potatogod
Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2023
- Messages
- 5
- Thread Author
- #1
"I have this sinking feeling in my stomach.
I don’t think it’s from the nutri-paste luncheon, no.
Perhaps it’s the twig trees outside the window.
Or is it the grey clouds hung in the sunless sky?
Maybe the stench of the cabin. The seat is sticky.
I think… I think I’m sitting in someone else’s sick.
No, no. It’s not that either. Something is afoot.
It’s a creeping notion. An ominous premonition?
Even the officer seemed perturbed at my notice.
He practically recoiled at the summons ticket.
City 24. They’re an industrial center, I believe.
It’s no paradise like Jacinto, but it will do. Ah-heh.
Humor hasn’t diminished the feeling whatsoever.
Something bad is going to happen. To me, I think.
… What do you think about it?
Oh, what am I asking you for? You’re just a briefcase!"
Ms. Samantha Teran
"My anchor in a tumultuous reality.
The more I think about how much I owe you,
the more I realize I don't know the first thing about you.
I know that you're wise, intelligent, and cruelly humorous.
You were the first kind thing to happen to me in this city.
I haven't known closeness to another in a long, long time.
I can enjoy that with you, Ms. Samantha Teran.
I'm sorry for what I've done to drag you into this mess.
It was never my intention for things to go the way they did.
I was looking forward to that glass of whiskey - well, watching
you drink it. I won't suffer myself back to the grip of the bottle.
... as alluring the notion is. Ah-heh.
You are the culmination of my fortune made manifest;
You are the forlorn hope of my anticipations;
And they took advantage of that.
...
I hope you don't hold it against me."
The Investigator
"The Red Right Hand of the Benefactors.
You're a strange character, but a wealth of curiosity.
All I know about you is that your position is a choice.
I've never met a more enthusiastic peacekeeping officer.
Does the thrill of the chase give you a high? The pride? Prestige?
I've never felt my heart race quite as rapidly as it did that day.
when the warmth of the chamber licked at the back of my neck.
You seemed to enjoy watching me grovel and whimper. You laughed.
... I submit it wasn't my finest moment.
I know you have the capacity to be awful in ways I cannot justify.
I also know you have the capacity to be kind in ways I can't repay.
But then again, I am glad our dealings are finally through.
Do try to keep your nose out of more trouble, officer."
The Killer
"You're utterly deranged.
Madder than a hatter.
You're an infestation.
You tarnish your uniform.
What it represents.
You are a butcher of the lowest order,
and you take great pleasure in your craft.
How two units can be so starkly opposite,
and work with such efficiency is a riddle to me.
Even through the mask, you eyed me like meat.
Is it a tactic? Is chortling at my languishing an act?
No. Not for you. You revel in it, like a sow in sty.
You terrify me as much as you make me sick.
I hope our paths never again cross.
But I have a horrible feeling they will."
Lucia
"A peninsularian oleander.
You were kind to me when many others weren't.
I know I'm not much of a man. Your smile brought ease.
The first I met you, there was some trouble with 'Kat'.
I can't recall the details. She shouted, and you hissed.
I could tell she meant a great deal to you.
You have a passionate nature.
It's an admirable quality.
And then there was more trouble.
Fate works in mysterious ways.
We reunited in unenviable circumstances.
You played your part, as I did mine.
You saved me from Breen's Final Mercy.
I don't pretend to understand what you are.
I don't think I want to know.
But I think I do.
... and I can't say I mind."
Mr. Frank Carleton
"A fellow intellect and scholar.
... Ah-heh-heh. I crack myself up.
We're out of our depths, dear colleague.
I've come to understand a few things about City 24:
Nutrition is in short supply;
Education is in short supply;
Intellectuals are in short supply;
Friends are in short supply.
You solve three of these four maladies, Mr. Carleton.
I'm privileged to have met a man of your wit,
though, at times, it does you more harm than good.
These people are snakes, vultures, leeches...
... and a variable jamboree of other creatures.
Be alert - do not allow your intellect to spoil.
I'll be seeing more of you, Mr. Carleton."
Mr. "Lugash" Karwacki
"Good things come in small packages.
You're utterly fearless for your size.
Generous. Friendly. Sociable.
All qualities I struggle to attain.
In many ways, you are the man I want to be.
Simple and happy; you're content in life.
... I'm not.
I always want more.
I want to please; to make impressed.
I crave it like a parasite craves a host.
I have none of the ability, but all of the faculties.
You are my yang, I am your yin.
The wits behind your strength.
We will go far together, Mr. Karwacki."
The Russian
"Oh God... what became of you?
Flesh rent from bone by hellfire.
The scent sticks with me.
I'm nauseous now just thinking of it.
I breathed you in.
Particles of your skin.
And muscle.
And bone.
Does that make you part of me?
In a sick, twisted way, I think so.
Do I vest interest in your recovery?
Perhaps so. Perhaps not.
All I pray for is that it is speedy.
Go in good health."
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