recinerate | first puzzle

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first puzzle | voice

[beyond was dead, and now he's not.

it's a perplexing position for anyone to find themselves in, of course, but even more so when there's something fundamental about that person that's gone missing - something that should be there, but isn't. beyond has found he is missing such a thing, and has decided to take advantage of the technology of this new place in order to work out his thoughts regarding this dilemma.]

"In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity."

[his voice is quiet, raspy, almost unnaturally even in tone. he pauses, then picks up with one of many questions currently on his mind, addressing anyone within earshot.]

What shapes your sense of identity?

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[Iris is leaning on the door to the Enclosure, smoking a pink-and-gold Sobranie cocktail cigarette. The dogs notice Beyond first, and Iris, alerted by their pricked ears and tails brushing the deck plates, straightens up and grins.]

'Ey there Beyond, lovey. I found you the pamphlet, 'old on, it's 'ere somewhere.

[She spends a moment digging through her pockets, finding and replacing a hip flask, several lipsticks, a sharpie and some dog treats before she finally offers him the pamphlet in question.]

...I forgot to ask if you smoke. Let us know if you want ciggies, I'll 'ave a couple of boxes sent to your cabin. This 'ere's the Enclosure - it's actually a sort of holographic virtual environment but it's advanced enough even I can't tell it from the real thing. You can use it for combat practise or just to be outdoors - any particular environment strike your fancy?

Edited (spacebar) 2015-06-24 17:39 (UTC)

Thank you. I've never smoked before. [not cigarettes, at least. he'd smoked plenty when he set himself on fire.

beyond cautiously moves forward to take the pamphlet from her, grasping the paper delicately between the tips of two fingers and his thumb, still sharply watching the pair of dogs. he flips it open and absorbs the words from cover to cover at an unnaturally fast pace, finishing the entire document in less than a minute. his eyes narrow as he reads, a churning mixture of anger and injustice building deep in his gut as they take in the words printed on the page and his quick brain processes their meaning.

he hears iris ask another question, but it falls from his focus for the moment. the indignity before him consumes his entire attention.]

This is preposterous. [there's no betrayal of the simmering rage under his skin in his flat tone as he pronounces these words. beyond is skilled at hiding things from the world; his emotions are one of the first things he learned to secret away.]

Edited 2015-06-24 19:13 (UTC)

[She organises the Enclosure while he reads, picking an open park landscape with the sort of forestation that only happens in real life with fulltime groundskeepers. The dogs take off ecstatically into the green: they've had to make so with the deck for exercise for weeks and they're going to go nuts, thank you very much.]

Which part, sweetheart? Or d'you mean the entire concept?

All of it. [especially the part where he is expected to work toward redemption. he has done nothing for which he needs to redeem himself, he thinks. beyond turns his head up from the pamphlet to stare at iris.] How was this information compiled?

Chromie wrote it. I didn't much like the tone she took around some things, but it's a good overview of the facts - the floods and breaches and the day to day, you know? I've been 'ere almost three years, you 'ave no idea how old it gets explaining them.

Three years? [he tilts his head, sharpens his gaze.] You've been content to waste three years of your life on this nonsense? [he points to the pamphlet to punctuate the word nonsense.]

[Iris' grin broadens, and she eyes Beyond coolly.]

Nonsense of this quality's 'ard to find, I'll 'ave you know. The real life version's a lot more fun. I'm very fond of Chromie, but she couldn't've coloured outside the lines if 'er life depended on it. That's why I thought I might rewrite the pamphlet; she makes it sound like a sausage factory.

And no, sweetheart. I'm very rarely content and I 'aven't wasted a second.

Edited 2015-06-25 23:17 (UTC)

You're overly familiar.

[beyond makes a hard shift in topic; if anyone ever called him sweetheart, it was too long ago for him to remember. he finds it uncomfortable - utterly foreign.]

We've only just met. Do you talk to everyone like this?

Aye, I do. Never was one for formalities. I could promise to try not to do it to you, but honestly, I'd never remember for more than five minutes.

Then it's probably best not to make a promise you can't keep.

[he folds the pamphlet in half and sticks it away in the back pocket of his jeans.]

Thank you for the information, Iris.

There's a lot that's preposterous about this place. I'm sorry you didn't 'ave a choice being brought 'ere; I'm sorry you're stuck for the time being. I'll promise you two things: it won't be forever, and me and a whole bunch of other folk'll be doing our best to make it go as well as possible while you're 'ere. I know it's not much, but them two are the ones I know I can keep.

[She's fishing an assortment of tennis balls and squeaky toys out of her own pockets, which appear to be able to hold a lot more than looks plausible without bulging.]

Coming in for a run? Or a walk. You don't 'ave to stick with me and the lads.

[beyond makes a small, murmuring noise of noncommittal acknowledgment - he doesn't believe for a second that promises hold any weight, but there's really nowhere else to take the argument.

he will come inside, though.]

Is this any place in particular?

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first puzzle | voice

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