Quoted By:
>Luggage run
You have to think about this. It's Headspace, so talking beetles might not be that weird. You're sure people here have seen worse. But "not weird" doesn't mean "not suspicious"— Virginia isn't supposed to have beetles, you're sure. Um, almost sure. Is she? You haven't let her comment very much on anything, but...
<span class="mu-i">Beetles carry deep meaning. They symbolize hard work, determination, perseverance</span>
Huh? No, no. Not symbolic—
<span class="mu-i">...transformation, creation, and adaptation. They are very lucky. Seeing so many means that things must be looking up. More than they already have been, you suppose.</span>
Not symbolic beetles! God. You are looking at actual beetles right now. Real, actual beetles. How does Management feel about actual beetles?
<span class="mu-i">Pets are prohibited. You regret the restriction, but you do understand it. It could get out of hand fast, with the kind of imaginations people have. Try to set restrictions, and there'd be loopholes ferreted out before you could...</span>
Barely any more helpful, but you're sensing that Management would not approve of you standing in the hallway with an armful of talking beetles. It's settled, then. "We better go back," you tell Gil, then think better of it. "Um, maybe I can find a bag to put you in, and we can come back here. So you're not stranded forever, just for a minute. Okay?"
"Oh." Gil sounds surprised. "...I-I-I-If you'd be willing?"
"Yes!" You scoop the beetles up and cradle them as subtly as you can. It should look like you have your arms crossed, you think. You mean, it will. Since you're a master of disguise and all. "Alright, we're going. Should I stick a siphon in this hallway?"
"Um, I-I think a lot of people walk this way, considering all the— all the doors. I-I-I wouldn't risk it. Um, personally. I-I-If you want to, then you can—"
"No, no. There'll be plenty more places. Like..."
Like Virginia's penthouse. What were you expecting? If you'd had to pin down an image, it might have been something like your house: gilt and velvet and chandeliers and stuff. You should've remembered it was Headspace. Where there ought to be gilt, there's bare metal or glossy paint. Where there ought to be velvet, there's garish alligator-skin, or— God, what are those <span class="mu-i">made</span> of? Are they inflated with air? And where there ought to be chandeliers, there are orbs, stupid blank orbs, that light up blinding white when you flick the switch— huh. Are there usually multiple settings for a light-switch? You lower it to the middle, and the orbs begin strobing rainbow.
(1/2)
