( OPEN ) system zero

[hating]

» WHO? Morgana + anyone who wants to get hit in the face with a communicator
» WHEN? 5/18, you know, around then
» WHERE? deck 6 corridors, observation deck
» WHAT? Morgana wakes up, thinks her communicator is possessed and then yells at the moons (Old Witch Yells At Space)
» WARNINGS? None, but I'll edit accordingly and warn in subject lines if anything comes up!


a; outside level 6 quarters

[ all things considered, this is not where she expected her soul to end up.

the cold, grimy floor of the deck corridor is not so unfamiliar to her that morgana is perplexed. no, it feels like somewhere she was before, and this dim lighting certainly doesn't help. there are key factors missing, and she uses those to ground herself. Don't forget about those things. It is not the same, she tells herself.

far less familiar to the girl is the device that buzzes. it comes alive, and it's looping message is curious. morgana thinks it's just someone speaking directly to her, and upon discovering it is not a person...

...the source of the noise, whatever this curious device is, must go. metal doesn't speak. morgana wastes no time in disposing of it.

by throwing it into the corridor.

you know, with her skeleton hand. there's a redhead with long braids lobbing her communicator down the corridor with such a disdain for the thing, you might think she was doing it for the vine.

hope it doesn't hit you in the face? ]

b; observation deck

[ the other point of offense was that hideous jumpsuit. morgana doesn't have spare clothing, though, so she raids the room she claims as her's, and can be spotted in the observation deck. the sheets off her bed have been pulled free of the mattress and wrapped around her like a cloak, covering most of her body. this is much more appropriate, she thinks - now, if she had a belt and some way to sew sleeves into it...

...but that's not why she's glowering out into space. her expression is hard, steely; she doesn't look particularly approachable. morgana is standing there, arms at her sides, one flesh hand exposed and one skeleton hand peeking out beneath the sheet settled over her shoulders. ]

...And I'm to believe there were two moons all this time? What sort of madman dreams up a world with two moons? I have to say, it's unique, at least.

[ she's calling it stupid. going quiet, the girl stands as still as a statue. she seems unaware anyone is at all present in the room with her...? ]

What are your ears for if not to listen? Decoration? I must say, my dear, I was hoping you might have an opinion on the doubling of that particular celestial body.

Comments

[hating]

You are asking me questions without expecting me to answer. Would you prefer speaking to one of the walls here?

[potentite]

N—No, I just— Sorry, this is frightfully insensitive of me. Here I am being a right blatherskite about all my petty problems and making this all one-sided. What would you rather talk about? You said you didn't get the chance to read really so um... we could talk about stuff you like! Like, um, hobbies and whatnot!

[hating]

[ a beat. ]

No... I'm fine not talking about myself.

Tell me about the stars.

[ ...morgana really was interested, all this time. ] In my time, they were regarded as the Heavens themselves, a celestial space only for those worthy.

[potentite]

[It doesn't matter. He's just happy to do something nice for her.]

Really? Well, space is still pretty nifty even without it being Heaven. [Though he guesses it might be heaven? Space in his universe is pretty weird so who knows. Anyway.] I tried to read as much as I could about it because of my grandma but I don't have her knack for it. Still, um, I did pick up a few things...

Stars are impossibly massive for starters. They form because they're so big they just collapse in on themselves into a big burning ball. [He clears his throat. He's never explained science to anyone before, especially since his friends are all more talented in that field than him. But he wants to explain it well for her.] See, there's loads of dust in space. And in areas with lots of dust, it collects together. And you know, kinda like balls of lint, right? It just keeps rolling up more dust. Only it's so big and heavy that all that material gets hot. That's why stars are so bright. Oh but um, my favourite bit about stars is that they're so far away, the light takes a while to reach us. So, when you look at the night sky, it's kind of like... looking at a moment in time, um, how things were at that exact moment the light started shining.

[hating]

[ this is a lot of science talk, but he dumbs it down enough for morgana to grasp the concept. the light is actually a fire? somehow that seems fitting for her beliefs, even in this place. ]

In other words, it's like gazing into the past. ...The idea isn't lost on me. Perhaps, in that way, I've been observing the skies for a long, long time now...

Your grandmother was a scholar, then?

[potentite]

[He smiles to see her understanding it. She seems to like it, he thinks, which makes him happy. But the way his smile lights up at the question might be a little like the stars, too; a happiness from a long time ago.]

Something like that, yeah! She studied all sorts of things and was a fierce, intelligent lady who could do anything she put her mind to. But space came naturally to her above everything else. She's not as known for it as all the things she actually put out findings for but I think that's because... she didn't have to work for it? It was just always part of her. Like... a personal connection kind of feeling, I guess.

[hating]

And so, a personal connection to space is what you carved out for yourself.

[ it's a statement, not a question. it's almost bitingly sympathetic, as if to say, "you poor, poor thing." ]

You sound dreadfully fond of her.

[potentite]

[Although a bit flustered, he misses that the way she says it. It's so hard not to be happy thinking about her. He just smiles.]

Mhm. She was the only guardian I knew. She raised me for the first few years.

[He considers asking her about hers, then recalls she doesn't want to talk about herself, so asking probably falls under that. And since he doesn't want her sad like before, he tries to stay on the topic she seems to like.]

Ummm... space is nice, though! People have been to space now, you know. We put a man on the moon and everything. I heard you can even buy moon rocks.

[hating]

[ the first few years? ...morgana does not respond for a time, only staring out into the great vastness of space. ]

Only the first few, you say.

[ how familiar. and yet he loves her so dearly. ]

[potentite]

[He hesitates. But since Morgana brought it up again, he decides it's all right to mention. Jake rubs at his wrist in slow, idle circles.]

Um, yeah. She died when I was young. [A pause.] Uh, well, 'murdered', rather, but... Yes.

[hating]

[ haha. bingo. ]

A question for you, then, my dear.

Do you hate the people who did that to her?

[potentite]

[He frowns as he nods.]

Oh yes, she's a terrible person. She didn't just kill my grandma but Dirk and Roxy's family, too. And I think she tried to kill my friend Jane a lot? And loads of other people, too! Dirk said it was a genocide.

[hating]

[ ah, so he knows dirk. that's filed away for the time being. ]

How could you not hate someone so deeply terrible, my poor, sweet, dear? A person like that is worthy of being reviled, don't you think? I can only imagine how far down into the very depths of despair this horrific tyrant has plunged you... You've tasted your guardian's love and had it wrenched away from you before you could even close your tiny fist around it. And now, all you have are the stars she loved to keep you company. A lonely existence. Simply pitiful.

Such a person deserves to be cursed, no? What do you say, my dear?

[potentite]

[This is, for Jake, somewhat confusing. She seems surprisingly invested in this despite not really knowing him or his friends or the Batterwitch's laundry list of atrocities. Maybe she's just a very heartfelt girl even though she prefers spiteful words?

He tilts his head, opens his mouth, then closes it, furrowing his brow. Finding the words to express these thoughts proves difficult.]

Well... Um. She should die? That is a thing I agree on! It's like... Hitler, you know? It's simply a rule that oppressive tyrants must be put to death when the opportunity presents itself. Especially since she'll ruin humanity and all that business. But... I dunno if that would help, uh, going all out on cursing her? That seems more spiteful than plain ol' fashioned justice?

[hating]

[ like... he's not wrong. the bracket text agrees. but morgana would deny it - to be called heartfelt in this day and age now would be insincere to her. ]

And has justice been served to this tyrant queen of a woman?

[potentite]

Oh no, we completely screwed the pooch on that one. Like... really flubbed it. Hard.

[hating]

...

[ ... ]

...

......

......... You what?

[potentite]

Um. Messed up big time? We did make an attempt!

[hating]

Why didn't you just... say so.

[ seriously. ]

Wouldn't you agree it's best to ensure that you serve her that justice?

[potentite]

I did say so. [He pouts but continues.] I think so? I'm not really sure if there's much back there left for her, though.

[From his understanding, it's a doomed timeline, so it's not like she's going to be having a fun time anyway.]

[hating]

All right, I'll bite. Why isn't there much left for her?

[potentite]

[Morgana don't or someday he'll have to explain Homestuck to you.]

Oh! Well... her species is dead. It's part of why she was so riled up in the first place. And I guess now everyone's dead... so I'm not sure what's really left for her to rule over? Seems a bit pointless to kill all your possible subjects in the first place.

[hating]

[ there's a short pause, and then: ]

The tyrant's name. Is it Batterwitch?

[potentite]

[He gasps, covering his mouth with a wide-eyed stare.]

Stars and garters! You know of her, too!

[hating]

I spoke briefly to the boy with dark glasses named Dirk.