june catch-all

[mehanizovati]

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts in comments
What: june catch-all, some tdm prompts
When: june
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers



misc lab stuff and various fruits.

[viktor's lab in the willful machine is usually left unlocked when he's working inside. friends or acquaintances have likely been told they're welcome to stop by if they like, either to say hello or to get help with whatever a vaguely sketchy lab could handle. of course someone he doesn't know can just walk in too or knock. maybe there's a sudden downpour and that ajar door is tempting? go for it.

the lab has been slowly filling with all sorts of nonsense on the various tables- lasers! tasers! some weird machine hooked up to a blood gem? it is not unlikely to be walking by and hear some minor booming noise and either a curse in czech or a satisfied 'a-ha!' feel free to investigate.

this month there's something else too, a bowl full of fruit. all the fruits mentioned in the tdm in fact, there to be tested on though it looks more like they're just for guests if people are unaware there's some weird shit going on.]

Just a moment, make yourself at home. [he might say to guest. that would include eating some fruit, right? enjoy. probably not the raw lemon though, that's weird.]

[ooc; if you want to memshare i am game, my only hard limit on memories is no suicide stuff please. self sacrifice is fine! feel free to ask to make sure one is okay. if you'd like a viktor memory let me know any hard limits and what sort of memory you might prefer!]


gaze and time loops.

[having lungs mostly working for the moment is pretty great, in viktor's humble opinion. it means walking around the trench doesn't come with the risk of coughing up blood and attracting beasts and generally having a bad time, along with added perks like not getting so easily winded and going for longer. it also means he finds himself out longer than he usually would, which maybe isn't the best, as it turns out.

for example, making his way home through gaze and hearing the chilling cry of a beast, sighing and trying to make his way around what turns out to be the wrong corner. maybe that's where he sees your character before the snarling of a too close beast starts in earnest.

and then snap! they're both back about an hour, where they passed on the street. the look viktor gives is somewhere between resigned and 'fuck this, actually.'] There is a term for this. 'One of those days,' I think.



[ooc; if you'd like to wildcard or do something else you can pm me here or find me at dichotomy]

Comments

[mehanizovati]

I'm sure those three feet really make a difference when any sort of catastrophe strikes. [viktor can't help but snort at that, probably giving himself away further. he is more interested in thirteen- gods, look at him. what a terror, sharp and confident even so young. viktor feels only vaguely sympathetic to the oversight body and whoever else had to handle this, mostly he just wishes he could have imparted a similar confidence in jayce the fully grown man.

ah well. thirteen. he wishes he could take a picture to show shoyo, he'd probably get a kick out of this.

but a chance to see the public archives is too tempting not to try and angle for, even if he's not sure how the hell trying to read anything in there would work in
a dream/memory.]

I am certainly a scholar, you have me there. I read and everything. Sometimes I even write, when the mood strikes. [he glances between them, it really is hard not to be too obviously fascinated, especially by camilla.] I am Viktor, by the way. [apparently the maybe second scholar if they even have those.]

[megatheorem]

[Ah, and Palamedes makes a face for just a moment that is incredibly pleased with himself, for figuring out the correct combination of carrots and sticks to dangle to get the answer he wanted. It's a face he makes at least twice a week as an adult, with the only difference being that thirteen-year-old Palamedes tries to hide it after a few seconds. Truly, the tragedy of being the smartest person in the room when you are also thirteen is having to consider adult egos...

Still! He got his answer, so they can go see some books now. Viktor the Second Scholar and his two youthful escorts, both of whom bring differently helpful "don't stop us, we're busy" energies to the table.]

Did you hear, Cam? He even writes. ['A paragon, Scholar.'] Well, come on, d'you want to see the Archives or not?

[He's already heading back to the door as swiftly as he marched in minutes ago, waiting at the threshold with Camilla at his elbow.]

I'm Palamedes, this is Camilla. [Notably, he doesn't look to see if she's come to stand by him before he gestures to her, be thrilled by how in sync they are.] We're not supposed to do this, so let's hope that anyone who catches us thinks I'm cleverer than I am a nuisance.

[Or: he's loving this, let's go. The two of them wait politely for Viktor to join them, and Palamedes leads the way to The Public Archives, which are not precisely impressive to look at - being more boxy grey corridors, only with a lot more shelves and flimsy - besides the vastness of the chamber, which is enough that to walk from one end to the other definitely looks like it would take several minutes. Here and there are a few plexiglass display cases, all of them empty. Palamedes hums as he glances at one on the way in, explaining:]

We only bring out the displays to show off when visitors are actually announced. What do you want to read? Poetry?

[this is a fun prank to pull on strangers]

[mehanizovati]

[oh he is very delighted, trying to keep a neutral face as he regards their dynamic with increasing fondness. perhaps a little melancholy at the edges, the bittersweet of seeing a bond palamedes has lost in a time he likely needed it most.

but he refuses to dwell, instead following after, a polite nods to the names he now doesn't need to pretend he does not know.] You make it quite obvious how much you enjoy the nuisance aspect. I doubt that will help your case.

[the archives is fascinating- he would love to show pal the academy library one day, to see how he'd feel about an overtly and obnoxiously grand display of knowledge and wealth. he is also starting to wonder if the commitment to grey on pal's part is a defense mechanism after years of this, everything so dull. viktor thinks he'd go mad.

poetry makes him immediately think of ortus and not the erotic poetry, more the fool he is.] I'll trust your suggestions, given you are my guide for the moment.

[megatheorem]

[Oh, superb!! Palamedes hums, only a touch too brightly as he turns away to make a beeline towards a particular shelf. Camilla watches him with a patient kind of wariness, as if maybe he'll cause an inter-House incident and they'll have more forms to sign, and as if she's done this same watch-and-wait before.

Palamedes returns with a book that is largely nondescript, titled QUALIFICATION EXAM: NIREIDS - III and bound in simple, well, grey with darker grey font.]

Here. The third volume is the most popular offworld.

[Open to any page to see such titles as:

'Dark and Glowing Before the Tomb'
'Strange and Sinuous in the Spirits' and
'All Entrancing Beside the Vapors and the Metacarpals'

All of them are deeply and overtly erotic, sorry bud. The last one is most definitely about Ortus' favorite Matthias Nonius, and how.]

[mehanizovati]

[it really takes viktor a beat too long to realize where this is going, and shame on him for that. mostly he's trying not to make a face at flimsy still being the most offensive thing he's ever had to deal with in his life, so when he catches sight of the titles he has to laugh.

it's a bark of a thing, followed by flipping it open to regard the poems properly, lips still quirked. oh boy, he could not wait until they woke up and he got to let pal never live this down. he's kind of proud of him, actually.]

Hm, well it's certainly eh... florid. Is this one about Matthias Nonius? [ortus is so so lucky viktor knows he would not appreciate the teasing about this because what a gold mine. it's an actual tragedy.] The naming convention leaves something to be desired. Are you allowed to be reading this or am I aiding in some Sixth related crime?

[megatheorem]

[The laugh makes Palamedes look earnestly surprised for a second, in a way that makes Camilla snort behind the book she's picked up. Has he been outplayed? By some Second guy? No, definitely not.]

Memorizing the poetry starts pretty early. Not for me, I'm not going for Cohort placement.

[But he sure did read all the poetry, pause for that to sink in.]

So no; not a crime. If you breathe too close to it and wrinkle the flimsy, then we'll have to report you.

[mehanizovati]

[viktor is starting to wonder if memorized it and that is why viktor can even read it. if he didn't know pal's impressive memory this would be especially funny. still pretty funny though.]

No, you have loftier goals I imagine. [viktor hums, turning the page carefully, reads a few more ridiculous lines before he closes it and offers it back to pal with a quirk still to his lips.]

We would not want to wrinkle art, would we? Terribly disrespectful. Thank you though, Palamedes, I believe I understand the Sixth much better now.

[megatheorem]

The Cohort is respectable, [Palamedes says automatically. It's not that he doesn't believe it, but he isn't particularly - invested, when it comes to the military. They wait around in reserves a while? There are things about the Cohort he'd change if he could, but he is but a little Scholar, shrugging as he puts the volume back on its shelf.]

Part of the Sixth, sure. You haven't— oh, Archivist. Hello.

[This last bit he addresses to the Archivist who is unfortunately not Juno Zeta, who has appeared just behind Viktor to give the three of them a glower of disapproval. Even the guest, of course; Viktor is not excused just for not being Sixth, he should know better how to handle inter-House visitation.]

We were just leaving. To... ['See about a late dinner in the cafeteria,' Camilla provides, and Palamedes gestures to her as if to say, yes, that! The Archivist continues to glare at them as Palamedes goes to sidestep around, time to go...

He does lean over to give Viktor a conspiratorial mutter, though, on the way out:] I'll write down some less florid titles of interest; you can submit a requisition.

[mehanizovati]

[sadly not pal's incredible mother, and in truth as much as viktor regrets not having a chance to speak with her he thinks that's probably for the best. instead he just regards the archivist neutrally, rather enjoying the fact he doesn't really need to care about long term repercussions here. will he try to cause trouble? no, but he won't offer the proper contrite and polite posturing expected.

such a rebel. maybe it will make him seem more military, though he doubts it. ah well.

the little side comment gets a faint smile before he's turning his gaze away. as charming as teen pal is it's a shame his pal was not here, giving him a proper tour.] Thank you, and perhaps something straying away from poetry this time. I think I've had my fill, 'florid' or not. [aka 'horny' or not.]