( closed ) life like the unplumbed sea;

[transmit]

WHO: Elysium & friends(?)
WHAT: This is now just a catch-all for everything
WHERE: Everywhere
WHEN: 2024
WARNINGS: Blanket warning for possible explorations of dark themes in general, please tread at your own risk. I will, however, endeavour to include specifics in headers if applicable.

Comments

[enkefailin]

[i said so on plurk already but placing this here for both of our reference... give me the II option and make netzach a lop rabbit. furry that robot. let him see how things suck in your world, buddy.]

[transmit]

[ Elysium is no Cautus, but there's a commonality between many of the ones that have found residence in Rhodes Island, at least of those who hail from Rim Billiton. A story concocted from Elysium's own memories of what he's seen and heard of their circumstances, nestled amidst rugged terrain, Netzach will find himself in one of its mines, surrounded by peers of his age and younger.

He may realise he's "lucky." Instead of being equipped with a pickaxe, armed with explosives, or made to drive carts towing loads of black ore by the tonnes, he's a safe distance away from the brunt of the work, clipboard in hand in full protective attire. More precisely, it appears "he" had been inspecting the health of these workers, their life expectancies in full display before his eyes. Not many of them will have many years to live if they have any left at all. They spare the occasional furtive glace in his direction. They do not look unwilling, necessarily, but they do appear to bear an exhaustion that's beyond physical. As covered up as they are, there's no hiding the peeks of black crystals on their skin, some more overt than others, spanning entire sections of it or simply dotting along the lines of their necks.

A voice will supply: who'd want to work in a mine willingly? Rim Billiton may employ Infected unlike most other territories, but work such as this couldn't be considered a grace when it all but guarantees a shorter life. The dream shifts to similar fraught conditions in Infected losing work merely because they've developed the ailment, clinics they'd once been accepted at turning them away, and fellow citizens withdrawing from being in proximity, their glances anything but friendly. And yet again, this is considered "kinder," as they're at least permitted to exist in the same space they've always had.

The final cut before the memory settles might be, "Look, I'm just as upset as you that your parents died… but dying of work-related illnesses is how it is around these parts. You have it easy here. Why do you have to go?" Another story, unfortunately, that isn't terribly uncommon amongst the uninfected Cautus in Rhodes Island. The desire for change. For improvement. ]

… Welcome aboard. [ Before him is Elysium, standing bent at his knees with his hand extended out, presumably for him to take to climb into their vehicle. His smile is complicated. ] I heard you wanted wanted to join the research team. They do some pretty incredible stuff! You must be a smart guy.

[enkefailin]

[just how it is around these parts...

well, that might be true. it rings true with what netzach has always known in his actual life, too-- all of this does, making it easy enough to fall into place in this dream. day in and day out, things are the same; people suffer, and are told they're lucky for it (lucky to work here, to be in this position, despite everything).

when netzach blinks and opens his eyes once more, looking at the hand offered out to him, he takes it without much expression at all, gripping elysium's hand so he can climb up.]

Well... I guess I wouldn't expect too much. [he says with a little shake of his head, long ears swaying.] Not that special or anything.

[transmit]

Perhaps not, but every bit helps. Rhodes Island wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for everyone who'd believed it from the beginning.

[ The vehicle starts, and Elysium's gaze is fixed on the figures that appear to watch Netzach go. Family, it looks like, but also, miners—perhaps ones their newest operator had tended to before, perhaps not. Him being beloved is possible, but their envy reads clear as day.

If it weren't for the politics of it, Rhodes Island could've very well taken them in, too. Elysium's expression is briefly complicated before he refocuses his attention back on Netzach and returns to its usual form. ]

We'll have to make one rest stop before we make it to HQ proper. [ He sits back. Threads his hands on his lap. ] Operator Elysium, by the way. Pick out a codename for yourself, yet?

[enkefailin]

[netzach's gaze is fixed on them, too. they watch him leave, and he peers back, a little concern creeping into his tired expression; even if this is for the best, he's still the one leaving them behind. leaving them to it all.

it takes a second to pull his attention back to elysium, and he settles into place, slouching into his seat.]

Elysium, huh...? I wasn't really thinking about that yet for myself.

[for a few seconds he's quiet again, after that admission, but after a little contemplation:]

...Enkephalins have similar properties to opiates. They're neurotransmitters in the brain linked to the sensory input of pain, and emotional behavior.

[transmit]

[ Codenames were interesting things.

They could tell you everything about an operator, or they could tell you nothing at all. One might label themselves in such a way to remind them of what they've committed their life to, whereas another might just pick their favourite word from a dictionary or the first one that comes to mind. Then, there were those who opt not to choose one entirely, leaving it to Rhodes Island to assign them one as they will.

But 'enkephalin,' huh. A word he's never heard of. Based off the description he's given, he can wager a guess as to which category this particular operator might fall under. He'll keep it to himself. ]

Is that your subject of research? Neurology? You might say you aren't anything much, but that's impressive to me.

[enkefailin]

Kinda. I was studying...

[it almost feels silly to say out loud. the ones who wanted him to stay didn't think much of it, even when he tried to insist it might help them. that's all he's ever really wanted to do, even if his motivations in the beginning were slightly more selfish.

his fingers thread into a lock of long hair, idly winding and unwinding it. there's a slight stiffness to his fingers, if elysium observes the motion.]

I... thought that if we can't cure it so far, I wanted to help manage it. Find ways to counteract symptoms without relying on... there's stuff you can't do if you're on high enough dosages of certain meds.

['do not operate heavy machinery or drive', etcetera... and then there's the corollary to that, which is that if you're unable to do certain things without alleviating the symptoms but also unable to do them when you are trying to treat them, where do you end up?]

But even if I ended up with a working theory on alternative methods, I wouldn't know how to make something to do it... and it's all theory, anyway. I can't do anything with it.

[transmit]

[ Elysium is an observant guy by nature, aided by his own physiology making it easier to note minute details in facial expressions and body language. It's not as if he's intending to vet this new operator or anything, born out of a genuine desire to get to know others—but there is a nagging feeling in the back of his head that suggests he should have something of a vested interest, here… but from where? And why?

The only way to answer the questions would be to pursue them himself. ]

Not many things have been achieved by a single man alone. And even then, the same achievements have always been improved upon by the efforts of others. To even try to make advances in that field… it's a lot of trial and error. A lot of required resilience. Definitely not for everyone.

[ Netzach might be able to glean something of admiration, though he knows it isn't that simple. He gets it. ]

So, [ … ] where does this leave you now?

[ my important netzach lore… i'll advance this into something more intense later, trust ]