snowblindrpg | [network|video] @prettypinkflowers; you're never coming back; Day 359 [open] [cw: crucified robot]

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[network|video] @prettypinkflowers; you're never coming back; Day 359 [open] [cw: crucified robot]

[When Ginger's username shows up on the Network, it might come as a surprise that she's not posting a game. Or maybe it's not a surprise, given what they've all been through recently. Still, she has a serious, downcast expression from where she sits beside England and America. The smaller injuries that she sustained down in the cells have been primarily healed by now, though her hair is short and shaggy around her chin. She takes a moment, not too sure how or where to start, but with a deep breath, just decides to go for it.]

So we, like, found Andromeda's body.

[Yeah, that's a pretty big mouthful.]

I don't want to just show it right here in case anyone is, like, uncomfortable with it, but there's a recording attached for everyone who does.

[Attached is a video that scans over Andromeda's crucified body, her metallic innards spilling out of her abdomen. She hangs at the end of a chapel--a room that had been previously undiscovered, but it's not too hard to figure out where this is.]

We found her a couple of days ago but decided to wait to announce it because, like, America was able to--

[She stops and turns away from the camera, getting some kind of clarification from him before proceeding.]

--he found a wire or something to plug her into his tablet? And it took a whole day to finish downloading whatever it was that Andromeda had left inside of her, but once it was ready it's all encrypted. America couldn't get in with anything he had, so if anyone has anything that could help or any suggestions, that would, like, be super helpful!

[England taps Ginger's shoulder from out of the frame so that she can pass the tablet to him to add something. England is in a similar state as Ginger, healed of his minor injuries but still bearing signs of the greater damage. He's sombre but businesslike as he speaks.] We did search the body for any electronic components that would be particularly useful, but the wire was the only thing of note. I'm afraid most of what remained was just torn up metal.

[And what a horrible way to go, his expression says. But he hands the tablet back to Ginger. She pauses, not seeming to have anything to add but not wanting to just hang up.]

Yeah, like, okay! I think that's all! Thank you!

((ooc: Replies will come from England and America as well as Ginger! Please specify if you want someone specifically!))

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[Well. That's...an awful way to go.

Rhys shows up Onscreen looking tired, on eye still covered with bandages, and frowning with sympathy.]

I don't know anything about tech so I can't really help, but...

I can perform a funeral, if you want me to come. The last one I did here seemed to go pretty well.

[If it would make Ginger feel a little better about the whole thing.]

Thank you. That would, like, be super nice. I think everyone would appreciate that.

[She laughs sadly.]

I don't know anything useful about technology, either. Is there anything I could do to help with the service?

It's pretty simple, honestly. I mean, if you want to bring something nice that you think fits, that you think she would have liked, that's always nice, but otherwise, it's just...things I already have on me. Candles, incense, a little bit of something pretty.

I'm pagan, but it's a nice ceremony, I try to fit it so that it's okay for anyone, you know? Laying a spirit to peace no matter where they're supposed to wind up or what faith they follow.

You guys are at the church in the new area, or?

Yes! I don't know how long we'll be staying because, like, I don't know what we might need to do to follow up on this thing...

[She really has no idea. It's completely out of her hands.]

But either way, I'll, like, make sure we leave whatever we can here for you. All of us want to respect her as best as we can.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've flown solo, so if you guys need to move on, that's no problem.

I can record the whole thing on my tablet, since I figure other people might like to see it, too. Plus, you know. If there's any ghost activity. We seem to be about fifty-fifty on that when it comes to seances and other rituals.

[Of course, some of those activities were stabbing, but Rhys can handle that, too. He's a big boy and it's not that likely, he's sure.]

She has a body?

[Rather than sounding appropriately disgusted or upset, Magenta just sounds curious.]

Didja dissect it like a frog? See what's all in there? D'you know who did it?

Like...a frog?

[Magenta!!!]

We checked inside the body but, like, there was nothing in there we could use. It looks like whatever we downloaded was all that there is to find.

[But, as for who did it...]

I'm guessing those same cultists responsible for what happened to Winter? Like, probably?

I reckon that would make sense. Still a bit weird, though.

[...He puts on his most saccharine needy voice, which is even more obnoxious than his usual tone.]

Can I ask you for a favor, sweetheart?

[Fortunately for the both of them, Ginger's pretty hard-pressed to consider anything obnoxious.]

Sure you can. Anything for you, doll!

[Doing things for people helps her ignore the reality of her discomfort, so it's pretty win-win.]

Can you pretty please turn on the camera and give me a good look at her?

[Seeing the video reminds chaos of his partner, Mary, and the robotic form that had housed her consciousness back home. He's seen her in dreamscapes, crucified in a similar manner.]

....Andromeda...

Is this what was in the old church?

[A low sigh...]

How mobile are her remains?

Perhaps if someone brings her remains to her old house, where her consciousness can still be found...

Edited 2018-05-17 16:06 (UTC)

Not mobile at all, so far. Even with all three of us pulling, we couldn't dislodge the knives that hold her to the wall.

I don't wish to leave her in such a state, so we can try tools, but we didn't want to cause any additional damage before the download finished. [Or at all, but maybe that's stupid to worry about, with the state she's already in.]

I see...

Maybe, then...

America could bring his tablet with this strange data to her house and ask for her opinion?

I can do that! [America sounds energetically exhausted. He may be trying to overcompensate for the depressing mood of everything lately.] Her house is cool, anyway.

It is.

[chaos sounds equally tired.]

Mm.

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help when you get there. I know a few things about spirits, at least...

Sure! I'm not really great with the whole, like, "ghosts" thing, personally. [Just because he doesn't really get it, not at all because he's scared of ghosts. Definitely.] But I know about space! I was the first one to land on the moon where I'm from, y'know.

That's right, it was the United States that landed first, wasn't it?

[chaos chuckles.]

By my time all of humanity has taken to the stars.

Oh man, I can't wait 'til I get to see that. [The idea that he might not make it that far seems to not factor in at all.]

You will.

It's quite amazing.

[Some fragment of the Nations persists, chaos knows, carried upwards by the pilgrims.]

I'm sure Andromeda would have enjoyed it too.

You could cut her hands around the knives.

[Just pointing out.]

[Ah, yes. At least England does pretty well at not sounding disturbed by the suggestion.] We could. But in many Earth cultures, it would be seen as disrespectful to do so.

[And they already had to root around in what remains of her guts, so England would prefer not to hack off her limbs if at all possible...]

Is it more or less disrespectful than displaying her corpse on a wall?

[Zero sarcasm; she's genuinely asking. Of course, there's no inflection either way.]

[England pauses.]

...I suppose that's something to consider. [FAIR ENOUGH.] I'll discuss it with the others.

[Another brief pause.] For the record, displaying the corpse like this would be the more disrespectful option in most cases. [Just in case that wasn't sarcasm... Given England's own sarcastic tendencies and his observations of Ecks thus far, he's pretty sure it wasn't, but it's still hard to tell...]

Is the important part that the body is not left visible? Is that how you know you are doing the respectful thing?

[She's getting sidetracked.]

Crap.

[ Censoring herself doesn't even cross her mind. Oh, Andromeda. :( ]

I mean - Me or Rhys could take a look, if you like. At the file. Probably better for it to be Rhys. Um, did you... you know, bury her or anything? Or put a sheet over her or something. That seems like a thing someone should do.

Yeah that would, like, be super helpful. I don't know much of anything about computers, so...

[But she does know about how she feels about Andromeda, so she addresses that, in particular.]

We couldn't get her down. She was really stuck on there, like, I don't even know. I think we're going to need some kind of crowbar, maybe? I definitely don't want to leave her like that. She deserves so much better.

Yeah. Nobody deserves that, least of all her. This is so hecked up.

[ She doesn't cry easily, but. She's getting pretty fucking close to it here. Ugh. ]

I guess we should just - you know. Remember something of her is still around, regardless of the state of her body. She helped save everyone before, right? So she's not... gone.

[Oh, Angel. It hurts to see her so chokedup. Ginger can't help putting a hand on her heart.]

As long as we keep her in our memory, she can't ever really be gone.

[But, that might not be what she wants to hear, so she tries for a soft smile.]

I'm sure whatever it is we downloaded will, like, be able to keep her connected to us in some way. It came from her, after all.

I could try to send it over--should I send it to you or Rhys? [He assumes they're together since that seems to be their default state.] Just send it back after, since we're gonna take it to Andromeda's house.

Unless you get it to work, anyway.

Well, actually maybe we'll still take it there? I dunno. [America is just thinking out loud right now.]

It's probably better to send it to Rhys. We'll make sure it goes right back to you, I promise. Taking it to her place does sound like a good idea no matter what, I mean... it's maybe as close to laying her to rest as anyone can get, right?

[ stupid immovable corpses, so rude ]

[ People who were much better prepared to ask questions about the body were following up on that information, so Will asked the first question that came to his mind. ]

How are you doing, Ginger?

Me? Oh, you know!

[That's absolutely not an answer. So, since he's good at reading between the lines, it's more or less a "not really, but what can you do?"]

[ He is rather experienced at reading in between the lines, and offers her a sad smile of understanding. He didn't want to poke at the brittle layer of protection she appeared to have wrapped around herself. ]

Are you still with America and England?

[ He's almost getting used to using countries as names. ]

[It gets easier with time. Ginger nods.]

Yeah. I'd, like, be totally lost without them, you know?

[Figuratively and literally. She's terrible with directions.]

I've never been able to manage on my own in this place. I'm, like, really lucky to have them to help.

[ The irony of this conversation.

If it wouldn't get him beat with the mallet House carries around, Will would express similar sentiments. But he'll be a good boy and keep the thought to himself. ]

It's good you have them, Ginger. Now I don't have to worry as much. [ It was a weak tease, especially given the circumstances, but a bit of humor all the same.

Then, as his purpose of contacting her was specifically to check on her, Will considered the conversation a success. ]

They caught her after all...poor Andromeda. Poor Winter.

[But...something keeps it from being the completely shattering revelation it might have been.]

...There is something left of her. Like Winter. They aren't human, so, the both of them might still be saved. Whatever she left us, it's important.

[The original residents might, even, but Enoch wouldn't have the foggiest clue how, and he's not even sure he would want to. They've been going on for over a thousand years watching sessions come and fail. How many of them want to be restored?

They should ask, he thinks.]

Edited 2018-05-19 05:28 (UTC)

Whatever it is it took like a full day to download, we had to camp out in the church. [Which was really unsettling, and it's obvious by America's voice alone that he didn't like it.] Like, Ginger said that already, but what I mean is even when I'm from you don't usually have to wait a whole day for a file.

[Therefore it has to be really big, is what he means.]

Something particularly large... You think- do you think it is her, then? I'd think she would want to leave instructions to find wherever her weak AI might be, but instructions would be much simpler, wouldn't they?

[He's entirely unaware, of course, that the equivalent of a human brain is massive. A day might be generous.

But he has no idea what to expect about file downloads anyway.]

[ Crucified people, hanged people, eviscerated people... surprising on Pandora, at first. Commonplace, too soon. Here, all the same.

It's still a sick shift in his gut, given the right circumstances.

Robots are better than people.

Angel's directing the data his way, so he hasn't much to say. Just. ]

I'll do my best. Which is the best, s-so she's -- she'll be in good hands.

...wish I could give her a blanket.

...We'll probably try to cover her up if we can't get her down off the wall. [That's sort of like giving her a blanket... It's the closest they can do now, anyway.]

[Ah, yes, America couldn't get in with 'anything he had.' Stephen's going to take that to include the hacking app House had mentioned.]

Winter might be able to help if we were in contact with her.

[Hint hint. Not that their attempts to call her on the Shadownet have ever seemed to do anything to hasten her return....]

And she...ought to know, too.

I agree on both counts. [Though they haven't heard from Winter in a while... England hopes she gets in contact with them again soon. He sighs.] We'll make our best effort to get a hold of her.

Unfortunately, until we get word back, we can only work with what we've got. [If they ever get word back.]

Can you at least take her down from the wall? It's not right.

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