Resume Play

[foundationmods]

After the collapse of the Winchester house, everyone will have some time to regroup. The dead can be given bodies, everyone can have the remnants of the miasma washed away, and the 2000's group can be brought up to date on what's been happening for the last twenty years. It's been a long day, and taking time to process it all is probably in everyone's best interests.

But they won't get to rest for long. About an hour after the house's collapse, several all-black vehicles will roll up on the site of the former Winchester house. Most people present should recognize the uniforms and logos plastered all over everything: this is a cleanup team, the kind sent in after a successful containment to make sure the locals don't talk about what happened. It must be nice to have a somewhat-positive reception for once, huh?

But along with the group, a certain misty-eyes O5 will make their grand entrance. And as they step out and look over the group, they have something important to say.

"You did it. I...thank you. Thank you for saving them."

There's still details to handle and paperwork and interviews to do, but that is easy compared to what's already been done. With everyone's efforts, a potential XK-class SCP has been neutralized, saving the world itself, all without any permanent Agent casualties.

You all have exceeded Foundation expectations.

Congratulations.

Comments

[noneforall]

I. Halcyon Hayes (Pre-Frisk)

[They all come to in the incongruously bright and cheerful interiors of the Hayes building. The staff's smiles are a little too friendly, there are a little too many people milling about in Foundation uniform after so long of only watching those under a haze of miasma and blood, and there's something entirely disorienting about all of it, not least of which is spending a few hours in a tiny golem body like being crammed into the smallest barrel known to mankind.

There was a flash of green light when Subete came back, startling and of indeterminate origin, shot through with too much magic but otherwise inconsequential just like everything else. The first thing he does is demand a new outfit that isn't the Foundation uniform. A bathrobe would do. He would walk around in a bathrobe if he had to.

So for the moment: he's not-so-haunting the Hayes hallways in a ridiculously fluffy bathrobe, hair freshly washed and spiky as ever. You can find him perched at a desk in the business center expressionlessly perusing the nearest computer (thank god they're not 2000's computers anymore) or blankly staring down a glass of something-or-other at the bar. That being said, this isn't a bad time to catch him for shooting the breeze or anything else.]

II. Everybody Come On 'Cause We've All Got Beef (Post-Solomon)

[... Because once they've dealt with Frisk and Solomon, or as much of Frisk and Solomon as Subete will be bothering to inflict on himself for the foreseeable future, he leaves the area entirely at a brisk walk. There's a stiffness to his stride that hadn't shown up before when he was merely lounging about the hotel or staying to the back of the crowd as always during the impromptu O5 meeting time; it slows him down a hair, but he makes good time.

Eventually he can be found by the side of the nearest road, not waiting by a bus stop or heading anywhere in particular, but simply flagging down a taxi without any particular fanfare.

If you're feeling like fucking off into San Jose right about now, this might be a prime opportunity.]

Pre-Frisk bc who knows what's happening post-Solomon

[sageking]

[ Well, he's here at the bar. ]

I suppose now is the time as any to truly start indulging in a drink.

[ Though he looked at his options, hardly appearing interested. ]

beef, of course, beef is happening

[noneforall]

[Ah, it's really funny, he isn't used to drinking alone but at the same time it doesn't feel entirely familiar drinking in company either. Maybe it's still the stasis messing with his head? There's just a low sound something like a laugh, not entirely amused but also just. Not entirely anything else either.]

You know, at this point... I'm starting to forget how old I am.

[He taps on his cup -- sake, warm, because they actually had a wider variety of literally anything here compared to the place they last saw each other alive.]

I could be twenty, thirty, forty, I could really be anything at this point. But you certainly haven't changed too much, have you?

biggest beef since tiamat

[sageking]

You may as well be the same age as you always were given the effect of the barrier.

[ Subete didn't have like a beard or grow any more height. ]

Hmph, it's been twenty years. But in the form I am now, you won't see any changes on my end even when you eventually begin to truly age.

Still, there's been some change. Such as the simple fact that my tolerance for foolishness has decreased exponentially, as you'll see soon enough.

[ Or he won't since Subete would basically draw himself away from the room but maybe the gossip of Gilgamesh and Solomon going toe to toe will reach him no matter where he went in San Jose. ]

are u calling Tiamat a cow

[noneforall]

I think I forgot how old I was before I even got here. But that's probably the simplest way of handling the barrier, yes.

[He really didn't change physically at all, or even mentally, unless you count suddenly hitting the clear air outside miasma for the first time in two weeks and 20 years' change; and really maybe that's a part of the disorientation too, the strange buzz of silence inside his skull and the even stranger buzz of noise outside of it.

The inability to tell the difference sometimes. He huffs.]

Hmm. I would be surprised if your tolerance hadn't decreased by this point, if you were still dealing with the Foundation. You came from outside the house, didn't you?

[It really is too bad he'll be missing such a well-themed and well-appointed fight, but it's probably also for the best in its own way.]

you made me walk into that ADMIT IT

[sageking]

It is.

[ Keep your eyes on the prize, Subete. If there's any prizes to be won from playing shitty games, that is. ]

Naturally. I never had any intention of letting myself succumb to the curse in any manner whatsoever. It was an almost last-minute plan to even make it happen in the first place, and what's done can't be undone.

Though, at this point, I've no interest in taking back my actions. Not in the slightest.

no you definitely walked yourself into that one

[noneforall]

[Ah, but he doesn't need his eyes for the prize; never really has, because in a world like his voice and sound and everything they create and maintain have always been king. Even when the game itself is shitty that's always held true.

At least there's that. Even if all there is to be grateful for is the lack of 20 years of jumbled hivemind voices.]

I'd be surprised if you were, you know. Even though I'm sure that insipid little creature in the house would have rejoiced in adding you to its ranks. [a small shrug; maybe that's his way of acknowledging that having Gilgamesh as an opponent multiple times has definitely been a hell of an endeavor] But I agree. I've no intention of taking back my actions either.

Regardless of the miasma or anything else, I stand by the decisions I made in that house.

wow!!!!

[sageking]

[ Honestly, that's a hell Gilgamesh was glad he never experienced. Though there's probably a chance to write alternate fanfic on how his massive ego would effect the hivemind

But a light huff of sorts escaped him nevertheless. ]

I don't think I want to hear the word 'rejoice' in any form for awhile.

[ And that's him blatantly acknowledging how much of a pain in the side Subete was when he was a number on the curse's side. ]

Oh? Even the one where you decided to kill Ango?

<3

[noneforall]

[Not all that unlike a grail hell, but given how crowded it was it might have been quite a bit more intrusive and noisy than one; what's a little shuffling from one despair of all the world to the next? That being said, an alternate timeline in which the miasma also literally spat Gilgamesh back out might be an entertaining one?

Subete has raised his cup but then he puts it down again without drinking, possibly because there's a small smirk curling across his lips and it's not a good idea to have a drink while you're in danger of laughing.]

Ah. I'm afraid those aren't my words, though I'm glad they've made an impression.

[It's a bit of a mysterious response, in his own way, but he seems pretty pleased with himself regardless.]

And yes, of course. [there's no hesitation there, though that doesn't mean the answer is without thought] It was the best choice possible with the information and resources available to me at the time. Not the ideal one, but I doubt any choice made in that house was ever ideal.

[sageking]

That's a little hard to believe.

[ A little scoff from him since Subete was the one who voiced said word. Countless times, in fact. Unless the young man wanted to tell him it was the word spoken by his ancestors in order to help summon his magic...but no, that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

Either way here he was, talking to Subete as if it were a casual thing, hardly bothered. He'll finally have a drink in front of himself soon enough. ]

Likely not. Though I remember being beyond irritated you forced us to go through another trial in the first place, and what nonsense resulted from your mess.

[ A smirk on his lips as he took a sip of his drink. ]

That said, do you plan to put up with this farce of an organization once more? Even if things have apparently changed in such a favorable manner?

[noneforall]

Is it? I didn't do too bad at all.

[There's a certain note to that, elusive but a little dark, before he smoothly tucks it away. But really, it's never all that unusual to have an incantation at hand for any type of magic; it's just that the concept of Verbalism itself makes the art of incantation a little redundant, perhaps. Doesn't stop some people, apparently.

His sake has probably cooled considerably by now, but he knocks it back like a shot. Really probably not the best way to drink, but he only makes the slightest face before placing the cup back down. Not the time to refill it yet.]

I don't think there was a solution that was easy there. Or one that wasn't irritating, hmm?

[Or maybe there never was a real solution, at least one that the majority would have agreed upon. Who knows. It's probably a pointless thing to litigate, in present company.]

... I haven't seen anything to indicate that things have improved, especially given what we know of what happened to the 6350s in our absence. They're not even starting at our starting line, you realize. [a huff] And so much of it is pretty words. I'll believe it when I see it, and I don't have any interest in having a front row seat to that.

I + II = wildcard

[kaliedoscopes]

[ Hikage strolls into the bar not entirely sure if he wants to drink, but he's not really sure of anything he wants at this point. Thankfully he's relieved of his beverage crisis by spotting a fashion crisis. A bathrobe is hardly an outfit Subete.

As much as he really doesn't want to engage pretty much anyone right now, his tongue gets the better of him as it tends to do even if there's a heavy note to it, like a leaf weighed down by rain. ]

Is this the new form of business casual in 2020?

the wildest of cards

[noneforall]

[A bathrobe is hardly a fashion crisis compared to the actual fashion crisis of waking up in a Foundation uniform in yet another life, which was definitely one too many times. Maybe he had a personal crisis dealing with fashion that resulted in all of this but that is a very different matter!!

At any rate he seems to have settled into his silly outfit even if momentarily it's no longer going to be appropriate attire -- but given who will be arriving later it's really debatable whether Subete would even care. He really has thrown off all kinds of mantles in the 20-year and miasma-filled interim.]

I wouldn't know. [there's a sigh, a bit gusty, a bit affected, while he swirls the glass he has in front of him; it's barely touched] I've hardly had time to do a thing without tripping over yet another agent.

[That soft derisiveness in his voice is probably familiar, despite all the time that's passed by now. The edge is still polished enough, unobscured by miasma or anything else.]

[kaliedoscopes]

They're crawling like roaches, but at least it's not spiders. [ This is too easy he thinks, with a light huff. Even with everything a bit too bright after the miasma shrouded darkness, some things he really doesn't need to see.

But as for things in his field of vision: he looks at the mostly untouched drink and shakes his head. He leans on the bar rather than sit, as he debates several things but ultimately just decides to go with his gut. ]

I still owe you, right? What kind of clothes do you want.

[noneforall]

Mm. Maybe I'll make a spider MJBK again and let it run free.

[It's hard to tell by his flat tone and unchanging expression whether that's rhetorical, or a joke, or anything else; but given that both he and his power are still settling into this body -- with varying levels of success as time goes on -- he's at least not moving to do such a ridiculous thing right away.

In fact, instead of doing that he's folded his arms onto the bar and stopped just short of laying his head down. Even with the whole, spending-most-of-the-day-as-a-golem thing, there's also the was-dead-earlier thing, the fought-as-a-miasma-ghost thing, and then the suddenly-back-to-life-in-yet-another-body thing.

It's a lot of things, accounting for some of the weariness in his movements when he looks back up at Hikage appearing next to him.]

You have pretty good memory for your age, I guess. [the briefest moment of thought, though it doesn't seem to be that deep] Business casual will do.

[kaliedoscopes]

[ A soft exhale that would hide a smile on a better day, but it probably says enough on its own. ]

Careful, you're catching up to me you know. [ There's probably some like diminishing scale of age the more you go down the hyperbolic time chamber/age is fake and or frozen route. But anyway, there's a nod and then a quick glance around the empty bar; he's still not used to using his magic like this in public so.

He snaps his fingers and there's a flurry of (still) black butterflies, and now a new outfit in his hand, blue swapped out for green. The quality in the garments is superior as is the fit, but that probably isn't a surprise. For the low cost of assuming your identity, Hikage can be your perfect tailor. ]

Good enough?

[noneforall]

[He doesn't return the gesture but he does raise an eyebrow, which is more expression on its own than he's bothered with since he got a face back. Golems really aren't meant for such things.]

I don't think I'd mind catching up a little more. The circumstances really are never ideal, though.

[It's murder mansion, murder mansion, murder time-space bubble, murder-barrier... Really, why can't hyperbolic time hell be a little more convenient even for the well-initiated? It's a travesty, is what it is. He tightens his arms for a moment, curling in on himself a little and just watching while Hikage does... whatever he's doing.

This time there is more of a reaction, straightening slightly and blink-blinking at the flurry of butterflies. He's seen them put to all sorts of uses now, but somehow this one is still strange seen in the light of day and not miasma.]

You really... put Ushiromiya-san to shame, hmm? [there's something both curious and wry in the words, slipping out in between his movements as he finally reaches out and takes the outfit, running his fingers over it and finding the solidness of both material and fit] Yeah. It'll do. It's better than anything they'd bother to give us.

[kaliedoscopes]

And we still wouldn't be old enough to drink, technically. [ A passing tch because these are some first world time nonsense problems.

Truth be told he's much more used to using the butterflies like this, their other uses were very much ad libbed but the miasma did help with inspiration in a way. ]

I didn't want to hurt her feelings. [ He smiles minutely, going along with the flow and his trademark sarcasm. Momentarily after his lips curve more, something like a sheen of light added to the mix. ]

Ha, that's not really a compliment with how dysfunctional they are. But it does mean that I've found something you'll accept, so I don't mind.

[noneforall]

Technicalities are just a problem of semantics.

[They are indeed first world time nonsense problems, but first world nonsense problems are also in some way his wheelhouse -- which might account for the easy retort there. All told his view of this world and its inhabitants is probably permanently warped in some very interesting ways, not least of which is his new and exciting acquaintance with murder butterflies and their aesthetic.

This is definitely how magic-murder butterflies work.

He does glance up from his perusal of the outfit when Hikage speaks again; as always it's easy to hear the extra note, even if it takes him a moment to absorb the words themselves. Actually, maybe two moments, a thoughtful blink while he sorts out all the jumble of pre-miasma, mid-miasma and post-miasma.]

You-- [it does take a moment but then he's laughing, quiet and a little startled] Yeah, maybe you did. I wouldn't call myself a fashion icon or anything, but... I know good work when I see it.

[It's still quiet but also deliberately light as he gets up from his barstool and stretches a little, measures out the clothes against himself in an entirely perfunctory way before looking around, ostensibly for someplace to change. Time to leave the bathrobe drinking life behind.]

[kaliedoscopes]

And it's handmade too. [ This is like the most pleased he's been in a while and it's over the stupidest thing, but you take whatever wins you can get especially after everything in the past 20 years and then some. ]

Try over there. [ He points in the direction of the attached restaurant, because restrooms are never far for thirsty patrons. He'll sit at the bar in the meantime, apprising the liquor selection. ] I'll wait, I like to admire my handiwork.

1/2

[noneforall]

I don't know how handmade you can call this, but I'll count it as something unique, regardless.

Just don't let it go to your head too much.

[Today really has been a day; both his mood and his literal soul have been stretched and twisted and bounced about like so much silly putty and they weren't particularly stretchy in the first place after spending enough time marinating in miasma to put the ghosts themselves and all their jacuzzis to shame. And then some.

But it's fine to to ignore all of that for a moment, just because they're not in that house anymore and he can make a volley of jabs at the same time as he can move to a non-spider infested room and a real bathroom just to get a change of clothes he doesn't have to wash himself.

That might be the most disorienting thing today, come to think of it.]

2/2

[noneforall]

[It's not long before he strolls back in, and maybe it's just a trick of the light or a trick of the lines of the suit that he seems to be walking a little straighter; or he just walks like this when he isn't dealing with bathrobe fluff or some other manner of fashion-related faux pas.

He smooths down the lapels a little and raises an eyebrow at Hikage as he comes over to lean on the bar himself, reversing their positions from earlier.]

I'd ask when you got your hands on my measurements, but I have a feeling I don't need to ask.

i

[reanimania]

[ From over at the printer where he's getting copies of the written responses from the final exams his long-suffering TA administered in his stead... Just looking over and frowning. ]

post solomon

[odasaku]

You're Ango's killer, aren't you?

[ oda's not big on confrontations, but he can't really pass this chance up, now can he. ]

[noneforall]

[I can't believe the taxi driver is having to bear witness to an assassin and also another assassin hanging out in the middle of the road--

But whether this is pre- or post-taxi, Subete simply pauses in his movement for a split-second (in which a light tension curls over his shoulders and down his back, and considering Oda is a man used to combat he can probably tell that it's the lightest anticipation of a fight) and then answers in a flat but smooth tone.]

Yes. Who's asking?