zerotohiro | Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

Go right ahead.

[ He's happy Hiro's recovered his appetite enough to even ask. He can always make more. ]

I didn't even think they were using our emotions, but I've had a theory that they're definitely using us. Doesn't that make you wonder then if what we're feeling are real emotions or if they're just coded by CERES?

[ Yu considers that, but then shakes his head. ]

They've gone to a lot of trouble to get extreme emotional reactions from us. If they could just code the emotions they wanted, they wouldn't need to bother. I don't think that adds up. There's got to be more to it.

You're sure he's not dead? [He may be thinking of some zombie comic books he likes to read.] I know this is gonna sound gross but did you get a sample or anything?

Thanks. For everything, I mean. [Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.] Ready to head back?

Crap, seriously? Picture?

We should start making a list of things that've happened and emotions associated with it then. I think you're really onto something with that. What else happened in that first ViViD game you and Yosuke arrived in?

[ He's glad Hiro immediately understands. And he sends a picture immediately, too, because he already had one available.

After their experiment had turned out to be a failure, Yu had put the leftover slivers of his mask in a pouch and brought them home, then hadn't thought much more of it. The next day he'd had a lot on his mind - Katsura, Minato, why his theory with the mask had been wrong - and he hadn't thought to check the pouch again even as he'd put it in his bag to bring with him to school.

Of course, then a lot of other things had happened, and he'd ended up being rather distracted from his classes.

It wasn't until that evening that he'd even opened his school bag again. That's when he'd noticed it. The pouch had been shredded, the seams ripped. The mask had, without his seeing it happen, rebuilt itself in perfect condition. Except for one thing.

In the picture of it that he shows Hiro, it's sitting on the desk in his room, free of the tatters of the pouch which he had to cut away. Running down the middle of the mask is one long, single, hairline crack.

When he'd first seen it, it had chilled him. ]

[There's no response.

There's no response from Hiro for a good long while as he stares at that photo in absolute horror. That shouldn't be possible. He'd checked the mask himself when he made the cuts and pried the plaster apart with Yu. This goes against everything he's known about the physical objects in Cerealia.

Then there's the phone call. When Yu answers, it's just Hiro asking in a loud whisper:]

What the hell is going on?

[ Yu only waits.

He's fairly certain he understands the kind of trouble they're in. His only regret, right now, is that he might have compromised Hiro as well. If he were the only one to take the fall for this experiment, that would be alright. He offered his mask; he accepted those consequences.

His voice is calm and a normal volume when he answers. ]

I don't know. Whatever is going on with these masks, it's a lot stranger and more powerful than we thought.

Gross, no!

He threw his handkerchief away, so I didn't get it even if I wanted to.

It doesn't make any sense, Yu. [He's still unsure of what this means, but he agrees. It's a lot more powerful than they'd anticipated.] It's a mask. We didn't find anything, so why...? Are there any cracks or anything in the back?

Did you ask him about it?

No! I didn't want him to throw me out before we even got to his office...

He tried to laugh, though. That was why the black liquid came out.

Anytime, Hiro. [ He gets to his feet. ] Let's go.

... there was that game of Hangman.

[ He doesn't like to think about that much. His mouth thins into a line. ]

It made you see someone you care about in the noose. Plus the game of Pac-man that turned your good memories into horrible ones, by making you see your loved ones get killed. There was Tetris... that one just tried to kill you. [ A beat. ] That was it, pretty sure.

[ His intro level was god awful. ]

No. That crack is the only evidence we ever took it apart. [ He pauses for a beat. He's not even sure he wants to voice this, like saying it out loud will make it real... but there's no shying away from the truth. ]

I've been thinking. Could these masks be tied to our code, somehow?

Whoa. [That's a little disconcerting.] Do you think maybe CERES is controlling what emotions he's allowed to feel? I've never been quite sure what Mosley is besides "not human" but an actual droid?

[That's pretty messed up. That was the game after his, he remembers that.] So fear, despair, and...panic, I guess.

...I never did really tell you about my intro game, did I? Outside of the maze for the truth and the murder mystery.

[Annnnd his voice ups an octave.]

Please don't tell me I just broke your code. [That was not what he meant to do!!! He pauses and clears his throat.] ...it would make sense why they keep returning to their owners even though they all look exactly the same.

Edited 2016-02-04 18:47 (UTC)

[ With that same, utterly immovable calm: ]

I feel fine, Hiro. [ A beat of his own. ] I think it's the best explanation, but there's still a lot we don't know.

[ Another beat, and he takes a breath. ] Hiro... if something happens to me--

I think he was telling the truth about him not being on the clock, so he did something that wasn't his job. CERES can't control hearts... I mean, nobody can. And I wouldn't be able to hear his emotions unless he didn't have one. . . or he's special, like Clonco.

[ she fidgets in her seat uneasily. ]

I think he might be a special kind of robot. One with a heart.

[ have a hawke, at the gym for once! actually... doing things?! she's got her fists wrapped up and is in a tank top, hitting a bag. the cerevice hovers next to her and she glances at it, running a hand through sweaty hair. she's been there for a while! still, not what she's here to talk about. ]

Hey, Hiro. What do you know about instruments?

[Hello gym-Hawke. She's managed to catch Hiro in his usual state of being...in his workshop, probably half-asleep but still working. He blinks to wake up a little more once he sees who's calling and he sits up to focus.]

Depends on what kind of instruments you're asking about. Why?

Shut up. [The words are hissed and maybe there's a slight whistle thanks to the gap between his teeth and the emphasis on his annunciation, but he's serious about that.] Nothing's going to happen, all right? And if it does I'll fix it but you're gonna be fine. We're both gonna be fine and we'll figure this out.

We should see if anybody else's masks are doing weird things, too.

Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

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5/16, evening

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video; 5/17 or so

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