Network - Audio (Post Calibrations)

[doubled_speed]

Dudes, you WOULD not believe what I found.

[There's laughter and amusement in Tommy's voice. Something that hadn't been true at all by the end of the time in the tunnels. Look at him, not three hours free and he's already gleeful.]

So I took a nice little run after the tunnel opened and dudes, check this out. And we've got fucking ISLANDS not far from the shore. Like, not fucking in sight, so they're a bit out, just a few miles, but they're there. And get this...

[Oh yeah, you gotta believe that pleasure is ramping up.]

The chain of three of them? They're a fucking vacation spot or something. I found abandoned ruins. They're a lot like the city, all overgrown. There's these little things like a mix between a monkey and a sloth here too. I'm calling them chitterers, because they don't stop making noise, like, EVER. I even found something that almost looks like one of those paddle-swan boats. Except not because I don't think they had swans?

[And at last there's a picture of Tommy, stretched out on a beach with a white and brown, piebald creature hanging off of a nearby tree, clearly the 'chitterer' in question. He's holding a large cup of silvery crystal or plastic, clearly some sort of Agri version of a tropical drink glass like you'd get back on Earth, but with a strangely flared bottom, making it look a bit like an hour glass carved out of ice, and raising it toward the camera. All that's missing is that cheesy 'wish you were here' sorta sentiment on it, written in some horrible cliche font. Give him that, and he's a fucking post card. And, in the background, there's a broken down facade of a very different structure. The resort or vacation structure or something.]

Comments

[doubled_speed]

You are to me. Accept it.

[heeeyadora]

Yeah, 'cause you're magic, that doesn't count.

[doubled_speed]

I'm not magic. It's as natural to me as your ears and your claws and your tail is to you.

[Speed is breathing, and in a flash he's ten feet back, shaking his head.]

[heeeyadora]

Nnn- stop doing that- [She makes a face at the disorganization that brings, ears twitching. Magic makes more sense to her mind than trying to make sense of anything else. She scampers closer, running on all fours to add to her speed.]

[doubled_speed]

[Four legs wasn't enough. Tommy just moved a touch faster to keep staying out of reach.]

Stop twitching your ears. Stop moving your tail. Stop breathing. That's what you are basically asking me.

[heeeyadora]

It's not the s-

[Righting herself, her cheeks are hot. Not being able to prove herself is quite the trigger point for her, and she huffs, jumping up onto some scaffolding behind Tommy to avoid his eyeline, tail twitching and curling around herself.]

Whatever.

[doubled_speed]

It is.

[He moves quickly and jumps. The strength of his legs is more than enough to get him up onto the scaffolding too.]

Fucking hell, why does EVERYONE here have to be a racist? I'm not human, I'm a mutant. My speed is what I am. It's breathing. It's living. So don't act like it's a problem when I am what I am.

[heeeyadora]

[She starts back, not used to people being able to follow her so easily, real fear in her eyes before it turns back to a defensive glare.]

I don't care about what you are, just stop- doing that. [It's not the speed that bothers her so much as the teasing, head turning to try and hide the flush of her cheeks.]

[doubled_speed]

I'll stop being me when you stop being you.

[With that he jumps back down, glaring up at her before he starts stalking away.]

[heeeyadora]

[She doesn't exactly take off after him, but she does stalk from above, jumping across broken machinery to keep track of him. She can see that he's upset, though in her own irritated state that just makes her feel resentful. She doesn't think she's done anything wrong. She's not apologizing. But that gnawing guilt makes her grumble.]

...What, you're just going to leave? You came all this way.

[doubled_speed]

[Racism, man. He'd been expecting someone like her, someone who would probably be used to getting shit from baseline humans around here, might not be so racist. That she might get it.]

I can go all the way back in the space of your breath.

[heeeyadora]

[She understands plenty, but she still doesn't see his speed as any different from the magic the princesses use, especially not when he startles her.]

...So why are you still here then? [He hasn't zipped away, he was moving at a speed she could still see, that meant something, didn't it?]

[doubled_speed]

Because it takes a fucking ton of energy to do it.

[And it's not like this place is rolling in burger joints.]

Came quickly because you needed to know I wasn't scared of saying it to your face, Bristletail.

[heeeyadora]

So how are you going to get back to your island? Do mutants use runestones to recharge?

[Yeah, she really isn't getting this whole mutant thing still.

Will you stop with that?? [She gives a sulky grumble, and jumps down to the ground.] It's humiliating.

[doubled_speed]

Runestones? No, I used food. You need food for energy, so do I.

[Humiliating? Well, then he'll come up with something new. He doesn't want to humiliate her.]

Kay. I'll stop.

[heeeyadora]

Mm. [That makes sense.] Where are those ration machines up here?

[Well that takes her by surprise, eyes narrowing suspiciously, like she doesn't quite take him at his word.]

Really?

[doubled_speed]

Really really. And they're on the ships. Come on, I can show you the way to the hangar. You'll figure out your ship, and you'll have access to them.

[Because the diner will be a bit before Tommy has it running again.

thank you, sorry <3 <3 <3

[heeeyadora]

Ships like for the water or the flying kind?
Do they have all the flavors?

[She looks way too excited about the food goo, that bad mood almost immediately forgotten with the promise of food.]

[doubled_speed]

Like the space kind. Gotta go amid those stars.

[His tone says he doesn't like that as much, though.]

And yeah, all the flavors.

[heeeyadora]

[She looks skyward with a curious him.]

I'm only used to having two, how do you deal with having so many choices?

[doubled_speed]

Dude, there are like no choices. There needs to be better food here.

[Two flavors? Tommy has resolved to hate wherever she's from.]

[heeeyadora]

What are you talking about? There's so many. And all the different ways you can have them...

[She trails off, and puts on that scowl again, feeling embarrassed.]

[doubled_speed]

So...

[Tommy comes to a complete stop to look at Catra.]

Are you really saying you've only ever had protein paste like this to eat before? Like, your whole life?

[heeeyadora]

No...they were bars. Ration bars. So...it's not that weird.

[Why did everyone keep acting like it as so weird?]

That's all anyone eats in the Fright Zone.

[doubled_speed]

And now we're totally detouring to the greenhouse and I'm giving you a bacon mushroom.