot of practice. ]

[Ugh, of all the times for Alcor to really get on a (star) roll here, of all the times Nora kind of wishes he wouldn't just here at this particular moment because -- well, because he still really doesn't know how to take that. They've crashed through a variety of topics to end up here but all of it is--

It's connection, and it's too close and doesn't make any sense at the same time, much less when Cerberus is in the equation. People don't say these things to Cerberus (why the hell would they), and people don't say these things to Nora (they really usually do not), and even if Alcor isn't quite people. Still.]

You can't just-- [he kind of just gestures uselessly as though that means anything here] --say that! You don't, that's not how it works at all!! That's not even how Cerberus works!

[Did. Did that clarify.]

[ Star ambushes are the sneakiest. He's not sure how he wound up here either, especially on tonight of all nights, but maybe that's part of the reason. Now that he's finally made up his mind to move, it means moving in all directions unabated, there's no stopping this rolling star. ]

How does it work? [ Tilting his head, unruffled and unphased by all the flailing verbal and not. ]

I must warn you however, that I am typically terrible at following rules. It is a bad habit of mine.

[ He sounds proud of everything right now. ]

Ghhkk...

[It's absolutely not fair when put that way because first of all, relatable, but second of all it really, really does make Nora want to smack him at this juncture. Especially in that tone?? He doesn't smack him, but only just. He certainly waves a fist in slightly more meaningful but no less fruitless struggle against the current star roll extravaganza here.]

Bet you anything not following their stupid rules was what got us landed here...

[Even he isn't sure if that's a good thing or not, especially now. In the days and weeks to come it's going to get ever more ridiculous a thought in retrospect but all the same.]

Look, it's just -- it's Cerberus! The most fearsome an' powerful demon and stuff! Even demons get all freaked out just because!

[At least he's getting progressively less loud as he realizes with each word probably how little most of this is going to mean to Alcor... of all people... RIP.]

[ Alcor tracks the fist with a curious bat of eyelashes, and a knowing smile. ]

If I followed the rules I would not exist, so you are correct Nora. [ In the general sense of rule following but also very much on the Foundation side too. If they truly had a read on how powerful he is he would probably be in containment 24/7, but it works in his favor that he's enigmatic and that desu 2 isn't an easy series to datamine from. Everyone will regret after week 4 saturday not doing their proper research, probably. ]

Ah, but I am not a demon. I am a Septentrione, and even for one like me, we are incapable of fear. If you would like, I can try to be fearful but as it would be my first time doing so, it will likely not be up to your standards.

[ Moving along at this speed it might seem like he doesn't have a read on the general state of doge, but then his tone softens. ]

I will say it again: it does not matter to me how others view you, both here and in your own world. My viewpoints are my own and I like and appreciate your company, in all your moods and forms.

Week 3 Mingle

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