lostcarnival | ⇨ THE MATRIX

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⇨ THE MATRIX

Who: EVERYONE!
When: S1:D22 - S1:D??
Where: Visiting the Matrix.
What: The carnival arrives at its next location, as outlined here. This is a general mingling log for convenience purposes, but players are welcome to make as many other logs for this purpose as desired.
Warnings: Could be a lot of things.

THE MATRIX↴

"What IS the Matrix? The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it."

► INSIDE: On the inside, it all seems so normal. Beyond what you know of the reality you've stepped in, every bit of this place feels just as real as it did back in the carnival. If you were to forget where you'd just come from, would you know any different? The simulation of Chicago is identical to how it would have been in the early days of the new millenia, to anyone who comes from a similar Earth. Humans bustle around you, oblivious to the world outside of the Matrix that they were born into. One bright side to it all is that this hyper realism means the coffee tastes just as good as it does in real life. Anything you could do in real Chicago you can do here - and perhaps even more.

► WHITE ROOM: But before that, you were here. The White Room is a loading program, intended to port objects and people into the Matrix. You arrive as a reconstruction of your true physical form, but common sense suggests that for some of you, entering the mundane world looking like yourself isn't the best idea. It's in this empty world that you will be able to load in whatever physical objects you are, and change the way you present your own body to the system. Changes can be little, or big, but whatever you do, the body has to be able to function according to Earth's physical laws. Don't forget, if you die here, you die in the carnival too.

► DEJA VU: It doesn't matter what you're doing, but at some point you'll notice it - something around you has repeated itself, like a line on a skipping record. Maybe it's the same person bumping into you twice in a row, or the same cab driver yelling at you to get out of the way. It's like reality has rewound and repeated itself, and after the fact you have no proof of it happening beyond the memory of what you saw. You don't know what it means, but something about it is chilling. It may be a good time to find a buddy.

► THE ONE: It won't necessarily come naturally, but in a moment of need you may find yourself bending the world of the Matrix through sheer belief and force of need. How you bend it will always stay without the rules of the universe, at least for now, but when it comes to enhancing your own physical characteristics, just about anything is possible. It will not be easily reproducible, not now, but it could be your first view into the window of what's possible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Good." He didn't think Lauren would really object, but he's still glad that it's working out. It doesn't take too much longer for them to get to the restaurant, some obviously fancy place with little romantic tables and candles and the whole bit, with other couples also there eating.

Lauren just looks around, getting more confused.

"This is where you wanted to eat?"

"Don't you think it looks good?" He knows he can't keep this up for too long, but he's hoping that Carly got the letter and shows up soon... Otherwise he's going to have to actually eat here with Lauren, and it looks boring to him.

[WELL she came. She got dressed up in the white room with a dress that actually fits, and a rather cute (in her opinion at least) jacket to go with. She even got a purse, not that she thinks she needs one in this place.]

MmmmmMmm... [Time to find Lauren now though-she's looking, she's looking...]

Where is he...

Since Susan, unlike Lauren, is actually looking for Carly, it doesn't take long for him to spot her, and he immediately waves when he does.

"Look, Carly's here too!" He says it like it's surprising, but Lauren might be able to pick up on the fact that he's only pretending to be surprised. Not that it isn't a good attempt, but Lauren knows him well enough to pick up on it. But it doesn't matter, because he's going to try and drag Lauren over anyway before he gets a chance to object.

It doesn't look good, it looks weird, but Lauren doesn't have time to say that before he's being pulled in another direction. He blinks, looking around in confusion as Susan mentions Carly before he spots her.

What?

The odds that she would be here were ridiculously small. And she was dressed weird. And Susan was being, well, Susan. Lauren was starting to get a sinking feeling about all this.

"Susan, stop!" Lauren hisses, but is of course ignored. Carly must have seen them by now. Lauren sees her approaching and smiles, but it's clearly forced.

"Uh... Hey."

HEH!?

[What what what, what's going on-] Susan, you're here too?! [She's not very surprised to see Lauren, evidently. And yet...] And you..!

...I can't believe you were actually serious, I thought I was going to get stood up you know... [She says this with a frown-but it quickly becomes sputtering panic again.] N-Not that I'm here for a date anyway!! I have someone waiting for me at home, I definitely plan on going back to them!

WHAT!? A DATE?! Why would she even think that?! The things she's saying just don't make sense. She'd been expecting him? She thought he wouldn't show? Something weird was definitely going on, and Lauren intended to figure out what. This whole time, Susan has been pulling Lauren around, but now Lauren grabs Susan's arm and holds onto it tightly. There's no way he's letting his little brother sneak off after something like this!

"Sorry, you were expecting us?" No, not them, him. Lauren tries very hard to suppress the anger at Susan that's swelling up inside him.

Of course I was! You only wrote me a letter and told me not to reply, after all..!

[HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES???]

Okay, well, he wasn't expecting Lauren to grab him like that, but he doesn't say anything about it, not yet. Right now he needs to stop this from blowing up before it even starts. He pulls at his arm to try and get it away from Lauren's grip, at least a little bit, before just starting to talk.

"We should get something to eat, that's the best way to talk about things, right? Over food?"

When Lauren speaks next it's in Elven, a language it's very unlikely that Carly would be able to understand.

"What is she talking about?" It's a question, but the way he says it almost makes it sound like a threat. He isn't even looking at Susan as he demands an answer, simply staring forward instead.

"Well you're supposed to be making friends and you don't have a lot yet so I thought you should try to talk to her more!"

He turns to Carly after, switching back to... whatever language they normally all speak.

"Come on, we should get a table..."

[Well she definitely doesn't understand it, but THAT'S SUPER RUDE!]

Hey!! Don't go starting conversations in different languages!!

And I want to know what's going on..! [She protests from there, balling her fists.] Why did you ask me on a date..!

He frowns, looking back to Carly. He feels bad. Did she want to go on a date? Did she like him? He blushes bright red at the thought looking down at the ground again. She said she had someone back home though. Had she just been saying that because she was embarrassed?

"You have to tell her." he says, in common now again, though his sentence is still clearly directed at Susan.

Why couldn't Lauren just go along with it and pretend he'd done it? His brother was so stupid sometimes. He isn't happy about it, but he guesses he has to explain anyway.

"I just thought you guys should talk more and be friends. 'Cause Lauren doesn't have a lot of friends and you seem nice and you talk to him and stuff. So... I wrote that letter so you guys would both come here and you were supposed to sit and start eating and then I could leave but... I guess that won't work."

Mnh?

...So it's not a date then? [Why does she seem to be so focused on that...anyway.]

That's not how making friends works at all you know..! Besides I thought we were already friends!!

You can't go looking for lost siblings and fighting monsters without that happening! [wait wat]

"It's not a date!" Lauren says, much louder than he'd intended. He's red with embarrassment and his eyes are shut, as though if he doesn't see carly this will somehow become less embarrassing. He wants to say 'and he has plenty of friends.' But he doesn't. With Phlan gone, the circle being spread out as wide as it was, even back home he hadn't had many people to talk to. It was one of the things that made him miss Cassyt, though he was long over the heartache. No, he guessed he didn't mess Cassyt, just missed having someone he felt he could take to without making a total fool of himself. Though, even if he did make a fool of himself in front of carly, and call her annoying to her face she still actually talked to him.

...Were they friends?

He's at a loss for words and absolutely sure everyone in the entire restaurant must be staring at them by now. Every part of his brain is telling him to turn tail and run the heck out of here and away from this situation, but he doesn't want Carly to call him a coward, again. Instead he pulls on Susan's arm, shifting the attention to his brother instead.

"Say you're sorry."

Susan is still looking down at the ground, but a moment after Lauren says that he shakes his head.

"I'm not sorry."

And then it takes him only a moment to continue, switching back to Common.

"I'm not sorry, and it should be a date! There's nothing wrong with going on a date with someone, and you already have a reservation!"

Th-There's definitely stuff wrong with it being a date!!

You could have just set us up to have lunch as friends!

[Actually, on that note.] It even looks nice and warm in here, I wouldn't mind that now you know...~

[She seems to be rather scattered on this topic really.] You really do need to try and let things happen on their own though, [she huffs to Susan.] This has been nothing but confusing..!

[Also they're putting on a heck of a show for what everyone is assuming to be the grandest of live sitcom scenarios.]

He can barely even focus on what Carly's said he's so mad. Maybe eating with her would have been fun, but right now it's the last thing he wants. He didn't want to eat here in a place where they were making a scene, everyone staring at home. At least Carly is telling Susan off, but it's not enough. It's not just this one thing. Susan got them stuck here and he always went around saying things Lauren didn't want and doing whatever he wanted because he thought he was always right.

"You don't get to do this." It's been so long since he's been actually angry with Susan. It's supposed to be them against everyone else, not each other.

"You don't get to make all my decisions for me! I'm the older one, I know what's best for me, not you." He's long let go of Susan's arm by now. It's hard to yell in someone's face if you're holding onto them. He looks to Carly, he knows this isn't her fault, but he's still upset.

"Sorry. Maybe we can eat together as friends. another time." The stressed words for Susan's benefit.

"I wouldn't have to do it if you did it for yourself!" He's just doing this for Lauren, trying to help him like he always has, and it's making him mad that Lauren isn't even thinking about it. He's not going to just stand here and let Lauren yell at him, though, and so he turns around before just running out of there before Lauren can stop him.

I-

I..!

[What a mess this is. She childishly wishes time could just stop for them all, just for this moment, but instead it moves on-with restaurant patrons staring as Susan runs away, with others burning their gaze into her back and into Lauren's as well.

It's not her fault. She tries to tell herself that-she doesn't have a shadow to do it here, not in this place, so she tries, very desperately to do it, but all that she manages to do is find her eyes growing heavy and wet with tears. It's not her fault.

...But it feels like she's made a mess of it all all the same.] ...no.

...I should have just asked about it when I got the letter. ...I'm sorry.

He watches Susan run off. He knows he should follow, but he doesn't. He doesn't want to see Susan right now, he doesn't even want to think about him. He sighs closing his eyes, no he needs to go after him. It's the right thing to do. It's what he's about to tell Carly he needs to do, but then he looks to her and sees tears in her eyes. His own eyes widen in surprise. What was she getting so emotional about?!

"What? This isn't your fault." He wants to comfort her, but he also wants to stop being in the middle of this fucking restaurant. He grabs her wrist, and then her hand, pulling them towards the door and outside. He walks further still, to the corner, until he feels like they aren't being stared at anymore.

"I'm... Sorry, that Susan roped you into this."

Of course, he hadn't really handled it the best way either.

Ah- aah-

[Her wrist is grabbed, and rather than protest, Carly stumbles, tripping over her feet until they're far outside.] A-Ahh! Lauren, hold on-

[At the least they're not surrounded now. It's quieter, they have nothing but an alley...]

...I knew you couldn't have written it, really. ...it didn't seem right-that's why it's still my fault too! [she protests, shaking her head.] ...I should have talked to you, instead of seeing if it was 'true'. ...then none of this would have happened...

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