Vertical Horizon [CLOSED-ish?]
who ; Anon and Clu and anybody trolling the network--not that they'll be able to get the doors open.
what ; Stuck in an elevator. No, really.
where ; Somewhere between the twelfth and hundredth floors of some building in some Zone.
when ; Earlyish Tuesday
warning(s) ; Philosophy, slithering, and references to uncomfortable RPF.
( And you'll just sit tight and watch it unwind, it's only what you're askin' for. )
what ; Stuck in an elevator. No, really.
where ; Somewhere between the twelfth and hundredth floors of some building in some Zone.
when ; Earlyish Tuesday
warning(s) ; Philosophy, slithering, and references to uncomfortable RPF.
( And you'll just sit tight and watch it unwind, it's only what you're askin' for. )
And quit moving.
Oh. Not again.
He thought this was over
... Wait. That voice!
He finally looks up to Clu. Well. This should be interesting. Or terrible.
"Unexpected."
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This was a trope. Clu was pretty sure it was a trope. Hadn't he traded merciless verbal jabs with Gibson about it? That meant it was a trope.
...Never let them see you sweat.
So he grinned, shrugged a little.
"Tell me about it." Don't let the pause linger, that would be weird, "Where were you headed?"
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Well, this could be worse, at least?
His response is automatic, not saying a single word, pointing in the direction of 'up'. There's really no other answer he can give; he's going all the way to the top and then he's going back down - his way, of course.
"You?"
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"The same? In the general area, anyway. Sixty-ninth floor." There was no smirk, it was invisible. "I'm guessing you wanted the roof?"
Observations indicated that the roof was kind of a Monitor thing.
"Man," perfunctory--perfectly casual conversation, he could do this-- "busy around here lately, huh?"
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He hopes.
A nod. Of course he wants the roof. That should be obvious. Clu does know Monitors, after all.
Another nod at the last question. "Very." Even if some of it is... rather lost on him. Aside from the fact that he died. Then again, busy is what seems to happen around here.
... Though Anon suddenly recalls something he's been meaning to bring up. "Written any more of your story?"
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Which lasts all of about a picocycle. Right up until Anon asks him about that.
The chuckle kind of hitches in his vocalizer. Just a bit.
"Oh! You noticed." Because it was blared across the network for all to see. "That was. Just the draft, y'know? It's kind of a work in progress--though yeah, I guess you could say subsequent chapters are in development."
He's not nervous. That would be absurd.
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... Actually it is. Just not to Anon. He still doesn't know exactly what to make of it, actually.
"More about Arnold and Gregory?" And yeah, that thing about 'Arnold' watching 'the narrator' watching him? He's doing that. Then again, he always does that.
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Ideally, Anon might consider it a hint. It's. Subtler than Clu's usual hints, sure, but...
"Well, they're kind of central to the narrative, yeah."
Oh, he's been watched from behind helmets by Monitors a lot. He knows that look, man.
"It was supposed to be on a filter, y'know." That is the last time he ever types anything while functionally impaired.
"Anyway, what makes you ask?"
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"Not very subtle." He'd not sure exactly what the hint would be. NO REALLY, THEY'RE JUST FRIENDS.
Anon has to consider how to say what he wants to say next. Ultimately he brings his finger up to point at Clu. You. "You think Arnold is handsome. Made a multitude of allusions to it."
You think I'm handsome. Stop saying that.
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"That was..." Kind of the point. OH COME ON, MAN. "Ever get the feeling you were missing some critical data that everyone around you already had?" HINT. HINT. HINT.
Oh. Oh. That is not how he'd expected the variables to correlate.
Think fast. And don't stare. Try not to smirk.
"Sure. It helps if Greg catches on, don't you think?"
You're a good-looking guy, bro. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
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For his part, though, he just. Kind of stares at Clu for a while. Are you for serious, bro? NO NOT COMING ON. "Negative." Everything - now, anyway - has been accounted for.
Except for Clu, that is.
Who Anon is having a difficult time believing when he says that.
"If Gregory already noticed? Also, was only in the narrative and never mentioned to 'Gregory'."
Dude Gibson knows what he looks like. They don't make a thing about it because Anon is uncomfortable being an obvious codebaby.
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Clu is totally serious. Serious is such his default mode that it's already killed him once. "Yeah, okay, but maybe they do have some information that you're missing." BECAUSE, MAN.
What, Clu? Totally innocent of whatever it is Anon might suspect him of. Especially if that whatever is fixating on how amazing...
Staring. Smirking. Stop doing it.
"Unlikely." If 'Greg' notices, why is he not all over you all the time because seriously. ...Y'know, the one thing you'd never lack for, with Clu? Attention.
"He just needs it pointed out to him, I think. But it'd be weird for the narrator to just say that, directly to him. So it's implied."
Best save. And subtle.
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Anon is sure he cannot be serious. This is too insane to be serious. "Extremely unlikely."
But 'Greg' has noticed. He just lets 'Arnold' have his space. Or he isn't actually interested, which he can deal with too.
Anon scrutizes Clu for a little bit. "You are smirking." Your argument is invalid. "You think I am cute."
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"Oh, yeah? What if it was something you wanted really bad? Might be rough to try and look at it head-on, then."
If you don't wanna be More Than Friends with 'Greg,' Clu will eat his coat--the whole thing. Live on camera. No salt or anything. Because, for real, no way 'Greg' would not be shy about it if he had a better read on 'Arnold's' feelings.
...Clearly, this just calls for a segment of the fic involving either 'seven minutes in Heaven' or a cameo by Castor--Carson--and both the VIP lounge and additional lines of code in their blue.
Wh--Uh-oh. Busted.
"Now, how do you figure that?" He has missed reading minute changes in expression through the glossy sheen of armor. "I mean, it's not like me smirking is a rare occurrence."
He is so not even watching your mouth move when you talk; that would be just creepy.
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"Provide example?"
Also, if he was any good at lying, seeing Clu eating his coat would be the best incentive for it ever. The loss of that coat would be tragic, but so worth it.
Anon would be mortified by either of those. Then again, he's mortified by the initial fic. This is Arnold we're talking about here, after all.
"Lack of mentioning the fact directly to 'Gregory' as a draw in the story while making several pointed mentions in the narrative. Expounded on it more than strictly necessary, suggests author has overthought character appearance and deems it necessary to emphasize to the reader." Anon stops there for a long moment. He doesn't normally talk this much. Ever.
"Additionally: You have seen my face and 'Arnold' is a fictional version of me."
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"Examples? Well, this isn't exactly your first elevator ride, is it."
Which is. Probably a mortifying place to start, but better than so remember when Abraxas handled your disc... And he's not really planning on eating his coat. Not that he'll ever have to, because Gibson is into Anon.
Sure, it's not the version Clu planned to actually release to the public, but...Ooh, Anon's right. What those two need? Is an energy spring.
"Ideally, it creates a--sense in the audience that--gaze is a big part of the medium, man." Wow, just--can he provoke you into literary crit more often? Like, forever? "If 'Greg's' nonfictional counterpart is reading it, then it points out to him what...what should be obvious."
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