revivalproject | Someone Didn't Pay the Electric Bill

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Someone Didn't Pay the Electric Bill

WHO: Cal Kestis, Kaz Brekker, Asterope Glass, Merrin and whoever might want to drop by
WHERE: Not-Temba/Sh'Ka's Power Station and related areas
WHAT: Cal's assembled a team to work on restoring the power and maybe establish communication from the other city
WHEN: End of August to mid-September ~~OMG WHY IS IT SEPTEMBER ALREADY~~
WARNINGS: ~~Kaz~~ N/A

Basecamp was set up within some of the offices of the power station, with a space for a rudimentary campfire outside if people wanted to heat up food or water to drink or use in general, or just enjoy the fresh air at night. Cal had brought along a couple of portable space heaters he'd cobbled together in case things got too cool inside at night, free for anyone's use.

The first day had mainly consisted of setting up a space for them to stay in and unloading whatever they'd managed to bring by way of equipment and rations, and a bit of territory scouting to see what was available for them. While the water plant, wherever that was, would have to be another project entirely, at least water itself was available, if requiring a bit of a walk from the station. Kyle's buddy system would be recommended, mainly out of concern for the large creatures that have been known to dwell within the wooded areas not far from there.

The power plant itself would be the next thing to look at to see what might need repairs, and if parts would be needed from the other city. Cal had Reeve's notes to share as well as previous experience in working on power restoration for Temba, and the similarities between the cities would make things at least a little easier. The most tedious part would be inspecting the connecting lines to make sure there wouldn't be any damaged areas that might cause problems if they went ahead and turned everything on. This would take the longest time, so the inspections would be divided up in sections, and they'd check back in after each one. The option to swap out between engineers would also be there so no one would be stuck with any one task, and Merrin would be able to bring them back and forth as she got more familiar with the layout of things.

It would be a lot of work and effort, but if there were things worth learning here, getting this done would be a key part to it.

((OOC: Feel free to treat this as a mingle and task sort of thing! Working on stuff? Taking a break? Getting chased by bunnyboars? Dropping off care packages for your hard-working engineers and friends? Do it do it do it! I will post an update on progress once I get some infos~))

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As long as she wasn't about to tell him that her next move was to start burning shit down, that sounded more like Spider-Woman that Captain America. Including using the same formula to squash out the undesirables. Tony looked away as well then, clicking his teeth anxiously as he tried to manage his frustration with this shadow of a story he thought he knew too well already.

"You're in luck," he eventually produced, and glanced around at the crumbling building, long abandoned, as far as they knew just them and a handful of equally lost orphans in the whole solar system. "No Christmas shopping rush here. Next, you're going to tell me you always really liked foraging for mushrooms anyway." It did sound like Tony wasn't really listening, he did hear that, and finished with a click of his tongue and lopsided, apologetic smile.

"Listen, you don't even want to do what your parents expected of you," he amended. "You're what the future looks like, that can't fit into some mold they've already got in the shop. That's hardly deficient."

"Not parents, creators. It was discouraged to view them as parental figures." Here, she almost sounds wistful. She's heard stories of what having parents is supposed to be like. No, not like Tony's dad; he sounds more like the scientists that created and tested her. But actual parents, who'd take care of their children.

"But. Really, there's no clear direction for what to do next. Maybe being here is best, it's so different from anything back home. Everything is from scratch, in a sense."

Tony didn't stop himself from muttering, "Jesus," but he did look apologetic for that, too. After all, he knew she was hardly the only person here, let alone that he knew back on Earth, who had creators. How rigidly reinforced this not-parents thing was to make it important enough to continue to repeat it to some guy in a different dimension just felt viscerally cold.

"You've got some direction here," he provided, because she made it sound like that was how she was comfortable, "if you're into that kind of thing. Get this place working, sure, but then it's the water, and then it's cleaning up some of these buildings or deciding which ones to tear down, or levelling the whole place to make a habitable zone if we can't figure out how to put a stop to the storms." He gave a shrug with one shoulder then, looking unconvinced. "If you want to be a rebel, though, my door's always open."

"A rebel? What kind of a rebel are you?" She's still very curious about him, about how he lives and works and exists, in this strange world, given his background.

Maybe it's easier to concentrate on him than on herself, with everything she's shared and how he's reacted to it.

Oh, now, that wouldn't do. She had already stripped Tony of some of his armor, he wasn't about to just start talking about himself for nothing. He gave her a slow, impish grin, like he was waiting for her to realize some mistake she had made in opening that particular door, and when she didn't close it fast enough he answered, "Whatever kind makes your heart beat, sweetheart."

Maybe their worlds weren't as different and she made them sound, and, hey, they both liked music. Presumably. Twinkle Twinkle couldn't have been the only thing that transcended the barrier between Earths. Tony tipped carefully closer to nudge her shoulder with his own in encouragement and tried in a low, lilting purr, "I'd sell my soul, for you, babe..For money to burn, for you.." He watched closely for any sign of recognition as he sang, giddily ready to jump to his feet and belt if she was on board.

See, here's the thing: when he nudges her, when he makes that one moment of real physical contact, she leans in and rests her head on his shoulder. Like, she knows that wasn't an invitation, but she's taking it as one all the same and here she is now.

"Don't sell your soul, it's worth a whole lot more than you'd be getting."

"Oh, uh--..." This wasn't exactly what Tony had expected her to do with an invitation to rock out. Maybe Billy Idol hadn't survived the war where she was from. Maybe she was just very good at communicating the support she actually needed, and Tony shouldn't be taking it for granted, because he was evidently floundering.

After a frozen moment of surprised hesitation, Tony shifted to welcome her more comfortably with an arm draped around her where he could still gesture with a loose wrist hung from her shoulder. "Hey, you can't buy a particle accelerator or a baby bottle without my name on it back home, I've never made a bad deal in my life, I've got this," he insisted, mostly so it still felt light when his voice dropped slightly to ask, "You okay?"

She'd spent so many years waiting on Dathomir. Waiting for Malicos, waiting for the chance at revenge, just waiting. When Cal came, it finally meant that she could stop waiting and seize what she wanted for herself. She thought that... one day, she would find the truth and finally seek her revenge.

Well, she did find the truth, but the answer isn't what she wanted. So now she's back to another new path forward, this one wider and less certain. Nothing can avenge her sisters. Nothing can bring back her people. All that's left is her.

I'll be here for you. The words seems to slip between her ribs and squeeze, and her arms tighten around him, fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt, as if that would keep them here like this forever. And it's not forever, but she does stay like that for a long time, her face pressed into the crook of his shoulder, enfolded in his embrace and all of the comfort and support and strength he's giving her.

Finally, she draws back—just enough to look into his face and appreciate how unexpectedly precious it's become to her. Slowly, she... she lifts her hand, brushes her fingers against his jaw, the touch feather-light. Cradles one side of his face, her thumb against his cheek.

"You were right, Cal Kestis," she says quietly, her expression soft, a small smile lifting one side of her mouth. There's a trace of humor there, for the inside joke to come, because he doesn't remember the words he's going to say to her. "Life does have a funny way."

Asterope? Good at communicating? No, absolutely the opposite. She's unable to ask, but Tony's intuited well enough for himself. That arm around her is just perfect. She relaxes into it, letting out a contented sigh, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, okay. Are you okay?"

As long as the information was tactile, Tony was usually at his best, but this signalled very much not okay to him so he was left hesitating again despite his own pre-programmed answer already prepared behind his teeth and forcing its way out with a breath, "Always." Not that he knew how to ask now, leaving him settling his weight on his free hand and awkwardly searching for somewhere else to direct his restless focus, landing on the alien stars again with a distracted frown and idly humming his song so it didn't get too quiet for either of them. He knew he wasn't going anywhere in the dark anyway.

Who was he to say such things? But then he knows how rare it is to have anyone even from the same place to come from relatable times. How far they've come from that first encounter on Dathomir, distant and guarded, broken and distrustful.

Cal remains as he is until Merrin begins to move back. He loosens his arms around her enough for her to do so, smiling back as she traces his face, meeting her gaze. The words are only familiar because she'd said them before, some time after she'd first arrived on Agra 10. It's still strange to be told something he hasn't even said yet, apparently from his standpoint, but it says something that she's kept them close to heart.

"It's nice to know I can be right sometimes, at least," he says, his smile twitching upwards on one corner.

"Master Kenobi!" Cal looks around the panel he'd been working on, breaking into a broad smile. He'd thought he'd sensed the other Jedi. BD-1 beeps a greeting as well, popping his head up from behind the red-haired padawan.

"There's plenty to keep busy with," Cal shrugs, laughing a little, although he does offer an apologetic look for the dust. "What brings you over?"

"Just a moment, then."

Kaz does backtrack a bit, cane making that same 'thunk' that often punctuated his steps. He came to where Merrin already was and indeed she had found a box for breaker switches. Nodding, Kaz turned off his flashlight and stowed it away in his pocket. He opens the box, clears a few cobwebs by waving his hand, and flips the first switch. There's a groan from somewhere then what was definitely the sound of something powering up further away. Encouraged by this, Kaz flips the next switch. Unlike the first, the second makes no sound at all. Kaz tried flipping the second time but to no effect. He cursed under his breath.

"The cable for this one has been broken somewhere. It looks like we'll have to find where that is before this circuit would work."

((OOC; Sorry for the delay. Mods said it was okay to make stuff up, just that the power station not start powering Sh'Ka until October c: ))

Her gaze falls to his mouth, where his smile twitches, but then it lingers there for a moment. They're sitting so close, still connected where his arms wrap loosely around her, where her hand cups his face and the other curls around his side, fingers slotted against his ribs—so close that it would be perilously easy to bridge the distance between them again, but this time with...

Before the impulse can even take root, she lets her hands drop—one, then the other, with effort—and scoots away, putting more space between them. "Sometimes," she agrees, but there's affection in her tone.

The warmth he feels in his chest is different than the warmth of the crackling fire just behind Merrin. It's connected to the warmth of her touch, her hand against his cheek, her arm still loosely around him, and the look that she regards him with. It lingers even as she slowly drops her hands away, moving apart again, and the separation is all the more palpable as the night air quickly steals between them.

BD-1 skitters back then, having lost track of whatever insects he'd been stalking, tweedling happily as he comes up beside them. Cal chuckles, setting a hand on the little droid's head. "You done, buddy? I should probably get you set up to recharge." He looks over at Merrin again. "We should probably turn in too, soon. Been a long day."

"Actually, I'm here to move the Palm Cottage to Temba. I don't suppose you heard about what happened in the mines?"

Considering that communication is down here, it's a very real possibility he hasn't unless someone informed him in person.

"Palm Cottage..." That still has to be the strangest name he's ever heard for a ship, and the thought twists his lips into a barely contained laugh. Cal's brows lift at mention of the mines. There's some connection with the ships and the mines?

"No, I hadn't," he admits. Then again he's been here at least a week, nearly two by now. "What's going on?"

It is a pretty strange name, Obi-Wan will give him that. But he really likes his ship okay? But instead of defending the honor of his vessel, he decides to answer the question. The Jedi dusting off a place that looks good enough to sit on near the padawan before taking a seat.

"A group of children went into the mines and activated some machinery there. A room opened and there are apparently a set of monitors in there. In addition to that, the hangars in both Temba and here have opened. With a signal having been sent to our devices. It seems that we may be able to travel freely between the cities using the ships now."

Cal studies the control panel, fingers following the lines along an edge before working at lifting it up to see if anything beneath it needs work. "Monitors..." Well, maybe there's worse things that could have been activated.

"Sounds like their exploration's worked in our favor then. If we have ships able to travel to and from, then we won't have to wait for the train all the time. I wonder if the trip will be any shorter."

"That's what I'm hoping to find out," Obi-Wan says with a nod. "You're welcome to come with me. I have a feeling you could use a break."

Being out here for nearly two weeks, working on all of this, it would put a toll on anyone. Even Jedi needed a break from time to time.

"I've been taking breaks, don't worry," Cal reassures with a grin. "There's plenty of things to see around here. The roof of the hotel building's nice to meditate at, if tricky to get up to." Definitely a climb, especially when the stairs to the upper floors alone were already in disrepair if not just simply gone.

"Anyway, I'd feel bad leaving the rest of the team behind. But if any of them need to head back to Temba for whatever reason, they're welcome to. The area we've set up for camp's not bad but some might not be used to it."

“I see. Well, I actually met one of your team on the train here. It seems she went back to Temba for supplies. A very pleasant woman with white hair. She told me a little bit about the team and what all of you have been doing.”

He looks at Cal thoughtfully. Wondering a bit to himself before asking his next question.

“I hope all of you have been getting along?”

"Ah, Asterope," Cal says with a nod. "Yeah, we've been doing that. And Asterope likes to help out as much as she can. Merrin's magick can get supplies from the train to here, but getting from Temba to this city still takes the long way. A ship would definitely make supply runs easier."

His brows lift at the question, wondering what's brought it up, perhaps. "Yeah, we've been getting along just fine. I think Asterope's been avoiding Kaz though, so I'm not sure what happened there. But then he can be kind of...harsh? I guess that's putting it lightly, but it does make it a little tricky with a small team."

“She is good company as well. I enjoyed meeting her.”

He doesn’t miss the way Cal looks at him with that question. Considering his previous experiences though, he has to ask. Wanting to make sure his Padawan was being treated well. “That doesn’t surprise me. She had described him as unpleasant, which I couldn’t help but agree with. My experiences with him have been difficult as well, and I can’t say I like him. So I hope he won’t give you much trouble.”

"He's very direct about some things. Given what I've noticed of how Asterope is, I can see how she'd come off with that sort of take." Cal winces a little. "Maybe I should've been better at getting us all to know each other since we'd been working together," he sighs. The group's small enough and had the same intentions, so he hadn't anticipated any great problems.

"He hasn't given me any trouble, actually. He'd definitely been doing some research about the power station and the water treatment so his input's been helpful. He can't go too far out and back because of his leg so I gave him more tasks around the power station itself."

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Someone Didn't Pay the Electric Bill

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WOW THANKS FOR EATING THAT NOTIF DW :|

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Lol it happens

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