[He is quietly watching and listening to Knives, but the last part... makes him... snort like he's trying not to laugh, but he can't catch himself before it pops out.
And then he just... kinda laughs. Like genuinely, short. He rubs the socket of one eye with the back of a finger.]
No one will tell you anything, will they? [IT'S BECAUSE HE'S VIOLENT. So are, like, the three or four other people t-posing around Viktor.] It was from the old crew, I mean.
Someone from the team in hydroponics apparently was... cross-breeding plants, looking for one that was like... an hallucinogen? One that let two people share some kind of hallucinogen experience, but what they ended up making was...
I can only thank your lot's warnings, I imagine, even if all they've done is stall our progress.
[ they're right to be wary, it's okay. Knives doesn't quite care. ]
There is no project like that currently archived in hydroponics, unless it's hidden away somewhere else. This ship... It's trying to erase history—or be in control of it.
[ Super interesting because he's wondering why. ]
Dreams are an ill-suited channel for communication. I've only started remembering the shape of our compromises.
[THEY SHOULD BE, GOOD.] It was a secret, I think. Project. Just watch out for the plants because the one they cross-bred was poisonous. And, um... meat, I guess. If you can remember. [What a combination.
He rubs his chin thoughtfully, brows furrowing.]
The old crew are barely hanging on as whatever ghostly forms they are, and the senior crew can hardly remember, so... that makes sense.
... The ship food is mostly comprised of eels. [ Fucking wild, but this makes him again ??? ] Amalthea remembered her chief officer, though I do not know from where. It might be from one of yours visiting. Nevertheless, I'll talk to her about this crossbreed.
[ Which Knives isn't unhappy about. ]
The more the roster is filled, the more we may learn the true nature of the Eudora. The supplemental information you all have gathered has also been helpful, or so I'd like to believe. [ ... ] Has there been any developments where you are? Plans... Thoughts...
Has how you envisioned your future differ from the last you visited me?
Hmmm. He worries his bottom lip with his teeth.] A few of the old crew thought they were eating... meat? Something weird. It could have been a hallucination. [A slight shrug, mostly of uncertainty, not dismissal.
He glances at Knives, frowning, and then looks off to the side.]
Whatever we are, we think connecting us to the bodies in stasis may be a viable plan. Personally, I think... the garbage might be a key. We wake up in a lot of it.
[Viktor looks like HMMMM about the food part, but does not question it because he thinks Knives may get ornery with him.
A plant wouldn't know shit about food anyway, right? Don't they "eat" sunlight?]
The one where the flower appeared? [Very Hell's Paradise of them.] That happens to us. Wherever we are. We decay, flowers appear, then they decay, too.
The more you talk about this place you're in, the less it makes sense. [ Knives is in the end a guy who lives in the same plane as humans do. ] But then you all revive? Like it's a life cycle of some sort?
[ HOW ELSE WOULD YOU GUYS STILL DO THINGS? ]
The person—it was definitely Vash. Even though I couldn't salvage the clip enough to see exactly what happened, it seemed like he vanished in a single second.
It honestly never makes much sense. It doesn't exactly follow normal rules. Yes, something like that.
[His brows furrow suddenly. He glances upward, trying to mull over the video. Maybe you're hallucinating, Knives, wanting to see your brother so badly.
His eyes lower again to Knives. He looks like he wants to say something, but he's debating whether or not he should.]
I don't know if it's true, but I think... the last place he might have been was garbage disposal. [What that means, he can't say.] Do... you... know if other people could have figured out whether he was... a Plant by any chance? You said you both are quite powerful, right?
[Hmmm. It is weird and apparently Knives will never find them. Stop sending his rat boyfriend to kidnap Vash.]
Not really... telling people, but more... if someone happened to find out without his knowledge. I mean, it's probably unrelated, but there were people on the crew he was with who were tampering with flowers and flower properties.
[A shrug.]
Do you know what kind of flower was left behind in the video?
We do not work like plants and flowers, if that was what you are wondering. We're more similar to power plants. [ Just to clear things up. But alien. ] Vash, as stupid as he may be, does everything he can to survive even if that means bowing down to humans and posing himself as harmless. Hiding the nature of what he is should be part of that.
[ HE DOESN"T WANT TO THINK ABOUT EXPERIMENTS ]
A red geranium. It was once our guardian's favorite flower... And he was quite attached to her.
I know, but... your blood, your DNA, anything like that someone could try to use for their own research. I don't want that to be true for him, but some of the crew were doing research secretly.
[He waves a hand dismissively. DON'T THINK ABOUT THE SCIENTISTS. His expression softens.]
It's strange that in particular would... just appear after he was gone from the video...
I suppose I've allowed scientists to run experiments using my DNA makeup already, but Vash... [ Massages his temples. SCIENTISTS. Knives doesn't know enough about old crew temperament if they're insane or what. ] He'd be a fool.
[ And he is one. Knives is tired, but the attitude is WHEN WILL YOU LEARN THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES and I WILL LET YOU MAKE YOUR MISTAKES AND YOU'LL SEE. ]
... At first, I had thought his body turned into a flower, but realized soon after that would be ridiculous.
[ Doesn't realize this outs him as having a breakdown on the other side. ]
Also yeah, you are outing yourself, idiod. Viktor is actually quiet for a long moment. He looks like he is deciding if he wants to say what he wants to say...
Well, if he dies he dies.]
You're hurting. Aren't you? [His expression is understanding, not judgmental.] Being separated and not knowing what has happened to him, or how to get him back.
That's okay, you know. I think, no matter what I don't know or understand about you two... that Vash is the same. That he is also hurting, but pretends he isn't. We care about him, too.
I know you think I'm only a stupid human, but I believe in your dream. I believe... there is a perfect world out there for both of you, together. I think that's possible. But... there has to be compromise. From him as well as you. You have to be careful not to hurt him in your pursuit of that perfect dream, or it'll crumble around you.
I don't want... to see you or Lucien...
[He shakes his head.]
I want you to be reunited, but I don't want to see either of you hurt for it. Okay?
[ Knives noticeably tenses at the question. How can he be hurting? All Viktor is saying, it must be nonsense. ]
All I've ever seen humans do is hurt us and yet he chooses to love you all the same. I'm sure these honeyed words would have him before your feet... He's blinded by what we once had.
[ The space changes to that of a spaceship and in the hallway walks a woman holding the hands of familiar twins. But honestly, isn't Knives the same? He dreams of the time they were together, without her, even though deep down he had too once loved their guardian.
It has all been replaced with fear and jealousy. ]
I need not your sympathy or lectures. Keep your sights on Lucien [ and not him ] and bringing my brother to me.
He still has some protests for that, but he keeps them to himself for now. Can't argue with a brick wall. It reminds him of Lucien. Being foolish for love.
His head turns to watch the woman and the twins. It looks like it should be happy.]
Did she ever hurt either of you?
[Just curious. Surely Knives has experienced kindness from at least one human...?]
[Yikes. This one-sided account from Knives surely isn't missing any details.
He looks at the void near his feet, then glances at Knives.]
Your trust.
[He gets it. Singed did the same to him with Rio.]
I'm sure, no matter how he feels about humans, that all still hurts him. Maybe it hurts more... knowing it upsets him, but he still cares about them somehow.
[Look, he is stupid, but he isn't completely stupid.]
If we help you with Vash, are you... just going to kill us all anyway?
Also, Knives did not say NO technically. Great. Knives is gonna try to kill them or leave them behind to the flesh ship, and Vash is gonna have to try to martyr.]
[ Knives is a fickle creature... He can never admit an end to his hateful crusade. ]
You can leave on your own.
[ He's going to change his dream to the golden room again so he can play the stupid piano despite hating humans and human creations. It's the same score, but not a duet. There's no bright or vibrant undercurrent... The song, while complete, also sounds incomplete. ]
[Knives is so damn stupid!!!!!! The golden room comes back, and Viktor absolutely doesn't leave, so if Knives is annoyed, he'll have to kick him out.
But he at least doesn't talk to or bother Knives. He is too busy standing and looking at the room and listening. He's not musically inclined, but there is a strange interwoven understanding of the movement between music and math?
The song doesn't sound complete. It's heavier, too, darker. Viktor thinks that tracks.
...
Hm.]
Sorry-- Um, actually would you... be willing to teach me a few staffs of the song? [Thoughtfully rubs his chin.] For Vash.
I wonder if it will... help him remember what happened.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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And then he just... kinda laughs. Like genuinely, short. He rubs the socket of one eye with the back of a finger.]
No one will tell you anything, will they? [IT'S BECAUSE HE'S VIOLENT. So are, like, the three or four other people t-posing around Viktor.] It was from the old crew, I mean.
Someone from the team in hydroponics apparently was... cross-breeding plants, looking for one that was like... an hallucinogen? One that let two people share some kind of hallucinogen experience, but what they ended up making was...
[Gestures around them.]
Shared dreams.
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[ they're right to be wary, it's okay. Knives doesn't quite care. ]
There is no project like that currently archived in hydroponics, unless it's hidden away somewhere else. This ship... It's trying to erase history—or be in control of it.
[ Super interesting because he's wondering why. ]
Dreams are an ill-suited channel for communication. I've only started remembering the shape of our compromises.
[ Maybe for the best...... ]
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[THEY SHOULD BE, GOOD.] It was a secret, I think. Project. Just watch out for the plants because the one they cross-bred was poisonous. And, um... meat, I guess. If you can remember. [What a combination.
He rubs his chin thoughtfully, brows furrowing.]
The old crew are barely hanging on as whatever ghostly forms they are, and the senior crew can hardly remember, so... that makes sense.
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... The ship food is mostly comprised of eels. [ Fucking wild, but this makes him again ??? ] Amalthea remembered her chief officer, though I do not know from where. It might be from one of yours visiting. Nevertheless, I'll talk to her about this crossbreed.
[ Which Knives isn't unhappy about. ]
The more the roster is filled, the more we may learn the true nature of the Eudora. The supplemental information you all have gathered has also been helpful, or so I'd like to believe. [ ... ] Has there been any developments where you are? Plans... Thoughts...
Has how you envisioned your future differ from the last you visited me?
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Hmmm. He worries his bottom lip with his teeth.] A few of the old crew thought they were eating... meat? Something weird. It could have been a hallucination. [A slight shrug, mostly of uncertainty, not dismissal.
He glances at Knives, frowning, and then looks off to the side.]
Whatever we are, we think connecting us to the bodies in stasis may be a viable plan. Personally, I think... the garbage might be a key. We wake up in a lot of it.
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[ So he's inclined to agree, but he doesn't dismiss it, either. ]
The garbage.
[ ????????? ]
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At least one had become unstable at the start. Maybe a storm.
[He sort of smirks wryly at Knives.]
The ship's trash still has to go somewhere, right?
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In the end, they died after eating.
[ It is what it is. ]
... Usually, ground into dust from the times I've checked it. [ But now he's thinking about something. ] There was a video... With a flower.
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A plant wouldn't know shit about food anyway, right? Don't they "eat" sunlight?]
The one where the flower appeared? [Very Hell's Paradise of them.] That happens to us. Wherever we are. We decay, flowers appear, then they decay, too.
You thought it was strange? The video.
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The more you talk about this place you're in, the less it makes sense. [ Knives is in the end a guy who lives in the same plane as humans do. ] But then you all revive? Like it's a life cycle of some sort?
[ HOW ELSE WOULD YOU GUYS STILL DO THINGS? ]
The person—it was definitely Vash. Even though I couldn't salvage the clip enough to see exactly what happened, it seemed like he vanished in a single second.
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[His brows furrow suddenly. He glances upward, trying to mull over the video. Maybe you're hallucinating, Knives, wanting to see your brother so badly.
His eyes lower again to Knives. He looks like he wants to say something, but he's debating whether or not he should.]
I don't know if it's true, but I think... the last place he might have been was garbage disposal. [What that means, he can't say.] Do... you... know if other people could have figured out whether he was... a Plant by any chance? You said you both are quite powerful, right?
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[ Helly Belly is weird. ]
Yes... The surroundings did match with the waste disposal, though I haven't noticed anything odd about it the times I do maintenance.
[ It's good to be careful... Knives raises his eyebrows at that. ]
... I don't see a reason why he would tell anyone. Why?
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Not really... telling people, but more... if someone happened to find out without his knowledge. I mean, it's probably unrelated, but there were people on the crew he was with who were tampering with flowers and flower properties.
[A shrug.]
Do you know what kind of flower was left behind in the video?
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We do not work like plants and flowers, if that was what you are wondering. We're more similar to power plants. [ Just to clear things up. But alien. ] Vash, as stupid as he may be, does everything he can to survive even if that means bowing down to humans and posing himself as harmless. Hiding the nature of what he is should be part of that.
[ HE DOESN"T WANT TO THINK ABOUT EXPERIMENTS ]
A red geranium. It was once our guardian's favorite flower... And he was quite attached to her.
[ Said with disdain. ]
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I know, but... your blood, your DNA, anything like that someone could try to use for their own research. I don't want that to be true for him, but some of the crew were doing research secretly.
[He waves a hand dismissively. DON'T THINK ABOUT THE SCIENTISTS. His expression softens.]
It's strange that in particular would... just appear after he was gone from the video...
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I suppose I've allowed scientists to run experiments using my DNA makeup already, but Vash... [ Massages his temples. SCIENTISTS. Knives doesn't know enough about old crew temperament if they're insane or what. ] He'd be a fool.
[ And he is one. Knives is tired, but the attitude is WHEN WILL YOU LEARN THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES and I WILL LET YOU MAKE YOUR MISTAKES AND YOU'LL SEE. ]
... At first, I had thought his body turned into a flower, but realized soon after that would be ridiculous.
[ Doesn't realize this outs him as having a breakdown on the other side. ]
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Also yeah, you are outing yourself, idiod. Viktor is actually quiet for a long moment. He looks like he is deciding if he wants to say what he wants to say...
Well, if he dies he dies.]
You're hurting. Aren't you? [His expression is understanding, not judgmental.] Being separated and not knowing what has happened to him, or how to get him back.
That's okay, you know. I think, no matter what I don't know or understand about you two... that Vash is the same. That he is also hurting, but pretends he isn't. We care about him, too.
I know you think I'm only a stupid human, but I believe in your dream. I believe... there is a perfect world out there for both of you, together. I think that's possible. But... there has to be compromise. From him as well as you. You have to be careful not to hurt him in your pursuit of that perfect dream, or it'll crumble around you.
I don't want... to see you or Lucien...
[He shakes his head.]
I want you to be reunited, but I don't want to see either of you hurt for it. Okay?
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All I've ever seen humans do is hurt us and yet he chooses to love you all the same. I'm sure these honeyed words would have him before your feet... He's blinded by what we once had.
[ The space changes to that of a spaceship and in the hallway walks a woman holding the hands of familiar twins. But honestly, isn't Knives the same? He dreams of the time they were together, without her, even though deep down he had too once loved their guardian.
It has all been replaced with fear and jealousy. ]
I need not your sympathy or lectures. Keep your sights on Lucien [ and not him ] and bringing my brother to me.
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He still has some protests for that, but he keeps them to himself for now. Can't argue with a brick wall. It reminds him of Lucien. Being foolish for love.
His head turns to watch the woman and the twins. It looks like it should be happy.]
Did she ever hurt either of you?
[Just curious. Surely Knives has experienced kindness from at least one human...?]
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[ That is apparently bad enough. Surroundings go dark. They're just in a void now. ]
I wonder if kindness can erase seeing our older sister kept in separate containers, in pieces.
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He looks at the void near his feet, then glances at Knives.]
Your trust.
[He gets it. Singed did the same to him with Rio.]
I'm sure, no matter how he feels about humans, that all still hurts him. Maybe it hurts more... knowing it upsets him, but he still cares about them somehow.
[Look, he is stupid, but he isn't completely stupid.]
If we help you with Vash, are you... just going to kill us all anyway?
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Whatever happens, I'm sure Vash will defend you all. [ Which is annoying. ] I've grown tired.
[ So maybe a good thing. ]
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Also, Knives did not say NO technically. Great. Knives is gonna try to kill them or leave them behind to the flesh ship, and Vash is gonna have to try to martyr.]
You can send me back... Thanks for your help.
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You can leave on your own.
[ He's going to change his dream to the golden room again so he can play the stupid piano despite hating humans and human creations. It's the same score, but not a duet. There's no bright or vibrant undercurrent... The song, while complete, also sounds incomplete. ]
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But he at least doesn't talk to or bother Knives. He is too busy standing and looking at the room and listening. He's not musically inclined, but there is a strange interwoven understanding of the movement between music and math?
The song doesn't sound complete. It's heavier, too, darker. Viktor thinks that tracks.
...
Hm.]
Sorry-- Um, actually would you... be willing to teach me a few staffs of the song? [Thoughtfully rubs his chin.] For Vash.
I wonder if it will... help him remember what happened.
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