castle_perrault | Look at me still talking when there's science to do (Open Post)

Sans is starting to get a handle on this place. Perhaps more to the point, and more potentially useful, is that he's started to get a handle on its inhabitants. There are a few that he keeps a personal eye on on a semi-regular basis, even if they don't always know it. The rest, he's just made note of their passage and their movements. It's all for professional purposes, of course.

And that means that, when he's finally ready to do so, Sans can make contact with every person currently in the castle, either in-person if he knows them by name or by leaving a note somewhere they'll see it if he doesn't yet. Whether by spoken or written word, the message is nevertheless always the same. It's a request to meet him in the ballroom with the cakes table at a certain time and place. From his observations, it seems to be one of the more stable rooms in the castle, so everyone should be able to find it.

On the stated day, at the stated time, everyone will...still have to wait five minutes for Sans to pull himself together after a nap, remember what he's supposed to be doing, and suddenly appear inside the room, still in the process of hastily smoothing out his notecards.

"so, uh, yeah," he says, looking from the assembled residents to the cards and back again. "should probably explain what you're all doing here. so. i'm sure you've all noticed that this castle has got some weird things going on, above and beyond the whole, uh...stealing us from across time and space thing. i'm also assuming that most of you want to go home and won't mind helping me figure out a way to get us there." He gestures at the table. "to do that, i'm gonna need to start testing some of these theories. guesswork is fun, but it doesn't get us anywhere. timing how long it takes this place to reset something seems like a good start. and so this particular experiment runs as cleanly as possible, uh...i'm gonna need your help eating everything on that table. like, all of it. just don't choke on any shiny bits."

Message delivered, Sans crams the notecards back in his pocket, and spreads his arms in silent indication for everyone to dig in.

((ooc: Post comments for your characters that can be replied to, and mingle as you see fit! Eat, drink, be merry, have food fights, and try to be sick outside!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She is certain she has not seen that man before now. She is also certain he was no present when the gathering began, which means he is in danger of cracking or even losing a tooth. While she was able to heal Sans-Serif's broken tooth (she still does not know how), she does not think she could do it again.

"Greetings," she says to him. "You will need to take care while eating: there are gems hidden in the sweets."

"...Huh. Must be a prize for showing up, huh? By the way, nice cosplay. It's a shame Tauriel wasn't in the books; she's pretty badass."

Watts turns back to his cake, completely oblivious to the fact that he might have said something strange. If this is a construct from his memories, this is probably just a cute cosplayer he must have spotted at some point.

No breath is left in her. This--he, he knows her, and he called her--

Her fists clench. "Take back that crudity, human, or I shall ensure you regret your words!"

"Uh, hey! No need to be all in character. We're not LARPing right now. I don't even have my mage robes here, much less my Tenth Doctor cosplay."

What is her problem? He was just giving her a compliment.

She stares at him for a moment. She has been using Westron every day since she was taken to this place, more than she ever has in her life. Surely she cannot be missing so many words...?

Or--she has heard of a sickness of the mind, one where a person once hale becomes unable to speak clearly or move easily. Could it be that this man is suffering from this sickness?

"Are you well? Your speech is strange."

"Uh... I'm pretty sure I'm as well as I can be, considering I'm inside the matrix of my own mind, you know? Frankly, I'm just amazed this worked somewhat. I'm just going to need to find a way to disable the database so this doesn't end up happening again, and I can actually properly go back."

This... probably isn't convincing her that he's well at all, and he gives a wry smile.

"It's okay. I look crazy now, but in a minute, you won't remember this."

Her brows rise the longer he speaks. There is more sense to his words now, but not enough.

She glances about the gathering, searching briefly for Sans. Though it may be a vain hope, it might be that he will understand this man better; he too says strange things at times.

Her gaze returns to him as he speaks his final sentence, stranger than any that came before. "Indeed? Why is that?"

Unfortunately for Watts, he's already given Sans a trigger for his PTSD, and Watts doesn't want to try resetting around the skeleton again. But there's got to be some sort of way to get out of here. Resetting hasn't worked yet, unplugging hasn't either, but maybe there's a memento or something...

"Because pretty soon I'm going to get out of here, and this construct will be deleted. I may not have all my override commands, but one of them has to work on this mess. Let's see here..."

He starts mumbling words under his breath. Some are simple phrases, things like 'step twice in the river of life', some are technological gibberish, and some are complicated math formulae. Occasionally, Neil himself looks to flicker and fade out of existence, but only for a second, before he's right back where he usually is.

She stares at him for one long moment more as he seems to be casting some type of spell. She does not think humans know how to work magic, but she also does not think this man is aware of that.

"Excuse me," she says and prepares to leave to look for Sans.

He'll just... let her go. Sorry, Tauriel. At least he'll get better once he understands how this place really works and takes some time to accept it. Until then, he'll be that Westron weirdo.

Tauriel does in fact return to him after a few moments. When she had found Sans, he was fast asleep in a corner. As much as she would like his help, she does not have the heart to wake him. Instead, she makes a note in her mind of where he lies. She will take him to a proper bed once she has taken care of this strange human.

...What is he doing now?

He's still muttering under his breath, though he seems more frantic, and when Tauriel finally approaches, he stops completely, staring at her in what seems to be horror.

"...Why isn't this working? Why can't I get out of this?"

As she witnesses his fear, her anger fades. As strange as he is, this man is as lost as are they all.

"I am sorry," she says, "but if there is a way to escape this castle, none of us have found it. You will have to remain here for a time."

"Great... just great. Because, you know, I definitely have time to spare staying here doing nothing."

He presses a hand to his forehead, lets out something like a scream through gritted teeth.

"God damn, I need a strong drink."

The sound he makes is--worrying, but then he says something with which she can at last help.

"This castle has a cellar of spirits. If you truly wish to drink, I can lead you there."

"Heh... not every day I get invited to drink with a woodland creature. Sure, why not? Let's go."

Some alcohol will help him unwind, surely.

She gives him an annoyed look. "Call me a 'creature' again and you will be drinking alone."

Already she is regretting her compassion.

"Shit, sorry. Didn't mean it like that. Honest."

Of course he just has to go and stick his foot in his mouth, doesn't he?

She relaxes--somewhat. "Very well. Come this way."

She leads him toward the door.

Look at me still talking when there's science to do (Open Post)

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