HONESTY MEME

[cactusy]

1) Post your characters, one per comment
2) Go around with your characters and have them ask other characters questions-- anything goes!
3) Forced honesty time! Lying is impossible because of reasons
4) ICly discuss the confessions and revelations

Comments

[in_extremis]

Kind of. I don't know. You would be a little bit in love with them, too, if you knew them, I don't think that's on me.

[cactusy]

You know, I was just joking about your life sounding exhausting, but-- holy crap, dude. I don't have real social needs, I can do fine without people, and I know that's not normal. But how do you not collapse from all that weight?

[in_extremis]

I don't think I've ever felt like it was a weight. It's not always easy, I guess, but--the universe has infinite capacity for stars, even the heaviest one won't break it. Is that what other people are to you, heavy?

[cactusy]

Sometimes. Depends on the person. I want to say I'd hate being like you, but... if I was like you, I wouldn't be like me.

People can be important to me. I'm not incapable of having people matter. It's just that I can do fine without them if I need to.

[in_extremis]

It would be nice, though, if you never needed to.

[cactusy]

That's not how life works.

[in_extremis]

Some people have that. I couldn't tell you what the process is, but I've seen the results.

[cactusy]

I've had it. But they're all dead now.

Look at me, though. Still here.

[in_extremis]

The uncertain possibility of that happening again, is worse than the sure thing of keeping people at a distance now?

[cactusy]

Hey, I told you I was willing to work with you guys as a team; that's not keeping people at a distance. My last job taught me all about the joys of teamwork, okay.

[And if she sounds a little sarcastic... well. Her voice is just Like That^TM sometimes.]

[in_extremis]

The one you couldn't stand anymore, and are happy to be on the other end of the universe to get away from? That team?

[cactusy]

No.

[She snaps the word, sounding something close to angry for the first time in this conversation. ]

I told you what happened to them. They died.

[in_extremis]

I didn't realize this thing was that thing, and it was still-- I'm sorry. That can't be easy.

[cactusy]

It was always a risk. It was what we signed up for.

[A fact she believes on technicality, even if it doesn't actually make any of it any easier.]

Only two are dead for sure. The other two-- if they're alive and they haven't gotten in touch, it means they don't want to be found. I can respect that.

All I can do is find a new job.

[in_extremis]

Maybe they also got abducted by aliens. Can't rule out the possibility now.

[cactusy]

I don't even wanna know what Finch would do with the information that aliens are a thing.

[in_extremis]

You took it pretty well. Are aliens not a thing? It's just empty for lightyears over there?

[cactusy]

Nobody knows for sure. We've never had contact or proof or anything like that, but a totally empty universe seems pretty unlikely.

I never spent time thinking about it either way; never saw the point. But I'm not too surprised. Straight-up magic being a thing is a way bigger pill to swallow.

[in_extremis]

Honestly, I'm thinking about it, and I'd be willing to make the sacrifice of outer-species contact for a world without magic. I can always manage the space travel myself.

[cactusy]

Bad experiences?

[in_extremis]

Every experience with magic is bad. I'm a scientist, an engineer, and while the world is vast and complex in ways I might never be able to master, there's rules to it, systems. Magic is the opposite of that. It's horrible.

[cactusy]

This place must seriously suck for you, then. My issues are with signs that this might all be fake; as long as I can buy magic being real, I'm set.

[in_extremis]

What kind of fake?

[cactusy]

Virtual reality psychological torture. It's kind of a long story.

[in_extremis]

It might actually be a pretty short walk if you ever want to talk about it. A good friend of mine trapped me in my dreams and made me doubt anything was real, sometimes I still have to check in when I wake up, count my toes, measure the shadows. I don't know if you ever get over that.