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[ashoney]

OPEN RP POST;
meme spillover & etc, drop-ins welcome

Comments

crawls in here, happy holidays!!

[phd]

[ it had been a nagging feeling for some time now, a feeling that he had been able to ignore less and less. at first, ratio had considered it an impossibility; after all, he's lived much of his life as a normal person. perhaps not as normal as the others, considering his achievements since he was young, but he wouldn't say he's had anything that would make it stranger than usual.

sure, there had been a few instances that seem to give it substance, his intellect aside. but nothing concrete, nothing that hammered any kind of nails in the coffin—at least, not until the incident with irontomb.

the digital vaccine he created was meant to block the virus that interfere with the cognitive functions of organic lifeforms, something not unheard of in the medical world but still strange, considering the virus is inorganic in every literal sense of the word. there shouldn't have been any way to counteract its effects, especially in organic lifeforms.

and yet, his own blood, his own immunocytes, had managed to do the unthinkable, eating away at the virus as if they're two opposing forces. it's another groundbreaking finding from him, the vaccine a success, something the universe could benefit from in the long run. other medical discoveries could arise, could be unearthed.

the weight of the truth curls around his heart like a suffocating hand, and for a moment, he doesn't hear the hiss of the lab's pneumatic doors. doesn't realize the presence of another person in the room. ]

Gambler.

[ ratio sees his reflection on a beaker, running a hand through his disheveled hair before walking around the table to shrug off his coat. ]

... Did you pass through the decontamination chamber before you entered the room? I precisely remember reminding everyone to disinfect first before walking in the laboratory.

happy holidays! patpat i hope yours aren't too crazy

[ashoney]

[ Relief flickers and fades, swallowed up again by troubled thoughts when Ratio comes into view. Something is not right, and the only thing stopping Aventurine from swanning in for a closer look is the reminder about decontamination. Best to apologize first, then. (Or, something... in the same galactic cluster as an apology.) ]

Oopsie-daisy.

[ He tips his chin up, jewel eyes glinting with put on mischief even as he admits his guilt. An honest mistake, had he not shown up already worried, had he not stumbled upon an office that felt wrong, he might've remembered. It feels like a little too much, admitting to all that. ]

Guess I was in a hurry, thinking you'd left without me. [ A breath, a smile. He cranes his head to try and get a better look, and tries not to let it show in his eyes when he notices the disheveled hair, the signs of stress in the doctor's demeanor. Better judgement tells him he should excuse himself, wait outside until Ratio is ready to leave. He finds, though, that he can't bring himself to move. ] I didn't... mess up anything important, did I?

only cooking craziness

[phd]

[ no, of course not.

ratio sighs loudly, somewhat unsurprised that his own instructions are sidelined in favor of interrupting him. and he'd call him out on a better day, but that day isn't today, not with the current circumstances and not with ratio half-distracted; aventurine should count himself lucky, he wouldn't have gotten a pass otherwise.

at the question, he casts a glance at his work, strewn across his desk like confetti after a party, at the samples laid along the table, his trials and errors. ]

No, there was fortunately nothing to mess up when you arrived.

[ not when everything is already a mess in his head, the only saving grace the vaccine that needs distribution. that, at least, keeps his thoughts straight, his mind clear. his gaze flickers back to aventurine, taking note of his expression. ]

... If that's what you're concerned about, gambler.

[ashoney]

[ No reprimand? Well, that seals it. Something is wrong.

Luckily, Aventurine's itinerary for this mission could best be described as "loosey-goosey." Plenty of time to collect evidence here in Ratio's lab before he starts stringing a plausible theory together. Most important (and admittedly a little surprising), his presence is not somehow making things infinitely worse; not the IPC or the Stonehearts or his own antics, then. Reassured, Aventurine regains control of his feet and sweeps in closer. ]

I was concerned that you might've been kidnapped, honestly. [ Tone light, teasing, he dilly-dallies near a shelf of samples, but can't discern anything relevant about them from a glance. ] Your desk's a mess, Doctor.

[ He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he comes to stand next to Ratio. The Cheshire cat smile that bends his lips feels especially false when presented to the doctor, but he's reasonably confident that Ratio can't see the worry hiding just past it, even if he knows the smile itself for show. ]

But you're alright?

[ There is care in the question posed; not enough to seem baldly worried, but even the best actors and fakers cannot always conceal their concern. He may know the truth, but he's still curious about the answer. ]