"I don't think Kerrigan's gender was much of a factor in this case; it wasn't like they used her for breeding purposes. But overall, the idea of taking someone and corrupting them into something like themselves is the same, yes" Miss Tairee said to Cole. She was about to continue with the story, but paused for a moment to look down at Cole again. "Are you okay with continuing now? I still think you should hear the whole thing, but it doesn't have to be all at once; we could take a break and do something else if you'd like. We are at a decent stopping point" the librarian offered to him.
The Miss Tairee at the central desks looked thoughtful at what 9S had to say. "Seems interesting that your designers even bothered with a visor; they couldn't have just built the functions of it directly into your artificial eyes?" Miss Tairee noted, seemingly more like just an out loud thought than a direct question.
"Yeah, but you should still be at the prison. That's what you agreed to, except then you only stayed over the night and left first thing in the morning" Fastanook criticized Rex in response, as Silanea looked down at her hands, starting to shake a little.
"The least you can do..? It's too much..." Silanea muttered, tears starting to come from her eyes. Rather abruptly, eleven plus feet of snake woman collided with Rex as Silanea hugged him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, thank you!" she said quietly, while also crying.
This action startled Fastanook and made him look a bit taken aback and embarrassed. "Uh... So, what is it you're calling us for again? Is this going to be something dangerous?" Fastanook thought to ask, trying to act as if the sudden crying and hugging wasn't going on; as such, neither Fastanook nor Silanea really reacted to Eve's and Caro's arrival.
Dave did not interrupt, and seemed to be listening intently as Plague Knight went on; the doctor's expression was curious, but also with a fair amount of skepticism. He jumped slightly started as Yoshika suddenly yoinked the potion and started chugging it. "Well, I guess that's that" Dave muttered, and watched Yoshika to see what the immediate effects would be.
There probably wasn't much in the terms of immediate effects, but perhaps in a while Yoshika would start to feel something...
You are reading this.Cole was silent for a moment, looking at the book, before tilting his head back to look up at Miss Tairee rather solemnly.
"...what do you...what are you reading me this story for? You said it like you thought I needed to know it, but...so far...all I can hear is that this man's life has been nothing but...pain, and horror, and loss...is it...is it that I haven't been hurt enough? Is it because other people are so much worse off that my...my world isn't even...something to be sad about?"
"Wait!" shouted Morty, sort of trying to keep up with the rapidly changing pace and tone of this entire crime investigation. "Y-you're a, a, suspect! Or something! I think it's illegal to leave a crime scene because of... uh... Miranda rights... anyway you're probably going to get eaten by dinosaurs!"
There was a pause.
"Or stomped on by weird elephant things! That - that almost happened to me!"
Rex didn't like Eve's attitude that much and was about to tell her where she could shove her apology when a hug from Silanea came out of the nowhere and caught him by surprise. Rex almost recoiled when she did that, obviously expecting some sort of attack so he was clearly surprised by what was actually going on.
"Uh..." it was hard to believe, really, that the non-human leader that had hated him so much was giving him a hug now. With all that entailed—which just made things even more awkward. Still, Silanea was clearly happy about seeing her family and friends again, so Rex limited himself to gently patting her on the back of the head "...there, there?"
Fastanook somehow expected the conversation to carry on normally, which wasn't gonna happen.
"I think... I'm still kind of... busy?" Rex answered, visibly wondering what would be more awkward between reciprocating the hug or standing still like a statue.
Eve|Hospitree|I Was Not Expecting That
She did not see that coming. Clearly, Rex was busy. So now wasn't the time. "I-I'll come back later." While she was here, she might as well check on Arcade. She was worried about him. She hadn't heard anything since that walkie-talkie conversation, and he didn't seem particularly interested in tending to himself.
She walked into the hospital and came upon Arcade with Chise, Elias and Lucas. Oh boy. Chise had been there. Arcade no longer seemed wounded, but there was something off. He looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "Arcade?" She walked to stand in front of him. "What's wrong?" The concern was very evident in her voice, and her eyes were grave.
[TOP SECRET]Arcade was torn. Chise seemed to be in a similar enough situation. Maybe she could help him. Maybe she knew what it was like to have the guilt bubbling away under the surface. He closed his eyes, trying to decide what to say, when a familiar voice was heard.
He stared at Eve for a few seconds, trying to process his feelings. The only thing he could think to do was wrap his arms around her. He trembled softly and mumbled, "I can't explain, not right here, just..."
edited 26th May '17 9:37:35 PM by Skooter910
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life."Eve|Hospitree|FINALLY
Eve gave a small gasp as Arcade hugged her, and seemed to break down on her. She gave a small nod, hugging him tightly. She cast a eye around, noticing Lucas, and Chise and Elias. She inwardly winced, aware that Chise was probably still very mad about what had happened in the library. She'd apologise later. Rex was busy (and how she wanted to know that context), and Arcade was about to have a breakdown. Or was having a breakdown. She wasn't sure. Either way, priorities.
"It's okay, it's okay. We can go somewhere else." She wasn't sure where, though. There had to be some empty rooms nearby. She guided Arcade down a hallway into a deserted room and shut the door behind them.Then she sat down next to him. "What's wrong, Arcade?"
[TOP SECRET]Miss Tairee glanced down at Cole and shook her head. "Oh no no no, Cole. Just because some people have had life worse off than you, that doesn't invalidate your problems, or what you've been through. It's true, what my universe went through could be considered worse than what your universe is dealing with, but that's not the point of me telling you this story" Miss Tairee said to Cole, then smiled gently. "Though, I did think that you might be able to better relate to it if you knew just how rough it was... Perhaps, by now you get the idea; I could give you the cliff notes version up until the end, if you want. But I for one enjoy a good read" the librarian continued.
edited 26th May '17 11:09:39 PM by FirockFinion
You are reading this.Cole let out a soft sigh, looking back at the book for a moment, then shifted a little, leaning against her more fully, just closing his eyes.
"I said that to Lewis before...not to feel that he couldn't be in pain because someone else was in worse pain. It feels different for me though. I...I don't feel like I should be allowed to do that. It...it has always been pain. It was what I was for. Solas told me that...that I should be me, that I should do what I had always done, always be what I was...he...he wanted me to be that way, to live with that..."
There was another short pause, a near-thoughtful one, before he turned his head to look up at Miss Tairee. "James Eugene Raynor thought that Arcturus Mengsk was his friend, too, didn't he? At least...someone that he could trust. And he wasn't...was he?"
Arcade let himself be guided into another room. He let out a sigh of relief when the door shut. He couldn't look Eve in the eye as he explained.
"Someone brought up the messages home," he swallowed, pushing through the story as fast as he could "and I... I was obviously upset. Lucas was trying to get me to talk, and that asshole outside just asks if I learned that someone died. Being reminded of... that was bad enough, but something about the callousness..."
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life."Eve|Hospitree|Everybody's Losing The Moral High Ground
The messages home. It made sense that Arcade would have trouble with them. Being reminded that all of your loved ones are dead or in prison wouldn't exactly be easy. When Arcade mentioned being callous, Eve once again winced inwardly. She really needed to apologise to Rex when she got the opportunity. But talking about it now would achieve nothing but possibly fracturing her and Arcade's relationship.
She didn't want to do that again.
So she nodded again, and leant very gently on Arcade's shoulder. "I get it....he may not have meant to hurt you. I doubt we're the only socially awkward people in the City. But it must've still hurt." She looked down at her hands. "I don't know what else to say."
edited 27th May '17 3:41:05 AM by secretlyasuperhero
[TOP SECRET]Arcade didn't want to empathize with Elias, at least not while he was still mad at him. He ignored that part of Eve's words and simply leaned back against her, craving the knowledge that she was there and alright.
"Just... Be here," he finally said, "I don't want to be alone anymore. I know that's unbelievably selfish, I shouldn't be getting close when you'll only end up getting hurt."
He sighed, letting all of his self-loathing be heard in one gust of air. "I should apologize in advance," he mumbled, "being close to me tends to be hazardous to people's health. Abyssus abyssum invocat."
edited 27th May '17 3:44:24 AM by Skooter910
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life."Eve|Hospitree| That Would Make Four
Eve nodded quietly. "For as long as you need" was her response when Arcade told her to just be there. She leant back and listened to Arcade's clear self-loathing, the idea that everybody near him gets hurt, and his 'apology in advance'. She didn't bother suppressing a giggle. "That's nothing I'm not used to. I've been around much more danger-prone people."
What was the list at now? Train, Ben. Only two? That seemed surprising. Then again, Creed had always had an impact. Durham, Creed, Ghostfreak. Another one wouldn't be much. "Besides, I think you underestimate me."
[TOP SECRET]Eve giggled. Arcade told her about his fear of her getting hurt and giggled in response. He was really more bewildered than anything else. It took a special kind of person to literally laugh in the face of danger.
"That... doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," he said, "I don't want to be another liability in your life. You don't deserve more people making your life harder." He wasn't sure what would happen to him if Eve was hurt because of something he did.
When she stated he was underestimating her, he shook his head. "I apparently overestimated the Remnants," he mumbled, "and look at what happened there. I can't let that happen again. Not to anyone I care about."
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life."She always was the type to carry on like everything was alright, like the problem would fix itself if you just let it lie long enough. It worked more often than you'd think...not that that says much.
But I guess there was no looking the other way on this one, was there. Not short of just conveniently forgetting. It probably made conversations hard. And if the county authorities sucked at anything requiring resources on a normal day, they certainly wouldn't do much better when the only witnesses were the culprit and a girl who couldn't even remember the victim. No wonder it took so long for her to come looking. For anyone to, really.
I faintly registered Ben concurring that the memory alteration hypothesis was horrifying, though didn't do much other than nod, not really paying attention to the case at this point.
It was only when Ben started yelling that I was jolted back into the moment. "Wha—? W-what happened?" I glanced around cluelessly to catch Ben storming off away from the scene.
"Ben! You can't just go off on your own at a time like this!"
i guess you can watch me shitpost i guessEve|Hospitree|Her Hobbies Are Strange
Eve hugged Arcade as he expressed worry for her welfare. "I promise you won't be a liability. And you're not making my life harder." He mumbled about the Remnants,and Eve's expression fell, knowing that it couldn't be easy for him to talk about it.
"You can't keep blaming yourself for that. Not everything is your fault. They chose to fight. Their choice, not yours. And I'll be fine." With little thought, the ribbons which had been holding up Eve's hair in pigtails came apart, and her hair fell into its normal position.
[TOP SECRET]Silanea's crying finally slowed down and she moved back after about a minute, unwrapping her arms from around Rex. "This is... You don't owe me this" Silanea said, a few tears still coming down, which she took a moment to wipe away. "What do... Um, what did you need me to do?" she asked, speaking back up.
The two militia members poked their heads out of the doorway in curiosity as they heard some yelling, and then moved out slowly. "I don't see any reason why he couldn't leave. It's not like we're arresting now or anything" one of the militia members pointed out to Morty and Lewis. He then glanced at Phoenix and asked a bit uncertainly, "uh, unless you think we should, investigator?"
Miss Tairee nodded. "Indeed, Cole. But I don't think it was the first time that Jim felt betrayed by someone he thought he could trust; it certainly wasn't the last. But it was probably the worst time" Miss Tairee said to Cole. She glanced away, as if taking a brief moment to think over what Cole said, then placed a bookmark in the page and set the book down on the coffee table. "Let's take a break, and talk for a bit" the librarian decided, sitting back and putting an arm around Cole and rubbing his hair slightly.
"Now Cole, why would you feel like it has to be different for you? Is it just because you're different?" Miss Tairee asked him, sincerely and gently. "Something I've learned Cole, after observing a lot of the multiverse, is that sometimes people are just people. Different species and races, organics and sentient machines, spirits... That really the only thing different is their physical forms, and what they can do. But in the end, they're all people, so very much the same; usually more than they realize or would be willing to admit" the librarian explained to him.
"So Cole, if something makes you feel sad, why wouldn't that matter? What's really different between when a person feels sad and when you feel sad? I don't think there really is one. And anyone who acts like you're not entitled to have sympathy just because you're a spirit, they're just trying to justify not treating you with the same decency that they would treat others. They may even be trying to manipulate you, take advantage of you, abuse you for their own benefit" Miss Tairee elaborated.
You are reading this.When Eve said he couldn't blame himself, something in Arcade snapped. He didn't move, but he glared at the wall and began to yell.
"If I don't blame myself then who can I blame?" he asked, "everything in my life is in shambles! From before I was born I've been a fugitive, and now everyone I trusted is gone! Why? If I didn't do something to deserve it, then what? Was I simply created to be tortured for the amusement of my universe?"
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life."Eve|Hospitree|Yay ANGST
Eve flinched as Arcade began to yell, both concerned and a tiny bit scared. He certainly asked some interesting questions, most of them Eve didn't know how to answer. But she tried. "Maybe. Maybe you were created to be tortured. Maybe you were created so that you would make one decision that would change the course of history. Maybe you were created to be plucked from your universe and dumped here, to help me through my breakdown or to do something important. Maybe I was created to help you. Maybe I was created to help Train, or Sven. Maybe, in the future, I'll make a breakthrough that'll change history, like my progenitor."
A beat.
"But it doesn't matter. If I had let an outside force dictate my life, I'd still be standing in that courtyard, still be locked in that compound. If we're just some plaything of an all-powerful cosmic entity, our only choice is to live our lives the best way we can. And we have no power to dictate others' choices. Not everything bad that happens is your fault, Arcade, and who knows? You're not in your universe anymore. Perhaps the Writer will be kinder. Either way, it doesn't matter. All that matters is us. People. Persons."
Another beat.
"In the words of a friend, a stray cat lives free."
[TOP SECRET]Ben stopped and shot a look at Lewis when he tried to say he couldn't run off at a time like this.
"Why not? Why do I have to listen to you?" he asked. "You're not arresting me because I didn't do it! How many times do I gotta say that before you believe me? Someone is framing me! Ugh, this is stupid. I'm finding the real crook. You guys keep wasting time here, I'll use my time somewhere else." At that moment, the watch came back on, and he looked down at it.
"About time," Ben muttered, fidgeting with the watch and then pressing the button on it. There was a green flash, and Cybersaur, in his humanoid stance, stood where Ben once was. "Besides. I can handle myself. I'm not helpless. I'm fine," Cybersaur retorted, before continuing to trudge through the jungle angrily, away from the church.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.Arcade stayed quiet as Eve spoke, considering her words carefully. He visibly reacted when she pointed out she would be stuck in the compound. He whipped his head up to her, looking slightly shocked.
"Thank you," he said after a brief pause. He hesitated again before saying, "I think you might be right. Even if it's only temporary, this is a new start. I shouldn't just brood over what's happened; I should enjoy the chance to work while I can."
His eyes widened in realization, "I was hired to work here less than an hour ago... This might not be the best first day..."
I say that aloud too sometimes, just: "man, no life.""......then when the mixture is boiling hot, you then - " Plague Knight was interrupted by Yoshika just snatching the potion away -
"Wait wait, don't just - "
- and chugged it down like a man who was stuck in the desert without water for days. " - quaff it......" the alchemist said, face palming.
After finishing the potion, Yoshika would feel......something......as if a choking fog she never was there was being slowly lifted within her mind.......then she convulsed, as if someone punched her right in the face. Plague Knight rushed to catch her in case she fell.
edited 27th May '17 6:31:15 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HITTING HELPY!!A offer for somewhere to stay would be great but none of this fancy crap! "A room would be great but no need to offer any special crap! Digger and Crash were on it and the mighty Kamina isn't the kind of person to not lend out his endless strength for those that need it! I'm no bozo after all!" proclaimed Kamina to Blue with a Gurren thumb pointing at itself.
Simon was busy watching the reunion going on between orange mammal and green dinosaur. Simon felt touched by it. The bond between the two reminded him of his beloved pig mole Boota. Simon went close to the two and said "Hello Ba-by T" and then Lagann shyly and slowly went to pet the young creatures head.
edited 27th May '17 3:46:47 PM by LightToAll
Eve|Hospitree |What's The Opposite Of A Restraing Order?
He thanked her, and decided to take the opportunity to work while he could. Arcade was working here now? Huh. Good for him. She smiled, soft and sweet. "Arcade, you're not being paid. I don't think they can fire you."
Besides, she had the feeling that they could use the all the doctors they had.
[TOP SECRET]

"Androids?" Jack repeated, taking a moment to see if the word was familiar. It clicked after a moment. "Oh, an android. So you're a robot, then? Kind of like Curly. Huh, crazy how human you look." He wondered how she was doing. He hadn't spoken to her in a bit. "And a visor? So, it's like see-through on the other side? What's the point of it?"