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[gorb]

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@

SOBA

✖

CHARACTER NAME

Geto Suguru

CIVILIAN NAME

Zaru Soba

TEAM

Brimstone

HOUSING NUMBER

003

❤

Comments

2/2

[undrowned]

Names and genders changed to protect the innocent.

Mark and Bob are acquainted with each other. Mark feels strongly for Bob. Bob is rather indifferent to Mark. Mark is an okay acquaintance, but he has his quirks that make him unbearable to other people. Bob has a lot of patience, so the two of them can be said to hang out well enough together.

Mark is upset about this arrangement and decides to put more effort into attracting Bob's attention. Bob wants to understand Mark.

1. Do you think Mark is rational in this arrangement?
2. Is negative attention better than no attention at all for Mark? Why?

[gorb]

( Wow Rover, he was pretending to be asleep. Though, he supposes bonus points for LILITH's tech, he doesn't have to open his eyes for a response. Still, this is a lot to mull over and also ... oddly close to home. )

Clarifying questions:

If Bob is indifferent why does he allow Mark, whom you've said has unbearable quirks, spend so much time with him? What kind of idiosyncrasies are we talking about? And why does Bob want to understand a man difficult to spend time with?

[undrowned]

[ look if she can't sleep neither can you.

also these are difficult questions. he is truly an expert, as rover suspected. ]

Mark isn't unbearable to him. It's just that he can be unbearable to other people. Bob has spent enough time with him to know when Mark means to be insulting, and so on. Bob wants to understand him, because at the end of the day, when they get along, they seem to be really good friends.

[gorb]

Is the indifference feigned, then? If Bob has spent time enough with him to know when Mark means a thing or not. Or is his wish to understand the other man more scientific than genuine affection?

[undrowned]

The indifference is not feigned. Bob just doesn't feel anything strongly about Mark. Bob means to understand him in order to be a better friend. It's possible that his scientific inquiry into Mark's character can lead to affection, but Bob isn't a cruel person to begin with.

[gorb]

I don't see the point in overtures of friendship without genuine interest, so it's entirely possible Bob's just an ass.

( This would probably be much easier if he understood any of the players or the motivations going on, but he'll play along for now. )

[undrowned]

[ wait. wait!! she has to re-read the response again to make sure she read this right. ]

What makes Bob an ass in this situation?

[gorb]

If he has no interest beyond working out the inner machinations of a person that genuinely wants to be his friend? Why try? It's cruel, and it will only hurt Mark in the end.

( It makes sense to a man who went off the rails and left his only friends behind rather than drag them down with him. It's very black and white. )

[undrowned]

[ wow ... all this time, has she been the baddie? is mark owed an apology? asking for a friend. ]

I see. You think Bob needs to make an effort, and meet Mark where he wants to in this situation, or otherwise make it plain to Mark that he no longer wishes him to be his friend. Is that correct?

[gorb]

( Without context, and with his own miserable attitude? Sorry, Rover. )

Well.

What does Bob actually want? Scientific discovery? Or a friend?

[undrowned]

[ rover wonders, briefly, if she could just come clean about the circumstances. "i'm bob!" but then she won't get geto's unfiltered opinion.

besides, it's a reasonable question. what does she want from the experience? she hadn't exactly been quite honest about that either. ]

Bob wants a friend.

[gorb]

Does he want that friend to be Mark, or will any old body do?

[undrowned]

He wants it to be Mark. Despite everything else.

[gorb]

Then why can't they just be friends?

Is it the fear of what other people think?

[undrowned]

Doubtful. Both of them do not care about how they are perceived to begin with by other people; they are rather stubborn, actually.

But it's possible Bob and Mark don't know each other as well as they think they do, and therefore, are creating difficult rules for each other to 'become friends'. Does that make sense? What do you think?

[gorb]

Not really.

( Alas. )

If they don't care what anyone else thinks, and if they both want it, and if nothing detrimental will happen because of it, then why waste time with pointless hoops? Just be friends.

[undrowned]

[ damn ... well that's kind of hard to argue with, so - ]

You're right.

Thank you. You've been quite helpful.

[gorb]

( Good.

He can go back to feigning sleep now. But actually, because you can never escape being a little shit -. )

I hope your friendship proves fruitful, Bob-san.

[undrowned]

[ hey ...! that's foul 🫣 ]

I'm not Bob.

Besides, you can't prove I'm Bob.

[gorb]

No?

My mistake.

( He's so full of shit. )

[undrowned]

[ ah, how terrible ... rover sits up from her chair to try and see where he is, but everyone's tall, also her seatmate is busy torturing people. she'll have to figure out something else. ]

I wish you neck cramps and back pain.

[gorb]

Ah, maybe you should tell me who Mark is so I can warn them of your ire.

[undrowned]

Debilitating lower back pain.

Anyway, Mark is aware of my idiosyncracies.

2/2

[undrowned]

- Bob. Who is not me.

fixed it

[gorb]

You're very unkind, I already have so many issues.

( Jokes? From this cult leader? It's more likely than you think. )

Sure.

So why exactly was "Bob" hesitating? You - I mean, he - don't seem easily put off.