Audience: Grace Monroe

[probe]

Comments

[alteracion]

Yeah! I'm fine. Not even sore anymore.

[probe]

Very well.
The dog park then. Up on the hill furthest in.

[alteracion]

Ok.

[ well, it doesn't take grace too long to show up, so. here she is at the dog park. ]

Hey, Greed.

[ she is very nice and does not tease them about being worried about her ]

[probe]

[well when grace gets to the hill she'll find. something. weird.

mostly that a.) greed is laying on their back with maus on their chest, eyes half-lidded and b.) greed also doesn't have their hood up while maus is busy nosing at their face.

without the hood, she can see that their eyes are still glowing purple and there's a hollow sort of darkness around the eye sockets, like deep-set shadows that give them an almost skeletal appearance. there's wisps of shadows coming from their eyes and thick veins that seem to bulge slightly, skin crackling in places. there's the claws, of course, and with the way their mouth is set it's evidence there are fangs inside as well.

also, they look like they haven't slept very much and glance at her from the corner of their eye.]

Grace. [wow. first name status and everything. maus also tilts his head back to bark a greeting.]

[alteracion]

[ oh. huh.

wow.

grace stops there for a bit, staring blatantly, but. yeah! that's greed! huh. and, reflexively, stupidly: ]

Should I be looking away?

[ because she remembers greed telling her they. he. did not want to unhood for her ever and oh my god of course greed is wearing an ascot, what a nerd ]

[probe]

No, I suppose the damage has already been done. [he says, as if he wasn't purposefully waiting here without a hood.

maus decides it's appropriate to chew on the cravat and greed just lets him.] Though it would be most appropriate to keep this information to yourself as well.

[alteracion]

I don't generally share the details of our conversation, Greed. [ that's private. although, hm. she tilts her head with a grin ] Does that mean I get to learn your actual name?

[probe]

You're in the minority there. [they don't seem too bothered by that though, even if he raises an eyebrow.]

For all intents and purposes, my actual name is Greed.

[alteracion]

But it wasn't always. [ she doesn't press, though, instead kneeling in the grass so she can pet maus, the best thing about greed ] I figured you had these conversations in private for a reason, so.

[probe]

[maus wags his tail and rolls over on greed's chest to get better access to the pets. greed would love to sit up but maus is right there.]

I don't share that name with any of the other participants either. [a pause.] Not willingly, anyway.

[alteracion]

[ yeah you're staying down there forever greed, sorry not sorry, it's petting maus' belly time. ]

The memory stuff affected you guys too? [ she's guessing. she huffs a bit, petting maus harder ] That week was the worst.

[probe]

[it's fine, without his dumb hood grace can see that greed is fond of his dog who wriggles around for pets. less fond thinking of memshare week though.]

Mm. Unfortunately yes. As much as it pains me to admit this, we aren't entirely immune to everything that impacts you here.

[alteracion]

Well. No one's caught your secrets on camera yet, at least?

[ rip envy! grace keeps petting puppy who is a good dog and it's funny greed looks fond, like a nerd ]

[probe]

There likely wouldn't be a camera left if that were the case. [:)

but maus is very pleased with the ATTENTION so he's having a nice time idly pawing and trying to chew on grace's fingers lovingly]

[alteracion]

[ that makes her laugh a little, but also, noooo, the puppy drooool. ]

Fair enough. You know, you asked me to see if there was a pattern between these... events, but with three down, it's hats and other odd items we're bringing back.

[ she uses her free hand to go through her pouch, taking out both The Crab Hat and a half mask, red. ]

Please tell me you can say who this belongs to so I don't have to send ten texts.

[probe]

A pattern is still a pattern. [but he physically recoils at the crab hat. what the fuck is that.]

The hat I've...no idea nor do I want to know. But that mask...I suppose you could try asking the Avatar most likely to hide themselves.

[alteracion]

So ... ... Despair?

[ sometimes you don't talk to that many npcs because trying to deal with one is enough. she'll put the crab hat away ]

If you're looking for more patterns, it's always about pushing people to do something they wouldn't normally do? I think.

[probe]

You might wish to speak to them yourself.

[so it's worth a try.]

That is one side of indulgence, you are correct. [there's a pause.] We were unable to see where you were. What exactly happened?

[alteracion]

A hotel. We were all on different floors, and...

[ she pauses, looking strictly at maus ]

We all saw things, I guess. That weren't real.

[ hm! vague. ]

[probe]

...and yet they were real enough to disturb you?

[that sure is vague.]

[alteracion]

They felt real.

[ she picks at her pants a little, hesitant ]

... Greed, have you ever... been scared to be wrong?

[probe]

No. [which would be an asshole statement if he didn't pause and continue.]

And then when I was wrong, I lost all control and couldn't handle the results. Now...I suppose sometimes I have been afraid.

[and he stops again as if to ask grace to explain why she's asking.]

[alteracion]

[ no explanation!! ]

... Right. [ she's not sure what she expected as an answer, if that helps or not ] It all felt real. We saw... personal trauma, I guess? I don't know for sure what the others saw. Then when I met up with Molly, there were fakes of some of our friends here, but we didn't know they were fake. They attacked us, but they were acting like... themselves. They kept apologizing and saying they couldn't control it. Once we were all in there it locked us in a room, and...

[ she just kind of trails off! ]

[probe]

[there's a long silence because haha, trauma! wow! greed doesn't know anything about trauma at all!

...hm.]

...let me guess. Kill or be killed?

[alteracion]

We had them subdued, but we couldn't leave unless they died, and Molly was impaled and I--

[ was technically also dying but not quite aware of it, it's fine. ]

I didn't know who was real. There was this... fog, making us doubt everyone else, and I was just... I was afraid and I-- [ oh she's tearing up now and she blinks them away, wiping at her eyes ] I don't know if it was the right choice.