lostcarnival | ⇨ POLARIS 2.0

Who: Everyone!
When: Days 110 - 114
Where: Polaris
What: After a mysterious explosion shakes the station, the staff of Polaris struggle to maintain order while the test subjects fight for freedom with the aid of hidden allies. Productivity info is here.
Warnings: More graphic experimentation.

THEORY & CONCLUSION↴

At the midnight between Day 109 and Day 110, something happens. For most people, it won't be clear what - yet, they are shaken by it just the same. Violent tremors appear out of nowhere, rattling the entirety of the Polar station, violent enough to throw sleeping test subjects off their bunks. The source is unclear, but there is a sudden flurry of activity from staff as power flickers and is lost in various parts of the facility. Subjects, for the most part, will be left to their cells while they try to sort things out.

The next morning, the staff are late picking people up. It's more like 6:30AM than the usual 6AM when they arrive to take people to the farm, which is a bit of tardiness that is entirely without precedent. Any questions about the incident the previous night will be waved off with the explanation of 'technical difficulties' that have been 'resolved.'

► DELTA: The three new Deltas will be left in their cells for even longer, waiting to be picked up, instructed that they would be escorted elsewhere instead of to the farm. Around 6:45AM some unfamiliar technicians will arrive and tell them that they are here to begin their processing into Delta. They are led into a previously untouched section of the station, where they are invited into a somewhat more intimate medical room to be asked some cursory questions and given a check up. Then, their suits will be removed, and they will be provided with their new uniforms, which they can apply like normal clothes.

Delta life begins there. There will be a top level for the initial parts of their processing to be played out. Ultimately, however, they will end up being given a tour of the new Delta facilities, which amounts to a waterfront area that borders the new apartments they'll be staying in, as well a small supply shop where they can pick up an allotted amount of 'amenities' per day, based on their level of productivity and other achievements. This includes luxury items like food, pleasant smelling soaps, or other hygiene related tools. There are even small things like decorations or pictures of other places available, though they are fairly expensive.

The first day will mostly involve the processing, a tour, and some basic training regarding the new tools they will be using, such as the mandatory visors and basic computer access. The next day, observation shifts in the farm will start, as will participation in trials.

► FARMING: The Farm will continue as normal, though it seems like there are fewer staff observing it at the moment. The ones that are there seem a little bit more tense than usual. Power is still down in some places, but the Farm is thankfully still active. Sometimes the productivity turn-in scanners might be a bit glitchy, so try not to panic if it measures fewer points than you're due.

► TRIALS: Trials are continuing as projected, though with the most broad of experiments already under way, they may be more selective. If you have an idea for a trial you can be sure to share it with the staff, and they will take it under advisement! Any information you want to provide is encouraged, they will say, especially if it involves notable traits about you or your fellow test subjects - or perhaps behavioral patterns you've noticed. You might even be rewarded!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As Hanamaru's eyes flitter to life, she sees...a seven year old. A tiny little seven year old trying to pull her up off the ground. Instantly, Hanamaru's a little embarrassed that this is happening to begin with and a lot worried because what the heck, seven year old?

"Oh geez," she mutters, more to herself than to others. "Um, I'm awake now, zura. You don't have ta keep trying to yank me up."

"Ah-!"

Oh! Welp. She sure is. So she'll stop yanking then. "...Um...that's good, I guess."

...

Sssssoooooooo. "...why were you on the ground though..."

"I just fell..." Hanamaru says, with a sheepish little smile. That's gotta be the reason why she's on the ground, right? Because truth be told, Hanamaru doesn't have the slightest damn clue why she fell on the ground like this. She was standing up and then everything went black for a moment and then she was on the ground.

Since Reira's fairly close, she can see the signs of discomfort and pain on Hanamaru's face as well as those feelings that are just blazing out to 10% of an empath. "I'll be fine, zura. Just gotta get back up on my feet—"

And, slightly shakily, Hanamaru actually does so.

"...Why did you fall though..?" Reira asks, watching the other stand with a grimace. Discomfort and Pain are the Big Moods around this place so far. It's not great, especially now that she's actually aware of it. "...Did you get hurt by something?"

Gotta love that Exhaustion.

"No?" She's honestly a little bit confused as to why Reira's asking her these questions. Granted, Hanamaru's happy to talk to someone and will definitely talk to Reira, it's just an odd little moment of 'huh, someone's interested in me and my well-being.'

Which...is kind of nice.

"I just got tired. It's nothin' ta worry about."

"It's important though!" Reira insists, nodding furiously. "...If we don't do enough work, then the rank will go down, and bad stuff will happen."

Fact: Reira knows damn well what the bad stuff Is, thanks to Lambert.

She also doesn't think it's a good idea to just flat out say it. It seems a mood killer.

As it is. "...Were you...working too hard?"

"I don't think so," she admits, with a frown. "I was doin' the stuff that Lambert said I should do." Picking fruit, weeding, the easier tasks that were best left to someone with no upper arm strength.

"I just don't feel too good. That's probably it."

She feels like shit and isn't doing a good job hiding it.

"Oh- ...I guess Lambert would know..." Sort of? Maybe?

Reira tilts her head, as if trying to determine something. "...What kind of 'not feeling good'? Sometimes if you work hard without doing the right things first, you'll feel sick...or if you work too hard without taking a break, or work too hard too fast..."

Her list trails off, partly because she realizes she's going on a bit of a tangent instead of waiting for an answer.

Hanamaru's purposefully waiting for Reira to finish her tangent. It's only when there's the awkward pause that Hanamaru starts talking again.

"Just stomach stuff, zura. I'm pretty hungry," she says, with an awkward little laugh. There's a small pause before she continues, "And I didn't sleep well last night either."

"...Hungry?" Guess who's been 'protecting' Reira from the truth? Freaking Everyone.

Guess who's about to get really upset about it?

...Well, she can delay that part. Instead she just looks kinda worried. A lot worried.

This is worrying. "...If you're hungry, then, not sleeping makes sense I guess but...Why would you be hungry?"

Whereas Hanamaru is shocked and surprised that Reira isn't hungry.

"I've been hungry for the past few days," she remarks, with a little frown. "And I wasn't hungry at the start, so I dunno what happened." There's an awkward pause before she admits, "The nightmares are recent, zura."

It's because she had the power of pacing and work knowledge.

Shame it would all be wasted on Hanamaru now. Reira looks pretty nervous though.

"...I think nightmares happen, when too much is wrong with everything else...like being sick... ...Or hungry..." she mutters awkwardly, given what Hanamaru said about that.

"...can...you still work..?"

Hanamaru nods. "I can't work as well as I did before but...well, I wasn't working that well ta begin with, zura."

She's saying it in a self-deprecating tone of voice, but it's obvious that Hanamaru's more distraught and sad about this than she wants to let on.

It really is.

Extra obvious. Reira gives the matter some thought before she speaks again though. "...Mnhh...maybe... ...Is it ok if I help you? Um. Not help you with the work," she corrects, tipping her head as she thinks on the right way to put it. "But, um... ...Helping to know how to do the work, without getting too tired? ...I helped with all the animals at the Carnival, so I knew a bunch of things for a farm already- maybe it'll help you stay less tired, um..."

...

"...What's your name?"

On the one hand, shouldn't the kid be doing her own work? But on the other hand, if this girl knows how to do some farming or something like that, it won't hurt to at least listen.

"My name's Hanamaru Kunikida. And I think I'd like the help, zura." Maybe it could at least her to 'middling' instead of 'absolutely failing.' That'd be nice. "What's your name?"

Hey, she's still going to do her work!

It's called Demonstration. Reira's attitude at least perks up at the idea of doing something beneficial in all of this however, so she quickly responds. "Mn- Reira Akaba!" she answers quickly, tapping her fingers together as she carries on. "Ok! ...Was there stuff you were doing ok at before?" Better to start with what Hanamaru could at least mostly do, when it comes to advice on doing it better.

⇨ POLARIS 2.0

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this is gonna be pretrial b/c man would have this played differently if maru forgot her identity

LMAO YEAH...yeah...