three ♓ video;

[cullscuttlefish]

[Feferi looks...tired. That's all you can really say about her, when she lets the video come on. She looks like she hasn't slept much, and she looks like she's gone somewhere to cry for a few minutes before calming down enough to speak.]

H-hi, everyone. I hope everyone's all right?

I - mm. I was going to ask whether or not anyone else's roommates weren't waking up, but...

Please be all right, Sayaka.

...what do you do when this place finally gets to you? I've been trying not to - to let it, but...I think I just really need some friends right now. I was up by the aquarium earlier and I think I'm gonna go back up there.

[She wipes at her eyes, and she thinks she's cut the feed, but:]

...it's never easy, this whole 'actually needing to step up and make decisions' princess stuff...

Comments

[absolute_perception]

[It took him a bit to work out the sentences with a finger to his chin in thought.]

Hm, I think I understand what you're saying. It's not just that you can do these things, you don't want to be alone?

[Even he doesn't like the quiet all the time.]

[cullscuttlefish]

It's not wanting to be alone, yeah. But sometimes doing the stuff I used to do at home reminds me that I'm not at home anymore. If I'm already feeling down, I don't like being reminded that I'm not at home.

[absolute_perception]

[He stays quiet for a moment and nods. He really didn't know what to say at this point. He really wanted to help but he didn't know the first thing to do to alleviate her internal pain.

What was home other than a place of familiarity?]

Maybe... you can make a new home.

[cullscuttlefish]

Not here.

[The words are out of her mouth before she can even think of how harsh they must sound.]

I'm sorry if I sound mean. But I just can't.

There are good people here, but this plaice is intrinsically bad. I can't make a home in a place where I have the looming threat of one of the rulers taking me, strapping me down, and cutting me open without so much as a word as to what it's about.

I wish I didn't have firsthand experience with that.

[absolute_perception]

[He nods in agreement. There's no argument coming from him. Logically, she's right and he knows it. He just wished he had an answer to this other than a full on revolt and announcing something like that on the network where the Administration can hear is dangerous.]

I understand. I hope that there can be a medium met along the way that can offer you some solace among the chaos.

[He's typing as he's talking. The next message has complex encryption.]

Military Encryption

Do you think that it is possible to revolt? You were here before. Your knowledge can prove valuable. The only way they know that we are not interested in being test subjects is to show them we mean business.

matching encryption;

[cullscuttlefish]

It's been tried. It only ends in death.

Re: matching encryption;

[absolute_perception]

I see. Thank you.

[The encryption drops due to a noticeable failure in the system and Elian tries to compensate which doesn't work at all.]

Is it common for codes to fail?

[cullscuttlefish]

[When the encryption fails, she switches back to video.]

Yeah. It happens sometimes. The computers can be a little glitchy sometimes.

[absolute_perception]

That's frustrating.

[Finding that everything he's tried isn't working, eventually he gives up since it could just make it worse and give them away.]

Perhaps it's best not to rely on this technology.

[He almost pouts.]

[cullscuttlefish]

Not much we can do about it. The people controlling this place do what they will. Till we figure out a way to bust out, not much we really can do.

Until then? Best we can do.