1.1.01.01.033: flowers must not be picked.

[needshumility]

[Eddie is sat in the colour garden. The colours of the flowers should be enough to give normal people headaches. He's got a book open. He's picking through the red flowers, though, and vaguely humming Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific.]

When I look at Univisual Red - that's the artificial stuff - it's not just looking at Red. It's memories of a musical, of [slight pause] your parents. Of a family pet.

[He stops looking at them, because that's driving him nuts.] Sensory overload in a way.

Other colours produced are similar, you hear classical music when you take Green. It makes looking at a piece of art produced in Univisual paint... something to be experienced.

Someone recently told me that this is... unusual for the Previous. It's called, um, synesthesia. It's quite fascinating to read about, actually. I was wondering if anyone here had experienced this.

[Private to Jane]

I forgot to tell you two things. If you're not busy.

[Infirmary filter]

Hi. Just a quick note to say that Victor's said he'd much prefer to work in the engine room. I said he could, so... if they want him, I'm going to have to pull him from your staff. Hope this isn't a problem.

[Engine room wardens.]

My inmate - Victor Frankenstein - expressed an interest in working in the engine room. I know he's not, ah, got a great track record with machines, but I presume you teach him safety and all these things, so it might do him some good. More than anything, he's very interested in doing it and quite trustworthy.

[Private to Victor]

I contacted both the infirmary and engine room about you wanting to change work. I'll let you know what they say.

I also had a favour to ask.

Comments

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

I am most pleased with this!

A favour, you say?

Re: [Private]

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Good, good.

A request, really. You are under no obligation to fill it.

But instead of requesting for the infirmary in general, could you try and request Dr Nazarova, Dr Watson or Black Jack? If you need assistance, that is. It's a personal thing, and if you don't want to, you don't have to.

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

I suppose I could request Dr Watson or Dr Jack if required. It would not bother my to do so. But is there any reason for this? There are other fine doctors upon the barge.

Re: [Private]

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of this, Victor.

But... to be honest, I'm trying to consider trusting at least one of the doctors. All of them was possibly a very bad place to start. So... I'm starting with those who were prepared to work with me.

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

This is good. I understand your concerns, sir, and as such I will seek out these doctors in future. But I will encourage you to engage with the others personally as well. Most are quite pleasant in most times. We shall not speak of them in the floods, though.

Re: [Private]

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

I... accept your point, Victor, but I'm starting to think it might be more manageable, less... daunting a prospect if I take them one at a time.

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

This is true. Your method seems sound, sir. Talk to them one by one, taking however many weeks or months you need. It will happen in time.

Re: [Private]

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

That's my plan. We'll... see what comes of it.

Oh, Victor, I talked to the engine room. They're fine with having you, but I have to make one thing very clear to you - it's not somewhere to experiment or fiddle with things. If they break, very, very bad things could happen. It's very important you do exactly what Miss Sato and the others tell you. If you want to experiment, we can still do that, and you can swap merits for things to do the experiments with, but you're not to take them to the engine room.

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

Oh. I had not considered this matter. But I suppose the engine room is as a ship is. I must keep my experiments out of it, for fear of disaster. I think I shall be able to do this.

Re: [Private]

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Good. The lady in charge was very insistent on it, and she's right, so do what she asks and it'll be fine.

[Private]

[failedcreator.livejournal.com]

I shall do so. It is her place, and as such I shall respect her words.

Private

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

I'm not busy yet. What do you have to tell me?

Re: Private

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Firstly - from talking to the doctors. I've sort of decided to stick with using one or two of them when necessary. So I explained to, uh, Dr Watson why he'd have to contact me if anything happened. Is there anyone else I should talk to?

The second is... this synesthesia thing. It's how the heralds work, right?

But there's whole books on this, a whole science on this. The sort of thing you'd never learn at home.

Re: Private

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Caesares. He's the one I borrowed the books from.

And I suppose that it is. I don't know.

Re: Private

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Alright, him too.

It's the starting point of things like Chromotology. It must be. Everything that happened to us actually has a base in the Previous' world. This included.

Re: Private

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Of course it does, Eddie. How else would it have come along? It didn't just...happen. It didn't just one day appear in people's minds.

How did you figure all this out?

Re: Private

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

I was explaining the basics of the swatches to Dr Watson. He said it sounded like this. So I went and found some books in the library.

The rest was just research and logic.

Re: Private

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Well good for you, Red. What are you going do do with it?

Re: Private

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

I... well, I figure this is the sort of thing National Colour teach you. Except I don't think even they know all the things the Previous do.

So I can get into National Colour. But not totally rely on everything they teach you.

Re: Private

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

[A long pause.] That's very good thinking, Eddie.

Re: Private

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

I am capable of it, on occasion.

Engine room filter

[hopeless-hacker.livejournal.com]

We can find work for him.

Re: Engine room filter

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Great. I'll let him know. Should I send him down in the morning?

Engine room filter

[hopeless-hacker.livejournal.com]

The afternoon, please. And please impress on him that the engine room is not a venue for experimentation.

Re: Engine room filter

[needshumility.livejournal.com]

Of course.

I will. I know he treated the infirmary with respect and didn't think to experiment there. I'll make sure he takes this task just as seriously.