Author's Note: And here it is! Part 1 of the first half of the casts character intros! Honestly, I'm excited to even get this far, and all the character's so far are great.
So, a few quick words for those of you who may not be on the discord: submission's close on October 1st. After that, I will be selecting the rest of my cast and begin truly working on the story, this leaves everyone with a little under a month to wrap up submissions, which I think is fair.
Lastly, I just wanna give a big thanks to Crit, Petty, Celestial, Magus, and Trust for Roleplaying their characters this chapter. They turned out great!
With those final words, enjoy the beginning of Heartless New World!
3/2/20 Rewrite: Changes have been made to fit the new canon, and some errors have been fixed.
November 14th, 2017
2:46 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 2
Medical Lab
The Medical Lab on the second floor of the Institute was the second largest of all the labs within the compound, containing the most high-tech and revolutionary medical devices and care in the world, even containing treatments and instruments that had never been revealed and distributed to the general public. The Perfect Optometrist's office was no exception, having nothing but the most cutting edge glasses, lasik, and contact care.
A tall man wearing a baggy, olive green raincoat and brown hiking shoes—an outfit more suited to outdoor adventures than laboratory work—stood next to one such contraption. After tuning a number of dials, the Perfect Optometrist took a seat on the reclining chair. Emil Baardsen shifted his half-rimmed glasses up his tired-looking face before peering through the bug-eyed lenses of an innovative photometer.
A slight bump made the man jump slightly in his seat, shifting his gaze towards the doorway. There stood a rather short young woman, rubbing her forehead and mumbling things under her breath. She shifted her gaze slightly, looking into the room with a squint. "Excuse me, is this a good time?"
In an unhurried manner, Emil slid his glasses back down his forehead before rising from his seat. He tucked one of his clover green bangs behind his ear before staring down listlessly at the newcomer. "Oh, Hermit... Have you come to seek seclusion here? As you can see, I'm not particularly preoccupied with anything, so this is an adequate time for me if it is for you." The man's voice was languid and unusually soft for his size.
"Oh, I didn't come here to seek seclusion. I'm just having a bit of trouble seeing," she replied, taking a few steps into the room. She bumped into a nearby table, knocking a few things to the ground. She cringed at the sound of breaking glass. "Okay, I'm having a lot of trouble seeing."
"I can see that." He nodded sagely.
"W-well, if it isn't any trouble, do you think I could get an exam? I don't want to keep breaking things. Everything here is so expensive." she said, a sheepish look on her face.
Emil approached the woman, his footsteps light yet ominous. He stopped just a foot away from her before beginning to slowly unbutton his raincoat. "Shhh... Expenses should not be a concern of yours, Hermit. You may be at ease, for I have anticipated this exact scenario. It was hard not to take notice of you stumbling into everyone at the party yesterday."
She shuddered, glancing away from the man, memories of the party filling her mind. "Oh please, don't remind me of that. I ended up bumping into that Ranze guy on accident. He wouldn't stop talking to me." she said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'm glad that you can help me, Emil, I was nervous about asking you. But I feel a lot more comfortable now."
"And... here we are," Emil declared before removing from his coat what looked to be a gift-wrapped glasses case complete with a red ribbon. He gently handed it down to the Physicist. "Consider this a belated Christmas present for you. Oh, my apologies. You may not celebrate Christmas under that name. An X-mas present it shall be, then."
"It's fine, I actually did celebrate Christmas back home, it's been quite a while though," Hermit said, slowly reached for the case, taking it carefully into her hands. Despite her not being able to see well, she could tell what it was the moment she opened it. "Oh wow, Emil this is so sweet of you!"
Resting within was a pair of glasses, or rather the frame. It was light pink in color, with some small crystals near the edges of the frame. They were rather simple and quite suited to her taste. "I know I have to look very close to see them, but they're wonderful. Thank you!"
"Simply stunning..." the Optometrist mused as a small smile spread across his lips. "Don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you for adding another touch of beauty to this world." He took a step back before gesturing to the seat. "Come now, let's do your exam so we can get a proper set of lenses fitted onto you. Your eyes are quite special, so I must admit that I am looking forward to the challenge."
"I hope so. Admittedly, I'm still getting used to... certain aspects of myself. I wasn't expecting to go near-blind like this. I wish I had more information about myself, but the most important files were purged." she said, sighing. "I'm getting real worried, especially with what's happening on the outside."
Emil turned around until his perfectly-postured back was facing the cybernetic woman. "As it usually goes, what's outside has little bearing on what is inside. It wouldn't be unreasonable for me to think that you understand this on a personal level well beyond what I am familiar with. Now then, we have our work to do, Hermit," he said as he faced her and gestured to the seat once more.
"Indeed we do. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!" she said cheerfully, practically jumping into the seat. It creaked a bit from her weight but held true. "Oof, maybe I shouldn't have jumped into it."
The Optometrist made his way around to a touchscreen on the machine's side. A few finger taps later, Hermit's seat was suddenly raised before the phoropter swung down to precisely accommodate her face. "I'm assuming this is your first time. I'll be cycling through a series of lenses now, and I need you to tell me how they compare to one another in terms of clarity. Try reading the letters projected onto the far wall—don't squint."
"Okay," she replied, keeping her eyes as wide as possible. She noticed all of the letters were blurry, save for the giant E, and the first and second rows. She took a deep breath. "The first letter is E, row one is Z, X, V, C, Y. The second row is T, H, F, O, P... that's all I can see."
"Hmm, how intriguing... How's this? Better or worse?" Emil asked as he toggled through to a new set of lenses.
"Worse, I can't see anything. It looks like a car windshield in the middle of a monsoon," she admitted, resisting the urge to squint. "I didn't think my vision was this bad, I'm scared of losing my sight entirely. I wouldn't be able to see my DS screen."
"I see... it's worse than I thought. Well, there's no reason to be concerned, Hermit. I believe I can still correct your vision. Thick glasses have a certain wholesomeness about them," Emil offered with an accepting smile.
"As long as I can see, I don't think I mind the thickness of the lenses. I'll just let you work your magic, Emil!" she said with a grin. The two continued making small talk as the Perfect Optometrist cycled through each lens, making sure he got everything as accurate as possible.
4:02 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 4
Director's Office
Seriozha smiled, settling into his seat across from his laptop and monitors, all containing video feeds connected to the entire compound. So far, everything was going according to his design. All of the applicants he had selected had turned out great, despite some of their quirks. The sharply dressed man's smile turned into a frown, as he glanced down at a framed picture on his desk, showing him, Satoru Idabashi, and Jibo Momota from half a decade ago, all smiles. Seriozha's expression hardened.
"Satoru my friend, I do hope you make it through this ok." He muttered, shaking his head. "Though this changes nothing, the plan remains the same..."
The former Real Estate Tycoon was quickly shaken out of his musings by a ring coming from his computer, announcing a video call. Seriozha's wolfish grin returned.
"Ah, and my dear golden goose herself comes calling..." The green-haired man straightened his suit and sported a neutral expression, before accepting the call.
The Geneticist anxiously chewed on her thumb as she cast a glance over her shoulder. Her vibrant green eyes studying something or someone in the adjacent room before her attention quickly shifted back to the monitor before her. She now found herself staring face to face with Seriozha.
Miranda immediately mustered a sheepish smile as she adjusted her glasses. "Oh, Director! I hope this isn't a bad time. I hope everyone at the Institute has been enjoying their new home. I was hoping to discuss that offer you'd made not too long ago."
Seriozha gave her a soft, sympathetic smile, a complete turnaround from the hungry, wolfish grin he usually had. "My dear, I always have time for you. The opening days have been... well, about as well as one could hope during these troubling times. The collapse of society itself has put a damper on everyone's spirits, as they worry for their loved ones..." Seriozha sighed. "But, I do think the welcome party we held yesterday helped quite a bit. Everyone here is slowly warming up to one another, thankfully. I assume you have taken time to consider my offer?"
Miranda's lips pursed together softly. "...It seems there may be no end in sight. I know it means little...but my heart goes out to everyone else. I myself worry for my own children... but sadly they're is nothing any of us can do, I suppose..." she trailed off a moment as her jaw tensed slightly, before she continued.
"Jibo claimed to have some knowledge of the matter but I think he was merely using it as a carrot to keep me cooperating with him. However, I cannot idly in good conscience turn a blind eye to what's going on. The experiments are nothing short of nightmarish, I don't think he wanted me to see what he was doing, however, I believe he and his brother were even experimenting on his niece. Suffice it to say, he has changed and much like the rest of the world, it's not for the better. What he was doing… I would report him to the authorities but...I'm sure you're well aware of the state of law enforcement at the moment."
The former Real Estate Tycoon sighed deeply, placing a hand over his chest as if her report had physically hurt him. "Yes, you are quite right my dear. And even if that were the case, nothing would happen anyway. Even before this wretched tragedy, he had connections and was backed by Hope's Peak themselves. He was, and still is, untouchable." Seriozha leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk as he looked at her seriously. "Do you know, my dear, why Hope's Peak backed him? It was because of his advancements in what they ended up calling the 'Kamukura Project'. Its objective? To create the perfect lifeform. He was playing god long before the world fell apart!" He slammed his fist down dramatically on the table, rattling the screen violently and causing Miranda to flinch.
The green-haired man collected himself, clearing his throat and adjusting his suit. "My apologies, Miranda dear. It seems I still get worked up even after all these years." He ran a hand through his hair, tapping on his desk in thought. "Even now, I still secretly wonder if he had a hand in orchestrating this awful tragedy. Has he said anything as such to you?"
"To be quite honest, I don't think he fully trusts me as he once did. I do know that I overheard him discussing something known as the Horizon Project and something simply known as Rapture. However I merely overheard such things, I wasn't in a place to question what they meant," Miranda responded as she crossed her legs as her nose crinkled slightly. "...I can tell you one thing for certain though. He has fine-tuned the ability of cloning. In fact...I might have procured one of his subjects without his consent," she said before clearing her throat as a rosy blush graced her cheeks. "Which is tied to the abruptness of my call. I couldn't bear to see what he was doing. I wasn't in a place to wage a war, but I figured it was my moral responsibility to save at least save one life...so that's what I did."
"Cloning..." Seriozha muttered under his breath, before quickly recovering. "My dear Miranda, I hope you realize just how amazing - and dangerous - that technology is. In the right hands, it could bring about a golden age of humanity. In the wrong ones, it could make our already fragile world even more fractured." He told her softly, yet sternly. "This... clone that you have, is it with you? And the technology for it as well?"
Miranda shifted uncomfortably. "I believe I've already seen the dangers of someone using it improperly Director. Jibo himself seemed to be using some sort of secret source of genetic material. I believe this source possessed increased levels of tissue regeneration which was ideal as a basis for cloning. From the observations I've made myself, I believe this material is passed onto each subject. It's almost like a dominant gene that is passed on," she paused as she chewed on her bottom lip. "I do have the child with me. However, I must insist that she be treated as nothing more than a normal little girl. I know how our ilk can get when so much is at stake but you have to promise me you will restrain yourself and anyone else from crossing any line. I know there aren't many safe places in the world right now but I won't allow her to be turned into another lab rat."
The sharply dressed Director nodded sagely, reclining in his seat as he hummed. "You have my word, this young girl will live in peace here. As long as we have the research notes and the general idea of how it works, I'm quite confident that we can crack the process right open." Seriozha once again glanced at the photograph on his desk, before turning back to the Geneticist. "I admit, we have taken a blow with the disappearance of Professor Idabashi. Even though he focuses on robotics and AI, he had recently taken an interest in organic lifeforms. I pray that my friend returns to us." The green-haired man shook his head. "But still, we must move forward. Miranda Bailey, this is my dream: I am working to create a world that our children can be proud of, where everyone's voices and opinions can be heard, and immediately acted upon. Where social status, race, gender, disease, and even death no longer plague and divide us. So, I ask... no, I beg you... to help me make that world a reality. Will you join me and the fine men and women here who strive towards that goal too?"
A moment of silence passed between the pair before the Geneticist allowed for a sincere smile. "Of course, you don't have to ask again. Now more than ever, I see that the Institute could be the saving grace of mankind. Right now the world could use that kind of hope," she mused before a bit of amusement flitted across her face. "Besides, it's been ages since I've seen Azra. I wonder if she's still as obsessive," Miranda pondered as she tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Oh, I almost forgot that you and Ms. Rosario had history together, what a small world we live in!" Seriozha leaned back, exhaling his held breath with a laugh. "Well, while I am not as sure about the obsessive part, but she is quite... eccentric. But the girl means well." The Director picked up a pen, tapping it against his head in thought. "I'm glad you have faith in not only our mission, but me as well. I'll be looking forward to your arrival. But, I must ask... do you have a reliable, safe way to get off of Hora Island? I have heard some... unsettling rumors regarding the place. Your safety is my top priority." He asked her gently.
The beautiful blonde offered a slight wink. "Don't you worry. It just so happens...that a ferry was left at the dock. It turns out that I'm a fairly quick study at sailing. It's a good thing that you are so generous Director, otherwise, I was planning to sail towards Hong Kong and hope for the best," she chortled as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Ahhh! I have to go. I have to make sure we're on course and I promised a bedtime story! I'll be in touch shortly!" Miranda exclaimed as she waved at the screen before visibly jogging towards an adjacent door.
The heavyset Director chuckled as he cut his connection, closing his laptop and leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "Despite her unmatched intelligence, it is clear she is eccentric in her own way. In some ways she is every bit the ditzy blonde she appears to be but in others, she is a clear genius. It will be interesting to see how well she will fit with the rest of the Institute..." He admitted to himself out loud. "Cloning... this could change everything..."
Seriozha sat back up in his desk, pulling out a small gold pocket watch from his breast pocket, flicking it open and staring at the picture inside. It was a small photograph, of Seriozha and a small, green-haired girl that looked quite a lot like him. She clearly was no older than 6 at the time of the photo. "My dear little Sasha, don't you worry. I will create a world where you will never be hurt again."
However, unnoticed by the Director in the air vent above him, was a large bird holding a walkie talkie in its beak.
4:09 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 1
Rec Room
The Rec Room, situated in between the male and female dorms and next to the cafeteria, was the most casual room within the compound, yet was still impressive in its own right. Designed to provide the Institute's occupants with every form of entertainment, it had a blackjack and pool table, several antique arcade games, TVs with many gaming consoles, and even a music stage.
However, the rooms lone occupant was situated at the foot of an air vent, holding a walkie talkie, listening intently. The boy giggled uncontrollably as a black bird emerged from within the vent, dropping the item in its beak as it perched itself on top of his head.
"Muahaha! Excellent work Corvo!" The red-eyed, blue-haired boy laughed. His strange attire certainly stuck out, wearing a dark orange silk long-sleeved dress shirt with black bats, red sharp vampire teeth, grey ghosts with black eyes and blue pumpkins with yellow eyes patterned all over his shirt, and a velvet red black button-up waistcoat over his shirt.
The odd boy reached into his pocket to pull out small seeds, feeding them to the black bird. "We sure got some interesting info out of that geezer. It was hard to hear, but a new geneticist seems to be on the horizon here…"
"Kagemaru, what are you doing? Spying on people in the vents again?" A robotic female voice behind him asked, cutting him off. The Perfect Phobologist whipped around to face a small girl in a wheelchair. Despite her extremely small stature, the girl was 32 years old, and her attire consisted of a cream-colored v-neck sweater, white dress shirt and a black necktie, a gray pencil skirt that reached down her thighs, and a dark brown trench-coat that came down to her knees.
"Hehe, you know me so well already, Ayeka!" Kagemaru replied, not deterred in the slightest. "This time I got a big score, Corvo managed to make his way to the old man's office! I got some juicy info, if ya want to hear it!"
"Old man? Do you mean the Director? And of course, I don't want to know! That is a gross invasion of privacy!" The Perfect Epidemiologist replied after a moment, typing her response onto a keyboard on her wheelchair. Kagemaru, along with most others in the Institute, had long since grown used to the mute's delayed responses. He wouldn't lie to himself, in that he was curious as to what caused her to be both mute and wheelchair-bound. He certainly always noticed the way she always moved around the scarf that covered her lower face.
"Aw, c'mon! Don't tell me you're not curious! After all, we may soon have a new colleague within our midst!" Kagemaru cackled excitedly. "Ohhh, I bet she'll be a great source of study for my research! She's coming from Hora Island after all!"
"Stop telling me!" The small girl whined, trying but failing to sound disinterested. "Um, just out of curiosity on an unrelated note, what's her talent?"
The Perfect Phobologist gave her a toothy grin, reaching up to his head and petting Corvo. "Heh, Geneticist, if I heard right. Makes sense, that fancy lab up there made it obvious the old fart was aiming for someone to fill it up!" Kagemaru put his hands behind his head curiously. "So, now it's only fair you let me in on where you're headed, Ayeka."
Ayeka paused, tapping her fingers on her armrest in thought, before typing out her response. "I know she asked to be left alone, but I was on my way to see if I could help Fuka with anything. She has shut away herself in our lab. I was gonna offer her some cookies, I know she has a sweet tooth!" The Epidemiologist gestured to the side of her wheelchair, and Kagemaru was able to notice the small plate of cookies that rested on a mini table.
"Ahaha, well good luck with that! Little miss bluelocks won't talk to anyone. Though then again, she seems to at least tolerate you, if only because she has to!"
"At least try to show some compassion!" Ayeka pouted, shaking her head as she began to leave. "And make sure to not spy on anyone else. I'm getting sick of trying to reign in your antics!" She whined.
As Kagemaru watched her leave, a dark shadow passed over his face as he giggled.
"Muhahaha! I'll find a way to push her buttons, just you wait!"
4:57 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 2
Disease and Containment Lab
The Disease and Containment Lab was by far the most dangerous room in the entire compound. Housing countless rows of foreign vials and instruments containing deadly diseases and viruses, a hazmat suit was mandatory for any who entered the regulated lab.
Currently, a small woman with blue hair and red eyes was hard at work, leaning over and carefully examining a petri dish under a microscope.
"Hm, interesting…" The woman muttered, turning a knob on the microscope and squinting her eyes. "This is…"
"Fuka!"
Startled, the Perfect Virologist jumped, turning to face the small girl that addressed her. By now Fuka had long grown used to the sight of the wheelchair-bound Akeya coming into their shared lab in a giant plastic bubble. Since she, unfortunately, could not put on a radiation suit, this was the hastily crafted alternative.
"Oh, hello Ayeka," The red-eyed woman greeted stiffly, quickly going back to her work. "I assume you're here to see my progress? I would be happy to catch you up to speed."
"That's not why I'm here and you know it-"
"Well, my studies into how Kuru works has yielded some interesting results." The Virologist cut in as if she never heard her. "If we can reverse engineer it and crack its degenerative brain properties, we may yet be able to do two completely different things… either find a way to have the brain survive outside the human body, or create real life zombies. The possibilities are quite intriguing!"
"I see, that's great…" Ayeka replied hesitantly, pausing a moment before typing again into her keyboard. "Fuka, you can't just throw yourself into your work and pretend everything is alright. We're all worried about our families, and I know you miss your husband, but-"
The Virologist sucked in a deep breath, shutting her eyes and trembling as she stepped away from the microscope. "Then what am I supposed to do?!" She choked out lowly. "I lost my husband, my son god only knows where, and my nephew is cooped up in Hope's Peak, which I'm sure is a ticking time bomb at this point."
"That's not true! Just because you don't know where your son is, does not mean he's dead."
"Exactly. I don't know where he is. Though because of this damn tragedy, he's probably dead. I won't hold myself out to any hope of being happy. Not anymore. And I'm the one who abandoned him to chase my career." Fuka responded miserably.
Ayeka trembled slightly, thinking for a second before mustering a response. "What do you have against having hope?"
The blue-haired woman paused, shaking her head as she made towards the exit of the lab, with Ayeka slowly on her trail. They exited, and as Fuka began to pull off her hazmat suit, she was beginning to wonder if her colleague was going to ignore her, before finally, Fuka wiped the stray tears from her eyes, looking away.
"While I have nothing against happiness and hope, I have found that if I chase them, it only leads to misery." She replied quietly. "Ayeka, you're a wonderful girl, and I admire you greatly. Despite your condition, you never let anyone get to you, and you always try to help others. Please, never change." Readjusting the glasses on her face, Fuka composed herself as she began to leave. "I think I'll be heading to bed early, I'm not feeling quite so well."
Unable to find a response to that, the Epidemiologist watched silently as Fuka left for her room.
6:23 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 3
Insecta Lab
The third floor of the Chernobyl Institute was comprised of 4 important labs, the Animalia Lab, Insecta Lab, Aves Lab, and lastly yet most importantly, the Agriculture Lab.
The Insecta Lab contained a state of the art environment for practically every single known species of insect and arthropod creatures known to mankind. The circular room contained countless glass tanks, shelves, bios, and in a few cases, even large, man-made simulated environments. To the untrained eye, these tanks and their differences would seem insignificant and unrecognizable. But to the one occupant in the room, that was not the case.
When someone first steps into the Insecta Lab, above the soft buzz of the specimens, what sounded like the singing and humming of young girl dominated the space. Every once in awhile her songs would be interrupted by giggling and a gasp of air one could almost mistake for a moan. Currently, the Perfect Entomologist happily spun in her chair letting her forest green hair flow freely. "This is great isn't it, Arcelio? The cute little bumbly bees are taking to the changes perfectly!" the woman explained to the large millipede she held up above her head. She let it go and the bug wasted no time scurrying down her forearm, over her sweater and settled along her shoulders and neck, eliciting a giggle from Azra the whole way.
Azra was quickly interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat, alerting the Entomologist's attention to the door, where a crimson-haired man in his early forties was awkwardly standing, clutching a small note in his hand. His bright red dress shirt made him easily stand out, even among the other Perfects.
"Seriously woman, that's creepy as hell. You can at least try to act a bit more professional." Ranze Ikeru grumbled, shivering and clutching his lab coat, approaching Azra to hand her the sealed envelope. "I'm just here to deliver this message from our green haired overlord himself." He explained.
"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, Ranze," she replied as she scooted her chair closer to close the distance. "So a message from the director, huh? Neat!" Azra cheered as she tore open the letter. Her dark brown eyes quickly looked over the contents taking it all in.
She shot up from her chair, causing her white lab coat that was laid on the back slumped to the floor. The Entomologist pouted as she placed the paper on her desk. "Aww, I can't let my little babies explore the rest of the facility... He knows that my work is to make them less dangerous to humans, so I don't see what the big problem is," Azra said with a shrug.
"Yes, well, when they begin to disrupt everyone else's work, that causes problems." The Perfect Prostheticist complained. "Akuji was stung by several bees while he was sleeping a few days ago, there were several cockroaches that infested the agriculture lab, and Kline found a millipede crawling out of one of his computers yesterday morning. Seriously, did you not hear his scream? And how he was shooting you dirty looks at the party yesterday?" Ranze replied, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well of course I did, but he's been giving me those looks since I first got here. Especially after I introduced him to Arcelio," Azra mused running a hand through her hair. She carefully lifted the giant millipede off her shoulder and cradled it in her hand. She held it up to her cheek and nuzzled against him. "In fact, I think just about everyone has. Poor baby, everyone is so mean to him and the rest of my cute little buggies."
"Ok, sure. Whatever." Ranze replied stiffly, doing his best to avoid eye contact with the giant millipede and suppressing a shudder. "Look, I'm trying to be helpful here Ms. Rosario, if you were less creepy and more.. normal, around people, perhaps you would make more friends?" The redhead offered, trying not to sound condescending despite his tone.
Azra giggled as she let the bug wiggle free and it crawled down her neck and settled back on her shoulders. "But if I was 'normal' I wouldn't have gotten a job here. Besides why would I want friends that don't support my interests? People here should be more supportive of each other than anywhere else."
"I see your point. But, do bear in mind the potential we have here. Who cares about supporting each other, when we are creating new technologies and scientific marvels. We could all get very rich, very quickly. Honestly, though, I'm starting to wonder if taking the good directors offer to come here was worth my time. My son Kurogane and I are already extremely successful!" He boasted with a smirk, pulling out his tablet. "And with this tragedy in full swing, my son is doing better and better on his profit margins, Ah, perhaps it's best to let him take the reins after all."
"Is that all you care about? Lame," The Entomologist whined with a dismissive wave. "This place is about more than just getting rich. We're supposed to be making the world better. Doing what we can to improve the lives of everyone, because we can. And hey, why not have fun, the world's going belly up outside, so we need all the joy we can find. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Azra asked stroking a few fingers against the millipede lovingly.
"Hmph, those types of... noble ideas don't exactly pay the bills, now do they?" Ranze snorted, shaking his head as he put his tablet away. "Though, I did hear an interesting rumor floating around that Seriozha is close to recruiting the world's top geneticist, or something like that. What's more, she apparently working for that man Jibo Momota at the moment! Quite sly of the director, poaching away his rival's employees." The crimson haired man turned to the nearest tank, eyeing the ginormous snake within with a somewhat apprehensive look. "Regardless, it seems that the genetics lab won't be for show much longer."
"Geneticist... she... Jibo..." Azra repeated before her eyes lit up with realization. "Miranda is coming here?! This is the best news ever! So glad she's finally getting away from that creepy guy. Heh, soon her big boobies will be mine to play with!"
"Big... boobies? What?" Ranze asked, slack-jawed, before clearing his throat and recovering. "Wait, that's not the important part here. You know this woman? Though, do keep in mind that this is just a rumor I heard from Emil, who heard from Akeya, who heard from Kagemaru, who supposedly overheard Seriozha talking on the phone with a female geneticist." The prostheticist waved his hand dismissively. "But you know by this point how Kagemaru is."
"Of course I know Miranda, I knew Jibo as well, though I haven't seen them in over a decade. I worked with them briefly back after I graduated Cape Town Institute, it's the research that got me on this place's radar," the woman explained. She smiled widely as she took her seat again. "Oh man, I really hope it's true though, I'd love to work with Miranda again."
"Well, for all our sakes I hope she's as great as you claim she is. The last thing we need is a big breasted bimbo bouncing around in a lab coat..." Ranze sighed, shaking his head. "You do seem quite fond of her. Maybe... too fond?"
Azra turned to look at the man as she crossed one leg over the other. "How could I not be? She was such a sweetheart, and she definitely knows her stuff. Though you may not like her, she isn't constantly thinking of how to make money off everything."
"Now now, I never said I didn't like her." Ranze tried to defend himself diplomatically. "I was just expressing that it would be nice to have another person around here with a degree of professionalism. I just expected more of some of my colleagues here, after all, some of them sorely disappoint me."
"Sounds like that's your problem to me. This Institute only selected the best, and some of us aren't driven by making a buck. We're driven by our... passions," Azra mused. She began another round of giggling as the millipede began skittering off her shoulders and down across jet exposed stomach.
"And I don't even want to begin to know what those so-called 'passions' of yours are..." The Perfect Prostheticist frowned, shooting her another disgusted look. "Is that thing poisonous? You know what, I don't even want to know..." Ranze sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hands. "So goddamn creepy..."
The woman let out a few more snickers as she eyed the man. "Aww, you think seeing a woman happy and satisfied is creepy? Your poor wife..."
Ranze's face contorted into a mixture of shock, hurt, and fury. "This conversation is over, we've gotten off track as it is." He turned to leave, before stopping at the door. "Just make sure you keep your bugs inside the lab, Azra."
"Fine, but I better not get blamed when other people go walking out of here with them," Azra explained with a wide smirk. She watched the man and the tarantula that had carefully climbed onto his back, as they made their way out of the lab.
8:32 PM
Chernobyl Institute, Floor 1
Men's Dormitory Common Room
The men's wing of the dormitories was quite spacious, with a hallway filled with luxurious, state of the art rooms, all connected to a massive commons room. Several high end furniture pieces, cabinets, decorations dotted the commons room, a large, lit fireplace keeping the room toasty. A massive flat screen tv was mounted above it as well. Currently, it was playing a news broadcast out of Towa City, one of the few places to have not been hit by the tragedy yet.
"And onto breaking news, further rioting within downtown Shinjuku continues to worsen, with the death toll rising." The stony faced reporter informed. "Ultimate Despair is once again thought to be responsible."
Kline switched his attention back and forth from the TV screen in front of him, and the computer he had on his lap. He was currently sitting on the main couch of the common room, working on a program while he also focused on the broadcast itself with avid interest. "Mm, how barbaric. Is this the true nature of humanity?" He mused thoughtfully.
"Hngg... can you turn that thing down? I'm trying to sleep..." Muttered a soft voice from behind the Programmer. Akuji Komon stumbled into the commons room, wearing nothing but a black t-shirt and a pair of boxers, and tightly clutching a pillow. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the tv with a frown. "Oh, your watching the news. It's so depressing these days, why even bother?" Akuji yawned, shuffling to the couch opposite of Kline.
Almost as soon as he sat down, the two's attention was dragged back to the television.
The two watched live footage of the rioting in silence before Akuji finally spoke up.
"Hmmm, I just don't understand what the people behind all this chaos hope to accomplish. They claim its Despair, but is that really all there is?" The Perfect Geodesist moved, blinking his green eyes to stay awake. "All this just happened practically overnight too."
"Indeed, it's quite the terrible tragedy. So many young lives lost and corrupted due to the machinations of these detestable despair fanatics," Kline replied, giving a soft sigh. His eyes were briefly obscured as his laptop monitor reflected off his glasses, causing him to take his glasses off, and clean the lenses with a nearby cloth. "I honestly can't imagine being so... extreme in that way. It feels so illogical and nonsensical. Then again, I suppose that could apply to any extremist view or organization. This odd kind of Despair certainly isn't unique in that regard."
"Yeah, I suppose so," The white-haired boy shrugged apathetically. "It's so strange, the world was totally fine a year ago, now it's like everything has fallen apart. Sure, we're fortunate enough to be safe in here, but so many people aren't, and suffer every day, even our own friends and families... and for what? So some group of crazies can get their kicks?" Akuji sighed dramatically, looking over at Kline. "Hey, can you hand me that water bottle over there? It's too far and I can't reach it!" He whined, pointing to a bottle that was right next to his own couch.
Kline glanced over at the bottle of water, then back at Akuji. He gave a good-natured smile, though his brow twitched in faint annoyance. "The bottle is right in your reach, Akuji. I am your colleague, not your maid. You can get it yourself fairly easily."
He leaned back in his seat after a moment, putting his glasses back on once he'd sufficiently cleaned them. "Still, it is quite the conundrum. I suppose there's not much we can do about it though. All we can really do is be thankful for our own fortunes. I know my father and brother are out there somewhere during all this...but I try not to think about it too much. I have a... complicated relationship with them, at best."
"Fineeee..." Akuji sighed, sitting up and grabbing the bottle, downing the water quickly. "Well, once this whole disaster is said and done, maybe they can come here. I've already asked the big boss man if we could invite our families here, but he just looked at me weird and said that it was too risky to have so many people in here. So now I just gotta hope my brother and sister are safe." The Geodesist yawned a second time, slowly standing up as he began making his way back to his room. Before he went back in, he turned back to Kline, sporting the most serious expression he had dawned in awhile. "Oh, and I don't know how bad your relationship with your family is, but you should try to reach out to them, especially if they love you. Don't take it for granted... or do, I don't really care. Have a good night, Kline." The white-haired boy shrugged, slamming the door to his room.
Kline stared back at where Akuji was, a surprised and thoughtful look flashing across his face before he turned his attention back to the television. A moment later he picked up where he left off, crafting a new program on his computer, while he watched the broadcast at the same time.