What is Love? [Valentine's Date Event]

[fabricaketions]

It's shaping up to be another average day on the Transmigration 9. Crew members are going about their business as usual and all is (to most appearances, at least) about as "well" as things ever are on the ship.

Some crew members are going to be stopped out of the blue by impact with a force field.

"Attention Crewmen: You have been chosen to participate in an experiment!" GLaDOS's voice informs. They're not alone, someone else that was nearby is also caught within the same narrow radius. "Participation is mandatory. Please try to relax and enjoy the experience, as this will improve the quality of the test results."

Clearly this is going to be a wonderful day for science.

"You and your new scientific partner are now on a date," GLaDOS goes on. "As it would be detrimental to our study of the date experience if you were to be separated, you must remain close to your partner for the duration of the experiment. This will be enforced with the Transmigration 9 Crewman Containment Field. Prolonged exposure to the Transmigration 9 Crewman Containment Field may have unexpected side-effects. While any side-effects encountered will be documented and your desire to offer yourself to science is commendable, it is not a necessary part of this experiment."

"You will be informed when the test has been completed. We would like to thank you in advance for your full cooperation in the experiment and failure to attempt to foil it in any way."

"The experiment has begun, so you may begin dating."

[OOC: The exact details of your characters' confinement are up to players' discretion. Being trapped in a sensorium or other stationary place is a possibility, as is being stuck in a sort of roving invisible force field hamster ball that only affects the two of you. How far partners can move apart is probably subject to whatever's fun but they ideally shouldn't be able to sit on opposite sides of a room ignoring one another the whole time.

ICly the "test" lasts for a few hours and you are free to godmode GLaDOS telling them the experiment is finished.

If you would like a few tags from GLaDOS herself in your thread, ping me on this account or plurk or AIM or whatever is most convenient for you. :)]

Comments

Re: SIRIUS/ROGER

[first_of_steel]

"What in the name of-" Roger stared up at the ceiling, trying to find the speakers. "All right, who did that? Someone mind telling me what's going on this time?"

Typo fix

[grimbiker]

"That would be GLaDOS." Sirius said calmly. "Nasty creature. Loves making you solve puzzles and never gives you any cake. I think she's some kind of muggle technology gone wrong."

As he spoke he sized Roger up again. He had to wonder if GLaDOS had thrown them, two men, together for a reason or if she was just teasing him. It was most likely the latter.

[first_of_steel]

"It did sound like a machine voice," Roger said. "Guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. A place this size was bound to have an overintelligent robot or mainframe sooner or later."

"Wonder if she's even clear on the concept of how dates work."

[grimbiker]

"I hope not. I never kiss on the first date unless there's dinner involved and I'd hate for her to insist that I break that tradition." He smiled to show that he was joking.

[first_of_steel]

Roger snorted. "Wouldn't happen anyway. I don't date anybody who uses the same locker room as me." He glanced up again at the ceiling. "Interfering experimental computers notwithstanding."

[grimbiker]

That answered that.

"Glad we're on the same page. As long as she doesn't throw a Basilisk our way we should be fine. And even if she did, well that'd just make things interesting." He grinned.

That would probably make for the best date he'd every been on, now that he thought about it. Even if he had no interest in the other person.

[first_of_steel]

"There isn't much room in here," Roger observed, reaching out to plink a finger off the nearest forcefield. "That'd be one squashed-up snake. Don't suppose you've still got that sword on you? That was one hell of a pigsticker."

[grimbiker]

Sirius shook his head. "Sadly, no. It's a priceless artifact from my world and I- well, I would have let possessing it go to my head." And he honestly didn't trust himself with it, or much of anything anymore. "I won't lie. I was sorely tempted to keep it."

[first_of_steel]

"Don't blame you. Even not knowing what it was, I'd've wanted to keep it around," Roger said. "And I'm not even a blade kind of person. Are they common where you come from- swords, I mean?"

[grimbiker]

"Not very. We mostly use wands- well, the wizards do. The muggles have guns but I've never seen anything like that- what did you call it? Laser rifle of yours." That made even him jealous for a moment.

[first_of_steel]

Roger's mouth quirked a bit at that. "Those were standard issue in my unit," he said. "I was in the army, about twenty years before I got taken onto this ship. Most soldiers used regular guns or other weapons, but I was stationed at a research facility where they were developing things like that laser rifle, so they made sure each of us got them to use instead."

"Can't say I ever encountered anybody who struck me as seeming like a wizard before, though. Even on this ship, you're the first."

[grimbiker]

"Ah, well then it's good you started with me. You've met the best wizard here. And the most conceited." Sirius laughed and shook his head. "My best friend is here, so is my godson and a friend of his. They're all brilliant- just don't tell them I said so."

[first_of_steel]

"I'll keep that in mind," said Roger. "I seem to recall you mentioning some names when Marco did that shape-changing trick of his. Was that them?"

[grimbiker]

"Ah," Sirius thought back. "I believe Marco asked if I was from Harry's world, which I am. He's my godson. Great boy- man now." That was something he still had to process. But there Sirius was about to go on bragging about him again.

"If I mentioned anyone it was probably them. I don't know very many people here yet, except for the people who went on the modeling mission."

[first_of_steel]

Roger nodded. "Haven't met too many people here myself, at least partly thanks to getting shunted into that part of the ship just after being let out of the pods," he said. "Two from my world, but... they're from two hundred years after my time, the both of them. Don't know how that works. Not sure I want to know."

[grimbiker]

Sirius let out a low whistle. "I thought I was behind when everyone from my world is at least twelve years ahead of me but two hundred years. Now that's a real difference."

[first_of_steel]

One side of Roger's mouth twitched. "Turns out they're both members of an organization I founded, too," he says. "Which just makes things weirder all around. We're going to need to sit down and have a very long talk very soon- sometime after this so-called 'date' is over, obviously."

[grimbiker]

"You should order them around some. Tell them to grab you a beer or two. All in good fun." Sirius winked. "Speaking of, we might as well have a good time ourselves. Do you think GLaDOS will let us go anywhere?"

[first_of_steel]

"Don't know. When the AIs back home went off their rockers they usually just wound up repeating things to themselves," said Roger. "Then again, this one doesn't seem completely insane, just... really, really wrong. Maybe if we asked."

[grimbiker]

"One way to find out. What about it, GLaDOS? I can have this make for one interesting experiment."

[fabricaketions]

"The Containment Field is portable," she chimed in after several seconds of delay.

"It is currently only programmed to prevent separation."

[first_of_steel]

"Huh," said Roger. "Is there anywhere around here that has actual beer, or would we have to go to the Sensoriums and have the place fake it up?"

[grimbiker]

"There's the Drunken Dragon. I haven't been there yet. But there's also a beer tree in hydroponics. Actual beer inside a can." He would pause there and let that information sink in.

[first_of_steel]

Silence.

More silence.

Then: "What level of genetic engineering did they have to do in order to induce a tree to produce pods like that?"

And, after a little bit more: "Is it any good?"

[grimbiker]

"I prefer firewhiskey and it's not butterbeer but it gets the job done." Sirius shrugged. Then he paused but curiosity got the better of him. "What's genetic engineering?"