(no subject)

Who: Everyone
When: July 1 and onward. See this post for info.
Where: Kauto + Chioni + Ingress Complex
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label warn-worthy content in your subject headers.

There's a burst of light in the sky when the Ingress breaks, a final flare followed by a shuddering that only those in the facility can feel. A flurry of panicked activity in the complex follows, ushering new arrivals to where they need to go in a hurry, with little time to give them the needed information, much less answer questions. The lights remain on, but dimmer now, life functions still operating but little else. On Kauto and Chioni below, the sky fades into an early twilight, followed by night, and day does not come again.

nerds save the world

Before the end of the day, all TABs receive an emergency broadcast notification outlining the situation. The speaker, a lead Savriite Ingress technician, does not invite panic but nor does he mince words. The Ingress is broken; their best efforts have failed to restore it. The time has come to turn to anyone who can help: scientists, engineers, those who have worked with advanced technology on any world. Formal qualifications don't matter when it could be the end of everything.

"Help us. Before it is too late."

Those who come will have the run of the complex and full access to the Ingress, as well as whatever tools are available and as much coffee as they can drink. People are encouraged to work in groups and share ideas, and a small number of young and nervous technical assistants will be on hand.

the land below

As Thisavrou is denied light and warmth, the weather becomes brisk and descends into bitter cold. Chioni is evacuated due to the effects on the already-harsh weather cycles there, although a skeleton crew of scientists remain behind. On Kauto, the arboreal Region Three and pastoral Region Two suffer the most from the temperatures and the snow that eventually begins to fall. Many crops are frozen over, and refugee citizens are driven from their homes to the Regions One and Five, where stored energy will keep dwellings warm. Save for those who choose to leave the underwater facilities, Region Four remains largely unchanged, but there are unverified accounts of strange aquatic animal behavior near the surface.

Overcrowding, limited supplies and a pervasive fear presents the opportunity for both heroism and foul deeds. Many come together to share resources, supplies and fellowship in what could be the end of worlds, while others take what they can from the unwilling or exploit the desperate. Sentient evacuees are followed by fauna from Region Three and unsettled lands beyond, in search of warmth or food or merely confused by the change in habitat. Some are unthreatening herbivores, while tanglesnakes and clownbees are more troublesome. Others are poisonous hunters, while still others are small, but dangerous when faced as a pack.

Just when all seems lost, light returns to the sky. The Ingress begins to function once more.

the coming days

As the temperatures rise, many demand answers, but most turn to the rebuilding of their lives first. Damage has been done that isn't so easily fixed, and even in the least-affected areas, remnants of the crisis show in the lack of fresh food, in the increased signs of criminal activity. Those who can help others through their own efforts of by organizing assistance are needed, but those with impure intentions are more likely to go unnoticed.

Eavesdropping on the streets may reveal a desire for vengeance. "Those intruders from last week. They're responsible for this, aren't they? What's being done?" But don't listen too closely, or a suspicious eye may be turned on you. "Aren't you one of the refugees from the Midway Hub? You should return to where you came from! All the trouble began when your people showed up!"

Life goes on. But life does not go on unchanged.

[quick ooc note: the Region 4 search & retrieval mission/RNG fight will be posted in a separate log.]

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//the coming days

[This isn't the kind of hostility she's experienced before. She's been called a provocateur, a rebel, even a political mutineer. If her Crash() Function isn't evidence enough of this trait of her personality she doesn't know what else could be. She doesn't purposely set out to cause waves; truly, she doesn't. Yet she seems a real natural at it!

Red understands at least that these hostile whispers are not directed at her personally even if it's hard not to take them that way. She does her best to ignore them as she continues on her walk through Region 1. Hopefully soon she can return to her tiny treehouse in Region 3, but until then she's stuck here. It's getting warmer, she tells herself, and that's something.

It's not until some of the Savrii directly block her path and begin their insinuations that she can no longer choose to ignore it. Red narrows her eyes and her small fists clench at her sides.]

I'll ask you nicely once to let me be.

[What she was going to do if they made her ask twice, she hadn't much of a plan. Wouldn't her Transistor have something snarky to say if he were here?]

//wildcard!

[throw anything at me :D]

[nothing like being through the ingress for barely a hot second before the locals started turning on you. big boss was a man that was intimately acquainted with the feeling of sometimes being looked at like a dangerous animal, but here, it seemed to quickly be on the upswing. the worst part was it wasn't just him, all savrii seemed to be making it a daily habit to pick at one of the people beyond the ingress.

john knew that, if it was only one local, they would only hurl words. for experience with people in general, though, he also knew that the more of them crowded around each other, spouting the same hateful thing, would inevitably give them enough courage to throw more than words.

and wouldn't you know it, he spots that exact thing happening right in front of him. generally, he tried to stay out of other people's scuffles. too much hassle. but there was only one of her and quite a few more of them. so he steps in.

and just knocks one of the instigators flat.]

[Red doesn't even see her hero come forward. She's staring intently at the strangers, planning her moves, and anticipating theirs. She doesn't have a weapon but Red has never and will never see herself as powerless. Either they leave, or she'll spring into action.

But she doesn't have to make even a first move. With no warning he's suddenly there, huge and imposing, and with the force of a Clucker bomb launches his fist and the Savrii is out. Red is so shocked she doesn't react for a few seconds but just stares down. One punch and the native is out, cold.

She blinks a few times and looks up with surprise at the man, at the eye patch, her brows furrow, and then she beams a grin at him. As the other natives start backing away, Red glances at them and then moves closer to her sudden hero. She'll put her Function in with this man's if he's willing to do the same for her, certainly!]

How timely of you!

[Red says this while staring at the Savrii though it's obviously directed at him. She's obviously impressed.]

I'm usually late.

[whether it's meant to be a joke or he's being totally serious, no one will ever know. the way his natural tone is, everything that comes out of his mouth sounds dire. well, unless it's about boxes. or food. anyway.

usually his stance in a fight would be tight, body hunched in on itself waiting to absorb impact and keep his moves from being read. right then, though, as he toed the body on the ground to make sure it still had some semblance of life in it, his body language read that the fight was already over.

malicious groups who were only brave when they bared down on one person usually scattered to the winds when their prey received backup. it was a pack mentality kind of thing; john had seen in all the time in scavenger dogs. assert yourself with quick action and suddenly the scavengers weren't so brave anymore.]

Fight back. [he addresses them as if they're punk kids, not worth his time.] I dare you.

[She shouldn't be pleased with this. After all that's a person that got knocked flat on their face, not a mechanical Process, but a real flesh and blood person. No matter how hostile they're being, she shouldn't be glad for it. They could wake up with a headache at the very least, maybe some vertigo, even a broken nose or cheekbone.

She shouldn't be at all pleased.

But she is.

Red stands there not looking tough whatsoever (still in her ridicuous concert clothes she came to Thisavrou with). Her arms are folded under her chest and a challenging stare's upon her face, albeit hers doesn't come close to the one-eyed man's menacing countenance.

That's when she sees it, one of them weighting their odds of still winning due to their out-numbering the two immigrants and he rushes forward for the attack. No, Red isn't physically strong, but she is fast and her Crash() Function works even without a Transistor. She sprints forward on high heels, drops low into a crouch with both hands on the ground in front of her, and swings one long leg around to trip the native up. He lands hard on his hands and knees but she's already up and dashing behind him.

Red holds one fist in the other and brings them down hard on the man's back, causing digital sparks to fan out around the spot of impact for a second. The man is stunned, caught in time, completely unable to move. The stun will only last a few seconds but if one-eye-guy is quick enough (somehow she trusts he will be) the native is utterly vulnerable to attack.]

[with as many women john has met over the years in his life of work, from the brusque GIs, to the viciously witty spies, to the no-nonsense medics, he knows never to underestimate any of them. sure, the woman in the dress looks like just another civvy off the street, but she hasn't shown any telling personality traits that remove her from a world of battle.

when the, clearly, stupidest savrri of the group looks like he's going to take john up on his challenge, the old merc moves to get into a fighting stance. he doesn't even get to move, though, before the red-head next to him rushes forward in a blur of movement. john can barely blink in the time it takes her to subdue the idiot local and he doesn't waste a single second of this golden opportunity to finish putting the others in their place.

going through the motions of overpowering enemy combatants is basically second nature to him. every takedown is a dance, a rhythm of 1-2-3, 1-2-3. the savrii closest to the one on the ground gets flipped over john's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, straight down on his comrade. the last one left, finally realizing how outclassed he must be, doesn't get away before john's hand grasps onto his arm, sliding a foot in between the local's legs, and taking to the ground, as well.

if they're willing to get up after all that, then kudos.]

[—oh he's very good! And wow, do human beings go down so much easier than Process programs! Red tries to feel bad about it and she does, a little bit, as the one she had stunned grunts under the weight of his comrade. Just a little bit, and then the sympathy is gone and she's covering her mouth to hide her grin.

He's very, very good at this. Red has a little bit of vague concept of armies and soldiers but in Cloudbank there hasn't been a need for so long, it's rather fascinating and surprising to see a real soldier in action. All of her own skill had come from the Transistor itself and the Functions they pulled from along the way. She's no soldier, not like him.]

Let's get moving!

[Red isn't interested in waiting around to see if friends and family or even passersby come to the aid of the downed natives. She moves to her hero and reaches for his hand, with the full intent of grabbing his hand and leading him in a run away from the scene and down the nearest lane to get out of view.]

[with the way foreigner prejudice had been ramping up lately, john has no doubt that someone'll sniff out the four downed savrii and try to help them. he's of the same mind-set that they shouldn't be seen when that happens. a glance is barely spared for the groaning mess of bodies on the ground as the woman leads him away, smaller hand clutching over his. despite his age, he keeps up with her easily, letting himself be dragged along into the nearest hiding spot.

thinking back on it now, hadn't kaz said something weird about how savrii conduct their own brand of justice? something like rehabilitation, with the added tone of possible torture of the mind. it's unfortunate that the two of them are the least inconspicuous looking people to be beating up on the locals. her with her blazing, red hair and gold-black dress. him with his almost white hair, eye patch, and militant attire. hopefully, no one puts together a formal search party to seek them out.]

Do you have somewhere to go back to? You should stay off the streets for a day.

[Down a small lane around back of a building, then down what can be called an alleyway, and she finally stops and lets go of his hand. Red leans back against the wall of whatever building they're next to and she rests a hand over her chest as she pants softly. And, she's grinning at him.]

I'll have to get a room. Region three is more or less empty. It's snowing there.

[She sounds rather impressed that it's snowing. No one even had to vote for it to!

Red moves her hand up to push aside a thick lock of unruly red hair.]

Where did you learn to do that?

You might wanna change into something a little warmer if that's your plan.

[why anyone would be impressed that it was snowing ever, john can't fathom. he can put up with snow, sure, but the idea of actively wishing for it escapes him. anyway, he's more worried if she'll be able to stand the cold in her dress. she is wearing a jacket, with fur on the collar (maybe?), but it doesn't actually look warm. more for aesthetics.]

I'm a career soldier. I've had years of practice.

[almost forty plus at this point. not that she needs to know his whole sordid history, but he has no qualms about indulging her question.]

But you're not so bad yourself. What's your name?

[She chuckles, looking down at the ends of her high-heeled boots with their golden pointed ends. The young woman looks amused at her own expense, and she grips the lapels of the over-sized coat, then hugs it around her. Alas, it's not even fur, they're feathers.

Years of practice, that explains it.]

I've never seen anything like you before.

My name's Red, and I'm a career singer. I've had one whole day of running around fighting things. [She smirks, again making fun of herself, but she pushes off from the wall and stands tall striking a heroic pose to complete the joke.]

What's your name?

Not many people do.

[he's kind of a one-of-kind case back home. well, besides the fact that he has clones, but hey, that's for never. instead, he's just going to leave it at that and makes sure the nice girl gets on her way safely.]

You're practically a natural. [she did seem to have some kind of know-how when it came to brawling. a little unrefined, maybe, but there was undeniably a spark of aptitude there.] I'm Ishmael. And yeah, I've heard every joke you can make about that name, so don't. [PLEASE]

[Red can't keep the pose up for long before she's cracking herself up, laughing softly around a smile directed at her hero.

A hero named Ishmael it seems, with some kind of issue with his own name.]

Ishmael? [She asks, carefully pronouncing it, and she tries to think of how someone could make the name into a joke. Red doesn't get it.]

Mmm~ must be some cultural reference, I take it? I'm glad to disappoint you, then. Most cultural references I won't get. From what I understand, I am from a different world than most other Ingress-ese.

[incredible, the one person probably on the planet who didn't know the infamous book his name was from. big boss, despite only knowing red for a hot second, suddenly decided he liked her based on that one fact. well, you know, plus she seemed to be able to hold her own, which was always nice to see in someone.]

That might be better for you in the long run. You might just understand something better because of your different background.

[it never hurt to have a different perspective on things, after all. especially with the situation at hand.]

We should get out of here. Can you make it to Region Three on your own?

You might be right about that. As for Region Three, it's been evacuated. Tree houses and pelting snow aren't the best mix.

[She's wondering if her tree house will be a ground house by the time she gets back. It had seemed so fun when she'd chosen it out, a tiny little thing barely big enough for one, up away from the world, secluded, peaceful...

Red sighs at herself. So much for that!]

It's a hotel for me tonight. That's where I was headed, but I don't really know the way.

(no subject)

camouflage - 2017-07-11 04:57 (UTC) - Expand

please forgive slowness ;o;

switchcircuit - 2017-07-16 13:35 (UTC) - Expand

np im slow rn too

camouflage - 2017-07-20 04:47 (UTC) - Expand

[He knows he shouldn't get involved--that there's really nothing to gain by inserting himself into what's clearly becoming an altercation, and the best thing to do in a situation like this is to just move on. Let her handle herself, if she can. Hell, she looks like the type to get angry if someone butts in on her behalf. There's no telling what he'd be getting himself into if he sticks his nose where it might not be wanted.

Still, he's a little hard-pressed to walk away when there's still potential to defuse things before they get violent. Old habits die hard, and he's striding up to Red's side in a clear bid to get the Savrii to back off.]

Don't.

[76 cuts an intimidating figure, to say nothing of the giant rifle strapped to his back, so there's definitely a part of him that hopes the Savrii will think twice about harassing Red now that she has apparent backup. Whether or not Red will accept this backup, however, is another matter entirely. Too late to back down now.]

It ain't worth it. Let's go.

[His white hair and shiny mask have Red doing a double-take and for one strange moment she feels out of place and time. In that split second she thinks he looks like a Process from back home. He's not as tall as the Man Processes were but she feels a chill which has nothing to do with the light snow fall coming down.

Red wraps her oversized jacket closer around her and stares at him for another second before frowning, brows furrowing.]

It seems as if it should be worth it, standing up for myself.

[She says this loud enough for the natives to hear and it's obviously directed more at them than at this stranger. She looks at the gun, a little confused, and then huffs and shakes her head.

Red rolls her eyes and wastes a few more moments glaring at the natives before turning more fully to the man. Are you real? she wants to ask, but it's a dumb question. Even the Processes were real, they just weren't flesh and blood.]

Do you know this city? I need to get to some hotel and the only way I knew was through there, where these idiots are blocking.

Pick your battles.

[He says, knowing full well that he often doesn't take his own advice. Right now, however, if they can avoid a fight, so much the better. He's got no idea what these locals are capable of, and though he's more than confident in his own ability to hold down a fight, he doesn't want to start one with someone else in the line of fire.

Which means it's time for a tactical retreat, though Red seems to need a little more convincing.]

We can find a back way.

[He's not exactly a region one expert, but he's been here long enough that he's sure there's a more circuitous route to her destination.]

[It's good advice. Red doesn't like the idea of backing down when she's disrespected in such a way but neither is she so bull headed that she can't hear him. She stares at the Savrii before huffing, turning to the man and giving a shake of her head, then heading back the way she came.

Being as he had said we, she's assuming he'll help her find some way. They're barely out of earshot of the natives when she speaks up.]

Are they always like this? Don't they understand we didn't ask to come here?

I'm sure they understand.

[76's tone of voice indicates that he thinks very little of the Savrii--not only are transplants like the two of them here against their will, the 'government' (or what passes as such) has explicitly elicited the help of everyone to fix the Ingress. He imagines that when it's up and running again, there will be some transplant to credit for it, not that the Savrii will do so.

He motions her to follow and takes them down a side street. As long as he keeps the general direction in mind, he thinks, they should be able to get through in a sort of roundabout way.]

Caring might be a long shot.

[Red has a scowl on her soft features, and she glances back for a moment before watching the back of the man. The clicking of her heels speeds up as she moves to catch up with his long strides, her thick red hair bouncing around her face with the movements until she catches up enough she can try to match him in speed.

While he leads and she follows, she looks over his white hair, the side of the odd mask, and at that huge gun of his. He looks ready for a war! Red wonders if this is going to turn into one, if these skirmishes are the rising tides before a hurricane. The thought makes her shiver, and Red pulls the oversized jacket tighter around herself.]

Who are you?

[76 keeps walking, his gaze trained straight ahead, even as he feels her eyes on him. That much doesn't surprise him, at least--he knows he's kind of a Sight, especially when the gun is in the picture as well. He does not, however, speak up to elaborate on any of this, waiting for her to ask the question herself.]

76.

[Which is evident on the back of his jacket. He does seem to realize that it's very odd to introduce himself in such a way, so after a moment he offers a follow-up (though of course it doesn't explain much about who he is, really).]

That's what people call me.

[ It's as Elena's coming up from behind the other woman that she pauses to assess the Savrii standing in the way. Of course this is the same path she's taking to get home and now it's being blocked. She sighs into her scarf— great.

The snow crunches quietly beneath her steps as she moves forward to touch a careful hand to the back of Red's shoulder. ]

I know another way... We can avoid the crowds there.

[ Elena's in no way prepared for a real fight if the Savrii get truly hostile and physical nor is she in the mood. ]

[Red was so heated up she didn't hear anyone else approaching. The touch to her shoulder startles her and her head snaps quick to the side to see who it is. This woman looks far more friendly than the Savrii and the offer to find another way calms Red down immediately.

Loud enough for the natives to hear, she explains:] I'm new here, I don't know my way around.

[More quietly, more calm, she adds:] Thank you.

I can show you the way.

[ They needed to stick together, new and old. The Savrii now weren't as friendly as they'd once been, which was disheartening.

She shoots a glance over to them but then offers a reassuring smile to the other woman, guiding the way when they're given no real trouble. Just looks of distrust. ]

When did you arrive?

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(no subject)

nerds save the world

the land below

the coming days

Red || Transistor || OTA! :)

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the most apt way to intro BB ever lbr

he's always gotta make an impression

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(no subject)

please forgive slowness ;o;

np im slow rn too

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i'm so sorry for slowness!

no problem!

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