revivalproject | Spinning Wheel Got To Go 'Round

WHO: Echo, OTA
WHERE: Various
WHAT: ~~Soul-searching~~ Something to keep him occupied
WHEN: Latter half of April
WARNINGS: N/A

> Option B (For Cayde)

Echo meant to go to the meeting.

Meetings are important. Like mission briefings, it catches everyone up on the intel they need to know and brings up new information if several of them have been unaware of such developments.

Currently it's another bullet point on his growing mental list; while he has every intention of listening and participating with others in their collective, this particular bullet point decides to stack sideways instead of from top to bottom, creating a more complicated web of thoughts that constantly shift on the way toward the amphitheater.

He barely gets to it when Cayde-6 interrupts, almost taking a step back with the Exo suddenly there. "–What, is it over already?"

> Run It Off

Restless wasn't a word the ARC Trooper uses frequently – maybe in describing other clones whenever they were in that state of mind before and during missions, but never really for himself. Not until that nervous energy slowly built up long after the return from Coruscant.

So he ran.

It was one of the quickest ways to burn it off. It also killed two birds with one stone, keeping him on track with his training. And it worked...for the most part. His mind continued at a clip, never stopping when he did along the available routes, never resting whenever he tried to distract himself with other things that needed to be done.

Which led to the third metaphorical bird: he could still check in with everyone on the way around. See if they needed any help.

If all else failed, he'd try target practice near the outskirts as a means to keep his skills sharp. And to blow off steam.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A soft 'oof' filters through the helmet's vocabulator as the Exo's arm connects, forcing Echo to shift his own momentum to keep his balance. Which also means going with Cayde.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me, I know how these things go. In circles. With lots of words. Very sensible words, mind you, but still, a lotta words. Could just cut out the words and do stuff, then if people aren't happy with it you can apologize later." It certainly sounds like he speaks from experience, especially in the latter.

Cayde continues onward without a glance back. "The Agrii brought us on to solve their storm problem. If people want to make themselves comfortable while we work on that then that's completely understandable. Who knows how long it'll take? Easiest way would be if we could get to whoever's pulling strings, then-" Here he lifts his free hand, miming pulling a trigger. "Problem solved."

"It's all laid out for us," Echo agrees. He remembers the reason, but he also understands the need to have something a little more substantial than what they've been given while they're working it all out.

The helmet shifts, following the invisible shot. "So long as the other projects don't distract us from our main purpose, there shouldn't be too much to go over." A beat. "Unless things are more complicated than they seem?"

The Hunter shrugs. "It always gets more complicated when you've got so many people trying to work things out. Everyone's got different priorities. Of course not everyone's gonna be on board and sync up with the same ideas."

He lets Echo go to walk on his own since the Trooper's not fighting him about it. Besides, it's awkward keeping pace like this.

"-where're we going anyway."

Released and rolling his shoulder, Echo straightens up again. "Part of me wants to say that's how it usually goes, but it shouldn't be that way."

And he could have gone back at this point, but his own priorities are shuffled around again. "–Scouting for an outpost, apparently."

"Ooh! Outpost scouting! I'm game," Cayde pipes happily, bouncing ahead. "What do you need an outpost for? Bracing for an invasion?"

He looked this way and that, spinning around so quickly that his cloak was still going one way when he turned the other. "That way's the beach so maybe kind of pointless putting an outpost on that end unless we're expecting, I dunno, pirates or something. But then that leaves three giant swathes of space that's wide open so..."

Echo almost shakes his head, laughing under a breath as he watches Cayde bound off. "You never know," he says, striding after him so that he doesn't get left behind. "Especially with this place..."

The Exo's company diverts another train of thought about how unprepared they've been in the past. After glancing in the direction of the beach, he turns his head to look at Cayde. "Although pirates seem like a stretch, we'll leave that option open." His brow furrows. "Did Temba even have defenses when the Agrii used to live here?"

"Very true!" In which case Cayde isn't so sure one outpost will really do a whole lot of good, much less their handful of displaced residents, so he rather hopes it doesn't come down to that, especially after talking about war with Jon.

The Exo had stopped running about in circles to reconsider the layout of things from a more stationary point of view while waiting for Echo to catch up, standing with arms akimbo. "Not sure. I mean, they've got their 'death tools' and a security point, but those are the only weapons I've seen around here, and you know I've looked. No tanks or turrets. I don't think they ever expected trouble, even when people came by for supplying."

"...Doesn't make any sense to have what they do have on hand and not make use of it."

After knowing Cayde for a while, Echo believes him. An invisible frown can be heard in his words once he gets close, his own arms folding over his chestplate in thought.

"Then again, the Agrii are very trusting considering they have us trying to solve their problems for them. And awfully friendly."

Cayde nods his agreement at that. "We didn't even know anything about them having weapons until they cracked open that vault when they asked us to come save 'em."

So maybe hidden security installments isn't so completely far-fetched... He won't bet on that though.

"Oh, they're like kids. Really naive. You met 'em, right? You showed up aboard their ship. Lotta new folks around that haven't, so they gotta take our word for it that these guys actually exist."

"Briefly. And you mean big kids with multiple arms," Echo's nose wrinkled. "Although that would explain why they were a little wary about the blaster I had brought with me at the time."

Cayde has a point there, having the experience of meeting the Agrii in-person. Between being stuck on Temba and traveling to and from Coruscant, they haven't made any other appearances aside from the last message they have all received.

"I have to wonder...months ago, Cobb said he didn't trust what was going on here."

"Yep. Big, wet kids. Who like hugs." Cayde chuckles. "Cobb-? Oh, him. Yeah. Some of us were in the same boat. All we had to go on were recordings and whatever other people had to say about them, but even then, all things considered, it was only recently that we'd met them in the flesh. So it's understandable if people have their doubts. I mean, it's a weird situation, weird expectations. Alien hosts that are no shows yet seem to be watching your every move."

He wiggles his fingers at that. "Anyway. They need help. And clearly we won't be going anywhere either way so we may as well pitch in."

Words like 'wet' and 'hugs' should never be in the same sentence.

The shudder passes as Echo hums thoughtfully, folding his arms again as he takes this all in. "Yeah. I can see how it can be intrusive," he nods, staring at the Exo for a few moments right when the finger-wiggling happens. "...Not like we have much of a choice at this point, right? I don't mind trying to figure it out if it helps them."

"Exactly. And anyway, if it turns out those Atroma guys are still kicking about making sport of all this, we'll just have to make sure we deal with it," Cayde says with confidence, poising his fingers like a gun going off.

Spinning Wheel Got To Go 'Round

Are you? ARE YOU??

AT LEAST I THOUGHT SO

WELL MAYBE YOU ARE

YEAH TAKE THAT

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