ic contact;

[originallutece]

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[punshots]

okay well
let me think it over and get back to you
is that okay?

[originallutece]

Yes. Though I'd appreciate an answer within 24 hours.

[There's a little pause, and then:]

I see lying to Ardyn didn't turn out as hoped.

[punshots]

yeah ive been meaning to apologize for that
im sorry i totally ruined your shot at winning your bet
maybe i can make it up to you by taking on this job?

[originallutece]

[There's a little pause.]

It was a gambit, nothing more or less. I knew the risks going in.

If you'd like to serve as volunteer, I'd be grateful. But you hardly have to regard it as apology.

[punshots]

but i did let you down
after all that training too!
okay
ill do your testing
but only if you promise that youll write me a nice eulogy if i die

[originallutece]

It's a hallucinogen, not a stimulant. You'll be fine.

[. . .]

We'll talk about the bet later, if you want. But don't imagine you let me down.

[punshots]

[ But he did let her down... ]

okay sounds like a square deal to me!
let me know when i should come by for the uh
drug testing

[originallutece]

Whenever you're free. Ideally as soon as possible, but I'm aware you live in another city.

[punshots]

gotcha
give me a couple of days and ill be up in Olympia again
we can do it then

[originallutece]

In a few days, then.

[And she will, in fact, be waiting for him in a few days. There's no special welcome, sadly, but at least she manages to put his awaiting experiment on a plate. That's . . . nice . . . isn't it? Sort of.

But that's for later. For now, he has to head to her townhouse first, large and impressive, far more imposing than her last residence.]

[punshots]

[ And no matter how much he might not be particularly looking forward to this, Prompto knocks crisply when he arrives, wearing a comfortable grin and drumming his fingers on his crossed arms by the time Ros comes to answer it. ]

Hey! I'm ready to do the science!

[ ...This is for science, right? ]

[originallutece]

[Of course it's for science, it's always for science. Rosalind offers him a slight smile, almost nonexistant, and takes a step back for him to enter. Immediately she leads him downstairs, where there's a surprisingly comfortable library waiting for them. Plush carpet and thick couches around surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books.

But it's to an adjacent room she leads him. Sterile and neat, Rosalind's lab is as yet incomplete, but it's better than it once was. There's a pastry on a plate waiting for him on one of the tables.]

Did you run into much trouble trying to get into the city?

[punshots]

[ At least she doesn't have a creepy lab in her basement...the library looks like the kind of place Alisaie would love, and he makes a mental note to formally introduce the two of them sometime.

But for now - sketchy pastries. ]

Nah, not really. Still know a few people in the guard who look the other way when I show up. [ So...one good thing that came from his time among their ranks. ]

That's, uh...that's it, then?

[originallutece]

It is. Innocuous enough, isn't it? But that's rather the point.

[A beat, and then:]

. . . I ought to warn you before you take it, by the way. My housemate has a pet snake. It's a harmless thing, but you may see it wandering around.

[punshots]

[ ...Well, okay, that's...good to know. If he sees a snake wandering around, it's not a hallucination! How reassuring. ]

Got it. Friendly snakes. Not a hallucination. Cool, cool, cool -

[ He might be a little - or a lot - nervous. Still, he takes a seat in front of the pastry, glancing at her apprehensively. ]

So! Uh...I just...eat it?

[originallutece]

Have you really never partaken in drugs before?

[It's a touch incredulous, though not frustrated. She's just surprised.]

Just eat it. It won't take long to kick in.

[punshots]

[ Wow, he's a good boy?!? But, I mean, okay, that's simple enough. So... ]

Here goes nothin'. Geronimo!!!

[ And then he crams the pastry into his mouth. Eating it all in one go is probably a good idea, right... ]

[originallutece]

Table manners are next on my list for what I'm teaching you, Mr. Argentum. How you've managed to secure a young lady when you insist on eating in such a way is stunning to me.

[GROSS, BUDDY, but whatever! That's a lot of drug packed into a lot of pastry, so it ought to hit him pretty quickly. And when it does, Prompto will see a very realistic hallucination of someone he loves.]

[punshots]

[ If she thinks he's bad, she should see Alisaie finish a cheesecake.

Oh. But speaking of her...

It certainly does take effect quickly, and after he blinks a few times to clear his vision, Prompto sees Alisaie where Rosalind was moments before. That's...strange. Or is it? Wasn't he supposed to be helping Ros with something?

But then he grins warmly, a fondness in his eyes that belongs only to her. ]

Hey, uh...what were we talking about again?

[originallutece]

[Oh boy. Rosalind lifts an eyebrow, reaches for her notepad, and begins writing. She doesn't take her eyes off him, though it's for a very different reason than why Prompto is staring at her.]

Me, of course. You're very fond of me, aren't you?