The Sixteenth Trial

[advisories]

Who: trialgoers
When: Day 37, afternoon
Where: The Hermit's Tent

[With the usual jostle of the train, the Hermit’s tent appears in the clearing. His deep, cheerful voice rings out:]

That last Trial was a bit of a mess, wasn’t it? Well, rest assured our dear Vampire friend is very sorry about it.

Of course that doesn’t make you feel better, but how about a mood booster? “Come hither”, and let’s think positive!

[Upon entering the tent, you’ll find yourself on a round, black-tiled platform at the bottom of a clear glass elevator. Look outside and you'll spot the other two groups in their own elevators, facing you on the other walls of a triangular pit. You can't reach or hear them at the moment, but they look safe enough.

In your own elevator, you’ll find a podium with a speaker and a push-to-talk microphone. Taped next to them is a laminated paper containing the rules, titled:

Raise Eachother Up

Time for some cheer and positivity!]

Comments

[awakenerd]

Take it easy on those. Especially with, well, everything. Go at a pace you won't get overwhelmed at.

[Rean could pet a good dog for a week watch him. Besides, it's soothing to him.]

Get back to me on that. What you want and all, you know, later. I also happen to think kissing is great. But there's probably not much point in figuring out more than this until you're not being messed with. You might not be so keen to kiss me later--which is fine, also. I'm happy whatever we are. I think I said it before, but you're already an important and dear person to me. That's not going to change no matter what.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I don't know. At this point, I think it might help, because I keep figuring out things I'm stupidly good at randomly. I know AI's, I know to manipulate, I can apparently quickly stomp on the desire to eat people as long as I don't get worn out. It's painting a really weird picture.

[Nothing like double soothing.]

All right. How long does this thing usually last anyway? [Because there's an end....right?]

Me too. I did mean everything I said. And I would have said most of it the trial yesterday. [Not the kissing part.]

[awakenerd]

You're just an all around talented guy. A man of mystery. I mean, you are basically a secret agent, that's not too surprising.

As for the effect, I actually don't know. I assume it has to wear off eventually.

[A little red, but nodding.]

I don't disbelieve you about that or anything. I'm pretty sure you'd be the same amount of cautious in my shoes too though.

[schrodingerscockroach]

True. I guess you gotta be really good to be that. And maybe fifth out of fifty people. Or forty-nine? I think Carolina was both states.

....well, I guess we'll know when Crow stops seeing whatever made him shoot people.

[He considers, then finally nods.] Yeah, probably.

[awakenerd]

...States?

[Is that what y'all are?]

Or when Rufus stops being twelve inches tall.

[That last part just gets a nod. He figured Dusk would see it the same if the roles were reversed.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Our codenames are based on the United States of America. It's a country. It has fifty states. There's just a North and South Carolina along with a North and South Dakota. Not sure why one got split and the other was just Carolina.

Maybe she was just that good.

That too. He kind of looks like a doll right now.

[awakenerd]

Fifty states? How big is that country!?

...He does but don't tell him that.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Stupidly big. Texas is bigger than a number of countries and that's just one state. One of the bigger ones, but still.

Of course not.

[awakenerd]

Holy cow.

[A country that big has got to be incredible.]

That's kind of mind boggling... I mean there have been countries which absorb states but, fifty?

[schrodingerscockroach]

There's a whole thing where they were just colonies and then got independence and I guess states still wanted to be separated? Something like that. I think that was almost a millennia ago?

[awakenerd]

...Huh. So they became independent but stayed a country?

[schrodingerscockroach]

They got Independence from a bunch of European countries.

After stealing land from the natives and acting like it was brand new. Because white colonizers were just all pretty major assholes. It's a whole thing about racial power struggles.

[awakenerd]

[???]

So basically a nation did some shady conquest and then the colonies went independent after all that to make a new nation that was pretty big a thousand years ago?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Basically. There's some stuff about religion and some kind of massive tea party, I think?

[awakenerd]

[??????]

A... Tea party?

Is that religious for Ancient United Statesians?

[schrodingerscockroach]

No, but that might be religious for the British? They were a big colonizer.

[awakenerd]

Huh.

[Clearly he should see if there are history books on this to be bought because he's a nerd.]

So you're named after the independent--colonies or states? Or is it the same?

[schrodingerscockroach]

States. United States of America was the whole country.

The Director had a southern accent. So it was probably because it was where he was from and also it was forty-nin codenames right there.

[awakenerd]

Makes sense to use an easy theme that doesn't necessarily mean anything about each agent.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah. Not unless they were born there.

....

You know, it occurs to me it's a very real possibility I wasn't born on Earth. [And boy is THAT a thing to think about.]

[awakenerd]

.....? Where... Else would you be born?

[schrodingerscockroach]

.....that planet in my memory?

That wasn't Earth.

That was a whole other planet. Colonized planets are a thing.

[awakenerd]

Whoa.

[Whoa that's a lot to think about buddy.]

That's... Wow. So why is Earth a big deal then? I know Eliza is from there but if you're not...

[schrodingerscockroach]

Earth is the home planet. Where humans are from. It's where the UNSC and UEG are stationed, the major military and governmental power.

[awakenerd]

[??]

Huh. I've only heard of Earth at all from people here. Must take a lot to govern across planets.