( january event log )

[hownkai]

E V E N T

THE CHIMERA'S TALE "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." Something stirs in the air of Emiri. By now, the strange transmission is everywhere. People are actually beginning to talk about it, though in the quietest sense of the word. Anything in public areas will immediately be ignored, and even then, rumors are quickly snuffed out by the presence of the authorities, who have doubled in number due to the fact Federick Link has gone missing. Questions about his disappearance will not be answered or tolerated; anyone who attempts to even mention the name will be arrested and immediately detained. However, repercussions of Link mysteriously vanishing can be felt planet-wide. All interplanetary travel has been suspended until further notice. Transportation between cities and from city to Moira (and vice versa) are still possible, but every movement is now heavily monitored. Don't be surprised if you suddenly find yourself stopped or detained for questioning or someone goes through your things. The same night Link goes missing, those aboard the Moira experience a dream or vision. Yet, no one planet-side will even begin to know what is being said if someone decides to ask about them. DREAM #1The dream begins with the character's interpretation of a happy relationship, one filled with love and respect. It fades to show the image of Link'd Inc and what they are capable of, the comfort that comes from finding that perfect someone, and the boy's face can be seen, smiling and consoled by the fact that he has done this. He is responsible for this union and will continue to do whatever it takes for others to experience that same joy. Yet, this content will be ruined if the Komai are allowed to persist in spreading these lies of theirs. He wants you to know that they are wrong, that they are simply trying to chase you away from the possibility of a perfect future. Waking up is quiet, peaceful. There is an urge to stay that overshadows the panic slowly seeping through the ranks, and the only question in your mind is why would you want to leave? DREAM #2The dream begins with your character's interpretation of a failed relationship, one filled with pain and hardship. It fades to show the image of the Komai and what they are trying to stop, the chaos that comes from being forced into a match, and the girl's face can be seen, frowning and upset by the misery that comes from what she has done. She is responsible for this union and does not want to continue to do whatever it takes for others to experience this heartache. Yet, this sorrow will continue if Link'd Inc persists in spreading these lies of theirs. She wants you to know that they are wrong, that they are simply trying to force you into a possibility of a broken future. Waking up is loud, violent. There is an urge to leave that overshadows the panic slowly seeping through the ranks, and the only question in your mind is why haven't we left yet? ☄ HARASHAN Normally a bright jewel of Emirian culture, Harashan is looking rather ragged in the days that follows the transmission. Members of the Komai, or perhaps sympathizers looking to vent their frustrations, have tagged several buildings and public places with graffiti. Symbols of the Komai are everywhere, as well as denunciations of Link'd Inc in general. BROKEN LINKS? LET'S BREAK THE WHOLE DAMN CHAIN. DOWN WITH LINK! LOVE CAN'T BE FOUND IN A TEST! FREE THE CHILDREN! The mood is tense. Occasionally, security will try and enforce the law and errant artists can be seen being dragged away. Onlookers appear either suspicious and fearful, and children are virtually nonexistent on the streets. Things are slowly beginning to reach a boiling point, and if one of those trouble makers happens to pin the blame on you, don't say there wasn't ample time to get away. ☄ AVELLE The nightlife is everything. Welcome to Club Supernova. Once inside, it's difficult to see who is who and what's happening between patrons. The music is loud, the lights are flashing, and it's a hypnotic craze that is easy to be swept up in. Yet, not everyone is having a good time. Perhaps an hour or two into the evening, you notice someone out of place at the bar. Their clothes are dirty, body language almost nervous. With the bartender turned, you watch them slip something into the drinks lined up along the bar. If you go to confront them, they will react in one of two ways. One: they will attempt to cause a commotion in order to slip away. Give chase if you think you can catch them, but inevitably, they will be lost somewhere outside. Two: they whisper "Don't stay here." and promptly bite down hard, the capsule hidden in their mouth breaking and killing them. ☄ ST. MURTEL There's nothing abnormal about a check-up, now is there? You go in, the doctor looks you over, and then you're on your way without much fuss. Yet, what happens when a routine check-up - part of the all-inclusive deal of having taken the Link'd Inc survey - takes a strange turn? The nurse tells you that your doctor will be right in, but ten minutes turns to thirty, and thirty into an hour. If you choose to leave the room in search of some assistance, you'll discover that the halls are oddly empty; no nurses, doctors, or other patients anywhere around. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice movement, a quick flash of white—it's a child running in the opposite direction. When (or if) you reach the child, some of you may recognize them, some of you may not. The girl begs you for help, tells you that she doesn't want to do this anymore, but before you have the chance to respond, you're surrounded by officials who take the child away. If you try to stop them from taking the girl, you will be detained and sent back to the Moira with further instructions never to set foot in St. Murtel ever again. Eventually, the captains will come to the crew about finding the Komai in order to do whatever they have to so they can leave. Yet, they know it isn't safe for the entirety of the crew to be split up among the cities and would prefer to search one place--for both safety and a possible quick get-away. There will be a meeting in the mess hall asking for input and to share what anyone has seen or information that might not have been public knowledge to the rest of the crew. This is a ship-wide announcement, so anyone is free to attend.

( ooc; For questions, go here! )

Comments

01.21

[skelepun]

moira (ota);

The nicest thing about being a space janitor, Sans has realized, is that space is kind of like the world's largest garbage can. Trash needs to go out? Out the airlock. Dirty dishes? Out the airlock. Not feeling up to cleaning out the mop bucket? Out the airlock. Sans went back and forth between his chores and the airlock so often one might actually mistake him for someone who gave a shit.

Nevermind that they were technically docked on a planet. Emiri was kind of trash anyway.

Still, avoiding work was still work. Rather than make the trek to his bed, Sans made himself comfortable right there in the hall outside the airlock chamber. Hoodie flipped up, it took all of thirty seconds to drift into a nice, uneventful sleep.



Sans jerked away with a start. How long was he out? Who on earth was that girl? Visions of people who should not exist thumped inside his skull, dulling his eyelights to empty sockets. Faintly, he smelled something burning. Burning... In a flash of sickening realization, Sans noticed the large shadow looming over him. A giant animal skull, fangs contorted and twisted into an unnerving grin, hovered above him with its mouth lolled open as energy gathered at the back of its throat.

"Hck, hold up--!"

The beam of raw magic fired, flooding the room with light and noise before vanishing along with the monstrous fanged skull. Eyes shut, Sans' mind raced. He couldn't remember the last time he lost control of his magic. Not since he was a baby bones, and even then...

[[ ooc: feel free to have your character hit by the blaster (it won't kill anyone with just one blast, but it can hurt like a bitch) or simply hear it/see it! ]]

st. murtel/moira (ota);

St. Murtel was a bust.

Rattled by his dream and the resulting accident, Sans went looking for his brother... only to get roped into an entirely unnecessary physical. When you're composed of two parts magic and one part dust, doctor's visits were a colossal waste of everyone's time. It's not like Sans was in dire need of x-rays, either. From his perspective, all that did was custom print naughty photos. Not for him, thanks.

Of course, leave it to good ol' Emiri to come up with something even worse than a mandatory, unnecessary doctor's visit: mandatory, unnecessary detention. The girl's unnerving plea rang inside his skull all the way back to the Moira, where he was unceremoniously dumped with a warning and a cold look. Whatever. Sans was done with this planet and their creepy corporate love fetish.

Unfortunately, his brother apparently wasn't.

"Yo, have you seen a skeleton come through here?" Sans stopped everyone he could, asking the same question each time. "Real big smile? Likes to say 'wowie'?"

avelle (ota);

Avelle was... loud. Way louder than St. Murtel. Sans didn't mind a good party now and then, but he was in no mood after trekking this far on a hunch. Dancing would just have to wait.

Carefully, Sans scanned the crowd along with his travelling companions. There had to be a familiar face somewhere in this throng of people, right?

Moria

[rraidergirl]

It's not the first time Lara's stumbled through the ship, fresh from a nightmare. Were she to consider it, it probably wouldn't even be the last time. This one is different. Horribly different. Sam, god, Sam.

She's not really paying attention to where she's going, she just needs to keep moving. Rounding a corner, she's entierly unprepared to come face to face with ghoulish, grinning animal skulls. Lara tenses and then goes loose, mind settling on the fact that she hadn't grabbed her climbing axe on the way out of her room. Just as she's about to move, she hears a familiar voice.

"What-" The beam of light hits her hard, knocking her off her feet. She's rolling upright as soon as she hits the ground, ready to bolt for cover when they disappear. She stays crouched, eyes wild and body thrumming on the edge of movement. Then her eyes land on a familiar skull. "...Sans?"

St. Murtel

[manyvoiced]

[Breq was not happy with the surprise physical. Although there was no imminent danger of being found out for what she was - she was physically human after all - she didn't want to raise any red flags or have to come up with any difficult answers for her numerous implants or augmentations. So of course the instant she's left alone she decides to slip away.

Something was clearly wrong here. All week she'd been trying to quietly suss out information from the locals, but had been shut down at seemingly every turn. No one wanted to talk about it. Those who did, did so with the enthusiasm of the deeply frightened...or else with such utter conviction she might think they'd been re-educated.

She tries her best to look innocuous as she wanders the halls, something of an expert at blending in. But there was only so much she could do and her body was tense, knowing it was only a matter of time before someone realized she was trying doors, and pressing buttons, poking around where she wasn't supposed to be.

She almost didn't notice Sans when she passed by him, making an effort to look no one in the eye or really anything other than look like she was on her way to a vey specific destination. When he speaks to her, she pauses, the only hint of her surprise in a slight raising of the eyebrows.]

I'm having a hard time imagining a skeleton doing much other than smiling.

[She seems distracted, aware of her limited time, but the MID on his wrist makes he feel compelled to at least respond. One of her own crew.]

But I'm sorry, no, I haven't.

moria - comes in late with starbucks

[soulist]

That blast of energy sends Cyrus off his feet. He wasn't expecting it so he hadn't had enough time to dodge it properly. He'll skid across the floor, metallic leg and arm shooting sparks as he braces with them against the blasts powerful force.

What the hell was that?! He'll cough into his hand as he looks up at skeletal figure who had shot said energy blast. Then there's a familiar taste of copper in his mouth as he looks down and notices blood, ugh great, this is just what he needed right now.

"What...what the hell was that?" Said through broken gasping breaths. He is totally not healthy enough for this.

Moira

[seeingscarlet]

Wanda's tense, not even sure where she is anymore. Going for a (very brisk) walk is her last attempt to fully banish the remnants of the girl's emotions from her mind. She hasn't even bothered dressing yet other than throwing Pietro's jacket over her pajamas.

But at least she's hyperaware enough that she feels the energy surge before she sees it. There's just enough time for her to brace herself and drop a shield of red before everything goes white. It protects her, though Wanda's never had to deal with anything like that and is left staggering from the impact. Still an improvement over that time Ultron knocked her to the pavement, though.

"...Sans?"

even later! more starbucks

[brosbeforeprose]

The guards in the St. Murtel hospital were less than impressed by his press pass, and the girl was ushered away without much ado - as was he, in the opposite direction. He can't help dwelling on it all the way back to the Moira, turning it over in his head. Varric doesn't believe much in coincidences anymore, and that girl being the same one from his bizarre daydream-slash-vision quest thing? Nah. If he'd needed any more confirmation there was something up, he's got it.

Basically, Varric is never going to get a quiet life. Maybe he should resign himself to that now.

He steps off the shuttle - Maker, he's already almost treating this shit as normal, what is wrong with him - and, still dwelling, bangs directly into Sans without looking where we was going.

"Whoa, good to see you too-- eh?" His brain catches up to the question only after the joke. "You mean Sarah-- uh, Papyrus? Haven't seen him, why?"

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

Avelle | Club Supernova

[Papyrus has been having so much fun in Avelle, and now there's a party?! He's never seen anything so glamorous in his life! It's like the neon signs in Grillby's and the most fabulous shows in the MTT franchise collided into one amazing event, and here he is in the thick of it.

At first it's just fun to walk around and soak in the flashing lights, the pounding music, and the crush of pretty people. He dances a little, says hello to everyone, and takes countless selfies with people who, after a few fruity drinks, seem to be a lot less concerned about a noisy skeleton chattering at them.

He happens to notice the sketchy person of interest at the bar, and after a perfectly friendly (but very loud) inquiry about their motivations, they take off. Papyrus, hot on their heels, happens to spot a familiar face in the crowd and yells at them on the way past.]

HEY! Help me stop that human! They're being extremely weird!!

Moira | Mess Hall Meeting (ota)

[Papyrus is jittery, more excited than concerned about what he's hearing. Komai? The missing head of the dating company? What a mystery! He has no clue where Link could possibly be, but that doesn't stop him from scrolling through his MID, looking at his countless pictures and wondering if any of these people or places could mean anything.

During a lull in the discussion, he snaps his head up.]

You know, there was a very suspicious individual at the party in Avelle! I gave chase, but they were just a bit too crafty for the great Papyrus that day.

SUPERNOVA

[tigermillionaire]

[Steven is pretty sure he's not even allowed to be in a club like this, but the fact he's an offworlder seems to mean that he's momentarily going unnoticed. He hasn't bothered to go in very far, and is mostly just checking out the scene - when a familiar skeleton comes charging out through the crowd after a shifty looking human.

Weird like how? It's what he immediately wonders. He could ask, but he's sure that if it's already a chase, pausing to question Papyrus is going to guarantee that they lose them.]

Huh?!

[That's all he manages, and it quickly gets lost in the crowd. He raises a hand to the human as they pass by, but they obviously don't stop for him.]

Excuse me, what are-

[But then they're gone. Well, shoot. Steven casts one more glance at Papyrus, and then scampers outside after the human in the hopes of catching up.]

[neveroutwrenched]

A. MOIRA, NIGHT OTA

[ Like a lot of the crew, Ratchet wasn’t sleeping on Emiri. The Moira was a much better place to get some rest, and not just because the constant hum of the engines was better than a lullaby. Of course, waking up in the middle of the night because of something going wrong was officially breaching habitual territory.

Ratchet takes a deep breath, swallowing his panic, although it takes a second in his sudden waking to orient himself, to figure out what’s real and what was the dream, in the pitch dark of the room.]

Shit.

[Well if Link’d Inc wasn't red flags all around, it was now. The dream itself made it clear that something else was going on...and it wasn’t that he’d suddenly become prophetic.

Disentangling himself from blankets, using the MID light to find shoes, Ratchet leaves the suite. It’s not like he’s going to be doing anymore sleeping tonite. It’s hard to get a handle on the near panicked, insistent whisper in the back of his head that they need to leave. Harder still to figure out where that was coming from, as it directly railed against his instinct to stay and figure out what the hell was going on here.

On the observation deck, not long later, Ratchet looks down at the surface of Emiri. Coincidentally (or maybe not), the planet was showing it’s night side as well, it’s glittering artificial lights visible even from this far up. ]

Looks pretty normal from up here, huh?

B.MOIRA/ST. MURTEL OTA

[ Ratchet spends his whole trip back to the Moira quietly seething.

He knew this place was up to no good. He knew it and yet he hadn’t done anything about it. He’d barely even said anything about it to anyone. If, realistically, there wasn’t a whole damn lot they could do about it, that’s not the the point. The point is that something was very wrong on Emiri and it had practically had to slap them in the face for him to even do anything. Somewhere between Macha and Emiri Ratchet had slipped up, and he didn’t particularly like the result.

He hadn’t even been able to stop them from taking that girl...who knows who she was...they’d taken her from St. Murtel, and sent him back to the Moira, with a sharp-tipped warning - an order, really - to never come back.

Getting sent back to the Moira, arrested and scolded was bad enough, but knowing that he’d failed to actually do anything in the process was the worse punishment, and Ratchet steps off the shuttle with his fists clenched, line of his shoulders stiff with anger and his foot has barely touched the ground when he announces; ]

Alright. Who wants to go to St. Murtel?

D. ANYTHING ELSE, YO

ST. MURTEL

[tigermillionaire]

[Steven is still hanging around the shuttle area looking fraught when Ratchet arrives. He wrings his root-like fingers as he turns to see Ratchet make his announcement. He's not sure why St. Murtel though.]

Why? Did something happen there, too?

21.01 ota

[rraidergirl]

Avelle.

[ The combination of everything, the explosion in the river, the broadcast and the dream, has Lara running on high alert. For anyone who met her when she first arrived, there's a familiar energy running through her, but it's focused. She's dressed down in plain clothes, jeans and a jacket, hoodie underneath with the hood up when she's not inside.

She slides her hand over the top of the drink of the person next to her, eyes tracking people in the crowd. ]

Don't drink that.

Harashan.
A.

[ The sensible thing would be to stay on the ship. But there's still crew out in the city and to be honest, she'd be climbing the Moira's walls in under a minute. Dressed down, but little things, gestures, accent, give her away as an outsider. Lara walks, hood up and calm, heading towards a familiar looking face when a loud, angry voice shouts across the street. ]

Hey! You!

B

[ Let's be honest, you weren't really sleeping anyway. And it seems like among all the other problems Emiri has, their message system is going haywire! Flashing on the MID is a message from the Harashan Link'd Inc Security Personnel Sector 5A. Whether you were the person who were supposed to get this message is another matter. ]

Please report to Link'd Inc Security Station Harashan Sec. 5A to retrieve personnel, currently held for suspicion of assault.

[ If you follow the instructions, you'll find yourself standing in front of a holding cell, in which is Lara, looking slightly bruised and apologetic. ]

Hello.

St. Murtel.

[ Lara thinks she might be doing a tour of Emiri's holding cells. At least this is a room and not an actual cell. She had kept her cool when the hospital personnel ripped the hauntingly familiar girl away from her and escorted her back to the waiting room. Outside the door, she counted to ten, turned and punched the doctor at her elbow and bolted down the hall.

As one does.

She skids to a stop alongside a familiar looking tussle: a Moira crew mate against several hospital personnel. ] Excuse me! Have you seen a little girl come through this way?

[ In the ensuing chaos, she grabs her crew mate's wrist and bolts off down another hall. ]

Avelle

[whynotgoonmyown]

[When Lara first puts her hand over his drink, he stares at her, frowning in confusion. What, what did he miss?

And then, out the corner of his eyes, he spots someone further down, slipping something into the other drinks.]

Shit...

[He's fairly confident in his immunity to drugs, courtesy of being a werewolf, but... There's just something about knowing your drink's been spiked that makes you lose your will to drink it.]

When it rains, it has to pour, doesn't it?

[warandpeace]

☄The Dream | Nomo Deck | Closed
A broken future. Miller had lived, breathed, suffered enough of his own broken future already. He didn't register that he was whole at first. Not as she was warning him how everything would go wrong. The matches- he hadn't really taken them all that seriously. It was later when he realized the cultural implications.

"Why would I build a future with you. You would just ruin it. Again, and again, and again." That was the voice behind him, raspy, familiar, as was the hot breath that brushed against his neck over his yellow ascot from days long ago. He turned in place, so fast he slipped and fell into rocks that were suddenly there. Big Boss. Big Boss, walking away from him, turning to put his hand on Ocelot's shoulder. They started walking away as comrades. Maybe more. Miller tried to take a step, but his foot was stuck. He pulled, he tugged, he cried out for the man walking away. Desperation kicked in, and he did the unthinkable. He clawed that leg away, he clawed it away with his own hands, thinking he would catch up if he did.

He pulled himself along the terrible ground on hands and knees, going towards a shape. Big Boss? Still him? No, dream said it's not Big Boss. Close enough, though. He's all gentle hands. "I've got you, I've got you," the other promised. The Phantom. The man's eyes were caring, his hold infinitely more careful. But then... then she reached out and grabbed his arm. The parasite woman, Quiet. She smiled at him, pulled him away. He looked happy to leave, to go to her and share her silence. The Phantom had never talked much, had he?

"No, no wait..." Miller called out to him. It was his uniform for the Daimond Dogs he was wearing, a gloved hand he was reaching with. When did it change? He didn't remember. But he fell again in his effort to pursue. This time his arm caught. No... He couldn't let him get away again. Not this time. He would be alone! That arm went next, wrenched off below the shoulder with his own angry fingers. He would give himself up, every part of himself, as long as he wasn't left behind.

"What ever do you think you're doing?"

Miller realized his pathetic attempt to drag himself forward across a craigy landscape had suddenly turned to the hard concrete platform of motherbase, and was being observed. Just one date. Just a couple of conversations. But there was Harry, the match she was warning him of, and he casually strolled over and looked down at him. Tipped his head, crouched, and tsked. "You shouldn't put so much effort into chasing them. Because no matter where you go, what you do..." He crouched, stared at him. "You will be lied to, you will be misled, you will be left, and you will die alone..."

The dream faded to the girl alone. Her face, her words, and her warnings. For the sake of the Komai.



☄Waking up | Nomo Deck - Mess Hall | Open
Miller startled himself awake with a groan of agony, louder than he would have expected, pains shooting through his right arm from where he'd torn it. Only when he reached there, it was gone. Nothing to hold. He panicked and rolled from the bed, landing loudly face first. Shit. Shit. He grabbed his arm and rolled onto his side, hissing through his teeth until the feeling ebbed somewhat. Then commenced the humiliating process of putting on his prosthetic leg, patting around in a squinty-eyed effort to locate his glasses. He just pulled on his uniform pants and coat loosely. Good enough. He needed to step outside and away from his bed, make some distance.

What was going on with that girl? She felt real. More real than anything else in the dream. The potential ideas... they turned his stomach. Could she have been like the boy? The Third Child? He couldn't get his head on straight. He just wanted to leave.

Or he wanted coffee. Or whiskey. He needed something to wash that out of his head. No. Just coffee and a hot shower. Coffee, and figure out what was going on so they could leave. He didn't want to be here for any more of this. It's just a dream. He just had to remind himself over and over that it was just a dream, though the omen of ill-intent still felt very, very real.



OOC: Open to either action or prose replies. It was just easier to write the dream in prose.

Mess Hall

[whoami]

Sam was on duty for chores. This was a part of communal living he really despised (who wouldn't) but he was also always on time for the beginning of his shift. This morning ('morning' since it was always dark in space) he had already got some dishes going in the autoclave and sat with his own coffee.

His uniform covered his Gridsuit, but Sam seemed distant as he went about his chores. He felt strange, detached, filled with thoughts about that kid he'd dreamed about. It wasn't like him to hold onto dreams like this, though. Something about that little girl stuck around even after he woke up. Which was pretty weird on it's own...

[vengeance_driven]

☄The Dream | Mero Deck | Closed
Roman's wedding was supposed to be a new beginning for them all. The moment Mallorie Bardas became a Bellic was to be a turning point, the glorious moment where Niko would stop his life of crime and be a brother-in-law and be the loyal love of one Kate McReary. Everything ahead was going to be golden, the future bright. Kate was radiant, warm and comfortable against his side, her sweater soft as his hand rested on it. Everything about her was beautiful. Her hand was on his chest and his heart pounded under it. The sun was wonderful and bright, and he was surrounded by more smiles than he had been in months.

"You dumb immigrant fuck!"

Until those words. Pegorino stuck the gun out of the window of his posh car and fired at him. But the fool was incompetent and he missed Niko entirely, instead hitting the angel who trusted him and stood by him. Niko felt her go. Before he even lowered her lifeless form to the ground, he knew she was gone. The sun was cruel and bitter, and people were watching this horror, and he felt pitiful failure to protect her as he promised. He had told her he would leave it behind, and he had! But it hadn't mattered.

The dead body he held suddenly jerked, spasmed. He didn't know when the change happened- it was as quick as flipping a switch. The smell of Macha air, and the sun still vicious as it beat down on him. In his arms was Tali, and she was looking up at him with her mask peeled back, heaving and coughing up blood. Her cuff was off, life-support systems removed and leaving her fragile body to suffer the effects of an environment she couldn't handle. The damned instructors had turned her cuff off! For what, to make their point!? They were torturing her!

"Come on, my big tough marine!" He pleaded. "Come on! No. No you have to hang in there. Please!" Her rover? If he made it to the rover (the CDC issued tank-like vehicles/housing), he could get her help.

But then she just stopped. She went limp. Again, in his arms, as Kate did. He was doomed to feel the things he loved die, and that's what would happen here. That's what she warned him. The dream faded to the girl alone, her messages ringing in his ears.



☄Well okay... | Avelle | Open
Niko was on his way to Avelle, to give it one last walkthrough, grab what he needed, and be ready to leave as soon as the ship was done. He didn't buy into half the dream's message. He was certainly creeped out, made uneasy, but he didn't buy it.

He had always had his doubts about the relationship he was in. He was a bad omen and was so completely certain of that nothing would convince him otherwise. He also knew Tali deserved so much better than him. But this relationship was, in the end, his doing. He made it, he built it out of the slim sticks of drunken rambling at an alien girl as he mused over whether or not she had a belly button or wiggling toes, or blared Fat-Bottomed Girls at her over tinny speakers as a part of her human cultural education.

It was his relationship, dammit! Not cobbled together in some system. And he had loved Kate no less than he loved Tali.

That said, he really was not okay with the idea of a little girl taking a mental stroll through his memories (especially since that's where he stored his less than loving but more than X rated materials) and he decided that he would very much like to get off the planet. He hadn't particularly wanted to go clubbing, either, but when he saw someone suspicious go in- fuck, he didn't know why he followed. It looked like they might have some information. That shifty, suspicious way men that needed to hide acted.

He approached the guy at the bar, but- was he slipping people roofies? "Hey!" Niko said, shoving over in the guy's direction. "What is this shit?"

The stranger turned to him, nervous, unkempt. "Don't stay here," he whispered. Then... fell out of the chair.

Niko looked at him on the floor. Tapped the newly dead dude with his foot, expression quizzical, then resigned. That didn't go as he expected.

"Okay," he said out loud to no one in particular. "That seemed like an overreaction."



OOC: Same here, good with action or prose. Just easier to write the dream/the NPC moment with prose as a starter.

[abide]

☄ HARASHAN ( OPEN )

[ He's back in this city again.

Steve doesn't know if there's anything particular about it aside from the intel he'd gathered with Wanda. which hadn't been much, but after the Komai announcement and Link suddenly missing, things aren't exactly as calm as they appear. Graffiti's not anything new for him, but the tags are meant to instill fear, panic. Steve's a solid silhouette near one of the more central buildings, hands on his hips as he looks up at each word and examines them. The guy in him who appreciates art might have found it interesting, though much too modern for his tastes, but the soldier in him sees something entirely different. It's not a comfort, and after a few minutes, he walks around and toward an alley, following the string of color and silently reading off each word to consider them later when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye.

Someone's at the opposite end of the building painting something on the brick.

He stops, slow so as not to bring attention to himself, but the edge of his boot bumps a bottle, and the glass rolls, loud despite the sounds of the city around them. Steve can't see their face when they look up, but there's hardly time to think about that as they drop the thing in their hand and take off at a run. Chasing them doesn't seem like it'll lead to anything good, though he does approach the things they've left behind. The device is small, almost like a cell phone, but the art seems to have come from it, the remainder of the image on the small screen he's now looking at. Of course, the click of something that sounds just like a gun draws him from his thoughts a few seconds later, and--

There are two of them. They must be the Emiri police, or the equivalent.

Steve slowly raises his hands and turns around... ]

☄ RANDOM PLACES

[ steve can be found looking into other stuff in some of the other cities, but the club scene is definitely going to be Wallflower Status. otherwise, he'll be on the ship and checking in on people, so feel free to bump into him practically everywhere. also, running off those dreams is definitely a good way to deal with things, right? right. ]

☄ HARASHAN

[vengeance_driven]

[Niko's been trying to do whatever he can to get out of here. They need to leave, he knows that. No little girls in his head, thank you. And he hopes that Steve has been spared any noises from him thanks to the potent dreams that he had.]

[Speaking of Steve, he's- are they arresting him on charges of graffiti?]

[Normally he'd laugh quite a bit just because Mister America- No wait it's Captain America, isn't it? Big American Man being accused of petty crime is pretty funny, even if he does like Steve better than he does most Big American Men. But this is some bullshit, and all of them need to get out together.]

Hey! [He shouts, coming over.] What are you doing?!

[And he rushes up, puts his arms around Steve like he's trying to pull him away.] This is my match! Why the fuck would he do this, ah? This is the best thing to ever happen to us.

ota

[forcefulgift]

a. the day of the dream

[Waking up peacefully after what was meant to be a beautiful dream was good for most people. Adrian Clark, however, wasn't most people. He woke up with his skin crawling and his cheeks wet with tears. He woke up being reminded there was beauty in the world and other people, beauty that he'd had torn away from him, beauty that he continued to be shut off from.

It left him bitter and angry, but more than that, it left him sad. Ade didn't deal well with sadness, it was the one emotion that truly brought him to his knees. So instead of letting himself feel it, he let the other parts take over, the bitterness, the anger... and better yet, his training.

When Ade steps off the ship he has both of his swords strapped over his back and his X-suit zipped and buckled into place. He walks straight for Harashan and its crowds, except instead of seamlessly slipping through them he's bodily forcing his way through people, an aura of power and rage building around him.]

b. avelle - Club Supernova

[Club Supernova was perfect right now. It was dark, it was loud and it served alcohol. He'd gotten rid of his x-suit earlier in the day, instead electing to wear a pair of tight jeans, boots and a tank top to go to the club.

He was wasted. He'd done the typical Adrian Clark thing in the face of his emotions and started drinking in the mid afternoon, it left him worse for wear now, but he didn't care. He was swaying amongst the other writhing bodies on the dancefloor, trying to forget everything... not just about this place, but about himself. He wanted to lose even his name tonight.]

c. Wildcard

[Anything else you want you can have it, go wild. Ade is pretty fucked up right now so I'd happily discuss things through mail or plurk!]

b

[abide]

[ The club's loud.

To be fair, he's never been a frequenter of places like this—even before Dr Erskine and his serum. It'd always been Bucky's intention to drag him out, make sure he was having a good time or try to set him up with one of his date's friends, and... Steve doesn't prefer the memories that simple thought brings, especially after that dream. Still, it doesn't mean he isn't restless knowing that something is going on, something worse than the disappearances and arrests and general chaos flowing through Emiri's cities, and somehow, he'd wound up here. He blends in well enough, but he decides to stake out an optimal vantage point and just keep watch for a while. Alcohol never does him any good, and the people here--

Steve gets swept up in the rhythm of the music and is casually pushed along as he keeps an eye out, and eventually, it brings him to bumping right into Ade. It's shoulder against shoulder, Steve clearly not dancing and just passing through, but he recognizes him as part of the Moira's crew. ]

Are you here alone? [ Even if it sounds like he's shouting as he asks, he has to make sure. It's always safer to travel in groups of two or more anyway. ]

ota

[incantamentum]

a. the day of the dream - mess hall

[Eric was no stranger to strange dreams, particularly dreams which felt more implanted in his mind than a construct of his own subconscious. So he wakes and quickly shakes the foreign feelings. Going about the day as usual while trying to unpack the mystery in his own mind.

Eventually though, he comes across another crew member of the Moira and finally his own curiosity has to come out with it, finding out if what had happened was normal.]

Sorry to ask, but last night... did something odd happen to you? [Because he couldn't help but think that it would be implausible for him to have been the only one to have the dream, even with his psychic leanings.]

b. the meeting

[Eric doesn't hang back at the meeting, instead he places himself strategically in the center of the room, so that he could hear the opinions of everyone around him. Some people, of course, would be overwhelmed by meetings such as these but Eric was used to being the head of a Coven, holding a seat on a council. It meant he was simultaneously good at bureaucracy and enjoyed it. Eventually though he raises his voice.]

I admit I have to ask... what exactly are we supposed to do with these Komai when we find them? Something tells me what we have here isn't a simply black and white matter.

c. Wildcard

[Anything else you want, go wild! Especially if you want to come to Eric about your Dream, he is the counsellor after all.]

a - i'm so late to everything, whoops

[soulist]

[ Cyrus looks kind of out of it as it were. His own night was plagued by said dream as well. So when the other mentions it he looks up from his food with a curious glance. ]

Huh? Oh. Yeah actually I did have a pretty strange one. Or so I thought. I guess it's not an isolated thing then...

[ He fiddles with the food on his plate for a second. ] So what did yours have in it?

ota

[willinglychanged]

a. St. Murtel > the moira

[Drew didn't particularly like doctors appointments but well, he hadn't had a free check up in a long time and he didn't have health insurance back home so it felt like the opportune moment to get an all clear from a doctor. Which was pretty fucking stupid in itself, considering he healed just about as fast as he could be injured. But you never knew how that shit might work with conditions that might've existed before you were turned. Either way he rocked his way up there even if it was just gonna freak the physicians out, considering they probably wouldn't know much about his kind.

But the waiting was mind numbingly boring and the quiet even more so. Once he's been left alone for long enough he does go searching for a doctor, instead finding himself hot on the heels of something. Werewolves moved fast though and he caught up with the little girl in no time, her begging for help just encouraged him to do something.

Until the officials turned up that is, and after a momentary tussle Drew found himself with a personal escort back to the ship, it was like the greatest Walk of Shame he'd ever done, only he would get kicked off the first ever planet he'd visited.]


b. the moira - bar

Dude I can't believe I got kicked off the damn planet... [He sighs heavily, putting all of his woes on his crewmate. Instead of being the sincerely listening bartender he'd become the sad guy sitting at the bar, drinking.]

I mean it was only a little kid, of course I was gonna try an' help her out. Who the fuck tries to arrest a kid? [He shakes his head sadly before downing his drink. Alcohol did nothing to him but it made a nice image.]

Fuckin' space travel is weird, man...

c. wildcard

[Anything you else you want with Drew, let me know. Bare in mind most of it will have to take place on the ship after he gets ejected from the planet.]

B

[whynotgoonmyown]

[On its own, the fact that Drew actually got kicked out of the planet could be pretty amusing. Something they could laugh about together later.

Not with the way things had been going.]

Honestly, at this point, I'm starting to wonder if getting kicked off the planet and just leaving wouldn't be the one of better things to happen to us.

ota!!

[diamondslap]

a. harashan

[aurelia stands in front of one of the recent vandalisms, feeling vaguely smug about the whole thing. she'd wanted to colonise this world and turn it into a wasteland via deep-crust mining, but it looks like they've started to do it themselves. brilliant!

it's only a matter of time before she's targeted by security, telling her to raise her hands. she's contributing to the civil unrest and has to be detained immediately! the entire line of logic is quite moronic, she was only existing in the general vicinity of the "artwork"!]

Darling, do I look like some sort of common vandal? [she says, raising her arms.] As much as I detest this saying: you are barking up the wrong, fabulous tree.

[it's about then she gets hit in the face with the butt of a gun.]

b. st murtel/moira

[well, so much for getting her health syringe. she can deal with the pain of being gun-butted, but it's awfully inconvenient.

she only really chases down the child to see if they know where the hell one might be.]

Oh for-- bloody hell! You people are really trying my patience!

[her complaining doesn't do much, she's sent back to the moira and is practically steaming.

don't try and talk to her. just don't.]

c. wildcard!

[hit me with anything you want my dudes!!]

[vengeance_driven]

[If there's anyone that knows what a good time a gun butt to the face can be, it's Niko Bellic. And people are having a fuck of a lot of fun in Harahsan. Things went from sort of stupid idealistic internet match society to something a lot more ominous.]

[Unfortunately Niko's shit history has inflicted him with a bad case of Male Chivalrous Pig, meaning that he can't really stand to see women hit even when it's likely they can take care of themselves. The moment Aurelia gets the love tap from security, security gets a rock chucked at their head. Hard enough that the man goes stumbling back.]

Hey! Assholes! [He shouts from a good distance away, near enough to cover that he can dive out of the way. Hoping that they'll be distracted or overwhelmed enough they can improvise an escape.] You think your a big man! Nice job, tough guy!

miles vorkosigan

[forwardmomentum]

for snake

[forwardmomentum]

Miles isn't a fan of hospitals on a good day, but his ongoing mistrust of Emiri on top of the more recent and sudden near-desperate drive to leave isn't exactly endearing this St. Murtel facility to him either. And he hasn't missed that strangeness, either -- he can tell when his mind is being tampered with, especially after that whole mess with the exuo in September, and he doesn't like it. But at least he can agree with the sentiment.

The facilities at St. Murtel are a step up from ImpMil in terms of comfort, but not by much. Miles is too suspicious to trust much of anything here, and beyond that he resents being made to come in for a physical anyway. Meh Yewll and Cúrre are the only physicians he needs right now, thanks. But it's mandatory, and Miles settles himself in for a wait on the exam table, because doctors always make you wait.

He's too impatient to wait long, though. After fifteen or twenty minutes he finally slides off the table, none too gingerly -- thanks for the leg braces, Hiro -- and aggravatedly stalks back out into the hall. "Alright, I don't have all day, is anyone here -- " he starts hotly, until he takes in the dead silence and ghostly emptiness of the facility. "...going to see me?"

Closed to Miles

[brosbeforeprose]

It was amazing he hadn't thought of this before he got the official sanction. ...Wait, he didn't because everyone in Kirkwall knew exactly who he was and that only an insane news production would even consider the thought of hiring the damned Kirkwall deshyr as a journalist.

Luckily, here no one knows or gives a damn who he is and a deshyr is probably a word for some kind of space engineering bullshit, for all he knows.

Now he's a nobody with a press pass. And he may not have much experience with this kind of thing, but Freedom of the Press is one of those phrases, right along with Legal Tender, that is most satisfying to go throwing around. Like a verbal key to open all kinds of fiddly doors. So, damned right he's wearing the little strap with the little pass and he's going to make a damned good effort to get himself into anything he can that'll let him.

The job also came with a tablet. It looks like a thick, unwieldy sort of mirror, but actually, with the little inkless pen it came with, it's perfect for his purposes.

At the moment, Harashan's upper class central shopping region - rather like Hightown, only no higher than anywhere else in the city and less full of nobles - is a giant crime scene. The graffiti daubed on the walls has turned into a fight that has turned into something far bigger than that, and sheer nosiness is propelling him towards the source. The occasional hapless bystander he gets the attention of and waves his press pass at has given him bits and pieces...but none of them are much more useful than 'it's something to do with the Komai'.

Thanks, he'd figured that part out for himself.

A mobile command centre has started to spring up on what was an intersection, blocking traffic - pedestrian and wheeled - and asking questions of every poor blighter to try passing, and Varric's wandering the perimeter scribbling vague notes and doodles of access points he can try out later when he glances up at the sound of yelling - to see a very familiar uniform and a pair of the city's police having a very spirited discussion about...

...he sidles closer...

...about getting through the checkpoint, about being caught snooping around, about...

Ah, the hell with it.

Varric squares his shoulders - he can't look impressively tall, but he's never found that gets in the way of looking bulky and vaguely impressive if he really needs - and marches over to the confusion, lifting his press pass to make sure it's in plain view.

"Are you accosting my colleague? I would hope that you're not trying to impede freedom of the press in the city, ser."

Good and pompous. Excellent.

[forwardmomentum]

Spirited is certainly a word for the talk Miles is having with the local authorities. So is discussion. So is screaming argument. Miles had not really intended it to escalate so -- in fact, he had intended to just bypass them altogether, because that seemed like a much more expedient solution. It is, unfortunately, presenting some unforeseen roadblocks. So much for forward momentum.

Miles would rather not relay exactly how things sparked such a violent argument, or who said what about whose mother, but it's about hit the point where Miles is running out of road before he talks himself off a cliff when Varric arrives. Miles recognizes him as one of the crew, but they've never really met -- which must be why Miles never realized there was another man on the ship as short as him who was human. So he figures, anyway, although Varric's far more substantial build makes lean, wiry Miles look like a toothpick. Either way, his appearance is a blessing, maybe he can distract these cops long enough to --

Miles blinks only once in a flash of surprise at Varric's improv opening, and then he's is rolling with it with hardly a skipped beat, transforming his frustrated anger neatly into heated indignation, as smoothly as if they'd rehearsed it half a dozen times before.

"Thank you," Miles says hotly to Varric, leveling a flat, seething gaze up at the two police. "That's what I've been trying to tell you -- my press pass was stolen and whoever took it obviously flashed it at you two before I could even notice it was gone!"

One of the police frowns deeply. "You failed to mention any -- "

"Well, I could hardly get a word in edgewise, could I?" Miles snaps, although in truth he'd been doing most of the yelling. "Now will you let us through? Or are you going to give my friend a hard time, too?"

OTA

[notglitching]

A. Pick a city, any city

Rinzler hadn't thought highly of Emiri before the nightmares and the lockdown. After? He was only more convinced they should move on now. The system's protocols were only meaningful toward those who wanted to be part of it, and if its security was failing, all the better for their own escape. But the ship-admins had insisted on finding the Komai... and if Rinzler still wasn't acknowledging their authority over him, he was familiar enough with administrators fixing on a goal to know they weren't going anywhere until the search was over.

As obvious as the attacks were getting, he couldn't imagine it would be particularly hard. Still, with so many people searching on the ground, it seemed worth trying another point of view. As soon as Rinzler's shift with the transporters is over, Moira residents might notice a very different craft exiting out of the cargo bay. The lightjet is small and fast, dark framework lit in bright red-orange that matches the enforcer's circuitry. It's also highly maneuverable.

Over the next few days, said jet can be found skimming over rooftops, angling between buildings, and circling over the population centers as Rinzler inspects the cities from above. Even an untrained observer will notice the flightpath trends a lot more risky than it needs to, and when the enforcer finds something of interest (or needs to duck out of sight of any authorities), he'll fly in even closer, seeming a fraction of a second from a crash.

...At least, until the engines stall, the baton snaps back together, and the lightjet fades to a framework of bright lines. It vanishes completely a moment later, leaving its occupant to drop. The distance isn't short, but Rinzler lands in an easy crouch, one hand on the ground as his mask angles toward anyone observing.

Showoff, what showoff?


B. Wild card

Rinzler's never enjoyed idling, and after the dream, he's only more driven to find a way to move or act instead of sitting around and waiting for success. In addition to surveillance flights, he can be found exploring the cities on foot, making trips to the Moira's library, or prowling around just about anywhere in search of fights threats. Or doing his job and flying people around, of course. Choose an option, or come up with your own!

St. Murtellll

[keelahselai]

It's hard not to notice the shuttle - or at least, she's assuming it's a shuttle. It flits entirely too close to buildings, coming so close to brushing rooftops that she imagines she'd feel the slipstream blowing over her if she only stood up there. But it doesn't matter - the craft is so agile in a way quarian shuttles just aren't capable of that even when it seems to come inches from hitting the glass-metal buildings, it misses as if defying the laws of physics themselves.

She's kind of entranced by it. ...No, she's really entranced. She's not quite running to follow it, but she's managing to keep it within her sights, watching the odd orange lighting running along the sides as it reflects off buildings along with the sunlight. Part of her is convinced this pilot's luck is going to run out eventually, but most of her is like a kid watching a cool gadget for the first time.

The propulsion system seems like something far beyond most of the centuries-old juddering engines of the average quarian runabout - she's looking around at some of the buildings thinking maybe one has public roof access, maybe she can--

The engines stall - the sound of them dies mid-turn. For a split-second she feels like her heart has as well, jumping up into her throat and freezing there. But it doesn't drop; it disappears, fading into a skeleton of light, which flickers out as the sole occupant drops like a stone..only to land softly, easily, right as Tali sprints the fairly short distance between them, pulse hammering in her ears, dodging the other gawking members of the crowd.

"Hey - hey, are you OK? That had to be..." A couple of hundred metres at the very least, she's about to say, but trails off as her brain catches up to herself.

Nothing organic could have survived that drop. Surely.

They're looking at her now - or, she thinks they are, their mask utterly opaque as it is, and though her own mask is back on the Moira, she suddenly, bizarrely, finds herself wishing she was wearing it.

OTA

[backsassin]

Network, after the broadcast
What the hell was that? Pretty sure every electronic device in the house just picked up that broadcast. Everyone else saw it too, right?

It has to be a hoax, doesn’t it? I mean, Link’d Inc is a matchmaking service, not the kriffing Bounty Hunters’ Guild. Why would people be dying for them? And why would they need those kids?

Pretty sure I’ve heard the name “Komai” before, too. Anybody know anything about them?

The Moira, gardens, after the dream
[In the gardens, a little pile of dead plants is beginning to accumulate.

She sits on the ground, thumb scratching furrows in a patch of soil in front of her. And from the furrows, plants grow. It’s nothing impressive, just green sprouts and the occasional tiny flower, but in time the little plants begin to resemble a miniature garden, seedlings and flowers growing in neat lines. It doesn't last. After a few seconds, she reaches forward with her other hand and tears them out of the soil one by one before discarding them in a pile by her side. Once every plant has been uprooted, she smooths out the dirt and starts again.

It goes on for some minutes. Zam pays no heed to anybody else in the garden but neither does she seem focused on the plants -- the cycle of sowing and uprooting them seems mechanical, absent-minded. Clearly, her thoughts are elsewhere. And judging from the growing pile of dead stems and flowers, nowhere good.]

night (2 am) 1/21 - Closed to Danny

[gentlemenpreferblondes]

ooc: CW - mentions of past transphobia and possibly abuse!

[J's dream ends with a loud sound of gun firing, shaking her violently awake eyes filled with tears. And first she doesn't remember where she is and it's very difficult to breathe. It takes her good couple of moments to calm her breathing, but more importantly realize that it had all been just a dream and that she wasn't in New York any more. But the dream, despite being rather messy and non-coherent at first, had felt so real to her. Arther's cold and hurtful words ("at least she's not a transvestite") followed by infuriated anger. Paul's distant eyes as he pushed her away ("it's not your fault you're like this"). And finally: her father's dead body crashing down on her, suffocating her ("your mother isn't well"). It's like all the rejections, bad decisions and hurt was just thrown right at her face, forcing her to relive each moment again. In the back of her mind she can still hear the sick and mocking laughter of Mr. Gazman.

Nonononono!!

The more she thinks of her dream the more difficult it's to stay in control and keep her tears away. And she really tries not to think about all the mean and hurtful words and the violence that happened but instead focus on the presence of the unknown, strange little girl-- but it's no use. Suddenly, the bedroom feels too small, too cramped, almost as if the walls were about to fall on her and suffocate her. She needed to get out.

J darts up from the bed and rushes out of the door, not caring that she's barefoot and only wearing her shorts and undershirt. Feeling upset and without any real destination in her mind, she just keeps wandering around the halls until she's no longer quite sure where she's at. Each hallway looks almost identical to her, with all these bright lights and nearly clinically clean floors and walls.

Eventually she stops and gives up. Leaning against the wall, she collapses on the floor and hides her head between her knees.]

cw: abuse and drugs

[wedealwithit]

[Danny's dream begins with a blurry, unfocused mix of a hundred different faces. His parents, who stayed with each other out of circumstance, who couldn't bring themselves to love him and had admitted that they don't know why they never did. Men who he'd thought he'd loved, men who'd used him, who he'd used; of that one night where he'd let anyone have him who wanted to. Of all the drugs and alcohol that he'd taken to numb himself to the world around him, to make it all better. Then Alex, whom he'd loved more than anything, who'd cleared his head and then hurt him more than anyone else.

All the lies, so many that Danny lost track. The dream flashes from moment to moment, everything feeling less like reality and more like something his imagination is creating, though it's all true. The trunk, the illness, all the death, everything's his fault, he can't take it anymore, a little girl.

He jerks awake, sitting up and immediately getting out of the swinging bed, moving to the door of his room as fast as he can. He needs air, he can't breathe, and he stumbles out into the hall only to see J there.]

J.. are you alright. [Danny kneels beside her, hands floating just above her shoulders.] J.

ota!

[seeingscarlet]

I. Moira, Mero Deck
[You're not a miracle. You're--

Wanda wakes with a start, gasping and confused. Red is already twining around her fingers without her consciously reaching for it and for a moment Wanda doesn't dare do anything but clutch her hands to her chest and breathe.

Her heartbeat won't settle. The projected feelings are too overwhelming without something to ground her, so Wanda slips out of her egg-bed, grabs Pietro's jacket, and throws it over her pajamas. That helps a little bit, but it's not enough.

Cold water, maybe? Wanda rushes for the bathroom next, tries splashing her face with the water on the lowest setting. If only emotions were an easy thing to banish...]

II. Harashan
[The atmosphere's changed. Wanda's still not fully recovered from the recent revelations but the Moira feels like a cage right now. She needs the open sky.

What she doesn't need is the angry group who has her surrounded and backed against one of the graffitied walls. Normally, four men would be laughable - she's incapacitated far worse. Wanda raises her hands to deal with the situation, but a curious thing happens. Her face goes white and she stops whatever she was about to do. The energy goes out like a candle flame.

She could probably use some assistance.]

III. Avelle
[It's so crowded that it's no wonder Wanda crashes into someone chasing after the strange woman. Maybe you were pushed, maybe she was, maybe you both were. Either way, Wanda's backing up, trying to get her bearings.]

I'm sorry, there was...there was a woman running. Did you see her?

IV. Wild Card!
((ooc: feel free to request a specific starter or come up with your own. Please contact me first if you want to do anything in St. Murtel.))

Avelle

[notglitching]

[While the lighting had drawn Rinzler's attention, the crowd was decidedly to avoid. That's why he'd been trying to gather data from its edges. A plan that might have worked much better if not one, but two user females hadn't just crashed by him in an attempt to elbow out.

The enforcer shifts away from the collision with all the grace of a cat pretending it hadn't been soaked. But especially when Wanda talks, recognition isn't long in coming. Rinzler stills, constant rumbling picking up a beat as he stares at the user he'd last seen outside a locked door. This one. Fingers twitch slightly at his side, but he doesn't reach back for his weapon (yet, now). Instead, the helmet angles to the side. Maybe he's seen something. Maybe not. Why does she want to know?]

for ivan

[forwardmomentum]

Okay, so dance club was not really the feel Miles was targeting here, but hey, it's a bar, and he and Ivan had decided to go to a bar. Despite the slight strain between himself and Ivan -- he can tell the way Ivan's being more careful around him ever since that outburst in his office, he's not stupid -- he's really jonesing for some kind of social activity with someone he doesn't have any extant romantic tension with, and while Miles has plenty of friends on board, none of them are Ivan, and he does actually like spending time with his cousin. He can be a pain in the ass, but they have fun together. They wouldn't keep doing this kind of shit if they didn't.

There are, at least, plenty of women in the club, which Miles feels should be an automatic draw for Ivan. He's in his Barrayaran uniform -- he probably ought to get some civilian clothes somewhere -- and after a bit of crowd-wrangling they finally get a couple of drinks and snag a table in a crowded corner. "This place isn't too bad, eh?" Miles says, although he has to lean forward and half-shout just to be heard.

[whatdidisay]

Ivan, also in his Barrayaran uniform, because he knows what works, damn it, has to extract himself from a small group of women he'd been chatting up while waiting for his drinks. The problem with this whole entire place was that, heavy on the matches it was, it's impossible to have any sort of casual fling. Still, Ivan grins at the lot of them and then slides in next to his cousin.

"No," Ivan practically shouts back. "Not if you want to go deaf within the hour. Good drink list, though."

Which is why they stayed.

Elizabeth DeWitt

[tearmeanewone]

[A - Harashan]

After the transmission, Elizabeth does notice a significant uptick in the amount of graffiti and the personnel roving the streets. It makes her extremely nervous, it makes her want to sift through a garbage can to see if she can find something useful. Obviously, her skittish behavior and refusal to look any law enforcement in the eye eventually gets her cornered.

"Haven't seen you around here much."

"I'm here with the crew of the Moira-- I was just going to the library--"

"You go there an awful lot. You meeting with friends?"

"No, no I'm working, this is my job on the ship."

"Visiting libraries all day? Sounds like a pretty cushy job to me."

"...if you're going to question me I want one of my captains present. We're here on peaceful terms, I don't see any reason to treat me this way."

"That's our call. You're in our city, you'll answer any question I want you to answer." Elizabeth is silent, so he grabs her arm. She responds by dropping her books and giving him a clean left hook into his cheekbone.

It's not the most diplomatic solution, true, but she's not going back to being forced to answer questions.


[B - Harashan Authorities]

And apparently she can only escape once before she's caught again and brought to some place for questioning by the Harashan authorities. Elizabeth is not at all excited about this-- in fact she's refusing to answer questions and demanding to speak with her captains... while her MID is running and recording audio. She at least managed to start that up before anyone noticed.

She's either silent or belligerent regarding the line of questioning. No, she has nothing to do with a group called the Komai. No, she doesn't know anything about them. Why can't she leave? Has anyone been informed she's being held here against her will? The authorities are belligerent right back and demand she answer and refuse to let her leave. Eventually they leave the room and Elizabeth makes a plea to her MID.

"Please... if anyone's hearing this, I don't know if they're going to let me out. I need help. Please..."

[C - The Moira/Avelle/Harashan]

After the dream, to Elizabeth, she wants what Emiri is offering her-- so much. A mutual, loving partnership where they both took care of each other. Where no one left. Companionship forever.

She starts spending more and more time off the Moira and exploring Harashan. Maybe for an apartment? A job? A way to stay and have what she knows she deserves.

And at night she's looking around Avelle and finding places where she can dance and drink and generally have a good time. Seriously, why would they leave?

B!

[seeingscarlet]

This really isn't helping Wanda's opinion of the Emiran authorities. She still doesn't trust the Komai until she can meet one in person, but even if the truth is somewhere in between, these officers are not good people if they're treating Elizabeth like this.

It's too familiar a song and dance to someone who grew up in politically unstable Sokovia.

Her voice over the MID is low, focused. "Where did they take you?"