sixth; [visual]; LOCKED TO THOSE HE KNOWS KNOW ABOUT HIS GIFT

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

When the tablet comes on, it comes on to show Toby looking a bit uneasy and tired.

"Hey," he begins, looking like he's thinking about how to word what he's going to say. "Listen... not that there's any doubt that these new people aren't normal, but it might be good to know... they don't have a single thought in their heads. None, it's like... there's just nothing. I mean, this has happened before, but this... this is different. You know, with some people it's a brick wall, but with these guys it's like an empty hole or a blank space."

He sighs, unsettled.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beyond creeped out by now."

((ooc: FEARLESS LEADERS, I ASSUMED THIS FROM OUR CONVERSATION. If I screwed up, break glass for mallet, use at will.))

Comments

[aesthetic_mojo]

Oh yes, Charlotte needs to hear this. "It's happened before? What does it take for someone to have no thoughts at all?" She shuddered and made a frightened, animal noise. Her family made golems, after all. Or they had once upon a time. "Besides head trauma, of course."

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

Toby scratches his head, thinking of the right explanation. "It never happened until I got here, but a couple of people - the ones like us, I mean - , I don't get a read off of them like I normally do, but I at least know something's there. I mean, that's weird on its own, but... I don't know. I got nothing."

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte raised an eyebrow about that, then frowned. "You do know not everyone here is, well, human. Do you think that would make a difference?" She thought of the one vampire she knew, the one that wasn't a transformed John, and frowned more deeply. "That would make a difference, wouldn't it?"

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well like I said, some of the... I guess - 'normal' people I can't get a read on because they're not human, but it's still different from the others. I can't really explain it."

[aesthetic_mojo]

That was enough explanation for her to understand the difference. Sadly, she had no explanation of what the new people around them were, so she had no idea what to tell him. "I think they are paper dolls. Just pretend to keep us contained."

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

"Creepy way of putting it, but I think I agree."

[aesthetic_mojo]

"I'm really not helping, am I?" She laughed bitterly. "I could say they here to work as control subjects in contrast to us. How's that? Better?"

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

He smiles a little at that. "Nah, it's fine. I get it."

[aesthetic_mojo]

She shook her head, smiling. "I've considered going around one day asking them bizarre questions. Seeing how long before either one of them snaps and tells me something useful or some paper doll cop comes up and tells me to cease and desist."

[visual]

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

When Dean's tablet comes on, he's sitting in Bobby's house, napping on a chair. He wasn't kidding when he slept a lot. He has nothing else to do. But Toby's visual pops up, and obviously, Dean has to listen. When he's finished, Dean frowns, and rubs the back of his head as he answers.

"Huh. Guess I shoulda figured that. Tried flirting with some of those chicks, and the responses they gave me were weird."

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. He's not surprised by what Dean's, uh, 'research' has found. Actually, imagining that makes him smirk a little.

"Maybe you're just off your game."

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh. Off my game my ass," Dean replies, rolling his eyes. "Didn't say I didn't score, dude. Just said they gave me weird responses."

Oh, man, it's a good thing Toby's not there in person, because Dean would totally have been thinking of his 'research'. Just to annoy Toby.

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

... Yeah, Toby freezes and stares for a moment at that one. After what he heard - or rather, didn't hear - , the idea is just... brr.

"... Right."

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

Excuse Dean, he's totally laughing at Toby's response. "Don't worry, I'm never doing that again. Definitely not my idea of a good lay."

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

Okay. If he doesn't show that he's being creeped out, Dean will stop. He's figured out that much by now. Toby smirks at his response, glad he's not actually near Dean right now.

"I'd be pretty worried if it was."

[fudgingkillyou.livejournal.com]

Oh, Dean's totally messing with Toby. Toby really has no idea how much of a kick Dean gets out of teasing him, especially because Sam reacts a different way than this.

"You have no idea. Have you tried talking to them, or have you just been overhearing white noise?"

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

Toby actually finds it kind of annoying, the way he sometimes finds Oz's rambling or theorising annoying -- which means he'll put up with it. If he has to. The only redeeming quality is that this must be what it's like to have a brother in one's life.

Erf. Okay. Meanwhile...

"I've talked to 'em a few times. I don't know, man, I've had this my whole life, so I know when things aren't right when I'm around people, talk to them. And this is just... completely weird."

[visual]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

"Wait, what?" Cordelia asks, frowning. "You... tried your thingy with them?"

Re: [visual]

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Toby nods, looking downwards. That's the thing: he actually tried, and trying got nothing, so he tried a little harder, and now he has a headache. "Actually tried to hear something - anything. But... nothing."

[visual]

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

She looks a bit disturbed at that. Cordelia always thought they were weird, but not-thinking, no-thoughts weird? That's just... well. A million times weirder.

"So, what? If I, say, 'accidentally' throw a shoe on Mrs. McCleary's fruit stand, she won't get offended? Or are their emotions programmed or whatever, like that dog thing?"

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

Toby lifts his hands slightly in the universal gesture for 'beats me'. "I really don't know. I just know that however they work, it's not normal."

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

"Well. Isn't this just fan-freaking-tastic. Just when I thought 'hey, maybe things are looking up with the people I actually know showing up in this place' - this happens."

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

"Well... I mean, if it's been like this all along, and they haven't hurt anybody, I wouldn't really worry about it too much right now..." Toby shrugs a little.

[glowingseer.livejournal.com]

"But there's that big, inconvenient 'what if'," she says.

[notcursed.livejournal.com]

"... True." A sigh.