revivalproject | Clarice's Event Catch-All

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Clarice's Event Catch-All | OTA

WHO: Clarice and youuuuuuuu
WHERE: Various places around Coruscant
WHAT: Exploring, investigating ... and being a bit of an art snob
WHEN: All through the event!
WARNINGS: None yet, but if anything worthy comes up I'll put it in the comment headers. <3

Starling had scarcely had time to get her bearings on Temba before she woke up on the ship, to the strange message. It hadn't taken much to wake her: she'd slept lightly, and took a speed-run of a shower, not wanting to waste the precious hot water afforded to the crew. She didn't want to step out onto new ground and make the impression of a hot mess, after all. After combing out her damp hair, she put it up in a ponytail to keep it off her neck, then shook out her only set of clothes, judiciously inspecting the cashmere sweater for wrinkles and wishing for an iron. Ah well. It was what it was. She'd been provided with credit, at least. Maybe the first order of business - after breakfast - was to get something new to wear.

A: (In Person) Everything will always be alright - when we go shopping
The amount of options were even more staggering than New York, or Paris, Clarice marveled, as the taxi dropped her off in Coruscant's shopping district. She'd counted her credits on the ship, not wanting to be tacky in counting them in public.

She starts off by window shopping, browsing from store to store to get a feel for the prices and the styles: what people consider high fashion, lowbrow, and somewhere in between. She decides a sturdy outfit, something working-class, would be the best choice for back on Temba, but there was also nothing wrong with spoiling herself a little and having something that would make her look good should a situation call for it. Feel free to find her as she's molesting various pieces of clothing, rubbing it between her fingers to check texture or thread count, or as she's sitting down on a bench to try on a smart-looking yet rugged pair of boots.

B: (Network) And you told me all your plans - how you would never let them go
New as she is, Starling takes her responsibility and her new mission seriously. The mystery of Coruscant and the many people brought to Temba from this place has piqued her interest, and so her first thought as a newcomer is to seek them out. She takes out her comm device - a new, strange thing in itself - and taps on the garish pink icon, thinking a moment before composing her message.

Hello, everyone. My name is Clarice Starling. I only just arrived in Temba the day before we were sent here to Coruscant, and I admit that I have many questions ... particularly for those of you who are familiar with this world. In the interest of helping the Agri, would any of you be willing to sit with me for a brief interview of sorts? I would be more than willing to get you a cup of whatever equivalent to coffee they have here, or light lunch, to thank you for your time.

C: (In Person) A bittersweet, evocative song... that doesn't remind us of Musetta's Waltz
After a long day of investigating and attempting to do what she was brought here to do, Clarice changes into the nicer of the ensembles she's bought for herself: a jewel-green gown with a white shawl to stave off any evening chill. The opera house is advertising a new Bith opera, whatever that might mean, and Clarice shows up to purchase herself a ticket with confidence, sliding into the crowd as though she belongs there. Anyone who hasn't met her yet may just mistake her for a native, even as she purchases a program, hoping to learn a bit more about what she's about to indulge in.

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That little bristling is a red flag, and she backs off. "I see. ... I was brought here to help, then I'd like to. I'm just used to asking people questions in a far different environment, and knowing a bit more to start with than I do. My eagerness might've come across as demanding, and if it did, I apologize."

She ducks her head a little, stepping back, giving him space both physically and rhetorically.

"I can tell." The Archivist notes. "I have dealt with police in the past." And that's his conclusion: He is dealing with yet another cop. Maybe not one that will drag him into the woods to kill him, but the tone, the attitude, the questioning... That certainly feels similar.

"Back in Temba I have taken charge of the place that used to house the Agrii's library. There I keep records of whatever information I managed to acquire to make what we know available." It may not be astoundingly much, but it is something. And they haven't exactly been buried in leads and answers in the time Jon has been in Temba.

"That's good. Records are important ... I honestly dealt with records and evidence a lot more than most of the people I worked with." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "And for whatever it's worth, I've been out of that career for a couple of years now. As a matter of fact, I've been an attache to a consulting museum curator and translator. Before I showed up here, we were working in Buenos Aires."

Jon takes a few steps with the boots he is trying on. "Whatever we were doing on our respective unfortunately has little influence on what is expected of us on Agra 10. That is unless the Agrii realize is that what they want are skilled construction workers." At the same time their hosts may not even be very much in charge about who gets brought in and who isn't.

"I think I will take these." He then casts his verdict on the boots. They fit. And likely won't be the only pair he picks up before they are returned to Temba.

"I got to see a little of it before we were all brought here," Clarice nods, following him a ways away to test out her own boots without crowding him. It only takes a few paces before she decides she's also found some winners, and she returns to her bench to take them off.

"Sure looks like an uphill battle to say the very least. I can't say I've ever built anything from the ground up before, but I know my way around some basic tools and I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty, if that's what y'all really need."

"We were send here to learn." Jon sits back down as well to change back to his own shoes. "That was the message the Agrii left us with: To learn. If you have been in Temba with the rest of us, you will have received the same message. Unfortunately they didn't give us clearer instructions about what it is they want us to learn about, implying that they have no idea themselves. Which I believe to be the case." It very much looks that way to Jon at least.

"But gathering information alone won't be of much help to us. And seeing that you have already decided to acquire some equipment for when we return, I will assume that you share that notion."

Clarice nods, a little frustrated that Jon is veering into mansplaining territory - not that she knows the term. "Exactly," she says at last, letting her frustration go. There was no need to belabor things by going over it all yet again, after all.

"Even if we collectively manage to find exactly what they're lookin' for, it's not gonna fix the rest of the problems back there. Where are you looking for things? I don't want to waste time by covering the same ground."

The response she receives is an oddly excited one. "The archives of the Jedi temple! It's MASSIVE! Knowledge and experiences from an entire galaxy gathered over thousands of years - It's incredible!" And far from what they can even dream to achieve with what used to be the library of Temba. Which is a shame. And they likely can't access returning with some sort of remote access to all those files.

At least Jon catches himself in his excitement, leaving him biting his own lower lip for a moment. "I- I mean- Yes, the history of Dathomir may not be helpful to us by any means, but-- It's still quite fascinating. There are so many planets and cultures we can learn about. Their believes, their fears, their superstitions..." For purely scientific reasons, of course.

As Jon flails, Clarice grins, excited for and with him. "I don't know, I studied behavioral science, and some things are universal. Those beliefs and superstitions may have paralells with what you have in the Temba library. Fear is a universal experience, and it's rooted in evolution and survival. I wouldn't have thought of it as the first way into a culture, but ... it's a surprisingly good one."

"Oh, if one thing is certainly universal, it's fear..." Jon agrees, his tone turning more pensive as his excitement slows back down and he casts a look around, taking in their surroundings for a moment. "...on a planet like this, with so many people... there is so much of it." He is aware that his own relationship with fear is quite different than that of everyone else at this point, but there is little he can do about feeling drawn towards all that deep and not always hidden terror when so very surrounded by it.

Though Jon pulls himself away from those thoughts to return his attention to Clarice, suddenly looking apologetic. "I'm afraid you may be expecting more from the library back in Temba than there really is. You were there, so- I assume you have noticed the data points. The Agrii used smaller versions of those to store their knowledge in and those... Well. Let me say the library and the area surrounding it was littered in shards of glass and fragments of electrical parts. Tony... He was trying to recreate these data storage devices, but we were still facing an empty library." He shrugs helplessly. "I have been collecting personal records for the most parts. Tried to carry together things that might... Help." Does he sound sure about how helpful his records are? No. Certainly not.

She hasn't met Tony yet, but once she does, it won't take her long to understand that he absolutely has the intellect necessary to deal with these things. Even so, having traveled with someone passing (quite well) as an archivist and historian for the past couple of years, she feels the loss of so much history and information on an almost visceral level, and can only imagine how much it must have cut Jon.

"That's terrible. About the destruction, I mean. I can't say I'd be much good at helping, but ... if there is anything I can do - I could at least help rebuild the library. I know how to swing a hammer, at the very least."

She held up one foot. "And kick some debris around. Especially in these bad boys."

Jon chuckles lightly at her words, then smiles. "Thanks. The offer is appreciated. I have the main building cleared out and patched up enough to withstand the storms and- Tony let me borrow his glove to cut through some of the debris blocking the way to the adjoining buildings. Might be some sort of school, but- I made some progress despite the lack of content on the shelves."

There is a pause as Jon considers something. "...I mean. I suppose some of the shelves are being used by the Countess and her litter at the moment." Which may mean that he has some more cleaning up to do once they get back to Temba.

"Those storms ... I've heard a little about them, they sound absolutely horrifying." She returns to the bench and begins to unlace the boots, so that they can be rung up for purchase. Her thin black flats are not fit for Temba, but they have been serviceable for Coruscant, so she'd rather save the boots for when she needs them.

"The Countess," she echoes, working the aglets through the grommets almost without looking. "I'm guessing a cat of some kind? Maybe rabbits?" She's not sure what sort of animals on strange foreign planets have litters.

"More of a... Moth...cat, actually." Jon joins her on the bench once more, but rather than working on taking off his own boots just yet produces his phone and pull up a picture he has taken of the curious feline-like creature, showing the Countess just sitting upside down on a ceiling. Which would appear to simply be a photo taken upside-down, if it weren't for the lamp hanging next to her.

"She kind of just- I don't know. I was walking through the forest, looking for Cal and she- Dropped on my head? I believe she was trying to steal my glasses at the time. Cal helped me and she flew off, but later she showed up at the library and has been sticking around. Guess she got comfortable enough to make her nest there and is now... Raising her grubs." Jon had been observing their growth until the Agrii sent them to Coruscant. Which may mean he misses some of the stages as these odd critters grow up.

He takes a look at the picture himself, frowning. "I have been wondering how Agra 10's wildlife handles the storms... Don't believe the glownies seemed very bothered by them, to be honest."

Clarice leans over the phone. Her first impression is a wonder at how crisp the photographs are. She hadn't realized the devices they had were capable of it, but now she's resolved to take some photos of Coruscant before they leave, so she can look back at the memories. But that lasts only a fraction of an instant before she's struck by the strange beauty of the creature.

"Those colors are so vivid," she marvels. "I've only seen the glownies myself, so far. Have you discovered a lot of different native wildlife, or does most of it stay away from us?"

"Hmm. I have seem a few of the creatures roaming Temba and the area around. Can't recommend diving into the lake in the middle of the flood plains, though." That last part is accompanied by a guilty little laugh. "Lots of venomous things down there... And a while ago the city got attacked by large spider-like creatures." A shudder. "Dreadful things."

"Down at the beach there are some pretty large, green crabs that are quite interesting to watch - And apparently also tasty to eat. Tommy also found some critters on the islands further out on the ocean. No idea what others have come across already, but I sure would love to learn a little more about the animals surrounding us." And probably posing a danger to them like those spiders had.

"That bit about the lake sounds like it was from experience," she offers. "I didn't know about the islands... How'd he get there, did you build a raft or a boat? Or did he swim and risk the venomous ... whatever it was?"

The shopkeeper was watching them with just a bit of a hairy eyeball, and Starling thought fast. "I'd love to keep chatting about this, but maybe we should take these new shoes for a walk. Let someone else warm the bench...?"

"Actually I don't know what creatures might live in the ocean itself, but I believe Tommy may just have... Run over the water." It seems plausible enough for Jon at this point and he makes a small gesture of agreement in regards of Clarice's suggestion to get those boots paid and leave the shop.

"I don't believe anyone has bothered building a boat yet..." He adds as an afterthought as he gets up.

She gestured for him to go first, since he'd been in the shop longer than her, then remembered - yes, Tommy, the boy from the food market. His name had slipped her recollection until Jon had mentioned that he may have run over the water.

"Oh! I met him, earlier," she smiles. "That does seem like the kind of thing he'd do. I get the feeling he likes to show off when he can. But he's the only one capable of such a thing, so maybe a boat's not a bad idea."

Jon proceeds to pay for his boots and waits for Clarice to do the same and join him at the entrance of the store. "Tommy is very proud of what he is and can do. Billy may be his twin, but their skills are vastly different and... Tommy... I feel he believes he has to prove his worth."

Which is not an opinion Jon shares, but he has spoken and interacted with both twins and has come to appreciate and value them both as friends.

"That was a pretty strong vibe I picked up off him, too," she agrees, making her own purchase with the best offworlder manners she can muster. "I don't think we're the ones he needs to prove it to, though. He's a little far from them, right now, so we're ... what, proof surrogates?"

She snorts in soft, amused dismissal. "He'll find out pretty fast he doesn't need to play that game with me, just be himself and pull his weight."

"He does that. Christ, Tommy may be pulling three times his weight with everything he is doing in the greenhouse and the diner!" Jon remarks not without fondness in his voice. Him and Tommy may have started out difficultly, but the young mutant and his twin have grown to be among those the Archivist cares deeply about.

"I never had siblings, so I can't possibly relate to constantly being compared to some better brother, but I imagine it to be frustrating. And I know Billy and that he doesn't consider himself to be better than Tommy. I... Admire them both for their strength, if I'm honest."

"Greenhouse, too? Hell!" Clarice leans her head back a little, blinking in surprise. "I know he's got energy to burn, but that's a lot. If there's a little comparison problem there, though, it's good to know. I'll make sure not to set it off. Let them know they're both equally valuable and cared about. ... I spent a bit of time in an orphanage," she confesses without shame. "I know it's always important to make everyone feel needed. Especially kids their age."

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Clarice's Event Catch-All | OTA

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