and I need someone to talk to apart from you

[animusnpcs]

Characters: Zo, open
Setting: floor 001
Format: brackets, party-style
Summary: Zo visits the residential levels of the Tower.
Warnings: none so far

[The elevator dings as its doors slide open--that's not an unusual occurrence, really, for a floor that not only houses one of the elevator stopping points but also the most reliable food sources. What's unusual, though, is the boy who steps out of it.

Zo enters the cafeteria, looking around as if he hasn't seen it in some time, which is true. He's followed by one retrieval unit. While she looks as blank as any retrieval unit, her collar is chipped and she wears glasses. In fact, she might be a bit familiar to some, though she will not respond (but there's something... Unusually alive about her, even so).

Though he's careful not to stray far from his bodyguard, he smiles at the floor in general.]

Um... Hi! Wow, it's been a while since I've been up here!

Comments

[animusnpcs]

I'd get in trouble if I didn't try to stop you from breaking in or something, but you guys break in a lot and no one's really gotten in trouble for it. I'd only get in trouble if I let you downstairs or something.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head, wondering if someone would be foolish enough--or desperate enough--to actually ask Zo to let them down below. Thankfully, even if he wants to help on some level, the boy seems to know doing something like that would be a bad idea.]

You are right, but things have changed a little now, haven't they? Ruana...was very angry last month. Would I be wrong to guess that Riki and Jason are also upset? And might they turn that anger on you should something else happen?

[animusnpcs]

Ruana likes me best, so Riki and Jason won't do anything, I think.

[oathshackledbird]

Well, it's good she's nicer to you than she is to us.

[Points in her favor. She has so few of those...]

It would be nice if she were kind to us all, but I don't suppose we really deserve that after what we did, do we?

[animusnpcs]

You weren't mean to her on purpose really. Not until she was mean yo you.

[oathshackledbird]

That is true, though I wish those who had yelled at her and taunted her had not done so. I may not agree with what she has done to us, but it seems she had put a lot of effort into keeping this place running and you have put so much effort into bringing us here.

[He gives the boy a curious look.]

Do you not get angry when we rebel against all that you have done for us? Or is it okay because you would rather see us go home someday?

[animusnpcs]

Well, most of you don't seem that mad at me, just at all the bad stuff. And I think I'd be mad too if a lot of bad stuff happened to me and I didn't know why!

[oathshackledbird]

Yes, most people do get upset when bad things happen for no reason. We like being able to understand what is going on and there is precious little understanding for us in this situation.

Do you think you can help us understand why bad things are happening? Since Ruana was doing these things long before we did what we did last month, it can't just be that. Or are Ruana's reasons for what she does as much a mystery to you as they are to us?

She says she likes playing games, but I don't think either of us really think the things she does are very game-like...