intro | day 104

[tacosgay]

Listen.

[The voice that comes over the public channel is... odd, and new to most folks here. He pauses for a bit, as if that's the entire thought-- but, sure enough, he follows it with an obviously annoyed question.]

So we're just kind of... here, because they say so? Like... this can't be legal, can it? Has anybody tried talking to the fuckin' police about this?

[As he speaks, he gets increasingly irritated, his voice breaking.]

I'm gonna be real with you guys: I've got half a mind to just kinda magic my way out, except I'm pretty sure the Ringleader or whatever would come after me. Is that a thing?

Comments

[tacosgay]

Yeah, but I can do that already. Like, if magic's the only appeal here, I'm gonna be honest: I don't give a shit. I can do magic.

[periphrasing]

[WELL LA-DEE-DA, NEWBIE. You could at least pretend to be impressed with her. Peridot scowls at her radio. So much for trying to be sympathetic; now she sounds mildly irked.]

Well I don't really know what to tell you, then. You shouldn't have done whatever it was that you did to accrue debt with the ringmaster if you have such a problem with this place.

[...She says like she didn't earn her own debt here back over a year ago.]

[tacosgay]

[Taako very, very rarely is even genuinely impressed by anything, why would he pretend to be impressed over this?]

Oh, yeah? So what got you into this mess, huh? Are you one of those who came in here on purpose or what?

WHOOPS I thought I tagged this back

[periphrasing]

No. I mean. Not originally, anyway...

[HUFF.]

I cheated at one of the stupid games. I mean, in my defense, it says test your skills. Controlling metal with my mind IS my skill! Besides which, I was still tossing the rings! Just not with my arms.

[The whole ring levitation trick had worked perfectly well for her back home, too, so.]

THAT'S FINE BB!! no rush, I'm always up for backtagging

[tacosgay]

[Holy shit. She got in trouble for the actual exact same thing he did. He laughs loudly, a sharp, high sound.]

Hey, I got news for you, my friend: we're in here for the same reason. Looks like you better hop down off your high horse before you fall and hurt yourself.

[periphrasing]

[???????]

...I don't know what a "high horse" is, but I can assure you that I am standing on my own two gravity connectors on level ground as we speak. Therefore, I am in no danger of "falling", as you say.

[tacosgay]

It's a... figure of speech. Anyway, my point is, you've got no place to judge me if you're in here for the exact same thing.

[periphrasing]

I am not judging, I'm trying to help you!

[She exhales softly, making an honest effort to sound less annoyed.] Besides, that was just what got me my first contract. The second one I signed on for by choice in exchange for a favor from the Ringmaster.

[tacosgay]

... okay, I've got a few things I wanna address here, the first being that you signed up here for another year willingly? And, second, how exactly are you trying to help me here? Like, I know I wasn't supposed to get caught, okay, cut me some slack there.

[periphrasing]

[Focusing more on the second point first, Peridot comes through sounding almost embarrassed? And definitely increasingly exasperated:]

I don’t know, I’m trying to be reassuring! You seem upset so I’m just trying to tell you that it’s not as bad here as you seem to think it is! That’s what nice people DO, right?

[tacosgay]

[Well, that's kind of cute, given her little voice and all, but still.]

Okay, yeah, fair enough; it's just kinda hard to feel comforted when you've got shit like this to look forward to, you know? A whole year of it, no less.

[periphrasing]

[Well at least they seem to be getting more on the same page now. She sighs.]

Yes... I can understand that.

[Awkward pause.]

If you um... Find yourself in need of someone to talk to about it? I have a friend who can help you out. He's very good with feelings.

[Peridot stop recommending people go talk to Steven like he's everyone's therapist]

[tacosgay]

Yeah, I'm not big on the whole feelings thing, but thanks. I'll keep it in mind, I guess?

[he is definitely not going to talk to this person about feelings, and will probably forget about it the second these two stop talking to each other.

oh well. she tried.]

[periphrasing]

[She did try, and that's enough for her to stroke her ego with when she's reflecting on what a good person she is.]

Right. Well. Um... Welcome to the carnival, anyway? I sincerely hope that it doesn't turn out to be as terrible as you seem to think it's going to be.

[tacosgay]

Oh, thanks. I, uh, hope so too? [He laughs awkwardly, a high-pitched giggle.]

[periphrasing]

It probably won't be. I mean... Bad stuff does happen sometimes? Like, recently, I got abducted and brain-washed by vampires, and that was pretty horrible. I'm still trying to work through my garbage emotions about it to this day!

[She supplies all of this in a VERY MATTER-OF-FACT manner. Too bright, too eager sounding for such a heavy topic.]

[tacosgay]

Uh... yyyikes. Does that kinda stuff happen a lot? Or, like, was that the exception and not the rule?

[UHHH. She's not doing a great job of reassuring him here.]

[periphrasing]

It's more the exception. I mean, that sort of thing happened once before, but the second time was sort of a continuation of that, so. The argument could be made that, really, it's only happened once.