come_sailaway | to the "love"

[Ebalon (a bit of a rat) is getting Vibes from this guy that he thinks he likes. Only if the guy will turn out to be a companion, though. He's not so fond of the idea of being poisoned, and he's guessing Hiyori either really likes mystery novels or that he has working knowledge of toxins or both. He can respect it, if only it isn't turned against him.

Returning that pleasant smile, he nods once, brisk and polite.]

Indeed. Though, you'll find that the ship itself is spotless. There are no insects aboard, no rats, and so far, all the food is fresh enough to make me think even the fish were caught an hour ago. It really is the height of luxury. Of course... that doesn't eliminate things such as allergies, but that's less "poison" of the novel sense.

[It's a personal, customized poison made by one's own body. It's kind of poison? Ebalon doesn't think too much farther on the nuances of the word because otherwise he'll be here all day and Hiyori Will hear all of it.]

We are living in the lap of luxury, truly. [Save for outdated medical equipment and infighting and random events such as murdering each other for the Captain's entertainment.]

[ It's a good thing, too, because two men of science getting into semantics is always an adventure of itself. If he were asked, he should liken allergies more to an autoimmune disease; a volatile reaction to a harmless substance. It's worse than any protein-based toxin in that no immunity can be built up and no cure given. But regardless of all that, one thing remains important, ]

To the body it is no better than the weakest virus or the deadliest toxin.

[ It's best to leave it at that for now. It's a discussion they can have another day, as he finds that present company is worth discussing the more interesting mystery at hand with - ground he's no doubt covered dozens of times before, but perhaps he'll be willing to revisit it? ]

Free from all but dust and pollen in day-to-day life, and all for the low, low cost of your freedom and all that you knew... If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was ripped off.

[ Freedom is much more than the ability to act or leave freely, after all. It encompasses all forms of agency, and even those who had less elsewhere are nothing more than birds who were moved to a slightly more decorated cage without ever being asked. Truly, it's no different than the majority game he's so familiar with. ]

Hm... I wonder if there's an added charge for all the stops it's making? Data collection is always a good choice.

[ A battle royale? A camp? They're all just meager forms of entertainment, a little spice to the journey. ]

[Frankly, Ebalon has never minded explaining what the hell is going on here to as many people as he can; he needs people to stand with him against the Captain. More than that, he requires people to vouch for him — he's made a handful of enemies on this ship, showed his hand too early, and it's costing him valuable time. Time that could be spent doing something more productive than defending himself and his actions.]

Actually, the Captain himself did tell me something I think you'll find rather interesting, on that topic. You are aware of the ghosts — or spectres, or spirits, whatever you wish to call them — correct? The ones that tend to throw objects or make Mikabo pitch a veritable fit about having no visitors...

[He pauses to wait for confirmation, either a yes or a no. Either Hiyori will already know what Ebalon is saying, or he'll find out, and either way it doesn't change his next sentence.]

The Captain informed me that the reason those ghosts are simply "ghosts", invisible and made only to do the same repetitive tasks as they do day in and day out, is because their matter has been pulled too thin. I inquired as to what happens when the matter is pulled too thin to work — do you care to guess what the response to that was?

[ He nods and offers a simple affirmation to the question posed. It's been an unusual sight for one who's always been grounded in the sciences and all but definitively disproven such things, but a man can never be so arrogant as to assume they know all there is to see, nor that a foreign place should play by their rules. The latter he hums thoughtfully in response to, cupping his chin and tapping it thoughtfully. ]

It would cease to be, or at least as it has been before. If you break an object down piece by piece, it quickly loses its original form.

[ If a brick house is broken down then it's nothing more than materials. If the bricks are further broken, they become gravel, then dust, then eventually nothing more than atoms. If the brain is broken down, one quickly loses what makes it up. ]

In terms of a person, I should assume that means their identity, and all that goes along with it. You might rip it into pieces, and at that point you no longer have a singular person, nor any person at all.

[ But he's hardly a spiritual expert. ]

You're correct in all of those points, of course. I thought you might be.

[Hiyori gives him the impression of someone thoughtful, well-put together at least in the sense of intelligence. That last statement he makes strikes a chord in the fucked-up parts of Ebalon's brain, but he gives no indication of a more twisted interest in the statement. It is, perhaps, far too early for anyone to know that he knows exactly what happens when you tear the mind to shreds.]

However, the Captain informed me that when those ghostly servants of his cease to be, we are their next replacements. [Ebalon is many things, but interested in being someone's eternal servant until the remnants of his mind shatter and cease to be? No, he's not that. He has grander plans for himself.] This is of great concern to me, naturally. And as for stopping the man in his tracks... I haven't the faintest clue where to begin.

[ The start is always the hardest part in these large scale projects. It's a frustration that men of science know best of all, as they so often find themselves playing the role of Sisyphus; they push their rock up the hill while knowing that momentum shall carry it down the other side, only for it to fall back the moment they near the top. The ability to observe and learn of something is the root of all power and control. ]

I should think so, as I would rather not see myself nor others in such a position. How frightening to think that a mere child was given such power over others.

[ Because in the end that's the impression Hiyori has of him based on his limited information; intelligent enough, powerful enough, but lacking the grace and maturity that the truly talented have. How fortunate if so. Either way, the cogs are already turning in his mind. ]

What do you know of this man? It's clear that he's not versed in the art of subtlety.

I've found that he's impossible to kill. After a certain stunt he pulled by making all of us fight to the death, I attempted to kill him upon my return to the ship. My magic, however, harmlessly passed through him. He can be harmed through physical means, as another discovered.

He seems to have the ability to teleport and manifest into different areas. He is often hidden behind the door to the bridge, but when I knocked, he was suddenly behind me. He claims to not remember his name or his past, and he is singularly obsessed with works of fiction that can be found in the ship's library. The battle to the death was apparently inspired by a fictional book.

[Ebalon thoughtfully looks off into the distance. The distance probably being a wall.]

I believe that Lady Friday, the woman at the service desk, is his puppet of some sort. She tends to "lock up" and be unable to answer anything I ask, if I pry too deep. Oh — and the Captain knows everything about every passenger. When I say everything, I mean everything. If you have any secrets you'd rather keep secret, know that the Captain already knows what they are. So far, he hasn't been inclined to share anything... I do dread the day he decides to.

[ That's quite a bit to take in. Rather than the Captain, he flags Friday as a person of interest to him, as she seems to have binds that hold her down. Hiyori will not be shacked nor bound, none shall hold him back for he has connections to none. He considers for a moment, folding his arms over his chest and bobbing his head a little, gaze briefly flicking up and to the side. ]

In short, he's the child ripping the wings off a butterfly, we are the toys he plays with to stave off his boredom, and Miss Friday is the yin to his yang. Does that mean we're nothing more than his favorite stories come to life?

[ Which is to say, she is the kindness to make his cruelty all that much more prominent. Then the questions become more about her, though he isn't so foolish as to fill himself up with appetizers only to have no room left for the main course. He doesn't linger on the lateral suggestion he offers overlong, instead pivoting back to the former, ]

I've heard that some cultures believe twins to be one soul split into the two body. Wouldn't it be charming if the Captain and Miss Friday followed the same principle?

to the "love"

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