Message 09: Picking Up the Pieces

[unrecovered]

[It's a few days after FILSS' opening the training room, and Wash is still tired. He's in full armor and helmet to hide that fact. He holds up an AI chip in front of the camera. It's hollow in the middle and isn't lighting up.]

Melody had this. I'm pretty sure she found it on the Mother of Invention. Those of you who know what this is, there isn't anything in it. It's not active. That...doesn't stop it from talking.

The ID card from the post office and the blank photo from the mansion. Who has them?

[In the background, Melody protests, albeit not nearly as loud as she had when he'd mentioned getting another cat. Hey! She was holding onto that for Lela! Give it back!]

Comments

[brodakota]

How the hell did she find it?

[Someone is out of the loop.]

[unrecovered]

She probably found it when FILSS kicked our asses.

[Yes, that is exactly how he is wording it.]

[brodakota]

Okay, Wash, you're going to have to explain that in a bit more detail.

[He's lacking context. And while he's always figured that FILSS could kick any freelancer's ass, it would be more of a verbal smackdown that anything else.]

[raisethemoon]

[Luna figures out pretty quick what he means by it talking - those things do tend to turn up in a new world. Still, she peers at it.]

What precisely is it?

[unrecovered]

[He may have put it down by this point. He may be really tired of voices in his head.]

It's an AI chip. It usually houses an AI. This is what they look like without the holograms.

[raisethemoon]

I see...

Do you intend to keep it? [She worries about you and voices in your head. Even muffled, apparently safe ones.]

(I'm pretty sure they're in the same room, which amuses me)

[allfunandgamesuntil]

I think Sora had the photo, the last time I saw it. Definitely him or Celestia.

Oh why the hell not

[unrecovered]

Great. Have you seen either of them recently?

Why are you guys IMing in the same room I don't even

[allfunandgamesuntil]

You know, that's the thing about helpful friends keeping you bedridden...

[4letters4ninja]

[Ziva holds up the ID card.]

I still have this one.

What is that, exactly?

[unrecovered]

Can you bring it by?

It's an AI chip. They usually have AI in them, but this one's empty.

[4letters4ninja]

Yes, I can. [She looks around the room for a second, realizing that this means she has to move now.] Give me a few minutes.

[So, it actually didn't take as long as she thought, and there's a knock on his door. When he opens it, he'll see why: Abby didn't like her injured person walking around in pain, so she carried her over.] She does not like seeing me wince, apparently.

[guerriera]

[ Her prize! There's a delighted mewf! somewhere off camera, before a certain someone heads for Wash and York's room at a trot.

Still wearing her helmet, and crabby from a repeated night of restless not-sleep, Carolina seems to stare blankly at the item held by Wash. There's only one place it could have come from, of course. ]

...Who's was it? Is there any designation?

[unrecovered]

[Turns out their door is closed, so there's a bit of a delay in replies as Wash opens the door for the excited cat. By "a bit of a delay," we of course mean "a full ten minutes" as Wash has tripped over the excited cat weaving in and out of his legs and taken a header onto the floor. It takes him a bit of time to get set up again.]

No designation. I don't think it ever belonged to anyone.

[guerriera]

[ The waiting just makes her grumpier, unaware of her own spirit's involvement in the delay.

Still. That's something, she supposes. Carolina can't decide if she's pleased or not. ]

But it's speaking to you. [Frown.] What is it saying?


[ Lela all but crowds Wash's ankles the moment the door opens, attempting to weave between his legs as she purrs loudly in delight. Which rapidly transition into mews in horror and apology as she manages to capsise the Freelancer.

She's so sorry oh no-- ♥ HI YORKPERSON ♥ --oh gosh I'm so sorry Melody, is WashPerson going to be okay

Lela may be transitioning into a very adorable but inconvenient guest. ]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[This definitely gets Eraqus's attention, although he hadn't heard about the blank photo from the mansion.]

This is the third thing speaking?

Do these three things have anything in common other than them talking?

[unrecovered]

Yeah. It's gone from being a coincidence to a pattern.

They all showed up as the end result of being locked in a room with a bunch of Nightmares. Aside from that, I don't think so.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Likely an important pattern, too.

[He's encountered a couple odd puzzles in travels before.] Has anyone tried to examine the previous two items together yet?

[stillatentdead]

Can't be having with all these things talking. Tain't right.

[unrecovered]

[Oh my God the crazy woman is back]

Preaching to the choir.

[stillatentdead]

Someone has to.

[defrostedpride]

I wonder...have the three objects been in proximity at any point?

[unrecovered]

Not that I know of. What are you thinking?

[truth_detector]

[ Deanna's still new enough that a lot of that was gibberish for her. All but one thing. ]

The Mother of Invention—that's the ship that I was told about when I arrived, isn't it?

[unrecovered]

It is, yes. I wouldn't recommend going there just yet.