Well that sure happened

[notbymyside]

[Ango truthfully isn't much of a cook, relying mostly on takeout food to keep himself fed. But takeout isn't an option here, and after that...colorful trial, he doesn't have it in him to trust food that he isn't preparing himself.

It's not bad, really. Just rather plain. There is also a noticeable lack of meat among everything he's prepared too. And it all goes well with the liquid diet he's supplying, courtesy of the jazz bar. Plenty of booze bottles and glasses can be found for your drinking needs. He's sure he's not the only one who wants to forget that whole cursed trial.]

Food and drinks are in the opera house. Be sure to drink responsibly.

-Ango

[There are also no decorations, beyond the mess left behind from earlier.]

Comments

[ortion]

[For once, Dist actually makes an appearance at the afterparty. Though the end of the trial threw him off of a bit, he doesn't feel like screaming into a pillow for hours like he had following the last two trials.

Plain food is nothing new to him, either. Honestly, even Ango's plain cooking is better than what he usually throws together. So he hangs out in one of the lounges for a little while with food and a drink. He's open to company.]

[pr159]

[ Are you open to this company.

He comes over with a drink and smiles. ]

That went well, didn't it? I mean, all things considered.

[ortion]

[DEBATABLE...

But nah, he's fine with Rideaux joining him. After all, things did go well, and they even worked together a little. Plus he got to see Rideaux get screwed over by the experiment so that was great.]

It did, yes. I feel very satisfied with how the evidence came together.

[Was it terrible? Yes. But the rush of cracking the case open was pretty great too.]

And we didn't actually need the clue this time, as desperate as Shin was to take it anyway...

[pr159]

[ wow ]

Agreed. Now aren't you glad you'd already come forward with your power so you didn't have to feel obligated to keep it a secret this week? I don't know that we would have ended up on the right path at all without your contribution. It certainly would have taken much longer, at the very least.

[ortion]

[Karma's a bitch, isn't it Rideaux.

Dist can't help but preen a little more. It feels really good to have contributed in a big way. That said...]

I suppose you have a point. Had I not revealed my power last week, I am not quite sure how I would have handled myself today. I certainly wouldn't have been able to speak out about Klados' involvement without outing myself as possessing it as well...

[Maybe he would've said something if he absolutely needed to? Who knows.]

[pr159]

[ Well, karma also ostensibly killed Olivert in revenge for the shitty food he'd almost indirectly choked Rideaux with two weeks ago, so he has mixed feelings about it right now. ]

See? All of us are better off for it.

[ Except Shin, obviously, but who cares, that guy was a creep. ]

With any luck, things will go equally smoothly next week.

[ortion]

I will allow you this one.

[Begrudgingly of course, but...it did work out, so Rideaux can gloat about how it was worth it. Because it actually was.

Taking a sip of his drink...]

Yes, that would certainly be ideal... [Wait.] If we have to go through this again next week, of course. Don't speak like it is all but guaranteed.

[pr159]

That's what I wanted to hear.

[ He takes a sip from his own drink, with a self-satisfied smile on his face... though he has to resist the urge to laugh at that next part. ]

Do you really think it isn't? Let's not forget that those two who tried to kill each other this week are still here. If anything, it seems like we've been gradually trimming away some of the more good-natured among us.

[ Plus Shin. ]

[ortion]

[Dist doesn't have enough self-control to not visibly twitch at that first bit, but at least he doesn't offer a retort. Wow, you didn't have to go out and say that, Rideaux?!]

Ah...I suppose you have a point. [He personally stayed the hell away from all that Hollow nonsense.] As long as the Lady keeps offering incentives...

[He sighs into another sip.]

A lead is what we need. Something to forcefully put an end to this.

[pr159]

Without stranding us here, I might add. She's no divergence catalyst; stopping her doesn't necessarily mean getting back to our own worlds. In fact, if we're not careful how we go about it, we could all lose that opportunity entirely.

[ortion]

"Divergence catalyst"...?

[What on Auldrant are you talking about, Rideaux.]

[pr159]

It doesn't really matter here, but you do recall the whole "world-destroying" thing, right?

[ Taking a sip... ]

Where I'm from, each fractured dimension is caused by a specific divergence from the prime dimension's timeline. Destroying the single person or object that embodies that divergence -- the divergence catalyst -- makes the entire dimension collapse and disappear.

[ He sighs and gives a slight shrug. ]

It's straightforward in a way this isn't, is what I'm saying.

[ortion]

Of course I do. A bit of a difficult talent to forget.

[And one he's always been kind of "what the fuck, Rideaux" about, but hey, he knows the deets now. Or some of them, at the very least.]

And you got in the business of destroying these dimensions, why...?

[Would Rideaux even tell him? At least he can say he tried sate his curiosity if not.]

[pr159]

Destroying the fractured dimensions is necessary to ensure the safety of humanity in the prime dimension. The ability to do so is hereditary and very few people have it, so it's something of an obligation.

[ At least it was for him, since he was both uniquely indebted to Bisley and almost-uniquely useful to him.

...He takes a decidedly longer drink there. ]

It does pay very well.

[ Partly because almost all the agents are dead by forty so they don't have to worry about pensions, probably. ]

[ortion]

[Whoa. He wasn't actually expecting an answer, but it's...definitely not as bad as it sounded without context? There's a lot more to Rideaux than Dist thought.

Something occurs to him, though.]

And this is on top of your world's energy crisis. I do not envy your position at all, Rideaux.

[He doesn't even know the worst deets.]

That said, this doesn't sound like a case of a fractured dimension at play by your definition... What made you hypothesize that it might be one?

[pr159]

[ Well, he's free from NDAs here, so might as well take advantage of it. ]

It definitely comes with its fair share of pressure.

[ It is much more than a "fair share," actually. So, you know, possibly some insight into his reaction to that "stress" comment the week before.

Anyway, he kind of appreciates the acknowledgment. ]

Oh, I stopped assuming this was a fractured dimension about an hour after I got here, actually. I was just contrasting the situations -- destroying a divergence catalyst puts an end to everything and returns you to your own world almost instantly. If we were to take out the Lady, we'd probably still be stuck here, and possibly with less chance of returning home than we had before.

[p_q]

[He's not at the afterparty, per se, but he does have to pass through the afterparty in order to escape the afterparty -- and the opera house is a big place with a hell of a lot of lounges. For the most part, Ulquiorra drifts through like the ghost he was and still mostly purports to be, ignoring and being ignored as he pleases.

That said, he is watching the people he passes, even if it's mostly to judge the aftermath of everything. It's both more and less chaotic than the other times, perhaps.

There's a brief pause when he spots Dist. Maybe it's time for some peanut gallery commentary?]

Quite cooperative today, weren't you? Was it self-preservation, or something else?

[ortion]

[Wow?! Dist is going to have none of Ulquiorra's attempts to rain on his parade, even if he's completely right in his guess. He motions as if to wave the Arrancar off.]

Considering the fact that trials seem to keep happening, I thought to reassess my actions during them. And I will admit that I rather like the adjustments that I made.

[Because it worked out great for him, obviously.]

[p_q]

[Well, aside from the fact that his current powerset is pretty much just rain and pain and the fact that it's always raining somewhat metaphorically on his face, it's quite possible that Ulquiorra can't at all help being a one-man parade panner.

The attempted dismissal does absolutely nothing; in fact, he pretty much stares through it as though it isn't there.]

Of course.

[What it addresses isn't entirely clear, but what he says next--]

Those who are high-strung must find ways to be in control -- put them even slightly off-balance and you'll see them crumble or simply self-destruct. [a tilt of the head] Do you imagine that things will continue to go so smoothly?

[ortion]

[Dist is totally a Szayel that is much easier to break

Dist scowls at Ulquiorra's blatant prodding at his ego. Can't he be happy that something went well for him?!]

If I have anything to say about it, yes they will. For me, at least.

[Will he eat these words? Time shall tell.]

[raventhaw]

I'm impressed.

[ raven's just here to get her food and leave, but she does have something she wants to say to dist. ]

You were cooperative today. If not for you, things might've turned out differently.

[ortion]

[Ah! A compliment...! Dist is in no way transparent about how good being praised feels for him.

But remember, he is totally not a validation seeker. Totally.]

Ah, well... After how the previous trials turned out for me, I thought it might be time to readjust how I carry myself during them. [...] I am glad that my experiments prior to this trial proved to be worthwhile, because cleaning up that first mess was a truly disgusting experience.

[Thank Yulia Rembrandt had to deal with it this time!]

[raventhaw]

I can imagine. But I doubt it beats the fish chunks and the murky water from last week.

[ you're welcome for that reminder!!! ]

I will give credit where it's due, though. Your experiment helped us weed out who might've possibly been the most insane one of us all.

[ortion]

[Dist is quick to retort:]

I don't recall us needing to use the Lady's clue this time.

[Nevermind the fact that he wasted a bunch of time that contributed to needing the clue. That part doesn't count!!!

About Shin, though...]

He did turn out to be quite insane, didn't he? [No shit?] It's a wonder that he kept it under wraps for as long as he did.