[Scooting through the door, he moves his way into the room without a hint of displeasure towards the man's shy demeanor. Smile met with one of his own, the teasing tone is noted. It's a detective prince's duty to make others feel comfortable. It's what he's supposed to do, so it's how he will be.
Inigo has information. He needs to keep this amenable.]
I'll keep that in mind, but you should know not many would offer time in their home to a relative stranger, for tea or otherwise. I find that admirable of you - of course, that's not me tacking on compliments. It's a genuine observation I wanted to point out is all.
[ Inigo has to duck his head for a moment, like the compliment - or genuine observation, as the other himself puts it - seems to be just a little bit too much for him. He's dealing with it though, if not just by instead busying himself with pouring both of them a cup of tea like a proper host and sitting down. ]
Well.. thank you, in that case. [ It's not like he can deny the other a genuine observation, after all. Even if it does fluster Inigo. ] As for why I called you here.. I am sure you must have noticed as well that everything and everyone around town seems quite strange lately.
[ The other is smart, after all. Inigo thinks he seems smart. Not to mention that you'd practically have to be a real idiot to not notice it anyway, since the sudden change in behaviour the locals are having is so big that you'd have to go out of your way to not notice.
And said change is worrying enough to Inigo that he just really wanted to talk about it with someone. And considering the interest he expressed in talking about matters of this place before, Akechi seemed like the perfect choice for it. ]
It reminds me a little of when they all got brainwashed a while ago.
[ The boy frowns as he says that. Clearly he isn't recalling the situation as a very pleasant one - just like this one isn't. It makes him slowly shake his head. ]
But it's still different. They don't seem to be under the influence of anything right now. Or.. if they are, then whatever that 'anything' is isn't showing themselves. [ Whereas the mind flayers definitely were showing themselves back then. Hell, even back home it was never too hard to find out who was behind something, in Inigo's experience. ] It's almost more as if they're.. broken, somehow.
[ He looks over at Akechi, giving the other a half-apologetic case. ]
Though that is a strange thing to say in this case, right? We are talking about people, after all. [ And people don't break.
Yet it's somehow the impression they give off now. Like the locals can't understand anything anymore. Like they keep falling into the same mindless patterns. ]
[Brainwashing? An interesting connection to an event he didn't experience. The tea is a delicious buffer, as the man states his thoughts. Decent ones. Broken an apt description he ponders with a thoughtful hum behind his cup.]
No, it's not strange at all. Erratic behavior isn't uncommon - if they had a mental shutdown or a psychotic break, all of these factors begin to make sense. They could be 'broken' as you put it.
[His persona, Loki, has an ability to cause it. Another person could have a similar skill they pulled back from the crystal. Vaeros or a part of the core group controlling this place may be privy to that power and exploiting it. A dangerous scenario and-
[ There's a slight nod from Inigo at the question, though the boy obviously looks a little bit uncomfortable as he's describing it. It's not a deep kind of discomfort, but it's because he's attempting to cover up at least some of it, not wanting to seem so unsettled about it in front of someone else.
Not even for the sake of Inigo's own pride, mind you. It's more that he's worried Akechi might become paranoid about his stay in this place if Inigo portrays this badly enough, and he doesn't want Akechi to have to worry. It doesn't matter that Inigo may not know him super well yet - he still can't help but want to look out for the other. For everyone. ]
There were these.. these beings. [ He starts to explain, clearly having trouble even finding the right words. ] I have never seen anything like them before. They looked like people, except their heads were almost more like-- like some sort of creature you might find in the sea.
[ He shakes his head. ]
They appeared all of a sudden, and they had the ability to make any of us or the local townspeople fall under their thrall. You would just completely forget any sense of who you are.
[Neutral - he takes the information with a long sip of tea. The information is vital, and important. Brainwashing and thralls don't go beyond the nature of the place, given how they were forced to partake in this whole nightmare to begin with. If he had Call of Chaos, it's an ability he could dish right back to this shitty world.]
That's frightening and a rather aggressive foe for our captor to allow. Of course, perhaps he's trying to figure out the extent of control he can lord over us by using other creatures to test us.
[Ah, what a disaster. His gaze rises up to the ceiling in thought before returning back to Inigo.]
Maybe one day Vaeros himself will try his hand at brainwashing every single person here.
... that's not exactly a great thing to think about. [ He slowly admits.
Inigo would prefer being positive, after all. It's his entire goal in life to be as optimistic as possible around other people in an attempt to give them hope, to allow them to keep going and smiling. But how can he spin such a frightening idea into something positive? It feels impossible, especially with how little they were able to do to break out of the mind control those creatures had.
And if their power was already so strong - then how much greater must Vaeros' be, when he brought those creatures here in the first place? ]
Perhaps we should have some sort of plan in place. [ Maybe that's the only positive thought he can have right now. They have to make sure to be prepared. That's something they can do. ] Just in case we notice any signs of such a thing happening. I wouldn't want to allow him to just do such a thing.
[Akechi has a solid plan for that one - an instantaneous and vicious attack on the labyrinth and the ivory tower Vaeros hides in.
But it's not one he can utter to a relative stranger who has a particular image of him. Inigo has been a valuable observer - he can't risk losing that source. ]
It may be difficult to concoct a plan of that nature, but I trust your tenure here will serve to be 'a canary in the mine' so to speak. If there are signs or trends, I imagine you can note them faster than I can. Working off that assumption-
[One leg crosses over the other - with brainwashing and forced control, the effect may be rapid. It could be as simple as washing people in ailment guards, or as complicated as fortifying the mind.]
Let me think on it. If you don't mind, I would like to come to you on the matter when I have my own first hand experience with the world to reflect on. It's a bad habit of mine to be skeptical until I witness it.
[ Inigo blinks a little, like he's surprised by what the other is saying. Not utterly shocked, but it seems like some part of it managed to catch him off guard anyway. Maybe it's Akechi's intelligence. Inigo may be hanging out often with people smarter than him, but it has more to do with Inigo's baseline intelligence not being all that high than it has to do with those other people actually being smart or not. So Akechi definitely stands out to him as someone who seems exceptionally smart.
Especially with the way he's talking now. ]
Of course. [ Inigo says once he gets over the momentary surprise. ] I don't mind at all. I wouldn't want you to feel like you're being forced into making any plan up on the spot. Especially about something this important.
[ He shakes his head. He knows he'd be pretty hard pressed himself if someone told him to think up a plan right now. ]
.. I must apologize if I seemed a little too hasty. [ He offers - a slight smile, and some genuine apologetic signs in his gaze. ] It's just that I've been a little worried about the possibility of this happening again ever since it first occurred. It would have terrible effects on this place, after all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thank you for being so patient!!!!
Inigo has information. He needs to keep this amenable.]
I'll keep that in mind, but you should know not many would offer time in their home to a relative stranger, for tea or otherwise. I find that admirable of you - of course, that's not me tacking on compliments. It's a genuine observation I wanted to point out is all.
no subject
[ Inigo has to duck his head for a moment, like the compliment - or genuine observation, as the other himself puts it - seems to be just a little bit too much for him. He's dealing with it though, if not just by instead busying himself with pouring both of them a cup of tea like a proper host and sitting down. ]
Well.. thank you, in that case. [ It's not like he can deny the other a genuine observation, after all. Even if it does fluster Inigo. ] As for why I called you here.. I am sure you must have noticed as well that everything and everyone around town seems quite strange lately.
[ The other is smart, after all. Inigo thinks he seems smart. Not to mention that you'd practically have to be a real idiot to not notice it anyway, since the sudden change in behaviour the locals are having is so big that you'd have to go out of your way to not notice.
And said change is worrying enough to Inigo that he just really wanted to talk about it with someone. And considering the interest he expressed in talking about matters of this place before, Akechi seemed like the perfect choice for it. ]
no subject
[Tea and cookies laid out on the table, it feels bizarre - like he's in an old friend's home, despite never having the experience to fall back on.
He settles in his chair - confident and content.]
I've been caught in many loops and been witness to some severe situations regarding the locals. Having them turn on us so viscerally is concerning.
no subject
[ The boy frowns as he says that. Clearly he isn't recalling the situation as a very pleasant one - just like this one isn't. It makes him slowly shake his head. ]
But it's still different. They don't seem to be under the influence of anything right now. Or.. if they are, then whatever that 'anything' is isn't showing themselves. [ Whereas the mind flayers definitely were showing themselves back then. Hell, even back home it was never too hard to find out who was behind something, in Inigo's experience. ] It's almost more as if they're.. broken, somehow.
[ He looks over at Akechi, giving the other a half-apologetic case. ]
Though that is a strange thing to say in this case, right? We are talking about people, after all. [ And people don't break.
Yet it's somehow the impression they give off now. Like the locals can't understand anything anymore. Like they keep falling into the same mindless patterns. ]
no subject
No, it's not strange at all. Erratic behavior isn't uncommon - if they had a mental shutdown or a psychotic break, all of these factors begin to make sense. They could be 'broken' as you put it.
[His persona, Loki, has an ability to cause it. Another person could have a similar skill they pulled back from the crystal. Vaeros or a part of the core group controlling this place may be privy to that power and exploiting it. A dangerous scenario and-
It makes this situation a bit more dire.]
Can you tell me more about the brainwashing?
no subject
Not even for the sake of Inigo's own pride, mind you. It's more that he's worried Akechi might become paranoid about his stay in this place if Inigo portrays this badly enough, and he doesn't want Akechi to have to worry. It doesn't matter that Inigo may not know him super well yet - he still can't help but want to look out for the other. For everyone. ]
There were these.. these beings. [ He starts to explain, clearly having trouble even finding the right words. ] I have never seen anything like them before. They looked like people, except their heads were almost more like-- like some sort of creature you might find in the sea.
[ He shakes his head. ]
They appeared all of a sudden, and they had the ability to make any of us or the local townspeople fall under their thrall. You would just completely forget any sense of who you are.
no subject
That's frightening and a rather aggressive foe for our captor to allow. Of course, perhaps he's trying to figure out the extent of control he can lord over us by using other creatures to test us.
[Ah, what a disaster. His gaze rises up to the ceiling in thought before returning back to Inigo.]
Maybe one day Vaeros himself will try his hand at brainwashing every single person here.
no subject
Inigo would prefer being positive, after all. It's his entire goal in life to be as optimistic as possible around other people in an attempt to give them hope, to allow them to keep going and smiling. But how can he spin such a frightening idea into something positive? It feels impossible, especially with how little they were able to do to break out of the mind control those creatures had.
And if their power was already so strong - then how much greater must Vaeros' be, when he brought those creatures here in the first place? ]
Perhaps we should have some sort of plan in place. [ Maybe that's the only positive thought he can have right now. They have to make sure to be prepared. That's something they can do. ] Just in case we notice any signs of such a thing happening. I wouldn't want to allow him to just do such a thing.
no subject
But it's not one he can utter to a relative stranger who has a particular image of him. Inigo has been a valuable observer - he can't risk losing that source. ]
It may be difficult to concoct a plan of that nature, but I trust your tenure here will serve to be 'a canary in the mine' so to speak. If there are signs or trends, I imagine you can note them faster than I can. Working off that assumption-
[One leg crosses over the other - with brainwashing and forced control, the effect may be rapid. It could be as simple as washing people in ailment guards, or as complicated as fortifying the mind.]
Let me think on it. If you don't mind, I would like to come to you on the matter when I have my own first hand experience with the world to reflect on. It's a bad habit of mine to be skeptical until I witness it.
no subject
Especially with the way he's talking now. ]
Of course. [ Inigo says once he gets over the momentary surprise. ] I don't mind at all. I wouldn't want you to feel like you're being forced into making any plan up on the spot. Especially about something this important.
[ He shakes his head. He knows he'd be pretty hard pressed himself if someone told him to think up a plan right now. ]
.. I must apologize if I seemed a little too hasty. [ He offers - a slight smile, and some genuine apologetic signs in his gaze. ] It's just that I've been a little worried about the possibility of this happening again ever since it first occurred. It would have terrible effects on this place, after all.