Icy Veins-Full » Places

         Cecil stayed at the back of the group still. He didn't mind just watching people, in fact, he enjoyed it. In a way, it made him feel a little more normal, watching them for their strengths, their flaws, everything he wished he knew about himself. At the least, he could enjoy their normalcy rather than beat himself up for things he couldn't control. The latter tended to happen a lot it would seem.

The group he found himself was a bit of an odd one, but then again, he was a part of it so it seemed odd by default. The oldest looking girl, one of the more outspoken people, seemed to be a flirt. The fact that she was wearing a uniform that seemed maybe a bit too small for her probably helped that along a bit. Then another, wearing a hat. At first, Cecil thought it was another girl, but he caught bits and pieces of their conversation that pointed to the fact that she was in fact a he. Next came the girl with black hair. She seemed a bit like him, though more... down perhaps? In any case, she didn't seem happy to keep company with anyone here. Cecil couldn't fault her as far as he was concerned. He'd agreed a long time ago that he wasn't the best person to hang around with either. Afterwards came another blonde boy, this one looking like he'd just come out of a work out and only had a scarf to stick on besides that. "He's probably strong. But he doesn't look too mean. That's good. Good." Lastly, besides Cecil himself, was a girl that looked like a child. He would've sworn that'd it'd be teenagers only today but maybe she was older than she looked.

As his assessments came to a close, a gentleman in a lab coat emerged from the building. After a bit of talking that Cecil still couldn't hear entirely over his music there was the universal 'follow me' hand wave and the group went inside, Cecil taking up the rear. His hands slowly raised and plucked his ear buds out as he was separated from the others in a corridor. Following a lab coat into a room, he noticed what seemed to be a surgery table and tools nearby. "Uhm, excuse me, doctor?" He began asking the nearest scientist. "What is this all about now?" The doctor turned, a gas mask in hand and a pleasant smile. "Why nothing more than a physical and some blood samples dear Cecil. It's just so much easier with you out like a light. We know you've never really liked needles. Just sit back and relax." His question satisfied for the moment, Cecil did as he was told and was out like a light in no time.

A few hours passed before Cecil's eyes opened, greeted by nothing more than an empty room, a glass of water with two pain killers next to it on the table near him. Then he was met with the pain. He normally had headaches when he woke up, but not this bad. His hand reached around to the back of his head where a finger just ever so slightly rubbed across something cold. Deciding he was just a bit delusional from the gas still, he sat up and took the pain killers, hoping he hadn't missed too much of the day. "How was your nap Mr. Rhodes? I hope your head isn't hurting too much. Please don't do too much bouncing around for a while if you can help it." The same scientist approached him from outside the room, carrying his bag and inside it, his computer. "Here you go. You're free to test the new game now if you'd like but I must warn you, you'll need this plugged into, well you." He stated as he handed Cecil a two pronged cord. Suddenly he realized. The gas, the metallic feeling in the back of his head, the surgery table. They'd turned him into a computer and the jack was right under his hair. His hand shot up to the back of his head but stopped the moment the scientist started to speak again. "Ah ah ah! Don't touch it! You don't want to hurt yourself! Now I know you have some questions, but please, they will all be answered in time. Please try out the game, the others will be joining you shortly."Seeing no alternative, Cecil reluctantly took the cable and held one end while the scientist outfitted the other end to... "To me." The scientist was right however, as Cecil heard what little clamor from the other rooms die down. The others would be joining in soon no doubt.

         

Rhoda had been busying herself with sizing up the lab, trying to ignore the clumsy idiots faffing about a short distance away while she searched for any sort of prominent entrance or noticeable individual who might have been there to lead them inside so that they could actually get down to whatever business they were supposed to be doing as beta testers. Consequently, however, she hadn't been paying much attention to the people currently arriving at the front of the laboratory. Because of this, she only noticed the boy who had tentatively come up behind her, tapping lightly on her shoulder to get her attention.

Suffice to say, the boy got exactly what he'd hoped for, and more.

The instant that the boy's hand touched Rhoda's shoulder, she abruptly stiffened, eyes snapping fully open as she went rigid for a moment. Instinctively, her hand snapped up, slapping aside the boy's offending finger as, rapidly, Rhoda spun halfway about on the ball of her foot, drawing back her arm and swiftly raising it before her as though she was preparing to strike whoever had just touched her, no matter who it might be. For a moment, she glared icily at the boy, and if looks could kill, her harsh, piercing gaze most certainly would have done so. In another second, however, her pale features seemed to compose themselves, and the violent, defensive expression she had held swiftly lapsed back into a featureless, calm mask. Yet, this wasn't to say that her expression softened - far from it. Her narrowed eyes, pursed lips, and otherwise blank countenance displayed no emotion save, perhaps, vague distaste and irritation, her gaze still seeming as though it would pierce right through the boy upon whom its full chill was directed. And, being on the receiving end of that expression, especially after having seen Rhoda's surprisingly violent reaction to being touched just a moment before, there could be no doubting who exactly that irritability was being directed towards.

That's odd. He's only as tall as I am. And yet, the requirement age for participating in a part-time job like this is 16, isn't it? If that's the case, he must be at least as old as me. Well, I guess it's not that unusual. Sheesh. Look at him, though. Painfully forced smile, stutter, nervous expression... And this is the first person who comes to talk to me? That's... surprising. Was I giving a weird expression, or something? Usually someone like this would probably be scared off before he could even approach me. Maybe it's just because I had my back to him, and everyone else was busy falling on their asses? That's probably it, anyway. I don't see why he'd try to start a conversation with me, though. What's the point? Is he trying to make friends, or something childish like that? Great. My coworker doesn't just look like a kid, I guess he acts like one, too.

"Why else would I be standing outside this particular building at an hour when all sane people are in their beds sleeping?" Rhoda asked rhetorically, half-spreading her arms as though to ask the same question she directed aloud, emphasizing the pointlessness of the query that had just been leveled at her. "And, on that note, in what way, exactly, do I appear to be 'passing by?' Sigh. On second thought, don't answer that question. So, since I'm quite obviously here for the exact same reason you are, is there something you want, or is this discussion just as pointless as it seems?" Crossing her arms and legs casually, Rhoda leaned against the wall of the laboratory behind her, cocking her head slightly and looking down on the boy - or at least, to the extent that she could, being of equal height and stature - as though to ask "Well? I'm waiting."

Wonder how long it'll be before he panics and drops this conversation attempt entirely. Probably not too long, if he's as timid as he looks. Well, I suppose it's better to be working alongside a wimp who's too scared to talk to me, childish though he might be, than it would be to have ended up as coworkers with some sort of headstrong idiot, or a flirtatious pig. At least this kid will be easy and relatively painless to deal with.

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Brushing the sleep from her eyes, the jaded girl rose up from her bed. Glancing at the clock adorning the wall, Rhoda methodically stood, brushing back her flowing two-toned hair. Having to get up so early... Tch. Was this really worth it? For the thousandth time, she began to reconsider her whimsical acceptance of the unsolicited offer she had found in her inbox the previous day. Was this really a good idea? That was the question she had found herself asking over and over again. Nevertheless, although it certainly was troublesome to drastically change her schedule so suddenly, having already come this far, Rhoda saw no point in changing her mind.

While most people, upon being confronted with a sudden and most certainly suspicious offer to become a beta tester for a game they'd never heard of - what means, she wondered, had been used to determine her candidacy? - Rhoda was largely apathetic to the risks involved in accepting such an offer without question. To be honest, she wasn't even actually expecting anything to come of this. It would probably turn out to be some sort of elaborate prank at best, or at worst, she might end up getting kidnapped the moment she went to the meeting point. And yet, Rhoda just couldn't bring herself to care about this possibility. So what if she might end up dead? In her mind, there was no point to continuing her life, anyway. A world such as the one she now occupied wasn't a world worth living in. There was no appeal to her either in the mundane crawl of her daily life, or in the possibilities she saw in her future.

No, the only thing Rhoda found herself getting second thoughts about was the inconvenience of it all. First, on the previous day, after a boring six hours spent staring blankly into the holographic "classroom" projected around her desk, she'd been cleaning the spam - largely taunting or challenging messages from certain annoying classmates who were trying to prod her into a fight - out of her personal inbox, when she'd found a strange message there. Opening it, a holo-recording displayed of a man in a lab coat, inviting her to meet him in the back room of a nearby coffee joint. Evidently, having been unable to contact her during class - she always shut down real-time communications to avoid being badgered by her classmates, although this could only do so much - he'd left this message, and then arranged to meet her. Explaining that he was the employee of a gaming company she'd never heard of, he'd asked her to come and answer a few questions for them, as they were interested in offering her a part-time job.

The offer had seemed suspicious from the very start. Nevertheless, she hadn't really cared. The world held no interest to her as it was, and, if it meant alleviating her boredom, perhaps such an unexpected opportunity might be one that was to be taken. Besides, she enjoyed gaming. The possibility of beta testing a brand new, quote, "Cutting edge" game seemed like the ideal job for her, since unlike dull routines, it would be something new and enjoyable. So, on the spur of the moment, she'd sent a reply that she would be there, and then, donning a simple, casual outfit - although her usual short, black and blue-lined white dress and sleeveless black half-vest was comfortable, it was too distinctive, and if any of her classmates saw her outside, they'd probably try to start a fight - she had made her way to the address sent her.

The coffee shop had been a pretty small, low key place, but, once she had entered the back room, her opinion had changed somewhat. She knew "fancy" when she saw it, and this was most definitely it. Ornate, expensive, and comfortable looking leather-furnished chairs sat on either side of a very businesslike table of white oak, with what might have been real gold trimming the table. A third chair had been sitting in the corner, occupied by a low-key man with a perpetual half-smile. The chairs at the table, meanwhile, had been already set out for herself and another individual: the man who'd sent her the message, now clad in a pinstriped black suit. His overly slicked black hair and long sideburns clashed tremendously with his attire, giving him a somewhat sleazy appearance, like someone with very little concern for his hygiene trying to appear upright and formidable, and ending up looking like some kind of thug. Her low opinion of him had only gotten worse as the interview went on, considering how his gaze kept turning towards her chest - she really should have chosen an outfit with less in the way of cleavage, now that she thought about him - and his questions had been blunt at best. The man in the corner had remained almost entirely silent save for when he tried to convince her to keep on answering their annoyingly direct and prying questions, which, admittedly, he'd been much better at doing than his colleague. Offering her a glass of wine hadn't exactly been very orthodox, considering she was several years underage, but Rhoda hardly cared about such things. So, in exchange for the drink - which was, admittedly, quite good - she'd completed their interview - save the last question, which she absolutely would not demean herself by answering - and returned home. Well, apparently, she'd passed whatever criteria they were looking for - maybe they wanted someone with class to write sarcastic dialogue for their game? - since that night, she'd received a request to meet early the next morning at their company "laboratories" - what kind of gaming company even HAS "laboratories?" - along with a few other testers - Oh, great. Coworkers were JUST the thing she'd been hoping for. Because, you know, I'm SUCH a team player. Guess those chumps really didn't get the hint yesterday.

Sighing, and having already showered on the previous night before she slept - not to mention the fact that she didn't have time to do so now, or else she would be late - Rhoda set about the simple task of unfastening the buttons of her pajamas, slipping out of these somewhat baggy garments before beginning the not-so-simple task of donning her most distinctive outfit. Okay, granted, at times like this, even Rhoda thought her preposterously asymmetrical clothing was more than a little impractical. The tremendously short, high-cut white - and black, as the left side of the outfit abruptly shifted to this color along the centerline of her body. And did she mention blue, since it was trimmed in a light cyan color? - silken dress that made up the main garment of her ensemble wasn't quite so bad, but the winding bands around each sleeve - predictably the opposite color to the sleeve itself - were a little annoying to fasten properly, and then there was the matter of the clingy opaque tights she wore beneath this, and the sleeveless black, blue, and white vest she topped the whole setup off with, providing her no end of difficulties with its countless straps and fastenings. This didn't even start on her trademark prismatic hair ornament, which was tremendously difficult to properly wind into her hair. Still, the outfit provided two perks she wasn't quite willing to part with. It was suitably unique, setting her apart from others, whilst also being both modest and fancy enough to pass for formalwear, and it did nothing to hinder her mobility, should she need to move quickly and flexibly. Consequently, the garment left her by her otherwise hated mother as a gift was one she wore quite often, frequently enough, in fact, for it to have become her most recognizable wardrobe. Anyway, she figured that if she was going to be getting a job, she might as well dress appropriately for the first day. While she cared very little for first impressions, she liked to set herself apart from other people in as many ways as possible. If that meant maintaining good hygiene - in direct contrast to that oily-haired man from yesterday, to name one example - then that was what she would do.

Slipping on her usual sandals and brushing back her long hair to keep it out of her eyes, Rhoda sighed, and made her way for the door. Although she was tempted sorely to bring her favored weapon - a heavy, featureless wooden model of a curved, single-edged longsword - in case some unlucky idiot happened to try to bother her on her way to work, she decided that this wouldn't be particularly conducive to her potential employment. And so, reluctantly, she decided that, although it didn't particularly matter to her what others at the site thought of her, it was important not to get fired on the first day for bringing a weapon to work with her. Her pride and desire for entertainment would allow such a thing. Besides, she told herself, nobody who knew her, at least, would be up this early, making the chances that she'd be attacked on the way to the laboratory - no, seriously, what kind of gaming company had one of those? - tremendously slim. Reasoning thus, then, she decided to leave the weapon behind, and so instead simply made her way outside unarmed.

The foyer of the needlessly large, upscale penthouse apartment her guardian had rented for her - of course, he himself had work out of city to attend to, so he lived elsewhere and rarely came by to visit - was almost empty, furnished only by a simple home kitchen setup, two tables, and two chairs, one for each. It was toward the first of these that Rhoda made her way, flicking on a single light to illuminate the otherwise darkened room - it was still so early that the sun had yet to rise - as she swiftly set about making herself a breakfast sandwich. Consisting of a single sausage patty, two pieces of bacon, a fried egg, and a slice of cheese between two bagels, it was a humble but palatable - if somewhat unhealthy - meal. It was also fairly quick to make and eat, and, besides, if she didn't use that leftover sausage soon, it would probably rot in the fridge.

One short, silent meal later, Rhoda dropped her plate into the sink, rinsing the grease and crumbs off before shutting off the water, turning off the light, and heading for the door. Closing and locking this behind her, she made her way quietly through silent hallways, down several flights of stairs, and out into the empty, well-furnished lobby of the apartment building. Ignoring the staff bustling about nearby in the reception area, she purposefully strode out the door and into the crisp morning air. Checking her directions on her personal micro-computer/phone - most people, whose love of bad spelling puns had gotten the best of them, simply referred to it as a MiComPhone - she confirmed her destination, and, without further ado, set out in that direction. It wasn't exactly a long walk from where she lived, so, consequently, she found herself arriving just about on time.

The building outside of which she found herself standing was unexpectedly imposing. With large, darkened windows and a bulky, firm construction, it really did seem like a "laboratory." Or, at least, it conveyed that image much more strongly than it did the image of a company headquarters. Huh. I guess it really WAS a laboratory. But, no, SERIOUSLY! Why the hell does a gaming company need a bloody laboratory?!

Her thoughts on this matter, however, seemed like they would have to wait, as it didn't look like she was the only one currently standing at the entrance to the inexplicable laboratory. These must have been two - no, wait, three, as one of them swiftly crashed into the other and collapsed, which promptly tripped up a new arrival, dropping all of them onto the ground so that they formed the eighth wonder of the world, the Leaning Tower of Dumbasses Who Don't Watch Where They're Going - of the coworkers she was evidently supposed to meet with.

"Oh, joy," Rhoda muttered irritably under her breath. Other that this, however, she chose to remain silent, instead simply standing at a short distance from the other two. No sense in approaching them when she didn't want anything to do with them to begin with. If they wanted to bother her, they could go ahead and try. She'd see how long it took them to give up on that and leave her alone.

Not long, probably.

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