November Miniplot: Clever Pests

[savmods]

Who: Anyone and everyone
When: Around and after November 17
Where: Avagi
What: A small-scale reunion

Escalation

In the last week, the opening portals have brought a range of opportunities to Avagi. Some station-dwellers have leapt at the chance to be outside, exploring the gardens or the Forest of Renewal. Others chose to test themselves in the Temples. Still more have met with the Kaittans, trading knowledge and training for resources they could bring back home. Among these items? Fresh, delicious food. Those residing in _______ Suites were already familiar with the occasional skittering sounds. Recently, those noises have increased abruptly—in volume, and in the areas they can be heard. Strange odors and paste-like droppings have turned up throughout the station, and breakable materials may be torn, gnawed on, or otherwise despoiled. Actual edibles left out are stolen, or devoured on the spot. Whatever creatures are responsible leave a variety of small bite-marks, and seem to target both plants and meat.

Emergence

Many may be motivated by the current crisis. A few have been making efforts from the start. A partnership self-dubbed Extermination Squad Alpha (araignee_du_soir and squadgoals) has faced continued frustrations against the creatures in the walls, attempting traps, cages, mines, and tracking tech, and finding themselves repeatedly outmaneuvered. In light of the new incursions, they redoubled their efforts, comparing salvaged feathers against the Kaittan's repository of knowledge, and diving headfirst into the ventilation system to pursue the vermin to their lair. On Nomber 17, success will be found... of a sort. While Avagi has neither day nor night, it's a quiet shift for those still on the station. Many occupants are off attempting the trials or otherwise exploring Kaittos. Others are occupied with rest or repair. Those who are conscious may note a slower, bulkier scrape making its way through ceilings and walls. Vent maintenance? Persisting for several hours, it seems innocuous enough. Until, suddenly, it isn't. A loud explosion can be heard over the animal nursery: metal and insulation crunching and giving way, followed by loud shots. Those close enough may spot the bright blue flares of biotic energy, or even the larger figure that hits the floor amidst collapsing ceiling, damaged machinery, and a spatter of what were probably once eggs. As for the smaller shapes that flood out across the station? Everyone will have ample time to get a look at them. Coffee mug included for scale. Those present for Thisavrou's collapse may have reason to remember Region Six. The creatures nesting above the Animal Nursery include all of those species, and several more. However, the escapees of the former Ingress Complex research labs differ from your previous encounters in one highly significant way: Adults range from the size of rats to no bigger than a small chicken. With their nesting site wrecked, the mini dinos will stampede throughout the station. Aggression levels vary highly, and while some of the herbivorous species will avoid encounters, others will charge (or swarm) anyone who gets in their way. What these creatures have lost in size, they've gained in intelligence, and they will show several adaptive behaviors well outside what might be expected of a natural breed. Pack behavior is common, as is teamwork between even unrelated species. While predation does occur, most of these creatures have moved to a scavenging model of survival: and you and yours have recently laid out a full buffet of treats. Velociraptors can open doors—though biolocks may offer more delay. Over the next few days, the chaos will settle as the pests that do escape find new retreats to nest in. They will, however, be seen more commonly throughout the station after. Those who are able to catch, kill, or calm one long enough to examine it will find the creatures aren't merely small, but shrunken, and all to a close scale at their adult growth.

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Comments

[araignee_du_soir]

Normally, one of the vermin coupled with a single person when there was no obvious distress wouldn't have warranted her attention. And though this certainly wouldn't have her deploying a venom mine, it did merit looking into if only because what her visor showed her painted a ridiculous picture.

Moving to the doorway and raising her visor, Widowmaker took in the large woman and the tiny dinosaur. The juxtaposition was rather absurd because of their sizes and the failing attempt to train the pest. Did the Russian really think it was a good idea to keep one of these little beasts as a pet? From outside in the hallway, the vermin she had caged called out to its fellow dinosaur.

"I am here to take that off your hands."

[flexing]

Zarya glances over her shoulder toward the door, and the little creature takes the opportunity to spring for her hand and the treat. She jerks both of them up and out of range, sternly adding, "Nyet!"

It drops back down obediently and, satisfied, Zarya turns her attention to the new arrival again. Considering that they're in space the blue skin strikes her for only a second or two as unusual, but her look in general — that's worth more than a second or two of consideration.

Anyway.

"There is no need," she says brightly, and drops her eyes back to the dinosaur with a cheerful smile. "She is very well behaved, you see? Soon she will know syat!"

[araignee_du_soir]

...did Aleksandra Zaryanova just check her out? It was tempting to turn so the woman could catch a look at her backside just to know for sure. Thankfully, it wasn't important.

Widowmaker stepped into the room to approach the Russian and-- Woah. She was a lot taller than she seemed on the intel pictures.

"These things are vermin, not pets. Scavengers. Thieves." Look away and they would take anything they wanted. Not unlike Sombra, now that she thought about it...

[flexing]

"Rats are vermin, no? Scavengers and thieves. And yet, still pets."

She regards the little dinosaur fondly, and tosses it the little morsel unearned. The bit of fruit is snatched up and devoured almost immediately, and just as quickly it turns its hopeful eye on Zarya for more.

"A free treat just this once," she warns it, "Then we are back to work. Discipline is important."

[araignee_du_soir]

"Rats should not be kept as pets either. Disgusting creatures," Widowmaker replied, her affluent upbringing quite apparent.

"We have a limited food supply on Avagi; we cannot afford to allocate any rations to pets. We are better off seeing if these things are edible than trying to domesticate them into pets." A pause. "See, you are already giving in to its... cuteness."

[flexing]

Rats aren't exactly Zarya's first choice of pet either, but this disdain! She just shakes her head, amused.

"I am so sorry, you meant to eat this fruit instead?" She holds it out towards Widowmaker — a mess of what used to be something like a papaya, with little bits ripped out of its pulpy interior. The dinosaur watches her hands eagerly as she gestures with it. "Take it, it is all yours."

[araignee_du_soir]

Raising her head up in an attempt to look down her nose at someone that much taller than her, Widowmaker sniffed with contempt. "No merci. You are being obstinate on purpose, Zaryanova. If you want to waste your own rations on this thing, be my guest. But the moment it escapes your custody and devours someone's supplies, it will surely be disposed of and you will be held responsible."

She was in support of Shepard's microchipping idea for the stupid people that were going to try to keep these things as pets.

[flexing]

Widowmaker's attempt to look down on someone taller than her goes unnoticed; she's too distracted by the use of her own name. She just barely files that information away, that this woman will permit the thing to be kept so long as it's kept well, though she certainly doesn't miss that.

"You know me." It's not quite a question, though there's an inquiry somewhere in it. She watches Widowmaker a little more carefully, seeking some thread of familiarity. "Have we met?"

[araignee_du_soir]

"I think you would remember if we had met before. I am a hard woman to forget." Between the blue skin and her natural looks... "And your name is listed outside the door."

Widowmaker didn't actually know if there was a nameplate, but just about every other room had the names of the residents listed outside the door. She banked on there being one for this room. If there hadn't been one... she would have to improvise.