[ sOMEDAY. anyway it's fine, it's tour time. the headsets are on and the scene changes, leaving jonas to look around curiously. you'd think he'd head for the cockpit or the console, but no. he's beelining for the map of stars and planets. he doubts he'll recognize them, but he wishes to see. ]
Guess this is just as good a place as any to have a meeting. Especially since the top deck's that small. [ he can understand that. ] It seems like the kind of place you can go just to take a breather and gather your thoughts after something like that. What kind of info are we talking, exactly?
[ a lot of the stars and planets are unreadable because God if i know what the space layout is. but Jonas will be able to see that the nearest planet to the ship is one named "Liu-An." maybe much much farther off on the map he can find Earth too. ]
The middle deck has the most rooms but for something like discussions, this is just more ideal for it. [ they nod. it's a good place for them to gather thoughts before eventually heading to sleep. ] Just information regarding the ship. Resources, stats, things the captain should know.
[ It's said mostly offhandedly. like it hasn't really been something important enough for them to dig too deeply into. they watch him with clear interest, more curious to see what he goes to check out and ask about. there's some fun in that. ]
I guess those are important to make sure your ship stays up in the air and everything. It's a lot of responsibility to be a captain. [ he wanders over to the cockpit now, clearly looking over all of the different devices to pilot the ship and everything. ] You've all be on this one for a while, haven't you?
It is, but that's what the ship's AI LeVi is for. They help run and control the ship, and ensure proper procedures are being enacted. Especially during the captain's absence when he isn't there during some loops.
[ he's free to look! Setsu won't stop him, obviously. but they'll follow along to watch over. though they begin to look at the room with a distant look. ]
Ever since we left Liu-An, which was invaded by the Gnosia, we always start off recovering on this ship. So to everyone else... we haven't been on the ship for too long. It's almost always the very same day. [ but it can extent to a bit, yes. ] But for me and my friend, it's obviously been much longer than that. ..Not that I could confidently gauge a proper timeframe.
[ he nods and he doesn't ask why the captain's not in all of the loops. setsu has explained this before, and he has the basic grasp of how their loops work. it's still more intense than what he knows he and alex have experienced (as far as he knows), so sometimes it's a little harder to understand, but he gets the basic idea.
the starting point is the same even if the day's events and people and objects aren't. ]
It's probably hard when the day keeps restarting every time you clear the objectives for your key. It could be days or weeks or months by now of going through the same motions and not being able to tell anyone but your friend. [ jeez. he has half a mind to fiddle with some controls, but he does not. ] Sounds pretty rough.
[ it has been mentioned briefly before, that not everyone is there every loop. but at this point.. they would explain further if he asked. if he questioned. they've opened up so much at this point, it would come naturally to them to share just as they would back in their universe with another. ]
Mm. [ they grow quiet, their expression and gaze both are distant. but they don't seem upset by what he says or bothered. ] It is rough. I can't deny that. But it's hard to hate it, or even dislike it, despite everything. I was able to survive longer because of it.
[ that isn't to say they're immune to it all. the exhaustion that clings to them is as clear as day. but they still smile, content with it. ]
You do know most people wouldn't be able to handle that kind of responsibility, you know? You can be neutral about it and still think it's a lot of pressure.
[ and it still isn't necessarily fair, but there's no sense in repeating it.
instead...he shakes his head. ]
Where else do you usually go on the ship? [ a distraction. ]
[ now is a good time for some insecurities to flare up. because that must be really weird of them? really, who is just comfortable being stuck in a time loop for the rest of their lives? but it's not like they can complain. or throw a tantrum, or yell about it. it is what it is. they seem a bit distracted by those thoughts, frowning now, but perk up when he tries for a distraction. ]
Where.. I go? [ Setsu had plan to take this to be a normal tour as they did with Alex, show them the whole ship. so they weren't really expected to ask where they go personally. they pause, thinking and.. ] I usually visit all locations, except one, but for the ones I visit the most... there's this one and, ah...
[ well. there are only two other rooms they visit frequently outside this one. for a moment, the scene glitches before it loads into this. a bright, relaxing space, perfect for meetings. the automated aquarium is full of small fish, shrimp, etc. it's a pretty nice place overall. ] I come here to the lobby lounge frequently on the middle deck. Sickbay is the other one, [ lol ] which is in a room behind us along with a few other rooms we can check out.
[ a gentle shoulder bump. hey. don't get stuck in your own head right now, thank you.
when the room glitches, he blinks in surprise before the scene settles down into the lounge. he's immediately distracted by the aquarium to see if the fish appear real or if they're like alien fish, but he glances back at them while he talks. ]
The lobby I can understand. It looks like a good place to unwind. [ but... ] Why the Sickbay though? Was that...like...during certain loops? [ when they were gnosia?? help. ]
[ they blink up at the gentle shoulder bump, giving him a reassuring smile afterward. sorry sorry. they're okay! they will try to focus on other things.
and... as far as i know, they're normal fish?? whether they're real real though... they're probably synthetic maybe. they are swimming about though within the tanks. ]
Well... [ they seem to give it some thought. ] It's a starting point, for one of my friend's loops... so it could be because of that. So when I need to clear my head, going there is a bit of a reminder.
Oh. Like something grounding, a little, to remind you of what you need to do. [ sounds a little sad still but it's fine. ] I know you've mentioned the number of loops you and your friend are on are different, but you start them at the same time, right? Or do you start earlier and you have to just wait for them?
Yes, that precisely. [ they are a lil pleased he gets it. even if yeah, it's sad. ] Technically, I believe we do. Not that we always start physically together in the same room every loop.
After all, our loops aren't completely in sync with one another, so even if I move on to the next one before them... I won't be waiting. I'll come across them at the meetings. [because the friend they meet in their next loop will be one that's either further along compared to the last or even before that one. it might have been different if their loops were synced up.]
That sounds pretty confusing to know where you actually are and where they might be. I don't think I'd be able to keep up with something like that. [ he leaves the fishies alone and seems to be wandering to look around. ]
But at least it's always you and it's always them. And not like...different versions or something weird like that.
It does make it hard to keep track of but, anytime we sync our keys together it does let me know what loop they're on. [ so they can always find out if they wanted. if Jonas decides to inspect any of the rooms ahead or behind them.. he can, me with many rooms to share outside this lobby lounge. ]
Well... the only different versions would be if I happen to be Gnosia, if they happen to be Gnosia, or even with us both Gnosia. There are also various roles we could possibly have too on the human side. [ so, in a sense sorta... ] ...Ah, there's also the possibility of "Bug" as well.
[ he will in fact start to wander ahead just to explore, thinking setsu will follow. ]
Makes sense. It'd be a little harder if you couldn't ever figure it out at all. I remember you've said you had to do different things to complete your objectives, so that tracks, too. But...what exactly is "bug"?
[ Setsu will indeed follow close behind, but giving him the space to explore and look around. still more interested in what he sees and asks. but leaving the lobby lounge, they enter the coordidors with doors around them leading to different rooms. ]
Bug is... you could say they're a third party. They don't align themselves with humans despite being technically human but nor do they with Gnosia. [ briefly, they look at their own hand, trying to relive some of their memories. ] The Bug is a "cosmic mistake", a sort of glitch in the universe, that will end the universe if they survive until the end. So long as they're alive by the time one side is supposedly determined the winner... they win instead, and they destroy the universe entirely.
[ haha... ]
Gnosia can't kill them, but Engineers can by trying to analyze them. They harmlessly blip from existence when found by them. And there's also the cold sleep method. [ they look around them now, thinking back. ] ..I don't remember how many times I've watched the universe break and crumble around me, but I do remember them plenty.
[ he's walking, and both eyebrows sort of raise in surprise at the mention of the bug being a cosmic mistake. that. is pretty drastic, he thinks. he's walking though and seems to be poking around at different doors. he's looking for the sickbay to see how far it is from where they are, not realizing it's possibly on a whole other floor. it'd be easier if he said that, but no. ]
That...mostly sounds like somebody cheating. Like if you can just coast until one side wins and then decide you're the winner yourself without really doing anything just to destroy the universe--and actually, why do they want to destroy the universe? It's just programmed into them? If they can just be deleted or whatever by the Engineers. It sounds too easy for them to hide right under your nose.
[ actually, if it's the sickbay he's looking for, it's one of the nearest rooms to the lobby. so, if he's poking at a door closeby, it'll open and he'll come across this room. immediately, he'll see some medical capsules around, as well as cabinets filled with what looks to be medicine.
Setsu will pause behind him, looking to see if he'll go in. he really is lucky sickbay is actually on the middle deck that they're on help. ] Saying it's just programmed into them is probably the best way to put it. Whenever I was the Bug... it's similar to Gnosia, in that need to destroy humanity. Except, as Bug, it was the universe. I could feel it. Knowing I was going to.
[ they peer into the sickbay room. ] It's why it's the Engineer's job to try and find the Bug first and foremost. Bugs will lie and claim roles, which does tip Engineers off a little to start inspecting them.
[ imagine he'd just wander aimlessly instead. but no, he does open the door and just drift in silently to take a look out of curiosity. ]
So another situation where it was against your will and you were just a vessel for something bigger. [ he sounds pretty unhappy about that for whatever reason. ] The Bug doesn't know what roles anyone else already has, right? They just try to lie with everything they've got and escape someone calling them out. What happens if an Engineer is removed...? Can anybody else check on stuff?
[ hey, he could do that if he wants. Setsu will follow along either way. they don't mind him taking the lead to look around. the ship is available to him. ]
Essentially, yes... [ whether it's gnosia or bug, they become a vessel for it. they don't question why he seems unhappy about it.. they know it's a pretty messed up situation, though they watch him, curious. ] Most of the time, there's always one of most roles- on the human side, that is. Bug and Gnosia both are aware of when they can lie about being Doctor or Engineer.
[ they come over to one of the medical capsules, a distant look on their face as they carefully touch the edge of it. ] Since there's only one Engineer, once they're erased... or even wrongfully put into cold sleep, that's it. They're the only ones that can analyze people still around. But the Doctor, they can at least analyze those we put into cold sleep, to tell us whether they're human or Gnosia.
Guess that makes sense. [ it's still a fucked up sort of process, but he can understand that. ] I was just wondering if it was at all possible to pass on the roles once a person's gone or if you have one shot and that's that. It almost sounds like it's safer to be a normal person than have responsibility you have to guard and also dodge becoming a target.
It would be convenient if you could pass on a role. But no, once you lose that person with a role- it's gone for the rest of that loop. This makes some loops difficult when the person is someone that stands out too much that they get targeted right away.
[ they nod a little. ] There is a Guardian Angel role to help with that. They're capable of protecting one person per night against Gnosia attacks. The downside though is they cannot protect themselves, so. They need to lay low and not stand out for the Gnosia to target them.
[ he's contemplating over that before he sort of sighs again. ]
The whole thing sounds so complicated with a bunch of unwritten rules and roles you just have to go into blind and hope for the best. Having to do it over and over again in multiple loops...I can't really picture that.
[ he can't picture doing it without going crazy, mostly. ]
[ a quiet hum in response. ] It's definitely a lot to remember.
Mm... I remember the very first time, before the loops even began. I was... so lost. Uncertain of what to do... afraid. But, someone pointed out to me that I was part of the military, to take charge and...
[ Their gaze never leaves that medical capsule. it's very much empty, but they stare as if someone is there. ] I felt like I had to. No matter what came at me.
[ he follows their gaze eventually, looking as if he'll see whatever invisible anything is there. ]
...how long did it take you to really believe you could actually do it? I think there's a difference between knowing you have to do something and being able to do it for real.
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Guess this is just as good a place as any to have a meeting. Especially since the top deck's that small. [ he can understand that. ] It seems like the kind of place you can go just to take a breather and gather your thoughts after something like that. What kind of info are we talking, exactly?
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The middle deck has the most rooms but for something like discussions, this is just more ideal for it. [ they nod. it's a good place for them to gather thoughts before eventually heading to sleep. ] Just information regarding the ship. Resources, stats, things the captain should know.
[ It's said mostly offhandedly. like it hasn't really been something important enough for them to dig too deeply into. they watch him with clear interest, more curious to see what he goes to check out and ask about. there's some fun in that. ]
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I guess those are important to make sure your ship stays up in the air and everything. It's a lot of responsibility to be a captain. [ he wanders over to the cockpit now, clearly looking over all of the different devices to pilot the ship and everything. ] You've all be on this one for a while, haven't you?
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[ he's free to look! Setsu won't stop him, obviously. but they'll follow along to watch over. though they begin to look at the room with a distant look. ]
Ever since we left Liu-An, which was invaded by the Gnosia, we always start off recovering on this ship. So to everyone else... we haven't been on the ship for too long. It's almost always the very same day. [ but it can extent to a bit, yes. ] But for me and my friend, it's obviously been much longer than that. ..Not that I could confidently gauge a proper timeframe.
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the starting point is the same even if the day's events and people and objects aren't. ]
It's probably hard when the day keeps restarting every time you clear the objectives for your key. It could be days or weeks or months by now of going through the same motions and not being able to tell anyone but your friend. [ jeez. he has half a mind to fiddle with some controls, but he does not. ] Sounds pretty rough.
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Mm. [ they grow quiet, their expression and gaze both are distant. but they don't seem upset by what he says or bothered. ] It is rough. I can't deny that. But it's hard to hate it, or even dislike it, despite everything. I was able to survive longer because of it.
[ that isn't to say they're immune to it all. the exhaustion that clings to them is as clear as day. but they still smile, content with it. ]
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[ and it still isn't necessarily fair, but there's no sense in repeating it.
instead...he shakes his head. ]
Where else do you usually go on the ship? [ a distraction. ]
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[ now is a good time for some insecurities to flare up. because that must be really weird of them? really, who is just comfortable being stuck in a time loop for the rest of their lives? but it's not like they can complain. or throw a tantrum, or yell about it. it is what it is. they seem a bit distracted by those thoughts, frowning now, but perk up when he tries for a distraction. ]
Where.. I go? [ Setsu had plan to take this to be a normal tour as they did with Alex, show them the whole ship. so they weren't really expected to ask where they go personally. they pause, thinking and.. ] I usually visit all locations, except one, but for the ones I visit the most... there's this one and, ah...
[ well. there are only two other rooms they visit frequently outside this one. for a moment, the scene glitches before it loads into this. a bright, relaxing space, perfect for meetings. the automated aquarium is full of small fish, shrimp, etc. it's a pretty nice place overall. ] I come here to the lobby lounge frequently on the middle deck. Sickbay is the other one, [ lol ] which is in a room behind us along with a few other rooms we can check out.
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when the room glitches, he blinks in surprise before the scene settles down into the lounge. he's immediately distracted by the aquarium to see if the fish appear real or if they're like alien fish, but he glances back at them while he talks. ]
The lobby I can understand. It looks like a good place to unwind. [ but... ] Why the Sickbay though? Was that...like...during certain loops? [ when they were gnosia?? help. ]
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and... as far as i know, they're normal fish?? whether they're real real though... they're probably synthetic maybe. they are swimming about though within the tanks. ]
Well... [ they seem to give it some thought. ] It's a starting point, for one of my friend's loops... so it could be because of that. So when I need to clear my head, going there is a bit of a reminder.
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After all, our loops aren't completely in sync with one another, so even if I move on to the next one before them... I won't be waiting. I'll come across them at the meetings. [because the friend they meet in their next loop will be one that's either further along compared to the last or even before that one. it might have been different if their loops were synced up.]
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But at least it's always you and it's always them. And not like...different versions or something weird like that.
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Well... the only different versions would be if I happen to be Gnosia, if they happen to be Gnosia, or even with us both Gnosia. There are also various roles we could possibly have too on the human side. [ so, in a sense sorta... ] ...Ah, there's also the possibility of "Bug" as well.
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Makes sense. It'd be a little harder if you couldn't ever figure it out at all. I remember you've said you had to do different things to complete your objectives, so that tracks, too. But...what exactly is "bug"?
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Bug is... you could say they're a third party. They don't align themselves with humans despite being technically human but nor do they with Gnosia. [ briefly, they look at their own hand, trying to relive some of their memories. ] The Bug is a "cosmic mistake", a sort of glitch in the universe, that will end the universe if they survive until the end. So long as they're alive by the time one side is supposedly determined the winner... they win instead, and they destroy the universe entirely.
[ haha... ]
Gnosia can't kill them, but Engineers can by trying to analyze them. They harmlessly blip from existence when found by them. And there's also the cold sleep method. [ they look around them now, thinking back. ] ..I don't remember how many times I've watched the universe break and crumble around me, but I do remember them plenty.
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That...mostly sounds like somebody cheating. Like if you can just coast until one side wins and then decide you're the winner yourself without really doing anything just to destroy the universe--and actually, why do they want to destroy the universe? It's just programmed into them? If they can just be deleted or whatever by the Engineers. It sounds too easy for them to hide right under your nose.
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Setsu will pause behind him, looking to see if he'll go in. he really is lucky sickbay is actually on the middle deck that they're on help. ] Saying it's just programmed into them is probably the best way to put it. Whenever I was the Bug... it's similar to Gnosia, in that need to destroy humanity. Except, as Bug, it was the universe. I could feel it. Knowing I was going to.
[ they peer into the sickbay room. ] It's why it's the Engineer's job to try and find the Bug first and foremost. Bugs will lie and claim roles, which does tip Engineers off a little to start inspecting them.
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So another situation where it was against your will and you were just a vessel for something bigger. [ he sounds pretty unhappy about that for whatever reason. ] The Bug doesn't know what roles anyone else already has, right? They just try to lie with everything they've got and escape someone calling them out. What happens if an Engineer is removed...? Can anybody else check on stuff?
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Essentially, yes... [ whether it's gnosia or bug, they become a vessel for it. they don't question why he seems unhappy about it.. they know it's a pretty messed up situation, though they watch him, curious. ] Most of the time, there's always one of most roles- on the human side, that is. Bug and Gnosia both are aware of when they can lie about being Doctor or Engineer.
[ they come over to one of the medical capsules, a distant look on their face as they carefully touch the edge of it. ] Since there's only one Engineer, once they're erased... or even wrongfully put into cold sleep, that's it. They're the only ones that can analyze people still around. But the Doctor, they can at least analyze those we put into cold sleep, to tell us whether they're human or Gnosia.
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[ they nod a little. ] There is a Guardian Angel role to help with that. They're capable of protecting one person per night against Gnosia attacks. The downside though is they cannot protect themselves, so. They need to lay low and not stand out for the Gnosia to target them.
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The whole thing sounds so complicated with a bunch of unwritten rules and roles you just have to go into blind and hope for the best. Having to do it over and over again in multiple loops...I can't really picture that.
[ he can't picture doing it without going crazy, mostly. ]
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Mm... I remember the very first time, before the loops even began. I was... so lost. Uncertain of what to do... afraid. But, someone pointed out to me that I was part of the military, to take charge and...
[ Their gaze never leaves that medical capsule. it's very much empty, but they stare as if someone is there. ] I felt like I had to. No matter what came at me.
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...how long did it take you to really believe you could actually do it? I think there's a difference between knowing you have to do something and being able to do it for real.
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