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!))

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[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."

[mediadarling]

"Oh, no no no. That's precisely why seizing life with both hands is so important. Blaze out brightly like a star, darling--don't fizzle away."

He'd strike a pose, but it's a bit hard to manage when you're sitting next to a perfect stranger in a drafty hallway and having a heart-to-heart about imminent death.

[dr_awesome]

"You're... pretty optimistic about this. Sometimes you've really got no choice but to fizzle out. I hate to break it to you, but humans aren't all that special. I have a job because most of us don't go about seizing the moment while we can."

He shrugs.

"Frankly, there's no real point in even talking about this."

[mediadarling]

"Mm, I can't say I agree with you there. I have quite a few human fans these days, and each and every one I've met has been wonderful."

But he shrugs as well. "Regardless, suit yourself, darling. I take it you'd prefer I didn't spread this around?"

[dr_awesome]

"We'll have to agree to disagree... but uh, yeah, it's kind of something I want on the down low."

One side of his mouth crooks up in a half smile.

"...Thanks."

[mediadarling]

"Not a problem, sweetheart. Of course...." He gives him an unusually serious look. "If you take a serious turn for the worse, I'm going to have to tell our resident healer about this. I'm not interested in having a life on my hands."

[dr_awesome]

"That's not going to happen."

At least, it isn't going to happen where people will see. Watts is doing his best to be sure of that.

[mediadarling]

"If you say so, beautiful." Somehow, he's not convinced.

A beat, and then he pushes off the wall to stand. "So, now we can either return to the cavity-fest Sans calls a party, or I can give you a tour of the place. Your choice, sweetheart."