Science Experiments: A Tale of Two Antagonists

Ramen:

...or... you know, you could pay for both of us... that works... uhm. I watched her watch him, and wondered idly if perhaps she could be convinced to try to take this guy instead of the creeper.

The guy pulled a box of cinnamon out, the spoons, the video camera and two water bottles, and pushed the whole thing across the desk. "Take whatever room you want... and don't choke to death. We're not liable for any of that crap...Just so you know." He added as I reached for what I could carry.

Inque

I take what is left and look at the girl. Well, go pick a room, stupid, I didn't know what was going on... I expected she would be fine with going first, so that I may observe and pretend that I might know what was supposed to happen as Lumi most likely did. The supplies didn't seem all that complicated, and knowing what everything else was, I concluded that the brown stuff was indeed cinnamon. Weird...

Ramen:

I went first down the hall after Lumi made that: "You go first" face that people make sometimes. I went on down the hall, and my stomach slightly knotted up as I heard some people through doors reacting badly to the spoonful of cinnamon in their mouths, along with a bunch of laughing. It was a group thing. Fun in groups. I picked a random empty room, and there was a tripod and a chair in it... for the camera.

"...Alright well.... do you wanna go first or should I?" I asked, putting the cinnamon on the chair so I could put the camera on the tripod. It had a big button that I figured was the start button. I was kind of nervous now... All that cinnamon in my mouth... ugh... But still. If we won... I wanted to win.

Inque

"You," I request, leaning against a wall to observe the camera and make sure the idiot did it right. I half wondered about a catch twenty two... If it actually had tape in it to record such a win or loss. The monitor would say such nonsense though, wouldn't it? That is if Auda recorders were like my universe's recorders. Though I doubt the bearded man smart enough to connect those dots. It'd make the business a little more...devious...

Ramen:

...Alright then. I guess I would have to do this thing. First. I felt myself do that... involuntary swallowing thing. "...Ok then... Alright." I stated, and hesitantly picked up the cinnamon while looking at the camera. ....Ahhhhh I was nervous. I dumped it out onto the spoon... just a spoonful, that's all it was. There was no reason to be nervous. ...Except for that feeling of gackingness that came with the consumption of cinnamon. And the inevitable explosion of cinnamon that happened. ...You know... threat of accidentallying your throat with the stuff. No biggie... right?

"...Ok... I'm nervous." I said, staring at the spoon I'd poured myself.

Inque

...So you eat it? How is that hard? I stare at the spoon with her, tilting my head. The walk down to this room seemed to prove otherwise, if they were all doing this thing. Lots of gags, fits of coughs, sound of puke... God knows I wouldn't give up my breakfast. I look at this analytically. "Go ahead," I encourage, false enthusiasm once again. It would give for an entertaining observation.

Ramen:

...Aggggghhh... this was going to suck if I didn't win... "...Ok... I'm doing this man. I'm totally going to make this happen." I said, and finally.... reluctantly ...dumped the cinnamon into my mouth.

Oh Internet... aghhh... I couldn't breathe...it like clogged up my face hole...and went up in my nose and... I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to swallow, but my throat would take none of that crap and after about a minute I ended up spitting most of it on the floor.

Inque

...I did not see the entertainment value of that whatsoever... Maybe it was the mone - RECTANGLES...

So it was a powder, and seemed to stay that way for a while... And you didn't want to breathe it, otherwise you'd have the coughing attack like those people outside. ...And why was I thinking that I had to stick with the human rules? I was more than that.

"My turn then?"

Ramen:

I chugged one of the water bottles and continued randomly coughing up bits of cinnamon. Eventually I managed to nod. ...I'd done better than last time. So... maybe the money would one day be mine. I hoped... If I won maybe I could use that to start paying for a house away from my parents somewhere.

Inque

I check the camera, make sure Beardo wasn't pulling anything before taking the girl's seat. Really wish someone would say her name. 'That girl' was starting to get annoying. I raise an eyebrow at her, pausing to make sure she wouldn't like...die. Because that would have been annoying...and undemocratic or something....

Ramen:

I finally managed to get my gacking under control, and finished off the bottle of water. "...I'm... I'm fine. ...You... do it. I have faith in you!!!" I said, my voice still slightly off from all that... agh.

Inque

Faith. Right.

I take my spoon, take my cinnamon, and take a breath before holding it. My mouth already tasting like ink, I look right at the camera before eating it. Or attempting to. Immediately, I pull away my sense of taste and pain. Just...blah... The hell.

Just sitting here, staring at the camera, not breathing, ink working around in my mouth to bring this stupid mount of sawdust down. I roll my eyes, just close my eyes in annoyance. Stupid, blatantly stupid. And I have to sit here forever and a day, if the girl couldn't do it after a minute. Had to start breathing soon though. Didn't want to poison this body with CO2. Being in a dead body...ick. Nervous signals would stop and I'd be totally blind to everything. I'd need some other body...

...Dead body suddenly moving would be fun to see people react to... If I could see it...

Done with this dumb thing. I swallow the combination of ink and powder, make a disgusted face for the effects, show off my empty mouth to the video in a yawn. "We done here?" I question with a smile.

Ramen:

... ...

WHAAAAT. SHE DID IT. "You... You just... You! YOU WON!?!?! YOU SUCCEEDED AT WINNING THE MISSION?!" I almost had to do another spit take. Like... holy crap. Seriously. Holy crap.

"Lumi... you're a god. You're like... Like... Part cat or something... Seriously... that... that wow! And the PRIZE MONEY..." I was grinning ear to ear right now. "...I mean, what are you going to do...All those RECTANGLES... Bro... like... omg." I thiiiinnk I was jumping up d down now, but I was really just too excited to notice. SHE WON. She succeeded.

Inque

Cat? I wasn't any Catwoman... The hell did cats have to do with anything? I stand from the chair, taking the camera off the tripod. "So show this to Beardo?" I ask.

Ramen:

"...Show... show it to... what? Who--" It occurred to me that the guy at the front desk had the beard. Riiight. And so the nickname made sense... Ok. "Yeah. We have to go show that to him." ...You know... don't celebrate. Don't tell me what you're going to do with the prize money. I see how it is. ...I'd ask after she had it again.

...Maybe then we could go shopping.

Inque

Why'd she seem mad? She didn't say anything other than cats and some freak out... Ugh, is it six yet?

I go out...fine, hold the door for her. Maybe she was suspicious. Didn't need someone breathing down my neck. I walk back down the hallway full of gags and laughs... ...That's worthy of a few flashbacks...

"Two hundred and a shirt," I say to the guy, presenting the camera and just dropping the money/rectangles business.

Ramen:

She held the door for me. At least that was nice... And then we walked up to the desk guy and she was handing him the camera. He took it and watched. He chuckled a bit and then his face kind of straightened into one of awe or something. I dunno. It was weird. I was a bit jealous of her actually. I wanted to be the one with the shirt and the money.

"...Wow. A girl beat it. That doesn't happen... well... a lot." He stated, and I was kind of offended for a moment, but of course... there aren't really any girls on the Internet according to the rules... but whatever. "So... here's the shirt..." He pulled out a shirt from under his desk. It was nice. Real. Cotton or...polyester or whatever. You know... the good stuff. "And the money... Right." He actually just went into the cash register for that, and counted it out in front of her like... Sonic the Hedgehog fast or something. "Congratulations." He added.

Inque

Again with the gender thing... What was the difference? "Glad to empty your register, sir," I say, pocketing the money safely with the rest of my less legally obtained cash. ...Not even going to bother with the noun whatever. Money is money. Shut up. I sling my shirt over my shoulder, turning to the girl. And it felt like...a shirt. None of this plastic whatnot.

Edgar:

Lunch breaks were pleasant in that I didn't have to deal with customers throughout their duration. I was paid to eat things. Theoretically, this should have been a very good deal, working in my favour. The unfortunate side effect of that was, of course... that everyone else in the building ALSO was on lunch break, meaning that all of the nearby locales in which to procure food were occupied and therefore illogical to go to. I instead wormed my way around the city against walls and whatnot to find a suitably vacant food place.

I found one, and sat down, wondering whether the waitress would a) have some kind of fit, or b) tell me that I was not allowed to be wearing a Decemberween mask in this establishment at this time of year. It was normally one or the other... and occasionally I have been told to leave by a manager, if it's particularly busy. Really irritating.

Ramen:

"Alright...well... What do you want to do now? We could go...like... SHOPPING or something... you know... lighten your pockets?" I wriggled my eyebrows a bit at that. ...I then realised that despite still being half nauseous from earlier, I was a bit... hungry. Food could be a good idea. And we had the money...so...why not splurge? "...Or you know, we could go get some lunch somewhere..." I added as well. Not that food could ever take the place of shopping. But...still food was important.

Inque

"Eating sounds wonderful," I say, glancing back at her. I'd like to taste something that didn't burn every connecting tube to the mouth. I'm sure it was still burning, I just refused to feel it currently.

And then I see a familiar tallman walking into a restaurant before breaking into a grin. Whipping back to girly, I signal to be quiet before going in after him speedily. God knows I didn't want to hear her complain about my choice, but I was still on a mission to sneak up on him once...

Ramen:

So... I was suppoused to be quiet for some reason, based on the signal I got from Lumi. She'd apparently abruptly decided on a restaurant while I was looking at garbage bag leather pants in a store window.

That still didn't explain why we were being quiet. "...Why are we being quiet? The restaurant...doesn't have ears..." I asked in a whisper, just to go along with whatever was happening. Maybe she'd seen someone else who wasn't as creepy as the creeper. Hopefully.

Inque

She was talking anyways... So long as she didn't say my 'name' or anything. I ignore the waiters, going through to the tables until I find Face. Walking up behind him and then covering his face with my hands where his eyes might have been. "You're finally short," I tell him giggling, setting my chin on his shoulder.

Edgar:

I had barely had enough time to process the fact that two more people had entered the restaurant prior to someone putting their hands on my face. I nearly impulsively backhanded her. Nearly. I recognised the voice however, and stopped myself before I was faced with the awkward situation of explaining to the mysterious third wheel why I felt compelled to backhand my...uh... Significant Other? Sure, we'll call it that. "Oh...Hello. This is an unprecedented moment of serendipity, I suppouse." I stated, attempting the whole... relationship manner of speaking thing. Being...compassionate or whatever. I peeled her hands away from my face and attempted to mangle my expression into some kind of grin of some sort.

I wondered about the third. What business did she have here, and would she actually stay for lunch if I invited the two of them? If anything it would be amusingly awkward. "Why don't you both sit down and join me? I haven't even talked to the second waitress yet." I stated, sliding over slightly to allot room for Inque on my side of the table.

Ramen:

... ...WHAT. WHAT NO. No. We were not about to have lunch with the creeper. No. No no no. I mean, Just... I still wanted to be friends with her, but... couldn't she waste her time on him...ALONE?

"What are you doing--- Why...? Come on... let's.. let's... " I whispered in her ear, and attempted to take her out of there by the arm. "...He's probably busy..." I added.

"Actually, This is my lunch break. I m being paid to eat things for another hour or so." He interjected. ...I wasn't even TALKING TO HIM. ...I was freaking... Whispering. To...NOT HIM. Agggh.

Inque

Her expression...just...golden. Nearly as good as his effectively hidden tense of surprise. Nearly. I smile, sliding into the space he provided to me and look back to what's-her-face as I get comfortable. Leaning against Face, I laugh at her. "You don't have to, certainly..." Though I believe I got Face's reasoning for inviting her, if not just for the politeness. The laughs... "...It'd just be nice to have a friend..."

Ramen:

...And she was playing the friend card now. If I didn't come eat lunch with her and the faceless creep...I couldn't be her friend. Or...something to that effect, I think. This was stupid.

I looked from her to... ...agh. That thing. And back a few times. To leave her here with him or...to sit here.

...I would do it... just so that she didn't end up accidentally dateraped or something.

I slid into the booth across from her, and didn't slide all the way into the booth, so that I wouldn't have to be across from him.

Edgar:

"How nice of you to join us." I stated, once I heard her sit down. I had Inque leaning on me which was making the utilization of one arm rather difficult. To repair this, I went ahead and relocated the arm so that it wrapped around her shoulder. I think that this was both a demonstration of affection and a space economizing manouvre....meaning that it was a effective action to take, as it pretty much hit two birds with one stone.

"... ...er...You could call it that." She replied. I grinned at her poorly veiled hostility.

It was about then that the second waitress showed up, and with much hyperventilation, asked for our drink order. She was much improved from the first waitress, who caused a bit of a scene by quitting her job and going on a bit of a psychotic tirade at her manager for fifteen minutes before being escorted out of the dining room.

"Uhm... Coke." The girl on the other side of the booth requested.

"One San Pellegrino, please...and..?" I pretended to glance down at Inque inquiringly.