Audience: Belph

[gatonina]

Comments

[axilium]

Shoooould we be concerned about doing Pink's requests or does it not matter?

[gatonina]

I don't know about concerned, though you would earn another voucher and more points for your team if you completed them anyway. That may benefit you.

[axilium]

Not 100% convinced that this isn't all going to go horribly wrong, but all right, duly noted.

How do you come up with these tasks anyway? Besides Black Shadows wanting us to do their chores for them.

[gatonina]

Fair enough.

...the tasks are just things we think might be fun or easy for all of you to strengthen your bonds with each other. All of mine are just...people-oriented, I suppose.

[axilium]

I suspect that's not a complete coincidence.

[gatonina]

What, that I happen to like people?

[axilium]

Yes, and that you also want people to like people, I suppose.

[gatonina]

Yes. [they pause then, and there's something soft in their voice.] People...have such a capacity to be wonderful if given the chance. And people, likewise, have the capability of being inherently cruel to each other. I'd rather make my tasks something that leans toward the former than the latter.

[axilium]

... Well, bonding can go either really well or really badly. We'll see which one it is as time goes on.

[gatonina]

Any bets? I'm always interested in the opinions of other people.

[axilium]

As a pessimist, I am automatically obliged to assume it'll go downhill.

[gatonina]

Did it go so poorly in the castle?

[axilium]

I would say that quite a few fights resulted from it, yes.

[gatonina]

Then again you were at war. That would make things a bit more difficult...

[axilium]

Well, there's that. As terrible as sex demon boat had it, Wei Wuxian did say that giving them a common enemy helped them to get along.

[gatonina]

I would imagine so. It meant having one thing to focus on, at least.

[axilium]

Maybe. I guess that's one thing this place does have, at least: no one's very fond of Pink right now.

But we'll see how long that momentum lasts, given the ambiguity.

[gatonina]

People's motivations tend to change when the stakes personally impact them. Or so I've seen in your memories. I'm curious how long that momentum will last, too.

[axilium]

And what's Pink hoping for, would you say?

[gatonina]

What an interesting question.

[axilium]

Is it one that's going to get someone stabbed if you try to answer it?

[gatonina]

I'll be honest with you, Belph. I'm going to have to be more selective with my answers from now on, just in case.

[axilium]

That's fair. Is there anything you can say about Pink, though?

[gatonina]

...Pink is a manifestation of remnants brought into this camp. Things no one was aware they were carrying that have since broken off to create its own thing. I'm pretty sure you're smart enough to figure out what, exactly, that means.

[axilium]

[um]

Wow, I hate this.