thefoundation | WEEK 5 MINGLE

Entry tags:

round 2

WEEK 5 MINGLE

WEEK 5

They said it was a break week, but two of your number were lost anyway last week. While you're all tired and still recovering, the speakers crackle to life with the voice of The Lady.

"Attention, Guests. The game is back on. Break week is now over. Happy Holidays."

The Staff are still like they were last week - only this time, the orders almost always go wrong, if they even manage to go through - the Staff are vanishing constantly. Meals are also getting affected - they're still perfectly edible, but they're not as delicious as they once were, with seasoning and other things occasionally being off. The Sign warning people to not take knives is still on the kitchen door, but The Chef seems incredibly tired, often resting on a chair in the corner.

The Resort is still furnished with Holiday items - but after Medic's christmas protest, there are more items related to other holidays up, and it's much more balanced - objects and colors of multiple holidays side by side in harmony, with the mistletoe still up for any needed smooching. There are, however, more wriggling...things, and there's even an entire 'tree' made of eldritch tentacles with glowing balls of light on them that wink in an oddly hypnotic fashion.

The weather is still nothing, but the courtyard seems to have switched to a much warmer clime, which while still a little cool is pleasant enough to sit outside in. Finally, the music this week seems... almost ominous...?

On Monday morning, another memory is returned to everyone, one more traumatic this time instead of gentle like the others have been. Yet, you feel as if you know a little more about your time in this world, now. Not everything, but...enough.

Enough to see this game through to the end, at least.

PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS | MURDER PROPOSALS/VOLUNTEERING | LOCATIONS | APPRENTICE PC POST | OUTSIDER PC POST

MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Phil is honestly not seen much all this week, especially after the memory he got this Monday.

A part of him feels stupid for letting it affect him this badly. Hell, it wasn't even that much, really. Others probably had it worse than him.

But at the same time it just wore him down after everything else that's happened, and he's been finding it hard to motivate himself to do anything.

Eventually he goes to the Animal Cafe, as if an attempt to get him out, but he spends most of the time staring at his now cold cup of tea.

He eventually speaks, technically to nobody, but within easy earshot of anyone near the cafe.]

Do you ever feel like... no matter how hard you try, fate keeps reminding you that everything you do is pointless?

Edited 2018-12-27 23:45 (UTC)

[Ripley is sitting some distance away with a cat in her lap, squishing its toe beans. It doesn't seem to mind that much, but occasionally it'll shoot a glare at her, and she takes her hands off of its paws. She turns to glance at Phil, raising an eyebrow.]

Unfortunately. [She grimaces.] History repeats itself, but, uh, I would maybe like it if it, you know, stopped doing that for a little bit.

[Damn he wishes he had a cat right now.]

Do you think the universe is conspiring against us? It couldn't kill them to give us one week of rest, just one week, but they won't give it to us.

[Ripley snorts. The cat gives her a sharp meow. Getting the message, she relinquishes her grip on the cat's paws, and it jumps down onto the ground, making its way over to Phil and rubbing against his legs.]

I don't think it's the universe conspiring against us as so much the Foundation being absolute shit. Whenever any organization thinks they're untouchable, they end up doing the same exact shit any other company would do--exploit their workers and the people around them.

[Phil might pick up on the fact they're talking about things in entirely different contexts.]

[Phil gently scritches behind the cat's ear.]

I'm sure "exploiting" is what they did to you, but I don't even think I can count my experience as that.

I still don't know why they kept me around for so long beyond seeing how long it would take for me to completely break

[The cat purrs quietly, squeezing its eyes shut and bumping its head against Phil's hand. It then starts to lick his hand for some...odd reason. Ripley frowns, resting her head against her hand.]

Maybe they wanted to see how a regular civilian would function under extreme circumstances. I mean, out of the rest of us, you're arguably the most normal. [A pause.] Disregarding the time loop thing.

[Or maybe they just liked to see him suffer, but the idea is just too terrible for Ripley to even bring up.]

[Phil grumbles slightly at the cat licking at his hand. Great, he's a friend to all animals now in the Worst Way.]

I guess. I just wish I could go back to being a normal human being, I guess.

... Were they exploiting you in some way? You don't have to answer if it's too sensitive to you.

Pretty sure we would all like that.

[Guess that's what happens when you have butter sweat. Ripley pauses, tapping her fingers against her chin.]

Not so much exploiting as just...messing with shit they should've left alone. The Foundation has access to dangerous things and they don't care to keep them safe if it means being able to research them.

[It's a lot better talking about this with a friend and in a relatively relaxed environment. She's noticeably tense, but...thankfully not overly so.]

Did I tell you about the alien thing before?

[Phil nods, moving to sit a little closer to her.]

You told me that some people you knew died from it. You... compared me to one of the victims, I believe.

[Ripley nods.]

Well, making a long story short and skipping over all the grisly bits, Jonesy and I were the only survivors. [She attempts a bitter smile.] Funny how it didn't have any interest in eating a cat.

[She's got to make jokes where she can, right?]

I remembered working at the Foundation--long enough that I stopped worrying about them trying to come in and attack us all. We were at a party, and we were eating cake when....

[A pause. She snorts.] You can probably guess where this is going.

[In the most grim voice possible:]

They forced you to eat cake.

[Ripley falls quiet for a moment, and then lets out an incredulous laugh.]

Oh, my God, what? [She sort of lightly pushes him, still laughing.] No! The aliens attacked us!

[Thanks for making this interaction a lot less heavy, Phil. She shakes her head.]

I mean, technically it was only one alien, but it was still pretty shitty. Pretty sure everyone would've died if I hadn't been there to help, but.... [A pause.] Forced us to eat cake, Phil, what the actual fuck?!

Oh.

[Phil looks slightly embarrassed, unsure if he wants to tell Ripley this.]

They... they forced me to eat cake every day while at the Foundation.

(no subject)

xenoqueen - 2018-12-28 04:17 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

imstuck - 2018-12-28 19:50 (UTC) - Expand

[Hey Phil? Hey Phil.

Medic doesn't mind people ignoring him for a couple days. He doesn't mind people refusing to tell him why they're feeling like shit.

He does, however, mind when it's his boyfriend who goes from absurdly clingy to distant within the span of like, a day. And when that distance continues for half a week- well.

Medic tried to be patient, but he's starting to get really worried. Which is helpfully driving home the fact that, yeah, he's kind of maybe possibly more in love with Phil than he ever expected.

... At the same time, Medic's not 100% sure that the fact that Phil's avoiding him isn't his own fault. Which is just making him more concerned.

So. Instead of approaching Phil himself, like a normal person, and asking what's wrong, he goes for another approach.

Archimedes flutters over to Phil's table and lands gracefully on Phil's cup of tea, feet balanced on the rim. He looks up at Not-Dad, tilting his head to one side.

He dips his beak into the tea.

... Maybe sending a messenger wasn't the right plan.]

[Phil stares for a few good moments.]

Hi Archimedes?

[Hey bird son, he guesses.]

(Hooo.)

[Archimedes hops off the cup and walks over to the edge of the table in front of Phil, his little feet tapping.

He looks up at Phil for a long, searching moment, then bends his head down. Phil may be able to recognize the gesture as meaning "please scritch me", since he's been around Medic so much.]

[Ok, that gets a weak laugh and a tiny smile out of him. He gives Archimedes gentle scritches while shaking his head.]

Oh I see how it is. Always demanding things from me.

[He says this in a loving manner.]

Archimedes leans into the touch happily, cooing softly. After a moment, he reaches up and "preens" at Phil's fingers with his beak, before returning to bending his head.

A couple pieces of the puzzle he was sent to put together, are beginning to fit. Not-Dad's probably not angry with Papa, or he would reject Archimedes. He's also not completely inconsolable if petting a bird can get him to smile again.

Still, his mission isn't over yet.]

[Phil frowns slightly and cocks his head in the same direction.]

So did you just come here for met to pet you or did you need something else?

[Archimedes is a good bird! He's not going to give away his whole mission at the first moment of questioning! You could torture him and never get a peep out of him!

... He does, however, glance over briefly at a nearby table, which appears vacant aside from a half-eaten sandwich.

As quickly as Archimedes looks, he realizes his mistake and goes back to trying to preen Phil's hand.]

[Too late, Archimedes! Phil definitely noticed that look and looks in the direction Archimedes looked, ignoring the preening.

Huh, that is definitely a half-eaten sandwich. Phil stares for a moment, unsure of what to do.]

Medic? Are you there?

[No!!! Archimedes' mission has been compromised!

In a last ditch effort to salvage this, Archimedes flies into Phil's face, hovering there for a moment before clumsily landing on his shoulder. Distraction pigeon.]

[That's enough to frazzle him slightly. He almost swats at Archimedes before realizing that it would be a dick move to his bird son.]

H-hey! What's with you? I just wanted to see if Medic was here.

[Come on he does want to see him!]

[Archimedes coos again, this time sounding more forlorn. Sorry Papa, he failed-

Wait. Maybe not. He cocks his head at the end of Phil's sentence.

... Alright. He leans over and preens at Phil's ear for a moment, before flying over to Medic's table and loafing on the invisible man's shoulder.

An invisible man who is currently leaning with his shoulders hunched like he's trying to avoid being noticed. Even though he's already invisible.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only