Room 307, Thursday Evening

[dollpocalypse]

Fact: Research sucked.

But here Topher was, doing it anyway. Because Peter had told him to, and that was enough, most of the time, to get him to do things. Sad but true.

And... maybe Topher was a little bit more inclined to do as Peter said this week in particular for another reason too. Which would be the need to appease him in light of the terrifying possibility that maybe, just maybe, Karla had blabbed the contents of their conversation the other day and now Peter wanted to kill him and get a new tech person and not be his friend anymore and and and --

Anyway.

Researching.

It was hard, with the siren call of meta for Skyrim beckoning to him, but Topher was managing.

[[open door, open post]]

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

Um. That was an alarming change of subject. You could tell because of how Topher was now taking several steps back, away from the scary Karla-glare.

"Uh," he said, eloquently. "Um. Even though he said it's okay?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla had her own doubts about that. "Even though," she said. "No, Topher. No."

[dollpocalypse]

"But -- but I could figure out how he works! And maybe impro--"

No, Topher. That was the wrong direction entirely.

"I mean, I could do tests! To check that he's, you know, in... working order! And, since he's from a whole different dimension, it could help me figure out all the weirdness that's going on!"

Yeah, no, not really. But he thought it would, and that was cute.

[glacial_queen]

Imagine, if one would, a rather large and strong hand smacking Topher directly in the back of the head in an effort to kickstart his brain. Now imagine it was invisible and wrought from Craft.

That was Karla's response to Topher's 'brilliant' idea. "No," she said, and her tone brooked no argument not that that would stop him. "First of all, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Second of all, touch him and I will break every bone in your hand and then heal them crooked."

Try using a keyboard then, Topher.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher yelped, one hand flying up to the back of his head where he'd been hit. "Dude!" he exclaimed. "You could've just said so nicely! There's no need for violence!"

And to think, Karla had been so sympathetic when she'd thought she'd picked up on vibes of abuse at the hands of Peter. How the tables had turned.

"Look," he said, backing up and holding up both hands as though that might protect him. "Can I just explain my theory? DO NOT HIT ME AGAIN."

[glacial_queen]

One swat to the head wasn't on the same level of emotional manipulation, but Karla was chastised enough to let the phantom hand go and give a grudging nod. "This had better be an amazing theory," she growled. "Warren is not some kind of...breathing science experiment for you to play with. He's a person."

With experiment-related trauma. She'd been in his head once; had seen his fear of straps and needles.

"I won't let you dehumanize him in the name of curious prodding."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher gave an impatient little huff. Gesturing with his hands, he explained, "Whatever's happening to people's worlds, it's making these crazy scans. Squigglies all over the place, stuff in the air that shouldn't be there, all kinds of weirdness that doesn't make any sense -- in my dimension. I can't explain it. But I figure, maybe with some other kind of physics in some other world, it'll make sense. Warren's physics has to be different from mine, what with the..." He gestured to indicate wings. "If I figured out how he works compared to how people work at home for me, maybe I can use that to figure out what's going on."

Hmph.

[glacial_queen]

"That's ridiculous," Karla scoffed. "All you'd figure out was that he's a mutant. Which, duh, we already knew. He's been here longer than you have--whatever's going crazy in his world won't affect him on a cellular level. You'd have better luck trying that on an alumni who just got back on island with the emptiness snapping at their heels."

[dollpocalypse]

"Not necessarily," Topher said, shrugging. "He could be made up totally differently, if his universe has different rules. And if I can work backwards and figure out what those rules are, maybe I'll be able to put together what's happening."

[glacial_queen]

"From just one sample?" Karla was not buying your story, Topher. Not at all. "Why not one from me, then? Or Ben? Or Tony?"

[dollpocalypse]

"I could do that too!" he agreed. "Tony, or you... or Ben."

In that order. No offense, Ben.

[glacial_queen]

"If Ben and Tony and Ender..." she tried to think of other sciencey people "..and Claudia and Scully say it's a valid point and Warren is okay with it and I get to be there when you do all this stuff...then maybe."

If there was even the remotest chance this could be helpful, Karla wasn't going to dismiss it out of hand. But it so needed to be vetted by everyone else on this island who had ever read a science textbook.

[dollpocalypse]

"Well, that's kinda rude," Topher objected. "Why can't Warren just be okay with it, without any of that other stuff?" Mock-admonishingly, he chastised Karla, "He's a human being, you know."

Well, probably. Topher wasn't ruling anything out.

[glacial_queen]

"Because I don't doubt that he'll just listen to you say, 'this could help everyone!' without bothering to find out if there's any kind of scientific validity first," Karla said. "Warren's a lot nicer than I am."

Umm, obviously.

"Which means he's inclined to take people at their word, Darkness only knows why."

[dollpocalypse]

Listen up carefully, Karla. Topher was about to drop some knowledge.

"There are saber-toothed tigers nicer than you," he informed her. "DO NOT HIT ME AGAIN."

[glacial_queen]

Karla raised a brow and swayed into his personal space. "Or you'll what, exactly?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Um," Topher said, backing up some. "Uh. Do people know you have that poison thing?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla shrugged. "I don't exactly hide it."

Or advertise it, but if Topher wanted to try to hold that over her head, he was more than welcome to try.

"I don't pretend to be anything other than what I am."

[dollpocalypse]

"And people think it's cool that you go around waving it in people's faces," Topher confirmed, looking dubious. "And Ben and Ender are still friends with you?"

He still... hadn't quite figured out why she wanted him to be quiet about their bargain, no.

[glacial_queen]

"You'd find I very rarely have to do that," Karla snapped, because she was starting to worry that he was getting it. "Most people don't make it a habit of peeking into the very personal history of one of my best friends or trying to do experiments on my boyfriend, like he's some kind of...of..lab rat!"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher privately thought that maybe more people should -- but anyway.

"So," he said, squinting at her as he tried to puzzle this out, "no one's done this before. I mean, you haven't... threatened anyone with your... finger thingy before. That people know of."

Almost there...

[glacial_queen]

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Karla said archly. Dammit. She was going to have to distract Topher with boobs or something. "It was why my first spar with Professor Max ended with a draw instead of my ignominious defeat, and in Fight Club, I had to wear a special glove, just in case. Tyler, Tony's boyfriend, insisted."

That's right, Karla. You throw that 'Tony's boyfriend' thing out there for him.

[dollpocalypse]

If Topher's heart did a weird little flip at the phrase Tony's boyfriend, it was... completely obvious for a few seconds, and then he went back to working this out.

"So people aren't cool with you just whipping it out," Topher assessed, too focused on this to be aware of the possible dirtiness. "Like you might get in trouble with the school for threatening someone?"

Be relieved, Karla: Topher didn't quite get -- and probably wouldn't get, so long as it was just him thinking on this -- was that Ender would be upset at her for threatening him.

[glacial_queen]

By all means, Topher, don't hurry to discuss this with anyone else!

For a moment, Karla was tempted to deny it further. But then she realized that Topher would probably keep worrying at this if she did, and the more he thought about it, the higher the chances were that he'd figure something out.

She'd throw him this bone to keep him off the track, absolutely.

"Maybe," she said, trying to look sullen. "I mean, you got detention just for getting punched by Ramona, right? Though I'd make sure I took you right down with me."

[dollpocalypse]

"For... looking up Ender's files," Topher repeated, to clarify. "Is that the same thing?"

He really wasn't sure. Oh, Fandom disciplinary code.