[open] This Fire is outta control; gotta burn this city!

[npc_kun]

Characters: Open
Date/Time: Oct 24-26, anytime
Location: Park & elsewhere (please specify location in comments)
Rating: Varied
Summary: Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here to memorize a great tragedy that befell our sphere one year ago today. With HOT DOGS! A-BOOYA! Who's gonna cut the Fugue cake?! Second Annual Edensphere BBQ is ON!

[ooc

Comments

[live_ringer]

Gene's frown was slowly morphing into a scowl of contempt. It was obvious that they were constantly at the mercy of something else. But having a specific instance pointed out where an outside force was trying to manipulate him into complacency really drove the point home. He liked to think he wasn't getting soft and letting the place take control, but the lack of successful or overt action against these unseen forces clearly showed otherwise. Damn it.

"Almost like one big forcible game of playing House, and we're the dolls being played with." His voice dripped with disgust as he said it.

He hadn't really been expecting Derrick to open up about the journal, but it was sobering. He hadn't heard any updates on Nikki's absence, but he figured it was possible she'd come back quietly. No such luck. He knew how hard it was to lose someone from home, another connection to your past, and it was even tougher when you actually got along with them. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Sorry to hear she's not gotten back yet." The sentiment was sincere. Nikki good company and one hell of a shot.

His attention was pulled back to their conspiracy theories by Genius's questions. "Instance one: the hourglasses. They admitted to that much. Instance two: the barbecue." He ticked the two instances off on his fingers, then gestured at the scenery around them. "It may not be useful information, but it's information. Maybe they're trying to connect people by distributing dreams. Maybe they're trying to stir things up by telling those who weren't there about the Fire... I don't know."

Gene pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. The more he talked about the incidents, the less there seemed to be any sort of cohesive picture.

[man_genius]

Genius shivered at his brother's words. "That or we cling to the familiar. Better to live in a predictably unpredictable world than to start a war against a force we have no real comprehension...this isn't rebels vs the Empire. This is a fight against the force that creates our entire world."

Before Genius could continue on that cheery notion, Gene's comment completely derailed his train of thought.

"House. And dolls. ...Dollhouse?" Genius' face went pale, his eyes suddenly wide and unfocused. Dollhouse! The Dollhouse. The word screamed at him and filled him with conflicting emotions--excitement, joy, a hint of pride and dread...and the tone that Gene spoke with didn't help the dreadful association one bit.

"Dollhouse--that word--that place, I know it! It's like Echo! Like...Priya?" No that didn't feel right, the very thought of those two words together made him nauseous. He was already sitting on the bench, so he slummed down so he could rest his arms on the table and his head in his hands.

He had the vaguest notion that he looked rather crazy at the moment and was making no sense whatsoever. "Have you ever had one of those moments," he said slowly, "where you remember something so important it makes you feel sick?" Not even his name made him feel this...conflicted.

It took him a minute to pull himself together to address Gene's theory. "You think the dreams are trying to help us somehow? Like share ideas? But why make the whole process so terrifying? There's got to be an easier way to share memories..."

Ugh. He really didn't feel so good.

I am sorry if something like this posts twice, LJ ate my first one -_-

[bloody_pens]

"That's quite a colorful way to put it, but yes, it's exactly like that," Derrick said to Gene. "We're being played with by someone who likes it just fine when we play house all nicey-nice and never do something they don't expect us to. In a way, it feels like that's the easier and more appealing thing to do, too."

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"Not that it makes it right. But when I have my daughter's safety to consider, makes me think twice about sticking my neck out. I'm sure whoever runs this place banks on feelings like that sometimes." He blew a breath out, thinking about Nikki and his possible connection to her, too. "... I'm sorry she's not back yet, too. This is making me think about her and... well."

Derrick really hated the direction this conversation had gone in. He squirmed in his seat, then tilted his head at Genius.

"You gonna be alright?" He resisted prying further about Dollhouse and why that had seemed so familiar to Genius. Because not talking about it made it easier for Derrick to pretend that Genius' past didn't exist, and so he didn't have to consider the hard question of why he still loved and believed in his brother in spite of the unquestionably horrible things he'd done in his past.

[live_ringer]

"There's no doubt the odds are hardly in our favour." Gene muttered as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Sensibly, they should just throw in the towel. They were obviously outclassed. But that just made him feel so damned defeated. His insides churned at the thought of just lying down. "I know you've got a family, Derrick. I wouldn't expect you to put that at risk."

Then Genius started babbling about things that didn't seem to make any sense. Wait, one of those words (names?) was familiar. Priya. After a moment of thought, Gene realized that it was a name he had seen in the mural Topher had shown him. Judging by Genius's words, it was a part of his past. But what the hell did it mean?

Gene didn't particularly have issues thinking about Genius's past. Not only was it behind Genius, it could potentially be useful. But the fact that he was feeling sick... "Yeah, I have felt nauseous when talking about my past before. In Adstringendum." There was a pregnant pause where Gene let the weight of that settle. He figured the first thing that would come to either of their minds was Youth's death.

"We should stop," he said with a sigh as he pushed away from the picnic table. The last thing they needed today was a casualty.