[ it's fairly deserted in the Fronch Restaurant when Ludger slides into a booth across from Alhaitham. he looks a bit nervous, but also determined as he meets the other's eyes. ]
Hey, do you have a minute? I wanted to run a question by you.
[Alhaitham is not more rushed into finishing his bite at that question, but he does raise a brow and then set down his fork.] That last minute meeting, you mean. You think Lynne's death would have had a stronger reaction and driven more people to come to a consensus?
Maybe. But I wonder if it would have kept everyone thinking more about why things happen - it's easy to tie the hands taking someone away to the votes. That explanation doesn't work if Lynne is the one gone.
[ Ludger hesitates before pressing on. ]
There's also our relationship with Sage, Foxglove, Rosemary, and Lobelia. Because they initiated this whole poll thing, when voting seems to make things happen, they get blamed as well. But, again, that doesn't work if the one taken is the one with the least amount of votes.
Perhaps, but neither of those things provide more incentive to play along with their structure. Both groups have been primed to distrust each other from the start, and that results in reading the worst intentions behind actions. [He generally is against contemplating hypotheticals of the past, but Ludger is right they need to consider what possible alternatives could have happened and how that shapes what did.]
Though even if Yukinosuke received the most votes, I doubt that was the direct cause so much as a marker this mysterious entity is using--which means that even if we change the format, it may simply adapt with us. Altering the structure is thus mostly a way of addressing people's comfort. When people have very little control in their life, they'll seek any little thing they can change simply to prove they aren't helpless.
[Arguing with the puppets about the trial structure is one of those things, and so is genuine belief that changing voting habits will prevent tragedy. People are emotional and irrational so Alhaitham can't completely disregard the way everyone felt... even if it misses the core issue in his opinion.]
But we know so little about what and why these things are happening that I don't think it would have improved the efficacy of our meeting. We're missing some vital pieces to make sense of all of this, and none of the other group have any explanation or familiarity with this shimmering darkness.
[ Alhaitham laying the facts out is... a little relieving. but mostly disappointing - it was a difficult situation no matter what, wasn't it? ]
There has to be a way to get to the heart of the issue...
[ but despite his murmur, Ludger shakes his head and moves on. ]
I talked to Sage a bit - they said that the darkness looked like... an absence of aether to their senses? But they couldn't see it in Yuki unless he was fully transformed.
[ so no easy detection system for them ]
Ffoxglove is probably the one most familiar with it, and I haven't asked Lobelia or Rosemary yet. And all of it is tied back to the people who used to live here, and wishes somehow? Does that sound about right?
[Fortunately or unfortunately, he's here to be real.]
We have three factors to consider: the tranforming disease, the nature of this place, and the darkness. All of these clearly have some relation to the other, but we don't yet know what those are.
I believe the most important things we need to uncover are the relation between "desire" and this place, the origin of the darkness, and how this place shifts between varying states. These should give the clearest idea of our situation and how to survive it until we escape.
Looking into a cure or vaccine for the disease is important too - if we escape with it incubating in us, we'll just end up repeating this whole scenario.
That's assuming it is incubating in all of us. We don't have any certainty of that yet,but regardless I don't think this place is an adequate space for research.
[Like, people keep killing each other. If they need to quarantine and research there's gotta be a less hostile place to do it.
We've surely been exposed, but exposure doesn't guarantee catching it. At least with Yukinosuke he was exhibiting similar mental symptoms that preclude the actual transformation.
[And in retrospect they should have suspected something with what they knew of the disease. But it can be hard to tell what's just the place around them. Lynne is far better at controlling her emotions than she looks, but someone closer may have seen some signs.]
[It's really a good thing Alhaitham doesn't care about social graces. Ludger gets right to the point when he has a question and Alhaitham appreciates that.]
I didn't, though I have read them. [And copied them down, of course.] Since the pictures were simply put aside it seems like the actions of someone here instead of the nature of this place, doesn't it?
From a place that possibly was also pulling together people from multiple worlds to fight the infection... unless these are summaries.
I wonder why they're only showing up now. This place responds to all of our desires, but it seems to be particularly shaped by the four who came first, doesn't it?
And yet we've been seemingly taken from places this infection hasn't taken hold. If our presence was only by their desires, it wasn't a very well-focused wish.
[He won't say there isn't a possible factor, but it seems less intentional and more "triggered something they shouldn't have". This disease and demon goes well beyond their little group.]
Did it have to be a conscious wish? I know I didn't end up here because of one.
[ he tilts his head, thinking ]
... Snatching, maybe? I don't know - it's just strange that they were suddenly targeted by the note sender a week after we were brought here. They'd been investigating without interruptions before us, right?
My impression is that they focused mostly on their research into the disease rather than this place itself. It's only recently we've learned that they're likely intertwined.
I do think the most likely explanation is that something woke up or arrived shortly before we did. That doesn't mean their wishes didn't wake it up and get us all drawn here, but rather than the target... I believe they just aren't able to evade it permanently. This place expanded even before they were comfortable revealing themselves.
[He'd said so to Lobelia not long before that--that it was likely they couldn't hide from what was hunting the rest of them.]
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w2, tuesday
Hey, do you have a minute? I wanted to run a question by you.
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Sure. [And then he's going to finish that bite. This is the time you have to ask your question, Ludger.]
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... Would we have had a more productive discussion this past weekend if it had been Yuki who was passed over instead of Lynne?
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[ Ludger hesitates before pressing on. ]
There's also our relationship with Sage, Foxglove, Rosemary, and Lobelia. Because they initiated this whole poll thing, when voting seems to make things happen, they get blamed as well. But, again, that doesn't work if the one taken is the one with the least amount of votes.
[ hence. this scenario being presented. ]
no subject
Though even if Yukinosuke received the most votes, I doubt that was the direct cause so much as a marker this mysterious entity is using--which means that even if we change the format, it may simply adapt with us. Altering the structure is thus mostly a way of addressing people's comfort. When people have very little control in their life, they'll seek any little thing they can change simply to prove they aren't helpless.
[Arguing with the puppets about the trial structure is one of those things, and so is genuine belief that changing voting habits will prevent tragedy. People are emotional and irrational so Alhaitham can't completely disregard the way everyone felt... even if it misses the core issue in his opinion.]
But we know so little about what and why these things are happening that I don't think it would have improved the efficacy of our meeting. We're missing some vital pieces to make sense of all of this, and none of the other group have any explanation or familiarity with this shimmering darkness.
no subject
There has to be a way to get to the heart of the issue...
[ but despite his murmur, Ludger shakes his head and moves on. ]
I talked to Sage a bit - they said that the darkness looked like... an absence of aether to their senses? But they couldn't see it in Yuki unless he was fully transformed.
[ so no easy detection system for them ]
Ffoxglove is probably the one most familiar with it, and I haven't asked Lobelia or Rosemary yet. And all of it is tied back to the people who used to live here, and wishes somehow? Does that sound about right?
no subject
We have three factors to consider: the tranforming disease, the nature of this place, and the darkness. All of these clearly have some relation to the other, but we don't yet know what those are.
I believe the most important things we need to uncover are the relation between "desire" and this place, the origin of the darkness, and how this place shifts between varying states. These should give the clearest idea of our situation and how to survive it until we escape.
no subject
Looking into a cure or vaccine for the disease is important too - if we escape with it incubating in us, we'll just end up repeating this whole scenario.
no subject
[Like, people keep killing each other. If they need to quarantine and research there's gotta be a less hostile place to do it.
He's putting his money on Nahida though.]
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[ Ludger had assumed it was an inevitability, given the places they were living in, sleeping in, drinking from, etc etc. ]
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[And in retrospect they should have suspected something with what they knew of the disease. But it can be hard to tell what's just the place around them. Lynne is far better at controlling her emotions than she looks, but someone closer may have seen some signs.]
w3, tuesday
Did you post the medical records in the cafeteria earlier today?
no subject
I didn't, though I have read them. [And copied them down, of course.] Since the pictures were simply put aside it seems like the actions of someone here instead of the nature of this place, doesn't it?
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[ maybe they need to implement a signature system. ]
I'm trying to figure out where they came from. Someone I know is in there - Jude Mathis. The one that's... missing.
[ escaped, hopefully. ]
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[ because that was what was wished for ]
All the most promising leads, pointing us to a cure. Or something like that.
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I wonder why they're only showing up now. This place responds to all of our desires, but it seems to be particularly shaped by the four who came first, doesn't it?
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[ like. they have to be realistic about that possibility ]
Alternatively... whatever keeps sending us notes and information is using us to lure them out.
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[He won't say there isn't a possible factor, but it seems less intentional and more "triggered something they shouldn't have". This disease and demon goes well beyond their little group.]
Lure them out for what?
no subject
[ he tilts his head, thinking ]
... Snatching, maybe? I don't know - it's just strange that they were suddenly targeted by the note sender a week after we were brought here. They'd been investigating without interruptions before us, right?
no subject
I do think the most likely explanation is that something woke up or arrived shortly before we did. That doesn't mean their wishes didn't wake it up and get us all drawn here, but rather than the target... I believe they just aren't able to evade it permanently. This place expanded even before they were comfortable revealing themselves.
[He'd said so to Lobelia not long before that--that it was likely they couldn't hide from what was hunting the rest of them.]