THE HEART OF THE MATTER

[vivariummods]

Sometime early in the morning (or at least what feels like it, considering that there aren’t any clocks around), Calhoun will scream into a megaphone to wake everyone up. He won’t explain what’s going on, but he will say that he has a surprise for everyone. What is it? Well, they won’t know until they get up! So, everyone line up by the hallway’s door! He’ll be calling everyone into a “☆ SECRET ROOM ☆” one by one, and spending a few minutes with them. In this room, it’ll be nothing but a table, two chairs, a metal cabinet, and a lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Anyone who’s seen enough cop shows will notice that this is an interrogation room. Granted, there’s a sleeping pod in the corner of the room (rather similar to the same device that returns memories) and this room is a pretty fictional interrogation room as the real things aren't so hardboiled, but Calhoun is a fan of cop dramas and he only has so much power, so this is what he went for. Anyway, in here, Calhoun will do one of two things: 1) Reveal an unpleasant secret about them. Of course, it might sound fictional at first, but then he’ll go into his little cabinet and pull out a folder to back up his claims. These reports don’t look fake, and well, just think of what the others might think if they heard of this. Sure, you can deny it all you want, but what about your fellow test subjects? How can they ever see you in the same light again? Even if you attempt to convince them otherwise, this will forever linger in the back of their minds. They might even start turning against you, and while Calhoun’s a pretty nice mouse, he can’t do anything to stop you silly test subjects from doing something dramatic. 2) Grant them the fragment of a memory. What a kind mouse Calhoun is being, giving you a freebie! They’ll be placed in a pod, as per the usual, and given part of a memory. The problem is this freebie cuts off at the worst possible time, and any begging, threats or inquiries into the matter are only going to be met by Calhoun’s snickers. It would be awful if something happened and you could never find out if your dear friend Timmy ever got out of that well, right? A real tragedy. Oh well, too bad for you, buddy. Once Calhoun has called everyone one by one into this “☆ SECRET ROOM ☆” of his, he will gather all the test subjects up, stand on counter of Calhoun’s Corner and make an announcement. “Listen up, test subjects! While yesterday’s round of Bingo was all fun and games, it’s time to spice things up around here! This is starting to get really bland, like oatmeal bland, and my Master has given me the go ahead to shake things up.” “Some of you, I've told you a dark, spooky secret, while for the rest, I've shown you a little memory! Who got what, though, no one knows! But you know who you are and you know what you have to lose.” “So what was the point of all this? Welllllll, like I've said, it’s so boring here, that I’m giving you the chance to redeem yourselves of this sinful dullness. How, you wonder?” “Give me a show.” “I think you all know me well by now, what entertains me and what I like to see. So, give me the performance of a lifetime by the end of the next AB Voting round! Of course sooner is better, because you never know if I’m gonna like these plans of yours, but go ahead, take your time! I mean it’s not like there’s much I can do, excepppppt…” “I can just reveal those little secrets of yours to everyone! Don’t think you can just shrug it off as something I've made up too. I’ll spread out those reports and all the evidence for everyone to see, and we’ll see how long it takes for them to turn on you.” “And those with a memory, don’t sigh in relief, because you’re not safe either! I’ll ensure that you will never get the rest of that memory I showed you. You can wonder for the rest of your lives what really happened. If you think it’ll be as simple as just asking around when you get out, think again. You’ll never know the whole truth unless you remember it yourself, since this mouse can get his paws in the outside world’s evidence.” “What if one of you manages to entertain me? Well, not only will you get your full memory back, but everyone’s memories and secrets will be safe! They won’t be getting anything back, but maybe one day, and you’re the one who did all the work, those ungrateful cads!” “Well, I think that’s about it. Toodles! You know where to find me if you have any questions or love letters for me.” He winks at the crowd (looking at you, Zelos), then hops off the counter, back into the safety of his shop.

Comments

[skyentificmethod]

[Left to her own devices, Ema is very quiet, and very, very blank]

[puzzlinglad]

[A while after the announcement and all the drama Hershel's going to actively seek her out, sorry Ema. He decided moping wasn't helping him or anyone, the least he could do was suck it up and try to see how everyone was doing. Ema was at the top of that list, even if she had a tendency to get him involved in embarrassing dares.

When he finds her he's quiet a moment, approaching and stopping a few steps away.] I um, I'm sure you're not in the mood for stupid questions but how are you doing?

[skyentificmethod]

[hey maybe professor layton and the fabulous drag show is what calhoun's looking for]

[she just looks at him (past him?) for a moment...then shrugs, affecting a normal stance]

You remember something fun?

[puzzlinglad]

[Really, she was just preparing him for the inevitable, it was a kind thing.]

[And he hesitates a moment before glancing away. He was guessing she didn't mean for Bingo, unless she was really trying to avoid talking about today being shit tier.] No.

[And he glances back to her.] What about you?

[skyentificmethod]

[she shrugs, then shakes her head no]

What're you gonna do about it?

[puzzlinglad]

I don't know, I doubt Calhoun will take anything other than violence or betrayal as a 'show,' as much as I want to believe there's a way we can stop this without anyone getting hurt.

I talked to Heiji, he thinks it might be better if we all came clean with what we were told or threatened with. He's probably right but- [this secret business sucked majorly. he rubs his arm, quiet for a long moment before oh right, conversation.]- I um, I'm not sure it won't just annoy Calhoun and some of the group. I don't want tensions to get worse than they already are. What do you think?

[skyentificmethod]

So...prevent any need to give Calhoun what it wants by eliminating its collateral.

[she ponders on that; as appealing as ruining something for Calhoun was, she doesn't really want other people to know what she's learned any more than she'd wanted to know it herself]

...It would take a lot of convincing. And what if the rat doesn't accept it?

After the thread with Hershel

[detectiveofthewest]

Eventually, Heiji found his way on over to where Ema was standing. He looked more subdued than usual, but he'd calmed down a little by now.

"Hey, Ema! How you doin'?"

[skyentificmethod]

"Fine." She doesn't mean to sound clipped or rude, and her expression isn't irritated or anything (for once), just a little preoccupied. But when she actually looks up at him, her brows ridge; Heiji hadn't looked this quiet when he'd had a knife in his leg. "...What's up with you?"

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji clasped his hands together behind his head, leaned back, and sighed. "Ain't it obvious? That rat gave me back the kind of memory you'd pay to forget." Well... if he were someone else, anyway. Heiji doubted he'd let this memory go even if given the chance.

"He must've been awfully sore about losin' that video game."

[skyentificmethod]

"If only." She shifts, crossing her arms and looking away. "Question is, what to do about it."

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji looked over at her, brow furrowed. "Hey, you ain't thinking of doing anything drastic, are ya? Hershel's worried someone's gonna break something or worse, and far as I know, we don't have any doctors in residence."

Of course, Hershel was always worried, but in this case Heiji felt he had more cause than usual.

[skyentificmethod]

"Concerned about little old me?" Doesn't matter they both know that's not how he means it, that's how she'll answer either way. "When have I ever done anything drastic?"

[blind_badass]

Hello, Ema. *Hard to believe they were dancing the day before.*

[skyentificmethod]

[somehow dancing doesn't seem like quite the show they're being tasked with, but then you never know]

[she gives him a nod of acknowledgment (which he can't see, gg) but not much else]

...Light.

You can call him Snake now

[blind_badass]

((OOC: This is because of what Calhoun did to him and I assume he told everyone but you can feel free to just use his real name.))

Opting for my real name instead of my new moniker? I feel like I need a snake's calculation to know what will make Calhoun pleased.

ah i figured she didn't know because...paying attention... :')

[skyentificmethod]

Does it bother you? Our names are basically the only things we have that are ours here. I didn't know if you wanted to give it up that easily.

Hehe

[blind_badass]

It's odd but I feel rather comfortable with this name. So it's possible that it might also be one of my actual names. If so, I wonder where it sprang from.

Have you thought about what kind of show to put on?

best detective :|b

[skyentificmethod]

Puppet, maybe. I'm sure we can dig up a few socks around here somewhere. What are your thoughts on preparing 'entertainment' for our captors, Snake?

[fairsfair]

[ Jake has been the same, and quite understandably. It seems like no one is in a good mood after being called in, and while Jake didn't exactly want to talk to others at this moment, even he knew that it's a good course of action to figure shit out. ]

Hey.

[skyentificmethod]

[we...ll. she hadn't actually expected Jake of all people to approach her...though on second thought, it was probably in his best interests, since he'd been the go-to pin cushion in the past. he probably thought--

...well. there was one way to figure out what he thought, and brooding wasn't it.]

...Hey.

[fairsfair]

[ Go-to pin cushion and punching bag. That's clearly what he has become in Vivarium, but awkward silence, go... Jake is not making eye contact at all. ]

Any plans?

[skyentificmethod]

[she shrugs, no snappy comments coming to mind, then actually looks up at him mainly because he's being quiet and avoiding her gaze which is-- well, off-putting, let's say]

...Is that what you came over for?

[fairsfair]

[ He brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck, clearly thinking. ]

Part of it. Figure out how desperate people here are going to get.

[skyentificmethod]

[nods, absorbing that]

And the other part?