this is the part where prison is more or less dave and busters

[saklas]

Passengers: Everyone who wants to come see what the weird vending machine is about for the first time it is open to them! This is an open mingle/party style log.
Location: "a corner," the location of the Commissary
Date: February 1 - 7 on year one of our cool and sexy journey
Summary: 14 space idiots squint at the ATM that can supposedly make elk meat and clown shoes for them
Warnings: Will add as needed! I'm 90% sure someone's going to ask for drugs or blades, just as a weather forecast

Comments

[saklas]

"You're right."

Holy shit. That's really good.

"You're right. Shit, you'll get. You might get a replica made of foam.

But I want to see it try. I want to-"

Volk points over his shoulder with his thumb and lowers his voice.

"The wardens are here because they've been promised shit. If we ask it for stuff and it keeps not being able to deliver..."

[shiftedshape]

The tickets and this whole...machine are among the most novel elements of this new ship, and while Loki is game to try them out, he can't help but be a little insulted. Hasn't he earned his way back to normalcy? At least comparable to when he was an inmate, anyway.

What exactly did he do (or not do) to be worth only three tickets? The equivalent of, Loki discovers as he squints at the readout, a single article of clothing and it can't even be armor or magical? What is even the point, then? He can illusion up whatever else he wants!

He's grumbling about this to himself when his eyes alight on something at least somewhat interesting. He's not sure what a Roomba is (other than likely not a weapon) but he could always use more knives. Particularly Navarch-approved knives, although something about this machine does feel a bit...other. Not up to pearl-necklace standards, at the very least, and here he is feeling insulted again.

Well, it's not as if he has anything more worthwhile to buy. He'll get a knife, at least, yes? So he makes his selection, standing back as the machine spits out...another little robot?

"Ah." Loki hums. "A friend of William's."

A decidedly more threatening one, with the knife strapped to the top of it and all, but still. It scoots forward on whirring wheels, and Loki sighs, crouching down to retrieve the knife and let it loose to be with its other little friends, when it. Proceeds to spin. Rather fast, actually, and the knife nearly catches Loki's hand as it comes back around. Reflex has him springing backwards, clutching his hand like he'd actually been nicked instead of simply, again, kind of offended.

"Really?" Loki huffs.

The roomba doesn't respond.

[saklas]

No. It couldn't give me what I asked for, because there's only one of them. These are fake.

[Volk's smile is mean.]

What do you think that means for Wardens who are counting on being paid at the end of this?

[rank1]

"Yeah," Travis says, mouth twisting into a grin. "Yeah! The whole system will come down."

He puts his hand out for the ticket.

"Let's do it, let's get my cat."

And hopefully not get a sentient foam replica that loathes its own tragic synthetic rubber existence, but he's reasonably confident this place can't make his cat in the first place.

[smugreport]

[ God, he wishes he still had that stun baton, that would make his options so much clerer. He tries to give Travis a once-over but the guy is way too close at this point to do much of that. He probably can't take this guy head on, he's smart enough to know that much. He's gotta make an opening first, throw this asshole off. ]

Hahaha, are you trying to intimidate me or kiss me?

basically not here

[saklas]

Volk, on the other side of the room, just takes out his communicator and starts filming.

[saklas]

Well, no. It's more likely they won't give a fuck, because that's how they've reacted every time Volk has pointed out all of the other things about this place that don't make sense and aren't fair.

But, he wants to see this. He shrugs and hands over his last ticket.

[smugreport]

[ So, no apology? /breaks his phone and skateboard

Mean smiles were a dime a dozen on Helios, Rhys is Immune. He gives the shoes another look, scrutinizing for a moment before they're back to Volk's face. ]

How can you tell?

[ Was there branding he wasn't seeing? A knock-off logo on the sole? ]

That they'll get bootleg versions of their favorite brand of shoes?

[ He tilts his head, brows raised. Laugh. ]

Some of them don't even ask for physical stuff, just like...a concept. I've guessed for a while that they're all getting scammed.

[rank1]

Look, Travis has never tried to bring down a system without murder before. He'll learn. Until then, he's taking the ticket and pairing it with one of his own and feeding it into the machine, and he punches in his request.

"I've had her since she was a kitten," he says, conversationally, even if no one asked. "We've been through a lot of hard times, and she's always by my side. She's like my child, you know?"

[rank1]

I'm not gonna have hate sex with you unless you try to take these tickets, bro.

[Sorry bitch u can't sike me out with gay chicken.]

[saklas]

Because it's foam. The real one is rubies and diamonds.

[Volk kicks a wall. It doesn't scratch or click, there's just a soft foamy lack of sound.]

Nobody cares what you guessed. It's about what I can prove. Are you done trying to scam me out of a fucking ticket instead of just asking for one like we're equals?

[It's why he'd come out swinging. Rhys is like, person number three to go around begging and borrowing. No apology.]

[saklas]

A cynic is someone who smells flowers and looks around for a funeral -

"You'd better hope someone's feeding her."

ignore me

[saklas]

[Volk, helping nobody, is just filming this from way way way across the room.]

[rank1]

"She's covered," Travis replies with the slightest edge to his voice. Sylvia's supposed to visit in a few days. She won't let Jeane starve. He fucking hopes so, at least.

He leans against the machine, his gaze fixed on the delivery door at the bottom. Waiting, waiting.

"What if this thing gives me a real live cat? A clone of Jeane or something. Then I gotta get more tickets to get a litterbox and shit..."

[saklas]

"If this thing can print a clone of a live animal with a functioning digestive system, I will put on a ski mask, pick up every warden here by the legs, and shake them upside down until the tickets come out, and that's a fact."

[expectaspectre]

"I move around a lot." Not a lie! But she doesn't mention that the movement in question is vertically, about a foot above the mattress. "Since I got here it's been, um. Fitful?"

She's been waking up several times every night. Probably part of it is being cold from the blankets not covering her underneath, but most of it's probably anxiety. Grace doesn't think she needs to mention that part.

[expectaspectre]

"Turns out you don't have to try very hard, huh?" Grace POUTS, which she only does because at least this time, the teasing has been gentle. Unlike her last network post. "We're all in this boat together. I should at least be better at trying to keep it from rocking so much."

[lessandmorethanhuman]

"Be glad I'm only trolling you then." Alex pointed out reasonably, shifting his stance a bit while keeping his hands in his pockets. "Why'd you choose to accept the warden offer?"

[lessandmorethanhuman]

"If it's not real, why are you so impatient?" Alex pointed out. It was looking like he'd definitely have to figure out how they earned tickets, and maybe bargain for some. None of the monthly stuff, on second thought, sounded useful. A nicer pillow and blankets would be good though.

[saklas]

"I'm going to see if I can break it."

Of course.

[lessandmorethanhuman]

Okay, that had Alex's interest. "How?" He is curious enough to step aside. Where he'll cross his arms, and watch.

[expectaspectre]

Grace has thought about how much to tell people about her reason for being here. Stage 1: Deflect.

"Everybody needs something," She offers a little shrug. "And I thought, this is something I can do. And I really do want to help. The impulse not to believe me, or anybody here, is understandable, but I wish there was some easy way of proving it to the inmates at large, you know? Like a lie detector, or something."

[lessandmorethanhuman]

"Those can be faked and hacked." Alex pointed out. "How old are you?" She looked young, maybe late teens? Hard to tell.

[expectaspectre]

"I turn 24 in October. Why?" A wry little smile crosses her face. "Because I'm too young to do my job and nobody's gonna take me seriously? I promise you I've already told myself all that stuff. Doesn't change much."

[lessandmorethanhuman]

Alex shrugged and inclined his head her way. She said it, not him. "Also that you seem kind of naïve. All bright-eyed and believing in the best of everything and all that crap."