Arkham17.3

[2011-01-18 18::47:26] Doink: [DATE: JANUARY 5th, 2016]
[2011-01-18 18::47:39] Doink: [LOCATION: WARD HALL, ARKHAM, MASS.]
[2011-01-18 18::49:23] Henri_DEllaine: looks out the window, the two suns still hanging in the sky. He can't take this anymore. He needs answers and there's only one person he can even remotely trust to get them from. Dmitriy here's a rap at the door followed by a "It's Henri, sir. Can we talk?"
[2011-01-18 18::53:42] Dmitriy_Platonov: Dmitriy's voice comes after a short pause. It sounds sleepy and tired. "Yes, come in". Inside his room you can see Dmitriy sitting at his desk. The desk is full of paper, the PC is running, although the monitor is shut down. There's also a lot of empty cups smelling of coffee. Dmitriy sits in his chair, his eyes are red and it's clear that he was napping right at his workplace.
[2011-01-18 18::56:59] Henri_DEllaine: quickly comes in, shutting the door behind him and sitting at the chair usually in front of Dmitriy's desk. Awkwardly alternating from glancing at the floor and looking at his commander, Henri doesn't know exactly where to start. His head falls into his hands. There's always the beginning. "Dmitriy, what happened to me at the gala? Why did I black out?"
[2011-01-18 19::00:42] Dmitriy_Platonov: "Wait, what? You blacked out at that party...wait, I remember. You were carried here. I assumed you were tired, or a bit drunk, or something else... had too much fun... Now I assume that wasn't the reason. So you tell me, what happened at the gala?" - Dmitriy leans forward, looking really worried.
[2011-01-18 19::04:09] Henri_DEllaine: looks assured that this is going better than when he talked it over with Ruru. "I don't remember exactly... it's all a blur, really. I just remember being called into see that woman... I sincerely don't see why I would have drank anything she gave me."
[2011-01-18 19::05:10] Dmitriy_Platonov: "That woman? Please tell me that what I think is wrong. Who was that woman? Do you remember anything? A slightest bit?"
[2011-01-18 19::06:13] Henri_DEllaine: A very sharp glance shoots to Dmitriy. "You know, the one you told me had nothing to do with Mia's collapse either." He pauses. He says the name more like one would read from a bestiary. "Cassilda."
[2011-01-18 19::08:13] Dmitriy_Platonov: "Oh..." - Dmitriy seems to be desperately searching for a word, and he finds it quite soon. - "Oh, fuck. What else?"
[2011-01-18 19::11:45] Henri_DEllaine: is taken off guard by Dmitriy's response. His face calms yet becomes worried. "... Kaz thinks she used some kind of neuro toxin or something on him to make him hallucinate. I haven't had a chance to talk to John about it, and Ruru's interaction was apparently completely mundane. And..." He hesitates with the next part. Over the last week it's seemed like his recent experiances might be less of an attack on him and more of his ow
[2011-01-18 19::11:46] Henri_DEllaine: weakness.
[2011-01-18 19::13:39] Dmitriy_Platonov: "Proceed. I will talk with other pilots about that. It's important even if it seems mundane." - Dmitriy's face is deadly serious now, and he seems to have shaken off his tiredness.
[2011-01-18 19::16:34] Henri_DEllaine: His gaze averts to the floor. "i... I don't know if I'm being targeted by one of those things or what but... when I came to see you during New Years? Something about the music... what I was drinking turned to sludge in my throat... It looked like the other kids were wearing rags and masks, like carnival. And when I tried to go outside there... There were two moons. And I don't mean like right now were there's just another thing glowing u
[2011-01-18 19::16:34] Henri_DEllaine: there. The other one was as clear as day... Dmitriy... Tell me something I can do to fight this."
[2011-01-18 19::21:54] Dmitriy_Platonov: "You can go and make an official report. I don't know what exactly would happen with you, but NERV will try to help you, one way or another, and with you being a pilot, I think they will stick to less damaging methods. Or you can try and hold everything inside yourself. You can try to forget. To bear with that..."
[2011-01-18 19::24:02] Henri_DEllaine: "You honestly can't tell me anything? About who that woman really is or what she could have done to me or anything? I mean... if this happened while I was in Unit 03 would you just tell me to 'file a report or forget about it'?"
[2011-01-18 19::28:31] Dmitriy_Platonov: Dmitriy sighs and lowers his shoulders. "Henri, I can't, I don't want to and I don't know exactly... The situation is incredibly dire, and the timing is awful, but I will investigate that. But... Honestly, you would be better thinking the same thing Kaz thought. Lingering side-effect of hallucinogenic something..."
[2011-01-18 19::28:36] Dmitriy_Platonov: handwaves in such a manner that it's obvious that he isn't even trying to make this lie believable.
[2011-01-18 19::36:56] Henri_DEllaine: stands up, forcefully. "Do you really expect us to function out there with all these lies? What happened to Mia wasn't just some hallucinogenic gas, and I'll be damned if I believe for a second that the same thing happened to me after what I've been seeing. The Moons, the hallucinations, all of it disappeared when that new... thing showed up in the sky. It's connected. I'm willing to go out there and die for the world, but you a
[2011-01-18 19::36:57] Henri_DEllaine: won't even give me a straight answer on anything, even what we're fighting here."
[2011-01-18 19::40:17] Dmitriy_Platonov: remains sitting and calm in that defeated manner. "I am more or less in your position too, Henri. I wasn't supposed to know even a quarter of what I know... and I know only that I actually know nothing. Why do you want answers?"
[2011-01-18 19::49:08] Henri_DEllaine: "Because if I can rationalize all this in some way. If I know what I'm up against, I can at least try and fight it. It's bad enough that we have to charge near blindly into everything that comes at us. But now? Anyone could attack us, anywhere, and S2 hasn't exactly been much help as far as this goes. Hell, the other pilots don't seem to have any idea that the Units are actually alive. I've never even been told why exactly teenagers ar
[2011-01-18 19::49:08] Henri_DEllaine: ones they need for this. We all seem to be orphans except for Mia, and, god, when she fainted she was going on about being in a tank or something. Ruru is an egomaniac. Kaz has obviously been through something but refuses to talk about it. Why wouldn't I want answers to any of these? Everything is uncertain."
[2011-01-18 19::51:33] Dmitriy_Platonov: "And some things are better when they are left- Wait. How do you know that Units are alive?!" - Dmitriy leans forwards again.
[2011-01-18 19::53:48] Henri_DEllaine: sits back down."I've been Unit 03's pilot for, what, 4 years now? I've been the test pilot for almost it's entire production. I think they pretty much wrote it off as need to know information for me."
[2011-01-18 19::57:58] Dmitriy_Platonov: "Amazing. The security policy is god-damned weird... and you're lucky to know that. So, does that knowledge make you happy? Do you want to know more, do you hope to rationalize all this?" - Dmitriy grins a little, but the grin has no joy in it. - "It's a futile attempt."
[2011-01-18 20::03:10] Henri_DEllaine: "Is it incredibly strange, yeah. But we're also fighting psychic monsters from space or whatever, I'd say in comparison it's rather tame. What knowledge was allowed to me gave me a better sense of what kind of machine I was learning to use and how it could be improved. I'm a better pilot for it, and I understand the others better for it. Hell, I'm the only one who doesn't call Ruru crazy when she refers to Unit 05 as 'kagemaru.' The bett
[2011-01-18 20::03:10] Henri_DEllaine: know the enemy, the better we can defeat them. The better we know our weapons, the better we can use them. The better we know each other, the better we can work together."
[2011-01-18 20::08:17] Dmitriy_Platonov: "What are you saying is logical. You should focus on your team-bonding and your piloting training. Because your other analogy... Imagine that an army would be fighting a losing battle against Evangelions. And then someone would tell soldiers that those invincible machines are piloted be children. ...
[2011-01-18 20::08:24] Dmitriy_Platonov: Such truth would destroy their morale and resolve. So, some things need to be hidden. Don't worry, I will provide you with accurate tactical briefings. I am currently working on a plan for oncoming battle, and that's a hell of a work, actually." - Dmitry rubs his temples. ...
[2011-01-18 20::08:30] Dmitriy_Platonov: "And now you come here and tell me more things I should be worried about... now I need to speak with John, Ruru and Kaz, to investigate that matter..."
[2011-01-18 20::12:27] Henri_DEllaine: "... if you ever find out what Cassilda did, you're not going to tell us, are you?"
[2011-01-18 20::15:13] Dmitriy_Platonov: "I just don't see how this knowledge can help you." - Dmitriy shrugs. - "See, I would actually be glad to talk with you, to share the burden. You're smart and interested in that sort of things. But then I remember what knowledge does to people. Look at Kaz. Look at that bastion of self-assurement. Don't you envy his resolve?'
[2011-01-18 20::21:05] Henri_DEllaine: "Kaz is a great guy, and his experience is invaluable. But, honestly, the fact that he won't admit he knows anything keeps him from seeing the bigger picture. There's more going on than just our immediate survival, but he won't even put aside things to work with Ruru or even talk to Mia."
[2011-01-18 20::27:38] Dmitriy_Platonov: "Well, that is bad, and as I said, if you can help me with team-bonding, I would appreciate that." - Dmitriy tries to smile. The attempt is rather unsuccessful. - "Listen, Henri. I don't want you to distrust me, but I understand that you are not going to believe in my honest attempts to keep you in safe blissful ignorance. ...
[2011-01-18 20::27:39] Dmitriy_Platonov: But all that I can say you now - stay away from that... woman. Don't trust her, and if anyone would try to make you trust her, to meet her... He would be an enemy, a fool, or both."
[2011-01-18 20::36:10] Henri_DEllaine: ... "Well, I wasn't about to trust that woman when she showed back up at the party, and I certainly won't now. And while I certainly don't have any confidence in you to give me the information I need... I do trust you. Trust you at least more than any other adult here." Henri stands up to leave and turns towards the door. "If you didn't know what I told you, then maybe you should reread the files. You might have missed that I've tried to
[2011-01-18 20::36:10] Henri_DEllaine: in ignorance before. I'm never going to do that again, Dmitriy. Not as long as I have Mia and Kaz and all the others to protect."
[2011-01-18 20::39:28] Dmitriy_Platonov: "I know that Evangelions are alive, thank you. Also I will pretend that this talk never happened. So you can spill your secrets to others, if you want. Just be careful... and if you don't want to report to NERV Medical Department, if your hallucinations will happen again, or something else would happen... Tell me." - Dmitriy sighs. - "I swear, I will think about what I can tell you."
[2011-01-18 20::42:18] Henri_DEllaine: "Well, I'm not about to go to anyone else, Commander." Henri exits, closing the door behind him.
[2011-01-18 20::43:33] Dmitriy_Platonov: After being left alone, Dmitriy rubs his temples again, and then leans back in his chair, momentally falling asleep again. His dreams are probably not pleasant at all.