144.98750 Public Channel [Day 63]

[amusicaladventure]

Hey, guys? Anyone -- I hope you still have your radios...

[Ash sounds worried to the point of frantic, barely keeping her alarm and panic covered under a veneer of anxiety.]

Listen, something's really wrong here. Have you guys actually talked with anyone else? It's scary as hell, guys, they're hollow, it's like their brains have just shut down -- they're running for kicks and thrills like they're the only thing that matters. I mean I know all the drugs and stuff here can have that effect, but it's not just the junkies. And some of you all are scaring the hell out of me too just from what I've seen...

This place isn't safe. We're not safe here. It's too much pleasure and it might even be more than that. Pull out, guys. Please, now.

Comments

[amusicaladventure]

Dude, think about it -- she won this for us on a bet, right? Well, what if they guy she was betting with was playing the long game? Win his bet, he gets her killed. Lose his bet, he gives her a 'gift' that ends up benefiting him by hurting us? I mean the whole bet was about whether or not we'd kill her, so it's not like either of them have anything we'd consider normal standards of morality and sanctity of life and stuff!

I'm not saying she's doing it on purpose, but screwing up by not thinking of the consequences for us is just VR-computer-world all over again.

[osteothropy]

The bet wasn't with this guy - that was for somethin' else. [He can say that much because he was there for the ritual that resulted from it.] As far as I can tell, the realms are totally unrelated.

...But you've got a fair point about the other stuff. 'Treading carefully' also isn't a big part of her game plan. If I had to make a bet, I'd wager she doesn't have a clue what's going on right now.

[amusicaladventure]

Or doesn't realize it's a bad thing. Same difference from our standpoint, isn't it -- same way she didn't realize that us getting involved in the power struggle back in computer-world would come back and bite us in the ass.

[Ash is terribly conflicted. On the one hand, she owes the Ringmaster more than she can ever repay for the price of her contract... but on the other, the Ringmaster really, really isn't careful with her toys, and she knows the carnival and its people are all her toys.]

What if she just leaves people here who aren't useful any more? Does the contact allow that?

[osteothropy]

[Ash's rampant paranoia is pretty justifiable - even though Sans has plenty of evidence to go against it, it's still hard not to be on edge. But...]

There's no precedent for that, especially when she was just so tickled about us playing nice with her back in Atlantis. The last thing she wants is to hafta give up any of her 'people', a few stray troublemakers aside. An' even then...

[amusicaladventure]

Okay. Well, that isn't so bad. But on the other hand if there's nothing left of them but atavistic hedonism, that might count as death. Not physical, just spiritual. And the way I've heard it, the carnival loses people to death on occasion.

[The whole vampire incident has been touched on but never explained to her, so Ash has made a couple of guesses about it that aren't too far from the mark. And it's a miracle no one had gone down for good after the Agent invasion, before the Ringmaster had intervened. Whatever the case, she knows the Ringmaster just plain doesn't think in a way she can understand... or predict.]

I don't really wanna find out.

[osteothropy]

[Don't even talk to him about the vampire thing, Ash, he doesn't want to hear it. A brief flash of his impatience for it shows in his voice.]

Yeah, well, that wasn't actually standard, believe it or not. At least, it didn't used ta be.

What ever this is, nothing so permanent could happen that fast.

[amusicaladventure]

I dunno, we have succubi where I come from. One good night of -- well, if it's prolonged and vigorous, one night can be all it takes.

Going right back to not wanting to find out, though. Plus -- I'm not the sort who can see my friends get hurt, and I DO have friends here.

[osteothropy]

I don't see any succubi here. It's just the Host and their guests. The RM said that it was a 'they feed off excess exuberance' situation, so they keep people around symbiotically, but this is starting to look less mutually beneficial than she took it for.

She said that a crew had been here with her before and there weren't any problems, so something's changed.

[amusicaladventure]

It's just an example. You know... I'm not sure the Ringmaster would have considered any of this sort of thing a problem.

But whatever the case, it's definitely happening. I have absolutely no question of it. [That might be arrogance on her part, but in her defense she truly does have some lines she will not cross. Even being tempted to cross them is cause for major alarm, and she can't identify one single reason why she should want to of her own accord.]

[osteothropy]

Not if everyone got out okay, anyway...

[As long as everyone ended up in one piece, the Ringmaster usually wasn't that fussed about temporary danger. The main difficulty here is wondering just how temporary this all will end up being.]

And hey, I'm not doubting you, kid. Your paranoia has a staunch supporter. Pretty sure this crossed over into Warden duties a while ago.

[amusicaladventure]

It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you. [She tries to make a joke of this, but her humor is brittle around the edges to go with the forced smile he can't see.] Mind if I get deputized for a bit? There's no performing to be done right now anyway...

[osteothropy]

Go ahead. There's no guarantee of me tracking down any of the security team and I'd rather not deal with this by myself.

[amusicaladventure]

Good thing Joker seems like he wouldn't mind sharing.

[It's a pretty lame joke but right now even a pretty lame joke is better than nothing. Definitely better than freaking out.]