[Having little fear of retribution has its perks. The tradeoff is that noxious personality, but it pleases Lobelia all the same to have company even if his presence is just barely tolerated.
More importantly... if he's going to burn time talking to people, he would rather it be conversations with studious sorts like Alhaitham. Having another brain to bounce off is delightful on an otherwise dull day.]
Oui, time is a luxury we cannot afford to waste... but even if we had such a luxury, we are working with precious little in terms of resources. A bit disconcerting, N'est-ce pas?
Oui, you're correct. We arrived here shortly before the rest of you did... but until a larger group formed, there were no deaths. No unexpected surprises.
[A bit boring, Lobelia thinks, but he won't voice that.]
[He already assumes the trial dramatics are all Lobelia.
Alhaitham hums as he opens the book. He is reading, even if intermittently with the conversation.
He also switches to Fontainian as he mentally aligns what he reads with what he speaks:] And you had no warning for it. As far as we know the change in setting may only be a correlation.
I have a theory. Since you don't have an overview of the entire domain, it's possible that something or someone found it's way in or woke up in between the arrival of your group and ours.
[Alhaitham is a stern, no-nonsense man, but this is the second time he's changed his speech with Lobelia's preferences in mind. That does not go unnoticed, nor unappreciated.
He remains casually seated on the desk, back unguarded, seemingly unbothered by the prospect that he could easily become a target this way. Maybe he trusts Alhaitham. Maybe he simply does not fear him.]
Surely that isn't a reluctance to share your thoughts. Are you not the kind of person to share his ideas with curious minds? [His gaze flicks up.]
I don't think what changes here result violence are mere coincidence. [It's starting to seem like the likely explanation, but there's still a lot about the why and how that isn't understood.]
But if death is an aspect of what it needs, it makes sense that it would need to find a group with less internal trust or purpose to unify them.
[Lobelia turns, looking at Alhaitham over his shoulder with a thin smile.]
What will it take to foster goodwill between all our amis? Openness. A touch of vulnerability. A willingness to offer your throat to the guillotine, if only to prove you trust the hands that hold the rope.
Mm. You truly are a man of considerable intellect, Monsieur Alhaitham. That relentless thirst for knowledge is admirable on its own... but you seek harmony as well, non? No one genuinely wishes for deathβ not their own, not another's.
[It is the act of killing some people savor. The consequence is far less poetic. Almost painfully silent.]
So, would you say it is time we all laid our cards on the table? Sage, Foxglove, Rosemary... strangers until proven otherwise. I've always believed you cannot truly know a person until you've seen them in the flesh.
[Maybe if they weren't a group that were stabbing each other on week one, but. Well, it's entirely possible who's here isn't much of an accident either, given how well they're known.]
Just like how the four of you have been open enough with each other to have enough faith of character. [A bit of trust and faith. Alhaitham leans forward, tilting his head to meet Lobelia's gaze.
And that's why he's so willing to reveal himself first. Extend the farthest offer. The flattery rolls off him--but Lobelia speaks an understandable perspective and Alhaitham has no argument.]
It's hard to say which group trusts the other less. The others have stronger opinions about how you've all handled things, but however warranted the current suspicion was I believe it's only playing into another hand that has neither of our best interests at heart. I'm not going to waste time that could be put towards a solution on convincing people about a mutual danger... but if the four of you are starting to see it, then there won't be a better time than now to offer a partnership instead of mere tolerance.
After all, is what happened to you last Thursday not a sign that you four aren't as distant from what's after the rest of us? You can try to run from it, but without a way out, how long will that really work?
[Alhaitham has quite the talent for peeling back the truth without flinching, doesn't he? It's a quality Lobelia appreciatesβ dangerous people who speak plainly are far more interesting than harmless ones who don't. He rests his folded hands on a knee, fingers laced loosely, watching Alhaitham with curious eyes.]
Mm. You make a compelling case, mon ami. A partnership instead of tolerance is a far more appealing prospect than the fragile truce we've been entertaining.
Trust is a rare currency oui? Easily squandered, easily exploited. And yet, would we be having this conversation if suspicion were all we had?
[A soft hum.]
We are not untouched by whatever stalks this place, but neither are we powerless before it. The four of us actedβ not perfectly, not beautifully, but decisively. Working in harmonie will be crucial if we want to thwart whatever foe threatens us.
What say you, Monsieur Alhaitham? Shall we make something of this... faith of character?
[Had this been before he went and overthrew the government with a bunch of mostly strangers, Alhaitham would probably scoff that the Plausibility. But he knows what people of different backgrounds and skills can do, and that a little bit of faith and a common goal can do more than one would think.]
I'm not against it. While our efforts are still uncoordinated, there's clear desire among the rest of us to work as a cohesive whole. I'm not the only one still willing to merge our efforts together.
But I wonder what that looks like to you. [Well, conch shells ad heel learn later.] Your decision to spend the night out with Ramuda provided some useful information. Any thoughts on how to further exploit the different relation we have to this place to uncover more answers?
[He does. But he wonders how far Lobelia has already taken that thought himself.]
[Alhaitham's clarity and his insistence on structure is a refreshing contrast to the chaos that usually surrounds Lobelia. The man sees more than he admits, and it's only fair Lobelia return the courtesy.]
But of course, mon ami. If nothing else, our little excursion proved that proximity can yield answers where logic alone proves insufficient.
[He considers Alhaitham's question, fingers tapping lightly against his knee.]
As for furthering relations... I suspect the answer lies not in any single action, but in a pattern. This place responds to usβ sometimes to our fears, other times to our desires, and occasionally to the bonds we choose to form. If we wish to coax more answers from it, we must be willing to test those boundaries. Together.
[Meanwhile, Alhaitham appreciates someone clear-eyed about what needs to be done and a shared enough goal to actually make it happen. Not that he regrets leaving Lobelia to puppet drown in the well that one time. That's just a lesson in not acting impulsively.
Taking calculated risks on the other hand...
He hums, and then there's the slight quirk up of his lips.] Then I have a few ideas where we can push its limits.
[Others can worry about the trial. He doesn't have a strong preference how they work with it. He just wants to see how quickly they can act out of expectations and get one step ahead of this.] There's enough of us we can target multiple areas at once.
[As long as Alhaitham makes no further attempts to drown him, they're gucci.
It is, of course, a pleasant surprise to find someone with the nerve to take risks knowing full well the consequences may be dire. That takes audacity. That takes nerve. Lobelia is quietly pleased to discover he has an ally cut from a similar cloth. For a man who has lived most of his life alone in the shadows, it is an odd comfort to find himself in capable company.
He shifts, dragging one leg up onto the desk to turn and study Alhaitham more closely.]
A bold idea... and one worth exploring. You are in good standing with the others, oui? With coordinated efforts, I believe we can push those limits exactly as you intend.
[Side note:]
A smile suits you. Do brighten up more often, nuage d'orage.
[Perhaps it's just the matter of having something worth taking those risks for. That, and entirely too much self-confidence.
When Lobelia leans in, he says two things that are unexpected, though not necessarily untrue. Alhaitham isn't usually in good standing with people, but with everyone focused on a common goal his usual stand-offness hasn't driven people away. When that's usually the intention, it's strange to acknowledge.
And given his usual attitude, he doesn't get many comments on his smile either.] Then give me something else to smile about.
[Lobelia laughs, low and pleased. Alhaitham's challenge stirs the fire in him. And that request? Even better. He leans in, studying Alhaitham with unmistakable delight.]
You want something to smile about... très bien. Then let us give the trial a reason to tremble. A plan bold enough to warrant that expression, non?
[His smile sharpens, warm around the edges, far too entertained by the prospect of pushing limits together.]
Work with me, and I promise you'll find no shortage of things worth smiling at.
[Oh, now that's got Lobelia's attention. Alhaitham props his chin on his hand, holding his cool expression in a taunt. No more smiles yet.]
If the pattern holds, we have four more days before things move to facilitate someone else's death. [One of which will be taken up by Suffering.
He shifts so he can pull his notepad from his belt pouch.] Let's start by combining our information on this place and everything we've witnessed in each trial. Did this place ever shift or expand before our arrival?
[Lobelia hums, chin tipped up as if the answers lie somewhere along the ceiling.]
This place only began to shift once you and the others arrived. It was... peaceful. The winds didn't carry the same ominous air. The weather was stable and predictable. Quite odd, in hindsight. It's as if it were waiting for a full house before beginning the show.
And the layout from your perception hasn't changed? [Meaning the buildings are the same, their contents the same... hm.] Did it revert attempts at modification?
Non. It is only those of you who arrived late who have seen any such change in layout and perception. Mm... as for modifications, we had not thought to change the place much. Sadly, the answer to that is unknown.
So this study has always had a hidden cell attached. [Well. It's somebody's kink.]
For the most part it seems to refuse to let us adapt this place to our preferences, excluding moving the books around. [He has so many stacked in his room. And the living area.] But as it consistently appears with desire, perhaps the initial blueprint comes from you four, drawn in from the moment you entered.
[Until something else took over.] What happens when you walk to the bounds of the visible area?
[Or do. Alhaitham would be right to be waryβ Lobelia simply won't press the issue.]
Mm... but I do understand your point. It is entirely possible that the four of us shaped this place, however unintentionally... and that the rest of you may, in due time, leave your own imprint as well.
As for walking beyond the bounds... ah. We always return to where we began. A loop, neat and inescapable. I can only assume there is some peculiar magic at work. It would make sense, non? Given how thoroughly our perceptions have already been twisted and tampered with?
That seems to be much of what this operates on, but that does confirm you're kept within the area the same way we are--your cage is just larger.
Anyway I'm saving time here, as the rest of the convo will probably be a very simple confirmation that the darkness also wasn't something they observed and then idle chatter. This is where they start getting into the differences of French and Fontainian probably.]
At some point, Lobelia stepped out to grab a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. Alhaitham has been kind enough to bless him with his continued presence this afternoon, so why not settle in?
After pouring a glass for them both, it's right on back to studying.]
...By now, you have me wondering what sort of place Fontaine is. I have always enjoyed traveling, but I've yet to cross into more distant skies.
[That Lobelia's willing and interested to veer into similar topics of study after all the plot talk does keep Alhaitham in place, eventually nursing a glass of wine with him.]
They're fond of their technical advancements. [They also blew up their research center.] Do you like swimming?
[dropping the french loanwords in these tags because they're yapping on le honhon baguetteβ]
Wow! I can only imagine.
[And imagine he does. There are varying levels of technical advancement around the Skydom, but Lobelia is aware their are worlds where technology has made even more significant leaps.
Swirling the wine in his glass, he tips his head back to gaze at Alhaitham.]
Swimming is one of my favorite things to do, as it happens. I grew up near the mouth of a vast inland sea... I swam at every opportunity and would stay out late enough to earn the ire of my parents.
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More importantly... if he's going to burn time talking to people, he would rather it be conversations with studious sorts like Alhaitham. Having another brain to bounce off is delightful on an otherwise dull day.]
Oui, time is a luxury we cannot afford to waste... but even if we had such a luxury, we are working with precious little in terms of resources. A bit disconcerting, N'est-ce pas?
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Since Lobelia is sitting on the desk, Alhaitham walks around to take the chair behind it with the book.]
Is everything that happened with our arrival the first substantial change you've seen in this place?
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[A bit boring, Lobelia thinks, but he won't voice that.]
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Alhaitham hums as he opens the book. He is reading, even if intermittently with the conversation.
He also switches to Fontainian as he mentally aligns what he reads with what he speaks:] And you had no warning for it. As far as we know the change in setting may only be a correlation.
I have a theory. Since you don't have an overview of the entire domain, it's possible that something or someone found it's way in or woke up in between the arrival of your group and ours.
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He remains casually seated on the desk, back unguarded, seemingly unbothered by the prospect that he could easily become a target this way. Maybe he trusts Alhaitham. Maybe he simply does not fear him.]
A promising thΓ©orie, and one that crossed my mind as well. Whatever this something or someone may be... I suspect they are consuming those marked for death in order to bolster it's own strength.
[Lobelia casually waves a hand as though to dismiss the thought.]
Mere speculation, bien sΓ»r. I could easily be wrong.
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I don't think what changes here result violence are mere coincidence. [It's starting to seem like the likely explanation, but there's still a lot about the why and how that isn't understood.]
But if death is an aspect of what it needs, it makes sense that it would need to find a group with less internal trust or purpose to unify them.
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[Lobelia turns, looking at Alhaitham over his shoulder with a thin smile.]
What will it take to foster goodwill between all our amis? Openness. A touch of vulnerability. A willingness to offer your throat to the guillotine, if only to prove you trust the hands that hold the rope.
Mm. You truly are a man of considerable intellect, Monsieur Alhaitham. That relentless thirst for knowledge is admirable on its own... but you seek harmony as well, non? No one genuinely wishes for deathβ not their own, not another's.
[It is the act of killing some people savor. The consequence is far less poetic. Almost painfully silent.]
So, would you say it is time we all laid our cards on the table? Sage, Foxglove, Rosemary... strangers until proven otherwise. I've always believed you cannot truly know a person until you've seen them in the flesh.
Tell me, mon ami, what do you think?
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Just like how the four of you have been open enough with each other to have enough faith of character. [A bit of trust and faith. Alhaitham leans forward, tilting his head to meet Lobelia's gaze.
And that's why he's so willing to reveal himself first. Extend the farthest offer. The flattery rolls off him--but Lobelia speaks an understandable perspective and Alhaitham has no argument.]
It's hard to say which group trusts the other less. The others have stronger opinions about how you've all handled things, but however warranted the current suspicion was I believe it's only playing into another hand that has neither of our best interests at heart. I'm not going to waste time that could be put towards a solution on convincing people about a mutual danger... but if the four of you are starting to see it, then there won't be a better time than now to offer a partnership instead of mere tolerance.
After all, is what happened to you last Thursday not a sign that you four aren't as distant from what's after the rest of us? You can try to run from it, but without a way out, how long will that really work?
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Mm. You make a compelling case, mon ami. A partnership instead of tolerance is a far more appealing prospect than the fragile truce we've been entertaining.
Trust is a rare currency oui? Easily squandered, easily exploited. And yet, would we be having this conversation if suspicion were all we had?
[A soft hum.]
We are not untouched by whatever stalks this place, but neither are we powerless before it. The four of us actedβ not perfectly, not beautifully, but decisively. Working in harmonie will be crucial if we want to thwart whatever foe threatens us.
What say you, Monsieur Alhaitham? Shall we make something of this... faith of character?
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I'm not against it. While our efforts are still uncoordinated, there's clear desire among the rest of us to work as a cohesive whole. I'm not the only one still willing to merge our efforts together.
But I wonder what that looks like to you. [Well, conch shells ad heel learn later.] Your decision to spend the night out with Ramuda provided some useful information. Any thoughts on how to further exploit the different relation we have to this place to uncover more answers?
[He does. But he wonders how far Lobelia has already taken that thought himself.]
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But of course, mon ami. If nothing else, our little excursion proved that proximity can yield answers where logic alone proves insufficient.
[He considers Alhaitham's question, fingers tapping lightly against his knee.]
As for furthering relations... I suspect the answer lies not in any single action, but in a pattern. This place responds to usβ sometimes to our fears, other times to our desires, and occasionally to the bonds we choose to form. If we wish to coax more answers from it, we must be willing to test those boundaries. Together.
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Taking calculated risks on the other hand...
He hums, and then there's the slight quirk up of his lips.] Then I have a few ideas where we can push its limits.
[Others can worry about the trial. He doesn't have a strong preference how they work with it. He just wants to see how quickly they can act out of expectations and get one step ahead of this.] There's enough of us we can target multiple areas at once.
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It is, of course, a pleasant surprise to find someone with the nerve to take risks knowing full well the consequences may be dire. That takes audacity. That takes nerve. Lobelia is quietly pleased to discover he has an ally cut from a similar cloth. For a man who has lived most of his life alone in the shadows, it is an odd comfort to find himself in capable company.
He shifts, dragging one leg up onto the desk to turn and study Alhaitham more closely.]
A bold idea... and one worth exploring. You are in good standing with the others, oui? With coordinated efforts, I believe we can push those limits exactly as you intend.
[Side note:]
A smile suits you. Do brighten up more often, nuage d'orage.
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When Lobelia leans in, he says two things that are unexpected, though not necessarily untrue. Alhaitham isn't usually in good standing with people, but with everyone focused on a common goal his usual stand-offness hasn't driven people away. When that's usually the intention, it's strange to acknowledge.
And given his usual attitude, he doesn't get many comments on his smile either.] Then give me something else to smile about.
[Forecast for next week is not looking good.]
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You want something to smile about... très bien. Then let us give the trial a reason to tremble. A plan bold enough to warrant that expression, non?
[His smile sharpens, warm around the edges, far too entertained by the prospect of pushing limits together.]
Work with me, and I promise you'll find no shortage of things worth smiling at.
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If the pattern holds, we have four more days before things move to facilitate someone else's death. [One of which will be taken up by Suffering.
He shifts so he can pull his notepad from his belt pouch.] Let's start by combining our information on this place and everything we've witnessed in each trial. Did this place ever shift or expand before our arrival?
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[Lobelia hums, chin tipped up as if the answers lie somewhere along the ceiling.]
This place only began to shift once you and the others arrived. It was... peaceful. The winds didn't carry the same ominous air. The weather was stable and predictable. Quite odd, in hindsight. It's as if it were waiting for a full house before beginning the show.
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For the most part it seems to refuse to let us adapt this place to our preferences, excluding moving the books around. [He has so many stacked in his room. And the living area.] But as it consistently appears with desire, perhaps the initial blueprint comes from you four, drawn in from the moment you entered.
[Until something else took over.] What happens when you walk to the bounds of the visible area?
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[Or do. Alhaitham would be right to be waryβ Lobelia simply won't press the issue.]
Mm... but I do understand your point. It is entirely possible that the four of us shaped this place, however unintentionally... and that the rest of you may, in due time, leave your own imprint as well.
As for walking beyond the bounds... ah. We always return to where we began. A loop, neat and inescapable. I can only assume there is some peculiar magic at work. It would make sense, non? Given how thoroughly our perceptions have already been twisted and tampered with?
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That seems to be much of what this operates on, but that does confirm you're kept within the area the same way we are--your cage is just larger.
Anyway I'm saving time here, as the rest of the convo will probably be a very simple confirmation that the darkness also wasn't something they observed and then idle chatter. This is where they start getting into the differences of French and Fontainian probably.]
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At some point, Lobelia stepped out to grab a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. Alhaitham has been kind enough to bless him with his continued presence this afternoon, so why not settle in?
After pouring a glass for them both, it's right on back to studying.]
...By now, you have me wondering what sort of place Fontaine is. I have always enjoyed traveling, but I've yet to cross into more distant skies.
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They're fond of their technical advancements. [They also blew up their research center.] Do you like swimming?
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Wow! I can only imagine.
[And imagine he does. There are varying levels of technical advancement around the Skydom, but Lobelia is aware their are worlds where technology has made even more significant leaps.
Swirling the wine in his glass, he tips his head back to gaze at Alhaitham.]
Swimming is one of my favorite things to do, as it happens. I grew up near the mouth of a vast inland sea... I swam at every opportunity and would stay out late enough to earn the ire of my parents.
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