ataraxion | (voice.) + (text.)

[First thing to note: Sam's got a killer hangover.

Second thing to note: he's still in the library, nursing his hangover with coffee and scanning through the network out of sheer desperation for something to find. Anything to pass the time, really. It's hours into his work that he finds something that might be familiar. Give him a few hours, a little irritation, and nothing remotely helpful in the remaining library aaaand -- ]

Alright, so get this.

There's a quote put up on a secondary sub-network, and I think it's from our friend with the red face.

[He scooches in his seat, looking over the words.]

"Such is the appearance of black birds." Now -- I can't put my exact finger on the chapters, but I remember in one of my Mythology courses, there uh -- it was a passage. From an old Greek text I read through during one of our big finals in my last year of undergrad. [A sound of frustration, some moosey grumbling about an Essay From Hell. Then he snaps his fingers, brow furrowed.] Pausanias. He, he wrote a big long piece detailing his firsthand point of view of Greece, way back when; I remember using it as a cited work for a few written works in classic greek literature.

[huff scoff first world college boy problems.]

Or -- it could not mean anything at all. Maybe if doesn't even have to do with the actual passage. Or maybe Mr. Smiles just likes to post from super ancient literature for kicks with no rhyme or reason.

I don't know. Anybody got extended knowledge in old Greek literature? I don't exactly have the actual texts around to figure anything out, anyway. Don't know if any of you do, or if it even means anything at all. I can't find anything else besides this, but maybe someone who's better at surfing through the different places around here can do a better job than me dishing out more stuff hiding out.

But then there's more. Something about Scylla turning back?

[He'll just copy/paste the full message from the page.]

SUCH IS THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLACKBIRDS.
SCYLLA TURNED BACK; SHE DARED NOT TRUST HERSELF FAR OUT AT SEA.

And speaking of... this. Who's had firsthand experience with this Red Smiley, anyway? How'd those go? I know it hasn't been all that fun, but any kind of first-hand experience about the guy, I'd love to hear. If it's not too much trouble for you.

[Man, his head is killing him.

......................................................]

Or maybe something a little easier: anybody have any remedies for space hangovers?

((ooc: the first part totally just an ic shout out to the tumblr pages, but see if you can figure it out! characters can ICly figure it out too, if they can figure out all that technical mumbo jumbo and actually find the correct sub-networks and stuff. EDIT: there's more stuff, oops.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So this lady was takin' a walk all normal like when a fella saw her and fell in love with her, but he weren't no normal bloke because he was part fish like a mermaid. Well, because he looked funny the lady ran away from him so he prayed to his gods to make her love 'im which really ain't right because then it ain't real love. Well, another lady was in love with the fish bloke and got all mad for him loving the first girl, so she poisoned the pool the girl liked to bathe in and when the girl took her bath her legs turned into scary dog heads. I think she was ashamed so she ran up a mountain and stayed there and her dog legs would eat folk that got too close to her mountain.

[What? He can totally be into Greek stories!]

I feel bad that she had dog legs cause it weren't her fault none seein' as the bloke was in love with her. It weren't like she was tryin' ta steal him away from the other lady. Folks were real strange 'bout love back then.

[presh]

Definitely doesn't make sense. Love back then.

[Though sometimes he's confused about love nowadays, too. Mostly, why the hell does it hurt so much?]

Not to mention, they really liked their sad endings, if you ask me.

But sometimes even though they was sad they ended sweet, like all them folk who got turned inta flowers.

[Flowers are nice, right?]

[............]

There are... yeah. Worse things to turn into. I guess.

[Welcome to Tom's mind. It just wanders around wherever it wants]

Yeah. I think I'd like to be a tree or a flower. If there was real gods though I'd like to be me more.

Wonder why that thing is talkin' about love stories.

[Sam shakes his head at that. Oh man, if only it were all about being in love and happy and all that frolicking stuff. But alas, Horror Ship. Sam's adjusted good and proper to that fact.]

Don't think it has to do with any romance, man... It's a hint for something — could be code, maybe coordinates to a place, maybe even an idea of what's going to happen to us next.

Smiley's a pretty shifty guy like that, I've heard.

Yeah I guess so. Be nice iffin' it was about love.

Hey, I jus' remembered, Scylla were the name of that pirate ship.

Yeah, sure was. The quote might be talking about it. Not sure why yet, though.

Maybe there's another comin' like that other fellow said. You know, cause there was two monsters in the sea or what have you.

Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised.

Whatever's gonna happen, this might be a warning sign flashing at us, telling us trouble might crop up any time. I don't know Smiley's deal, but if this'll help us, I accept it.

[He's so confused now]

But I thought 'e didn't like us. Why would Smiley be helpin'?

Don't know. But he apparently helped when all those people got sick a while back. I wasn't here for it, but there was... some maze involved? And he apparently helped on Strela before, too. I'm not really sure what to make of it.

Huh. Well, if it's a warnin' maybe them security folk should run classes or some about what to do ta keep pirates from stealin' or whatever might be comin'.

That's not a bad idea, actually. I hope people are learning how to defend themselves, now that they're here — for their sakes, I mean. It sucks that they'd have to learn how to fight, but... until we're outta' here, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Exactly.

So, um, do ya think there will be somethin' else scary comin'?

... Yeah. Yeah, I do. But that seems to be a pattern here, unfortunately. But we'll figure out how to handle it when we get to it.

[Because Sam likes to at least sound minutely uplifting in the middle of bad news.]

Yeah.

Well, be careful, mate.

You, too. Anything comes up, just give me a call; I'll help out.

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