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 Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:17 pm
He didn't like the idea of being someone's lackey; of being forced into a position of menial labor, where all he did was fetch coffee and file paperwork and do nothing of actual intelligence, instead spending his days in meaningless frivolities that he cared very little for. Still, it seemed to be...unavoidable, in this case, which was disappointing, but bearable.
Mostly bearable. Maybe if Alistaire just reminded himself that when the day came when he was in a better position of power, he could force those others beneath him and make them feel the same sort of servitude.
This thought was mildly reassuring, and Alistaire followed Jack back outside into the hallway, a hand restlessly fiddling with the tie around his neck. He turned around, pivoting on the thin, colorless carpeting that lined the dormitory hallway, and watched as Jack locked up. A faint smile touched his lips.
"I don't have a particular subject matter in mind," he answered. "At least, not yet. I'd prefer to do more research into...well, the research, I suppose you could say, before I make a definitive decision as to what should be the primary objective of my studies."
He slanted a gaze in Jack's direction. "Unless you have a particular subject in mind."
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 1:30 am
What Alistaire dreamt of was what Jack made sure he had: access to people who would do work for him, usually at a moment's notice. Chel needed . . . more training, as did Leslie, but there was no such thing as an unbreakable person.
"I'm a little aimless at present, sad to say," he replied with a shrug. "Just trying to get samples already in the lab for now, get the fundamentals first before venturing out and doing my own research." And also somehow step in people's s**t and help clean up messes. Get drunk to forget about it. Peruse his personal files on peopleand update them. Read. Sleep. Drink more. b***h at people all the way so they wouldn't care what he did.
Jack checked his watch, looking unimpressed with himself; fifteen minutes had become twenty-five. The day was doomed, unless he decided to completely forgo the run entirely and swap it for a conversation to induct a future Lifer . . . Not a bad trade off, though he was already in his sneakers.
"Care to continue this discussion at a brisk walk around the training fields?" he asked Alistaire. "There are a variety of fields you could look at, definitely more than I could list out in one conversation." Though he'd at least try if Alistaire ended up joining him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 11:28 pm
Alistaire slid his gloved hands into the pockets of his dress slacks. "It's good to have experience before you narrow your focus," he said lightly. "Aimlessness is a bit of subjective term, I would say. You are merely - forgive the cliched term - broadening your horizons, before you decide which place is best suited towards your particular skill set."
Jack was checking his watch again, which made Alistaire narrow his gaze slightly, though not out of irritation, but out of curiosity and interest. A man who was clearly focused on having a set schedule, of keeping things organized, of making sure that things ran like clockwork. If all of Life Division was as efficient as Jack Hawthorn, then it would be smooth.
It was too bad that he already knew that it wasn't filled with people like Jack, because they'd both already lamented the lack of intelligence that appeared to have become rampant throughout Deus.
"I think that would be acceptable," said Alistaire with a slight smile. "I do hope I'm not interrupting your schedule, but I appreciate your input a great deal."
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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 12:28 am
"Well, that's a first," Jack mused with a snort. His input was . . . subjected to various criticism or argument usually; he didn't even know how to act when complimented, except to be more of a jackass about it. "This way."
He led Alistaire out of the dorms and towards the fields, his usual jogging spot. Sometimes Jack strayed to the beach in order to see if he could pick somethig up in the sand, but given how behind schedule he was, the usual was best. "Keep up and we'll call it even. Now, 'broadening my horizons' is certainly accurate. There are a number of projects I have stashed away for a rainy day, so to speak," he said as he brought them to a brisk job. "For one, I understand that the underwater laboratory needs better security, or something to that effect. For another, our system for golems is fragile and outdated at best, and the hunters sent out are not always educated enough to pass off for a student."
He had had a personal experience himself that had been . . . interesting. It would be his luck after all to accidentally hit politics in a species's community.
"Have you had any notable experience with Halloween yet, Rahal?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:21 pm
Part of his compliments were a thinly veiled attempt at getting in with Jack Hawthorn, getting in with the Life Division in general. But the rest of it were sincerely meant, because it was rare that there was actual intelligence on Deus Ex Machina, and Alistaire was fully aware of how to be appreciative when faced with it.
They had reached the track, and he was hardly dressed for jogging, but Alistaire matched Jack's brisk pace with one of his own, his coat billowing lightly behind him. He listened carefully, because this was meant to be his future right here, and lifted a gloved hand, rubbing at his jawline.
"The golem system does intrigue me," Alistaire admitted. "I have yet to actually experience them myself, but I would very much like to learn more about their particularities and their methodology. It is a curious thing, the golems."
He tapped his index finger against his chin, gave a low hum, and turned to Jack with a faint smile on his face.
"I have encountered a few...creatures," he said mildly, his tone not particularly indicative of one thing or another. "I find they are fascinating specimens, though more savage than anything else."
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:41 pm
"I've tried it once. They're made ahead of time when you put in a requisition order for whatever mission, but you generally don't get to choose what it looks like. You also unfortunately don't get a voice modulator." Jack snorted. "The only time I've tried them, I ended up as this tiny freakin' kelpie girl, and let me just say that disguising my voice was something of a challenge."
Thankfully, the students had been dense enough to buy his ruse.
(( You made for such a cute ghoul, though! )) Owain piped in jovially. (( It was little wonder you drew such attention! ))
He turned his head and glanced at Alitaire's vague smile curiously. "How do you mean, 'savage'?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:09 am
Such a simultaneously strange and interesting thing, Alistaire thought musing over this as he followed Jack around the track. He was lost in thought for several moments, turning over the idea of studying the golems in more detail, when he realized that remaining in silence when in the company of someone else was rather rude.
"My apologies," he said lightly, and then tilted his head, letting out a little hum.
"They have no real sense of anything except themselves," Alistaire said thoughtfully. "The few creatures I have encountered lack intelligence and focus. They run purely on nerves and instinct, rather than caution and thought. I suppose there are a variety of them that have yet to be seen, but at least for the few that I have seen, they are rather intense."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:21 pm
Why apologize if it's not your fault? a little memory voice that was neither his nor Owain's asked.
"What was the environment like? Where did you meet them?" Jack didn't doubt that some of them were indeed only a few shades above animal awareness, but his experience had been very different. "In the classroom they are like humans: gossiping, bored, annoyed, eager. Intelligent even, in some cases."
He'd even gotten homework, the first set he had ever actually ignored.
"It was a little eerie," Jack admitted, "how much it parallels our education system. Then again, everything that they are is borrowed from us."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:01 pm
He had been unaware that they were even capable of sitting in classrooms, let alone that they actually did. This just made Alistaire's desire to infiltrate the golem program and learn more about it more fervent, and he tapped a finger against his chin, humming a little.
"That sounds...quite curious," he said, frowning slightly. "Perhaps the creatures are all very young; all that gossiping and acting childish usually indicates a lack of maturity.ol-j-man hello wecome to my half asleep tag
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:30 am
"So it would seem. Some have been around long enough to develop politics, even." He still couldn't get over that part.
They began to take a soft left and curved around the field. Despite the animated discussion, Jack didn't appear winded yet. "My original questions still stand," he said, giving Alistaire an expectant glance. "Where did your encounters happen? On their campus?"
kuroopu hello welcome to my belated crap tag that also answers it's a stormy avi das y for that earlier question~
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:20 pm
It made him shudder; the idea that the creatures could be anywhere near as organized or as intelligent as humans was both nauseating and disgusting, Alistaire's lip curling upwards in a faint sneer. It smoothed away after a moment, however, and he gave Jack a slight smile.
"In the Haunted House. A curious place, but lacking in anything proper. I do admit that I found it rather fascinating; I think observing them in their natural habitat, rather when put on the offensive, would be more beneficial in gauging their weaknesses, however."
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:11 pm
Jack made a noise that said ah, yes. He had only ventured to the place once himself, but he didn't have the (mis)fortune to meet a student there; just multiplicative ghosts and an annoying Sun b***h for a partner. "The Haunted House would be a good place, I suppose," he said with a slight shrug. "But it's neutral ground like you said. I'd think taking a golem into their campus and town would give you a much better idea since their guards would be down."
Something he had been meaning to do for a while, but for which things just seemed to keep getting in the way of.
"So, you fought them?" Jack asked, putting two and two together. "Were they particularly strong?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 11:26 pm
"Well," said Alistaire thoughtfully, "That is true. I think I will do that, as a matter of fact; and also, Mr. Hawthorn - if you happen to feel like you need a second opinion the next time you head on one of those missions, or perhaps just a second pair of eyes, please do let me know."
He passed Jack a smile and then his expression grew into a mix of thoughtfulness and mild annoyance. "Some of the more...experienced ones seem to have a knack for pushing too far," he said, clicking his teeth together. "But a few of the others have proven that they are merely bumbling around pretending to do things rather than actually fight well."
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