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Who: Mosley (

complices), England (

unionjackoff) and some surprise guests.
When: OOC: 1/6, IC: 5/3 at 10 PM
Where: The research tower, where nothing ever bad happens ever.
What: England's been hired by CERES as a Test Subject. They've finally come to collect.
Rating/Warning: Heavy gore and death. This log is the product of player and mod contact. Please feel free to contact the mods at any time if you would like to interact with the NPCs. We're always open!

[ At night, the research tower is a beaming beacon of light in the middle of a rather dark district. The surrounding buildings power down and with the medical facility and the police department being just a bit too far away, it leaves the tower as one of the only open buildings during the evening within a wide span of city blocks. To some, this is a reassuring sight. To others, it is not.

As scheduled with England, Mosley will be one of the lone figures in the lobby of the research tower this evening with most of the staff having gone home hours before. Instead of standing and waiting by the elevators as is typical of him, he is sitting on top of the reception desk, legs crossed and swinging underneath him as he waits. The only sound in the lobby is the slight buzzing of the lights overhead and the steady thump of his feet hitting the back of the desk. He seems to be busy with his CereVice.

The other figure in that lobby tonight is a reception-bot, sitting behind Mosley at the desk and staring straight at the door. Once in a while, it glances towards Mosley but otherwise keeps staring at the door. They both seem to be waiting for something. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That's a mystery you won't solve tonight, England! ]

You mean... aside from the flood?

[ Mosley takes a left into what seems to be a corner of complete darkness, the only lights around them being a weird glow of the golf cart (and weirdly enough, Mosley himself). It's almost as if he's plunged them into an endless abyss of black with one... left turn... Huh.

He continues to drive through it. ]

[well, now England can barely see what is in front of him. it makes him nervous, to not know what's coming]

The flood, the river adventure. That's mostly what I meant.

Oh.

[ Mosley looks thoughtful for a moment, continuing to drive despite the lack of... anything around them. He seems to know exactly which way to go though, when he makes a sharp left suddenly and continues on into the darkness. ]

Are you associated with Maris? I suppose that would make you "water" in a sense.

[at that sharp turn, England reaches up to grab hold of the bar in front of him]

Me water? [he looks confused, though recalls that the Element he's seen most of would be Maris. and the name Maris was associated with water. but what does that have to do with him?]

Water. If you spent time with Maris, if he "collected" you so to speak --

[ Mosley definitely took his hands off the wheel to make those air quotes. ]

-- You're associated with water by the natural laws of Tellus. As far as we can determine, that's something determined by content of character. You must relate in some way to the element of water.

[Mosley. please. don't take your hands off the wheel. especially in the dark]

The laws of Tellus. [he thinks for a moment, still just as confused. just from their short time together, England has been able to gather that there are strange occurrences on the planet. ghosts, gods, monsters... CERES no doubt got more than they bargained for when they first came to colonize here] So... It sounds like what you're saying is that a person is assigned an element. But why?

[ Don't worry about it. ]

Natural laws. This is a natural occurrence, Mr. England. The moment your body is physical to the planet, you are given an element. Even those colonists, those who aren't CERES and aren't you, they have one. It's as natural for Tellus as... Nations to Earth.

[ He gives England a meaningful look then before looking back out in front of him. ]

We don't know why. It's just something that is. My personal guess is balance.

[that look. England won't question it. if being assigned an element is simply part of Tellus' natural laws, then there's no need to argue with it. it would be like wondering why there is magic in some other person's world. and England's learned enough about different worlds and their properties to not argue.

still, he's curious now, about Tellus, and about the Elements. what other unwritten laws of the planet were there? like, why was a blood sacrifice necessary? couldn't CERES and the gods of the planet come up with a new agreement? ...but, then, that would be arguing about Tellus' properties again, right? it was just something that was done in this world.

he sighs then, not knowing how to respond yet. his mind is frantically thinking of things to ask, about what is going to happen. but he assumes he will find out soon enough. after a minute, he solemnly says] It sounds like you guys are doing a lot behind the scenes to make Cerealia habitable.

[ Mosley's expression breaks into a grin, sharp and amused and yet fleeting as it disappears quickly into its blank state once again. ]

Oh, Mr. England, you don't know the half of it. I've always said I'm a busy man, it's all of you who choose not to believe me.

I'm beginning to understand that. [England is a little conflicted now. he leans back in his seat] What I don't understand is, after you learned about all these extra things you had to deal with, why stay on Tellus? Couldn't the colonists have found another planet to develop, one without ghosts or temperamental gods?

Edited 2016-01-25 22:42 (UTC)

[ Mosley's silent for a moment, just continuing to drive them... wherever he's driving as he thinks how to answer England's question. And what a question it is! ]

A contract was made, Mr. England. CERES was hired to colonize Tellus, not anywhere --

[ And then he pauses, breaking suddenly in the golf cart and looking a little wide-eyed. ]

Oh.

[ He looks to England, frowning. ]

Let me rephrase that. I was wrong.

[ And then the cart will start up again and he continues driving, as if the past few moments never happened. ]

CERES has already spent too much money on this investment, to pull out now would count Cerealia as a loss of revenue. Surely you know something about profitable colonies, Mr. England.

[ It doesn't seem like Mosley's going to address his flub, if it even was one. ]

[oh. uh. that sure was a stop. it's so abrupt, that England has to put his hand out in front of him to brace himself.

at first he is confused, staring at Mosley because of the suddenness of that stop. then, when he notices Mosley's eyes, and the way he backtracks, he comes to a different conclusion. someone is communicating with him. well, it's not like England doesn't know everything they say is being monitored. that's old news now.

but still, it's a bit... unsettling. he wants to know what Mosley was going to say first, but he knows he won't get an answer this way]

...Yes. [he says it slowly, letting the word linger for a moment. he knows all about colonies, thank you very much. and he will drop the subject, but not before tucking Mosley's first answer away for later analysis]

[ Mosley will just give a nod at England's yes, satisfied with the agreement. They'll still keep puttering off into the darkness but after a while, a small opening of light will appear in the distance and Mosley turns towards it. It's still a while to go before they reach it, apparently. ]

Is there anything else? You can't be that wanting of conversation topics. I'm a fountain of information, after all.

[oh, yes, there are many questions, but England has to choose his words carefully. so it's difficult]

I suppose you could tell me where we're going. It feels like we've been driving a long time.

Have we? I hadn't noticed.

[ But Mosley seems to press harder on the gas pedal after that, heading straight for that bright light. As it grows closer and closer, it's pretty obvious it's a doorway. Where to? Well, you'll see! ]

I did say we were going underground. This last little tunnel will lead us to where we need to. Then you can get out and stretch your legs, alright?

[ah, right. underground. for some reason, that little tidbit of information had gotten missed, or forgotten. quite possibly because England was focusing on the many other aspects of this meeting.

speaking of those] I wasn't complaining. Just curious. [England tries to respond lightheartedly, still masking his fear] With the remainder of our ride, then, why not tell me more about yourself?

[ There are a lot of aspects, true. But Mosley does look a little surprised at the question, glancing to England before back in front of him. ]

Me? There isn't much to say. You'll have to be more specific.

[England leans back in his seat, staring out ahead at the light that is becoming bigger and brighter the closer they get]

Well, you certainly know a lot about me. Since that's part of your job. But all I know about you is that you work for CERES. Did you work anyplace else before that?

I wasn't employed, no. Honestly, there really isn't anything about my life before CERES to tell. It's unimportant.

[ As they get closer, it'll become even more obvious that the doorway is wide enough for the golf cart. Mosley quickly drives right into it as they get there before making a sharp turn and suddenly the two of them are driving through... the dirt? The hall is square in shape with rows of lamps hanging overhead, the structure around them all dug out of the walls -- similar to that of a mine shaft. Actually, exactly like that of a mine shaft.

As Mosley turns it becomes even more obvious that they're going down and at an angle. Just a slow spiral downwards to... wherever they're going, it seems. ]

[these sharp turns are incredibly jarring. England vaguely wonders if Mosley is doing it on purpose, to disorient him. not a bad tactic. or, it could just be that Mosley only knows how to do things sharp]

I wouldn't consider life before CERES unimportant. [he braces himself again once they start going down] But if you don't want to talk about that, then what about hobbies? What do you do for fun, or to relax?

[ Definitely that last one. ]

I build model sailboats. [ He pauses for a moment, considering. ] I think I would like to build a real sailboat one day but we'll see.

[ And then a loud clanking noise again as he... laughs. ]

Statistically, I will most likely die first. Hah! Haha.

[oh. okay then. he shifts uncomfortably at the laugh, even though he finds the idea of Mosley building model sailboats fascinating.

if Mosley wanted to stop England from asking anymore questions about him, though, he's succeeded. because... how do you follow that? England's not going to argue with him, at first, because death is highly likely in Cerealia, and Mosley has already said that the beings here that weren't code couldn't be brought back to life.

...but Mosley isn't human. he's some sort of machine, an android maybe? so even if this body... passed on, couldn't they upload his hard drive or memory stick or whatever into another body?] ...Are you capable of death?

[......well, after saying it, England thinks it sounds rude. he doesn't have a problem with being rude to people he dislikes, but he is trying to get on Mosley's good side! the last thing he wants to do is offend him]

[ At his question, Mosley looks over at England, expression blank and unreadable before he looks back to the road. His fingers tap against the steering wheel a few times as he lets that question sink in. ]

Why wouldn't I be capable of death, Mr. England?

[dammit. he should have kept his mouth shut. might as well come clean with what he knows. he sighs, his stomach doing flip-flops]

Because. Back when you were going to give my group a tour of the CERES building, you suddenly became ill. You vomited up motor oil.

[ For a moment, Mosley slows the cart and closes his eyes. His expression stays blank but it's obvious something about England's tone has upset him. In the next moment, his eyes open again and he speeds up, focusing on the road in front of them. ]

Because being sick is the same thing as dying. Wonderful to know. Are you going to fault me for being fallible, Mr. England? I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm not all knowing, all seeing, and immortal. There are things that I deal with and that scare me too but you know what I do? I deal with it and I make the best out of a bad situation. Maybe the rest of you should learn to do that too.

[ Seems like he's not just talking about vomiting motor oil anymore. ]

Edited (words are hard :'() 2016-01-29 01:04 (UTC)

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