didntgetdadslooks | OFFICE HOURS

OFFICE HOURS

Got something you want to say to your good friend The Professor's Assistant? Come on in, don't be shy! Her official hours are daylight hours - girl has to sleep? after all, probably - but if you knock on the door at night she'll generally answer. Please just make sure to leave the in-game date and time in the header of your toplevel!

All comments are screened for confidentiality during the course of the experiment.

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[ There's some muffled music playing from the other side of the door, but it stops when Della knocks. ]

Come in!

[ ...She's got something other than smooth jazz? Injustice.

In goes Della. Maintain a grumpy attitude. Or at least try to. ]

Hi. Hello there.

[ Perks of helping run a murdergame. ]

Hello! Della, right? You didn't exactly seem happy with your title.

[ Anyway, welcome to Angel's office, feel free to have a seat - or to notice the collection of weird odds and ends crowding up the shelves behind the desk! Della's a pretty well-traveled duck - obviously these are geared towards humans, but most of what's back here seems to be a gathering of local art pieces from around the world! And some other small things, there's some liquor bottles and just a heckin fossil, but mostly that's absolutely what's here. The human versions of what Della would recognize, anyway.

Notably, Della would notice that a fair few of these are specifically art pieces, many of which are like. Pretty intense for souvenirs? Shoutout to the small gathering of tupilaqs on one of the shelves. It's also notable that in this kind of wide assortment of specifically art pieces... there are no masks of any kind. ]

[ An interesting office...clearly a lot like the art gallery. Should some of these things be here? She eyes the tupilaqs, and does not sit down. ]

Oh, so you're going to use our actual names instead of go for a cheap shot, that's nice, a nice deviation. [ Honestly... Everything in her is telling her to go a bit easier. But there really isn't anyone else to complain to in charge, is there? ]

[ There's nothing in here that's like a Specific Art Piece or anything - you could argue a twenty-something Angel's size shouldn't have multiple bottles of booze around, I guess, but that's probably not what you mean here. ]

I mean... it's probably not worth much, but I am sorry for the titles. Like with, well, most everything else The Professor does, they're... a bit much.

[ Like, the booze, yes, but who hasn't gone wild and gotten drunk? ...Okay, Della's only done that a few times because Duckworth's watchful eye was all-seeing when she was a teen, but- ]

Ohhh, you noticed? He's a bit much. Yeah, that's what I'd call all this, a bit much.

[ She's just going to start examining those art pieces and not look at Angel!! See, she's rude, Della's rude now! ]

Since I've got an ounce of decency, I figured I should say hi and introduce myself, like an actual person and not a lab rat, for the record.

[ Who could have done this to this innocent duc- oh wait, right. The mastermind. ]

I... yeah, that's fair.

[ Angel sighs, sitting down behind the desk. It's clear she's not thrilled but also not surprised about this duck being rude. ]

Hello. Nice to meet you properly. Anything I can do for you?

[ What's Della looking for in particular in the art pieces? Or is she just looking at them in general. ]

[ Taking them in... Mostly seeing if things are more along the lines of the tupilaqs or-- you know, do any of these look...dangerous? Like real actual artifacts? Magic stuff that she's got experience with? ]

...Yeah, send me home to my kids.

[ That's...not fair. But at the same time, it's the only thing she wants. And entirely fair, in that way. ]

[ Nothing that looks like an actual magical artifact more than anything else, necessarily? Most everything seems genuinely handmade, but nothing here actually looks Ancient - they're all pretty recent pieces in old traditions. ]

If I could, I would.

[ It sounds genuine, at least. ]

[ She spares a glance. Just a little one. ]

That's a tall order, asking me to believe that. Considering who you work for.

[ On that note, the tupilaqs, those were what were really giving her pause--they look more like souvenirs too? ]

[ Yup! Really high-grade ones, they're clearly authentic pieces, but souvenirs. ]

True. I don't exactly have much in the way of assurances that you guys can trust me at all.

[ ...At least she doesn't have to start suddenly worrying about some avenging beasts rising up and killing all of them. ]

At least you understand that. What do you have for us? Instead of asking me what I want--what can you even do for me?

Well...

[ She gestures to her tablet. ]

I can requisition small supplies you guys need - or want, really, it's my jurisdiction - as long as they're not... I can't exactly get you bombs or anything like that. And if you need someone to talk to - or yell at - The Professor does listen in, but I'm specifically forbidden from discussing anything said in here with anyone else without express permission. I also monitor the facility to keep the lights on and the walls intact, but I doubt that's what you mean.

So, you can give us things to placate us until your boss makes us crack.

[ Della gives Angel her full attention now. ]

What's your job here? Babysitter? What does the Professor get, from you?

[ Oh Boy. ]

I...

[ She sighs, swallowing down... something. Fear? Anger? Who knows. ]

I'm trying to help. My job is to watch you guys, but... I chose to come here because I wanted to help. I can't speak for The Professor, but my job description didn't include that when I took it.

What are you trying to help with? To help him? Or us?

[ That's what it comes down to, isn't it? ]

I'm here because I owe the Professor... a lot. But he doesn't exactly spend time pretending to be a hero, and I'm not stupid enough to think he is one. I'm sympathetic to you guys as much as I can be, but... I have a set of rules I have to follow too. I can't help doing some things that help him here. That was the job when I took it. I'm not going to lie about that.

[ She exhales. ]

But at the end of the day, I want to do what good I can do. And when he explained this whole thing, that meant signing up to try to stop what I can. So you guys can at least have one person saying maybe you shouldn't kill each other, and who will be as honest as she can about her intentions. I've never been in the business of betraying the good guys.

[ She listens. That's all Della can do, she does listen. And... ]

...That profile of yours, is that accurate?

Yup. Just as much as all the others.

So. When all of this is done, however it shakes out, you want to see the world. Go look at all the...souvenirs you got here, except up close. Where they're supposed to be.

[ She's back to looking at those. ]

Who are you going to see it with? The Professor?

Hopefully not. I know better than to think any of you guys are going to want to hang out a bunch when this is over, but... I've never really been able to be out on my own. Even if it doesn't come for a while, that really is what I want.

Well, let me tell you, one world-traveler to a wannabe: Being on your own isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[ ...It's pity. It's anger in Della, but- it's pity, too. ]

Seeing the world doesn't mean anything unless you have people to share it with. And if this is how you're trying to do some good, then I don't think you're going to have many, at the end of all this. Not even that asshole.

[ Angel doesn't say anything for a bit, and can't quite meet Della's eyes. ]

... Maybe that's the price I have to pay in the end. But I don't have anywhere to go back to, so all I can really do is move forward.

[ Without another word, Della turns to leave. But. ]

Some of the others might look at you as a kid. ...I sure know for a moment I did. [ There's just...an air about her. But- ] But I know you're old enough to make your own decisions.

You're old enough to know what you're doing is wrong, if you're going to start talking about...good guys and bad guys. If you keep hurtling forward, you're going to crash and burn. And you're going to be all alone.

[ Endless nights. Tally marks on a wall. Days on end talking to people, who in the end never heard her. ]

Think about that. If this price for...whatever the Professor's doing isn't enough.

[ Can't believe Angel just got fuckin wrecked by a duck. ]

... Alright.

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OFFICE HOURS

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