ROLE - SCIENTIST

[maladied]

Greetings Scientist.

Are you ready to get to work? I certainly hope you are; everyone here is depending on you. After all, your role, your goal is to develop the cure for the raging infection. And if you're not ready to work or don't know where to start, both very understandable, there should be a notebook somewhere that will be of help to you.

Don't worry, you won't have to do this alone. You get to pick an assistant to help you! Maybe even one of those shady figures that go into hiding. Rumor has it that they'll either give you one (1) item to check someone if they are infected or not; it'll take the shape and form of whatever you want. Or, they'll help you create the cure once you know what to do. Isn't that handy?

Except, unfortunately, it's only one or the other. Bummer.

NOTES:
- This is NOT a secret role, however it would be beneficial if you did not make your role public.
- You may request help from one (1) other player and one (1) NPC of your choice. You cannot change your choice.
- If the item is chosen then you may check one (1) player at any point during the week, however, you MUST contact a mod before doing so. The number of players may change depending on outside circumstances.

♡

Comments

[maladied]

Take a moment and breathe, Siffrin. Properly.

[ PLEASE…

But Sage’s voice is calm nevertheless. ]

We only know a mere fraction more than you, and as such, I would be surprised were I to discover one of the others slipped you that note. So, for now, allow us to consider that an unknown factor and set it aside until we are able to solve it.

Let us focus on the contents of the note instead.

[siriuspuns]

[ when Sage tells them to breathe, they're practically frozen with the anxiety gripping his heart. he takes a breath in like a drowning man gasping for air, but nothing seems to fill his lungs. they try a second time, this time with a little less desperation, and it's a bit more successful.

slow breaths, Siffrin. deep breaths, Siffrin. inhale, exhale.

they slide into a chair on one of the tables, slumping against the back of it enough that they're half way under the table. there's someone in this group that knows more about the situation than the puppets. a mysterious illness that no one seems to know about that he somehow has to solve.

and he still has to kill the king.

no pressure. ]

What do we do?

[maladied]

[ Does it mean much when a puppet merely sits on the edge of the table near you? That's what Sage does, but offers no more comfort than that. ]

I for one am not wont to run from my troubles, so I say we take what we have been given and use it to our advantage. Regardless of the reason for that note, we can at the very least utilize it.

[ Easier said than done, Sage knows. ]

[siriuspuns]

...

[ Siffrin feels like they should be happy about this, but somehow it just add pressure. and, with it, guilt. they can't make heads or tails about this information, but somehow Sage is already thinking about how to use it for their advantage?

they drag a gloved hand down their face, and wish they could bite at their fingernails. instead, he wrings his hands together.

(What would Loop ask you? When the two of you were under the tree, what was it that they asked?) ]

What... what do we need?

[maladied]

First, we examine what we know. We know of the note you received as well as the notebook.

[ Sage pauses. ]

I believe I may have experience with the infection spoken of in that note. It is our experience with this illness that the four of us share.

[ The puppet bond... ]

[siriuspuns]

So you do know things about this place. Don't you think we should have been told about this?!

[ Siffrin grits their teeth, pushing themselves up to glare at the puppet. ]

What is this about? What did you guys experience?

[maladied]

An illness that strips the identity of the infected away from them, fatal to all who are unfortunate enough to fall ill.

[ Sage looks at them. ]

I have not lied to you, not outright. We did not want to spread panic where it might not be necessary, especially while still wary of you and yours. Our hope is that it has not spread here... wherever "here" may be.

[siriuspuns]

Fatal…?

[ out of all the words that come from Sage, that’s the only one that they hold on to.

he broke through the time loops by coming here. but without his craft, hell, without the loops… does this mean that dying here would be permanent?

(In other words, everything you’ve gone through, all that you’ve suffered would be for ✨nothing!✨) ]

We’re gonna die here, aren’t we? [ their voice is dull. detached. ] You and your friends survived, but we’re going to die just like the people in that notebook.

[maladied]

You leap to conclusions. You know naught of what may happen, and so it is a pointless endeavor to give in to despair.

[ Sorry, Siffrin. They're getting a little bit strict with him over this one. ]

We have time, and we simply must use it wisely.

[siriuspuns]

DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME!

[ they slam their hands down on the table, rising so fast that they knock the chair behind him over. if glares could kill, that puppet would be ashes. ]

You don't know how long I've been working for! You don't know how close I was to killing the King and breaking out of the loops! And this is when the Universe decides to change the script on me? Right at the end?!

[ (Is this the Universe's plan for you? To cut your journey short right at the end? Or was it the Change God who grew bored with you? Perhaps both!) ]

I'm not dying here, I'm not dying here, I AM NOT DYING HERE!

[maladied]

[ The puppet tilts its head. The glare doesn't seem to impact it much, bouncing off of its wooden face as its body language doesn't change, unlike Foxglove, who would likely be easily startled by this outburst. ]

Then you have the resolve to see this through.

[ Sage doesn't say anything for a moment, but it seems to be thinking. ]

I am not indifferent to your troubles, but that does not mean I will not hold you to a standard.

[siriuspuns]

Fine.

[ Siffrin practically spits out those words like venom. who knows how long this spite will fuel them for? it could be a day, it could be a week...or maybe this infection will take them out right at the finish line, just for that cruel irony.

either way, Siffrin is fine with holding onto it, as thorny as it may feel. ]

Then I'll do the same to you, too. Where do we start, partner?

[maladied]

[ There's a breath, slightly annoyed, from the puppet. ]

You certainly have a petty streak, but I will accept collaboration.

[ Anyway. ]

We can begin with that notebook. Would you to read me what is contained inside?

[siriuspuns]

…

[ yeah, they sure are petty, aren’t they? but that seems to melt away the moment they’re asked to help read the contents of the notebook.

Siffrin looks between the notebook and the knocked over chair, and with a sigh he pulls it up to sit down on it. setting the notebook on his lap, he starts reading it as emotionlessly as possible.

he hopes Sage ignores the way that his voice wavers by the end. allergies, you know? ]

[maladied]

[ Sage does actually ignore it, figuring that Siffrin would much rather they not address it for now. It's best to stay focused on the task at hand, at least for the moment. ]

A description of a patient's experience. Haunting, though no less informative. He must have witnessed the illness's effects on others firsthand.

[siriuspuns]

[ ... ]

Did you see anyone like that?

[maladied]

[ Sage thinks. ]

This particular case is unfamiliar to me, though I have seen individuals change for the worst.

[ ... ]

Which is why it is imperative that we ensure it has not spread here.

[siriuspuns]

[ stopping the infection from spreading here? what if it's already happening?

they press the palm of their hand against their good eye. stars, he's so tired. ]

What's your suggestion? Looking for a cure sounds great, but we wouldn't know who to give it to. [ maybe if you spike everyone's food or something? ] And if we find a way to know who's infected, then what do we even do with them?

[maladied]

We determine what the symptoms of this illness are by creating a list to determine as much. That would allow us to distribute a cure, should we have limited quantities.

[ Hmmm. ]

As for what we do with the infected, 'tis hard to determine. A quandary we shall tackle when we find ourselves at that crossroads.

[siriuspuns]

Right...

[ Sage doesn't know that Siffrin has insane memory problems and they are not going to tell them because if they don't think that he's up for the job then they're all screwed here so...

it's fine! they'll remember! ]

You, uh, said something about it stripping away the identity of the infected? How does that happen?

[maladied]

[ SIFFRIN… ]

What was once a kindhearted individual may be rendered particularly cruel. ‘Tis a shift, and I know naught how it occurs, though my plan is to find out.

[siriuspuns]

A mood shift. Okay…

[ that is such a vague problem!! ]

Any other symptoms?

[maladied]

What one would typically associate with an illness—fever, congestion, coughing.

[ A pause. ]

More severe symptoms would include fainting spells and hallucinations.

[siriuspuns]

[ oh.

a lot of those symptoms just kind of sound like…

(You?)

Siffrin forces themselves to smile. deep breaths. ]

That… sounds pretty bad. I guess we would definitely notice by that point.

[maladied]

[ Wow glad they're having a very normal reaction here. ]

I believe it would vary case by case as with most other illnesses, but yes. It would be noticeable, and certainly to any such individual that is looking for it.