Day 61: Sun Room (third shift)

[witchoftruth]

The moment dear Landel-san announced that it was time for lunch, Erika wasted no time and headed straight for the Sun Room's bulletin board to check if there was any response to her message left for her dear friend. Predictably, there was nothing for her on the board, and the detective scowled as she realized she might have to write him off as a loss. She had lost a good number of potential allies in this place, but losing this one was a bit of a blow, if only because he had useful things on him. On the other hand, if he was gone, and that ring was still here...

Perhaps it was not a great loss, then. Still, Erika was mildly annoyed as she wandered away from the board and back towards a nearby couch. She was spending a lot of time in the Sun Room lately, which seemed to be a bit of a waste as she could have spent in going around the Institute. On the other hand, she had a sandwich here that was waiting to be consumed and after spending a week with little access to "real food", Erika was more then happy to enjoy her time spent eating.

Still, at some point she was going to have to manage her time a little more effectively. There was no reason why she couldn't multitask, so Erika kept her gaze on the door of the Sun Room so she could watch people filter in on their way to other rooms. She wouldn't get everyone, no, but perhaps she would find someone useful that she could bother for the rest of the shift. A familiar face, or maybe someone new. She'd decide on that eventually.

[ hau Seishin ready for round 2. /killed ]

Comments

[corvus_veritas]

[THE NEW NORTON ANTIVIRUS, SEARCHES OUT SPYWARE AND BEATS IT TO THE GROUND. ...yeah idek XDDD;]

Oh...oh wow. She really was a...sentient computer program. From a race of other sentient computer programs made to fight each other. So wait, when she talked about robots and AIs and all that, did she mean all computer programs are sentient, even if partially?! ...Shit, now Byrne was going to feel bad for all those times he got frustrated with his computer for not working correctly. His internet browser probably never appreciated being called stupid for failing to load webpages on occasion. If it ever materialized as a human being in this institute too, then the prosecutor would make sure to apologize to it in full...

But as for now, he'd be content to stare at this particular living program with a sort of dumbstruck expression on his face. "I...wow." That was all he could manage to say for the first few moments. Come back to earth now, Faraday. "Living programs able to come into the physical world... The place you come from must be really..." Crazy? Incomprehensible? Weird? Cool? "...unique." Mm, yeah, that fit too.

And all of this still left him with questions. The biggest one on his mind now was 'why did someone make programs just to fight each other?' It sounded like a sad reason to create something. But he wouldn't ask that out of respect for her. Instead, he'd ask the second biggest question on his mind. "So how the hell did Landel manage to make you human, anyway?"

[diamondstorm]

[ preeeetty much. XDDDD ]

She raised an eyebrow in humor. Time and understanding had allowed her that. "It is," she gave. "Though in some areas, it's similar to here. A militant-run operation to capture, destroy, or duplicate abnormalities that could be useful for wars. I had that there as well. It became... very bad. But in some ways, it's very much the same as here." It was one of the things she noted nearly the first day here. The similarities of this with Hypnosis and Yamaki's actions. Especially after the military revealed themselves. It was bitterly alike. And it made part of her weary. Humans kept to patterns of destruction more than Digimon.

"There's theories," she answered coolly. "On the board, there used to be discussions on it. I believe the most common is that it's not that he turned us human, but that our 'actual' bodies are elsewhere, likely in the locked ward on the second floor or the third floor, and these aren't ours as well." The Digimon looked thoughtful for a moment. "I had some problems with that," she admitted, touching one of the yin-yangs on her hands. "While this body is disturbing and off-putting, and used to inspire some kinds of fear--" Still did, in parts. Human flesh seemed too much like she had been skinned alive sometimes. "--I don't feel distanced from it, or uncomfortable in it."

If she was to tell the truth, Byrne was the first one that had asked her this outright, and she interested by her own responses. It was truthful--she wasn't uncomfortable in the way that she didn't belong in this form. It was just utterly apparent to her, in a way that she could not forget, that this was not her true form. "And I could use my abilities the other night. Only Digimon have those abilities. If this body was truly human, I wouldn't have been able to."

[corvus_veritas]

...... This was all starting to give Byrne a major headache trying to sort it out in his head.

It probably wasn't worth it trying to think too hard about his current situation, or how Landel managed to bring computer programs into human bodies that could still use the previous form's original powers, or...y'know, trying to explain stuff that only science fiction novels could come up with. But it was way too difficult for him to just accept something as it was and move on. His job as a prosecutor was to figure out every last detail about a mystery, for crying out loud. Who could blame him for wanting to solve this one, too?

What was perhaps the most difficult information to accept, however, was everything Renamon was saying about her species and her home. She really came from a place not much different from this one? No wonder she seemed so calm here. But how...why would someone do that? Creating sentient programs just for war, treating them like weapons? What war? And why... Oh, if only Byrne wasn't so hesitant to ask for details! He'd never spoken with someone from a completely different universe as him, so the awareness of his gestures and the words he chose to say was very high. He didn't want to ask anything that she might find rude, despite the fact that they'd spoken many times in the past without any issues.

Or at least, mostly without any issues.

Anyway, she probably didn't want to talk in detail about her home, especially if it was horrific like this Institute, so he wouldn't ask. But he did have a very obvious worried look on his face regardless, both in reaction to Renamon's home and about the whole being-turned-into-a-human thing. What was he supposed to say? He had no idea; surprise and confusion were overwhelming him. (As if that much wasn't obvious from the way he looked right now.)

After a few moments, however, he finally managed to find words to say. Not many, but at least it was something. "I don't...believe it." He mentally repeated the words he'd just said, realized what they could imply, and was immediately hit with regret. And an almost over-exaggerated need to apologize, wide-eyed and shaking his head. "No no no, I-I don't mean I don't believe you! I believe you! I mean--it's just--I...I'm at a loss for words right now." Byrne laughed a little, still shaking his head. Yep. That was just about all he could really say right now.

[diamondstorm]

He was panicking. Lightly, and nervously, but it was clear all the same. She only looked at him calmly. "It's fine. It's realistic for it to all come as a shock." Though she did note his worried expression, and responded to that as well. "Don't be overly concerned for me," she continued. "I've adjusted, and am still adjusting." To the human form, at the least. As for the other subject she had spoken-- "And I'm not overly hopeless here. We were able to overcome the organization in my world." More or less. It was more that Yamaki finally learned what the true enemy was. "So it's more something I'm at ease with. It's something I'm becoming used to," the Digimon said. "The error of human rationalization when it comes to war and weapons."

The evils that men will do, when given the right motivation.

There was a beat of silence, and then she bowed her head apologetically. "I seem to have gotten us off track," she said evenly. "I apologize. My usual offer stands. Anything you're unclear on, I'll answer to the best of my abilities." Her expression shifted to something more congenial. "On this place, my worlds, or my self, if you want."

[corvus_veritas]

[I am so sorry that I keep failing to tag this. ;; Would you be okay with wrapping this up in the next few tags?]

So she's just been...adjusting to all of this. So calmly. Okay, then.

...No! Not okay then! How in the world...?! No, it wasn't like Byrne had forgotten Renamon mentioning the fact that she was made for war, nor had he misheard her saying the organization responsible for the military regime in her worlds had been overcome, but still. But still! Maybe it was his paternal instincts kicking into overdrive here, despite the fact that Renamon was likely much older than she appeared to be, but he didn't care. How could she just be okay with all of this? There were better things in life than war! So many better things!

And oh, did Byrne understand what she meant by the error of human rationalization with war and weapons. He saw enough of that through his work as a prosecutor. It wasn't technically a war, but it still gave him a chance to see first hand how ugly mankind could get. Even with that experience, though, he couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like living in a place like what Renamon described...being used to living in a place like this Institute! It wasn't right.

And so the worried expression stayed on his face and he was quiet, even after Renamon offered again to answer any questions he had. After another few moments of silence, he shook his head another time and looked away. "I'm--I'm sorry." Again with the apologizing. Apparently it was his favorite thing to do around Renamon. "I'm just...shocked to hear about all of this. I can't help worrying - about you being so used to a place like this, about why an organization would feel the need to create and abuse sentient programs for war..." About everything, basically.

It bothered him so much, he'd almost completely forgotten everything about this Institute and the shocking facts he'd learned in relation to that mess. One coronary-inducing subject at a time, please.