catchall & overflow ; closed

[desynched]

Who: lena & friends
When: december event
Where: on the way to the midway hub
What: a continuation of threads such as 'dances with children,' 'conspires to punch a ghost in the face', and 'takes a field trip with a cranky old soldier.'
Warnings: body horror


week 2 ▹ arrival

the ingress

[ Lena half-walks, half-stumbles out of the Ingress. All she's aware of at the moment is that she's not in Numbani anymore and that her chest hurts. She feels both strangely feverish and like she's been thrown in ice water. She leans heavily against the first rock that's large enough to support her weight. It takes a moment for her eyes to focus. Not that it makes a difference-- all she sees is a barren landscape and a few broken structures that look like they might've once been magnificent. She can't focus on much more because the pain in her chest is unbearable.

When she looks down, she sees why.

The Chronal Accelerator has fused with her body, creating something that looks alarmingly like a second set of ribs made of metal and plastic. The core is still working and in the proper place, both on her chest and on her back, luckily. Unluckily, these 'ribs' are digging painfully into her chest and converge in the back in a particularly alarming way, just inches from digging into her spine.

So that would explain the pain.

Lena swallows hard and takes a few deep breaths. She's trained to keep her head in spite of the unexpected. All of her training as a test pilot and an Overwatch agent almost isn't enough now. Panicking won't help, she tells herself, as she walks slowly away from the Ingress.

First, she needs to find Winston. If anyone can figure out what happened to the Accelerator, it's him. As to disappearing from Numbani and reappearing in a barren wasteland, well, she's not sure who could explain that. She just hopes he wasn't hurt too. That sobering thought pushes her along, though every step makes her wince. Eventually, she decides to risk it and call out to him. ]

Winston! Where are you, big guy?

camp

[ She's found her way to camp, likely led by a kind soul (or several). She's currently sticking to the fringes, not socializing like she usually would. Lena's not in a bad mood, but she is in pain and is feeling strangely self-conscious about her Acclerator. It being like a creepy second set of ribs would do that.

While she won't go up to anyone, she will smile at anyone who decides to walk over and check on the new girl. ]

Heya. Hangin' in there?

week 3 ▹ exploring

settlements

[ Lena has slowly gotten used to the pain associated with her distorted Accelerator. Now she's out and about (probably not in any condition to be, but there you are). First, she decides to scavenge. Lena appeared only with what she was carrying and that wasn't much. Although she's sure the others would share with her, she'd like to gather some supplies of her own. Or at least find things that might be useful to others.

Normally, she's clever enough to avoid traps, or at least spot them. But she's distracted and, frankly, not expecting any traps. Which is unfortunate, as she triggers a particularly nasty paralysis trap upon stepping into an abandoned kitchen. Lena falls gracelessly (and loudly) to the floor.

So much for going it alone. ]

caves

[ She struck out at the settlement, but she's going to give the caves a try. But she learned her lesson-- teamwork makes the dream work. Which is why she's standing inside the caves, but within sight of the entrance. Anyone who happens to walk in will be greeted with her asking if they'd like to team up. ]

Fancy havin' a look about?

week 4 ▹ holiday

camp

[ It had not, in fact, been Christmas when she left.

But Lena loves Christmas and any chance to celebrate it, even in these conditions, is met with unbridled enthusiasm. Maybe that's what they need after all of this time spent traveling. Some, she found, are even mourning. Their ship had gone down and not everyone made it out alive. Perhaps celebrating in light of that is tasteless. Or, perhaps, it's a way to distract themselves from the pain, physical or emotional.

Regardless, Lena fully intends to have a good time and strong-arm anyone else into having a good time. There's music and she can dance and I hope you can too because she's going to try to grab your hands and pull you in. ]

Come on!

Comments

cool grandpa reinhardt

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

[ From what Lena knows about Fareeha, she's not a person who's easily shaken. The fact that Reyes is back from the dead is enough to shake anyone, but the attack? It must've been very bad. ]

And Jesse?

[grandpaladin]

I have not seen him in some time... Angela was the one who told me he had been hurt.

[And it's worrying. That he hadn't heard from the younger man in this long. Had Reyes managed to do something worse? Or...]

[Or had he not made it out of the ship?]

[desynched]

When I find him, I'll give him a good scolding for worrying you.

[ 'When' not 'if.' Even with a big, open space like this, nobody with any wits will wander too far from the crew. ]

[grandpaladin]

Be gentle on the boy!

[He laughs though, as he says it. More warmly than anything. Because Jesse is still very much A Boy to him. Lena's always seemed older. Even if she isn't.]

[Maybe it's the cowboy theme.]

actual cinnamon roll kurt

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

No need for the "miss." Formality always makes me think I'm in trouble.

[shadowblends]

Just 'Lena' it is, then. In that case, my name is Kurt - 'Nightcrawler' is my codename.

[desynched]

Codename? I thought it was just your stage name.

purest child frisk

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

All by yourself? [ They named themselves, which is not something most people do. Nameless evokes a sense of loneliness. Were they alone for so long?

Well. Frisk isn't alone now. That's what's important, that's what she can do. ]

I chose Tracer as my callsign. Tracer and Frisk! Sounds like we outta be in a comic.

[gainedlove]

Yeah. [Her response lifts their spirits a little more--she doesn't ask why they chose a name, why they needed one. She just accepts it.]

[It's...she's so nice.]

'M not cool 'nough t' be inna comic. B-but you are! A callsign's like a...like a code name, right? Like a superhero?

[desynched]

I dunno, I think you could be!

[ Bright and cheery as ever. And genuine. Lena says it with a conviction that proves that she means it. Being brave and cool and strong comes in many different forms. Not just flashy outfits and dashing into the line of fire. ]

Sort of! I was an agent of Overwatch-- an elite international peacekeeping taskforce.

sniper grandma ana

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

[ She chuckles softly. And if her eyes seem a touch teary, can anyone really blame her? But her chuckle is genuine and her smile is real. ]

Bet mine'll be bigger than yours soon.

[grammascookies]

Lena Oxton, is that a challenge?

[Ana notices and is holding herself back from having a few tears too. Even though she's a former Captain, she has to keep up appearances.

But that doesn't stop her from pulling Lena into a hug.]

My dear, I missed you quite a bit. You having a smile every time I look at you heals my soul.

[desynched]

[ She hugs back tightly, taking it all in. Ana is real-- not a cruel illusion or a distant dream. Lena closes her eyes, trying not to cry but a few stray tears fall from her eyes anyway.

Still, her voice is bright, if a little softer. ]

I missed you too, Cap. Wasn't the same without you.

magnificent magical maddie

[desynched]

from here

breakin' it down with lúcio

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

Can you show me?

[ Despite the lingering pain and disorientation, she looks like she's ready to make a dash for it. Yes, Angie can patch her up. But, more than anything, seeing her again would be nice. Comforting. ]

actual angel angela

[desynched]

from here

[desynched]

[ She tosses in one last bit of drama: ] Ah, my poor jacket! You've served me well.

[ She watches Angela work, careful not to squirm. Not that it would really throw Angela off, but she'd rather not make it harder on her. ]

Hm? Oh, I met Lúcio! Nice guy, even if he called me "ma'am."

[ There's a mix of amusement and bewilderment in her voice. ]

Patched me up a bit with his sonic amplifier.

[cadeuces]

[ The dramatics and the mention of Lúcio get an easy smile from her, certainly, the sort that gave away her knowing exactly who Lena spoke of and even looking a little proud— the DJ had been unknown to her but they ran into each other by happenstance, and only later realized they were from the same place. He's become an easy friend of hers and one who's even taken to a bit of first aid training, and he'd always sought her out eagerly. He was a very sweet young man.

...Which is only proven further by calling Lena "ma'am". ]

Well, though you're still plenty young, you are a hero to the world. Your face is better known than his. It was likely out of respect more than anything. He's sweet, isn't he? I've gotten to know him quite well in our time here. There's quite a few other agents here as well, and some others. Many here are from a time before ours though.

[ Once she's worked up away from her midsection and she's worked the sleeves off, she settles into the rest— and she'll have a gown ready to offer Lena when she's about to remove the sides. Here you go, cover up. ]

This is looking more and more, to me, like surgical action will be necessary. But it hasn't worked too terribly deep; I should be able to get you healed back up with my staff, or at least enough to bandage the rest and give it another pass in a few days. I'll have to put you under, though.

[ It wouldn't be pretty either way, but asking someone to be awake for such a thing? Out of the question. Local anesthetics wouldn't be enough for this by any stretch. ]

[desynched]

[ Angela's pride makes her more trusting of Lúcio. He hadn't given her a reason to distrust him, but being vetted by Angela makes her like him more.

She has a million questions, but they all die at the thought of actual surgery. Lena shouldn't be surprised, given how much it hurts, but she was rather hoping it would be easy to remove with just local anesthetic, if that. She lifts the side of the gown enough to trace her finger along the spot where the Accelerator is fused to her side. Not good.

But there's no other option, and this isn't the first and won't be the last time she puts her well-being in Angela's hands. So she gives Angela a smile that is supposed to seem calm and confident, but fails spectacularly in both. ]

Better than keeping it like this. Smarts a bit.

you're not my real dad, soldier: 76

[desynched]

from here