Welcome to Gaia! ::

There was a voice coming from one of the break rooms near the labs. The tone of the voice, though quite monotonous, was notably pleasant for this time of day. Early afternoon was notorious for sugar crashes and caffeine withdrawals, and the drive for conversation during this time was occasionally not very high among some of Deus' worker bees.

That wasn't the case for Mimsy, who had decided to use her short break to catch up with Svensyl over tea. This might not have been unusual, had she not set a place for him across from her: in addition to the teacup in her hand, there was an empty cup that sat in front of a cameo brooch, which she appeared to be talking to.

Out loud.

"Well, yes, of course," she said to it, laced with a hint of stifled laughter. "Did you happen to overhear our conversation this morning? I do hope that you were listening. I would have difficulty repeating such a phrase."

As she noted the arrival of another hunter, Mimsy politely excused herself from her conversation with Svensyl to watch the girl search through the break room for something.

"I have absolutely not inhaled or ingested any dangerous chemicals! Laboratory safety is of utmost importance. I have a flawless safety record," she asserted, so appalled by the idea that she opted to temporarily ignore the single spill marring that record. "But I--oh. Wait. My weapon? Are you referring to Svensyl's species, or the fact that he is sentient?"

A trainee who read preliminary information and had a Jabberwock for a weapon? Surely that was too good to be true! She slid the totem towards her, freeing the teacup for their guest.

"I will share my tea with you, if it is a blend that you find appealing. The coffee pot should still contain a suitable amount of water, which you may use steep it." She pulled a tin from her pocket and extended it towards her. "Please, have a seat. I am interested in learning about you and your weapon."

The motion that Kiki made to show off her ring elicited a reflexive motion from Mimsy, who mirrored the action by holding her hand out in turn to show off her own rings. After she discovered that this was not actually a 'who is the most married' competition, she opted to not comment.

"Oh! I see. It is quite nice. Perhaps they were friends before they became our partners." It had been meant to serve as a lighthearted idea, but she realized just how awful that would be the second after it left her mouth, and hurriedly tried to move on.

"Yes, I am Mimsy," she confirmed, straightening with pride. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance in person."

The remainder of what Kiki said had made next to no sense, and just as she had found herself struggling to keep up, she found herself struggling to find an answer. At most, she could discern that this was probably about video games - the island had taught her that a Wii was a console, but the extent of her knowledge ended there.

"I...have not played such a game, no." So far so good, even if it did require admitting that she didn't know something. "But I do agree with your comparison. I prefer speaking verbally when I am addressing him as I would with anyone else I would address verbally. It seems a bit rude to remove them from the world entirely, I think, considering all that they assist us with."

"No." Mimsy shook her head, then took another small sip from her teacup. "I am aware of the content of a very small selection of games - namely 'Portal', due to its popularity among my fellow interns - but I would not identify as a typical consumer of that media."

She took a deep breath to prepare herself for a potential outpouring of words, and her eyes lit up with the first spark of life she'd shown thus far.

"Science. I enjoy all facets of science, and all of the opportunities provided here offer continually shifting potential for testing, theorizing, and observation. FEAR is such a versatile concept, and functions in an interesting parallel to the theoretical sciences that I studied before I came here. The research and advancements are truly boundless! Is there anything that you favor thus far? Anything that--oh!" With a little gasp, she abruptly clapped her hands together, her excited eyes locked on the girl across from her. "Many of the courses are simulated, which you might find enjoyable! Additionally, the second generation of a project that I have been assisting my brother with includes a display that is somewhat similar to some simulation games. Perhaps you might be interested in wearing a pair to test, when they have been safely completed for that phase?"

Hearing the word 'cool' used as a descriptor for science in (what was presumably) an unsarcastic manner by someone several years her junior was an incredibly delightful experience for Mimsy, who now felt as though she had one more thing to add onto the list of things she had done very right, if by accident.

It was a statistical possibility, if improbable.

"It is super cool," she eagerly agreed, radiating the same definitive uncoolness of a desperately hip mom. "Is there a discipline of study that you prefer, or are you interested in all sciences? I am an astrophysicist, but I cannot deny an interest in most fields of study, if only in passing. My field offers limited insight here, however - I now specialize in the modification of FEAR-based creatures, so it is largely the concepts of matter and energy that are applied to my work at the present."

Just as one word had elicited a positive reaction a moment ago, one earned a notably negative one now. Hearing 'alchemy' seemed to make her uncomfortable for some reason, and she took on a faint edge of panic that made it seem like she desperately wanted to fast forward this part.

"Chemistry is a possibility, but it is typically funded by its benefit to other hunters, and I am strongly inclined to agree with your sentiment of helping them." The deep frown that punctuated the claim implied she was serious. "Otherwise, experimentation is a large part of understanding FEAR. There are no mathematical laws or theorems that are universally agreed upon, and we are pioneers in many aspects, so there is less to comprehend."

"But if Dwight's work intrigues you, I encourage pursuing that, if only to learn more about it. Technology for remote viewing might be just what you are looking for, and you certainly possess the talent to perform well." She paused to smile, crooked and selfishly proud in a way that made little sense until she spoke again. "He recruited me, and is my friend. He shares your interest in games as well, if you intend to play again."

While Kiki sipped her tea, she took the chance to do the same. She had thankfully swallowed the sip before she was finished with her questions, the latter of which would have caused her to spit it right out again.

"Like Frankenstein," she laughed, amused by the comparison, "but it encompasses energy as well. Astrophysics seeks an understanding of the universe, and FEAR is intriguing in this context in that it contains properties of both matter and energy. Ultimately, my intention is to preserve, enhance, and create these entities, rather than recklessly considering them expendable resources. Use of the energy alone ignores a potential for power greater than what we possess. Imagine the capability to create a physical construct just by desiring it, for instance."