P-Files: Outcast Scene

Inside the trio see the door opens right into what seems to be a combination of a dining room and a living room. In the center of the room is a table with four chairs set. At each chair there is a mug, a small plate, and a cloth napkin and in the center of the table is a larger plate of cookies and scones. There are four doors in this room, two on the opposite side from the front door and one on each side of the room. There is a carpet under the table and a few tapestries on the wall and not a whole lot else in the room aside from a shelf with plates and cups and some drawers where you presume utensils are and the like.

Outcast nods and says with a smile, "Somewhat impressed? Well I'm sure that's high praise coming from somepony who could put up and maintain such strong wards on such short notice. Yes, those were mine. Please sit." She then motions to the chairs just as the shrill whistle of a teapot sounds from behind the rightside door across from you. She immediately goes through said door to what seems to be a kitchen from the brief glimpse you get and comes right back with a teapot and pours into each of the cups.

Whisper obligingly takes a seat and pops a cookie into her mouth while she waits for the others to do the same.

Coffee takes a seat as well.

"I wasn't sure of the time frame it took to put them up. If you said you put them all up yesterday, I'd be extremely impressed. If it took you 10 years, well, its still impressive."

Outcast raises her eyebrows at the prospect that anyone could make such large and complicated wards in a single day. "Well, I've been here for a few years, but I've had almost all of those spells done for a long time now. I do some work on them on occasion when some inspiration strikes though." she says, still standing, waiting to see if Chitin will sit down as well.

Chitin frowns at the mention of her name and regards the inside suspiciously when she passes through the door. After a moment when she notices she's being waited on she walks over and takes a seat. "It's polite to give your name before asking someone else's... or just prying the information directly from their mind as the case may be..."

Outcast gives a small laugh at this and replies, "I suppose that's true. My name is Outcast. So, what brings you all this way?"

To which Whisper replies, "An old friend of yours, I think, Z-Rock asked me to find you."

Outcast gives a big smile at this and says, "Z-Rock! Oh how lovely it would be to see him again."

And then Whisper tells Outcast where they met Z-Rock and Outcast thanks her and Whisper brims with pride at a job well done.

Chitin's ears twitch at the name and she frowns, glaring silently and tapping a hoof on the table.

Outcast notices the glare and raises an eyebrow in response, her eyes slowly focusing more on the tapping than Chitin's face.

"You're THAT Outcast right? The one who managed to get under the queens' shell right? If i remember right, there's a standing'kill on sight' order on you...  She continues to tap her hoof before sighing. "...I'm not a part of the hive anymore so that doesn't much concern me... That being said, I know what you can do and won't hesitate to stab you if you endanger my friends. Fair warning."

Outcast stares Chitin down for a moment, a dangerous look in her eye, and then she burst into laughter and says, "Good, good. That's how it should be. I think that, if your friends don't mind of course, I'd like to have a word in private with you." At this she motions towards the door that you think is to the kitchen.

Whisper meanwhile is very confused, looking back and forth between them.

Chitin matches the look with one of her own, relaxing her glare when Outcast starts laughing. After a moments thought she gets up from the table and walks to the kitchen door, stopping just before it and waiting for the other changeling.

"Ok. We'll just... be waiting... right here...." Whisper says as the pair leaves the room and Outcast closes the kitchen door behind her as she enters after Chitin.

Inside is... yup, a kitchen. Got all the regular kitchen things. Also a door to another room.

"Well first I must ask, are you currently a part of any hive?" Outcast asks.

Didn't I already say I'm not? Chitin answers, flicking an ear at the question.

"All you said was that you weren't part of Chrysalis' hive. But I suppose that answers the question." Outcast replies with a momentary little grin.

Then she continues, "I could I suppose ask you why exactly you left, but I don't really need you to tell me. While I don't know your story, I'd have heard if it was because of anything.... unpleasant. But, I would like to know what your thoughts are on Chrysalis and the old hive. I mean, the policies and behavior. That kind of thing. I'm not asking you for 'sensitive information'. I have enough of that already."

Chitin considers the question silently for a moment. "It depends I suppose? There are parts I think could be better or need to change, and other parts I'm fine with or can at least understand. I don't much like the way the Elites work... It might be better if you were more specific about what you want to know."

"Well, I realize it's a bit of a broad subject, but I wanted two main things. The first is that I wanted to get to know you better. The second is that I'd like another opinion of one not currently enthralled or beholden to anyone who has experienced hive life and has come out of it with their mind and spirit relatively intact. If I had to be specific on what I'd like opinions of, I suppose the major things would be the way non-changelings are treated and the way changelings are treated. But I'd love to hear your opinion on anything else you feel worth mentioning as well." Outcast replies. You thought you heard her voice change, or perhaps replaced would be a better word, when she said love, but you're not entirely sure.

"Well... after spending time out of the hive I suppose I feel I'd say it feels very...uncaring? Not individually I suppose, Beetle and Mirage are probably the closest friends I'll ever have had the pleasure to have. And there were plenty of changelings that supported us in the field that seemed to legitimately care about our well being or doing whatever they could to help. But as far as the hive itself is concerned none of us mattered nearly as much to the whole as we did to each other. And the way the Elites are set up, they're more likely to stab each other in the back than look out for one another. Living among non-changelings now, I suppose I do feel bad about the extent of how they were treated in the hive. ...Though I can still understand the reasoning behind why to some extent." She blinks and narrows her eyes somewhat. "What was that with your voice just now?" Her wings twitching slightly in agitation.

"Hmm?" Outcast murmurs and looks confused by the question and then, changing subjects, she says, "Oh. Beetle eh? I'm sure he's having a laugh every time my name comes up."

Chitin snorts. "Don't think I didn't notice that. And what do you mean?"

Outcast raises an eyebrow in perplexity to the first comment and to the second she chuckles as she says, "Last I heard, Phantom has had most of the embarrassing suggestions I put on him dealt with."

Moving back to the more serious topic she asks, "So, if it were possible, would you have any issues with a hive that had a policy of not enthralling and keeping innocent beings? And I'd also like to know, if you had a say in such matters, what would you do to have elites behave more... congenially and civilly towards each other?"