XXIII

[punsofiron]

[Cambot hovers around the hallway, coming around the corner a little nervously, drawing back in surprise when he finds Liz sitting in the hall looking...rather dazed. Cambot comes closer and...wait, is she sitting on 90s Kid?!

Yup. Yup, she is. 90s Kid is lying on the floor with an expression of bafflement, completely petrified much like Namine was, and Liz is slumped over on his stomach. She looks at Cambot, completely serious as she runs a hand through her hair.]

Listen up you guys, we've got some serious business. There's a basilisk running amok on the Satellite. I dunno how it got up here or where it's been hiding, but it's deadly. It's a huge snake, and its gaze can kill you.

As Mister Finevoice has demonstrated already. [She side-glances forlornly.]

Listen, just. Whatever you do, if you're in the halls, keep your eyes firmly focused on your own feet. Check around corners with a mirror, do whatever you can not to make direct eye contact. If you're careful and only see it indirectly, well...[she looks down at 90s Kid] It's better than the alternative.

Just. Be careful you guys. Please.

Comments

[milliondollarpipes]

[He's been pretty somber since he died, but he sighs and looks even more unhappy upon seeing 90s Kid.] Aw, dammit. Probably should've seen that comin'.

[punsofiron]

I don't mind telling you, mister Finevoice...I really don't like this pattern.

[milliondollarpipes]

[A few seconds later, he floats up through the floor nearby.]

Ain't exactly my favorite thing either. [Hovering closer, he peers at 90s Kid's face. Huh, he wouldn'tve thought those shades would come so in handy.] 'Least there's that mandrake. Maybe we can get this sorted out soon.

[Well. They can get it sorted out. He'll just...keep being dead.]

[punsofiron]

Yeah. And Mak's got a book of potions flying around up in his room, so we can find the one we need.

Assume we can find some ripe mandrake...

[thewallman]

[ Wally's started wearing his goggles around everywhere. Temporary petrification is better than instant death, even if he's loathe to accept all of this happening. It's got to be some sort of trick, the Satellite merely emulating existing literature. But even if that was the case, that means they'll probably have to find a solution within the fictional constraints.

He's a little angry about it, and if his expression doesn't tell you that, the sarcasm dripping from his voice will. ]

I don't suppose we've got any mandrake root lying around.

[punsofiron]

We could check on the nature deck?

[skysmirror]

Thanks, Liz. We'll be careful.

[She may just start borrowing Namine's mirror.]

[punsofiron]

[She nods.] Just doing what I can. I don't wanna lose any more of us up here.

[skysmirror]

None of us do.

Is there anything we can do about the snake? I mean, it might leave when the week ends, but...

[That's a long time to have it possibly preying on people.]

[punsofiron]

Waiting it out is a risky plan.

If we can maybe find a way to sneak up on it without making eye contact and blind it, that'd give us an edge but...we'd have to be really lucky to pull something like that off.

[optimistickey]

So...a giant snake did that to Namine? And Harvey, and 90s Kid, too?

Is there any way to destroy it?

[punsofiron]

That's what it looks like to me...

As for getting rid of it...it'd be easier to figure out how to do that if we could blind it. Which...is difficult if we can't even look at it.

[optimistickey]

We could get a weapon and blind it that way, or have something to throw in its eyes...

Is there no way to look at it without...actually looking at it? Or maybe trap it under something so we can't see it?

[punsofiron]

That might work. Unless somebody here can fight it blindfolded.

[She's actually joking when she says that, buuuut...]

[thirteenth_brat]

[While the situation overall isn't funny, somehow the fact that Liz is sitting on 90s Kid is amusingly appropriate. Roxas at least has the good grace to reign in any amusement before he replies. The reply itself, however, is another story.]

A snake. So it can either make you dead or make you furniture with a look and it's probably venomous on top of that. Lovely.

[punsofiron]

That about sums it up.

[thirteenth_brat]

It's better to have some information that none. Do we have any ideas what we can do about it?

[punsofiron]

Well we could try gouging its eyes out, but the question's still how we can do that.

[halfdarkened]

[This is Riku. This is Riku wearing his VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS FACE. Any questions?]

Make eye contact and you're dead. Got it. Can you see other parts of it and survive? And I'm guessing you could get petrified by seeing it on a Cambot camera, right?

[He pauses thoughtfully.] What happens if it sees it's own reflection?

[punsofiron]

It's just the eyes you have to worry about. And over the network it'll probably petrify you, yeah...at Cambot's expense.

I honestly hadn't thought of that. In theory that could make it petrify itself but...I don't think anyone's lived long enough to try it.

[halfdarkened]

Then we need to make sure our Cambots only broadcast in areas that are likely safe, like our rooms. Cam? ...You're going to have to stay here. [Sad violin music plays.] Can you make sure you don't broadcast AT ALL if you follow me? [The music stops and it pauses.] That's what I thought.

Liz, what did you mean, "At Cambot's expense?"

I don't have to live long. It just has to see me and we'll find out. [Riku smiles slyly and gets up from his chair. Cambot statics a bit, but he's going over to a pair of pants he left on the floor - one he had when he arrived here again. Hadn't he washed that yet? He pulls from the pocket a strip of black cloth and ties it around his eyes. He taps his foot a few times, cocking his head to listen. He hums a thoughtful note before heading slowly back to Cambot. Carefully he places his hand on the back of his chair, but proceeds to sit down as if he could see fine.] This may not work as well as I thought. But it may have to do. I need a suit of armor and a bunch of people to help me polish it. A lot.

[punsofiron]

Last I ever heard of anybody catching those peepers on camera, it destroyed the film. So you be careful too okay Cambot? [her camera bobs up and down with a nod]

[She watches him get the blindfold on, face turning serious.] You think you can really take it on like that? [She has honestly never known someone without superpowers who can do that.]

[sailorlaughter]

[GAAAAAAASP]

Oh no! 90s Kid!

[punsofiron]

He'll be alright, Pinkie. Lucky for us there is a cure out there for petrification.

[She sounds a little uncertain but...she did hear there's at least mandrake root in the garden.]

[sailorlaughter]

What? What is it? Can we go get some?