heavenˎ help me find a way to dream within this nightmare.

He nods. "It's a massive vessel, really beautiful..." He pauses at that, a vague explanation should suffice. Experience dictates that people don't care too much about the specifics of every starship they find themself on. "I... I'm fine. You're not...? Oh. Nevermind, I get it now." ↷

They're both presently in what appears to be a dimly lit, ordinary ramen shop. As their conversation progresses, the environment around them appears to wobble, before giving way to sterile walls and bright white lighting. "I don't... Actually know. That's a question for Jo–uh, the captain." ↷

Don't mind the Administrator He's just having Poltergeist deposit several advanced mechanics books into Remnans quarters @mechinations.bsky.social

( Right... It's just a joke. She's always making jokes like that, even if they're not funny. He tugs at his sleeve anxiously. ) I... I'm sorry. I'm just... Not good with those kinds of jokes.

—A-AH, no! I'm not! D-don't say stuff like that!

( Weird... Colorful...? Oh. Oh no. ) ... Um ... A-alright ... I guess it wouldn't hurt...? ( Reluctantly, he takes her pinky with his own. )

( He's looking frantically about the hallway, as if there was even the slightest chance she was talking to anyone else. ) Um... Me...? Why...? I mean, I... I won't be much help in the discussions... I'd probably drag you down...

// This is the trick. If I agree is it a silly fun time with SQ or do I instantly enter the nightmare realm? You never know.

( Pacing back and forth in the hallway ) It never ends........

Stop saying hole.

Raqio was wrong. Being more social actually makes everything worse.

... Why is this happening to him.

// That fulfills my Remnan art obligations, therefore, I will now proceed to spam the timeline again.

// He's got this 'wet dog in the rain' energy to him that's a bit hard to pin down.

"..." He's going to... Let Lep get it out of his system. When the shouting stops, he resumes the conversation as though nothing happened. "I just discovered magic was real, uh... A few days ago, so... But, um... Everything has rules. E-even things that seem like they don't make sense." ↷

// Remnan's hair pisses me off, but I'm determined to figure it out.

chained to this fear that i will never find a way to heal my soul.

no visible difference existed between murderous intent and feelings of deep compassion.

He frowns. "It's not a game." This is his life—the lives of everyone aboard the ship. He can hardly work up the anger, so he resigns to grief instead. "J-just let me know if you start wanting to kill everyone aboard the ship."

"Um... I guess..." Notably, he does not share his name. Meeting so many people in such a short span of time, it's beginning to fry his final nerve. "You probably want to know where you are... W-welcome to the D.Q.O."

"Th-that's right. Because we don't know where you came from... Or when you boarded the ship... We can't rule out gnosia infection." He grips tightly both sides of his collar. 'Don't make me regret this.' Those were his earlier words to Majora. "S-so I'm taking a big risk hiding you like this."

He shakes his head. "Sorry... That's why I'm trying not to get you involved. If... If anyone else notices you're here, they'll want to... Uh... Put you through the same trials as everyone else."

// Trying to exactly put into words how Remnan would feel about AI is a bit difficult to me. I know he thinks highly about them, and likely puts them on the same ground as everyone else. It's more "trust" that I'm trying to figure out. How much he trusts robots compared to everyone else.

"I'm... unsure how important... Knowing is. We have a clear objective, so..."

"I... I don't know, actually."

This guy really doesn't know anything. "A... A human who has been infected by 'Gnos,' and... Now seeks to eliminate humans."

"I suppose I'm... More like an independent contractor. For my last job, I worked maintenance for... Several decades, actually. I've been living... And working alongside machines for most my life. ... I'm actually, uh... Out of work right now. I... I should probably address that eventually..."

... Would ... Anyone even care what I have to say ...?

// People following me just for Remnan content are insane. I'll make some art eventually.

Remnan blinks at the newcomer, mid-bite into his ramen. He doesn't lower his chopsticks, frozen in several seconds of shock. ... Has this person been here the whole time? Eating in front of someone is too awkward, so he finally puts his food down. "Um... Are you... Lost...?"

He lets out a sigh relief seeing he won't be forced into combat. As Lep speaks, Remnan's gaze eventually drifts off. At the same time, he makes several small movements with his hands, many of which look like he's counting. "Okay, I think I understand." He takes this chance to look Lep's jetpack ↷

⠀ ⠀YES I SAID NYA WHO CARES.

// Really enjoying the bickering in the other room about who's scaring Remnan too much. He's got his headphones on and is not listening.

"G-genocide? A-and who are your enemies, exactly—? Um, p-please don't get the wrong idea, I'm not... I'm not trying to get involved with an all out war or anything! I'm really not good with stuff like that!" He frantically waves his hands about. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken up at all?! ↷

"I... I see... So even somewhere like this, it's not truly peaceful. I guess I expected that." He sits down onto his bed and is slowly consumed by the depth of his mattress. The universe was crueler than originally anticipated. "... Maybe, once this is all over, you can meet LeVi."

Possibly the worst meeting of all time.

"What's a goat?"

That's a giant robot bull.

"Oh. H-hello Lep, Explorer of the Infinite Multiverse. My name is Remnan, I'm... A... Traveling maintenance technician. I mostly specialize in interstellar crafts and artificial intelligence. My interest in your suit is— I... I dunno, I was just kind of curious."

"Um... If you don't mind... Can I take a look at your suit?"

There it is again: the absurdity. Artificial souls? Weapons? His closest approximation is a militant religion. What he presumes is rather violent and gruesome, but the imagery of Majora's home is paradoxically peaceful. Primitive was the correct word, but he's not callous enough to say that out ↷

"It's become overrun with Gnosia. W-we narrowly escaped aboard this ship. That's why... I was confused. I thought you had boarded with everyone else." World has such a broad definition, it's not unusual for someone to born from 'another world.' Remnan doesn't fully understand that Majora is an ↷

"I-it's, uh... There's a lot of people there. There's supposed to be a lot of shops and stuff, but I didn't..." He lowers his head. "I didn't leave the ship, so I don't really know. Liu-An... It's gone now, anyway. N-nobody can return there again."

... He can't ask LeVi to lock the door without alerting her to Majora, but if he stands outside, someone will notice him. And if he's on the ship, then... Remnan shakes his head. "If you stay, I'll talk to you." That's the best compromise. At the very least, SQ can't corner him if he's not alone.

He retracts the arm covering his eyes for a moment, then points to the last room on the right.