DAY 177, sometime after strange's announcement

[dontpokethat]

[Really, Ginko probably should have started looking into examining those poisoned by the Prince (which is to say practically everyone) sooner. With things as hectic as they've been, the threat of new injuries had pushed that thought aside. Now, though...

Ginko's voice crackles through the radio, clearly tired but brisk and professional (or as close as Ginko gets to sounding professional) nonetheless.]

I want everyone who was kidnapped by the Prince to come by the medical tent to be examined. If you can't for one reason or another, let me know and I can come to you.

For that matter, I would appreciate the chance to run some tests on everyone who ate the food, in case we've still got poison in our systems.

Comments

[dressedtothe]

[There's an annoyed sigh from the other end, but.]

Yeah, okay. If you think it'll help. I'll be there in five. 9S out.

[He's been to the medical tent before, so directions aren't needed. When 9S shows up, he has his robot buddy hovering by his shoulder and his katana hovering at his back.

When he spots Ginko, he approaches.]

Hey. You the guy who wanted to run tests?

[dontpokethat]

[More human-looking than Ginko expected, but he supposes by now he should know better than to expect anything about the people who end up in the carnival. He gives a small wave and a smile, his tail flicking.]

That's right. If you sit down we can go ahead and get started.

[dressedtothe]

[It's frustrating, not being able to make any headway into finding the Carnival members who have been captured. But beating his head against a stone castle isn't going to do much, unfortunately.

He obediently sits down, an unhappy frown on his face, though most of it is hidden by his 'blindfold'.]

What do you need me to do?

[dontpokethat]

Well, first, I just have to ask a few questions; for one thing, how much were you exposed to the poison? If you weren't captured or stung, that would just leave the food.

For another, I need to know anything odd you've noticed about your body and how you've been feeling - any pain, fatigue, anything like that.

[dressedtothe]

I wasn't captured or stung.

[So yeah, it's the food. Food that he technically doesn't need to eat. It just really was too bad that a combination of being too curious to pass up the novelty of eating fancy food and not wanting to catch the Prince's attention meant he was eating regularly.

He shakes his head on the second half of the queries.]

I'm mechanical, so I don't really get tired the way biological beings do. I feel fine. All my system checks are reporting the same thing.

[But he does say--]

I remember it was really hard to think critically during the ball, though. And I still can't recall how I even got to the ballroom.

[But he's always had memory problems, hasn't he?]

[dontpokethat]

[Ginko pulls over a piece of paper and braces it on a clipboard to note down all that 9S says. Only food-based poisoning, no current physical problems. Memory loss and lack of critical thinking at the ball.

That last part sounds very familiar.] Hm... you weren't the only one. It seemed like most of us were having trouble remembering things and focusing during that. [Even Ginko had had trouble organizing his thoughts, even if he'd been partially jarred out of it by... well, past trauma, basically.] Good to hear that the effects have worn off, though.

[dressedtothe]

[If he was still trapped in the hazy mental state, maybe he wouldn't be so aware of his loss right now. Still... he prefers this clarity of mind over letting himself be fooled by lies.

Most? 9S frowns, though most of it is hidden behind his visor.]

Are there some people who do remember what happened? Or someone who wasn't affected by the... mind fog?

[dontpokethat]

A few, apparently. From what I've heard, the food in the manor was laced with poison; all of us who ate it were affected, but some didn't eat.