s p a c e || open
designedinterior:
The wariness was mutual. Riley didnât know what Jericho could be capable of. Appearances could be deceiving, and she had no intention of trusting someone who led a successful career revolving around pretending to be someone theyâre not.
But. Maybe the coldness was unwarranted. They werenât supposed to be enemies. People deserved second chances. Or maybe she was still bitter about the actorâs apparent inability to take anything seriously. Hiding evidence was not funny, no matter what they said. That trial had been awful. Every trial had been awful. And the dodgeball game â she couldnât even recall exactly what it was that they had said at the end that had made her so angry, but she remembered that they wouldnât stop talking.
No longer piloted, the recently respawned Galaga ship exploded again in a burst of pixels. Her anger vanished along with it â what was the point? - and she was just. so. tired.
âI donât take naps.â Old habit. Sleeping during the day had always messed up her sleep cycle. Or at least that had been the case the last time sheâd taken a nap, which was around⌠eight or so years ago? âWrong kind of tired, anyway.â
She shook her head and pointed at one of the smashed arcade machines, reverting to her usual businesslike tone. âKey eight was over there. Illegible note. Opened an operating room, cabinets were locked, nothing useful. You?â
Jericho bounces on their heels, seemingly incorrigible as ever, though they donât bounce quite as high, or as often, or as quickly, at the moment, at least. Maybe the riddle game took more out of them than they would admit. Maybe.Â
They can feel the... not hostility, not really, not yet, but there is definitely tension, more so on Rileyâs part than theirs, they might add! Sure, Riley could strike them dead at any time, but would she do it? ... Maybe! Who knows, they donât know her that well. But a van Halen shaped smudge on the ground would be pretty damning on her part, huh? So probably not! Probably.
The actor watches idly as the spaceship dies, or... whatever. Did she lose a life? Was that how it worked? If only it were so easy to keep going here, huh. Though... judging by some of the files theyâd found, wasnât that what Leroy, and Ellen, and whatever other scientists had done? Mattiâs mother hadnât worked out, so they took him. Apolloâs sister, Calicoâs brother... extras. Like in a movie. They almost frown at the thought. Almost.Â
âWell, itâs not a bad time to start! Our rooms are one of the few places here weâre safe, you know!â Pause. âUnless you have a roommate, I suppose. Whoâs yours? Or was, perhaps. I donât know!â They just sort of, stop, falling still. âAh, tired as in âfed upâ, I see! Hm. Iâm, aha, really sorry. Really.â
They perk up slightly at the question, however. âWell! Well, well, well! I have to say, my searches were much more fruitful! Searches, I might add! ... ... I stole Ayumuâs riddle, aha. But! Miss Kerry and myself ran off and... well, I donât remember the exact room or keys, exactly, but it doesnât matter!! What we found was... shocking, really!â Their face actually shifts into a serious expression. âRecords. Of experimentation. On our... ah... biological relatives. And adopted, in some cases! But... I donât recall seeing your name, if thatâs any comfort? Well, there was one that may have been yours, but... I donât know! I donât have them on me. We can go look if youâd like, but they were quite gruesome! ... Quite.â
The reiteration is deliberate. âAnd what Miss Xue and I found in the other room was... well, even worse, somehow! Clawmarks into the metal, blood, everywhere! A rainbow of it, in fact. There was something written on the walls as well, something along the lines of âshe said she was on our side but she just watched. sheâs not one of usâ. I wonder who âsheâ is, but more importantly, I may have evidence...!â They whip out a photograph, exceedingly blurry, of something that has glowing eyes, fur, and fangs. âI found this by a preserved brain,â they inform her glibly.Â










