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

[sansational]

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!))

Comments

[dr_awesome]

"Uh...huh. Well, I mean, I'm impressed I came up with a robot so advanced, that's for sure. I've probably been watching too much anime lately. But sure, I'll take an autograph. Uh... let's see."

He grabs a napkin and hands it over. This looks like a good chance for him to get a memento. Then he can get out of this fever dream and hopefully get somewhere sane.

"And I'm Dr. Neil Watts. Like you said, a pleasure." Since he'll be leaving soon, he doesn't mind giving his actual name.

[mediadarling]

"You came up with me?" He chuckles. "Darling, I think you're getting a tiny bit over-excited. It's Dr. Alphys who built me."

Still, he takes the napkin. But then he pauses. Hm. No pen. That's all right--if he uses just a little bit of a magical spark...just enough to singe the fabric....

He begins to write To Dr. Neil in looping cursive before asking, "One T or two, beautiful?"

[dr_awesome]

"Dr. Alphys? Pretty sure they aren't part of my company. Are they with a new startup?"

He may be antisocial, but he's met everyone who works with Sigmund at least once. He's pretty sure he'd know Dr. Alphys...

Neil's brain just stops working as he stares dumbfounded at the robot's sparking.

"A... built-in flamethrower? Nice. I probably would have gone for literal fingerguns, but that's pretty cool. And, uh, two Ts."

[mediadarling]

The poor thing seems more than a little confused, though he can hardly blame him. Turning up here can be awfully disorienting.

He finishes writing Neil's name, then pauses and holds his index finger in the air. "It's not a flamethrower, darling. It's magic. See?" He lets the spark grow into the air a little--not so much that it would start branching off, of course. It wouldn't do to shock a new fan...well. Not like this, anyway.

He then brings the spark back to a more manageable size and continues writing.

[dr_awesome]

"...A robot with magic. Sure, that makes perfect sense. For a dream. Which is what this has to be. None of this is real. You're... definitely not real. Why can't I unplug myself?"

Watts is starting to look more panicked the longer he stands around watching Mettaton write, and just as Mettaton is finishing his signature, Neil flickers out of existence for a moment, before reappearing two seconds later.

"Dammit!"

[mediadarling]

...Well, that was a trick.

Mettaton blinks at the empty space where Neil had been until he returns. Hm. It looks as though Sans has competition in the disappearing department.

"Language, darling," he reminds him, but absently. This human has said a lot of interesting things in a short period of time, but one word in particular sticks out.

"Now, did I mishear you, or did you just say 'unplug'?"

[dr_awesome]

"Ugh, don't language me! This is serious!"

He glares angrily at Mettaton, but the usual vitriol is muted thanks to what appears to be fear. His hands are shaking.

"Yes, unplug! Get myself out of this construct and back into the real world! Where I am trying to get this machine working so I can actually fix things! If I can't get out, my superiors will find this, and if they can even get me out of here, I'll probably spend the last year or so of my life in jail, and... fuck!"

[mediadarling]

Mettaton drops the autographed napkin on the table and takes firm hold of Neil's upper arm.

"All right, darling," he says, his voice abruptly serious, "I think it's time we take a little walk outside so you can get some fresh air and we can talk."

As far as he can tell, none of the children have noticed his impending breakdown, and he'd very much like to keep things that way.

[dr_awesome]

Neil tries to pull away from Mettaton's grip, but the robot holds firm, and the scientist lets out a hiss of frustration.

"Fine. Fine, whatever. Take me wherever you want."

He doesn't have the energy to argue with a memory. He's completely powerless, like he was the time Eva took over the construct. But that's not supposed to happen when he's the only one in the memoryscape... he's going to be sick.

[mediadarling]

"Right this way...."

He saunters toward the door, keeping a pleasant expression on his face the entire time. He doesn't care in the slightest what Neil thinks of this. He can react all he wants--once they're outside.

He only lets go once they're outside the ballroom and a good distance down the hall. As soon as he does, his hand goes on his hip.

"All right, beautiful, panic away. But do keep it down, hmm? Sound carries awfully far in these hallways."

[dr_awesome]

He follows Mettaton's lead down the hallway, and when he's given the go ahead, he slumps against one of the walls, sliding down onto his ass and putting his head in his hands.

"Just... what the fuck is this? This doesn't make any sense. I-I can't be here. What's... what's going to happen?"

He lets out a sigh, an exhale that sounds slightly wet, and then looks back up at the robot.

"Okay, I need an explanation. Where exactly am I?"

[mediadarling]

He lets the language pass, though he grimaces slightly. He supposes now, of all times, is reason enough to be crude.

"If I could tell you that, darling, we'd all be halfway home." He sighs as well, a frustrated sort of sound. "All I can tell you is that we're in a castle on a floating island, and if you don't believe me, there are plenty of windows to look out, as well as all of this."

He taps a foot and sends a wisp of cloud that had been drifting along the floor tumbling away.

"We've all ended up here exactly as you have--I was about to start a very important concert, myself--and none of us are happy about it. Well," he checks himself, "maybe one or two people are, but I'm certainly not one of them."

[dr_awesome]

"This island is floating? Great, so I'm not even on Earth, am I? This is like some sort of fairytale. Or a comic book setup. I'm half expecting a gang of elves to come bursting through one of these doors."

It's a rather stupid joke, but making snide remarks is Watts' best way of coping. Especially when he was brought away from something important and all the way to this dreamland with no hope of getting home.

"Yeah, well, I was in the middle of a life-saving experiment. I... If I don't get back soon, it's all going to be screwed up."

He groans. He can only hope that the robot will take this as an explanation for his strange words earlier, that maybe he'll just think the experiment will fail. He has to hope no one catches on, especially now that he knows they're real, sentient people.

[mediadarling]

Just like that, most of his impatience fades. It's a lot easier to understand Neil's panic when he takes what he's said into account.

"I'm sorry to hear it, darling. I can only hope for the sake of whoever's life you're saving that you'll be one of the lucky ones and leave as soon as possible.

"Though, as a friendly piece of advice...." he adds. "I wouldn't make too many jokes about elves. Our resident elf might not take that kindly to it."

[dr_awesome]

Neil runs a hand through his messy hair, takes a few more slow breaths, and then eventually looks at Mettaton with a wry smile.

"Yeah, well, here's hoping, I guess. Granted, I have a knack for ruining these things anyways. If I was around, I probably would have hit a self-destruct button or something."

He raises an eyebrow at the comment the robot makes.

"An... elf. You actually have an elf here? You're not just kidding with me?"

[mediadarling]

"Not at all. She's quite the lady. But I'd be careful not to get on her bad side, beautiful."

Tauriel has been nothing but polite with him, but she seems a little too comfortable with those knives of hers for him to want to take any chances.

[dr_awesome]

"Aw, c'mon. Me? Get on someone's bad side? I'm completely charming."

Mettaton should note the sarcasm oozing from every word Watts speaks. He'll be hearing a lot of that from the scientist the longer the two of them are acquaintances.

[mediadarling]

Mettaton notes that sarcasm with a small shake of his head. Oh, he'll learn.

"So you've demonstrated."

Thoughtfully, he looks over Neil for a moment. "Now, darling, if you wouldn't mind indulging a monster's curiosity.... What did you mean, exactly, by 'the last year or so of my life'?"

[dr_awesome]

Watts is about to continue joking around when Mettaton mentions... that. He had dearly hoped that what he had said had been mainly ignored, but apparently he could never be that lucky.

"Did I say that? I must have meant last few decades or whatever."

He almost sounds convincing.

[mediadarling]

He sets a hand on a well-shaped hip. "Sweetheart, I may be no scientist, but that doesn't mean I'm completely lacking in brains. What was that about, hmm?"

[dr_awesome]

"I wasn't suggesting you were brainless. Just that maybe I slipped up, and said something I didn't mean. Or maybe even something I'd really rather not get into with a complete stranger."

He laughs harshly.

"I mean, if I haven't told my partner, why should I tell you?"

[mediadarling]

"Mm, you raise a good point."

After a pause, he joins Neil on the floor, sitting beside him with one knee bent and his other leg stretched out straight in front of him.

"I hope by now someone's told you that honesty in relationships is absolutely vital. Having a year left to live is not the sort of thing you want to be hiding from your partner. Trust me on this--I'm the star of a relationship advice show. I know what I'm talking about, darling."

[dr_awesome]

"Realationships?"

That's enough to make him laugh, but there's still a slight hint of bitterness in it.

"Nah, I'm not talking about a romantic partner. She's my coworker. I mean, we've known each other since high school, but we aren't particularly close or anything. So that's why I didn't tell her."

[mediadarling]

He hears that bitterness and he shakes his head. Neil here is only fooling himself, it seems.

"And that's precisely why you aren't close."

[dr_awesome]

"Yeah, well. Not much of a point getting close to anyone when you're in a situation like I am. Uh, my job involves being surrounded by death, so."