vivarium | THE HEART OF THE MATTER

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'd suggest a mousetrap and a nice hunk of cheddar," said Heiji. Surprise, he was ~~sneaking~~ checking up on Snake!

"You ain't planning on doing anything dumb, are ya? Something even I wouldn't do?" Snake had always seemed like a pretty cool customer, but you never knew when a type like that was going to snap.

*You are a true shonen friend, Heiji.* Interesting but probably not what he's after. I do have an idea that would tickle him to death. I'm angry enough to try it and I need to know the back half of my memory. I thought maybe I could get Jake to fight me but surprisingly he was not game.

Then I thought if I could get anyone to fight me and I do mean fight and brawl and bruise and cut, wouldn't that be entertaining? I already know that Calhoun delights in making fun of my blindness. We could even take bets with our coins.

"Li -- Snake..." Jeez, man, that was pretty rough. "I know you wanna get your memory back and all, but you could really get yourself hurt like that. You don't even know if you got any defense training, do ya?"

Then again, it was always possible that Snake was the blind featherweight champion of the world.

"...gotta say I'm kinda surprised the old man didn't want to punch you a couple times, though. He sure took a swing at me."

I know I could get hurt, but I really don't care at this point. I have to know who she is in my memory. It's so...banal and basic but it's someone I'm having a conversation with and it's someone I really truly trust and feel comfortable with. And I have no idea who that is.

So. If I can really get someone to fight me, that would be the greatest show. I'm just not sure who'll do it since Jake is out. *Snake considers Heiji's comment.* It's odd but I think he just might not want to fight me because I'm blind. When in fact, having me fight ANYONE would be a show, even if it was me getting knocked on my backside.

It was honestly a little hard for Heiji to wrap his head around an ordinary conversation being so vital for someone -- in Heiji's mind, there were always second chances -- but he understood that it was important to Snake.

"You think it was your mom or a childhood friend, something like that?"

It's someone close to me so it could be my family or a close friend. I just...have this terrible sense that I can't not know who this is. Maybe if I had more clues other than a voice but that's all I have.

I'm not sure which is worse: this banal memory of a voice that I need to know or the memory I got from the game where I could actually see.

Heiji was quiet for a moment. "What did ya talk about?" he asked finally. He wasn't sure if Snake was going to ask him to fight him or even what he'd say if that happened. He just wanted to know more about this maybe-friend-maybe-family-member.

Well...it was over a meal. I don't know where we were. She was telling me about her day. I think she might be a waitress. Then she asked me how classes had gone that day and if I've thought more about my thesis.

Simple things but...it was how she described what happened to her that made me realize now that she knows me well. She told me what everyone looked like and their attitudes so I could have my own picture in my head of her story. So this is someone who's rearranged how they've talked so they can always keep me informed to the best of my ability. There's none of that...well, I can kind of tell when people around her go a little quiet, they're nodding their head or doing something they know I can't see but they can't help themselves. She didn't do any of that. So I think whoever this is knows me very very well.

"It ain't just knowin' you well; she musta known you for a pretty good while, too. Enough to get into the habit of doing all that." Speaking and gesticulating to visual cues just wasn't something you could drop overnight, after all.

"Well, I hope you get to find out who she is. But she's probably looking for you right now, ain't she? Must be awful worried, too."

That's why I need a plan to give the rat a show. *He rubs the bridge of his noise.* Suppose, Heiji, if I hypothetically fought someone, even if it meant getting seriously injured, would you be behind that plan?

"No," said Heiji flatly. His answer was both immediate and honest. "I ain't trust Calhoun to raise one finger to help you if you get hurt, and we don't have any medical supplies. If you're seriously injured, you could die, and there's no point in getting your memory back if you never make it out to go find the person in it."

"There'd be something in it for me, since my memory'd be safe, but hell if I'm going to accept that over your life."

*That was rather strongly worded.* Heiji... *Snake hadn't realized how very strong his friend could be in his beliefs. He was willing to sacrifice his own troubles for other people but...honestly, Snake didn't know if he could do the same. It was just the difference between them.*

*Then again, maybe he was thinking about this all wrong.* I still feel I could defend myself just fine, but perhaps I should save that idea for later and concentrate on something else.

"Yeah? What were you thinking?" Oh, thank goodness; if Snake had decided that he was going to fight someone anyway, Heiji might have been forced to participate :').

"Maybe you could start with somethin' a little smaller." Like practical jokes, or doing something humiliating! Calhoun did seem to have that sense of humor that took joy from the discomfort of others, after all.

So...something that Calhoun likes, but not on the level of bloodsport. In that case, it would be something psychological. *Could that be the better way to go?*

Hmmm. *He then smiles warmly.* Thank you, Heiji. You always seem to be looking out for me.

Heiji seemed at first surprised, then a little embarrassed. He did his best to conceal how pleased he was by the compliment, but he was honestly kind of bad at it. "W-well, of course! If you're gonna be runnin' around picking fights with that Cape buffalo..."

"Anyway, I hope ya didn't forget what I told you before. I'm going to do my best and get you outta here. So don't keel over before then, got it?"

Jake looks like a Cape buffalo? Is he very large or does he sport massive horns? *It's an amusing thought.*

I promise to think more about what to do. *And his pondering leads him over to Ema...*

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

A bit later on

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