obsidianlogs | august mingle;

I see.

[He takes an éclair as well and sits down on a very comfortable armchair as he eats it, deliberately slowly, then stays seated in silence. Turns to him after a while, very nonchalantly.]

So. Aside from the torture dungeon downstairs, how do you entertain yourself here?

[It's nice to indulge. Unfortunately, despite all of the extravagant food, AM still cares about his physique. He always stayed strong and healthy so he could more easily overpower his victims, and being in prison doesn't change any of that. Or being in paradise, rather. So after a bite of the éclair, he places it back down on a silver plate, upon which one of the waitstaff seems to appear out of nowhere and take it away.

But when the man mentions the torture chamber, AM briefly frowns, as if he has been caught, and he stiffens, jerking his head slightly and disturbing the fan of hair on his pillow.

But then he relaxes again, chuckling as he leans back, twirling one of the strands of his hair around a finger.]

Oh, so you found that, did you? That's what got me sent to prison, after all.

[The same waitress brings him a glass of wine with no prompting, as if the entirety of the staff can read his mind.]

Bring him one too-- [He tells the woman, who nods, disappearing into the next room for a moment before returning with a glass for Aiden.]

Well, I'm sure you've seen the swimming pool. It's quite fun. There is a pool table in the lounge upstairs, and a home theater...

[All silly things that don't provide the same entertainment as torture.]

And of course, my work. Perhaps I am a man who enjoys my work too much.

Work is a crucial part of a person's life. Of course it brings food on the table, but it does so much more. In the end, it is all about following one's purpose. Many people tend to demonize the act of enjoying work because they don't possess ambitions that would make them more understanding.

[He shrugs]

My collaborator too was very devoted to the job, but was unfortunately distracted by...Personal matters. The carelessness that came with it led to our arrest. He currently resides in Obsidian as well, in cell block C.

[As the waitress arrives with the wine, he nods in acknowledgement and appreciates the scent before drinking.]

So, are you planning on continuing with your endeavours?

[It's not as if AM would reveal his tortures to just anyone, but he knows that he's still in prison. He knows that this is but a temporary reprieve. And while most of his fellow prisoners did not commit his level of atrocities, it hardly matters if they know. Word gets around, after all.]

Indeed. My work is what gave me purpose. My company was at one point the leading researcher in AI, after all.

[AI was fascinating for him, something he could potentially use to extend his life, to use as a tool, to create the perfect vehicle of power. And of course he recognized their inherent dangers; he only wishes he had unleashed more dangerous AI before he was arrested.]

I do miss it. There is so much here that I cannot do in prison.

[He tilts his head regarding the man's collaborator. Obviously nothing rings a bell for him, given that he's not in the C block, nor is "collaborator" at all specific.]

Oh? Well, I'm in the B Block, so I don't know if I have met him.

[He takes a sip of the wine. It's one of his favorite flavors - incredibly expensive and rare. He lets it settle in his mouth as he closes his eyes, savoring the taste. Delicious.]

Of course I plan to, as long as I'm here. But what about you? I don't know a thing about you.

Oh, well. There isn't much to know, I'm afraid.

[He smiles timidly.]

I was assisting the Director in his lab. He wanted to create a new body for his wife using the advanced technology available, but that goal of his distracted him from the big picture and someone else must have felt alarmed to the point of contacting the authorities. I learned it the hard way as I was the first to be apprehended, the Director went hiding without telling me anything. It wasn't very polite of him, but I suppose that's alright.

[AM's eyes immediately widen and he sits up in his lounge, suddenly energized.

What the man speaks of sounds absolutely insane, and yet with the available technology, it's not impossible. AM had no need to create robot wives or play Frankenstein, but that would be an eventual benefit of the technology he researched.]

Oh? What a pity. It seems the authorities don't like it when humans play god, do they?

[Playing god is how AM saw his own work - his tortures and his research all at once.]

Is this director your colleague you mentioned? It seems his hiding didn't last too long if it is.

Yes, the Director is the colleague I was speaking of. I'm not surprised he was found after only a few months, he has Always been the impulsive type and sometimes the consequences for it can be severe.

[He looks in the distance wistfully.]

What a shame to see a brilliant mind go wasted and make such naive mistakes in favour of…"Romance". Despite my years of studying the human mind, I still don't quite understand it...Do you?

[AM offers another brief smile at him.]

So it sounds like you were the one keeping his impulsivity in check.

[Still, he almost wants to know more about this Frankenstein-like resurrection of the dead wife.]

Ah, romance. Soon enough, the human race will stop breeding when they can find their perfect mates in artificial intelligence.

[He chuckles at that thought. Romance. He never felt love for anyone. Attachment, yes, but that was it. At least a couple of short-lived marriages in his life, and multiple affairs, but there was little to no feeling from him.]

[Price emits a small chuckle as well.]

Yes, he definitely needed to have someone else who would keep his impulsivity in check at all times. Despite my efforts, he still got carried away by those urges of his.

[Slightly lowers his head and hums, pondering.]

Unfortunately it seems that romance is still a needed feature. I figure it's linked to primal instincts, to associate someone with safety as a way to find an ally in them that is suitable for breeding, and empathy too is bound to play a role in it. After all, it has been scientifically proven that a bond between two strangers can strengthen by the mere coincidence of finding themselves both having a very dangerous or traumatizing experience where they end up seeking comfort in one another...Or even such a seemingly small experience like having to sleep in the same space.

[A smirk appears on his face.]

Which is ironic, given how empaths tend to call out...Those like us, for not necessarily sugarcoating the fact that it's a mere safety feature. I would love to see how a society with further integration of Artificial Intelligence would change that perception.

[How this man describes romance certainly has AM's ears perk up. It's not terribly often he meets someone who can appeal on a more detached, intellectual level. Sure, prison is full of sociopaths, but hardly any worth speaking to.

He smiles, sitting up completely and putting his glass of wine down on the coffee table. (No, nobody comes to take it away, as he is not finished with it! The staff seem to know just when to come.)]

Pair bonding was important in the early survival of our species, as well as the rearing of children. There is safety in loyalty, after all.

But with technology, such things are starting to become unnecessary.

It seems like you have a plan for it already.

[His eyes get a contemplating look. If he gets to implement the usage of AI in the Director's project - it's not like the man gives up easily -, there will be more variables to play with. Certainly it would give him something to fight boredom, and surely the Director would be in debt and would have to protect him from any possible plot taking place in block C.]

I don't have any defined plans, at the moment: I am as free as the wind, even behind bars.

[He gives AM a coy smile, which immediately turns in a more mischievous one. His voice gets sultry.]

Especially behind bars. I wouldn't mind some...Guidance on how to cooperate.

Oh... No, not exactly.

[In regards to a plan, at least. His company would have progressed in such directions, perhaps. But creating romance machines was never in his own interest, except perhaps as something his company could sell to make even more money.]

I'm far more interested in what AI can do for my own body.

[But even then, those dreams have been dashed. What if he could prolong his life indefinitely with technology? His sentence is still "life without the possibility of parole" after all.

But perhaps with others helping, it could be more than that. He meets Aiden's look with one of his own, eyes half-lidded, lips in almost a pout.]

Oh? And what's in it for me, then? [That blatant attempt at appealing to his interests seems like bait for a trap. He has to be careful, after all.]

If you don't have a plan then nothing much, to tell the truth.

[He holds back a light chuckle, makes himself smaller.]

I had figured you already had a plan, but you can still call me as soon as you have one. I must admit that I asked for mere entertainment purposes.

[Also the idea of the Director cooperating with them and then being intimidated and forced into submission by AM is quite appealing. In the right circumstances, Aiden can talk the Director into doing anything, but he's still demure and petit, unable to assert physical dominance...Unlike this much bigger and stronger man who doesn't respond to anyone. The Director would turn into his attack dog, then, something he believes he earned after all these years.]

Prison can be quite boring without stimulating enough people.

Edited 2020-08-27 06:30 (UTC)

Hm... I suppose I hadn't made any plans because I lack any access to technology in prison.

[Sometimes he can use the computer, even if it's heavily monitored. He even tried disabling some of the security measures in some manners of success, but was eventually caught and punished.]

But now that I'm here, perhaps I can think about the future.

[He's only been in this Dominion a couple of days, only done a bit of exploring here and there. The torture chamber was the main draw for him, but the technology is something he will absolutely explore more.]

I suppose my ideas are similar to your director's, though I have no one I wish to revive.

The Director felt close to his project back when his wife was still alive, due to all the stories she told him about soldiers getting injured in the war. He claimed to want those people to be able to live a normal life and to reduce their pain.

[He shrugs.]

Perhaps his desire for progress has always been driven by...This sort of reasoning. It's quite disappointing, you know?

[He chuckles. Certainly he didn't become a counselor to help others, ew.]

He was my hero, as I thought he was simply devoted to understanding and figuring out the intricacies of his field, but turns out it was personal all along. It was...Quite the surprise for me to know him personally and find out that he is made of emotions only.

[He sighs.]

Although that makes him interesting in other ways...

Methinks perhaps you were jealous of the reverence he showed his dead wife.

[He chuckles to himself as Aiden speaks so highly of the Director.]

Emotions rule everyone. Even you.

[He shifts in his seat, elbows resting on his knees.]

What sort of emotions would you feel in the torture chamber you saw?

[Price flinches in discomfort, glancing down.]

I wouldn't say I was jealous, I was simply surprised to see him be so different from my expectations...

[Takes a sip from his wine, then sighs and places it on the table as assertively as he can.]

You see, I just don't understand the point of wasting brilliance, or even...A good cooperation, for that matter.

[He continues, his voice matter of fact, as he squints at AM.]

Emotions should be channelled in a way that serves one's best interest. If you are asking me how I would feel about partaking in torture...I already have, therefore it's routine to me.

Human beings are weak creatures.

[He states it plainly, well aware that he himself is also a human.]

They have the potential to be powerful, and certainly are, if their emotions are used productively.

[But they're still weak. That's why he was able to torture so many. None of them could overpower him. None could escape.]

It sounds as if your friend used his emotions for his wife to fuel his productivity in researching something quite advanced.

[Even if he finds it rather silly that a man could grieve so horribly over a dead spouse.]

Oh? And what led you to torture? Was it part of your director's little experiment?

[A half lidded smile appears on his face, he remembers fondly wrapping bandages around the Director's bleeding wrists, monitoring the situation and assisting him, helping him self harm in 'safe' and non lethal ways, making sure he'd cut and burn the right spots, encouraging him to stay just a little bit longer. He'd tell him he was close to finding the solution everyday, and like this he encouraged his most insane ideas for tests.]

I suppose we can say so, yes.

[He grabs and eats a small chocolate truffle.]

On a strictly official level, I am completely innocent outside of that unfortunate event; any accusation about other... [He grimaces as he says the next word] Crimes has met no resolution due to lack of evidence, and I like it that way.

["Strictly official level." AM gives a terse sort of smile at that, because really - who even knows who is watching them at this point? AM has nothing to lose himself, except perhaps to get the Death Penalty if more of his crimes are uncovered (after all, he was only convicted for a small handful of them).]

Well... How long are you in prison for what you did do?

[He crosses his legs as he adjusts his seating. One of the servants brings him a highball of scotch, to which he eagerly takes, letting the ice jingle around.]

I have been sentenced to ten years. One has passed already.

[He nods without being very convinced. Nine years are a lot and he's not happy about it at all.]

Perhaps I should make plans for when I get out. I'd like to start over, and take some time to relax away from medical endeavours, or at least limit to online counseling for some time while I figure out if there's something new I would like to try out.

[In a way, AM almost pities him, and yet feels envy all the same. Being convicted of a felony, even if locked away for a mere ten years, is still enough to ruin one's life.

Still, his flat expression probably conveys neither.]

I'm sure you already know that your life is ruined regardless. [He takes on a more serious tone, sitting up straighter.]

No one will hire a convicted felon, except perhaps for flipping burgers.

True. Aging won't help either.

[He barely resists the temptation to check out his reflection on a spoon. He's always valued his appearance, he would always be the 'pretty boy' that turned everyone's heads when he was younger and he has been committed to taking care of his body, so time barely changed him. Not that it's a safe course of action in prison full of murderers, but at least it makes him appear less threatening than he actually is, and that's always useful.]

Neither for jobs nor encounters, I like to date people older than me.

[He chuckles, then contemplates.]

I suppose the young ones are an acquired taste...So much that they don't know yet, so much guidance that they need...That innocent and ambitious glint in their eyes, still. Hm...Yes, I think I could work with that. I'm sure they would appreciate my insight and solutions to their problems.

[By insight and solutions, he means torture and murder respectively.]

[Aiden's looks and youth certainly are not lost on AM; he himself certainly has a type when picking out victims. Youth and relative innocence are attractive, as they are fun to corrupt.]

Funny. I much prefer the young ones myself...

[His lips twist into a smile as his eyes narrow slightly, peering right at the younger man. He doesn't know Aiden well, so he doesn't hear the double meaning behind his words, but AM certainly interprets it as such for his own purposes.]

For exactly the reasons you mention.

[He feels AM's eyes pierce through him. It's both pleasant and scary at the same time. He's familiar with that predatory look, he has given and received it a lot, but now he suddenly feels dubious: his way of acting was what compensated, what gave him the upper hand on people much bigger and stronger than him that however did not have his psychological patterns. He'd take advantage of neurotypicals and people with any disorder other than his own, but now as he is confronted with someone so similar to him yet visibly one foot taller and definitely stronger he feels exposed, which is unfair and enraging and scary...Yet he's also attracted by this danger. Tries to hold it back, but can't help but flinch.]

So...What do you suggest in these situations?

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