1. I was not responsible for your injuries. Any marks or wounds you may have found on your bodies upon awakening were there when I received you.
2. Unfortunately, your request regarding the stepstools is not deemed strictly necessary, and as such it's been denied. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage the rest of you to interact and trust each other, remember; surely that can extend to reaching the upper shelves.
3. The food is certainly safe to eat, unless one of your fellow Participants renders it unsafe. I haven't tampered with it.
4. I can't offer you that information at this time. However, your attempt has been noted.
5. Your clothes weren't in any state to be worn around this facility at the time of your arrival. The uniform happened to be what we have here.
6. Your only direct correspondence is with me, yes. However, some have tried sending letters to others with the request that I send them out. I've told them that their request will be considered.
Believe me, I know better than to mistake formality for friendliness or kindness; any animosity you feel toward me is expected and quite frankly warranted, and I'm fully aware of it.
I wish you the best of luck in solving this particular puzzle, however - genuinely, not facetiously, as I understand it's difficult to tell via text.
I meant what I said before; your questions are always welcome. I'm not one to turn away people that are seeking answers, even if the answers I provide are not always complete.
Again, to answer your questions in order:
1. You can ask Abiding for confirmation or denial of your concerns with regards to these things.
2. As implied by the first answer, yes, I do know better than to leave the lot of you unsupervised.
3. The circumstances that brought you here are complicated, far moreso than can really be explained right now. It's largely irrelevant to the circumstances as they stand, however.
4. Your request regarding your clothes will be considered.
5. I said that I'm only willing to personally provide the absolute necessities. The piano in the ballroom is a feature of the academy - i.e., not something that I was explicitly asked to provide. Technically speaking you don't require beds, either, as the floor is an entirely acceptable place to sleep, albeit an uncomfortable. But they were provided for you as a feature of your room. There's a difference between things that have already been voluntarily provided and things that are being asked of me - treatment for Ardent's injuries is considered a necessity, whereas Dynamic's repeated requests for a pet chicken do not currently fall under that sort of requirement. Does that clarify it well enough...?
That said, the ballroom was here when I acquired the building, though I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it in its own way. I don't play very much myself, and I don't really write the music down either, I've always been terrible at transposing and translating what I hear into written notation. But I'm always composing, I'm always hearing things. It's mostly classical, though, yes; I'm not sure whether I'm pleased that you worked that out or a little angry at myself for being so predictable. Well done either way.
[This one is crumpled-up, not neatly-folded like the rest.]
As I've told you before, Miss Ashley, I know nothing about these men that you keep asking me about. I'm not affiliated with anyone you know back home, or anyone you don't know but are suspicious of, as the case with that individual may be - I have nothing to do with whatever your life was like before I received the lot of you.
As for your memories, that isn't something I can answer for at this time.
I owe you an apology for my tone as well, to be perfectly honest; rudeness of that sort isn't acceptable or professional, and the response I gave you was out of line. I suppose neither of us were at our best that day, however.
As usual, to answer your questions in order:
1. I don't watch you during moments like that, no. I understand that what I'm doing already is considered an invasion of privacy, but I do have boundaries.
2. I think I understand what you're asking. The items being in the vending machine at all was my doing, but the item selection wasn't my choice; I received certain things, though I won't always claim to know the reason why as relates to you or the others.
3. I honestly hadn't considered whether or not I should be considered part of this entire exercise or not. So I suppose I'm not formally so...? I haven't been set against you by an outside influence, if that's what you're asking.
4. It was difficult, yes - it took decidedly more thought than I usually put into it, anyway. It's always felt a little stifling to me, writing things like that down; it all feels very final as opposed to the freeflowing things that I hear normally. I don't really consider myself an artist, and so it's fine with me if it's generally only in my head; it's more for myself than anything. I can't really be sure if I should be sad about that or not - but then, I've never really been one that experiences sadness very well to begin with.
Days like this tend to be a bit much in general, and understandably so. I do appreciate being properly addressed, though it's more that it's better for you than it is better for me if you want to actually get answers, as anyone doing otherwise will simply have any attempts at correspondence discarded without being read.
As always, to answer your questions in order:
1. I wouldn't say the individual that brought you here is a coworker of mine so much as he is someone I've met. I understand that that probably seems to be a flimsy connection at best, especially as far as endeavors like this are concerned, but that really is the state of things. I've spoken to him once at length, and I'm fairly certain he's still alive in some capacity, though I'd say his circumstances are presumably far from ideal.
2. I haven't really kept in touch with many of my previous coworkers, for various reasons, and even those that are more recent are the sort that one doesn't trouble unless absolutely necessary.
3. I suppose I can't guarantee survival any more than I can guarantee anything, in that circumstance, because one's survival also relies on one not being an idiot; what I have is an item that I've tested repeatedly, and it's provided consistent results each time in saving lives that would otherwise be lost. I say that I can't guarantee anything because human folly has a tendency to skew results a little - that is to say, it's hardly my fault if the recipient were to lose or break the thing, or if their pet accidentally consumes it, or various other scenarios come into play and prove a bit unfortunate. It isn't a power or ability that's being bestowed on anyone, however - it's something that would work on all of you, but it's a physical thing as opposed to a supernatural one.
It hardly matters now anyway, I suppose.
4. I can't promise anything either way - both with regards to sending them, or with the notion that they would be sent unread.
5. I admit that was a little rude, as anything I can think of to say to people is a little unflattering; most of your titles are fine, I just have some rather choice words for some of the more abrasive among you.
6. I'll see what can be done regarding your requests.
You don't have anything to apologize for, much less to someone like me. Should you choose to scream into the void...well, you said yourself that I'm your only outlet for communication outside the group. I can't say I mind it.
As always, in order:
1. You were brought here because I found you interesting, really - partially because I tend to find all people interesting in some way and your lot is more interesting than most, but also because you remind me of people I knew once, some time ago. Most of them are deceased now, but I haven't kept track of all of them; their deaths weren't explicitly or personally my doing, it was just how things worked out.
We were all working on an extensive project - not necessarily together, but toward a similar goal. We were trying to change something. To...affect it, I suppose. I was more ambitious than a good amount of them, and I suppose that's why I'm still here and they are not.
I wouldn't say the individual that brought you here is a man, per se, but you would likely think me delusional if I were to tell you who he is. Or, well, who I believe him to be.
2. My title is one that I've chosen for myself, as was the one that I used before it. The only one I've received from someone else was one that I was given about twenty years ago. Not from the Academy, but elsewhere. No one gets to call me that anymore, but perhaps I'll tell you what it was sometime, after the exercise is over.
3. What sort of science books were you trying to find? A particular branch of it, or...?
4. ...I admit that I don't understand why the lot of you are so concerned about wanting people back home to know what happened. Isn't it better to not give them closure than to confirm that you died in a place like this? At least that way they might still have hope that you're still alive. Isn't it more merciful to allow them that hope, rather than to give them an answer involving something horrific like this?
5. I keep all of the letters I'm sent, actually, organized by sender. It isn't necessary to do so, granted, but it's a task to pass the time. I reread some of the more important ones sometimes.
6. I haven't had contact with most of the outside world for some time now. I'm mostly left to do as I see fit, and what I've seen fit to do is...well, this. So it's largely my own doing, really.
I've never really been the best to be involved in someone else's mourning process; I've never been good at handling people and their feelings, or knowing what to say to them. But I don't mind the correspondence with you, either. I know better than to think it's friendly or genuine, but it's not something I'm opposed to in the least.
Again, I can't say that I mind the correspondence; if you would like to send me things as frequently as you have been, that's fine. I won't discourage you from asking questions, and I'll answer what I can - I think curiosity like that is a good trait in people, honestly. Questioning the world, and questioning the people around you...it's a good habit to cultivate.
As always, in order, starting with the follow-up first:
1. I didn't hand-select you, exactly; it's more that the circumstances that brought you all here trended toward favoring certain types of people, as well as certain circumstances in general. Your particular set of people just happen to remind me a good amount of my coworkers in various ways; I don't know if it's because you're all that similar or if I'm projecting my own thoughts onto the lot of you, however. I'll admit that the second option is possible.
2. The being who brought you here is probably best described as God, yes. At least as far as I can tell.
3. I'll see what can be done, with regards to reading material like that.
4. I appreciate the clarification, though I'll admit that I still don't understand. As I've said before, however, feelings aren't precisely my strong suit - I've never had much use for them, after all. I've experienced loss, because there's no one in the world above a certain age that hasn't, I don't think; I've also been the one that's taken lives many times over. In some ways I understand the mourning process; I've never been one for funerals or public displays, but I have my own methods for remembrance that I adhere to - personal rituals and the like, because I don't believe that the dead should be forgotten, nor do I believe that those who have taken lives should be permitted to forget those they've removed from the world of the living. But I haven't experienced the lack of closure that you're talking about, and I don't know that it's something I can experience properly, either, due to my own life circumstances.
I understand what you're saying, of course, but comprehending and experiencing are two different things; logic isn't empathy, after all, though it can imitate it sometimes with enough practice. That said, it's something that I'll keep in mind, I suppose.
5. What I consider important varies; there really isn't a bright line for it. All of the criteria you've mentioned certainly qualify, though, and I tend to like the ones where I think I've gotten to know more about the sender best.
6. Focusing on the one that looks like it will actually get somewhere is the wisest course of action, yes. Doing otherwise is wasting your time; the rule states that only one may be submitted for consideration in the first place, after all, any after that will be discarded.
Admittedly, it's interesting to see where everyone's priorities either way, and it's possible I may grant some things that the group may not expect (no one expected the chickens, and I honestly didn't expect to be petitioned for chickens in the first place), but I'm assuming you want to actually get things done.
7. I don't know if I'd say that I'm enjoying this so much as I am finding it interesting, but then, I've already mentioned that emotions aren't my strong suit – happiness and pleasure aren't terribly common occurrences for me, and I suppose you could call me dispassionate in general and not be wrong. But I do like my work, otherwise I wouldn't do it, and I do like watching people and seeing how they react to things, and in that way I suppose this is entertaining for me.
That said, I don't have a particular set of expectations to be exceeded or met, really; there is no ideal end that I have in mind, for either you or myself. Things will go as they do, I imagine. I am pleased with all of you so far, for what it's worth.
8. There are seven floors to this building – you weren't expecting fifteen, by any chance?
- Conductor
PS - You have my apologies for your morning being so terrible, though you're correct in the assumption that I didn't stock the machine.
Regarding the horrible thing, I'm afraid not, but I'm both unsurprised that you asked and can't say that I mind it much.
Regarding everything else, in order as always:
1. This particular incentive is unfortunately one that I won't offer details on unless someone actually attains the right to it. It's their right to know because they took initiative and chose to act, and they were successful in doing so; it hardly matters for the rest of you, anyway.
2. You remind me of one person in particular – I wouldn't say that she was a coworker of mine so much as she was someone that I spent time with for work-related purposes. She wasn't part of our project, in other words. Just someone that was on-site for a little while.
I enjoyed her company quite a bit, however. She was certainly one that I liked, though I doubt the sentiment was at all mutual.
3. I'll see what can be done for Katsuki, then, in that case.
4. Your expressed preferences regarding informing your loved ones in the event of your death have been duly noted and will be considered.
5. Most people tend to not find it flattering when I'm pleased with them; the ones that are...well, they're usually more like me, and I'm well aware that that isn't anything that most normal people aspire to.
6. Well, I won't deny the possibility that there's a trick to it, anyway, but I've never really been one that believes in coincidence or true randomness.
I'm curious to see what questions you come up with; as always, I'm not going to discourage curiosity.
As usual, I don't mind your requests for clarification; I'm aware of your status among the group, and bluntly put I'm pleased with you for it, as I've always held a great admiration for those who are resourceful enough to think to do such things in the first place. It will have no effect on my honesty in answering your questions; if I really didn't want to risk something I tell you being shared with the group, I wouldn't tell you at all in the first place.
As always, then - to answer your questions in order:
1. The incentives offered do not stack; once a new incentive has been offered, assume that the previous incentive is off the table entirely unless stated otherwise. There are a few reasons for this, not least of which because I choose not to be responsible for accidentally creating some other dimension's deity, or however they would choose to perceive someone whose life is fundamentally perfect, has forewarning of impending tragedies and functionally cannot die.
2. Once all floors to the building have been unlocked...well, I suppose then you just won't go anywhere? It doesn't put an immediate end to the exercise one way or another - it isn't enough to declare it a success, but at the same time I won't consider it a failure, either.
3. I admit that this is another time where I don't quite understand the question - how do you not know, when you're in the presence of a being that can be considered God? I assume that the entity you're referring to, your Christian God, is one that you haven't been in the presence of, then? It's something that you simply know, inherently and explicitly, when you've seen and conversed with them. I can't be more specific than that because I'm not entirely sure that I know how.
4. There was indeed another group before you; this set is the second. The first set likewise contained thirty Participants, and I oversaw their version of the exercise as well.
5. The project I was working on before was largely irrelevant to the exercise here in terms of content; I can assure you that the majority of us weren't working to change the world, though, at least not in so many words - rather, those that I was familiar with were actually trying to save it.
6. The girl I told you about was a kind person, always inquisitive and not always certain of the right thing to do, but the sort to act on it anyway based on what she knew of the situation. She was innovative and intuitive and more than a bit stubborn, but above all else she was highly talented and intelligent. We got along reasonably well, but I never labored under the delusion that we were friends either. Take all of that as you will.
7. How does one put a name tag on a chicken?
8. It's all right that the question is a little awkward; I'm just wondering why you would ask me such a thing in the first place. It wouldn't change my opinion of you either way, knowing (or not knowing) what you've done; my thoughts have been formed by what I've seen of you, by our discourse and the things you've said to me, and the things you haven't said to me as well. Everything you've done has contributed to everything you are now, and as such it seems wrong to me to let knowledge of such a thing color my perception of you because whether I like that knowledge or not, it isn't something that can be changed and even if it could, it would change our interactions.
I'll admit that it would help me understand you better, because obviously I don't always understand you. Maybe it would be better if I did; I can't say for sure either way, because I don't always know what you're thinking. Somehow I doubt you want a person like me understanding you on any level that isn't incredibly basic, anyway. That isn't something that most people want, they seem to dislike it when I get into their heads and they dislike it even more when we discuss what I've found there, but I can't say that I can see another purpose to the question. Would you prefer having some sort of understanding like that, even if we both know better than to consider anything of the sort to be genuine in origin, or a good thing in the first place?
...I don't consider this to be anything like friendship, either, I'm in agreement with you on that. Just the same, I've likewise come to enjoy our correspondence; I won't hold the missed letter against you, however - it would be ungrateful to do so anyway, particularly since you've offered me such a long one tonight. I don't know how Josh and Chris would feel about such things, and I don't think it's right for me to speak for them and reassure you either way. But whether they would be proud of you or not - is it unwelcome to say that I am? That's likely disturbing, and overly sentimental besides; I'm not really one for sentiment.
Hopefully you've slept some by the time this reaches you; I doubt it will be much, but some at least.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
LETTER 1
DiscMiss Ashley,The window for inquiries is always open.
To answer your questions in order:
1. I was not responsible for your injuries. Any marks or wounds you may have found on your bodies upon awakening were there when I received you.
2. Unfortunately, your request regarding the stepstools is not deemed strictly necessary, and as such it's been denied. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage the rest of you to interact and trust each other, remember; surely that can extend to reaching the upper shelves.
3. The food is certainly safe to eat, unless one of your fellow Participants renders it unsafe. I haven't tampered with it.
4. I can't offer you that information at this time. However, your attempt has been noted.
5. Your clothes weren't in any state to be worn around this facility at the time of your arrival. The uniform happened to be what we have here.
6. Your only direct correspondence is with me, yes. However, some have tried sending letters to others with the request that I send them out. I've told them that their request will be considered.
Believe me, I know better than to mistake formality for friendliness or kindness; any animosity you feel toward me is expected and quite frankly warranted, and I'm fully aware of it.
I wish you the best of luck in solving this particular puzzle, however - genuinely, not facetiously, as I understand it's difficult to tell via text.
- Conductor
LETTER 2
I meant what I said before; your questions are always welcome. I'm not one to turn away people that are seeking answers, even if the answers I provide are not always complete.
Again, to answer your questions in order:
1. You can ask Abiding for confirmation or denial of your concerns with regards to these things.
2. As implied by the first answer, yes, I do know better than to leave the lot of you unsupervised.
3. The circumstances that brought you here are complicated, far moreso than can really be explained right now. It's largely irrelevant to the circumstances as they stand, however.
4. Your request regarding your clothes will be considered.
5. I said that I'm only willing to personally provide the absolute necessities. The piano in the ballroom is a feature of the academy - i.e., not something that I was explicitly asked to provide. Technically speaking you don't require beds, either, as the floor is an entirely acceptable place to sleep, albeit an uncomfortable. But they were provided for you as a feature of your room. There's a difference between things that have already been voluntarily provided and things that are being asked of me - treatment for Ardent's injuries is considered a necessity, whereas Dynamic's repeated requests for a pet chicken do not currently fall under that sort of requirement. Does that clarify it well enough...?
That said, the ballroom was here when I acquired the building, though I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it in its own way. I don't play very much myself, and I don't really write the music down either, I've always been terrible at transposing and translating what I hear into written notation. But I'm always composing, I'm always hearing things. It's mostly classical, though, yes; I'm not sure whether I'm pleased that you worked that out or a little angry at myself for being so predictable. Well done either way.
- Conductor
LETTER 3
As I've told you before, Miss Ashley, I know nothing about these men that you keep asking me about. I'm not affiliated with anyone you know back home, or anyone you don't know but are suspicious of, as the case with that individual may be - I have nothing to do with whatever your life was like before I received the lot of you.
As for your memories, that isn't something I can answer for at this time.
LETTER 4
I owe you an apology for my tone as well, to be perfectly honest; rudeness of that sort isn't acceptable or professional, and the response I gave you was out of line. I suppose neither of us were at our best that day, however.
As usual, to answer your questions in order:
1. I don't watch you during moments like that, no. I understand that what I'm doing already is considered an invasion of privacy, but I do have boundaries.
2. I think I understand what you're asking. The items being in the vending machine at all was my doing, but the item selection wasn't my choice; I received certain things, though I won't always claim to know the reason why as relates to you or the others.
3. I honestly hadn't considered whether or not I should be considered part of this entire exercise or not. So I suppose I'm not formally so...? I haven't been set against you by an outside influence, if that's what you're asking.
4. It was difficult, yes - it took decidedly more thought than I usually put into it, anyway. It's always felt a little stifling to me, writing things like that down; it all feels very final as opposed to the freeflowing things that I hear normally. I don't really consider myself an artist, and so it's fine with me if it's generally only in my head; it's more for myself than anything. I can't really be sure if I should be sad about that or not - but then, I've never really been one that experiences sadness very well to begin with.
- Conductor
LETTER 5
Days like this tend to be a bit much in general, and understandably so. I do appreciate being properly addressed, though it's more that it's better for you than it is better for me if you want to actually get answers, as anyone doing otherwise will simply have any attempts at correspondence discarded without being read.
As always, to answer your questions in order:
1. I wouldn't say the individual that brought you here is a coworker of mine so much as he is someone I've met. I understand that that probably seems to be a flimsy connection at best, especially as far as endeavors like this are concerned, but that really is the state of things. I've spoken to him once at length, and I'm fairly certain he's still alive in some capacity, though I'd say his circumstances are presumably far from ideal.
2. I haven't really kept in touch with many of my previous coworkers, for various reasons, and even those that are more recent are the sort that one doesn't trouble unless absolutely necessary.
3. I suppose I can't guarantee survival any more than I can guarantee anything, in that circumstance, because one's survival also relies on one not being an idiot; what I have is an item that I've tested repeatedly, and it's provided consistent results each time in saving lives that would otherwise be lost. I say that I can't guarantee anything because human folly has a tendency to skew results a little - that is to say, it's hardly my fault if the recipient were to lose or break the thing, or if their pet accidentally consumes it, or various other scenarios come into play and prove a bit unfortunate. It isn't a power or ability that's being bestowed on anyone, however - it's something that would work on all of you, but it's a physical thing as opposed to a supernatural one.
It hardly matters now anyway, I suppose.
4. I can't promise anything either way - both with regards to sending them, or with the notion that they would be sent unread.
5. I admit that was a little rude, as anything I can think of to say to people is a little unflattering; most of your titles are fine, I just have some rather choice words for some of the more abrasive among you.
6. I'll see what can be done regarding your requests.
- Conductor
LETTER 6
You don't have anything to apologize for, much less to someone like me. Should you choose to scream into the void...well, you said yourself that I'm your only outlet for communication outside the group. I can't say I mind it.
As always, in order:
1. You were brought here because I found you interesting, really - partially because I tend to find all people interesting in some way and your lot is more interesting than most, but also because you remind me of people I knew once, some time ago. Most of them are deceased now, but I haven't kept track of all of them; their deaths weren't explicitly or personally my doing, it was just how things worked out.
We were all working on an extensive project - not necessarily together, but toward a similar goal. We were trying to change something. To...affect it, I suppose. I was more ambitious than a good amount of them, and I suppose that's why I'm still here and they are not.
I wouldn't say the individual that brought you here is a man, per se, but you would likely think me delusional if I were to tell you who he is. Or, well, who I believe him to be.
2. My title is one that I've chosen for myself, as was the one that I used before it. The only one I've received from someone else was one that I was given about twenty years ago. Not from the Academy, but elsewhere. No one gets to call me that anymore, but perhaps I'll tell you what it was sometime, after the exercise is over.
3. What sort of science books were you trying to find? A particular branch of it, or...?
4. ...I admit that I don't understand why the lot of you are so concerned about wanting people back home to know what happened. Isn't it better to not give them closure than to confirm that you died in a place like this? At least that way they might still have hope that you're still alive. Isn't it more merciful to allow them that hope, rather than to give them an answer involving something horrific like this?
5. I keep all of the letters I'm sent, actually, organized by sender. It isn't necessary to do so, granted, but it's a task to pass the time. I reread some of the more important ones sometimes.
6. I haven't had contact with most of the outside world for some time now. I'm mostly left to do as I see fit, and what I've seen fit to do is...well, this. So it's largely my own doing, really.
I've never really been the best to be involved in someone else's mourning process; I've never been good at handling people and their feelings, or knowing what to say to them. But I don't mind the correspondence with you, either. I know better than to think it's friendly or genuine, but it's not something I'm opposed to in the least.
- Conductor
LETTER 7
Again, I can't say that I mind the correspondence; if you would like to send me things as frequently as you have been, that's fine. I won't discourage you from asking questions, and I'll answer what I can - I think curiosity like that is a good trait in people, honestly. Questioning the world, and questioning the people around you...it's a good habit to cultivate.
As always, in order, starting with the follow-up first:
1. I didn't hand-select you, exactly; it's more that the circumstances that brought you all here trended toward favoring certain types of people, as well as certain circumstances in general. Your particular set of people just happen to remind me a good amount of my coworkers in various ways; I don't know if it's because you're all that similar or if I'm projecting my own thoughts onto the lot of you, however. I'll admit that the second option is possible.
2. The being who brought you here is probably best described as God, yes. At least as far as I can tell.
3. I'll see what can be done, with regards to reading material like that.
4. I appreciate the clarification, though I'll admit that I still don't understand. As I've said before, however, feelings aren't precisely my strong suit - I've never had much use for them, after all. I've experienced loss, because there's no one in the world above a certain age that hasn't, I don't think; I've also been the one that's taken lives many times over. In some ways I understand the mourning process; I've never been one for funerals or public displays, but I have my own methods for remembrance that I adhere to - personal rituals and the like, because I don't believe that the dead should be forgotten, nor do I believe that those who have taken lives should be permitted to forget those they've removed from the world of the living. But I haven't experienced the lack of closure that you're talking about, and I don't know that it's something I can experience properly, either, due to my own life circumstances.
I understand what you're saying, of course, but comprehending and experiencing are two different things; logic isn't empathy, after all, though it can imitate it sometimes with enough practice. That said, it's something that I'll keep in mind, I suppose.
5. What I consider important varies; there really isn't a bright line for it. All of the criteria you've mentioned certainly qualify, though, and I tend to like the ones where I think I've gotten to know more about the sender best.
6. Focusing on the one that looks like it will actually get somewhere is the wisest course of action, yes. Doing otherwise is wasting your time; the rule states that only one may be submitted for consideration in the first place, after all, any after that will be discarded.
Admittedly, it's interesting to see where everyone's priorities either way, and it's possible I may grant some things that the group may not expect (no one expected the chickens, and I honestly didn't expect to be petitioned for chickens in the first place), but I'm assuming you want to actually get things done.
7. I don't know if I'd say that I'm enjoying this so much as I am finding it interesting, but then, I've already mentioned that emotions aren't my strong suit – happiness and pleasure aren't terribly common occurrences for me, and I suppose you could call me dispassionate in general and not be wrong. But I do like my work, otherwise I wouldn't do it, and I do like watching people and seeing how they react to things, and in that way I suppose this is entertaining for me.
That said, I don't have a particular set of expectations to be exceeded or met, really; there is no ideal end that I have in mind, for either you or myself. Things will go as they do, I imagine. I am pleased with all of you so far, for what it's worth.
8. There are seven floors to this building – you weren't expecting fifteen, by any chance?
- Conductor
PS - You have my apologies for your morning being so terrible, though you're correct in the assumption that I didn't stock the machine.
LETTER 8
Regarding the horrible thing, I'm afraid not, but I'm both unsurprised that you asked and can't say that I mind it much.
Regarding everything else, in order as always:
1. This particular incentive is unfortunately one that I won't offer details on unless someone actually attains the right to it. It's their right to know because they took initiative and chose to act, and they were successful in doing so; it hardly matters for the rest of you, anyway.
2. You remind me of one person in particular – I wouldn't say that she was a coworker of mine so much as she was someone that I spent time with for work-related purposes. She wasn't part of our project, in other words. Just someone that was on-site for a little while.
I enjoyed her company quite a bit, however. She was certainly one that I liked, though I doubt the sentiment was at all mutual.
3. I'll see what can be done for Katsuki, then, in that case.
4. Your expressed preferences regarding informing your loved ones in the event of your death have been duly noted and will be considered.
5. Most people tend to not find it flattering when I'm pleased with them; the ones that are...well, they're usually more like me, and I'm well aware that that isn't anything that most normal people aspire to.
6. Well, I won't deny the possibility that there's a trick to it, anyway, but I've never really been one that believes in coincidence or true randomness.
I'm curious to see what questions you come up with; as always, I'm not going to discourage curiosity.
- Conductor
LETTER 9 - FINAL
As usual, I don't mind your requests for clarification; I'm aware of your status among the group, and bluntly put I'm pleased with you for it, as I've always held a great admiration for those who are resourceful enough to think to do such things in the first place. It will have no effect on my honesty in answering your questions; if I really didn't want to risk something I tell you being shared with the group, I wouldn't tell you at all in the first place.
As always, then - to answer your questions in order:
1. The incentives offered do not stack; once a new incentive has been offered, assume that the previous incentive is off the table entirely unless stated otherwise. There are a few reasons for this, not least of which because I choose not to be responsible for accidentally creating some other dimension's deity, or however they would choose to perceive someone whose life is fundamentally perfect, has forewarning of impending tragedies and functionally cannot die.
2. Once all floors to the building have been unlocked...well, I suppose then you just won't go anywhere? It doesn't put an immediate end to the exercise one way or another - it isn't enough to declare it a success, but at the same time I won't consider it a failure, either.
3. I admit that this is another time where I don't quite understand the question - how do you not know, when you're in the presence of a being that can be considered God? I assume that the entity you're referring to, your Christian God, is one that you haven't been in the presence of, then? It's something that you simply know, inherently and explicitly, when you've seen and conversed with them. I can't be more specific than that because I'm not entirely sure that I know how.
4. There was indeed another group before you; this set is the second. The first set likewise contained thirty Participants, and I oversaw their version of the exercise as well.
5. The project I was working on before was largely irrelevant to the exercise here in terms of content; I can assure you that the majority of us weren't working to change the world, though, at least not in so many words - rather, those that I was familiar with were actually trying to save it.
6. The girl I told you about was a kind person, always inquisitive and not always certain of the right thing to do, but the sort to act on it anyway based on what she knew of the situation. She was innovative and intuitive and more than a bit stubborn, but above all else she was highly talented and intelligent. We got along reasonably well, but I never labored under the delusion that we were friends either. Take all of that as you will.
7. How does one put a name tag on a chicken?
8. It's all right that the question is a little awkward; I'm just wondering why you would ask me such a thing in the first place. It wouldn't change my opinion of you either way, knowing (or not knowing) what you've done; my thoughts have been formed by what I've seen of you, by our discourse and the things you've said to me, and the things you haven't said to me as well. Everything you've done has contributed to everything you are now, and as such it seems wrong to me to let knowledge of such a thing color my perception of you because whether I like that knowledge or not, it isn't something that can be changed and even if it could, it would change our interactions.
I'll admit that it would help me understand you better, because obviously I don't always understand you. Maybe it would be better if I did; I can't say for sure either way, because I don't always know what you're thinking. Somehow I doubt you want a person like me understanding you on any level that isn't incredibly basic, anyway. That isn't something that most people want, they seem to dislike it when I get into their heads and they dislike it even more when we discuss what I've found there, but I can't say that I can see another purpose to the question. Would you prefer having some sort of understanding like that, even if we both know better than to consider anything of the sort to be genuine in origin, or a good thing in the first place?
...I don't consider this to be anything like friendship, either, I'm in agreement with you on that. Just the same, I've likewise come to enjoy our correspondence; I won't hold the missed letter against you, however - it would be ungrateful to do so anyway, particularly since you've offered me such a long one tonight. I don't know how Josh and Chris would feel about such things, and I don't think it's right for me to speak for them and reassure you either way. But whether they would be proud of you or not - is it unwelcome to say that I am? That's likely disturbing, and overly sentimental besides; I'm not really one for sentiment.
Hopefully you've slept some by the time this reaches you; I doubt it will be much, but some at least.
- Conductor