JUNE EVENT: CAMP

[sailmods]

early on June 10th, Friday's morning announcements end with a request for everyone going on the latest excursion to meet her in the atrium. she seems in noticeably better spirits than she had been last time, and she leads them cheerfully to the tender. once they are all aboard, and the door is securely shut, the interior fills with gas, and, perhaps, their last thought before they slip into unconsciousness is "oh shit, not again."

passengers wake up on a rickety old school bus, driving down a dirt road surrounded by woods. what is it that they notice first? that, no matter what they were wearing before, they are now wearing a camp t-shirt and legitimately horrifyingly short shorts? the overstuffed backpack between their knees? the words "take one down and pass it around" dying on their lips? the fact that Friday is absolutely driving the bus?

or, maybe the fact that it's already slowing down, pulling up in front of a massive wooden sign, saying:

 

 

 

 

 

CAMP AION

when they get out of the bus, Friday is the one to divide them up into their cabin groups, and she is the one to give the counselors their very official-looking clipboards and whistles. she explains that they are in charge, and that she will be back to pick them up in a week, and... very little else. she responds to nothing outside of whatever is on her unseen little script, and she gets back on the bus shortly after, leaving them there.

welcome to camp. let's make some summer memories!

Comments

[serialskiller]

"I thought you might be exaggerating the severity of the issue, that's all."

Murderbot pauses, and actually looks at Max.

"Are you alright?"

[makesomedeals]

"No. I'm very much not." But he doesn't elaborate on that, pulling another yellow sun out of the box and going to sit down across from Murderbot.

"To both of those." He sets down his two little foam suns on top of each other with the pointy triangles of the edges interspersed. "I've spent nearly thirty hours in the woods."

Attempting to become a tree.

[serialskiller]

Murderburder sets the bunny down.

"How can I help? César's not here, so it'll need to be me, probably. Are your cooling systems functioning? No grit or dirt in your joints, right?"

[makesomedeals]

"I'm not injured." A pause while he thinks about that before confirming, "Uninjured. I may be malfunctioning though."

He spins the top sun on his pile to watch as the various colors of rays swap between each other.

"Diagnostics insist everything is in normal parameters. But it certainly doesn't feel it." He is having an emotion and his systems aren't prepared to let him know that.

[serialskiller]

"Alright. What are you experiencing? And can I try connecting wirelessly?"

Honestly, it's going to be more concerned if Max agrees to let it.

[makesomedeals]

"I'm not sure. It's like being unable to process due to overload, as if something is threadlocked but I'm not sure what."

He pauses, considering the offer which already a bad sign.

"I don't think that's necessary. I'm hoping it's a glitch that works itself out after a powercycle, but I'm not going to do that here."

[serialskiller]

"I understand why you're worried about being shut down, out here. If you need someone to watch over you while you cycle, I am willing to do that."

Another offer it's not expecting Max to accept. But if things are bad enough...look, Murderbot's going to let Watson look after it for a recharge cycle or two, so it's not like it doesn't get it.

[makesomedeals]

A blink, "You would do that? Why?"

Because he doesn't think that Muderbot is going to .. well, murder him. At least not while he's shut down. Though it might move him to random locations.

"There's only a few more days on this trip, I'll survive until we are back on the ship." But he doesn't really want to talk about the general malaise he's feeling instead eyeing that rabbit that Murderbot made. "What will you do with the rabbit you created?"

[serialskiller]

"I know you'll survive, but you'll hate every minute of it." It scoffs. "Want me to kill you so you can wake up in your cabin tomorrow?"

That's mostly sarcastic. Mostly.

"I don't know what I plan to do with the rabbit. Maybe put it in my cabin, or give it to someone sentimental? Dr. Watson might like it."

[makesomedeals]

"I already thought about throwing myself in the lake, but I don't want to accidentally kill Mizuki." He sighs, because it would really be so much easier if he just offed himself and ended up back on the ship. But also, he's a little annoyed at himself for being this upset about... whatever the issue is.

"You could hang it with the pictures on that wall in the ship. Start your very own art gallery."

[serialskiller]

"I wonder if Friday would like it." It's half-hearted, not a serious idea. But it sort of does want to do something nice for Friday.

[makesomedeals]

"Do you think she has the capacity to like things?" his tone musing, he doesn't understand how a construct made of magic works - how much free will she has to have her own thoughts. "If she does she probably would enjoy having it. She has other personal items on her desk."

Like the card everyone other than Max signed.

[serialskiller]

"She has feelings separate from the captain." It gives Max a small look. "She can't express them much--the captain causes her pain when she tries."

[makesomedeals]

"Strange. He wants emotions out of us but not her? How counterintuitive."

Though he supposes maybe it negates the other emotions he feeds off of. Perhaps Friday feeling emotions saps his own energy somehow.

[serialskiller]

"The emotions she experiences might make her rebel against him. Did you see how she was when people were signing up for the battle royale, or the morning of as we boarded the tender?"

Murderbot has done a lot of Noticing Friday.

[makesomedeals]

"If she did he'd make another one. I doubt he'd care, and he'd strike immediately before she could assist us - assuming she wanted to." Max has done a lot of not noticing anything. "But if her having emotions upsets him, we should ensure that happens as often as possible."