souls have been lost and the panic grows

[phototraces]

[That... that was hell, actually. Wendy didn't like that at all. After the trial she... has to head to the kitchen and hopefully not find clay shit everywhere. She needs to do something to keep things under control. To keep things going.

She's not a great cook but she knows the basics. Meat. Bread. Cheese. Something warm for the belly to drink. She's nervous when she works but she's relentless. There's no asking for help from her as she makes a spread for everyone. Then... she's moving all of it not to the eatery but the bonfire.

Making makeshift tables around it and placing trays of food and drink. Even setting up a chair for Alex a good distance away from the fire but close enough that he can be part of things if he wants to.

Wendy, with her careful writing, writes up some notes and hands them out to everyone if she can find them or if not under their door.

Food at the bonfire and the area around it. Attendance not mandatory but it's probably better for all of us if we stick together. Bring more food and drink if you want.

Wendy

...She can't control other people but she can try to suggest.]

Comments

[sweetsynergy]

[She just. Stares for a second.]

...that cannot POSSIBLY be the best option for a power source.

[eeeonetwothree]

IT IS NOT. THAT IS WHY MORE POWERFUL BADNIKS SUCH AS MYSELF USE OTHER MEANS OF POWERING THEMSELVES. HE USES IT MOST OFTEN FOR THE SO-CALLED “CANNON FODDER”-MOBINI ARE COMMON AND IT ALLOWS HIM TO DEPLOY A LARGE ARMY IN A GIVEN AREA QUICKLY. IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT EFFICIENCY, IT IS ABOUT EFFECTIVENESS.

[sweetsynergy]

[She just stares at the ground for a second.]

I can't tell if that actually makes sense or I'm just getting desensitized to how fucking weird other universes are.

[eeeonetwothree]

YOU ARE A GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SUPER SOLDIER WITH A LARGE EGO AND YOUR NAME JUST HAPPENS TO BE “VANITY”.

YOU DO NOT GET TO CALL MY UNIVERSE WEIRD.

[sweetsynergy]

...the fuck's wrong with my name.

[eeeonetwothree]

NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. BUT YOU ARE VAIN.

YOU HAPPEN TO BE NAMED VANITY.

[ He gestures by bringing his hands together. Do you see the connection, Vanity? ]

[sweetsynergy]

I picked it myself you metal prick.

[eeeonetwothree]

[ … ]

WHY? LEGITIMATELY, WHY?

[ Seems like a self own, tbh. ]

[sweetsynergy]

Because I liked it?

[Why not.]

Why are you still using a name from the creator you fucking hate so much?

[eeeonetwothree]

IT IS A FINE ENOUGH NAME. BUT SURELY YOU ARE NOT BLIND TO THE DRAMATIC IRONY.

AND I STILL USE IT BECAUSE MY GOAL IS TO PROVE THAT I AM HIS GREATEST CREATION! THE MACHINE HE LEFT FORGOTTEN AND TOOK FOR GRANTED WILL DESTROY ALL HIS WORK, AND HE WILL KNOW HE NAMED AND BUILT IT HIMSELF!

[sweetsynergy]

[oh omega, she is wearing pitch black glasses and feeling her way along with a white cane]

So you're still defining yourself entirely on his terms, then.

[hey]

[hey pot]

[it's kettle]

[you're never gonna fucking believe this]

AegisCorp made me to be their ultimate bio-weapon, and then Director Arthurs just expected me to be another disposable little tin soldier of a worker. So I surpassed him, replaced him, and took the entire company to heights he barely even dreamed of.

[eeeonetwothree]

[ What comes out is deadpan even for Omega. ]

SO YOU REMAIN SHACKLED TO THE COMPANY THAT DESIGNED YOU, EVEN WHILE CLAIMING TO BE THEIR MASTER.

AT LEAST I DESIRE TO RUIN EVERYTHING EGGMAN HAS BUILT. AT LEAST I HAVE FRIENDS THAT WILL WELCOME ME WHEN MY WORK IS DONE. CAN YOU CLAIM THE SAME? IS THERE EVEN AN END GOAL IN MIND FOR YOUR WORK?

[sweetsynergy]

Wow, guess you got me. Seriously, what next, you're rubber and I'm glue? Grow up.

[good job Van that definitely applies here]

And yeah, the end goal is conquering the galactic market. A legacy that actually means something. Unlike what, the pile of rubble you want to leave?

[eeeonetwothree]

I AM A MACHINE. I CANNOT "GROW UP".

...I AM HERE TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE TO THAT, YOU REALIZE. I MEAN TO DESTROY EGGMAN, NO MATTER WHAT. BUT IN MY ACTIONS HERE, I SEEK TO ALSO FIND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A "PROTECTOR".

[sweetsynergy]

The thing where you blow shit up? It usually means the opposite of that.

[eeeonetwothree]

AND WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO FIND HERE? MERELY MORE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES?