I Know What You Did Last Summer

[only_an_echo]

WHO: Echo et al. (you)
WHERE: Wherever everyone is at the time, Temba and/or Sh'Ka
WHAT: Echo has Thoughts™ and Feelings™ about the recent storm but is going to do more than just a check-in over the communication devices.
WHEN: Some time after the storm
WARNINGS: N/A unless there's something really specific that comes up, we should all be good

= = = = =

A. For the Sh'Ka Demolition Group

Despite keeping Omega company and having the distracting security of a curious mothkitten climbing all over him, Echo had concerns. Legitimate concerns. The storm should have brought about some relief in its passing, but the cloud was still there, playing over again in the back of his mind. Finally seeing what Cayde saw in the blizzard forced the clone to think back on what the specter meant by its cryptic message. And the longer he did that, the more he wasn't getting any better answers on his own.

The 'We Need To Talk' look was clearly written upon his face when he sought out the others - Tony, Jon, Billy, Soldier, and Cayde - dropping by their usual haunts (if he could find them) with a child by his side and a mothkitten riding his shoulder, patting at his armor. Even with the two softening his grizzled soldier demeanor by a few degrees, his brow furrowed to the point where the lines had distinct memory of the creases he collected over the years.

"We may have bitten off more than we can chew."


B. For Everyone

Normally, Echo would have called for a head count over the comm device to see if everyone was still alive. This time, however, he made it a point to be more direct in regards to the weather, searching for people to help where he could.

Even after working so hard, he took some time to rest, staying where everyone tended to gather. Omega was a constant presence somewhere nearby, and the mothkitten preoccupied herself by sniffing and squeezing into his removed helmet.

Little things. That was enough to keep him grounded in the present.



OOC Notes:
1) We can assume the characters have met briefly.
2) Prose or action poses are fine, I'll do whatever you're doing 👍
3) Need to handwave? That's cool with me, we can just make a note of it ahhh

Comments

[in_extremis]

Tony had to give his own sigh at Echo's insistent pessimism, because he didn't have a great argument or clear enough vision of the future to be entirely optimistic himself. Knowing something was going to happen was something of an improvement over having no feedback whatsoever, but he didn't have any parameters for what that something was. He took a beat to gently touch Cayde's arm and assure him, "You're still crazy," before he had to work up a proposal.

"If they could actually do something, they would have," he produced. The stillness of his hands one held grasped before him like he really had to nail down this thought, betrayed his lack of confidence. "Instead, when we're at our most vulnerable, the send a ghost. Should we really be that worried?"

[deal_me_in]

Cayde's smirk still didn't fade at Tony's assurance. He shrugged, supposing he couldn't really argue that point.

"Look, preparing for something that we don't know how it's going to be presented is just going to make us paranoid. That's probably what they want." He nodded at Tony then. "Why warn us? That's like a slap on the wrist. The intent there was to try laying on the build-up. They seem to like the mental games. We just don't have to play them. If they wanna do something, they can bring it, but I'm not expending any worries on waiting."

[only_an_echo]

The muscles in his jaw twitch as they set, tensing as the two say as much. It wasn't difficult to tell that Echo didn't like their answers. The play was similar to Hunter's aimlessness; instead of laying low, however, they were still exposed and out in the open, brushing off the crosshairs that were now trained on them.

And honestly, he should have expected as much.

The fist he formed earlier didn't uncurl fast enough. "You sound confident," Echo rasped, his frustration palpable as he kept his arms close to his sides. "If that's how we're approaching the situation, then that is what we'll do. I just want to remind you we're not the only ones being threatened."

Not needing to stay any longer, he turned away to cut his withering look short, heading back down the stairs before anything else happened. "...We have to tell the others about this. They won't like it either way."

[in_extremis]

It was never going to take much energy to keep Cayde unruffled, so perhaps Tony should have tuned his effort better to suit Echo. If he could ever figure out what didn't annoy Echo. Tony frowned after him, a similar tension in his shoulders to stop from arguing Cayde out of the misguided position that they shouldn't be prepared for all possibilities--they didn't have to, as long as Tony did--but he couldn't hold his tongue long enough to stop, "What if that makes them complicit?" He wasn't sure if Echo cared to listen anymore, so after a beat he turned the question on Cayde instead, with an anxious drop of his shoulders. It wasn't clear how many degrees of separation actually mattered to their manipulative captors. It was Tony that told Echo to press the button, after all, and now he was seeing spectres.

[deal_me_in]

Confident is a default setting for the Hunter. But he's not blind, and he knows not to push Echo any farther. Still, he won't go back on what he's said either.

He does frown at Echo's parting (?) words, looking to Tony as he makes a very good point. "...sounds like just the sort of drama they might go for if they're still all in it for the entertainment. People'll probably find out one way or another. Either by telling them ourselves we stir things up and possibly get them involved. Or things happen and they find out that way and then the fingers start pointing. It's going to be a mess either way and we'll just be giving our watchers a free show."