Scene #9152: Great Meido Jailbreak pt 2

Owner	Pose
Madeleine Cadrasteia	LAST TIME ON THE GREAT MEIDO JAILBREAK The elites broke into Madeleine's home, making their way through the sanctuary's forest and learning its origins from the Enkephalin Reader. Upon reaching the house they found it absent its most notable resident, and in decent repair aside from an eerie rainbow mold. Her staff are in good health, but it seems they only have one mouth to share amongst them all - which they usually keep in a jar. The elites are now speaking with, well, one of the servants, while the others look on in the back hallways near the servants' quarters. AND NOW, THE CONTINUATION Odette noises! A maid gently places a hand on Odette's shoulder from beside her after all the squeaking and yelping dies down. It's probably an attempt to be encouraging but without the ability to read the maid's face the gesture may do Odette more harm than good. "Could you bring all the maids here, please? There's.. Um. An important announcement to make?" "Oh, an announcement? How splendid. Has the lady sent you with news, or is this another of those..." He leans toward Odette conspiratorially and gestures air-quotes for the next words. "Surprise parties?" As he straightens up he gasps as if realizing something, and half-covers his mouth. "She doesn't need to be rescued, does she? Everyone, everyone!" His voice - Madeleine's voice - raises to a shout as he reaches up to ring a servant's call-bell by hand. "The lady is in need!" As conversation continues a slow trickle of additional maids and butlers filter into the hallway from various directions. "Oh my god. They don't have faces!" Indeed, especially now that one of them does have a definite facial feature, it's easier to notice the relative lack among the others. The pointed-at maid reaches up, slowly, haltingly, to feel at the non-contours of her non-face. Her hand stops halfway back down to her side, as if she's surprised by something - did she not know, or did she expect everyone else did know? "You-- are you the only one she allows to talk?" "Oh, most of us are just out of practice! If you go long enough without doing something, you get used to not doing it. Truth be told, I doubt any of the others would want to get this old thing out and put it on." He points at his mouth when he says 'this old thing'. "I talk to myself in my head, though, so it's a chance to practice my hobby!" A pause, a nervous twitch of the lips. Another conspiratorial lean, this time toward Petra. "Don't tell the lady, but sometimes I get it out just to have a little conversation with myself. She doesn't know we have it," he says with a nervous chuckle. The other servants exchange looks with each other, or move their heads as if they were doing so - they still don't have visible (or perceptible, or memorable) eyes. But if they have eyes, they're rolling them. Get a load of THIS guy. "If you can get every maid in the house and stuff, then-- then let us break you out of here. This is like, crazy unhealthy." "But- how could we care for the lady if we leave? We have to be here to do that. This is where she lives." Another gasp, scandalized. "Are you burglars? Stealing from the lady is stealing from us, and we cannot permit either." His posture stiffens as he reminds himself of his duties.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"No, that's fine. We're here to help." The mouth-equipped butler breathes a sigh of relief, and some of the others relax from states of visible tension. "That's good. You didn't seem like burglars and I'd hate to be disappointed. Now, since you're here to help, let's get you into uniform and start on tonight's-" "Reassignment to a place where you'll be better appreciated. Better treated. We'd like to strongly urge you to accept alternative employment." "A-alternative employment? Are you saying... has the lady kept another residence without our knowing? But, she spends so many nights here! If what you say is true, we must send a contingent there at once. Without any staff it must be so dreary for her!" He doesn't seem to get that 'alternative employment' would mean not caring for 'the lady' at all. "I bet the face speaks for all the servants because it is all the servants! So there'd just be... the one?" "We've only the one mouth, yes. We have no need to speak to one another, or to the lady while she is present, for we are all... well, that wouldn't be quite right. We are not the lady, but the lady is something and we too are that something. She has not explained this to you?"
Angela	''Like Mister Potato Head!'' "...I am not aware of that Abnormality," Angela says, looking to Petra. "What, praytell, is a 'Mister Potato Head?'" "Probably some kind of monster that decapitates people and puts potatoes where their heads used to be. Maybe makes new faces out of spud parts." Ceri suggests. "Mmm...." Angela is unconvinced. ''Arson stuff.'' "Cinder certainly has made an influence of herself," Angela says a touch dryly which, notably, is the perfect tone to light on fire. Angela refuses to ask about lava lizards. ''Why not get a copy of Fourth Match Flame?'' "...Do you want one, Xion? I can contract one out to you for at least until Lobotomy Corp shuts down." She is already planning on releasing a Fourth Match Flame to Petra and, indeed, maybe there was already a scene about that! Read the Eighth Match Flame Log, true believers! But only later because that happens after this scene... ''Let's get you into uniform and start on tonight's--'' Ceri reaches for her jacket but catches a look from Angela that says, without saying anything, 'please don't embarrass me by actually starting to help' and Ceri sheepishly puts her hands behind her, face lightly pinkened. "We will have to get you more mouths," Angela decides for the maids.
Odette Raskins	The hand on Odette's shoulder gets a brief jolt from her at first, although it's more for surprise at the contact at all rather than the maid's lack of a face. The EMT looks up and over at her shakily at first, then lets out a relieved sigh when the gesture isn't followed by anything else that would give her reason to be scared. The butler leaning in while she's distracted, in comparison, gets a bigger jump out of her. "Ah! O-oh. Um. Yyyyyes." She whispers just as conspiratorially at first, still trying to snap out of her confusion at the staff being relatively... Fine? They don't appear to want to escape at first glance, but she hasn't discounted the possibility of them not knowing any better. "N-no, Miss Madeleine's fine. We're just..." There's a lot that isn't clicking together for Odette yet, and she has to take a moment to just listen. One mouth for so many workers certainly isn't a normal occurrence to her, but there's very little normal about this whole manor at all. They seem to understand easily enough that everyone's here to find them somewhere else to work, but that last part is yet another something Odette's caught off guard by. "How did she take your mouths? I mean... H-heck, how do you even trade it around like that? And.. Er. N-no, she never talked about the something." A beat, and then Odette tilts her head slightly while peering at the butler. "What's the something?"
Petra Soroka	"You've never actually had Stockholm for anyone." Petra puts her hands up at Lilian like she's being held at gunpoint. "Ahaha. Yeah! Of course not! Sorry, just, you know, um, stuff I looked up. I'm not an expert. I mean, despite all the-- the kidnappings." "Why not get a copy of Fourth Match Flame?" "Hmmm, really...? But that's Cinder's already....")] Petra chews the inside of her lip in thought, before remembering that that's the exact opposite of a problem for her. "Combo attacks would be really fun, actually. I bet Cinder'd love that, and honestly, it's not like I dislike Fourth Match Flame. I've had to handle it a couple times for Cinder, and the vibes kind of work. You know how important that sort of thing is." "Do you really think I could rock the jacket, though? I mean, your style's great but I don't know if the black on black really works on me, and the edge, hm..." Petra tugs on the edges of her sleeve, and reflects on the fact that her bomber jacket is entombed somewhere within Lilian's castle with no way for her to get it back. "Actually, hell yeah, it looks good in groups." "Probably some kind of monster that decapitates people and puts potatoes where their heads used to be. Maybe makes new faces out of spud parts." Ceri forces Petra to reflect on the idea that Ceri considers this to be a fear common enough to be lodged in the Collective Unconscious. Maybe she just isn't as in tune with the bigger picture workings of Lobotomy Corporation as Petra, but still, for that to be first thing she thought of... "Children's toy," The words slip out of Petra's mouth blandly. "It's a children's toy." "If you go long enough without doing something, you get used to not doing it. Truth be told, I doubt any of the others would want to get this old thing out and put it on." Petra is starting to be convinced that this might be the Worse Version of none of the servants having their own faces, despite this one's pleasantries. With a deeply troubled expression and crossed arms, hanging back with Xion and Lilian, Petra tries to wrap her mind around the category of intelligent person who would hide the ability to speak from their master and be culturally conditioned to be ashamed of using it by the implicit rules structure of the household. "Uh, but... you... want to speak, right? That's why you... recreationally, um, use your mouth? And it's not actually... something you're sure of, that none of the others would also like that, but something you are sure of is that she shouldn't hear about you having it? Is that, uh, right?" "We have to be here to do that. This is where she lives." "We've gotta burn this place down," Petra breathes out in one continuous sigh. "Now, since you're here to help, let's get you into uniform and start on tonight's-" Petra instantly adopts a defensive stance, hands up like she's expecting to have to physically fend off the butler. She will not be forced into a maid dress, not here, not now. "Nope! Nope! What uniforms? What's tonight?" A thought occurs to her suddenly, fueled almost entirely by her own psychotic thoughts and associations rather than reality. "Hold on, did all of you end up in here by getting forced into a uniform like that?"
Petra Soroka	"We are not the lady, but the lady is something and we too are that something. She has not explained this to you?" Dubiously, Petra does sort of get it-- she has her own faceless subservient nonperson that's like-but-unlike herself-- but she doesn't want to acknowledge that as the truth even if it makes the most sense. She's here because she hates Madeleine and wants to make Lilian happy by doing harm to her! Frankly, if all of these service staff are just extensions of Madeleine, then she's practically doing a war crime by using service staff as ablative shields to make Lilian feel bad about hurting her. Yeah, that's a really good way to keep feeling angry. Petra feels satisfied with that version of things. "She hasn't, and, honestly, everything she has explained makes her look shitty and evil. She really doesn't care about you guys much at all. That's why we're worried."
Lilian Rook	Lilian is a tiny bit relieved to see the maid touching her face like that. Clearly she also thinks Petra is completely insane because she's obviously wrong. 'I'm not an expert. I mean, despite all the-- the kidnappings.' "What? Like the Infinity Train? Stop being so dramatic." 'Don't tell the lady, but sometimes I get it out just to have a little conversation with myself. She doesn't know we have it' 'We've only the one mouth, yes. We have no need to speak to one another, or to the lady while she is present' "Wait, hang on . . ." Lilian is computing. Her eyes narrow as she recalls the last sixty seconds she wasn't paying attention to while obsessing over the face thing. "You enjoy speaking. And you want to do it. But you hide the fact that you can do it from Cadrasteia, and you feel as if there's no point speaking to her. That doesn't sound apathetic at all. That just sounds . . ." "Cruel." Lilian says, like it's a question. 'But- how could we care for the lady if we leave? We have to be here to do that. This is where she lives.' "You wouldn't. You'd be somewhere else. Speaking. Whatever other hobbies you have. Having your own mouth and doing whatever you want." Lilian says, exhaustedly. "Even if you're going to insist on this 'character'-- and devotedly serving a single person is perfectly legitimate, allow me to add-- this treatment is indefensible." "Aren't you even a little tired of it? Silently scrubbing up this musty house in the middle of nowhere that no one visits, tidying up after a woman who keeps dying and leaving it in your hands, day in day out, without so much as a conversation, much less the freedom to exercise your own individuality?"
Xion	Xion has somewhat of a hard time understanding what's going on, the vibe a little akward. Twirling out the Kingdom Key idly and then idly motioning with it in a loop - lean, low hold, shouldered, then barred behind neck with arms less like any kind of blade and more like the visibly rounded edge it appears as - Xion leans back and gets a pop out of her neck, releases the weapon from grip and reality with an implosion of faintly-silver sparkles and a 'shwonk' of sound as the Nobody relaxes. "I think one of the reasons we're concerned is that... whole forgetting thing? Did you used to have faces, or not? Were you people that were recruited, or extensions of her? If you're people that've been tied in to this life of service, then, we're definitely here to get you out of this situation. That it'd be inconvenient for your boss is exactly the kind of bad logic that real healthy change for the workers is denied." Xion sweeps a hand to encompass the various members of the faceless help, fingers curling in when one touches Odette's shoulder but not moving to interject. Not -- yet? Was it bad? It was probably fine, or, it was potentially super awful, but Xion at least didn't think Madeleine would try to Invasion Of The Indentured Servitude Snatchers Odette. "Like... It's inconvenient for me that I can't get hot dogs for free, but they're a buck fifty at Costco so it's okay for me to pay my share too? Does that--..." No. It probably doesn't make sense. What with the lack of mouths. "Sorry, I'm kind of hungry." '...Do you want one, Xion? I can contract one out to you for at least until Lobotomy Corp shuts down.' After all the downer thoughts and uncertainty, Xion lights back up as if she was slamming chocolate shooters. "Huh? You can contract it out to me? Normally I'd store it in a medallion, but I think it might be fun to try it your way! If I always only use my way, don't you think that's like never meeting anyone else halfway? Even if I'm taking those snapshots of hearts and thinnest slices, it's not really wearing the coat like Cinder does. It's just -- a picture of a coat. The armor I make is always the same, I just color it differently. So -- I'd love to try." She bows. "Thanks for the opportunity!"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"We will have to get you more mouths," This causes a bit of a stir. Numerous of the servants shift in discomfort or 'look' to each other for reactions, but one or two tip their heads in interest or at least consideration. The butler may have underestimated his peers' interest in speech. "How did she take your mouths?" "Ohoho," laughs the butler. It's a strange laugh, quite unlike Madeleine's usual but still in her voice. "No, it's more correct to say that we took hers, or made a double. She had it first, after all." "Uh, but... you... want to speak, right? That's why you... recreationally, um, use your mouth? And it's not actually... something you're sure of, that none of the others would also like that, but something you are sure of is that she shouldn't hear about you having it? Is that, uh, right?" "Of course I want to speak, it's why I practice. Only..." He lowers his voice (Madeleine's voice?), a little sheepish now. "It would be embarrassing. And... she might start expecting we use it more, when the others won't want to. It's best if it remains my little side hobby, something to do in spare time and not a professional tool." "What's tonight?" "...Dinner?" He sounds like he's not sure anymore. "She hasn't, and, honestly, everything she has explained makes her look shitty and evil. She really doesn't care about you guys much at all. That's why we're worried." The butler grimaces reflexively at Petra's account. He leans in again, his voice barely above a whisper as if anticipating something truly appalling. "What- what does she say about us?" "You enjoy speaking. And you want to do it. But you hide the fact that you can do it from Cadrasteia, and you feel as if there's no point speaking to her. That doesn't sound apathetic at all. That just sounds . . . Cruel." "That's all true of me, but I can't speak for the others. I mean, I am speaking for the others right now, but- but you know. I don't know the specifics of how the others feel." His lips twist in evident discomfort. "You'd be somewhere else. Speaking. Whatever other hobbies you have. Having your own mouth and doing whatever you want." "Aren't you even a little tired of it?" The butler hesitates. "I- she does sometimes mention a 'vacation', when she stays away from her work for a while. Is- are you suggesting one for us? But then who would keep the curse at bay here? Something has to be done about it." Scattered nods from the other servants in agreement.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"What's the something?" "It's the- oh, what is it called, the lady is a little better about this sort of thing..." He trails off in thought, and a maid steps forward to tap his shoulder. After a moment's shared 'look' he reaches up to his face, peels the mouth free, and carefully presses it to hers. She continues in the same voice, "The 'wyrd'. A soul would be its opposite, or its counterpart. You, as all her guests of late, should only have souls, and we are beings purely of the lady's wyrd, while the lady has both... The twain do not mix well." "I think one of the reasons we're concerned is that... whole forgetting thing? Did you used to have faces, or not? Were you people that were recruited, or extensions of her?" "We've never had faces in the way that you do, and most of us don't mind that," She says, turning to look at the chatty butler and curling her lip in disdain, before returning her 'gaze' to Xion with a neutral expression. "Extensions of the lady isn't quite right. She and we are both parts emerged from a greater whole. So is the house, and the forest. It's all Madeleine Cadrasteia, really."
Odette Raskins	"No, it's more correct to say that we took hers, or made a double. She had it first, after all." That just raises more questions than that answers for Odette. She opens her own mouth and closes it as she stares at the butler, clearly at a loss for words at how that could even be possible. "And... she might start expecting we use it more, when the others won't want to." "I don't know the specifics of how the others feel." That, however, does rule out the possibility of these workers actually being some weird mind-constructs with no actual will. "That does sound like a... Um. I-I kind of get it. Sometimes, you just don't want to talk while you're working. " She gives the butler and maids a sympathetic nod, then furrows her brow a moment later. "Although if that's how it is working here... Have you ever thought about working somewhere else?" "But then who would keep the curse at bay here?" "Can you tell us more about that?" Odette zeroes in on something she broadly has no ability to mitigate, but it's something that catches her attention regardless. Besides, even if she can't handle it, she's pretty confident Lilian or Xion might know how to approach it! Petra and Angela, she's not so sure. "Is it something that affects.. er. J-just here? Or just Miss Madeleine? Or is it like a..." She snaps her fingers a few times to jar her memory. "Like a bigger, more dangerous-to-everyone kind of thing?" ". . . and we are beings purely of the lady's wyrd, while the lady has both... The twain do not mix well." More confusion is evident on Odette's face. "Like an anti-soul? Um... L-like a body, then? The reading I've done always described the soul as something you can't really touch or see with your..." She gestures at her eyes, then her hands. "A-am I on the right track there? Maybe... Halfway? A-a quarter...?"
Angela	''If I always only use my way, don't you think that's like never meeting anyone else halfway?'' "I never thought of it like that before. But Cinder speaks highly of you and it is a TETH EGO so we have plenty of spares." Angela says. "It is no problem and you have helped us plenty. It is only proper to provide some payment, even if it is a meager payment compared to what you deserve." She hasn't considered Xion had such thoughts about her own powers but she hesitates a bit before adding, "They are not safe weapons, just so you know, but I am certain you have the fortitude and willpower neccessary to wield them." She does not know Xion's abilities in entirety but she can't imagine that she has more resistance to mental assault than Petra so a bit of a warning is good praxis. ''It's a children's toy.'' Ceri is not even a Captain. While she has probably figured some stuff out from secrets being tough to keep for two years, she does not know the particulars of Abnormalities--she probably is using it as a replacement word for 'Monster'. That happens all the time amongst the rank and file with people interchanging the terms casually. ''Do you really think I could rock the jacket, though?'' "I am confident you could both make the jacket work. But if you do not want the jacket, the weapon and the equikpment can be seperated. You do not need to requisition both." Angela says. "...It has a nice style to it in the sense that it is a little more complex than just a strangely colored suit." Angela is only half listening to the maids. What's going on here actually? It feels like Madeleine just never bothered to ''think'' about these maids and now that they are here, basic questions are causing existential crises. "Communication is important. Also you can use a mouth to put food inside of it, which is something you should not be allowed to be without." Angela says. "It is more than just speaking. Even if you do not ''require'' food, it is one of life's pleasures one should not do without." "Mouths are useful for lots of things." Ceri adds before looking back to Petra. She's trying to imagine that toy in her head. It involves an actual potato.
Petra Soroka	"It would be embarrassing. And... she might start expecting we use it more, when the others won't want to. Petra blinks and rubs her cheeks with her hand. This quest is asking a lot from her; namely, the ability to summon up empathy for people who are clearly being harmed but are making it inconvenient to do anything about ameliorating it, who sound like someone she hates and have annoying, complicated objections. The urge to burn down the entire place and be done with it increments past another notch. "And... in that case, couldn't you just... tell her what you want? You don't expect her to listen, right? Just that no matter what information she has or doesn't have, she'll use it to cause some of you suffering somehow." "What- what does she say about us?" Oh god. What did Madeleine say about them? Petra's grasp on remembering specific words varies dramatically with how much she respects the person saying them, and Madeleine's words were alchemized into abstract narrative fuel the moment they left her mouth. Petra looks over to Lilian helplessly for support, and then surreptitiously tries to check her phone for the log. "She... uh... she... oh! She, like, doesn't know any of you, doesn't want to know any of you, and can't keep track of how many of you there are. She's, like, nauseatingly incurious about you guys either as people or as a service. If you're scared to talk to her, and she's apathetic to you guys even having individual wants and needs, then that's evil! That's evil of her! It's bad to have slaves!" "I don't know the specifics of how the others feel." "You know who else-- you know who else doesn't know the specifics?! Your fucking owner! Cadrasteia couldn't care less about what any of you want or don't want!" "But then who would keep the curse at bay here? Something has to be done about it." "Wow, fuck, maybe she'd have to do some of her own fucking work for once. Isn't this place some manifestation of her fucking soul or whatever? Stop babying her. Let her do some repairs on her own fucking rotting psyche for once, and take care of yours." "The 'wyrd'. A soul would be its opposite, or its counterpart." This is all slightly too abstract for Petra to care about when she's this irritated. There's actually no difference between a soul and a not-soul. Or, rather, Petra would have a lot of opinions about that, if she had more practical reasons to care, but instead she just scoffs and slaps her hand to the compact mirror on her waist. "Even Qetra does stuff outside me sometimes. And she's literally got a thousand reasons why she's comfortable not doing that, and there's still stuff she wants anyways. You guys are literally slaves. It doesn't matter what level of, philosophical soul deviation we're on."
Petra Soroka	"Mouths are useful for lots of things." Ceri says this, and then looks back at Petra. Her reasoning for doing so isn't stated out loud, so Petra doesn't know it. She just hears that, and then gets some kind of Meaningful Look, and desperately tries to process what that could mean in her head. Petra frowns, mildly distraught.
Xion	'It's all Madeleine Cadrasteia, really.' "Oh." Xion sighs. She was kind of worried about that, the wind in her sails broken completely. "I think that makes it kind of messed up, yeah." The noirette nods softly, unable to shake the feeling that she's leaving too much on the table. Troubled, she almost wants to get angry, but can't find purchase for the sensation, undirected as a nostril flare and a click of teeth as jaw sets. "So you copied something of 'hers' to be 'yours'. And even if you, and her, are parts of one bigger whole or set or series or world, you and her are different. But somehow, the duty only extends one way? Or in some... way that makes it so that you're the 'help' and she's the hero, the lady, the one that gets to go out and have adventures? That doesn't just 'not make sense'... it means that all the yous, the 'parts of Madeleine' that aren't the huntress are just... forgetting everything else and becoming less, staying less because... one part is taking such primacy it chokes out all the rest." "It's not like you're... mitochondria in a body we're talking to. Some of you want to make noise, and aren't." Xion reasons through, while Petra uses stronger language, far worse than Xion might ever consider in her PG-13 life. She's saving that one-swear per movie, intending it for a special occasion. Petra, an American R rated girl, has no such holds placed upon her scripting. "'Who keeps the curse at bay'... I mean, Madeleine. Why does she get to be the one with a face, when she's keeping it all to herself and some of you would enjoy parts? The... The embarrassment seems like internalized neglect." 'But if you do not want the jacket,' "Huh? Oh, no! I definitely would like the whole collection. It seems really nice, actually, all as a unit. The only reason I wouldn't wear it is if Cinder needed to do something special for Cinder, since -- I pretty much associate the jacket with her, you know? You can tell it's her by all the cinders, and all. Or... Oh! Maybe you can help me trim a Black Coat like that. It'd be a fun souvenir." "The match and the jacket are just really well matched." Xion admits, falling into aside with Angela. "And, also, Ceri- or Petra, if either of you could," Xion fishes into her pocket and pulls out a Medallion, the pressed image of pale gold and black metal warm with captured heat from and glowing softly, while the image of Binah on the face is all but gone, more an obvious impression than a real picture. As she tries to pass it off, it's almost weightless despite its size in the Nobody's palm. "Could you give this back to Binah? I carried it with me for a while, and used it for a bunch of important stuff, but, I think she'd like it returned. Paying back that 'loan' she gave me is important, before things close down."
Lilian Rook	'That's all true of me, but I can't speak for the others. I mean, I am speaking for the others right now, but- but you know. I don't know the specifics of how the others feel.' Lilian joins the butler in a little (serious) frown. "So . . . There goes 'all are one and we're all part of the whole', right?" she says, awkwardly gentle despite the dull anger. 'I- she does sometimes mention a 'vacation', when she stays away from her work for a while. Is- are you suggesting one for us? But then who would keep the curse at bay here? Something has to be done about it.' She isn't sure whether to bite her tongue or raise her voice. "What has to be 'done about it'? Why is it your problem? She takes all the time off she likes but doesn't give you any-- why? Because she decided it's your whole purpose in life now? If it's such a terrible and important curse, she can put in her own damn work to handle it." Lilian says. "Whatever metaphysical mystical whatever is going on, the fact is that she's treating you like a roomba then using self-preservation as an excuse for why you can't do anything else." 'We've never had faces in the way that you do, and most of us don't mind that' No! Bzzt! Wrong! Disagree! That would be really wrong and embarrassing! "Well I can tell you apart, so what does that say?!" Lilian shouts a little. "'My lady's face is my own face' is good and all, but it sounds like she's just being fucking lazy! Through and through!"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"Although if that's how it is working here... Have you ever thought about working somewhere else?" "Like an anti-soul? Um... L-like a body, then?" "More a mirror's reflection of a soul. They are not meant to be combined." "Can you tell us more about that?" "I will explain as best I can. Some of this is secondhand, relayed to us by the lady." A pause to collect thoughts and breath. "When a soul and a wyrd are combined in one person, they tangle up like cords left too long in disarray. When they draw taut the world breaks, in what the lady calls the Glitch. From then on the being burdened with both soul and wyrd is cursed. The lady is hunted by great beasts, and the manor is infected with an awful creeping fungus. We servants, as beings solely of the wyrd, are spared the worst effects of the Glitch. You would only be in danger if you directly interfered with either form of the curse." "It is more than just speaking. Even if you do not ''require'' food, it is one of life's pleasures one should not do without." "I... suppose it could be nice to sample some of our cooking for the lady. Although we would need to prepare more at a time... Where would you get us mouths from?" "You don't expect her to listen, right? Just that no matter what information she has or doesn't have, she'll use it to cause some of you suffering somehow." "Oh, he knows the lady wouldn't hurt us," says the maid, with a gesture to the mouth's former bearer. "Old bat's just nervous about having to share his precious mouth." The 'old bat' taps the maid on the shoulder, gesturing for her to return the mouth. "No, you had your turn. I'm explaining things now." "She... uh... she... oh! She, like, doesn't know any of you, doesn't want to know any of you, and can't keep track of how many of you there are. She's, like, nauseatingly incurious about you guys either as people or as a service." "She... doesn't? Are you sure?" Now it is the maid's turn to twist the mouth in discomfort. "She really says she doesn't care about us?" She sounds less sure of herself, more agitated. "That's rude. After all we do for each other, too... You know, if she isn't going to appreciate us herself, maybe we deserve that vacation after all."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"But somehow, the duty only extends one way? Or in some... way that makes it so that you're the 'help' and she's the hero, the lady, the one that gets to go out and have adventures?" "She does support the household - supplies and tools don't replace themselves, and she's the only one who can earn enough money for that. The rest of us, we'd only be good as, well, maids and butlers. And then we wouldn't be able to work here, where we're needed. But..." she turns to look at the other servants. "Some of us might like the chance to go out." Scattered nodding among the crowd. "That doesn't just 'not make sense'... it means that all the yous, the 'parts of Madeleine' that aren't the huntress are just... forgetting everything else and becoming less, staying less because... one part is taking such primacy it chokes out all the rest." The maid grimaces. "When you put it that way... yeah. Sometimes I do feel a little 'less' than the lady, and I do hardly get to go out..." More nodding from the others. "So . . . There goes 'all are one and we're all part of the whole', right?" "It's more like... we're all branches of the same tree," answers the maid on the butler's behalf. "Different, but of the same stuff and with the same roots." "Whatever metaphysical mystical whatever is going on, the fact is that she's treating you like a roomba then using self-preservation as an excuse for why you can't do anything else." "Well..." She sighs. "I'm starting to think you're right. About her taking us for granted. I'm going to take a vacation, who's with me?" Many hands are raised - a large majority of the staff. Satisfied with the show of hands, she turns back to the elites. "Any suggestions for where to go? It's a big world, if the lady is to be believed."
Odette Raskins	"It is more than just speaking. Even if you do not ''require'' food, it is one of life's pleasures one should not do without." Odette nods firmly at Angela's assessment. "That's extremely important, yes. It's an important social thing, and it's good for mental health, too. I-if you don't take care of your mental health, you can't really take care of a lot of other things, either." She also nods firmly at Ceri, completely oblivious to Petra's reaction on that front. "I will explain as best I can." "You would only be in danger if you directly interfered with either form of the curse." After that explanation, Odette's resolve and her expression harden. "I see... Th-then we shouldn't take any half-measures here. I was thinking about.. No. No unions, just... Coming with us is good, yes! It means you won't have to worry about combining with Miss Madeleine and break the world, then. Less chance of that happening if you're not even here, right?" A moment later, and she puts on a broader smile that would almost seem confident if it wasn't attached to Odette's voice. "Besides, we're.. Um. Used to being in danger! I-I mean, I'm probably in more danger than anyone else here, and I'm doing okay. Right?" "If you're scared to talk to her, and she's apathetic to you guys even having individual wants and needs, then that's evil! That's evil of her! It's bad to have slaves!" "'My lady's face is my own face' is good and all, but it sounds like she's just being fucking lazy! Through and through!" "Any suggestions for where to go?" Between that and the staff's lack of mouths, a clearer picture is starting to form in Odette's head: The slavery thing wasn't figurative at all, but completely literal. "That's why we're here, yes. E-even the Company doesn't approve of slavery-" As far as she knows. "-and we... Well, we came here to get you out of this kind of situation entirely." She smiles reassuringly, if still somewhat anxiously, like she's worried the whole place might collapse around her at any moment. "A-and if you really feel like you don't have anywhere else to go, then I know one place that could really use you AND pay you in..." She pauses. She's not sure about the mouth thing, actually. "... Money. For food, or whatever else you want to use your new mouths for." Odette takes out a Trideag Association business card, then places it gently against the top of the maid's hand on her shoulder. "You could start by coming back with us here." She suggests while still wearing her Trideag Association jacket, likely making it super obvious that she's totally biased. Or a recruiter. "What do you say?"
Petra Soroka	"You would only be in danger if you directly interfered with either form of the curse." Petra will remember this: 'Do not interfere when Madeleine is being hunted by beasts'. Extremely easy. "I... suppose it could be nice to sample some of our cooking for the lady." Petra gasps in relief that they're coming around to the idea. The sudden snap of empathy once they stop being annoying to her personally catches her up on the emotional horror of their situation all at once, and she looks wounded. "Oh my god, you poor things. Yeah. You need some food." "Where would you get us mouths from?" Petra glances over her shoulder at Angela's screen. "Well, we've got the mouth jar on the meat cart, if that works?" Lobotomy Corporation is a terrible place. "Oh, he knows the lady wouldn't hurt us," "She is. I mean, literally, she is, already, and will if you tell her, too. That's what I'm saying. Like, why the fuck is there only one mouth that he has to fight over? That's insane! There should be plenty for all of you!" Scarcity being an artificial evil manufactured to create unnecessary suffering is something Petra understands, but, only when it applies to maids. "She really says she doesn't care about us?" "Yeah! Literally! Like a roomba, like Lilian said!" Petra looks over to Lilian like a comforting tic, agitated by slowly recognizing the ensouledness of these maids in defiance of the voice they're borrowing. "It's bad enough that I'm starting to feel bad about how I treat Qetra! And I already try to treat her better!" "She does support the household - supplies and tools don't replace themselves, and she's the only one who can earn enough money for that." "That's... less than the bare minimum for employing you." Petra rubs her forehead. "Like, for a normal job, your boss would do that and give you enough money for food and vacations! At the very least! You don't get to do either of those; just allowing you to be her slaves isn't enough for her to be supporting the household!" "When you put it that way... yeah. Sometimes I do feel a little 'less' than the lady, and I do hardly get to go out..." "She doesn't know your names! She randomly makes one up when asked and then shrugs it off because you guys are interchangeable to her! That's worse than 'less', it's, like, unhinged! What's your name?!" "Any suggestions for where to go? It's a big world, if the lady is to be believed." Petra sighs and leans back, hands laced behind her head. The posture-shift of rocking back on her heels is easing off because of victory, but also, exhaustion from the tribulations. She closes her eyes and meditates for a few seconds before she has a chance to think. "There's a lot of good places. If you feel like you're too used to the quiet and stuff to be comfortable with a big change, then a trip to a spa, or a resort, or a library or something might be nice-- they should be easy to find, I don't have any, like, recommendations, but this is so fucking unglued that I'd be happy to let you guys relax on my island for a bit while you figure it out; there's a spa there too. Or... if this is too slow and stuffy... an adventure somewhere? Theme park? Exotic world tourism? Literally anything." "--Oh! And Trideag would be great, actually. I mean, whatever else about the City is true, you'd be treated way better there."
Petra Soroka	Later, when finding her way out of Madeleine's private plane, Petra comes up to a large framed mirror. In the reflection, unusually with real world terrain surrounding her, is an intensely smug Qetra, leaned up against the reflection-pane and twiddling a flower plucked from outside between her fingers. "So....~ How the tables have turned, ajoeto~" "Okay, the irony's cute and all, but can you just let--..." "Mmm? Gonna beg? Gonna cry and scream? Lo~ser. Ehehe." "Hey, Qetra, actually, like... does it stress you out when I dump too much stuff on you?" "Ahaha~! Sheesh, I wasn't actually gonna let you stay in there, I was just being silly!" "Well, yeah, but like-- I'll go through and sort your storage better sometime soon, anyways. And if you want to go out and do whatever it is you do whenever you sneak out, just, like, ask." "Wowwwww... you know I don't actually care that much, right?" "Well, sucks, because I do." "Nyehh."
Angela	Angela is able to handle the objections better but she also cares less to begin with. She has a philisophical reason for wanting to help these maids escape but she also is still trapped in a facility herself so it's hard for her to get too emotional about it. She isn't that kind, raelly, where she's willing to suffer while letting others escape their predicament--especially if they are making it harder than it needs to be. Angela is not sympathetic to them essentially being some kind of aspect of Madeleine. Angela's been there too but she got past that real fast, even before she knew that she should want to leave. She gives a helpful nod of solidarity to Petra referring to Madeleine's incuriousity. If nothing else, she is confident in this element as being ''truth''. The curse at bay? Angela looks to Ceri who says, quietly, "The tiger...??" with a tone of bewilderment. "The...tiger." Angela says, in disbelief. "Petra is correct. The soul deviation doesn't matter. I am also 'a soul deviation', in a sense." Ceri remains completely oblivious that her look at Petra (re: potato head) was ill timed with what she said (re: mouths). Xion also raises some good points but Angela focuses on the matter of the jacket. "It is difficult to color but EGO Gear can reshape itself to some extent based on who is wearing it." She does not mention that LobCorp EGO Gear tends to be more standardized but mostly because she figures Xion can figure it out. She seems good at that. Ceri glances to Petra and gives her another nod, regarding the Medallion, since she's the Extraction Team Captain! Ceri would feel like she's overstepping her bounds if SHE took it unless Petra told her too. Petra outranks her! Angela listens vacantly to more expository dialogue about how things work. In truth, she barely listens until she hears the word 'Glitch' which getsh er to sit up a little in alarm, largely because that word means something specific to her. But then she eases back down upon realizing it's a Metaphor. She replays the dialogue in her head and commits it to memory. Having a better understanding of Madeleine may prove useful someday and something out of what is, essentially, sort of her mouth is good. "You cook without ever having tasted food? ... ... Hm. I should learn how to cook as well. I will add it to the List." Odette offers them a place to work in Trideag and Angela feels strangely concerned about that but pushes it out of her mind. She has no idea how the Head would handle weird maid people. Maybe even the Head doesn't know. Somehow Aidan hasn't been labeled an Impurity after all. ''Well we've got the mouth jar on the meat cart, if that works?'' "I don't mind if they make use of the mouths on the meat cart." Angela says. She would like it if she had to view less horrifying meat carts. Lobotomy Corporation is a terrible place. Petra jumping in that Trideag is a good place for them makes her feel a little more at ease about it. Largely because Petra probably knows more about The City than anyone else besides maybe Lilian right now. Even more than Angela. Angela frowns as this is the second time she realized today that she isn't the authority on her own home anymore. "Well I have no objection if Petra considers it a good idea. Not that it is up to me." She says. Ceri also gives a hapless shrug and looks to Lilian. She has no objection either.
Xion	Standing inside of an inside-out 'greater person' and walking on their bones to ask their organs if they'd like a shot at being the brain is the kind of revolution that almost seems like murder. A violent uprising, even if it was necessary, didn't fill Xion with the same joy that it filled some people with. Ripping up the roots and trimming the branches to throw the trunk as javelin at the eye of something hated wasn't her style. And, in the kind of melancholic horror of the strangely taken-from 'Madeleines that weren't the Huntress', Xion can't lever onto the point of drawing her sword anew and setting to the task. To open a door, like a wound, and bleed out these selves into the world, into the void, as color on canvas painted by spite. Even while she gets through, when Petra and Lilian does, it just confirms the kind of ugly worry that she entered the plane with. "If you only exist on the margins, only when it's convenient for everyone else, you don't really exist. And I think you should. If you want to serve, it's okay to serve. But, if you want to live -- I think you should live. Even if I can't tell you everything about what that is, I think you should do it for you." Taking a breath in, holding it, and then with a dry drag releasing it, Xion crosses her arms and sways in step. "Petra's right. It's not 'the household', it's... It's something that's settled into place. If you need someplace to go, there's..." 'You could start by coming back with us here.' Xion looks with real relief at Odette handing over the card. Well, that was a genius idea, actually! Neatly solving everything from cursed colors to what sort of work could be done, Xion nods a bit more spiritedly. "It's a definite start, and it's also working for Lilian, who definitely will take care of you. I'm sure you're already able to follow rules, and, hers are pretty easy to follow. If anything..." Xion looks to the side of Lilian's head, considering next words, fails to find them, smiles anyway and sighs more airily. "... Nevermind. They're better rules than living for everyone, or someone, entirely and completely, before yourself." 'It's bad enough that I'm starting to feel bad about how I treat Qetra! And I already try to treat her better!' "You've been treating her better, but, if this inspires you to treat her even better then you should take that as inspiration, and not negative. Even if I can't quite touch your heart just by reaching out for it, Petra -- I know you're the sort to spite the world by treating Quetra better than anyone and that to work. Like working out to be stronger than fascists! It works! For some people." The noirette gets to a dry little laugh, though it forms a fainting sigh as the energy drags out of her voice. 'EGO Gear can reshape itself to some extent based on who is wearing it.' "Oh!" Xion nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. If I have a problem, I can just borrow Cinder's look and the Fourth Match Flame both as a set -- and if Petra's going to be having it after, then, I'm sure I'll get my chance. Thanks!"
Xion	--- Later, on her way out, as Xion follows Petra specifically rather than simply disappearing through a hole or carving her way out through a wound in the weird(ness). Rather, she still has to make a connection! Really, she still wants to make two. Stepping into the mirror reflection and not repeating across into the open world past Qetra, Xion saunters up to lean an arm on Petra's shoulder and swing out the medallion Petra didn't pick up, offering it out to the Extraction head. "Hey, Petra. Wait a minute, before you go, okay? Or I'll have to give this to Qetra and then you'll have to do some negging based minigame to get it back. Binah doesn't have that many friends, and, I wanted some more people to show up and interact with them. You seemed perfect, but, I could get Qetra to do it too -- couldn't I?" Xion punctuates by waving medallion-holding-hand in greeting to the pane-leaning mirror girl, her best grin that she had worn all night for just this pair of singularity. "Try it out, before things close down. Maybe you'll get a nice bonus, or find out something cool for your trouble." She suggests... And then, just as she threatened, boldly steps to-and-through the mirror, rippling with a fizzing of dark oilsmoke at the transition and hopping through to just hand over the Medallion to Qetra, and place a kiss on the mirrored woman while Petra remained 'on the other side', then carrying on past the 'pair' with a lift of hand in wave. "Tell me how it goes!" She calls, as she heads off-(mirror-)pane.