AUDIENCE 🚀 CHARLES

[dropoffs]

Comments

[dropoffs]

Not at all.

Would you like to talk about what happened over a cup of tea?

[riverbeans]

sure, tea sounds good if this isn't going to involve you trying to stick your hand into my mouth.

[dropoffs]

That is not within my plans.

I have to check how the drone are doing at the tea shop, anyway. I will meet you there.

[riverbeans]

got it.

[he will meet amalthea there...]

[dropoffs]

[ I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING SO SHE'S HERE. ] Hello, Charles. I am glad there is no hand in your mouth now?

[riverbeans]

[FUCKING KNEW IT

he pauses upon seeing her because wowee another real face.]

I'm glad too—both for the lack of hands in my mouth and to get to see your face proper.

[dropoffs]

[ SOMETIMES YOU ARE JUST A MAID. She smiles at him for the comment, even though part of it is so weird. ] There is nothing special about my face, but I'm not keen on the helmet. It is a little suffocating... I would say much like hands in a mouth...

[riverbeans]

... I think those might be slightly different.

[dropoffs]

[ Hehe, but not actually chuckling or laughing. ] Let us have a seat. [ She offers him a chair first. ] What happened?

[riverbeans]

Thanks.

[sits down...]

Well... first, some food was left out. Innocuous enough, but everyone who ate it started acting like the deceased? Gregor and Yuri were acting like Scien, Dion was acting like Dahut, Rodya like Eunhyuk, Margaret and Harley like Luke, and I think Shouxue was Viktor...?

It was, well, a lot.

[dropoffs]

[ She will take a seat on the other chair, then pour them some tea... And just... Makes an expression? Confused and concerned. ] I suppose... I could review it on the security cameras.

[riverbeans]

If you could, it wouldn't hurt—well, it might hurt your sanity a little. [IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE, BEING RIGHT THERE.] It could just be one of those promotional items, but it seems to have had... a wider net than usual.

[dropoffs]

From the supply store? Or do you mean OmegaMart? I do agree the effect sounds... Larger than what can be provided from either shops. I wonder if it is a secondary effect.

[riverbeans]

A secondary effect?

[dropoffs]

[ She tilts her head as she sips her tea. ] I believe some have used the limited wares in the supply store on senior crew... They described that they feel a sharp vigilance that focused their mind for a short time before the ware's effect started.

[riverbeans]

[sips tea too]

So you're suggesting that... impersonating the deceased was leading up to something else?

[dropoffs]

They are both strange and currently unexplainable is why. [ Just musing. ] Did they only show the symptom of acting as the deceased?

[riverbeans]

I didn't notice anything else. Of course, I could've missed something, since I was kind of distracted.

[dropoffs]

... With hands in your mouth. [ She gives him a look of pity. Poor Charles. ] I suppose for now it goes onto the list of unexplainable things. [ Sips her tea. ] Do you have a theory yourself? I am curious to hear.

[riverbeans]

[thanks... amalthea...]

Not yet... There are a lot of strange things going on this ship, after all.

[dropoffs]

It makes it seem haunted, doesn't it? [ THANKS ]

[riverbeans]

Amalthea...

[THANKS]

If we are haunted, then I hope it's by the friends we've lost.

[dropoffs]

[ she's just a little weird okay ] I do, too... Though I believe they are here watching over us.

[riverbeans]

You think so?

[dropoffs]

[ Smiling. ] ... I do.