Xue Yang snorts. Okay, so this guy is not human. "We're all pretty fucking useless after they take our powers away," he says with a shrug. This guy is definitely an inmate. He's met some rude wardens before, but this kid just screams villain.
Envy is likewise getting inmate vibes. This guy can dish it out and take it, but not in that condescending warden way where they're desperate to make you believe they don't care. "Well, at least you were useful at some point. Half this trash can't do anything but whine."
Xue Yang lets out an amused little snort. "Now that I can agree with." He eyes the other guy. "Are you new?" After his weeks-long coma he's definitely out of the loop with any recent events, including new inmates.
"I was here before, but the admiral lost track of me for a while." He shrugs. "I almost waited him out, but he found me again. It happens sometimes." If he's successful in a few days, he won't have to worry anymore. He'll be somewhere that isn't anywhere.
Xue Yang raises both eyebrows. "Really? He can just lose track of people?" Interesting. So the Admiral has some weaknesses... "This place is so fucking stupid."
"People disappear all the time. Less often, they come back." Envy looks sour about it, like being reclaimed from oblivion was a big inconvenience he's tired of.
"Huh. I thought people only disappeared when they graduated, or got their deals." He hasn't really paid much attention to the comings and goings of other people though in all fairness. There's still a good number of people on the ship he's never met. He's seen some graduations announced on the network, but he's never cared enough. There's only one person's possible graduation he would care about. And it's not his own.
Envy snorts. "No, people just disappear all the time. I don't remember being gone. Chances are good we're just back where the admiral's hiding out when that happens, but it's a good story for him to tell." Envy is one-hundred percent confident in his completely bullshit theories of how the barge really works.
Xue Yang lets out a snort of his own. "Well, I guess it's good to know the bastard has some weaknesses." He isn't sure what he believes in regards to how the Barge works, but he does know that he fucking hates the Admiral for bringing him here.
"Or says he does. People are a very good source of energy, and he finds a lot of powerful ones. Mostly humans, who might as well be batteries for the right kind of machine." Envy's smile is hard, but he has to admit he takes some pleasure in educating newer victims of the system. "He gives the wardens just enough rewards to keep them playing the game. And even they disappear sometimes, too."
Honestly, that makes some sort of sense. As much as things can make sense in this place. Xue Yang makes a face. "Well, the asshole's gotta get something out of putting us through all of this bullshit."
"If you need people to cooperate, sure, you can force them, if you want to deal with all the strife that comes with it." Sometimes you do. Sometimes the assignment is bloodshed. "But it's a lot easier if they think they're the ones benefitting."
That makes even more sense to Xue Yang. That's pretty much how it works in the cultivation world, which is a big part of why he's always felt so much disdain for it. So why shouldn't the Admiral be the same? Just another person in charge who likes to control the lives of other people.
"Hah, the place I'm from works a lot like that too," he says with a derisive scoff. "And they really hate it when someone breaks the "rules"."
People usually argue, or at best nod along like he's not making sense. He could get used to this. "At least they'd just come after you instead of trying to trick you into saying you have feelings."
Xue Yang snorts out a laugh. "They really do love to try and force you to talk about shit here, huh?" And always the kind of shit you don't want to talk about!
"I don't know why they ask. They're all so sure what my feelings are. Why do they need me to turn up?" Envy shakes his head, giving the ratty tumble of his hair a toss. "But no, they'll never just let you wait in Zero until they're done."
"Right? Sanctimonious asshole who think you should feel bad for every little thing you do." It's always nice to meet someone else who gets it. "Yeah. It's pretty funny that all they can really do is put you in a cell for a week, though."
"Zero's nice. It's mostly quiet." Though there's nowhere to escape to when a warden or two shows up to talk at you. It's worth it, because they always give up and go away eventually. He doesn't really feel the passage of time the way humans do.
Envy raises an eyebrow. "What's out here that's exciting?" It's arguably slightly less boring in Zero, or at least in one of the unused rooms he spends dead time in. His own thoughts aren't great company, but they're better than these people.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-08-07 03:51 pm (UTC)"Hah, the place I'm from works a lot like that too," he says with a derisive scoff. "And they really hate it when someone breaks the "rules"."
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