villainy commenced [[1x1 w/ the-nug-king & hexspecs!]]

[the-nug-king]

((Sure! Maybe if you start off with Lazarus messaging Three, and then I can reply with Three and Lazarus, and then DarkBoard talking to Lucas?))

[grey matter]

A message was sent to Three early in the morning.
"Three,
Hey, it's me, Lazarus and I am very panicked please help lucas hants been replying to my emails nor is he responding to anything has he even ate sorry I'm not punctuating im honestly really worried what if he's dead or ill IS HE OKAY

I'm very worried.
Please get back to me soon.
Lazarus"

Lazarus had resisted the panicked urge to smash his keyboard and spam a bunch of letters. But it was very tempting considering Lucas's status was panicking.

[the-nug-king]

Three replied almost immediately.

"Lazarus.
I have not seen Lucas since you left the Academy, though I am able to assure you that DarkBoard would have informed me of his death. I am on my way to check on him now. I will have my datapad with me, if you require anything else.
Three."

Three set off quickly towards the Sci-Fi dorm, wishing they'd been staying in their own room there, rather than one of their hideouts in the dungeons, much further away from Lucas.

*

Meanwhile in Lucas' room, the DarkBoard screen went white, and their voice spoke out. "Student Lucas. Your assistance is required."

[grey matter]

"With what exactly?" His voice was cold and irritable. "I'm quite busy..." He was fiddling about with at least 5 things at once, swapping rapidly from task to task because his mind was running with all the ideas he had stewing in his mind: redesigning the growers for taller plants, acquiring poisonous plant seeds, checking on the potatoes, researching the tastes of poisonous plants and seeing how easy they are to hide them, and not once had he stopped for a break.

---

Lazarus sent Three another message.
"Three,
Thank you so much I'm very worried we haven't even gotten to planning our date-thing-or-whatever yet and i'm also kinda worried that he just... can't absorb the feelings or something or he just doesn't like me BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HIM TO KISS ME THEN JUST NOT WANT THIS RELATIONSHIPPY THINGAMAJIG WE HAVEGOING ON IM VERY CONFUSED.
Again, I don't think he'd do that but... still worrying. Very.
- Lazarus"

[the-nug-king]

A shower of sparks flew out of the portal. "Wretched mortal. Do not forget that your presence here is with our authorisation only. Our acquiescence can be rescinded easily." There was an edge of anger in DarkBoard's normally neutral voice.

*
Three hesitated before sending Lazarus another message.
"Lazarus,
Lucas seemed distant after you left. I assumed he simply had no further need of my company after intensifying his bond with you, but in that case, I find it odd that he has not spoken to you. You may be right that he is behaving worryingly out of character.
Three."


((DarkBoard: hmm I want help, should I explain what I need and why it's important and then ask nicely, or should I just start threatening him? Hmm threatening for sure.))

[grey matter]

"I... I suppose you're right." Fear entered his voice. He had no reason to go back to his dimension... nor any desire to. He needed to avoid his family... "Again... what exactly do you need?"

---
"Three,
There is no way that he could just stop wanting to have friends after having me around! From what I've heard from him, he doesn't even have friends other than you and me[-ish] and hasn't for a while. And I find it odd he hasn't tried to hang about you! If he was in some kind of 'worried about relationship' state he might ask for help but... this? This? THIS IS VERY CONFUSING.
- Lazarus"

[the-nug-king]

"Use your capacity for emotional openness to convince Three to kill Professor Doctor Cerebrist. Any value his life has is pitiful in comparison to the risk he poses to them."

*

"Lazarus,
I shall have to take your word on that. In any case, his behaviour certainly seems confusing.
Three."

[grey matter]

"Unfortunately, DarkBoard, I don't even know where to start. Not to mention the fact that I at very least... oh, wow, I'm very unpresentable. I... I can't form an argument for anything at the moment, I can... no, no, I'm sure I can start thinking things up... that... yeah." Lucas, however, couldn't even think straight. At all. There were only thoughts of plants and getting any attachment to Lazarus lowered and- ugh, this plan wouldn't work. Or it will. Or it won't. Whatever. He glanced back over at the potatoes. "Another batch, already...?" He checked on them to find they were still small. "No, no... that's no. Wait. Risk. What risk? Three wouldn't tell me much else about him, much less further risks, though I still see this as risky.

[the-nug-king]

DarkBoard dispensed an energy-increasing shot. "We suggest you take this or sleep before speaking to Three. We have already presented them with every logical argument for Cerebrist's death, you need simply remind them their life has value to people."

A picture of a middle-aged male scientist, the top of his head translucent, appeared on DarkBoard's screen. "Professor Doctor Cerebrist was Maedryn the Quantum Witch's nemesis, and her early partner in replication research, presenting three separate risks to Three. Firstly, Three's brain contains Maedryn's part of the research, and Cerebrist has previously made efforts to obtain their brain for his personal use. There is a significant likelihood he will continue to do so. Secondly, with his nemesis dead, he will require a new goal. Over 79% of villains who have had their nemeses killed in circumstances unrelated to themselves then turn on either their nemesis' murderer, or their nemesis' closest companion. Three fits both of these criteria for Maedryn. And thirdly, Professor Doctor Cerebrist has attempted to use his part in Three's creation to emotionally manipulate them before, and may do so again. While he was previously unsuccessful, Three's current grief and guilt over Maedryn's death are making them over twice as emotionally vulnerable as usual, giving him a much higher chance of success."

((Sorry for the infodump. Three is probably still a little while away, but I can bring them in earlier if you'd like, or I can have them message Lazarus with something else?))

[grey matter]

[[infodumps are fine and i can appreciate them when they're needed!!! Three can send more, sure.]]

"Oh, statistics. Yikes. Those are some big... big bad things. Hold on, lemme just..." Lucas injected himself with the energy stuff. "Guh. That was... wait, what... what time is it? Have I just been... I did a stupid. Ugh. But at least I have reason to this time... Can't let him get to me... gotta do something worthy... too many reasons to... stupid. Stupid. So stupid. Why haven't I..." He trailed off into some muttered monologuing about how he really should've, like... eaten. Or drank. Or anything, really. Anything but this.