02.50 - week two, saturday

[afflictionmods]

W2 SATURDAY

Like last Saturday, everyone will get an announcement on their tablets; this time, the announcement is preceded with a bell of some sort before Lorelei appears on the screen again.

"Good morning, everyone. This is an announcement to let you know that today's lesson will take place starting at 8:15 tonight. Again, today's lesson will be starting at 8:15. Please meet at the lower campus exit near the lecture by 8:00pm; Florence will be waiting for you there.

If you have a bag for some snacks and, perhaps, an item you can use for self-defense in the case of an emergency, please arrive with those things on you. We will provide you with an overview of what to expect when you arrive at 8pm.

Thank you."

The alert ends.

You have the day to prepare, ask each other what the hell is happening -- Florence and Lorelei do not seem to be available, strangely enough. There's a lot to take in with the information you have now. But before you know it... night falls.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

YOU GUESS......??

[magicam]

[It's impossible to hide forever, and yet...

Maybe it would be better if he could, all things considered!

Still, once Owen makes his presence known, Cater notably doesn't startle, looks up at him, blinks owlishly, and then...

Plunks his head back onto his knees.]

Isn't there someone better to bother?

it was rng's choice!!!!

[sicklysweet]

[It's not nice to ignore people like that!!

So Owen just. Leans more. He'll probably end up toppling eventually, but wouldn't it be funny if that happened?]

Of course not. Nobody else is all bundled up like you are.

[That makes Cater the Prime Target.]

Owen possessed RNG: confirmed.

[magicam]

[He's not ignoring him! Technically! He's responding and everything!

...Unfortunately, he didn't bring a sweet to shove in Owen's face, as Hien suggested. Getting ready for the class was a little more concerning than that. A mistake.]

...Well, they don't need to be out of the way, right?

[sicklysweet]

[g]

Why do you need to be out of the way?

[It's kind of... weird. This kid seemed so lively and dramatic when they first met, so what's up with this?]

[magicam]

...Well, why not?

[And, okay, he can give Owen a little more of his attention, shifting to peer up at him... but if he notices he's leaned closer, he sure doesn't comment!]

If Cay's out of the way, then everyone else can focus on... well, everyone else.

[sicklysweet]

[They're going to end up nose to nose at this rate.]

But what about the people who want to focus on Cay? You're making it way harder for them like this.

[magicam]

[What if we kissed in the dilapidated museum??? jkjk... Haha unless??]

Why would anyone want to do that?

[sicklysweet]

Why wouldn't they? Your reactions to things...

[Heh.]

It's very funny to see what you'll say, you know.

[magicam]

Hm... maybe.

[He has to give him that much, but... well. If it's just for his reactions to things, it's not like he actually matters.]

None of it's real, yanno? Just what he thinks would make people like him more. So they should be helping people who they actually like.

[sicklysweet]

[Suddenly Cater has become twenty times more interesting.

Which might be a bad thing? It's probably a bad thing.]

You can't just decide if people don't actually like you - the fake you, I guess.

[He is still leaning over like a weirdo, which is making this conversation annoying, so he decides to flop down next to Cater, his skinny legs knocking against him.]

Even though the real you is probably more interesting.

[magicam]

Oh, they do like the fake me. That's the point.

[He's bubbly, cheerful, outgoing, the picture of a great friend, a good senpai... sure, he comes across as kind of dumb and airheaded, but...

Well, he was popular, so it must have been endearing. Besides, those were "acceptable" flaws, for the type of person he ostensibly was.]

The real me doesn't matter. The real me might not even exist anymore, right?

[sicklysweet]

Of course it matters.

[He says it so matter-of-factly, too.]

If there wasn't a real you, there wouldn't be a fake you. Once the fake you disappears, the real you will be left behind.

[...]

Like with your doubles. The one left is the one that matters, and I doubt your real self is gone forever.

[magicam]

It won't disappear. I won't let it.

[If the fake him disappeared, then what would he do? Sure, his real self slips out sometimes - now, especially, possession or not - but... that Cater wasn't likable, ad far as he was concerned.

Better to be a fleeting, pleasant, memory than something tangible and real.]

Shouldn't you be helping someone else, though? Really... It's not like I'm bothering anyone here.

[sicklysweet]

Maybe you should.

[He reaches up to poke Cater's cheek. Apparently impulsiveness just makes him obnoxious but in a far less creepy and unhinged way.]

I want to be talking to you, though.

[magicam]

...Why?

[Why to... all that, honestly. Just. Why.]

[sicklysweet]

Because I can. Why do you want to know why? Are you actually going to believe me?

[Poke. Poke. Poke. Is this annoying yet.]

[magicam]

I... might. If the reason is good enough.

[He's too busy wallowing in self-hate to be annoyed by the poking (yet), Owen. He deserves to be bothered, etc. etc.]

[sicklysweet]

[Does Owen ever had a good reason for anything, though...]

I think it's interesting. You seem very... cute. Bubbly. Excitable. But you're hiding something you think is bad, that might be sad or angry or who knows what, and I'm very interested in things and people that are two different things at once.

[magicam]

[He can... pretend to have a good reason for things?]

...Cay is much more than two things at once more often than he'll ever admit other than, like, right now.

[Which is really just inviting Owen to be even more interested in him, right? Ah well.]

It's... easier if people just think he's cute and bubbly, right? Instead of this worthless ugly thing?

[sicklysweet]

[Sure, let’s go with that.]

That’s just more interesting.

[He has graduated to cheek pinching.]

I would like seeing your ugly side more often.

[magicam]

...You have bad taste.

[Who would want to see his ugly side, anyway??]

[sicklysweet]

Shut up. My taste is great.

[Though, like. Cater's not actually wrong, Owen is just. Owen.]

[magicam]

You like sweets and want to see Cay's worst selves. Bad taste.

[And that's not even counting Owen just being Owen...!]

[sicklysweet]

What's wrong with sweets?

[That's not the point right now.]

Someone having different tastes than you doesn't mean it's bad. Isn't it good someone wants to see the worst side of you? That someone might like seeing you how you are? Being honest is good for your heart, which would be better for your magic.

[magicam]

...You wouldn't understand.

[It's... well, it's not a long story, but it's a story, and one that he doubts Owen would especially care about.]

It isn't. If someone likes... this... then they're lying or... are you. And we've established you have bad taste. I... am honest, with myself, at least.