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meadowlarklogs2019-07-13 09:16 am
- !arrival log,
- dceu: diana prince,
- detroit become human: kara,
- dogs b&c: nill,
- game of thrones: sansa stark,
- gangsta: alex benedetto,
- gangsta: worick arcangelo,
- kingdom hearts: riku,
- kingdom hearts: roxas,
- kingdom hearts: sora,
- marvel comics: billy kaplan,
- mcu: carol danvers,
- mcu: daisy johnson,
- mcu: steve rogers,
- overwatch: soldier 76 (jack morrison),
- the man from uncle: gaby teller,
- the man from uncle: illya kuryakin
ARRIVAL LOG 012
WHERE: A research outpost not far from New Amsterdam proper
WHEN: November 22
WHAT: The twelfth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Body horror, general horror, experimentation on animals and humans, violence, etc.
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. Murmuring voices saying indistinguishable words. There's fleeting memories of something else, too: an accident, and the pain that followed. Chaos, the echoing noise of gunshots overhead, and the cold sensation of your body going into shock. None of it can be grasped onto in any detail, the flashes of memory more like a fading dream than any real recollection.
When you fully awaken, you'll find your movements to be weighed down and heavy, your body struggling to respond the way that you want it to. Your hair is grown out, perhaps even past its usual length, but not maintained in any way, and you're wearing a hospital gown. The room around you is small and sparsely furnished. There's a bed, the one you woke on, along with a desk pushed against the adjacent wall, but no other distinguishing features. It feels, somehow, that you have been here for a while -- even if you can't put any of the memories together.
As soon as you leave the room, you'll find that your sense of something being very wrong is proven correct. You exit into a dark hallway. There are other doors lining said halls, most of them leading into rooms similar to the one you just left. The area you're in seems to be some sort of dormitory wing, intended for the people who work here, though for now none of those people can be found. Sometimes lights will flicker up and down the maze of halls, but the facility remains dark, and for the most part, quiet. Is it the middle of the night, or is this place completely abandoned? Soon enough you'll come across others like you: wearing only a hospital gown, confused, lost, barefoot.
Unfortunately, it turns out that you're not the only ones here. There's a loud blaring noise that rings through the halls, and somewhere in the facility, a door is unlocked and the proverbial floodgates are opened. At first it won't be clear what happened, but then you'll hear them: scrabbling claws, guttural growls, the thundering approach of creatures that want nothing more than to feed.
They might round a dark hallway and leap, claws extended, or burst out of the vents to wrap around you, fangs ready to sink in. They're twisted, grotesque creatures, but one thing that all of them have in common is their golden glow and eyes. It will take smarts, strength, or speed to survive. Killing them is an option, but without any weapons or your usual powers, it might not be as simple of a task as it once was. Running and hiding is an option, too. There is a new power you've been granted — maybe the stress of the situation will allow you to discover it sooner rather than later. Or maybe with enough teamwork, you can all find a way out.
But don't worry: help is on the way.
Instead of the usual head's up from El, the Displaced receive a very different kind of message to tell them of a batch of newcomers who need their assistance:
@100342
Well, well, well, I'll save the trivial "nice to see you again" for later, as it's time to put yourselves together and go. Funny story, a bunch of your pals have been located somewhere outside the city. I know what you're going to ask: How do I know? Let's just say I have some access to points that usually lay beneath the radar to keep it friendly.
Since I was feeling generous, I left you a gift to bring them back. The best part is that you don't have to drive, the worst part is that if you miss it, it'll be gone and you'll be SOL.
Don't be late, or there won't be much to salvage.
Along with the message, all of the Displaced will receive a GPS pin and a warning that they're on the clock. They'll need to reach their destination before 1900 hours or they'll be left behind, and when they arrive at the place in question, they'll see why. It's a boarded-up entrance to a subway station, one that seems to have been out of commission for some time now. Once they break their way in and walk down the stairs into the abandoned station, they'll find that there's a train waiting for them.
How did it get here when most of the public transit is still down? How is it functional? Why hasn't anyone noticed this on a map before? Who knows, but the Displaced will be able to board, and as soon as it hits 1900 hours the train will shudder into movement. There are no announcements to let them know where it's going, so they'll simply have to wait it out.
As it turns out, the train takes them all the way out of the city. When it reaches the city gates, it's let through with no incident, and then it continues on its journey, winding a path through the wooded area that at least a few of the Displaced have explored before. When it finally comes to a stop about an hour and a half later, they'll be let off at an outpost. They're miles out of the city now, too far to easily walk back, and before them lies an unmarked building. On top of that, the train keeps going without them. For the moment, everyone's stranded.
They'll be able to get inside the building with little trouble, as it's from this research outpost that the new set of Displaced will need to be collected. By the time that they arrive it's late into the night so it might not be surprising that the place feels abandoned, but it won't take long to realize there's a commotion. A pack of genetically altered animals have been unleashed on the Displaced who woke up here, so they'll need to help everyone get out in one piece and then figure out a way back to the city.
Some notes about the research lab and these monsters:
◉ The building is six stories tall. The first floor has a lobby/waiting area, a cafeteria, and some office spaces. The second floor is the dormitory floor, which is where the employees would usually sleep if they chose to stay at the facility while working rather than returning to the city in between shifts. This is where the new arrivals woke up. Floors three through five are dedicated to lab spaces, which is where the actual research work is usually done. Most of these laboratories are going to be locked, but that won't stop Displaced from breaking into them if they want. Some of the lab rooms also have exam rooms, rooms with gurneys, stacked and locked cages (some even holding sedated monsters), and other evidence that both people and animals were being experimented on here. Displaced will be able to swipe lab equipment and medical supplies, such as syringes, vials/beakers, first aid supplies, scalpels, bandages, multi-lens microscopes, etc. The top floor is dedicated to offices for higher-ranked scientists, so think of it as the C suite. All floors also have bathrooms, of course, and the dormitory wing also has showers.
There are also a few rooms which might be of interest to the Displaced. These will all be locked tight and will have to be opened through brute force, as they won't respond to any of the Displaced's implants. Of course, a locked door doesn't always mean that there's no way through, especially for this bunch — breaking the locking mechanism, brute force, or even finding a control mechanism are some ways the Displaced can get inside. As for what's beyond these doors:
◈ An operating room. It's clean and emptied out, but the consoles, surgical tools, and lighting make it obvious that surgeries are performed here.
◈ A room that holds in-progress experimental subjects. Some of the animals look almost normal, while others are further along in their mutations, but all of them are sedated and either held suspended in fluid pods or kept in cages. It's possible they could be woken up with enough effort, but why would you?
◈ A morgue. This is where all of the discarded animals and yes, even scientists are kept. It's essentially a dumping ground for failed experiments. The corpses are in sliding drawers as you would expect from any morgue, but opening these drawers will reveal disturbing monstrosities. Some of them are humans, but only barely recognizable given that they've been ripped limb from limb. Others are various animals twisted into impossible positions, or with added appendages/defects. These are experiments where the mutations didn't enhance them, but made it so they could no longer survive.
◉ The monsters who are attacking have the same golden glow and eyes that some of the Displaced have already seen, but they are not the same ones. They look like different kinds of animals that have been spliced with monster DNA, and that DNA has warped them into different forms. Here are a few examples of the monsters, though you are also welcome to come up with other types based off of what we've already outlined:
◈ A large snake, except that it also has four small legs (two near the front of its body, two near the back) which allow it to skitter around rather than slither, making it much faster than any snake has a right to be. It's large and strong enough to strangle its victim, making it difficult to remove by a single person. Don't let it unhinge its jaw, it's got way too many teeth.
◈ A hyena-creature with impressive amounts of agility, due to the fact that it seems like almost all of its joints are double-jointed. It can turn its head almost completely around as well, making it an extremely skilled hunter. Its fangs protrude from the top of its mouth in rows of three like a shark. Even if it's disemboweled or it loses a limb, this creature will still continue to attack in a frenzy.
◈ A stag beetle, except that it's the size of a medium-sized dog. It's still able to fly and its pincers can do damage if it's allowed to get too close. Worse than that, they tend to move in swarms of three or four. Beneath the hard shell are human-like eyes with dilated pupils that follow shadows and light.
◈ A humanoid creature that stands on two legs. Its eyes glow in the dark, catching bits of light from a distance. Upon closer inspection, the creature has snake-scale skin, a long, flickering tail, and claws for hands. These scales are incandescent in nature, shimmering whenever they're underneath enough light.
◈ A sloth-like mimic that cries from a distance for help from hidden, high places. Once it hears a voice, it can mimic it, drawing someone in toward it due to it sounding like another Displaced. Getting too close will leave them within reach of the creature that's all arms and little else, leaving a toxic and poisonous trap to weaken its prey. Its hiding places include the rafters, where it may drop on those looking for their friends. Under certain lights, the slothly creature's eyes are humanoid in appearance, sharp and aware — yet still gold.
◈ Humanoid creatures that give off a thick, putrid smell of decay. Not unlike zombies, they move sluggishly, but upon closer inspection, it appears that something is off about these people. They have claws, sharp rows of teeth, and skin that flakes off with every shuffle of their feet. Potentially some early or later stage experiment of the snake-skinned humanoids. They're highly aggressive and will follow someone with the intention of attacking until they're incapacitated.
◈ A cross-breed insect that looks like a mix of a wasp and a mosquito, but is only the size of a dime. Its sting can draw out a large amount of blood, sedating the individual. The toxin that they inject will leave large, red welts, depending on the efficiency of the immune system. They're blotchy and painful. Once they have found a target, they will swarm around that individual all at once.
◈ A naked creature resembling a dog with a reptile's body, with patches of hair. This creature has long rows of crooked fangs protruding from its lips, mouth and tongue, with a large, dilated eye. It has sharp scales on its back to keep it from being touched, but it has a thirst for blood. This creature will attempt to surprise its prey from around corners, jumping onto someone's shoulders with hopes of sticking to them and drawing blood like a reptilian tick.
◉ These monsters will move through the vents in the building and up and down the stairwells, but they can be killed like any other creature. Or hidden from, if you want to go cry in a bathroom stall or something.
Once the newbies have been collected and taken outside, the Displaced will have to decide if they want to try and get back to New Amsterdam on foot or wait to see if a train arrives back at the stop. The train will return 24 hours after it originally dropped the Displaced off to return everyone to the city, though they won't get any indication of that other than a cryptic hint from Cassius.
Have fun camping, hiking, waiting it out in the building barricaded somewhere, or whatever else you decide to do!
A final note for characters who have been in Meadowlark from the first arrival log (Bobbi Morse, Clarke Griffin, Kylo Ren, Loki, Ojiro Sniper, Rey, Stephen Strange): You are free to have your character recognize any of the newcomers as having been on the bus crash during that first log, if you want! Have these characters been kept in this facility all this time?
For new characters, all of your characters were "present" during the very first log, but either injured to the point that they couldn't trail after the first bunch to the safehouse, or killed during the initial crash and resulting fire fight. We'll leave whichever it is up to you, though your character will not remember the circumstances beyond the vague recollections alluded to at the start of this log. For now, all signs point to them being in captivity after that first crash was cleaned up and swept under the rug.
Eventually, the Displaced will all make it back into the city one way or another. What the newcomers will find is a city that is very much in recovery mode. There was a recent disaster that has left the city badly damaged and killed people in the hundreds of thousands. For their first few days the new characters will be confined to the safehouse (more on that below), but after that they'll be let out to explore the city as they wish.
◉ Relief efforts. Given that the city is still trying to rebuild and will be for some time, many of the Displaced have already thrown themselves into helping, whether through their normal jobs or by pitching in with the relief organization called PRESERVE. Everyone can pitch in with delivering supplies, escorting people who've lost their homes to relief centers, furnishing and repairing shelters, and so on. Unfortunately, only a few trains are in working order, so getting around is going to be more difficult than it would be normally. Hope you don't mind walking!
◉ Golden-eyed animals. While they're not like the monsters in the research outpost, there will be animals with golden eyes who've somehow found their way into the city. This is noteworthy given that animals are very rarely seen in a megacity. They're not aggressive, and if anything they seem sickly. Some of them look like strange chimeras, like two or three different animals mashed together. Others have too many limbs or eyes. Either way, they will die within a few days of arriving, so it's also possible to stumble on strange corpses scattered around.
◉ All Star game. It's not all doom and gloom, thankfully. The city is trying its best to pull itself up by its bootstraps and carry on despite all the tragedies, which means that the annual soccer All Star Game is still on. Near the sports stadium there will be stalls selling food and merchandise, bands performing, and so on. It's not a full-blown festival the likes of which New Amsterdam is known for, but it is a place to swing by if anyone needs a break.
Please refer to the Setting and Locations posts for more ideas of what the city has to offer, and you can also check out the Aftermath Post from the last event and the July Calendar if you want a better idea of what's going on in New Amsterdam!
Located under an abandoned hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves.
◉ The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms 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.
◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well, but it's well-stocked.
◉ It can be assumed that new arrivals will be told that any requests or queries can go through El for the time being; Gaby is currently not available.
◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network upon arrival in the safehouse, whether they had their ID set up by Cassius or they still need it set up by El. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet. El will restrict widespread internet access while ze reviews everyone's preset backgrounds or reviews what's already in place. Once El has set up IDs — or revised/retained Cassius's work, the newbies will be free to go. See the comment below to learn more about this!
◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until NOVEMBER 26 (JULY 21). 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 — or review the ID that was set up by Cassius. We have another option for IDs this log which will be explained in a comment below; it's opt-in!
Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will not be allowed out of the safehouse until NOVEMBER 26 (JULY 21). 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 had job potentials reviewed with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.
If you would like your character to have a wildly inappropriate background or incredibly unique setup by Cassius, please comment to the background review below! Since Cassius has a different set of accesses and resources available, he'll be able to provide a different path for your character. This background does not need to be accurate to your characters' skill set — in fact, it's more likely that it wouldn't because Cassius is a troll that way. El will try to revise it into working order, but ze can only do so much.
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 July 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 July 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 August 1 at 12 AM UTC and close on August 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.
dw that just means i'll fuck up html in this thread and never notice bc karmic retribution
Still, there's no escaping it, despite the tremble of clawed fingers tickling against her skin. Beneath Daenerys's grip, Octavia's jaw shifts. ]
It's a good thing this isn't the Seven Kingdoms, then.
[ For all that she stands tall in the face of her injuries, it isn't solely pride that prompts her dismissal. Despising herself, what she's done, has made her careless with the value of her own life. Tired, more than that, for how heavily regret weighs upon her these days — though she doesn't let the facade shatter. ]
I feel fine. [ Can't she see that? The force of Octavia's conviction drives the word out between her clenched teeth, oblivious to the extent of her wounds. How bad can it be if the pain hasn't touched her? ] We need to keep moving.
no subject
[Ah, but it isn’t, is it? Not just because of others and their inhuman traits, but because of the blue glow she had seen. Her hands fall away when she feels the other woman’s discomfort bounce through the empathy bond, and she swallows her own disgust with herself, scaley brows knitting with concern.]
It must be what was bestowed upon you by this world.
[A scaled fist is pressed against her own chest, where the glow has started to fade as the adrenaline begins to bleed away. Similarly, the scales on her face begin to recede, leaving behind only the crude mixture of blood there.]
I have seen battle wounds like your’s before, from other brave men who gave their lives to protect mine. You will die for a certainty if we do not find you a healer — the technology here will spare you their fate. But I will not be able to carry you, should you fall.
[This sort of stubbornness, she has seen that before too. And perhaps were her hands not gnarled and scaled, she might have bestowed similar tactics in dealing with it. Instead, she has only her word.]
Please.
no subject
[ The smooth, dismissive confidence betrays the complexity of her wounds — posturing as if it were so simple, as if she were so invincible, not so easily felled by any hands. Blodreina has been her armor for so long that it feels natural to cling to that bravado even now, even after her people have declared her a monster, have decided she was their downfall — a role so stitched into her skin that it feels part of her.
Removing it entails losing a part of herself with it — what parts of herself she has left, those she hasn't lost to the bloodshed and the violence, the coldness needed to protect herself. Without it, she must confront who she is, if she is not still Blodreina, untouchable and sturdy.
But the plea still touches her, still shakes her to the core. Weakness, she tells herself, even as she swallows harshly — but she can't avert her eyes from the slow transformation before her, nor will she toss away Daenerys's own display of vulnerability. No one of great importance ever dares to lower themselves by begging if they aren't consumed by some degree of desperation.
Octavia can barely comprehend that it's channeled itself into concern for her own well-being. She blows out a breath, heavy, nostrils flaring as if she's the long-suffering dragon in this equation — and concedes, however begrudgingly and challengingly, with: ]
What do you want me to do?
no subject
[It is not a bite or anything mocking -- Daenerys feeds into Octavia's bravado, because she needs to believe it as much as she does, for the moment. She is under no illusions of being a fighter -- if Octavia were to fall, than Daenerys would not be long after her. They both know that.
And so once she has the other woman's full attention, she steels herself some more, something in all of her limbs going stiff and confident again. The scales are still receding, but with their recession comes the ugly blue and black bruises on both of her arms, one with some clotted surface cuts and the other with fresh blood marring her normally unblemished skin.
She looks at it only briefly, and then flicks her eyes back up to Octavia's.]
We must go back. Morningstar--they have technology that will repair your wounds. It is possible that technology exists here in this building as well, but...
[She worries at her lip briefly with her teeth, thinking.]
Is there someone among our number that you trust? Someone who might take you from here, should something go amiss.
[Leaving Octavia behind might have meant she would become one of these creatures. It was the foremost thought in her mind -- but she isn't about to put it to the air.]
no subject
Octavia doesn't volunteer that answer. The dawn of understanding in her eyes acknowledges it without the need to be verbose, without the need to consider the possibility aloud. It reignites a new fire of determination not to spare herself that fate, but to shield Daenerys from the potential of being dragged down by her own failure.
Caring for herself has never been her goal, but defending her people is a language she speaks well. A goal in the interim. ]
No.
[ It comes too quickly, without any consideration. Clarke would be useful for her medical skill, but trusting her to tend to these wounds only allows her leverage. Immediately, Octavia bristles at the possibility. For all the other connections she's made, she trusts no one so explicitly.
And hardly trusts herself to be of such value to them. ]
If I'm getting checked out, so are you.
[ That's the deal, straight and simple. With the steely delivery Octavia gives, it's clear it isn't negotiable. ]
no subject
Very well, it shall be done.
[She stands at full height, bending to grasp Octavia's arm to pull her to her feet as best as she is able. Any pressure on her arm makes her flinch, but she fights to make it seem as if she were just blinking to clear her eyes of debris. It would not do to fall to pieces now.
The trip was not a total loss. She had obtained some knowledge and samples.]
Come.
no subject
But now isn't the time to consider stipulations she hadn't planned for. Unbalanced as Daenerys helps her rise to her feet, she braces a forearm on the wall and settles there, straightening after a moment of catching her breath. The pain hasn't set in, but the toll of exertion has. ]
Here's to hoping those were worth it.
[ She nods to the canines Daenerys has collected and proceeds to retrace their steps, with that thought haunting the remainder of their journey back. ]
lmk if this doesn’t work
[That had been the last thing Daenerys had said as they preserved what strength remained for the journey back. And, just as predicted, once Octavia’s energy reserves ran dry, it was up to Daenerys to see her safely on the train returning to New Amsterdam.
The patch job she had done on her back was temporary, done with what limited shpplies she had found in the facility. Just enough to slow the blood flow, but not enough to stop it. She had needed to accept some manner of covering from a stranger among the Displaced to shield just how bloody she was, so as not to arise suspicion while returning her to the safehouse.
And there she sat as the day passed and was properly cared for, by people who actually knew what they were doing. Not her, the dragon queen, who often took care to never let a drop of blood be spilled by her hands alone. Her modest field dressing skills were no match for what that animal had done to Octavia.
She only leaves her bedside to retrieve food every now and again. Otherwise, she sits poised, watching her defender or attempting to explore the world of social media.]
it's perf
But her stirring, this time, is decidedly more violent. Her lungs wrack her ribs, drawing in a gasping breath, before her palm strikes its encasing — shoving it back and away with all of the urgency of a drowning person that has broken the surface, ignoring the swimming vertigo in her head when she rights herself too quickly.
Her shirt still clings to her, sodden with dried blood, chewed apart and sticking to her uncomfortably. The gash along her spine has healed, but the white impression of a scar suggests what had once been there, disappeared by the miracle of technology Octavia can barely grasp the concept of. The pain is more present, most of all — a soreness that radiates, intent to remind her of what she's done.
And the woman that had dragged her here, waited for her. Octavia only realizes it too late, head swiveling in the direction of a finger swiping along a screen. Too quick. Her vision blurs, but she can make out the starkness of silver, the smallness of the figure in its seat. ]
Where —
[ The sentence never completes itself, a rasp out of her throat from disuse and mild dehydration. ]
no subject
But then Octavia croaks out a word, and Dany relaxes a little. If she is speaking, then as far as she is concerned, she will be alright.]
New Amsterdam.
[Simple words and thoughts for now. Off of the side table, she grabs a bottle of water and hands it to her. She'd been told to make sure she drank when she awoke.]
You collapsed on our descent. [She pauses, wondering how much information was worth supplying. Daenerys herself would want to know, at least.] They said it was a miracle that you were not paralyzed by that creature. But you did lose a significant amount of blood.
no subject
Her throat works as she swallows, stopping only when she needs to breathe. Octavia's hand raises, wiping the excess moisture off on the back of her hand. That, too, is healed — bandaged from the scrapes the floor had dealt her when she had fallen toward it. ]
Sure. A miracle.
[ Octavia doesn't sound as convinced, as if being torn from limb to limb would be a treat. A reprieve, if anything. Thinking of Raven, the pain it had been to her more than just physically, sobers her only seconds afterward — lips pressing together as she looks away from Daenerys, shamefully casting the thought to the back of her mind. ]
Did you get the samples back here, or did I get my back ripped open for nothing?
[ For Octavia, that's the important part: that it had not been in vain. Her safety isn't the priority, refusing to linger on the subject of her injuries. ]
no subject
You saved my life.
[There is something curdling and icy in her words when she says it, drawing back her hand. Not quite angry — it is bitter, though without any real fight. As so many people often reminded her, she was no queen here. So maybe her life really was worth nothing.
Her pride still burns with the injury of Octavia’s words as she pulls out one of the teeth from the snake and offers it to her with a bandaged arm. The black and blue is easily visible beneath.]
I should hope that is worth a bit more than “nothing”.
no subject
Everyone comes to hate her, eventually. She's more than used to it. Maybe then Daenerys will realize she's no hero, and certainly not someone worth saving. ]
Your life has more worth than mine. It was an easy choice.
[ She offers up only that, terse and gritted, relayed as if it's indisputable fact and not quite a pity party being thrown in her own name. Most lives hold more value than Octavia's, these days. That's to be expected.
Assured it invites no other discourse, Octavia handles the proffered tooth with careful fingers, sliding one over its sharp — thankfully intact — edges. ]
This is bigger than both of us. [ Delivered evenly as a reminder. ] What do you plan to do with it?
no subject
But she was not the sort of person to claim one life was worth more than anyone else's, unless pressed. Certainly not the sort to agree with that sentiment. But Octavia is a warrior -- that much is plain. She has only met warriors who knew how to die for someone else.]
Nothing. That one is your's to do with as you wish.
[She pulls out another, and taps the bag she had produced them both from.]
As for the rest, I will be searching for someone to analyze their origins. Morningstar does not have the tools to do so. And when I discover them, perhaps we will have some answers as to what else this world is hiding from us. And where.
no subject
Find someone you trust. It has to be one of the other Displaced.
[ Clarke likely wouldn't be qualified. Beyond that, Octavia isn't willing to bridge that divide, stewing in resentment and self-loathing. Raven, maybe, if she were here — but she isn't, and Octavia has no network of alliances she's willing to rely on.
Trust isn't easily earned or given. ]
Morningstar shouldn't have it, anyway, whether they have the equipment or not.
[ El had proven too deceptive to be respected, after all. They aren't quite that desperate for answers and insight just yet. ]
no subject
[She weighs her follow up reply, giving Octavia a once-over before letting her hand fall when she doesn't accept the offering. To that, Daenerys squints in curiosity.]
I have no reason to believe the other Displaced will be any more helpful than Morningstar. Perhaps if one of them has access to alternate facilities -- but even that is little more than a prayer.
[She turns the fang over reverently in her fingers. It's the look of someone who is going to do something stupid.]
no subject
You better not be thinking of going back.
[ Daenerys is wiser than that. The facility had been too overrun with creatures for it to be feasible, and neither of them have the skill necessary. Octavia delivers that, regardless, terse and skeptical. Whatever Daenerys intends, it feels just as risky and worthy of the narrowed eyes Octavia offers her. ]
no subject
Fortunately, that is not her plan.]
No. But I have heard tell of others. Facilities that may not yet be overrun by the UNA.
[So not quite as stupid, but equally risky.]
I do not imagine they will be easy to find. Or easy to infiltrate. But that will be a bridge to cross when I come upon it.
[Dany glances down at her chair and then the bed Octavia was half riden out of.]
A problem for another day. You should be resting.
no subject
[ After a century in cryosleep, it rings true. Beyond that, she has no concept of the time she's been out of commission, out of the fight, recovering in this unit. None of that is important, Octavia knows; it's only a distraction to take away attention from Daenerys's plan.
Octavia isn't so easily deterred, stubbornly honing in. ]
Those facilities are useless if neither of us knows what we're doing.
[ Admitting to that shortcoming doesn't injure her pride. Octavia had never been skilled in scientific discovery. More than that, she has no issue pointing out just how out of their element they are, without a care as to whether Daenerys doesn't want to confront it. For this to work, she has to acknowledge it. ]
no subject
If you insist; I desire to go straight to the source. Befriend one of the employees to gain access to the resources myself. Takes care of both problems: the labs will be accessible, and I will have someone to process the samples — with the fewest amount of middle men.
[And gets her much closer to tracking down the origin of all the strange mutations and monsters.]
no subject
You'll have to hope that new friend of yours won't say anything. [ Well. ] Unless you plan to kill them after it's done.
[ It's said so mildly that it could either be a case of sarcastic, bleak humor, or a serious proposal. With Octavia, either option is likely, but there's no denying the truth of it. Anyone involved should be kept quiet — preferably without blood on their hands, but beggars can't be choosers.
They'll try it Daenerys's way first. ]
no subject
[She is careful not to show the distaste she feels — a life was not something to toss about like a ball. She would certainly not be killing them. Not unless they showed a danger of betraying her. And even still...
Well. One problem at a time.]
You have little faith in my diplomacy. I suppose I should not be so wounded. You have yet to truly witness it in practice.
[There is something sly in her expression that softens not long after that comment.]
If you have had enough of rest here, I can escort you back to your holdings.
no subject
[ When it's included someone else on the end of her blade, diplomacy has benefited her — but Wonkru's near-dissolution speaks for itself. If she had practiced diplomacy at all, accepted a truce when it was presented, those lives she'd lost — condemned, led to their demise — might have been prevented.
Saved.
In the end, they had sacrificed their lives for a leader who had failed them all. Talk of diplomacy and its politics makes Octavia's stomach churn, despite the flat, sardonic tone she's taken; as a result, she's all too glad to latch onto the change in subject. ]
Sure. [ Slipping off of the mattress and onto her feet makes every bone in her body ache. Regardless of her best efforts, Octavia still hunches when she lands and takes a step forward, making a prideful attempt to straighten her spine. ] But my holdings — [ She snorts, teasing, in spite of the clear note of fatigue in her voice. ] — aren't exactly ready for company. Fair warning.
no subject
She folds her hands in front of her, allowing the sleeves of her blouse to cover the heaviest of her bandages.]
Warning received.
[It could not possibly be worse than the bird hotel where she had been living with Jon. But she would withhold that judgement for the time being.]
After you.