Bolton's Office Hours

[theoverseers]

[Want to chat with Bolton privately? Here is where you do it! Bolton's office hours will be held in conference room B in the library for approximately four hours in the morning several days a week. During that time the blinds will be drawn and that room will be off-limits unless you're there to talk to Bolton, though the other three study rooms will still be available for use.


Comments are screened for privacy.]

Comments

[theoverseers]

Because what's the alternative? Just giving a known killer a slap on the wrist and letting you all go back to your rooms?

[damnfourthemerald]

Don't prisons still exist? Or literally anything else other than execution?

And what happens to our timelines if one of us just dies and doesn't go back?

[theoverseers]

This isn't a prison station; some of you have never even done anything wrong.

I mean, that's a pretty good reason not to die, isn't it?

[damnfourthemerald]

You have who knows how many levels, and you don't have any place to house potential prisoners? You don't have any docking ships to take them away? Your only course of action is really to execute them? [He scoffs. Sounds like fucking humans to him.]

What about if I reach over and break your arm? [Despite the venom lacing his words, it's said in a flippant manner.] The punishment for tampering with devices is clearly some punishment with no room to argue. Yet "violence against the Overseers is highly discouraged". Sounds like someone doesn't care so much for your specific wellbeing. [The difference in tone between 'don't fuck with this item, period' and 'hey maybe don't do this thing or a bad thing will probably happen' seems significant.]

[theoverseers]

[Bolton rolls his eyes and takes another sip of coffee, muttering into the cup.]

If there were docking ships, we wouldn't be here.

[But the threat gets his attention again, and he sets the cup down. He holds out his right arm.]

Try it.

[damnfourthemerald]

[So the extended stay is extremely extended. Is there no emergency crew to come in case of, well, emergency? Or would they teleport somewhere safer?

In case of destructive angry hedgehog, for example.

Shadow's eyes narrow at the offered bait, weighing his options. Given the certainty Bolton has, it seems best not to take it. But Shadow was also the one suggesting to the Doctor that they might want to deliberately break or bend rules just to see what happens. Appropriate retaliation...

He reaches out as if mind made up, to grab hold and give a deliberate snap--and takes Bolton's coffee cup instead, casually taking a sip. Are you a bitter or a sweet kinda guy, Bolty?]

Overseers and Benefactors. Are you all human, or do you have other species among your ranks?

[theoverseers]

[Straight black, actually. But the coffee is smooth and pleasant to the palate - definitely not the battery acid masquerading as coffee that's automatically served at breakfast.

Also fine, fuck you, you can have that cup he'll pour another one from the french press and sit back in his seat.]

We've never seen the Benefactors or spoken to them directly.

[damnfourthemerald]

[The Ultimate Caffeination.]

But this whole thing is funded by them. Even organized. So they tell your bosses who tell you to trap yourselves on a station with a bunch of people capable of murder, even encouraging them to do so.

Unless you volunteered for this job. Have you run this test before? Or your counterpart?

[theoverseers]

[...Bolton's hands grip his coffee cup a little tighter.]

He's not my counterpart. We're partners.

[damnfourthemerald]

[I regret to inform the modstaff that Shadow would not wonder if they're partners or partners.]

With two seemingly different ways of approaching these mind games. He's making himself out to be sympathetic, and you've made yourself out immediately to be the bored child who just wants this over with already. Part, and counterpart.

[theoverseers]

[His eyes narrow, but he takes another sip of coffee instead of saying what's on his mind.]

[damnfourthemerald]

[That's fine, he can wait a little bit, writing out a little more and finishing off your coffee as black as his soul. When the silence creeps on what feels like a little too long:]

Maybe I'll ask him about it later. Surely without you around to be boisterous and pushy while making a spectacle of yourselves, he might have more to say on the subject.

[theoverseers]

If you even so much as think about breaking rule 6 I will know about it.

[He says, menacingly, with a very menacing expression.]

[damnfourthemerald]

Then I imagine I'm going to occupy a lot of your attention in the coming days. It's not against the rules to vividly imagine.

[He feels he might be pressing his luck to continue this meeting any further, especially if someone else wants to chat Bolt-boy up. For whatever reason. He snatches his discarded envelope, holding it up.]

One more small question for the road, and I hate to double back to this topic, but color me curious. [Who knew curiosity was black.] The information handed out. Was it something you and your counterpart [gonna keep using that word since it seems to grate] personally gathered and cooked up yourselves, or were you given it from higher up to hand out?

[theoverseers]

That?

[He scoffs.]

J had nothing to do with it. I had some help fact-checking the information, but the incentive was all my idea.

[damnfourthemerald]

[Is he just protecting J? The idea does sound like it would be Bolton's idea of the two, but the other is still complicit in all of this...

There's a flicker of anger across his face. If only the rules didn't specify that one had to kill a Champion to escape. There he goes, B, thinking of breaking 6.

He's taking the coffee mug with him thanks. You gotta take your little petty victories where you can!] Thank you for your time. You've been very enlightening.