Jennifer
```[unpausing scene from 3/12: the conspiracy club's first meeting]```

Finley, truthfully, despised nicknames, most of the time. They'd worked hard to settle on the name Finley, going through many awkward transitions of names that they currently hid in the back of old journals tucked away in their old room, little jabs from old friends, but nothing that had followed them to NC. Their deadname encroached on their transition to the Cradle, shut down quickly by both they and family, met with hasty apologies and quick corrections for the most part. 

But, Ares, for whatever reason, didn't bother them quite as much. In fact, they almost smiled, quickly burying it behind another sip of hot chocolate. 

The group seemed... On board with what they had to say. They all seemed to want to know more about their theories. It tugged on some place in their chest that wanted friends - and now seemed to be receiving them. Ares, the firework, bursting with light and life, Valio, a stronghold with gentle undertones, Owen, the musician who seemed to keep things going, and Mel, who Finley had, somehow, befriended the longest. A faint smile pulled at the sides of their mouth. 
They realized then that they might just be able to tell these people what they'd been up to this whole time. Perusing the classrooms when they were empty, squinting a little too long down 'prohibited hallways', letting themself linger in areas they know that was best for them not to be.


"If you're all invested," They said, clearing their throat to loosen the chocolate, "I did have a thing or two planned. I believe there might be microphones in the common areas, and I aim to find out if there is. Do you want to help me?"

Their blue eyes glittered with a kind of excitement, their grin barely contained. Newton's Cradle had its secrets, and would continue to, but Finley was a special sort of nosey that pried their way into every sort of mishap or mishandling. It had led to them being here, and, it seemed, would lead to them getting out of here (eventually). 

"I also don't trust a load of what they've said about them giving us job training after graduation. Were any of us even told what we need to graduate? There's no way. There's no way they don't plan on doing something with us - you can't just assemble this many people, teach them, and let them go after you're done - when will we know when they're 'done', anyway?" 

Finley was rambling by this point, standing out of their chair to pace back and forth. If the group hung around long enough, they'd come to recognize how their voice tilted in a brisk, but articulate way whenever they began to talk like this.

"What qualifies someone with a record as being done with an equally criminal education? Who is setting the rules here? How did they even get the funding to create this in the first place? There's no way even the UN doesn't know we're here, right?"

They stopped, making eye contact with Ares, turning pink in the ears as they realized they'd gotten carried away. The pacing stopped.
"You know what I mean, don't you?"
Judith
The tension in the room was palpable. Everyone was deadly quiet when Finley finished talking, trying to take in everything - even Mel, who never ever shuts up. *This is really weird,* Mel thought. *Feels wrong.*

Because of course it did. Silence was something Mel had barely known for years on end. If no one else was making noise, *She* Was. Right? That was normal. That felt like normal.

So why wasn't she saying anything?

She had been ripped from her home, she knew that much. Ripped from a vacation, actually. Sent to a concrete building in a foreign country, apparently for "Rehabilitation". And it seemed to be getting sketchier by the minute. But all of that fit comfortably at the back of her mind, somehow. She was just trying to process it anyway. Some of it was showing on her face, too - quiet, distinctly not-Mel-like thought.

After a bit of deliberation, she decided to stop trying. Almost immediately, her brain was vacant again, and she was the first to break the silence, just like everyone expected.

"Uhhhh, not really!" She joked, pulling out her phone and turning on the camera, "Could you say all that again?" The cheeky grin on her face would probably have been miles wide if not constrained by the physical realm. And that was okay with her.
Wai
The minuscule yet swift changes in the air spiked more disjointed shots of energy through Owen's body, adding his other leg to his anxious drum solo. He was going faster than the music in his ear now; he skipped a couple of songs discretely, landing on a much more energetic song to match his nerves. There were many thoughts simmering in his head, but none had quite boiled over enough to be said. His brow furrowed absentmindedly as he tried to hurry one along. A part of him was thankful for Mél's oddly-placed humour; the ability to break up the silence with some desperately needed fun was not one he had been blessed with.

"It's all so much more real when you say it out loud," He mused, his soft voice more than enough to bristle the hairs on the backs of necks in the suddenly near-silent kitchen. "I've always preferred to keep my world small, but.. So much is slipping out of my fingers now and it's bigger that I've wanted to think and- and I wouldn't know where to start making sense of it." Nervously tilting his head back to drip the last little mouthful of hot cocoa down his throat, he thought some more about what he'd been trying to banish for the time being. 

"I keep thinking that I'll wake up at home, power-less and safe, but I never do, and.." His eyes darted to a spot on the floor to avoid the others' as his red-gloved hand *Clinked* On his mug. Quiet was evidently too much for him, little though he spoke, and so he wrapped his little cacophony around himself as a shield to the bouncing echoes in his head. 

"I'm scared," He concluded, pressing his mouth into a grim line to avoid saying anything else. *Was that too much at once?* Surely, fear wasn't unheard of here. He was a child, still afraid of the dark, hands gripping the nightlight in the inky hallway, turning to see if the footsteps behind him were eldritch beast or ally; eyes opened impossibly wide, despite what they feared they would see.
Pauline
"Aye, That'd be nice." Ares gave Valio a smile, it had undertones of genuineness laced beneath the normal bastard expression. He slid his empty cup over in her direction, the ceramic glided effortlessly across the countertop. Ares then returned his attention to the rest of the group. He could feel things getting *Tense* The more and more Finley talked. Ares let out a laugh at Mel's attempt to keep things light. It was a booming sound, well matched with the rest of his firecracker personality. Something in Ares' mind felt a hint of solidarity with the blonde girl. 

"Yeah Fin, didn't catch a single thing." Ares was *Obviously* Joking. The devilish smirk pulled up on his tan features was more than enough to show that. He let himself laugh once more. The atmosphere had already lightened up, that is until Owen started talking again. Ares let his gaze fall on the red head, and felt the nervousness in his tone. Ares leaned on the counter and tiled his head when he spoke.
_ _

"Oy *Acho,* No need to be scared. I'll gladly beat up anything that tries to fuck with us." Ares pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek while he paused to think of what else he could say. He wasn't a fan of the atmosphere in the room.

"It's all a bit much don't you think?" 

He said, looking at no one in particular. A small chuckle ending his sentence. Ares seemed to have a habit of addressing everyone when he spoke. His loud tone was more than enough suited for such a thing. The way his words fell out through a smile showed how unbothered Ares truly was. Unlike Owen or Finley who seemed to be jittery with anxiety, Ares was simply there for the conversation. Leaning back like all of this information was yesterday's news.
Jim
Valio nodded to Ares refilling his cup with the beverage she'd made too much of. She noticed his tone was underlined with a genuine spark she didn't think would come out of the fire-esq boy but, well she usually isn't pleasantly surprised but here she is. It's nice to know that the kid seemed to me nice and not just all macho to make himself seem better than everyone else, only the gods know that she has had enough of that. Overall everyone in the room seemed pleasant but, she couldn't be too sure, time was bound to change somebody. 

Valio looked at Owen with a furrowed brow while giving Ares his refilled drink. There was a soft heavy rumble in the back of her throat before she spoke, as if mulling over her words before she spoke them.
 "It's too much at once that you feel like you have to sit still and try not to scream. A small world burst open by a faulty mistake. I- well the most you can really do it have company that you feel safe around. Dare I say I hope you'll be comfortable around us, sooner or later."
 She spoke with a soft smile, she hoped she could soothe whatever homesick ache he'd acquired. Or it could be said to anybody in this room if they'd felt the same. 
"Remember if you need me I'm mostly close."
 She said with a tone of joke and underlining worry, speaking to both nobody and everyone.

. 

She took her cup and set it aside intertwining her fingers as she looked at her gloves. She rubbed the leather fabric together idly. 
"Well find everything out due time I assure you ain't if not? I'll protect you if you feel scared, overwhelmed."
 Again assuring the group that she was again there. She was worried, they're just children and they're coming with baggage and fear that they'll never see those they found to be family ever again. She understood that sentiment but only some what, it was all jumbled anyway. Her eye narrowed as she looked at Finley. The kid seemed to not realize what was too much to talk about but, who could know that they were pushing buttons that hit unwanted areas. So much for something soothing.

She looked at Owen her eye flickering to his cup. 
"Owen. Want some more hot chocolate?" 
She feels like she'll be asking that question a lot, she woes.
Jennifer
Finley caught Valio's looks and stilled, the expression on her face knocking them down to earth again. They quietly sat down, shrinking back in their chair, fingers landing on the top of their book again. They mumbled an apology, rubbing the sides of their arms. As per usual, they were cold. Anemia seemed to do that to a person, a permanent sense of cold.

"I'm sorry," They said, trying for the most apologetic tone they could manage. "I don't mean to freak anyone out. I apologize. I just, ah..." They aimed for an explanation of sorts and grappled at straws. "I suppose it's just of more interest to me than it should be."
They pulled their feet into the chair, resting their chin on their knees.

*Way to go, Fin.*
Judith
The atmosphere was still awkward. Apparently Mel couldn't really save it.

Everyone seemed quite down about the whole thing. The whole... Well, Finley had basically just told them all they were going to be severely abused, so perhaps it was understandable. Mel couldn't really get herself to feel a lot about it, but she wasn't tone-deaf enough to be too loud. She went to grab more hot chocolate without saying much.

The mug was warm, and the chocolate felt more bitter than before. Things tended to taste worse, feel worse, in situations like this. It was sort of like a substitute for the emotions Mel was probably supposed to be feeling.

Still, Finley seemed to be feeling quite down, and Mel figured she should probably do something about that, but... She hadn't been able to the first time. She'd noticed Fin looking at the new guy... Ares, his name was. Ares. Maybe he could help! Yeah, seemed like Fin would probably wanna hear something from him.

She walked up and quickly prodded Ares in the back, before silently gesturing toward the rather distraught-looking Finley, as if to say 'go talk to them'. Everyone was having a rough time, Mel included, and as she sipped her chocolate, she quietly led herself fade back into thinking awful, confusing thoughts about her situation.

It wasn't like she had anything better to do.
Wai
"Yes. Please." Owen accepted Valio's concerned offer of more hot chocolate, peeling himself off of the couch one limb at a time. His demeanour shifted slightly when Finley apologized for getting carried away; his head swivelled faster than he'd moved all evening, evidently stirred from his funk by something more pressing. 

"Nah- no, you're bloody right to be concerned," He blurted, determined not to be misunderstood. "This place is, it's-" *A frustrated gesture,* "It's bizarre, and I'd say you're well within reason to be sniffing out every trail you can find." His hand shook ever so slightly as he spooned more hot chocolate into his mug. "Beats running around like a headless chicken, anyway." 

A light snort escaped his nose as the edges of his lips curled upward ever so slightly. The room was still a little too quiet and unfamiliar to start laughing at his own jokes.
Pauline
Ares graciously took the second cup of hot chocolate. The warmth of the mug pulsed through his seemly always sore fingers once again. He raised the glass to his lips and took a large sip, nearly downing over half of the drink in one go. The boy couldn't deny the satisfyingly rich taste of the chocolate, and how well it was made. 

A nudge in the back made Ares set down the cup with a hint of surprise. His eyes turned over his shoulder and followed Mel as she walked, surveying her for any reason behind the gesture. It didn't take long for Ares to connect the dots, and his sharp auburn eyes darted over to Finley. They had pulled their legs up to their chest and rested their chin on their knees, a rather solemn look on their features. The gears started turning in Ares' mind, and he didn't take even a second to consider whether this was a good idea or not.

Ares looped two fingers under the handle of his mug, scooping the drink off the countertop and made his way over to where Finley was sitting. He adjusted one of his sleeves on his way up, and a couple of confident strides carried him to the seat right beside them. Ares' confident smile never seemed to falter, back home that was more than annoying to many. With his free hand, Ares pulled out the chair and sat down. He let himself get comfortable, before nudging Finley in the shoulder with his own. The same genuine undertones visible under his bastard demeanour if you looked hard enough.

"*Why* Does this interest you?" He took a sip of his drink. "Seems rather stressful." 

Ares gestured vaguely at the rest of the group with a small tip of his mug, the tense atmosphere hung heavily on everyone other than Mel and Ares. He let his gaze fall expectantly on Finley as he awaited an answer, before swiftly taking another sip. At this rate, Ares would singlehandedly finish the entire pot. He figured Valio would appreciate Ares taking care of the leftovers problem.
Jim
Valio's eye widened slightly but still retaining it's low lidded state. She'd made a mistake how could she have not? Valio sinks back into the counter more looking to the window again. Any input from her would most likely make it worse.
 "It's alright, Finley. It's just that... We are just meeting."
She speaks in a soft tone but it will fall upon deaf ears. She shouldn't have looked at them that way. She purses her lips before taking the mug she'd left out and putting it outside the room, Rai, she'd said she wanted some. 

She seconds what they all say it's just that. Forget it. She seems to be nervous once more. They'd just met and it all is just, too heavy for a first meeting. She walks back to her little place on the counter hunching slightly. She folds her arms before looking off somewhere. 
"You have a right to what you say. Continue." 
She waves her hand in an off gesture beckoning them to continue. She's worrying too much about so little when there are bigger things around her than she'll ever be. 

She looks down at the palm of her gloved hand again starting up to rub the fabric again. This just seems out of her reach but, who's to say she can't grab at it anyway? She bruised her other hand to weave through her thick strands of hair, pushing it back to show more of her eye patch before it once again falls over it like foliage. 

It would be better if she just sat back for this right now. And so she does, she leans into the cabinet behind her with an almost whisper-like sigh.
Jennifer
Finley's eyes darted from Ares to Valio and back again. Ares was, of course, a subject of interest, and his arrival startled them from their (somewhat) mope. Their face turned a few shades of pink. Rarely did anyone sit so close to them. He did have very nice hair- Ahem.

"No, no, it's alright. I shouldn't have said anything. I tend to just- I get carried away, I suppose. It's good to reel myself back in sometimes, you know. I apologize, again."

They took another moment to sip their hot chocolate again. 

"The drink is very good by the way," They said, turning their gaze back to Valio, something sheepish in their shrug. "I'm sure we're not on the best footing, but I do appreciate it nonetheless." 
A hair tie sits lone on one wrist. Finley took it and started winding up their blond hair in a short little sprig on the back of their head. 

"Owen, isn't it? You were the one who liked the same music as me." Finley let an amused smile start to come to life across their face. "You know, there is a drumset around here somewhere - I haven't played in a few weeks, but it can't be that hard to revisit it. If you want, we could figure out a cover or two. I used to do them a lot."