vivarium | ambidex voting #8

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ambidex voting #8

A M B I D E X V O T I N G

Chop chop, everyone downstairs to the first floor! You're all done the puzzle rooms, so you know what to do. Well, most of you, but it's pretty basic, just enter any Ambidex Room you like (they're not elevators, you ignorant test subjects) then vote! How does voting work? Very simple! Pick Ally or Betray, and that's it! But with every round, there's always some prizes, depending on what you vote, so here's this rounds:

For anyone who chooses Ally, well, if your opponent chooses Ally as well, then 2BP for each of you. You get all that friendship, blah blah, whatever.

For anyone who chooses Betray, and gets a Betray in return, your BP doesn't change at all, but you might get some coins for your trouble, let's saaaay, 20? Generous, I know.

Now, the best part: for anyone who chooses Betray and their opponent chooses Ally, Calhoun will be very generous with his prizes, again! You'll get 15 coins and a memory! Also, as usual, those who pick Betray get 3BP instead of just 2.

But if you're the poor sap that chose Ally and got stabbed in the back, well, sorry, you lose 2 BP. At least you got stabbed for the greater good, right? And plus, you might get a little something. He'll talk to you later about it.

But anyway, happy voting! Calhoun will see all of you later with the results.

BASIC INFO ✖ VOTES + FORMS ✖ RESULTS + REACTIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

W-Well, maybe... but if you find me lying dead somewhere with a knife sticking out of my face, he probably got his revenge. [~~or sasuke was on a rampage again~~]

[Simon starts to relax a little, but then Heiji goes and mentions the robots. His shoulders tense up, but he actually manages to laugh a little, in the most sheepish and self-deprecating way possible.]

A-Are you kidding? Have you met me? The last thing I remember before waking up inside one of those elevators was, like, screaming super loudly before keeling over and knocking my head against the ground. I think I lasted, um... twenty minutes?

But, I mean - like I said, I'm trying to be tougher. I need to really learn how to survive in this place, so... that's what I'm doing. I won't get caught by jerky robots ever again.

Wow, Simon, was that an actual... joke? Maybe you really were getting better!

"Well, I guess they were pretty frightening. Clive ain't make it, either, and I thought he had pretty good odds." Of course, it probably hadn't helped that Zelos had sicced the robot horde on him.

"Anyway, glad you ain't takin' it too hard. Say, you got a memory from that cooking contest, right? You remember anything good?"

Clive didn't make it...? [Simon looks genuinely concerned. Clive's becoming another closer friend to him, so... he'll have to talk to him about that later...

Oh, but the memory thing. That's actually something he's been meaning to talk to someone about. He's still kind of bummed about Clive, but he forces a grin and peers up at Heiji.]

Y-Yeah... I remembered what I did for a living. I was, um... [no wait wait, he has an idea.]

Actually! I've got, like, ten coins left! If you can guess what I did, I'll totally give them to you.

"A guessing game, huh? Do I get any hints?" Not that Heiji really cared either way; his eyes lit up at once at the mention of a challenge.

"Let's see... from your clothes and mannerisms, I just can't see you in a boring office job. But you're probably not a professional baker, either, because that'd be too obvious -- you wouldn't bet 10 coins on that. My guess is that you work in entertainment. Not something big and flashy, like a director or producer, though."

He ticked off points on his fingers as he spoke. "You're always mindful of others, quick to smooth things over, and sensitive to other people's moods, so I think you'd be good at a support role. But probably not something like a stuntman, since that's pretty dangerous work." Plus Simon didn't seem... all that coordinated so far.

"You might be good with sets or something, but... hmm..." No, that didn't quite sound right, either. He wasn't sure if Simon was good at art, and someone who worked on sets or camerawork or something similar had to be good with criticism.

"You're detail-oriented and slow to criticize other people. But if they do something wrong, you just kinda do it yourself. I'd say you'd fit right in as a handler for a demanding client!" He could just see Simon shuttling someone back and forth, fretting over their behavior, going out on coffee runs...

[Heiji's... Heiji's so smart!! Like, Simon already knew how smart this guy was, but during the deduction, his eyes go steadily wider as he watches Heiji's train of thought. There's something incredibly impressive about how quick he is, but more than that, Simon feels himself going a little pink with shy embarrassment whenever Heiji brings up his traits. Like, Heiji's been paying attention to him enough to say nice things about him? That's crazy. Heiji's so cool.]

Y-You're pretty close! I worked in entertainment! [He pulls out the coins he has left and holds them out to Heiji, grinning ear to ear.] I-I mean, you're a bit off, but...

I worked in a circus. Like, in that memory, I was all dressed up in makeup, and I had a big clown outfit on, and... and I had a monkey, and I guess I was his tamer, or something, 'cause he listened to the stuff I told him to do and we entertained some kids together. I'd definitely say that training a monkey to do tricks and entertaining kids both count as "handling demanding clients", so... you were right about that, too.

YES close enough, although he had no idea about the monkey (although that did make Simon's name kind of appropriate, didn't it?). More importantly, Heiji rather enjoyed the game.

"Well, whattaya know! You do look like you'd be good with kids..." After all, kids liked circuses, bright colors, AND monkeys, so.

He didn't hold his hand out for the coins right away, though. "But ten coins is enough for a toothbrush and toothpaste. Do you already have those? I mean, I wouldn't wanna take that away from you."

Oh, um. [Simon faltered, just for a moment, but... he steeled his expression and firmly dropped the coins into Heiji's hand.] D-Don't worry about something like that, dude. It's my money, right? So - so if I want to give it to you, I totally will!

[It seems like giving Heiji his coins matters to Simon quite a bit - maybe he's still trying to make up for the baumkuchen thing, or maybe he's trying to prove he isn't a burden to the group by doing something helpful like this. Either way, he's totally not gonna take no for an answer. He rapidly changes topics before Heiji can refuse the money.]

A-Anyway!

What about you? Did you get any good memories recently?

Simon...

Well, at least he seemed determined about it. That was progress, right? Heiji looked a little unsure about it, but they'd all survived without the benefit of a toothbrush for a little bit, so maybe he'd just be sure and get one for Simon later.

"Yeah, the last one was pretty interesting. I remembered the time I got kidnapped." Heiji didn't seem much concerned by this, and said it much in the manner of someone saying 'I bought myself some ice cream' or maybe 'I took pictures at the park'.

[Simon fails to hide the satisfied little grin creeping up on his face when Heiji keeps the coins. MISSION SUCCESS]

Oh, yeah? Kidnapped, huh? That sounds--

[wait what]

W-Wait, what?

"Yeah," said Heiji, not missing a beat. "But not by Zero. It was a lawyer and a couple of her goons. Wanted me to solve a puzzle for them, so they nabbed me and another hostage and threatened us at gunpoint."

Gosh, some people, with their kidnapping high schoolers and threatening to blow their brains out. 0/10, would not recommend.

S-So you've been kidnapped twice? Once by Zero and once by, like, militarized lawyers? Heiji... [Would it be weird to give Heiji a hug? It might be weird to give Heiji a hug, so he doesn't.]

Did you... have to go through stuff like that a lot back home? I mean, I know you probably don't remember too much about life outside this place, but that doesn't seem normal, dude.

It would definitely be weird Simon please don't hug him...

"Well, people keep saying that," said Heiji, "But I think that kinda thing was probably normal for me. I don't remember bein' real shocked that it was happening. Of course, you could say the same thing about Jake -- seems like he's takin' everything in stride."

[if that kind of stuff was normal for heiji, maybe he's the son of a super famous politician or something? or maybe he's a prince! simon thinks that'd be pretty rad.]

Well... maybe the fact that you're used to dangerous situations is why you and Jake were brought here in the first place. Maybe Zero and Calhoun wanted a couple of test subjects who they knew would be able to handle everything they threw at them... I mean, it's easy to forget sometimes, but this is basically just one big experiment, right? So...

It's possible they brought you and Jake were brought in here to win this game, or something. You might be the only ones in this group capable of making it out alive.

Heiji gave this a few moments' thought.

"I don't think that's true," he said finally. "I mean, yeah, we definitely have an advantage when it comes to dealing with stuff like robots. But if all Zero wanted was to see who was toughest, he wouldn't have set up the game like he did.

"The way it's set up right now, even people who betray others multiple times or don't betray anyone have a chance at reaching 63 BP. I mean, look at Zelos. He's betrayed people twice, but he's still in the lead."

[Simon... looks like he has a lot more to say about this whole Tough Subject thing, but for now, at least, he's going to let it go. There's only so much Zero he can talk about before he wants to curl up and cry. GOTTA BE TOUGH]

Um... speaking of Zelos, though... can I ask you what you think about him...? I haven't really spent any time with him, but I know I'll have to soon, and he's kind of intimidating.

F-For that matter, there are a couple of other test subjects I want your opinion on, too. Unless that's too, uh... personal.

Heiji blinked. Wow, the only person who actually asked him about this stuff was Simon's bestest friend, Hershel. "You mean like in general? Hmm... he keeps his cards pretty close to his vest, I guess. Dunno anyone he's real close to, though he seems like one of those playboy types.

"Maybe a little fussy about his face and so on; it's like he actually bothers keeping all that hair shiny. I woulda chopped it off the first week I was here, personally -- too much trouble, and you gotta worry about it getting caught in traps. He seems pretty smart, but if he's got any conviction about anything but himself, I ain't seen it yet."

Apparently, this wasn't too personal a subject for Heiji. "I don't think he's all that intimidating, though. Just unpredictable."

Th-that doesn't sound so bad... I mean, I can deal with someone being vain about how they look and stuff. [~~because he dyes his hair so he gets it~~.] It's just the whole - betraying thing. You know? If I'm at risk... I don't know if I should betray him to protect myself and my teammate, if I have one at the time, or if I should just... ally and trust that he will too... [he probably won't.

but he really shouldn't be asking heiji about how to vote. He's trying to be tougher, so the last thing he should be doing is putting all this responsibility on someone else.]

W-What about, um - Hershel? You guys are close, right?

"Hershel?" Heiji perked up at once, grinning widely at the mention of his friend's name. "Yeah, we're buddies. But you probably know about him already, right? Since he took care of you when you banged your head and all. He's a lot tougher than he looks. Plus I heard he was a fencing champ back in school."

Okay, slight exaggeration there, but eh. Worse things could happen to Hershel than people deciding he was a swashbuckling swordsman. "Speaking of which, how's your head? Feelin' better?"

Yeah, I'm fine... [Simon shrugs a little. He's hurt himself way worse since then.] B-But, that whole scene was kind of a mess, right? Kuzuryuu thought me and Hershel were kissing 'cause of the way he was checking me over, which is... like... I-I mean, I'm definitely the kind of guy who likes other guys like that, but Hershel's, like, thirteen, isn't he? That's kinda...

[just gonna casually gloss over all that with a shake of his head and a dismissive wave of his hand]

W-well, anyway, I like Hershel. He's a nice kid. You were with him and Clive last round, right? They're both friends of mine, obviously. You must have had a pretty relaxing room.

"Hershel? Nah, he's in high school, probably at least seven -- huh? You are?" Honestly, Heiji had never really given the subject of whether Simon was or was not into dudes much thought. Or rather, any thought at all. So this was a weird conversation already, thanks brah. "That something you got back in a memory, too?"

"But yeah, we were all together. It was goin' pretty good until Hershel fainted, but I think he's fine. Ain't quarantined, anyway, so it's probably just like when Clive was out."

Thirteen's older than seven, Heiji... [Simon frowns like he's genuinely concerned Heiji doesn't know how to count, even though he's the one who failed to understand a simple concept like someone's age. and he was also the one who failed to realize Heiji was going to say seventeen, not seven. whatever ok it's cool.

He makes a note of Hershel fainting, though, because that seems kind of important. He'll have to chase him down later and find out what happened.]

B-But, um. No, I mean - th-that's just kind of a feeling, I guess. Like, I've thought "oh, man, that guy's kinda cute," since coming here, so... you know. [BLANK STARE]

"Seventeen," said Heiji absently (or at least as absently as he ever said anything).

"Wait a minute, 'cute'? Like who?" Especially since Simon had to be probably at least in his mid-twenties. That would mean Clive, Snake, Zelos, Jake, and possibly Enjolras. But Clive looked like he was in high school, even if he wasn't. Did that put him out of the running?

O-oh, uh. I don't know? I don't really remember. It was just a passing thought, bro. Like - "that dude's totally my type!" - that sort of thing. [he shrugs. it's not like he has feelings for anyone here, or anything, just. you know. in that split second before jake opened his mouth for the first time simon probably thought he wasn't the hideous person that he is, that's all]

W-what about you? Any gossipy memories about boys or girls or anything? Maybe you're secretly, like, married to fifty wives back home.

God, he hoped it hadn't been Jake.

Heiji rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand. "Well, Colette was a real sweetheart, but she got carted off into quarantine before you got here. Ain't seen her since."

Poor Colette. The thought of what might have happened to her just kind of put a damper on the whole thing. And of course there weren't many girls left around here, and Snake and Hershel were obviously just friends, so.

"This place ain't really great for dating prospects, y'know? Though come to think of it, two of us could have been dating before all our memories got wiped, and we'd never know."

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