Chapter 16 | The First Taste

[dog_lover]

[ She looks directly at the camera, smiling faintly even if it doesn't reach her eyes. Those eyes are... something else, bright gold, with red circles within that almost seem like they swirl as you look at them, drawing you in. ]

Hello. My name is Makima.

I'm here to help.

Anyone who has issues in controlling themselves. Or controlling their temper. Controlling their sadness. Anyone who's afraid of being overwhelmed or hurt, who doesn't know what to do. Anyone who just wants someone to make things simple and peaceful and easy...

We should talk.

[ Makima can be found in all sorts of places. After all, she doesn't need to be in the treehouse to look down at everyone, to watch over everyone. She sometimes is, because it's a nice view, but just as often, she's in the main common room, smiling sweetly and looking out for any trouble. She wanders into the sick ward just as often to see if there's anyone who might want to make a deal with her there, but she doesn't linger.

When she's not 'working', she'll be found in her room, staring (seemingly) at nothing at all. She's still smiling then, always smiling, but there's something missing in her eyes. That's why she makes sure she's behind a door before she does it.

So she doesn't bring down the mood. ]

[ ooc: Makima is the devil of control and can do all sorts of things with people's minds and memories. She'd be more than happy to erase all your sadness so you can be happy enough to leave. How's that for a way out? ]

Comments

[routemistress]

Oh, I think I can manage.

[ Iris can't and she knows it, but there it is. ]

But I do owe you an apology. I was lied to and I chose to believe it, and I were very unfair to you on account of it.

[dog_lover]

[ There's a short pause. ]

He wasn't going to tell you until I made it his payment for our deal. All he did was take from me.

[routemistress]

I'd like to think 'e's growing away from behaving like that. But I'm very sorry you caught the bad side of 'im, lovey.

I do hope 'e's all right.

[dog_lover]

Not soon enough to help me.

[ She is, however, nice enough not to say that she doesn't hope that. Nadja asked her to be nice to Iris. ]

Nadja asked me to give you another chance.

[ This is the only reason I'm talking to you. Just to be clear with her. ]

audio

[citizendetective]

Are you offering lobotomies?

Re: audio

[dog_lover]

No. If that was what I was offering, it's what I'd have said.

audio

[citizendetective]

It just sounds like you're saying it without really saying it.

Re: audio

[dog_lover]

And if I was going to say it, I would.

That's not what I'm offering.

That's also not what a lobotomy offers.

[punched_hitler]

[Steve desperately wishes he could contact her privately. But he can't. So he does the next best thing: He finds her in person in the common room.]

Hey. You said people should talk to you if they needed help... controlling things.

[He doesn't, but he remembers how terrified B was of her potentially doing those things, how badly he's taking things here, and it's probably stupid to try to talk to Makima about it, but here he is, anyway.]

You meant with your powers, right?

[dog_lover]

I do.

[ She presses her lips together and her eyes are blank. Emotionless. Pointedly so. ]

I'm not violating free will. I'm not forcing anyone. I'm asking if anyone wants this. It's a way to leave this place. And hopefully stay away.

This Nurse checks in on her patients even after they leave. I'm trying to help.

[punched_hitler]

I know. It's good that you asked.

But do you really think this is the way to help people? Not what the Nurse wants. But really how to help them.

[dog_lover]

Do you know that it's not?

What is 'really' helping them?

What is the goal of any person?

Some people seek truth, but other people seek happiness. Don't people get to decide what they want?

And the way I do what I do doesn't ruin anyone's liver.

[pharadyne]

[Norton doesn't seek Makima out specifically, his questions aren't that urgent, but when he sees her in the treehouse he detours to talk.]

Interesting offer you made earlier. That is, I'm interested. I don't think I need it now...but I might. I need to stay an Assistant and get my deal no matter what.

[All the effort on the barge to protect himself from mind control or memory alteration, and now he might volunteer for it. Because it's an easy solution and better than being dead.]

[dog_lover]

I'll keep it in mind, Norton. Just let me know when you need help.

[pharadyne]

If I do it, I want as little changed as possible. Maybe something like what we discussed on the barge, where feelings aren't changed, I can manage to keep those looking light, I think, just a tiny nudge to keep me from doing anything that will ruin this for myself. This ship seems to be mostly fine with me the way I am, but sometimes even someone nonviolent like me slips up and does a teensy bit of murder and that's clearly not going to go over well here.

[dog_lover]

Would you like me to stop you murdering before or after you murder someone?

video

[extendedbrutalpipemurder]

I feel you won't be getting the number of responses that you ought to be getting.

[ the people here have so many problems and can't seem to work out that you just have to stop having those issues in order to graduate. surely it's not that hard?? ]

Re: video

[dog_lover]

Probably. But hopefully if I get enough, others will see the benefits.

[extendedbrutalpipemurder]

We can only hope.

I hope you haven't had too many issues, settling in here? The Nurse does run a rather different ship to the Admiral. I hadn't thought there would be so much... leeway between the different versions of these boats.

spam - mid month

[colorofthesky]

Zack...has had quite a time. Between being detained, worried, and (frankly) more than a little uncomfortable being stuck in a white room for who knows how long, when he finds himself on the Clipper, it's...well. More than a little jarring.

He pulls himself together a bit before he sets out to explore...and it just so happens, that shock of red hair is the first familiar thing he sees.

"Makima? Makima, is that you??"

Re: spam - mid month

[dog_lover]

She pauses in the hallway and she's actually...

Disturbed. Because Zack is a genuinely decent person. She's watched him, heard him, knows this. He's a genuinely decent person who's never treated her as anything less or more than anyone else.

She makes her way over to him and offers a hand to steady if he needs it.

"Zack. You look... a little out of sorts.'

[colorofthesky]

Honestly, at this point, he's just relieved to see someone he actually knows. He lets out a soft breath and a little of the tension in his frame seems to slip away.

At being called 'out of sorts', he rubs the back of his head.

"Yeah, I'm- I guess so? I just got here so it's...kind of a lot?"

The scenery here sure is Something.

"How long have you been here?"

[dragonwithagirltattoo]

God, that's the creepiest thing I've seen yet. You people from the Barge are a real sideshow, you know that?

[dog_lover]

Don't like, don't engage. Gawking is rude.

[dragonwithagirltattoo]

Oh, my gosh, you're right! Wouldn't want to be rude, now would we?