MINGLE ∞ LOG — June 2025

[thediadem]

Mingle ∞ Log

No Lifeguard on Duty

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Jump ⇅ :: Intro — Prompts — NPC Interaction

Summary

What's going on?

An unexpected heat wave in mid-June, coupled with the cycling shutdown of all air conditioning units in motels across the Blocks, has made the summer unbearable. Meanwhile, the ever-eager storm chaser, Felix Bjurstrom, has uncovered a fancy resort with a pool in a diffusion zone only 1 hour out from Panorama. Lucky, right? Well...kind of. It's got some quirks.

When is this happening?

June 10 - 30

What should I know?

• This area is one of many diffusion zones that appear throughout the planet.
• A storm chaser is someone dedicated to studying the cosmic phenomenon in the Diadem. Felix is a pioneer in his field.
• A winding highway filled with old empty barrels will take you to the zone.
• Characters can travel with a friend to save on gas! Parking's limited, so it might not be a bad idea.
• At any given time, there's max several dozen visitors. Most work long hours, some are traveling through the diffusion zones, and others prefer not to risk the drive or waste precious gas, so it won't draw a huge crowd (but there's still a crowd!).
• This is a mingle rather than an event. Plot-heavy elements will be minor. The game's first proper event will be posted in July!

What does my character know?

• Having lost his phone, Felix will spread the word using good old-fashioned printed posters that he's put up around Panorama. A young woman is seen helping him. They appear to be close. Some say that's his daughter.
• Though the timing is impossible to predict accurately, Felix believes that due to this zone's unusual proximity to an anchor point, it has a high chance of persisting for 2-3 weeks.
• Directions are printed on the posters, though characters are also free to stumble across the zone by accident.

∞ Links ∞

Travel — Map — Setting

Introduction

The resort looks like your typical upscale vacation spot: a beautiful pool, lovely cabins, and plenty of pool chairs. The sky is perpetually nighttime and there are two moons. One moon is smaller than its sister and glows purple. The other looks like the Earth's moon. The weather is pleasantly warm. In fact, conditions are almost too perfect.

Other fluxdrifts are here, too, and you might come across them, all of whom are taking advantage of the pool. They'll converse superficially with you and will come and go randomly. You'll want to keep a close eye on your belongings. Other than cooling off, this isn't a bad place to start making connections. Life in the Diadem is better when you've got allies if not friends.

Just outside the resort is a spacious parking lot, designed for visitors. Nobody's following parking rules so put your car anywhere it fits. If you get blocked in, well, that's a problem for when you leave.

At the end of June, the diffusion zone will flicker and morph into an unremarkable overgrown park, long abandoned to the decades.

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Prompts

As you wander around, you discover deactivated androids in many of the poolside huts. These androids cannot be mistaken for any organic species: their chassis is metal, and their heads are shiny. Circuits and wires are visible. But each is dressed distinctly human in a way that borders on disturbing. You spot lipstick drawn on some of the metal faces, as though they're playing dress up...or as if they don't realize they aren't human. One android is frozen in place with a diary clutched in its hands. Another has a hairbrush for its nonexistent hair.

Something seems to have destroyed them—perhaps a powerful EMP wave that knocked them all out. All except one.

The Bartender

The poolside bar is at the eastern end of the resort. There are plenty of seats. A few are occupied by deactivated androids. The bartender is also an android and appears to be the only functional one in this place. He speaks with a modulated voice and has a neutral accent. He exhibits the following behaviors if you sit at his bar:

• Icebreaker. Whether you're alone or with a companion, he'll try to get you all to be friends, asking random self-generated icebreaker questions. He'll be visibly disappointed if you don't play along.
• Bartending. While cheerful, he can't make the correct drink: it's always too strong, incredibly weak, added salt instead of sugar, messed up the ice. He's obviously doing his best, but it's just not working. The harder he tries, the worse he performs until it becomes a comedy of errors with stuff falling over, ice dumped in your lap, champagne corks flying, and any number of slapstick mishaps. You can help him out by mixing the drink yourself.

If you're nice to him, he'll introduce himself as Thomas Lustras. He's happy to tell you about his son. Strange, you think, but who says androids can't have paternal instincts? Yet, when the android takes out his wallet to show you a photo of his son—named Edward Lustras—the picture is that of a human child, roughly 5 years old, in the arms of his human father.

The driver's license in the same wallet confirms that Thomas is (was?) a real person. The picture on the license matches the human male in the photo. A half-scorched business card states that Thomas was a consultant at Outer Rim Resettlements. Thomas believes he's on a company retreat and wistfully declares he's eager to return home to his son.

Maybe don't look too closely. After all, this place will soon disappear. And so will he.

The Grill

It's not a vacation without a grill! Not a grillable item is in sight, though, so you'll have to rely on what you can bring out of Panorama. Some of the visiting drifters will pitch in to share, unloading hotdogs (some synthetic, others authentic, and some far past expiry), burger patties (same) and buns, and "kebabs" made of blocky frozen vegetable squares. The squares vaguely resemble corn, mushrooms, and pineapple. The texture is passable, like a flavor-infused block of tofu.

Fire up the grill and take turns grilling. You'll also have to manage the propane. The grill's also prone to sputtering out, requiring regular minor repairs to get it back up and going. Any loose bolts or screws can be taken out of the dead androids to replace the rusty ones in the grill. You're unsure if you should feel uncomfortable doing that or what, but it is a solution.

Parking Woes

Like any crowded event, the parking lot can get chaotic, and the lawlessness of the diffusion zones doesn't help. While some are happy to help barbecue, others are more interested in picking fights over who got to the parking space first. It won't take much for a fistfight to break out, and a knife fight isn't out of the question, either, though nobody'll be killed (this time).

You can let the troublemakers beat each other, or you can try to intervene if somebody who doesn't deserve it is getting harassed. Just avoid causing too much of a scene. Breaking noses is acceptable; gutting someone head to toe is not. There are Enforcers visiting the zone, and if you interfere with their nice pool time, they won't hesitate to haul away everybody involved and make you sit in jail for a few days.

Questions? Ask here

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Comments

Jack Kline | Supernatural

[godjr]

Wandering the Resort

Jack finds this place utterly fascinating from the moment he arrives with his family. He's never seen anything like a fancy resort. They're used to backroads and cheap motels, not that different from the main city itself. He's exploring everything he can see. He looks at even the perfectly designed plants with the wide-eyed wonder of someone experiencing everything for the first time.

The androids in particular catch his fascination and he can be spotted taking time at each one of them, looking closely in their face and down how they're made. He doesn't put a hand on them or take any parts off them, he's just genuinely curious about what they are. He does gently pull the diary out of the hands of one, flipping through the pages.

Jack doesn't have a swimsuit the first time he visits so he sits at the pool side with his legs draped over into the water, soaking his jeans up to their knees, but that doesn't bother him. He otherwise is wearing a simple white t-shirt and he is peacefully enjoying the quiet. He might look at anyone else sitting there with a shy smile and wave.


The Bartender

Jack spends more time than he probably should sitting at the bar with the android, but it's because he is being peppered with questions, and he politely answers each one of them. He has taken a drink from the android, made a face when he tried it, but kept it in his hand instead of sending it back to be remade. That seems impolite when his new friend was trying to be nice. He drinks it a second time to appear supportive, also making a face afterward.

"What's one of your comfort foods?"

"Sugary cereal. My father says it rots your teeth but I think it's so tasty."

"When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?"

"Usually to fight or kill something. It would be nice if they came to me for another reason. I really don't like doing either."

"Pirates or ninjas?"

"Pirates!" Jack's eyes light up. "They're so cool. I wish I could be a pirate and go on a ship on the ocean. I don't know how to sail but I'm a quick learner."

Jack will continue to go back and forth with the bartender probably forever if someone allows him to. Jump in to change the conversation, respond to anything he's said, or try to get a word in edgewise between their pestering.


The Grill and Serving

Jack is no help at all with the grill since it's outside of his natural experience, but he will hold any and all tools if someone else wants to work on it with him standing nearby as support. He will also hold onto trays of food for anyone working the grill because he loves to be helpful. After a time, he decides to just start serving people around the place, offering them cooked food as if he's a waiter at this fancy resort. They can ask him to get a drink too. It seems even while not at work, Jack's always quick to help others.


Wildcard

[Hit me with any other ideas! Message me on plurk @ theskyisnew or on the CR meme. Happy to swap to brackets instead of prose, just throw whatever at me.]

Resort - diary

[unsunder]

[ First of all, it's a good thing he found a pair of sunglasses, even if he doesn't need them. Looking too deeply at this child is rather like staring into the sun. It hurts his eyes, so he doesn't do it overlong.

Second of all, he's been fairly curious about this place since he got here, and his wanderings have also led him to the android with the diary. This boy just got to it first. ]

Is there aught of interest in there?

[godjr]

[ Jack doesn't have Emet-Selch's ability so he doesn't always get a head's up on people who are like him, but he himself glows. He'd be fascinated if he could do something as incredible as soul seeing, he has to simply take things at face value. Which he does now, turning his head toward the stranger, and smiling hesitantly. ]

Well. Honestly, it's pretty private.

[ Jack glances at the android he took it from. They're one of the ones with lipstick on and looks like they might have a clutch bag under their other arm. Jack wouldn't ordinarily steal something like that, but he plans on giving it back to the android. It's borrowing. ]

I was trying to understand what world this came from, but it's mundane, it's about a highly inappropriate affair.

[unsunder]

[ Emet-Selch, meanwhile, has no qualms with pilfering belongings from a bunch of defunct robots. He’s got a whole new wardrobe for that reason. ]

An affair? [ That is mundane. He’s not one to care about the salacious details. ] I’m fairly certain these machines believed themselves to be human, though I cannot fathom why.

bartender w/ the COOLER grandpa

[exarched]

G'raha is equally curious about the bartender, albeit for slightly different reasons. Why this one is functional and the others appear to be not is the main one, but he can admit there is a certain charm about this 'Thomas', as he calls himself. (As it calls itself? It is so easy to apply humanity to machines when they act as such. And with a name, no doubt.)

But this fellow is enjoying himself far more than G'raha and the Miqo'te finds himself watching the young man nearly as much. He answers so purely, so earnestly that it's refreshing.

"Sailing is a deceptively involved process," G'raha admits with good humor in his voice. "But should the opportunity present itself, I would highly recommend a trip."

[godjr]

Thomas may be Jack's new best friend. He's not answered so many questions about himself all at once before or had someone who was curious about him to this extent. It's nice! He doesn't talk much when he's on his own, he's fairly quiet, but his answers are enthusiastic and genuine. He's also never considered any of this. A pirate he could talk about for a while though. He loves pirate movies, although fantasy movies are his favorite.

A new friend interjects and Jack directs his curious wide gaze to him instead, tilting his head curiously. He doesn't know enough about sailing to agree or disagree. This man seems to know what he's talking about. He's also a cat person which is super interesting.

"I have never been on a boat. I would love to get my sea legs. And see a dolphin. Or a whale!" That would be amazing. He's been land-locked for almost all of his life so these are fantastical ideas to him.

"Have you ever met a pirate?"

[exarched]

The other man's enthusiasm is, indeed, infectious. A breath of fresh air amongst the dubious discarding of automations about an otherwise idyllic location. It seems that Thomas' attempt at social lubrication are effective, but G'raha is wondering if this is just the sort of person he is.

"All achievable goals given the right location, I would say."

G'raha cants his head to the side as he regards the (presumably) younger man.

"I have, yes." He feels like a bit of a story might be right up this man's alley. "I even helped the Admiral of a city of pirates track down one of her own."

the grill

[churnback]

Amos is looking for parts he can use from the androids, or anything else here. He doesn't have much in the way of supplies and he doesn't like how unprepared that makes him feel. He's not planning to strip everything away in sight, though. He's not a vulture about it, just — grabbing some stuff that seems useful. He doesn't think much about the 'androids' themselves; there's obviously something not entirely right about all of this, but he doesn't consider much about the deeper meaning here, the way they almost look human, like they had been before all of this.

They're not right now, and some of this stuff can be put to good use. Amos isn't planning to linger long, or mingle. That's not why he came, but then he catches sight of a familiar face or two, and maybe that means he sticks around a little longer. Sure, that's fine. He hadn't minded that little chat with the kid in the store (the one he spots now), all things considered, and he'd thought of him once or twice after their talk, just — mostly wondering how the fuck he was gonna manage. He doesn't consciously think he's glad to see nothing roughed him up out there, but there is something kind of...okay. About him being here. Like it's a good thing.

How he got roped into holding a tray of some of this food, though, he's gotta find out. Though, knowing what he does about him so far, he's gonna hazard a guess that Jack just opted himself into it. He's just that type, it seems like. Amos wanders closer, giving him a little nod.

"You're working here now, ditched the other place? This mean when I get over to the bowling alley, I don't get a 'I know a Jack here' discount?"

The whole thing is a joke, of course, though spoken dryly, and there's just a little lift of his eyebrow, a slight smirk briefly on his face.

[godjr]

Jack's whole expression lights up when he sees Amos, his smile instant, his eyes warm. It's like having a puppy see you at the door, if he had a tail it would be wagging. He had a very nice conversation with him at the market and hasn't forgotten. Amos lived on a spaceship that's not something Jack is likely to forget ever. And he said maybe he would tell him about it another time. Maybe that time is now.

"Oh no, I'm still there, this is just because it looked like people could use the help, it's not a real job." Jack takes things a little too seriously, but he is getting slightly better at seeing through jokes, so after a beat he tilts his head. "Wait, you were kidding, right? That's funny." He thinks it was probably funny. He started to understand sarcasm and teasing when his friend Maggie did it often enough at him.

"I'm so glad to see you!" It's practically radiating out of him. "I hope you are well. Isn't this place nice?" Jack's never seen anything so decadent and fancy before in his life.

[churnback]

He can honestly say he doesn't think anyone's ever been this seemingly glad to see him.

— nah, that's not right, he realizes. There's no seemingly about it. He is glad to see him. He said it, and he believes that. Jack seems to just lay all his cards on the table; at least, that was his impression of him from the start with their little chat in the store. He is who he is, and who and what he is, that's alright by Amos. What, because — there's still way more to him than he really knows yet.

In contrast, Amos isn't sure what he feels, exactly, in return, except that general sense that something about Jack being here is good. Knowing he's been okay, settling into this place in a way. Is he glad, too? Maybe the fact that he doesn't mind the idea of talking to him again is answer enough. Jack's just — open, in a way that Amos isn't, in a way he doesn't think he ever could be. What would that feel like? Despite that, though, it's a kind of way he has about him that means he wouldn't hesitate to fuck up someone who tried to hurt this kid. Which isn't out of the realm of possibility, he thinks, given some of the things he's seen here already.

In response to his sheer excitement, Amos manages a little smile in return. And at the question, he looks around for a minute before glancing back at him. "It's uh, somethin', yeah. You do that a lot, just — step in to help when nobody even asked?" It's a curiosity. Building more understanding of him.

bartender!

[nashua]

[ As Jack continues his conversation happily, Nashua is a few feet away — tucked into a hanging hammock seat, she's within listening distance and enjoying the spectacle. Her hair is damp, suggesting she's taken advantage of the pool at some point, but her clothes are dry and unexciting. Balanced across her knees is a sketchbook (that cost an absurd amount for quality; Panorama gouges for art supplies) and she has a mechanical pencil in hand. Occasionally, she glances up to get a glimpse of Jack's bone structure and has to wait for him to tilt his head or lean back.

Yes, it's a bit weird. Between experiencing true quiet for the first time in her life and being on her second beer, Nash isn't paying as much attention to strict social improprieties. Jack Dawson drew people without their consent and everyone loved him.

The mention of piracy tilts the sketch in a different direction.

A few minutes later, she takes a seat next to Jack and opens the sketchpad for him to see. ]

Hey, check it out.

[ It's a colourless, finished sketch of him. From the shoulders up, he's in a tricorn and brandishing a spyglass to peer into the middle distance. Faint piratical details disappear into the messily brocaded coat. If she had bothered to draw a full outfit, it would likely resemble Jack Sparrow. She doesn't know much about actual historical pirates. ]

[godjr]

[ Jack's never had someone ask so many questions about him before like this which is why his answers are so quick and honest, enjoying the back and forth although he forgets to ask a question back. He knows that's more polite so it's not just talking about himself, but before he can think of a response, Thomas is already asking the next one. He is holding what looks like a very colorful drink in hand that he hasn't had more than one sip of. It's full of salt. He thinks it may be 75% salt. He's too polite to ask it to be remade.

Thomas is attempting to make a different drink now which is why there's a brief pause in the conversation, and Jack turns his head toward Nashua when she sits nearby. It's fun to be surrounded with so many people, it was rarer in his world, but this world has seemed very alive. He would have been pleased to see any sketch but his eyes widen when he sees it's himself.

He's a bit in awe. Not only is it an impressive sketch of him, something that he's never experienced in his life, but it's with a pirate spyglass! He gapes at her and then to it, back and forth a few times like he's surprised it's real, and his smile is radiant. ]

That's amazing! I have a pirate hat!

[ He knows that there are artists who can draw anything but he hasn't seen one like that before, and it's personalized, which is astonishing. Jack hasn't exactly experienced art walks before, so this is a brand new concept for him. ]

How did you do that? You're so talented!

[nashua]

[ His glee, although unsurprising after her minutes of casual eavesdropping, is infectious. Nashua's grin grows big, her strong features highlighted in a beer-loosened way. ]

My grandpa taught me.

[ And that's a positive memory — easels out on the back porch, fingers covered in charcoal as they had cheeky little contests about who could do the best self-portrait. It had always helped settle the buzzing around her, even when she took to sketching out the impossible in the hopes of getting them to leave her nightmares and exist only on the page.

At the top of the sketch, she writes down CAPTAIN in big, stylised letters, but stops there. ]

What's your name?

Serving

[flyoctofly]

Eight isn't really expecting to be approached while he pokes and prods at the various androids, much less to be served food while doing it, but he's not going to complain about it either.

Well...complain isn't the word. The part of him that comes from a world he can't remember just knows he should never turn down food because there's always the chance there won't be a meal later. He picks a chicken leg between his fingers and looks it over.

"Thanks. Is this seagull?"

They don't have chickens where he comes from, but seagulls are seagulls.

[godjr]

"I don't know. I think it's a bird of some kind. It tasted like chicken."

He knows that a lot of things can taste like chicken though. It does seem like it's probably a bird but he doesn't know enough to be sure. It could be a duck or a goose too. They didn't write out what the food was anywhere so he hasn't been able to reassure anyone if it was vegan or not. He doesn't know what vegan rules are only that there are some and he wouldn't know what to say if someone asked.

Jack tried it because he likes trying most things and there really is no food out there that can do damage to him so there's never any harm. He drank something that he was pretty sure was 75% straight salt earlier to not hurt the bartender and that probably would be bad for a human.

"I'm not sure if the hot dogs are made out of cow either. There's no ingredients list."

[flyoctofly]

"So a chicken is a bird, then what's a cow? Is it a mammal?"

Well, chicken is pretty good. It's juicy and pleasantly chewy, and even though it's only lightly seasoned, it tastes pleasant enough.

"Most of the meat we eat back home is fish," Eight offers by way of explanation. "I've never had most of the food here. I...keep wondering how long it'll be until I eat something that makes me sick."

the resort

[delaurentiis]

[Nandor is some distance away when Jack waves, and he waves shyly back at him. That seems to end their interaction and Nandor disappears from view for the moment.

He abruptly lurches out of the poolside next to Jack, pulling his wet body up and shifting to sit in the same position as him. He feels dreadful when he's near him, such is the thrill of a new friendship he supposes.]

This is very nice.

[godjr]

[ Jack brightens when he recognizes Nandor as not just a stranger across the pool but someone he knows. He starts to wave but then he disappears, deflating a little, but pleased again when Nandor submerges from the pool next to him. His smile is instant and warm, feeling the way someone should around a new friend, which is good. Unfortunately his divinity is not so pleasant for the vampire, but they persevere regardless. ]

It is! I've never been anywhere like this before.

[ It's so grand and beautiful, and the dark night sky makes it appear like something out of a dream. Jack used to think about what it would be like to go to a real hotel, not only the motels he was used to. Now he knows how fancy it could be. ]

I'm glad to see you again, Nandor. How have you been?

[delaurentiis]

Nor I. [There aren't many vampire friendly resorts in the Staten Island area. It's also probably not something he'd ever choose to visit, but to have been coerced here by a higher power? What a pleasure.

At the question, Nandor shrugs.]

Oh, well. You know. Graveyard shift. [He rolls his eyes, then smiles like this is an inside joke they share.]

And my roommate from Staten Island is here, so it is nice not to be totally and completely alone. You know?

poolside

[positivelyroomy]

Martin has fully embraced the resort lifestyle, at least for a short time. While looking for a cabana earlier, he’d found one that was empty, except for a folded outfit beside a hammock. The bundle of pastel pinks and green palm trees had appealed to Martin, who needed very little reason to change out of his jeans and worn t-shirt he'd spent an uncomfortably sticky car ride in. Today had been a good day, and he’s not quite ready to turn in yet. There aren’t many people by the pool, so Jack kind of sticks out like a sunspot from his seat on the edge. What a nice place to run into a familiar face.

Toeing off his sandals, Martin joins him where he’s seated, dipping his legs in the shallows with a grin. He doesn’t automatically launch into conversation, eyes cast to the glowing waters. Eventually, he peers over to the young man and jerks in surprise.

“Jack,” he waves a hand at the soaked denim. “Do you want me to find you some shorts? Might make the pool a bit more enjoyable.”

[godjr]

Jeans aren't the most comfortable things to be wet in but Jack doesn't notice the weather or the heat the way other people do. The pool is not being used to soothe him from the heat, he just felt like putting his feet in. Other people seemed to go all the way in and he did think about it, but he's never gone swimming. Martin joins him and seems to be fine with companionable silence, which suits Jack, but he glances over at the question.

"I didn't think about that before I did it," he admits. "I've never been in a pool before." He likes the idea of it though. It's refreshing. Maybe he should have tried to go all the way in. He kicks his feet a little in the water, the droplets moving over his skin, it whooshing around him. It feels great. Not as boring and direct as showering.

"It's okay, it's already done." Jack is at peace with it. "I am glad to see you, Martin. You look comfortable here. Have you been to something like this before? I haven't." Nothing so grand and impressive.

[positivelyroomy]

It was certainly easier to avoid the elements back home; now he’s prone to all of it and a brat about it. This pool and Thomas's questionable cocktails have done a lot of heavy lifting in nourishing Martin's good mood. Running into Jack seems like a fortunate addition to his pleasant day. The poor kid is gonna need to sunbathe outside of this pocket paradise to dry out his jeans, though.

Honestly, Martin is going to start keeping tabs on things he’s actually done – besides killing. It isn’t like he can judge; hardships came for everyone. But not here, right now. And that’s good. He openly grins at the kicking, shaking his head and doing his own little splashing about. Definitely not as boring as showering.

“I didn’t get much pool time myself, either. Do you plan on staying here for a few days?” he probes, idly kicking his legs to and fro beneath the surface. The compliment makes him duck his head and look away, but it seems well-received. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to genuinely relax… But no. No, I haven’t been to one of these places before myself.”

“When I was little, before my dad left, we’d visit the coast in the summer. Went to a few lakes, but nothing as posh as this.” Those memories are hazy at best. And that’s okay. He shifts, back straightening as an intrusive thought occurs to him. “Do you dare me to jump in like this?” It is an act of solidarity, Jack. Wet clothes for all.

resort ;

[diplomatiste]

[ Alphinaud has spent a fair amount of time echoing a similar mission — that is, to study these surrounding androids that scatter the diffusion zone: at their choice of dress, their action caught frozen in time, some looking far more sinister than others. He hasn't dared to touch any of them, but he has passed by the one holding the book once or twice, considering whether he should peer into its pages and glean any context from it.

He hadn't though. Not until he'd about worked up the courage to do so and found another already fulfilling the task. ]

Ah. It seems you've beat me to it. [ Alphinaud gestures to the book in the other boy's hands with a shrug and a small, hapless smile. ] I had been debating whether it would be considered a breach of privacy to look through another's notes.

That said, I couldn't help but wonder whether it might serve to be a valuable source of information. [ One can hope it answers one or two of his many, many questions. ] Is it?

[godjr]

[ Jack didn't do it out of courage it was very much a curious 'I wonder what that is' instinct that he followed. He does generally find the androids interesting. If he could electrify them into existing again he would, but it hasn't worked so far, he doesn't think he has the power for that. Instead he can learn more about their lives, and he wants to, even if it seems so random a thing. But it's an android graveyard in here and he feels like he should learn something about them.

He glances up when Alphinaud approaches and holds up his free hand into a friendly wave, looking back at the book. ]

I hadn't thought about that.

[ It being a breach of privacy. He feels a little guilty now that he hadn't considered it, but he thought they were probably dead. He frowns but there is not much to be done about it now, he already looked. ]

No, it's a journal, they're talking about a work party. It's mundane. I don't know if this was the party. If something happened to them when they went.

[ That would make it a tragic entry, but it also could have happened months before this and went well. There is no date for whatever is going on so they can only guess at it. Jack realizes now that he probably shouldn't flip through the whole thing but he offers Alphinaud the journal if he'd like to see it too. The handwriting doesn't look different from a human's. ]

This place is very beautiful but I wonder what it was to them.

[diplomatiste]

[ Oh, well. ]

I suppose it hardly matters at this point. These beings have been ... shut down, but for long, I can only begin to wonder.

[ Alphinaud accepts the offered book and begins thumbing through its pages at random, pausing to skim a paragraph here and a note there. It certainly is legible, and there are a fair few entries written haphazardly throughout, but as the other man has said ... it's not the most illuminating read either.

That's disappointing. ]

If we are to believe that this zone is a captured moment in time, I would think it seemed a paradise to them still. A place suitable for parties and all other forms of overindulgence.

[ The atmosphere very vaguely reminds him of Eulmore in the days when Lord Vauthry still ruled with a cruel and twisted fist. The rich became richer, and those left begging for scraps could only dream of one day being a part of it all. ]

Alas, it does not answer the question of how they came to be this way, and whether it could happen to us too.