theafflicted | 05 - week five

05 - week five

WEEK FIVE

Come Sunday morning, the portals around Estelline fade away, but not all of the oddities hanging around disappear so quickly. The recreations of your dreams and memories are still around, ever changing and shifting. Whatever it is that brought these things here hasn’t ended, not yet.

You don’t have time to worry about all of that, though, even if you know you should exercise caution once two of you found yourselves on the bad end of a monster’s claws. The course still isn’t over, though, even if the portals changed lesson plans. Everything continues on, with new places to explore as the fog pushes back once again. This week still feels a little more like what you’re familiar with, though, after Saturday’s lack of lessons.

...For now.

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I'm blocked in that I can't just walk into the fog and get where I want to go?! How is that so hard to understand! But the fog cleared up so I'm not blocked that way!!

[this is it... clown 2 clown communication...]

Well it's not like I could leave when everyone starting disappearing?! I couldn't go back to my department and I have so much work to do anyways, that's why I was staying there so long! There's beds in Camellia, too, so it's not like I was sleeping in a chair!!

Hmph. Like we'd have any idea how the fog works, other than that it tastes funny and it moves! It's your job to know how the fog works, so you should do a better one!

[..... It really is clown 2 clown communication also it probably isn't his job. But Tamamori is absolutely here for yelling at Random Employee #54 about things he can't control because just being in parallel situations isn't enough to wring sympathy from him! He's not that sympathetic a guy!!]

That's what we call a workaholic, Kyle, and workaholics aren't popular. Besides, what does this project or whatever have to do with people disappearing, anyway? We've even had a few people here disappear, so who's going to take responsibility for that??

You- you ate the fog? Why?!

[what is wrong with you, sir]

Well it's definitely not my responsibility! I just work here and I'm tryin to make sure I have enough money to be comfortable! Do you have a problem with that?! It's not like there's a lot of opportunities for someone who just got out of college so I had to take what I could get...!

I didn't eat it, you can't eat fog.

[That's not the point. Don't make me list what's wrong with him we'll be here until next summer.]

I have a problem with that! Obviously! You're making money off our backs being experiments or prisoners or who-knows-what, we're getting put through the wringer and almost killed and our brains are getting messed with!! [he's going to reach out and start pulling on the guy's cheeks, stretching them out, rip] You're getting off reeeaally light, I'm telling you.

[... Well, he really isn't intimidating as an interrogator, so I guess he's just here to yell.]

[ Kawase's here, though given the size of this party and his still hearing injuries, he's just been observing. And smoking.

Tamamori stretching out this guy's cheeks gets him to break his easy smile into straight up laughter instead. It's probably mildly painful for Tamamori given his condition but. Oops. ]

[Ow??? Look he doesn’t care if you want to enjoy yourself at the circus but can you do it in a way that’s merciful on his midsection???? ... says Tamamori’s annoyed glance. Also are you even supposed to be smoking, that’s probably too much information to convey at a glance but still.]

Well you know what it tastes like? Why weren't you worried about the repercussions of doing that...! You've seen what it does, right?

[please don't pull his cheeks

not that he can actually do anything to stop Tamamori because looking sad and pathetic probably isn't much of a deterrent]

I'm not making any money off of this? A-and I don't think Camellia is, either? I think funding a project like this is actually really expensive...!!

[He just works here!! And he's not paid enough to be tortured!]

We've walked in it, so we've breathed it! That should be worse, shouldn't it? And yet we're still here. It's not like the fog does anything besides block things anyway, hmm?

[Now he can look sad and pathetic but stretched out! It's like a funhouse mirror! Will I ever stop making circus jokes. No, they're still clowns. ☆ Tamamori is about as sympathetic as an angry housewife who's just missed the last of the beef on sale at the market. Terrible.]

You're still getting paid by the organization that's messing with us! So what you're getting now is some real fancy, real annoyed lab rats! [streeeetch this isn't as satisfying as bullying Luci on the stretchy front but it could be worse on the schadenfreude front] Mm, but what's the point of spending this much money on us...?

Edited 2022-06-20 18:01 (UTC)

Th-there's still the possibility that prolonged contact could do s-something bad to you?!

[Help. His cheek kind of hurts now? But he can't push Tamamori away so he is truly just Suffering.]

Well... well, there's still the possibility the results could... lead to better understanding and improvements...

Well, there's not much contact yet, so there's nothing to worry about!!

[Why are they even arguing about this. Tamamori finally seems to get tired of messing around with him and lets him go, though he apparently still isn't delivered from his ~~wrath and harassment~~ ~~attempted interrogation~~ dubiously helpful venting session.]

Hmm? What kind of better understanding and improvements? For who? Surely we won't be here long enough for an entire university to change...

I-I'm very worried about you!

[And also himself?! Will he survive this ordeal...?!]

For... the people who live here... There's more to this world than just the university, you know! A-and... even if a lot of them are gone, if we can figure out a way to - to change everything, it might be safe again!

Don't be ridiculous! You're just worried about yourself!!

[Takes one to know one. Tamamori is always and forever and foremost worried about his own lots. He's also very familiar with surviving ordeals while leaving dignity behind; Kyle should probably get very used to that notion.]

Why would I even know about this place beyond the university, it's not like we can really go that far from here, and I'm not that interested, anyway! [while not strictly true, it is true that he's not all that interested in the fate of those from this world...... not that they've met many that aren't like, ghouls or terrible clowns or whatever] Besides, what's the point of using people who aren't even from here to improve here?? I may not be a scientist or inventor, but even I know that doesn't work!

I can be worried a-about myself and about you because you seem like you need h-help! Or to relax!

[pot, kettle, black.]

I-I don't know why people from outside were chosen, either! So why are you acting like I kn-know more than I do?! I'm just here for work and I have to go back and report all of this and I'll probably lose my job after this! Not that any of that... matters... I guess...

[what a disaster]

How can I relax when I'm in a place like this??

[Well, not in this place specifically, but it's not like Tamamori is keeping track of like. Exactly how much of this university campus is dangerous and a disaster (also how much of the student body, so it really might just be everything everywhere all the time) and how much is the spheres and how much is anything else.]

If you want to help, at least help us figure out how to get out of here! Since you're the only one they bothered to send, that's your responsibility. [pointing at him imperiously] They wouldn't fire you anyway, who else would they send down here?

Y-you could have tea or something? I don't know!

[Maybe a massage? Or a nap? He seems like he could use a nap from where Kyle is standing. Sitting. Tied in a pathetic lump.]

I-I... Maybe you're right, but - I don't know that I can do that on my own?! I'm just one person! And I can't go against Dr. Juniper's orders!

Well, maybe I will get myself some tea as compensation for having to deal with Camellia.

[Or rather, this guy?? Tamamori really isn't pulling punches or anything, though maybe he's looking a bit more thoughtful that Kyle-something-or-other-long-ass-name isn't totally opposed to working in their interests. Something like that. You can see the gears grinding away up there, though whether they're grinding in the right direction is a matter for debate.]

What were the orders, anyway? Doesn't sound like there was much there! It's not like they know what's going on here, either.

[For better or for worse (maybe).]

I-I was simply supposed to survey the students a-and see what things were like here, and then report that information to Dr. Juniper... I'm not, not really sure what he's looking for out of everything, but that's what I'm supposed to do...

Hmmm. So what would happen if you reported that everything was totally useless, we're all barbarians here and no amount of schooling would calm us down?

[Maybe if they get this guy to report that the project is useless they can get the project to end sooner?? Obviously?? Tamamori is not a tactician why did anyone allow him to Be Here and Do This.]

I'm... n-not really sure, but that can be my report i-if you want it to be?

[Is this a good idea? Is this a bad idea? Who knows!]

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05 - week five

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