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

"He's -- " Heiji started, about to answer in centimeters before correcting himself, "Maybe about 5'2", same as Clive. Short blond hair, dressed in a flashy suit. Looks like a miniature yakuza."

Or maybe a delinquent, but the suit was pretty textbook gangster, so. "Do you need to know what the others look like?" Heiji had always sort of figured that Snake would ask if he needed to know (or cared); so far the only one who really asked his opinions of the others was Hershel.

You know, that would be nice. *He considers this.* It's hard for me to describe to you how I perceive everyone else, but...maybe this would be an interesting experiment. I'll tell you what I think and you can tell me if I'm close at all.

"Oh, like a deduction exercise!" said Heiji, suddenly even more interested. "All right, then. Let's start with... Jake."

Starting off easy!

I may have heard a few snippets of information about him from other people but...*he cants his head and scrunches his eyes even more shut, thinking*

His voice and the tread of his footsteps suggests that he's a man with a large muscular physique who may or may not be in law enforcement. He's presumably skilled in firearms because he woke up with an empty holster. I'm not sure where he's from. He's most likely taller than I am. I'm uncertain of his race. I also get the impression he would shave his head, possibly because I have this idea that people who have that kind of build just...don't have really long hair or even short hair. That might be incorrect and I'm not sure where I got the idea from.

Hey, that was pretty good! This game was not only fun, but an interesting way to learn about how Snake saw things.

"He's the tallest one here. He came in practically bald, but I don't think he's been shaving. More like his hair grows really, really slowly. We all figured it was blond, but now that it's coming in more, it's red. I wouldn't really peg him for law enforcement, though -- or at least not a regular patrol officer.

"He's got a pretty mean scar on his face, and he's not really one for procedures. Hershel and I were talkin' about how he might be military or ex-military. His accent makes him sound like an American, but he told me he was from Ukraine. Okay, how about... Zelos."

*The Ukraine? A European? Interesting.*

Zelos? I do know from having to carry him that he has long hair, is of a thinner build and shorter than I am. I'm not sure what the fabric on his clothes is but it's not...common. What I mean is that it was probably expensive and well cared for until we ended up here. His voting record and the general tone of his voice suggest that he's very self-centered and vain. Perhaps where he's from he gets a lot of attention which might explain those qualities. Younger than I am. I'm guessing he's Caucasian. Unsure of his nationality.

Heiji had to laugh a little at that one. "He's definitely got that shampoo commercial look goin' on. His hair is really long and bright red. Seems like he's big into how smart he is -- but if that's true, then he's also a liar. How do you figure he's younger than you, though?"

Let's see, who next... "So how about one of the new guys? Let's say Simon."

The voice sounds younger? *He shakes his head.* This is getting into things that are hard to put to words but as you age, your voice changes. There's different resonance factors that go into your voice. There doesn't seem to be as much...depth for lack of a better word in his voice so he's probably younger.

Simon? Well, I know he irritates me with how he jumps at everything. He has very low self-esteem except for cooking. That he seems to excel in, at least if you like desserts. He might prefer clothing that covers himself up well. Not certain of his race or where he's from. He probably stays out of the way from people and either sits curled in a ball or walks with his shoulders hunched.

One other thing I found out: he can read braille. I think the odds are good that he knows someone who's blind or has a family member who's blind, because why else would a sighted person want to learn how to read that?

"Yeah, I understand," said Heiji. "You can usually tell generally how old someone is, even if you're just talkin' to them over the phone. But... I dunno, he looks like he's in his twenties. He might just have one of those faces, though."

Because who the hell knew with the people in here.

"Simon's a pretty twitchy guy, looks like he's in his mid-twenties or so. 'Bout as tall as Hershel, long red hair. But actually, he gets around a lot for someone who's so jumpy. I know he cooked a bunch of dishes during the cooking contest. His clothes... well, I'm not sure how to describe 'em, actually. Bright pink jacket, weird graphic T-shirt. He's got pigtails going on, too -- looks almost like a variety show host. I was guessing he was from California or somethin', what with the way he talks."

Heiji looked the most interested when Snake mentioned the part about the braille. "How'd you learn about that? Oh yeah, and would you mind teaching me how to do it sometime? I'm thinkin' it might come in handy someday!"

Handy... for what...? (Spoilers it probably involved murder.)

He grinned. "Okay, do me next!"

Simon was helping me cook and handed me some utensils that had braille on them and he could read them. He sounded about as surprised with that fact as I was.

I...suppose I could teach you but it's going to be difficult since we don't have simple words and phrases to look at. Except...*an idea strikes him* We can get buy a deck of cards. If they actually have one in braille, that would be a good place to start. And I certainly have the money now.

*There was one tiny lewd part of Snake's mind that said "Oh, I'd do you all right." It was shouted down soundly by the more rational parts.*

Well, Hershel told me you were about the same age as he was. That places you as an older teenager or about 19 because your life experiences are nothing short of insane. You're Japanese so you most likely have dark hair. I...thought I recall you telling me that you had a darker skin tone. You're not that much shorter than I am. You have a slender build. You have both modern clothing and that...yukata? You are quite proud of Osaka and you are most likely a detective or a rookie policeman in whatever passes for a homicide unit. You've faced a lot of traumatic situations that have left you with a cool head at times of danger. I think...you have a baseball cap? *He's not quite sure about that. Heiji had cuddled close to him during his recall of the traumatic memory and felt something like a cap touch him.*

~~Ooh, Mr. Snake, ooh~~

Huh. Now that little tidbit of knowledge was interesting. Simon certainly seemed to have a collection of weird talents...

Heiji stepped a little closer to Snake and measured himself. "I'd say I'm about 2 or 3 centimeters shorter than you. And you remember right -- I'm the darkest guy here. Dark hair, dark skin, blue-green eyes."

He took out his cap from its new spot in his sleeve and held it out to Snake. "Guess you know me pretty well. I came in with this. I'm thinking it must've been important to me before I came here. Of course, I don't really remember why..."

Heiji's cap, if Snake cared to touch it, was well-worn but also well cared-for. It had probably seen many murders. "...But I do feel a little better with it on. Especially when I'm working on something."

Maybe it's lucky? Or you just like the hat? *He did touch the hat to examine it. It was the sort of article of clothing that had been long softened from that initial crispness and now was comfortable. Like breaking in a pair of jeans. He hands the hat back over.* I suppose I must feel that way about my jacket. *He's referring to his jacket with the gold braiding he's wearing. He's washed it a few times but without a washing machine or a dry cleaner, he can't get it completely clean.*

"Maybe," said Heiji, smiling a little. He took it back.

"When you get back outside, you're gonna have to put that jacket through a couple of cycles. Oh yeah, you asked about my yukata before, right? You wanna feel what it's like or something? Like I said, it's a little like one of your bathrobes, but... not really."

Or buy a new one. *Which makes him sad because he likes this jacket. He feels confident in it.*

I wouldn't mind it. I usually don't like to just touch peoples' clothes and faces randomly. But if you're giving permission... *Oh, it's quite smooth to the touch. Was it made of silk? It feels good on his fingertips.*

Heiji shrugged his shoulders a little. "Hey, I don't mind."

It was probably made of some kind of synthetic material, though it was unclear exactly what. Even Heiji wasn't sure. Either way, it was of a heavy enough weave to be warm, and rather loose and airy about the sleeves. The yukata was cinched in tighter at the waist, where Heiji had fastened it with what felt like a broad band of cloth, fastened in a particular sort of knot at the back.

*He'd never really examined anyone's clothing in depth in the game before. His left hand glided along the fabric of a sleeve and then along the skin of Heiji's forearm. It honestly took Snake a moment to realize what he'd done before pulling his hand away.* Sorry, Heiji! I didn't realize.

Heiji felt something that was not quite a shiver when he felt the cool touch of fingertips sliding unexpected along the inside of his forearm. It felt... different. No one ever touched him in that manner in the warehouse, and certainly not Snake. Well, not before this, anyway. "No, it's okay. I was just... kinda surprised."

What was that sensation? It wasn't unpleasant, but it was definitely confusing. Much like most of his encounters with Snake lately...

"You can't feel all that well with your left hand, right?"

No, I can't. I definitely can't feel pain in this hand although I will still try to avoid things that would hurt a normal hand. It's too hardwired in my brain. I can figure out texture but it takes me moment if it changes. Sorry. *He is honestly embarrassed with his mistake.*

Snake's behavior was kind of a surprise for Heiji, who very rarely saw Snake embarrassed about anything. Was he that insecure about it? Or maybe he was just worried that someone would react in revulsion? Maybe people had, in the past...

"It's really okay. Um... is it all right if I take a closer look at it?"

At my hand? I suppose it couldn't hurt. It does feel different to the touch. *He offered his left hand, palm up, for inspection. Having honest curiosity about his prosthetic wasn't so bad. Maybe he was getting more comfortable admitting to people what he had? Or maybe he was re-learning an attitude he normally had when not in a murdergame?*

Heiji took Snake's hand, ran his fingers along the line of his palm. No one would mistake it for a flesh-and-blood hand up close like this, but it was honestly pretty impressive how they'd managed to match Snake's skin tone so well.

"Wow, your fingers are really long and slender," he said. He was so intent on his inspection that it didn't seem to register with Heiji that he was actually kind of holding Snake's hand again. He let go after another moment, seemingly satisfied.

Good for playing the piano, I imagine. *Even though he hadn't been able to really feel Heiji touching his hand, he could still tell what he was doing.* Maybe someday they'll make a prosthetic that has the exact same kind of mobility as my real hand. I'd like that a lot.

"Well, yeah. I guess that's what they say. Anyway, I hope they figure it out. I'd like to hear you play sometime..."

You know. It was nice hearing Snake play the pianika, but of course an actual piano would fit his image more. "...If you felt like it, of course."

Provided I can get both my hands in working order and the music room reopens, I wouldn't mind playing the piano for everyone.

Heiji looked rather pleased with this. "Then it's a promise! Of course, there'd have to be no robots..."

Because robots were assholes and if he never saw a piano-playing robot again it would be TOO SOON. "...I ever tell you about what happened to me and Hershel in the music room?"

ambidex voting #8

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Can Snake accidentally touch him on the arm?

Of course!

If he wants to examine the hand, he can.

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