Good- Morgan hadn't been offended by his decision to hold back here and there. Presumably he was doing precisely the same thing anyway, which, as troublesome as it might have seemed, also meant that he had the right to lie without crossing a line of some sort-- and you're not a hypocrite, are you, Morgan? But, aside from that, it seemed as though they had fallen into the same scenario that he and L had: empty world, all personal affects restored, and apparently all physical injuries removed. And if there was one thing he knew instinctively (not, not instinct, from experience and evidence) that he could trust the man about above all else, it was the physical injuries.
"Hmm. Well, that's certainly the way it seems so far. Even if you didn't recognise the place you were taken to, it would still have been replicated from memories of your own home world." Replicated. Lunge was careful to use that word, careful to distinguish between reality and what he had already decided was a trick. But more than that, the trauma of that unhappy reunion relied on its believability; rejecting it became therapeutic. "Perhaps whatever it was triggering it- the system behind what happened- was able to recognise those from the world it mimicked." Which, if 'system' was the right word, implied that same uncomfortable level of understanding built into the Institute he'd picked up on all along. They didn't even have to think about what the most effective course of action would be- it was intrinsic. A system designed for the perfect experience. The only place he'd felt it more than in L's tower was in that room on the second floor, leather straps biting into his ski-
No.
Morgan wasn't the only one feeling the inexplicable (ha) tug of the next matter. "Spaces? There's more than one?" Lunge's expression fell into a faint frown for a moment. That complicated matters. "Then there must be multiple items to collect." And if there was a shield, he now didn't doubt for a second that there would also be a sword to go with it- the hero's weapons of choice. "The Sphinx called the item we were given the 'Coliseum shield', so I would suggest that they lead to a Coliseum. Though," he added suddenly, frown falling more deeply into thought, "a 'coliseum' is a theatre of sorts. Who, then, would be the audience, I wonder?" Again, he let his eyes fall steadily and unfalteringly onto Morgan's: take one guess.
no subject
"Hmm. Well, that's certainly the way it seems so far. Even if you didn't recognise the place you were taken to, it would still have been replicated from memories of your own home world." Replicated. Lunge was careful to use that word, careful to distinguish between reality and what he had already decided was a trick. But more than that, the trauma of that unhappy reunion relied on its believability; rejecting it became therapeutic. "Perhaps whatever it was triggering it- the system behind what happened- was able to recognise those from the world it mimicked." Which, if 'system' was the right word, implied that same uncomfortable level of understanding built into the Institute he'd picked up on all along. They didn't even have to think about what the most effective course of action would be- it was intrinsic. A system designed for the perfect experience. The only place he'd felt it more than in L's tower was in that room on the second floor, leather straps biting into his ski-
No.
Morgan wasn't the only one feeling the inexplicable (ha) tug of the next matter. "Spaces? There's more than one?" Lunge's expression fell into a faint frown for a moment. That complicated matters. "Then there must be multiple items to collect." And if there was a shield, he now didn't doubt for a second that there would also be a sword to go with it- the hero's weapons of choice. "The Sphinx called the item we were given the 'Coliseum shield', so I would suggest that they lead to a Coliseum. Though," he added suddenly, frown falling more deeply into thought, "a 'coliseum' is a theatre of sorts. Who, then, would be the audience, I wonder?" Again, he let his eyes fall steadily and unfalteringly onto Morgan's: take one guess.