exsiliumlogs | Catch Me Up On Getting Out Of Here

Date & Time: November 4th
Location: Transporter Room ------> Germany
Characters: Kan-Mar, A-Honey, ???
Summary: Two girls drag themselves out of the post-mission, post-zombie funk into another mission.
Warnings: White collar crime, possible prolonged eye contact

Kanaya drags herself through the hallway and is impressed by at least no longer dripping a trail of blood. Not that she's spotless. There's a deep stain on her jaw that just wouldn't come out, and she didn't have time to make it do so, not when she had to quarantine her battlefield dress and slap together an appropriate substitute outfit (the black coat almost made her pink dress presentable if it could be mistaken for a flowing skirt). There are the newcomer-veteran matchups to release tomorrow, or at least discuss since the greater number of newcomers were too busy avoiding necromorphs to register themselves...

Which is no excuse to skip her scheduled mission either. That would be a disservice to the Initiative, because if she's not going to pursue any goal other than personal procurement, who will? When will they ever get off the moon? How many worlds will the United Earth lay to waste while they wait?

There's no option available to her except walking through the revolving door, this endless illusory cycle that people and personal actions have any persistent meaning. The next doorway she goes through has to bear the sound of her fist slapping its surface.

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[Near constant missions since the end of last month have left her tired, but not nearly as tired as she supposes those who have just survived a zombie invasion must be. As such, when she enters the Transporter room to see Kanaya there, she gives her a sympathetic smile, walking closer.]

How are you feeling? Are you alright?

[She won't try to dissuade the girl from going, though. Truthfully, this of all missions has her a bit nervous. There had been jobs she'd performed back in the Port - she still has fond memories of the music store and the pet shop despite everything - but she thinks this will involve different duties than what she'd done there. Will she stick out? Will she be obvious out of place?

She knows, of course, that anyone would immediately assume she's a time traveler from a different time even if she does act odd, but there's that common fear of making a mistake, making things a bit harder for everyone else.]

[There she is. At least Ahiru had the decency to not vanish in an untimely manner. Kanaya sees her as the backbone for this mission, the more human part of the operation on whom to lean. The holographic bracelet around Kanaya's wrist is the one that will take more power, and to her the signs will be more difficult to read. The only asset she assesses herself to provide is the close work to plan the mission itself with AI.

Her emotional well-being actually has a relation to Ahiru's, albeit through the most artificial generalized sympathy. It would almost be endearing if Kanaya were less acutely jaded by the last three days. Her foot taps, and the material of her combat boots makes it a little louder.]

Excited. [She makes an attempt to smile without showing her fangs and manages a twitch of her lips that resembles a black fish swishing its tail.] That's my emotional state. And yours?

[She can't actually deny a degree of genuine curiosity.]

[When she gets to the transporter room, Vennett is where he usually is. By the halfway point on the stack Kanaya had finished, he was probably almost done with the 'ancillary' missions.

Most of the equipment that had been Lowell's barricade was shuffled back to nearly the proper placement, returning the room to something approaching normalcy in the wake of the attack.

The now customary grunt of greeting has a bit of a pause to it. He gives her a good hard look.]

Kid, y'fit t'be going' anywhere?

I'm not made of whatever used to comprise those things.

[She's more contemptuous and overall moody than he's ever seen her. She looks down at the papers and then -- That reminds her of something. "Oh, bother, I never sent this," she mutters to herself malcontented and apologetic as she hits submit on the draft. Her schedule for the next two weeks]

That's not the only place I'll be going, either, anyway. It's such a shame that whole necromorph situation had to sap so much time and energy...

[He pulls up the schedule, brow furrowing a bit.]

Good thing, but y'don't look much like steel an' wired to me either.

[There's a soft hum in the room as he initializes the program sequence. The Transport Pad slowly starts warming up, coming to life one panel at time.]

Get some rest between these.

[Not like he could talk, but...]

I'll try... [As commonly happens when she's not sure she's getting anywhere on a task, one of her hands goes to her head.] It's not as if I have rowdy roommates, even after the latest wave. [She sounds wistful, not relieved, about this fact.]

Sometimes a touch a noise aint bad, yeah. Aint like the city neither. Too damn quiet when fuckin' monsters aint attackin.

I swear I feel like the absence of constant rain noises is giving me a hearing disorder.

[The crooked, split lipped grin takes a bit of a fond edge.]

Never figured I'd be right missin' a miserable drizzle, no.

[She shuffles over to her corner and starts organizing the papers that have piled up in her absence.]

You know, some people think we shouldn't go back down there any time soon, that it would be safer to operate remotely. I'm not sure if my disagreement is rational or sentimental.

[There's a pause in his work, a glance up at her over the console. Things he hadn't been expecting to hear... that.]

Sentimental?

Well, yeah, isn't that how you'd describe the desire to return to a place arbitrarily designated as "home"?

[Her voice does not contain a trace of irony.]

Yeah... it's somethin' like that.

[She kind of tries to "Heh", it doesn't really come out as more than a forced smirk with breath behind it.]

I guess you don't hear that terribly often.

Fair t'say it's new.

[He takes a sip of coffee and leans on one elbow.]

Aint got an answer if it's sentiment or rational like for ya. All I know is it don't matter if I remember all this or not. Aint nothin' in any world that's gonna keep me from goin' home, proper.

[At least they feel the same way.]

The reliability of memory is vastly overrated anyway.

[He actually laughs at that, almost a bark.]

Aint that t'truth.

It's been a hard lesson to learn, the undependability of the past... that's the other edge of its malleability, I guess?

Yeah. I aint one t'be throwin' spite at all we got left.

...

Been some days. Don't think I've said thanks. Finally makin' some headway on all this shit.

You're - very welcome. I'm just glad that I can help.

Ahiru will be here in a few minutes; is there anything you need right away before we're gone?

[He waves a hand and settles back behind his monitor.]

Take a break after this. I got it.

[She smiles, somewhat more at ease once she sees Kanaya's excitement. If she's so enthused about the mission, it's likely she's feeling confident about it. It's an indirect reassurance, and some of the fears from a moment ago slide away.]

I'm glad you're excited! I bet we'll do good. [And the smile grows a fraction before she answers.] Oh, I'm doing good! I'm excited too. Thank you for asking.

Catch Me Up On Getting Out Of Here

oh god i'm sorry again this is so late

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