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]

[Congratulations, Yurika, he almost spills his coffee.]

What in the hell-

[ratherdoweddings]

What else am I supposed to think? First there were these!

[She drops an unopened box of dental dams onto the conference table.]

Not to mention whoever's idea it was to bring Mr. Masochist in here, I don't even know what his problem is. And everyone keeps making comments about these uniforms! I personally don't think they're all that bad, they just look like pilot uniforms to me without the metal guard pieces, but your company dressed a bunch of unconscious people up like this for no apparent reason. Some of us aren't even legal, and that is disgusting. So I'm lodging a complaint!

...Not that it does any good in a murder exercise, but it's the principle of the thing!

[theoverseers]

[He puts down the coffee cup when she slams the box of dental dams onto the table, and sits up straighter.

Not that he has a chance to get a word in edgewise until she's done.]

First of all, I'm going on the record and saying that we had no idea that the Benefactors were giving you guys those things - though it doesn't hurt to be safe.

Second of all, we were not the ones who changed your clothes, and the cameras were definitely not live then. The first time we saw any of you you were already dressed. The ship is pretty much run by robots who do the cooking and the cleaning and the repairs, so I'd guess they were responsible. J and I have not and do not want to see any of you in your undies.

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika takes all this in and then gives a long, deflating sigh.]

At least there's that. I guess it would be helpful if they were giving these things to people who actually needed them. They also gave me a stack of my own paperwork. I guess it must have been on me when I showed up here and they were tired of looking at it.

[theoverseers]

Must've been.

[...Hey if you don't want that box of dams he'll take 'em.

He don't give a dam 8D]

I'm not even going to pretend I know what the Benefactors' thought process is.

[ratherdoweddings]

[have 'em for all she cares]

Please tell me there's nothing else really terrible in there. Actually, don't. I don't think I want to hear the answer either way.

[theoverseers]

[He shrugs and picks up his coffee again.]

Coffee? You look like you could probably use some. I make a pretty mean brew.

[ratherdoweddings]

...Seriously? Usually, you're just making fun of us.

[theoverseers]

Actually, I usually just sit in here and read, drink coffee, sometimes check the cameras.

[He holds up The Drawing of the Three and waggles it.]

[ratherdoweddings]

Is that another space book by someone who's never been to space?

[theoverseers]

Old West, actually. Kind of. Like...Dustpunk. This one's the second one and I just started it, or I'd offer to let you read it.

[ratherdoweddings]

Huh? Oh, no, that's okay. I was just wondering because that's most of the books in here. It seems weirdly specific.

[theoverseers]

[Bolton chuckles.]

The "someone who's never been to space" part is unintentional. It was surprisingly hard to find books about space written by people in space that would work with the translator.

[ratherdoweddings]

So it only does certain languages or you could only find certain times?

[theoverseers]

Probably a little of both? Part of getting ready for this experiment was that the Benefactors sent us piles and piles of books to test the translators. Obviously J and I don't know anything about the ones we couldn't read.

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika files that away for later. There's a lot to file, actually.]

Huh. I wonder what all languages we even speak. Probably Lightning-san's is completely different.

[theoverseers]

More than just Lightning's.

[He pours Yurika a cup of coffee and slides it over to her.]

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika takes it cautiously and mulls over it.]

I guess a lot of us are from different kinds of worlds, though most of us are at least from on or around Earth. I just thought of her because we talked about it.

[theoverseers]

Mm.

[He takes a sip of his own coffee and then, apologetically.]

Unfortunately, there's a confidentiality clause in my contract that says I'm not allowed to talk about the other Champions' backgrounds or worlds.

By the way, there's sugar and cream if you want it.

[ratherdoweddings]

Oh, don't worry! I didn't expect you to. Besides, it would be kind of rude to go behind their backs like that, wouldn't it?

[theoverseers]

It would be an unfair advantage and, well. For whatever fields you excel in, in all other aspects you guys are supposed to be pretty much on a level playing field.

[You know, with the outfits and intel.]

[ratherdoweddings]

You definitely put a lot of thought into this... murder house station.

[theoverseers]

The Benefactors sure put a great game together, didn't they?

[Said, actually, without cruelty or sick admiration.]

Anyway, anything else I can help you with, Captain?

[ratherdoweddings]

...Not really. But, uh, thank you! For not being a pervert.

[theoverseers]

[That makes him laugh.]

You have nothing to worry about there.