ARRIVAL LOG 010

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Evening of October 21 and 22
WHAT: The tenth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion, loss of autonomy, sexual themes and alcohol usage. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #010

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see four people in black body armor seated opposite you, as well as a man in dark gray scrubs.

You realize there are others next to you. All of you in white scrubs, hair recently cut but at various stages of growth, restrained by straps across your chests, arms, feet, holding you to the bench under you. To your left, an armored interior door, two more people visible, the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle stops. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and false, colored light, illuminating the streets in the distance will first alert your senses of being somewhere else, combined with air that's only cooled with the setting of the sun. The nurse moves to stand at the back, checking each passenger over one by one just before they're helped out of the vehicle, quick and methodical. He doesn't climb out after you, moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick, firm, but not entirely unkind. Once all the passengers are out, they drop some masks on the ground in a tan-colored tote bag. "Pick a mask," they bark, and then turn to climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.

You're left alone in an alley, with no idea of where you are or why you've been brought here.

Around the corner of the alley, there is the sound of various different carnival rides and men yelling for someone to step right up and try their luck on the various assortment of games that are available. Off in the distance, there's a large, hulking structure – perfectly vertical in nature, and people on it twist upward and then come slamming down mere moments later. It seems that you've just arrived as a part of some festivity, though it's probably hard to tell if you're an attraction or a coincidence of this all.

Either way – time to pick a mask. They're nothing special: they go over the head, but no one was ordered to put one on. They show various monsters – generic and otherwise – and it looks like they were purchased in bulk.

◉ Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: OPENING CEREMONY

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

Here we go again. You know the drill by now. Our new batch has been thrown into the middle of a Halloween party. They should have masks on which doesn't make them much easier to find, but I trust you guys can figure this out. You know the signs to look for by now. So… Happy Halloween. 🎃

Having ten actual days dedicated to Halloween may seem like a bit much, but New Amsterdam takes the festivities seriously. Thanks to being a melting pot of two millenia's worth of cultures, they try to touch on every aspect of it. The launch party is a two-day event set in the cultural district. Thanks to the lack of ground traffic, the city easily rolls in what acts as a mini-carnival. The ground throughout the carnival is lit with candle-filled pumpkins, providing a warmth of inviting light as the nights grow cooler. While the carnival shuts down during the working day, it opens again in the evening, allowing working parents to bring their children before the hours come to a close. During this time, children run around with their friends in costumes to ask for candy or food from nearby businesses or carnival booths. Sometimes these children have to perform a task before they get what they've asked for – either through playing a game or answering a trivia question – but they're never turned away empty handed.

The first two days are largely billed as a time for people to come together and have a good time, but Halloween is also known for offering opportunities to local artists to get their work recognized. Whether digital or otherwise, artists are asked to commit to a theme and produce art on the first day of the event that's viewed throughout the next nine days. Part of the tradition is the crunch of trying to produce a work of art with limited notice and time. If they aren't done before the first two days are over, they won't be able to get free advertisement for their work. When the event is over, all of the art will go up for auction, and the artists will receive 75% of whatever is offered for their work. This year's theme is "Remembrance and Renewal" – and most themes from past years are just as open for interpretation.

As it gets deeper into the evening and children have returned home, the festivities turn toward being more adult. While barred from selling alcohol until 9 PM, the various carnival booths change their tune after that point, offering a wide array of alcohol – including their own takes on moonshine. The first night even features a competition over who's brought the best, and everyone's invited to try a sample and put in a vote – for free. A rather savvy individual would likely be able to find themselves well in their cups just off of these samples, as the moonshine contest is the way for the adults to get a treat of their own. For these evening festivities, everyone is allowed to wear a more risque costume, and sex workers come over from the neighboring Red Light District in order to advertise some of their more unique services for the evenings ahead. Every brothel will have a unique theme of its own to mark how special the event is, and their services will match.

Otherwise, the first two days of Halloween are known for allowing kids to have fun and for adults to be anonymous for a little while. Anyone who holds down a day job will still be expected to turn into work, but there's a tacit understanding that most people will be under the weather during this time.

◉ The carnival will have a wide array of rides that are set up rather quickly. There's a ferris wheel with seats that will rotate around a large machine like an atom, but with many different "branches" to allow a great deal of people to go on at once. Everyone gets on at the same time, and the seats "float." Each person can pay for how long their ride is in increments, and extend that time if they so choose. For the after dark people, there is a definite badge of honor in having a good time in a ferris wheel without getting caught with your pants down. Other rides include the Wicked Force – which rapidly takes people up 500 ft into the air and then drops them – as well as carousels that allow someone to customize their mount for an additional amount of money. Want a lewd mount? That's fine … after the kids have gone home to play, and some people like to show off whatever they thought up on Cooltalk.

◉ As always, there are a large number of food options available thanks to the local food trucks coming out to sell their food. Taco trucks are the most popular around this time, and that's most of what will be offered. Many trucks will have some homemade candy that they offer for free with each meal – with the option to get more.

◉ Throughout the city, there will be controlled bonfire pits that are lit every night at 8 PM, though they won't be present in the less cared for parts of New Amsterdam. Ahead of the event starting, there will be a website to let people know where these pits are going up so they can set up meeting places with their friends – or even reserve a pit for a private group. Reservations around the more popular areas cost more than ones that are nearing the "disreputable" sections – though "disreputable" is shorthand for rundown buildings in need of repair more than any crime.

◉ There are, of course, costume contests! While many local bars – dive and otherwise – will have smaller affairs, there is a large contest held on these first two nights. Because of the wide array of people and costumes available, someone has to enter their costume according to a certain theme. Some of the themes are: vampires, ghosts, zombies, pop culture (animation), pop culture (action movies), pop culture (celebrities), political figures, historical figures – and more! In the five days that follow, people will be able to go online and vote for their favorite costume. Whoever accumulates the most votes gets a meal of their choice at a number of participating restaurants – HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY, SOL, Monde Pizza, Sweetwaffel and more – as well as 200 credits added to their funds.

◉ There will be dealers around the carnival trying to get someone to buy something to "heighten" their experience. While the "monster drug" is out in the city, it won't be available here. Halloween is thought of as a neutral ground for the city, and even the gangs recognize that. Most drugs will be hallucinatory in nature, providing effects similar to shrooms. Of course, any drugs are still illegal, and people will want to be careful not to get caught – or buy from the wrong person.

◉ Anyone who chooses to take part in the more illicit and sexual activities will be advised to go home to finish out their nights. Being handsy is fine, but getting caught on the ferris wheel? Well, the goal is to not get caught. Public acts are still illegal, though most people just spend a night in jail thinking about what they did. It's treated as more embarrassing than anything, but sometimes people let things get away from them. Many of the brothels will offer rooms to couples for the evening, complete with toys and supplies to practice safe sex. Even if they aren't spending their night with a sex worker, the themed goods are still there to enjoy.

> 10 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: THE NEXT EIGHT DAYS

After the rowdier events pass, Halloween splits into two main categories: corporate popups and remembrance. Halloween parties continue to be thrown at restaurants and bars, allowing people to enjoy a more low key version of what was previously available. Many of the bars have karaoke contests and themed parties, and many retail stores maintain a Halloween section until November first. If anyone's been invited to a party last minute – or they need a series of costumes to be extra about the whole occasion – they can hit these stores when needed.

◉ Pulsar's hover car-focused subsidiary, Bakker, advertises their 2512 line of cars by having hover hay rides around the city. Their trucks can hold up to six. Anyone hoping to go on a hover truck hay ride around the city to take in the sights and bonfires in the evening can call one on New Amsterdam's special Halloween app! These rides don't only show the city: they give a glimpse at the large amount of forestation just over the wall, allowing people to see that the Earth is gradually improving.

◉ There are, of course, haunted houses set up around the city! Haunted houses come in two varieties: virtual reality and 4D. Vyonation's gaming subsidiary, Vizija, sets up the virtual reality popups around the city. Due to the high tech nature of these setups, people do have to be on site to enjoy them. They interface with someone's neural implant, and depending on the experience, they can involve puzzles, escape rooms, murder mysteries, or even dissection tables. The 4D houses are the result of a joint partnership between Poe and Polarized – which are subsidiaries of Giles Bell and Pulsar, respectively.

4D haunted houses involve a great deal of props, realistic sights and smells, as well as the potential for certain drugs that can help provide a certain physical or emotional response. Whereas Vizija's simulation comes with the reassurance that nothing is real, Poe and Polarized team up to scare someone – and try to ensure it's as real as possible. Nothing offered at either is illegal, including the drug – though people with a history of heart issues won't be allowed to use the drug at all.

These experiences are made unique for everyone going in: people are allowed to opt out of anything that might make them uncomfortable, or even add in something along the way. If someone is feeling too much anxiety thanks to the drugs, they'll find a counter-drug added to their system to negate the artificial effects rather quickly.

◉ Remember that art contest? Anyone who finished a work will find their art somewhere in the city – and that includes anyone among the Displaced. If anyone is looking for artwork that's similar to what's been featured on the shrines, there will be a few, only they will seem more inviting. Whereas they celebrated people before, they now involve hands outstretched, welcoming someone down a blue-lit path. The same imagery – triangles and overlapping circles – will still be present, especially on the hands as tattoos.

◉ Five days before the 31st, there is a tradition of everyone donating a knife from their house to make it so that "spirits" can return safely. While no one in New Amsterdam genuinely believes that they might be visited by a spirit, the odd occasions around the city recently have lent some credence to this superstition. There will be knife disposal boxes all around the city – and anyone who doesn't give up a knife, butter or otherwise, will be seen as a bit of a spoilsport.

◉ On October 29th, there will be a procession from one end of the city to the other that starts just as the sun goes down and finishes when everyone has reached the other side. As you might imagine, this is a very, very long walk, and many people slip in and out according to what they can individually manage. People walk with candles along the way, and there will be booths selling new or replacement candles for a low price. Since the procession goes along the path of a lot of bonfires, it won't ever be difficult to get them lit. The purpose of this? Everyone uniting in remembrance: of a world that's healing, to celebrate the lives lost to usher in a peaceful era, to thank everyone on the colonies for offering a humanity a new home, and any personal losses that people might have faced. Even though there are still billions of people alive, there is the sense that everyone knows that they remain on Earth on borrowed time.

◉ For the last two days, people light candles and put them in their windows, and they also leave food outside of their windows and in the front of their apartments so that "spirits" can return safely. There's an implicit understanding that most of this food will be taken by people who aren't doing as well, and much of it is nonperishable. Anyone who's down on their luck will see candles in the window and will know that they will likely find food there. Many people stock up for this occasion so that they can replace any food. Unsurprisingly, most high-end apartments with well-off people don't honor this tradition, but people in mid-to-low end apartments will almost always have something to spare in the spirit of charity.

> SAFEHOUSE

Access to the safehouse is a hatch hidden behind stacks of empty storage shelves in the back of an abandoned supermarket in an outer district of the city. The immediate area is similarly abandoned, empty stores, flanked by several blocks of dive bars and clubs which cater to more niche tastes. A place where people can come and go unseen, or, if seen, not spoken of. A dark haired woman called Gaby is ready to greet the new arrivals and get them settled in, brusque and no-nonsense – she'll be open for in depth questions later, but will advise everyone to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information.

◉ The safe house is a large open space, filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large amount of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is at a minimum.

◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.

◉ Any belongings from previous safehouse occupants have been packed up – and that includes any current Displaced who just got back from a trip. If someone left something out while they were in New Tokyo, Gaby will tell them where these objects can be found. For her part, she's just trying to get everything set up for the upcoming move.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El.

◉ Once everyone that El spotted has arrived back, they'll be informed that the safehouse will be a temporary location. By the end of the month, everyone will be moving to a new location about fifteen blocks away.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until OCTOBER 25 (MAY 19). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have an artist character, please feel free to comment below under our QUESTIONS header to submit a description for a work of art! As long as they submitted something, you can feel free to assume they made some credits off of the whole experience!

Since there is a part of this log that involves explicit sexual activity, please remember content warnings. If your character engages in a sexual act, slap a warning on that! None of the drugs available at the event will involve aphrodisiacs or anything that will remove consent. Some of the brothels may involve play with that, but everyone entering those arrangements would need to consent from the start. We're well aware of the sensitive nature of having a Red Light District-adjacent event while characters are under the influence of compulsory drugs, so no characters will be forced or asked into any acts against their will. There will be no exceptions to this. In addition, any newcomers won't be able to skip off into a brothel because they're new, won't be able to confirm their ages, and they won't have any other identifying information. Otherwise, please be respectful and check everyone's permissions.

As a blanket reminder, all arrival logs are designed as mingle logs for the entire game.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our May calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in May will be 10 comments across 2-4 threads, while current characters will need to provide the full AC of 20 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will be posted on June 1 at 12 AM UTC and close on June 8 at 12 AM UTC. If you do not reply to AC, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game. We will not post a warning list.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[evite]

I know.

[ it breaks daisy's heart, a little, to think about that. but she wants to be gaby's friend — still wants to be, in her mind; for the first time, in gaby's. she wants it, but she doesn't know if gaby does.

if the woman will resent her, or mistrust her, or simply not care. ]

I'm sorry. I know this is — it's a lot on it's own, the whole getting dropped off thing, and finding out you were here before probably isn't helping.

[ she's kind of glad that she read over marcos' network post now. the idea that people could come back but weren't the same versions of themselves wasn't so alien. ]

I'd invite you to come have a drink with me, but you can't exactly join me. [ a beat. ] I can bring something back, though.

[ gaby had done that for her once before, when she'd been in a particularly rough spot. brought her a handle of some ridiculously strong vodka and let her get so drunk she couldn't stand up. ]

Do you want beer, or something stronger?

[myownwoman]

Vodka, [ gaby answers so quickly it's almost comical. beer is for pussies and men. gaby wants something with so much alcohol that her liver tries to commit suicide instead of resigning itself to a slow death of cirrhosis.

really she could do with some schnaps but she doesn't want to be homesick on top of everything else. ]

Illya said you were bringing my clothes.

[ everything is too much, she wants something normal and easy and simple to focus on. changing out of these horrible scrubs and into something that... some other version of her picked out. god, nothing is going to be easy, is it? ]

[evite]

He was supposed to bring them to you. [ idiot man. probably got distracted by a small woman manhandling him — as per usual — and forgot all about them. she'll kill him if the bag of clothes she left on a shelf in the supply closet are missing. ] He ... obviously did not.

[ a soft, exasperated sigh. one that's half-fond, even still, and betrays the depth of her feelings for that gigantic idiot. ]

I'll get them, and you can change, and I'll go find you something to drink. [ there's a brief pause as daisy thinks back, and then she asks if gaby wants a label of some russian brand name i'm too lazy to look up ]

[myownwoman]

[ he head bobs in a distracted nod, she'll take that vodka in particular.

illya had said daisy was a good person and she could tell that he cared for her, but he is stupid and formerly had bad taste so gaby didn't trust it. she wanted him to be happy but she didn't think much of daisy.

but daisy obviously cares for illya, is proud to be his partner, and is being kind to a woman she doesn't need to be kind to. gaby completely understands the first sentiment, but she's struggling with the second. illya wasn't wrong, at least, daisy seems to be a good person. ]

In his defense, I wasn't making this very easy for him.

[ setting the mug aside, she pushes herself off the counter, back to standing. ]

[evite]

[ should she be surprised? she is not. gaby had never been a particularly easy-going person even on her best days. maybe that was why they got along as well as they did before. they saw something of themselves in the other, and respected it.

and maybe gaby's too hurt or reeling too much from arrivals to care about daisy, but that doesn't mean it's any easier for daisy to not care about her. so she offers a lazy shrug in return — because of course she wasn't — before leaving the kitchen. not permanently. just long enough to fetch the bag (still there, thank god) from the supply closet and bring it back.

she's careful not to brush her fingers over gaby's hand when she hands it over. ]

There's bathrooms along that hallway. You can shower, if you want, and change. It won't take me long.

[ there's a liquor store around the corner. something something gin and juice but i really don't wanna. ]

[myownwoman]

Thank you.

[ having already experienced popsicling illya, gaby isn't in a rush to touch anyone... ever again. which is going to be great for someone who is already touch starved.

like daisy had left the kitchen with only a shrug, gaby leaves with a wan smile, turning down the hallway indicated to find the bathrooms. communal is not her jam but she'll make due and showering will give her a chance to cry in peace, which she does. she showers and dresses in clothes that are much more her speed -- forgoing any dresses for pants and a blouse, something she'd be more likely to wear under her coveralls. her hair is not going to be perfected today so she ties a scarf around it.

the scrubs are thrown in the trash before she carries her bag to her bunk, tucking it carefully away and glancing around for daisy. ]

[evite]

[ true to her word, daisy is gone and back without too much time passing at all. she does get temporarily delayed chatting with not-displaced gaby, but she's back in the main bunk hall before too long with a reusable shopping bag in tow, filled up with the promised goods.

in fact, there's a small bounty in there. liquor, yes, but also snacks; in a smaller bag tucked inside, there's a collection of personal products in trial sizes, things daisy thinks gaby might want for over the next few days until she can get out to find them herself. a nicer shampoo and conditioner, a facial powder compact and a black eyeliner in the varieties she remembers gaby wearing, and a bottle of hair styling creme that seems right, but may not be. she hadn't paid that much attention to the other woman's items on the vanity. ]

We have more of your stuff at our apartment. [ illya hadn't known what to do with it when gaby had left the first time. boxing it up and holding on to it hadn't been practical... but it had been the only thing they could do. there was just too much finality in throwing those things away. daisy's glad now that they did. ] There's not a ton of storage here, but when you're able to leave, you can come get it whenever you want.

[myownwoman]

Thank you.

[ she sets the bag down on her chosen bunk and sits down to rifle through it, noting everything but ignoring it all for the alcohol that she just twists open and takes a swig of, right out of the bottle. this isn't the time for glasses, she can have manners and propriety later, but now she just wants the alcohol to numb everything, including her feelings, so she doesn't ice daisy too.

it's not really a trend she wants to continue. ]

It won't go any faster since I've been here before, will it? [ it's because they need to give her an identity here, but she obviously already had one. shouldn't it be easier to give gaby her own identity back?

as an after thought she points the neck of the bottle at daisy, asking if she wants to share. ]

[evite]

I don't know.

[ she wishes she had a better answer, but so much of this place seems to escape logic in favor of doing whatever it wants whenever it feels like it. people came and went — some for short periods of time, like herself, and others for weeks or months; these people were lucky and retained their identification. people like herself, like thor, and most recently like connor. but others, they came and went and remembered nothing upon their return. like marcos, in the month before, and now gaby.

she has a feeling gaby's loss of memories (or lack of ever having them, if fitz's multiverse theory was correct) means she'll be here for the full four days. long enough for el to put together a new identity for her, wipe the old, and let her start fresh if she wants to. if she doesn't... well, she figures el can help her with that too. ]

I don't really understand how the implants work. If you don't remember... it might not really have been you. Or this you, I guess. [ she shakes her head at gaby's gesture. this time, she'll let her keep it. ] I'm not the resident multiverse genius, unfortunately.

[myownwoman]

[ the word multiverse is not something gaby wants to really think about so instead of pressing further, she just takes another drink from the bottle -- a longer drink. eventually she will fetch glasses but eventually is not now.

she sighs, looking down at the bottle in her hands. ]

He's going to want to look after me. A sense of duty, I suppose. [ her fingers drum against the bottle. ] But he doesn't have to. I know he won't listen to me, that is why I am telling you.

[ he doesn't have to, if it makes daisy uncomfortable. gaby and illya don't even know each other, not really, and she can't say the almost maybe that was between them would have even gone anywhere, but it's gone now and gaby is well aware of that. even if daisy used to be her friend too, which is still an idea that makes sadness well up in her chest like cold water, gaby don't want her to feel like she has to be beholden to illya's sense of duty if it felt too awkward.

and maybe gaby assumes that any of these friendships won't last and she's doing her very best to keep everyone at arm's length still. ]

[evite]

I know. [ it's quietly said, but sincere all the same, as daisy opts to sit butterfly-style on the cot opposite. close enough to talk without being overheard, though not entirely in gaby's space either. ] He still does it to me, too. Being in the future hasn't made him any less old-fashioned.

[ there's a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her mouth, a slight effort to lighten the mood, but daisy's not entirely sure it takes. ]

But you know I'm going to want to look after you too, right?

[ not just because gaby is illya's spy partner from the past, either. because gaby had become someone daisy had grown close to, a kindred sister in a way; both spies, both girls unappreciated for their talents by men who thought they could do better, both fish out of water in a way in their own lives. they'd bonded on their own before without illya's help, and in daisy's mind, there was no reason they couldn't do it again. ]

I don't want you to feel like you're in the way. I'm — I mean, I'm not glad you're back, because nobody deserves to be dragged back and forth from this hell dimension, but I'm selfishly glad to see you anyway.

[ a beat. ]

We both missed you.

[myownwoman]

[ gaby listens quietly, turning the bottle around and around and around in her hands before she takes a long swig of the alcohol, settling the bottle back in her lap and deciding it's a good enough place to focus.

gaby is bad at having friends! she doesn't have any. prompto had already thrown her for a loop, but daisy is just as loop throwing, even if gaby can tell she's being just as gentle as prompto was. everyone handling her with kid gloves.

she can't say she is glad to see daisy too because she just met daisy. this is hard and she literally has no idea how to approach any of it because it's an inconceivable situation! people know her and she doesn't know them! two is really a small number but it's Too Much. ]

What did I tell you about... me?

[evite]

[ there's a pause, and though daisy doesn't say anything out loud, her face says plenty. the look she gives gaby is clear as day: do you really want me to answer that?

and when gaby doesn't backtrack, doesn't retract her question or wave it away for another time, daisy just exhales, her shoulders slumping as she leans forward, palms smoothing over her lap. ]

The same thing I told you about myself. [ she's not going to put gaby on the defensive without giving something back in exchange. if gaby's to know that her own life has been revealed to someone else, it's only fair for daisy to offer that information back too. ] I know you and Illya worked for UNCLE, the KGB before that for him. You never told me what organization you worked for before it, but I know it's new. Or new-ish, I guess, we never really talked about the timeline.

[ daisy tells her about the cold war, about the berlin wall; she mentions meeting solo, however briefly before he'd disappeared, and her distaste is palpable. softly, hesitantly, daisy mentions the nuclear bomb. she doesn't mention gaby's father, because that she never learned. a secret still between them, among others. ]

And you knew I worked for one too. SHIELD, with others. It's not a secret here for me, but it was for you. You told people you were a mechanic. [ a pause, a small quirk up at the corner of her mouth. ] I suggested you tell people you were a ballerina, but you didn't go for it.

[myownwoman]

I am a mechanic, [ gaby insists automatically, stubborn reply born from years of being a "girl" in men's work.

she realizes she only told daisy what could be found in a file and honestly that makes sense, but it's still more than she'd be willing to tell most people at all. she and daisy had been friends, there is no other explanation for getting even the smallest tidbits of information out of gaby.

she might not have been with mi-6 long, but growing up in post war germany didn't exactly lend itself to sharing information without care, she's always been reluctant to let anyone in. she nods eventually, once her protest has been lodged, expression thoughtful. she is grateful for daisy telling her but any "thank you" gets stuck in her throat. ]

Is this Earth-- [ and wow that is a strange way to start a sentence ] --the same Earth we are from?

[ is it strange to want to seek out the end of the arm's race? to know what happens? ]

[evite]

You're not just a mechanic. Just like Illya's not just a fashion consultant.

[ enjoy that eye roll, gaby.

and though there's no thank you, daisy's glad to share the information. really, it's a relief — not having to tiptoe around what she should or shouldn't say that might reveal the knowledge means daisy can just be herself, and not overthink her words every time.

or, at least, not as much. ]

I don't know. [ it could be. could also not be. it could also be the same universe for one of them but not the other. the multiverse is weird like that. ] Why?

[myownwoman]

Curious.

[ GONNA LOOK UP SOME HISTORY!!!

gaby brushes it aside for now, at least, choosing to focus on something she already knows, hard facts that she doesn't have to figure out or find. ]

You do know that Illya's fashion consultancy is a hobby alias, while I am an actual, trained, licensed mechanic. I am certified in eight automotive specialty areas. He looked at a fashion magazine once.

[ there was probably more effort on his part but SHE IS A MECHANIC! and that is the most words she's strung together in one go. thanks alcohol. ]

[evite]

[ gaby should talk to peggy carter. history gals doing the research. ]

Are you? [ it's not a sentence uttered in disbelief, but rather amusement. there was never any doubt in daisy's mind that gaby was fully capable as a mechanic. she'd introduced the woman to fitz, after all, and he hadn't had any complaints about her technical capabilities. ] Eight seems like a lot.

[ flips the metaphorical newspaper page like a dad in a fifties sitcom. ]

I'm mostly just happy he grew out his beard.

[myownwoman]

He does look handsome, [ gaby admits. he was always very handsome but it's a Good Look on him. hides the bruises probably, too.

if she is ignoring daisy calling her on being too defensive of her qualifications well, SO WHAT. ]

I wouldn't have thought.

[evite]

[ a low hum of agreement, daisy's eyes closing for just a moment as she looks at a few messages via implant. nothing too urgent, but people asking if anyone's been spotted, if they know where supplies are, how to find so-and-so. some things she answers, some she ignores; eventually, though, she turns her attention back to gaby with a decisive nod of her head. ]

It makes him look more relaxed.

[ which he is, by some miracle, in this place. except for when una soldiers are involved. then he's still a murder man. ]

Anyway. [ they're not here to talk about men all night!!! ] I don't know how much he caught you up on, or if you already got the intro spiel from anybody...?

[myownwoman]

He is.

[ more relaxed. ]

He offered but I didn't want to hear it. [ she still doesn't honestly, gaby mostly wants to get drunk and not think about this weird ass world they're in. ]

[evite]

Mm. [ pounding back vodka by the cupful probably isn't the best time to process that information, anyway. ] Fair enough. You have time.

[ there's a guide for most of it, and what questions can't be answered there can always be directed to gaby's namesake twin or another member of the displaced if she prefers. or, you know, daisy herself. if gaby wants to do that. lord knows asking illya about local tech isn't going to get her anywhere. ]

If you haven't gotten the guide yet, I can send it to you whenever you're ready for it.

[myownwoman]

I can take it.

[ the guide now, not any of this in general. if daisy gives it to her now, then she can read it at her leisure. she certainly isn't going to absorb much now, but she doubts her sleep is going to be much better in the safe house than it was in the hotel. ]