08 | It must be getting early; Clocks are running late

[sinistral]

WHO: the Soldier (sinistral) and you
WHERE: various Temba locations
WHAT: while everyone hunkered down in the warrens, the Soldier was sent elsewhere; now it's time to come back
WHEN: a few days after the general population emerges from the underground
WARNINGS: none; will update if that changes

---

TEMBA
→ Excavation: for Billy Kaplan;

The first thing the Soldier did on waking in Temba, sore and tired and with the familiarly, infuriatingly vague idea that he'd been elsewhere, was to check to make sure he was intact, or near enough to it. But the first thing after that was to make his way through ruined streets to the building Billy and his brother claimed as their home. The sight that met his eyes made something twist and drop out of the bottom of his stomach, a sensation he immediately tried to ignore. It, and the implied emotion, were unneeded.

"Billy?" he called out, circling toward the wall that seemed most intact. The ceiling was a complete loss, but he couldn't tell from this angle how much damage the structure had absorbed, and how much it had caved. He couldn't tell either if Billy or his brother was around; he resolved to find out. "Tommy?"

→ Exploration: open to all;

The Soldier hadn't been one to rely heavily on the amenities of the community. He generally preferred to forage, and to repurpose things he found in so doing. Years of living on the run with few resources prepared him pretty well for losing the bulk of his supplies when the volcanic activity apparently swept through the towns. But years of living on the run also had him hiding small caches of supplies here and there in ruined buildings. If he was lucky maybe one or two of his stashes hadn't been completely destroyed.

(He never had that kind of good luck but it was a nice thought.)

The weather seemed like it would hold at least, making it a decent day for exploring the rubble of ruined buildings. Maybe he'd luck into finding something useful. Or maybe he'd just end up doing the heavy lifting for someone who needed it. At the very least the sounds from the building in front of him didn't seem like the predatory animals he'd seen on Temba's outskirts. Still, a hand strayed close to the knife at his hip, just in case.

→ Examination: network text to Cal Kestis;

I could use a mechanic. If you've the time.

→ Explanation: network text open to all;

Anyone know if this was a planned redecorating, or is apocalypse chic just in now and I missed the memo?

→ Wildcard;

Open to other ideas. Please reach out to me at sometimesamuse or via PM for plotting needs. As always while I write starters in prose I'm happy to match brackets if that's your preference.

Comments

[Text]

[out_of_order]

Good to hear from you.

[He'd been a little concerned although he hadn't been entirely sure that the man had just stole off down one of the many halls of the Warrens and avoided contact.]

Time's all I've got, some days. What's the trouble?

[Text]

[sinistral]

[Finding a secluded bit of cave is entirely in character let's be real.]

That makes it valuable then, doesn't it? Got some arm trouble. Can't see exactly what but it doesn't move right.

[Text]

[out_of_order]

Arm troubles are never good. I'll be happy to take it a look at it. Where are you at?

[Text]

[sinistral]

Could be worse in this place. I was out scavenging between the power station and that weird amphitheater. I can come to you.

[Text]

[out_of_order]

Too true. But that works. I'm where the museum is.

[Text]

[buildingitsir]

no idea

but this shit is stupid
apocalypse chic went out in the 2020s i think
and it should've stayed that way

did wherever you're staying get hit hard?
i might not be able to rebuild but i can find some way to help
probably
maybe
my expertise thing here is engineering which goes with my specialty or whatever

[Text]

[sinistral]

No idea if this was planned? Or no, this definitely wasn't planned.?

I don't require building assistance.

[Text]

[buildingitsir]

no idea if it was a planned redecorating

i'm guessing it wasn't because the agrii seemed pretty scared on the comm before we all went down into the bunker

good thing i totally wasn't offering building stuff
just engineering which i view as more planning like
blue prints n shit
that's what i was built for cmon
we had this discussion i'm pretty sure when i fixed your arm

[Text]

[sinistral]

Noted.

And I'd be interested if they were scared or just acting. Doubt they'd ever admit if they were though.

I don't need building plans. And you've never touched my arm.

Excavation

[wearingthestars]

If it could've Billy would've just repaired the place for them with a spell as soon as they'd come back to find it like this, but his magical energy is pretty low after a month of trying to make sure people had what they needed in the Warrens. And if he was being honest with himself, his emotional state wasn't helping things. He was trying to keep himself busy by sifting through the damage when he heard that familiar voice, and Billy forgot his pains to conserve his magic in an instant.

"Soldier?!" he called back, and teleported to him rather than waste seconds finding his way back out, all but tackling the man in a grateful hug. There were tears and a beaming grin tucked into Soldier's shoulder, relieved beyond belief. "I thought-" Well...he didn't want to get into what he thought.

[sinistral]

At the answer to his call the Soldier felt some of the tension in his spine unwrap itself, a moment before he was wrapped up in Billy's hug. He wrapped his own left arm around Billy's waist, right hand cupping the back of Billy's head while he allowed Billy to cling to him. He could feel the slight wetness of tears and could only wonder at what Billy had gone through while he'd been absent.

"I'm here," he murmured eventually. "I came back."

[wearingthestars]

"You came back," Billy echoed, feeling the release of so much of that worry and mourning fall away, leaving a disbelieving smile as he finally lifted his head to take in that face he'd been so afraid he wouldn't see again. He sniffed and gave a bashful laugh. "Sorry- I feel like I'm always crying on you lately-"

[sinistral]

"I shouldn't have left you." Not that he'd had a choice; nothing about his disappearance was voluntary. But the Soldier didn't like that he'd caused Billy such stress. "But I'm here now."

When Billy raised his head the Soldier brushed his hair back before letting his hand fall away. "You don't have to apologize. It looks like you've been through a lot."

Exploration

[in_extremis]

One of those sounds was definitely a voice. Mumbled, and a little bit irritated, weaving through the clattering of rocks as they were shifted and cascaded in small piles. DATA was being no help at all as Tony dug through the remains of a collapsed room, meandering around on his spindly legs and continuing to insist that the Soldier had definitely put something here by projecting the same video clip of him slipping through the door in the darkness, grainy and less and less convincing, all the more difficult to discern as the image was broken across rubble. The Iron Man really would have made this a lot easier. "If you've learned to lie, listen, I'd be really impressed, honestly, we'll have to talk about that, but after that, I'm leaving you in this room until your systems fail, you can sit right there in that corner," Tony was complaining. DATA wasn't even listening, and could not have cared even if he did hear, "And at Billy's expense, this isn't just me, your choices affect other people." The little robot was already wandering away, certain in his recording, and especially so when he was standing against the wall and looking up at the face of the same man in the video, his camera aperture twisting with a whir to commit the face to memory once again. See, he definitely came here. Here he was again.

[sinistral]

On approach the voice became clearer in pitch and cadence, those two characteristics combining to define the building's occupant before the Soldier entered to see for himself. Good thing too, as he hadn't fully expected the robot; the knife was already in his hand again before recognition caught up.

"What people?" he asked, stowing the weapon once more. Probably not the best greeting to open conversation, but better than the Soldier usually managed.

[in_extremis]

This was the last place anyone should have been, which was lucky because that meant no one could have possibly heard Tony's embarrassing yelp, or seen the way he almost pitched over into the pile of rubble that he had been trying to sort through. He was already far from presentable, unshaved and dark-eyed, and dirt to the tattered roll of his sleeves, so it was a small fortune that he caught himself and wasn't also scraped and bruised as he rounded on the intruding voice with a very intent look that communicated no one had heard that noise. His hand was already on his chest, and he was complaining, "You can't sneak up on me like that, I have heart problems, that's--," before it occurred to him that they must have already had this conversation because that was the Soldier.

Well, problem solved. That was kind of like finding something that belonged to the Soldier. It only occurred to Tony that he should probably stop just staring in confusion only when DATA raised a polished leg to point toward the man illustratively, and Tony had to snap, "Yeah, I got it, he's here."

[sinistral]

"CPR exists," the Soldier replied, because he had heard it before; he didn't consider it his fault that Tony was so jumpy. On the plus side he wasn't going to go around telling anyone that Tony had almost faceplanted into a pile of rock; that secret would stay inside these walls.

"I'm here." Though he'd almost teased that maybe he was just a figment of Tony's imagination. That was mean though; the man seemed high strung enough already. "You found me. Lucky you."

Exploration

[newmemorywhodis]

Link, too, was looking to explore. Had to get his bearings again, find out what had changed. Sift through the rubble, see if there was anything to salvage.

He makes no attempt at stealth as he clambers over the building, so it's not hard to hear the sounds of his footfalls, of stones dislodged by his hands.

Like the Soldier, he's armed; a long blade, bow, and shield all slung on his back. And the Soldier will certainly spot Link before Link spots him. Although once the man moves close enough, Link will pause, and look in his direction.

"...Hi," he says.

[sinistral]

The Soldier isn't so self centered to think that he's the only scavenger, or the only hunter, or the only one who might make a habit of exploring landscape so broken it's looked over by others. But his training is too far ingrained in him; he moves about silently, like the assassin he was engineered to be. He's well aware of the sounds of another person, and how those sounds don't correlate to being hunted. Thus, he allows their paths to cross rather than diverting his own plan.

What he doesn't expect is the greeting. The Soldier didn't go out of his way to be friendly, and it always throws him for a loop when someone new initiates conversation.

"Hello," he returns finally, letting his hand fall away from the sheathed knives; the action might say as much as the greeting.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link, apparently undeterred by the Soldier's knives or lack of friendliness, gives a little wave to the man.

"You need help?" he asks, always keen for a way to be useful. Maybe the man is looking for something? Was this building Link was climbing all over one he had been living in?

[sinistral]

"Just looking," he returns, then decides to clarify. It can't hurt, right? "I stashed supplies here once. I don't know if they're still here."

At the very least having an extra pair of hands to shift rubble isn't a bad thing, should it come to that. Judging by the state of the building, it's possible that nothing of his stash had survived.

Network

[butterfly_kiss]

Oh, it's absolutely just in these days. There was a memo about it last month. But the good news is that this month's style is very much 'reconstruction chic'. Welcome to the show!

Network

[sinistral]

A real memo or some vague Agrii warning while they stayed safely and conveniently off planet?

[butterfly_kiss]

Vague Agrii warning. Vaguer one from these little mushroom people that helped us. And the Agrii put up a forcefield to protect the city, so they did do something this time.

[sinistral]

I still won't be singing their praises any time soon. Volcanoes don't just appear overnight.