EVENT: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: October 24 - October 31
Location: Throughout Exsilium
Characters: ALL; tag yourselves in
Summary: The Transports return from their mission to find the island crawling with monsters.
Warnings: Violence, possibly injuries (notify a mod if there's cause to add a particular warning!)

The Transports return from their mission to Medieval Russia, but the Initiative Hold is eerily deserted. Normally, their would be a number of Initiative personnel prepared to meet the Transports at the end of their mission for debriefing.

Instead, there is only silence.

That is, until a distant thumping sound can be heard. It is growing closer, and suddenly the beast is bursting into the room. It lets out a roar and charges. Within minutes, it is easily defeated, but damage has already been done -- it collided with the Transporter machine, which is now making a low fizzling sound and lets off a couple sparks. The commotion is enough to draw the attention of the few remaining Initiative personnel who still inhabit the Hold, who arrive immediately afterwards. They are able to tell the Transports two things: that the machine is broken and currently unable to sent anyone back in time, and that the island has been overrun with aggressive, mutated beasts sent by the United Earth. They have been under siege for months, with the island's population reduced to a mere fraction of what it had once been.

Comments

[speakveryclearly]

Kanaya balks for a moment in disappointment, realizing she's been deferred - it's a surprise, but in the next moment she understands that it shouldn't have been. "So you're leaving me here, then." That's what she understood.

[boughtabookstore]

A shrug, and Roslyn steps back and sits down on a handy rock. "No. I want to see how long it takes you, and I won't mind a chance to sit down for a little bit." She's been going a lot since this whole thing started. This will give her a short breathing space, and also ensure that she's positive Kanaya's ready to join a patrol.

[speakveryclearly]

Kanaya gets serious again, and after reloading her gun - by turning it to eyeshadow and back again - she focuses seriously before firing a full clip.

The resulting strikes nearly evenly divide the fourth ring into sixths. She scowls at the barrel in frustration. "Stupid evolution."

[boughtabookstore]

Roslyn watches without comment until the end, at which point she raises her eyebrows.

"Don't blame the weapon for something you don't yet have the skill to do." Calm and unhurried. "We have time. Practice takes time to make perfect."

[speakveryclearly]

"I just... get the feeling this happens on purpose." She tries again - five marks, all in the fifth ring - and is beginning to hiss under her breath.

[boughtabookstore]

"Pause." Frowning just a little bit, because she thinks that is something that could perhaps use a little clarifying. It might prove important, particularly since the weapon's sentient. "Explain what you mean by happening on purpose?"

[speakveryclearly]

She holds the makeup in her hands and stares down at it, despondent, philosophical. "It's... not an accident that the results come out this way." She uncaps and recaps the tube a few times, compulsively. "Nothing's..."

Come on, Kanaya. She knows she can do this. For crying out loud, she dated a riflekind user. She played.... SGRUB...

"Nothing's random," she declares decisively, as she grips the gun with both hands and fires off her entire clip again - an upside down five-pointed star in the third ring with the sixth bullet in the bullseye. "Everything is predetermined. Even weapon spread!"

[boughtabookstore]

An eyebrow raised as she watches that. Well, it's certainly results of a kind, but she's not at all sure how they were arrived at.

"Everything is random except what we directly influence." Shrugging, as she glances over at the results again. "Can you get that again?"

I wish I were sorry for this tag

[speakveryclearly]

"Yes."

She does.

heh no need

[boughtabookstore]

"Good." She leans forward, elbows on knees. "Now tell me how."

[speakveryclearly]

"Because I know that it's going to happen." She says this with the confidence of a former precognitive. "Once I have that awareness... it becomes repeatable. Reflexive."

[boughtabookstore]

There's a long evaluating pause, because if any of that made sense she really doesn't know, but all right. Apparently it works, at least. She stands. "Then you're good to go on patrol. You can come with me or find another group, whatever appeals to you more."

[speakveryclearly]

She brightens up - literally, again, bless her. "I'd much rather go with you--"

And then awkwardly it... strikes. Her. Well. "Ms...?"

[boughtabookstore]

She smiles, just a little bit. "Small. I'm Roslyn Small. And you can certainly come with me."

If nothing else, it means she can keep a closer eye on her and continue to figure her out.

[speakveryclearly]

"You--!!" She - realizes that might sound much ruder than she intended, but she recognizes that name by god. Two impressions merge into one in her head.

"You... you hike! You're the hiking woman." That's the first thing she can think of to convey the thread they shared back when she'd first come to the surface.

[boughtabookstore]

So she does remember that conversation. Well, she'd thought perhaps she might. Roslyn nods a little, shrugs. "I do hike, frequently. Yes."

[speakveryclearly]

"I didn't realize -- that was you." She clasps her hands behind her back shyly. "You were very helpful to me."

[boughtabookstore]

"Well, I was writing at the time. No voice to connect it to." A pause as she evaluates that, because she certainly hadn't realized she'd done any great amount of advice giving or help. "Did I? Well, good. I certainly attempt to be helpful."

[speakveryclearly]

"Better than most of the other respondees..." She shrugs. "Most were a little preoccupied with our planet of origin. Or the state of our borrowed soldier." Thinking about that guy some more, she adds, "Someone came along to heal him eventually, by the way."

[boughtabookstore]

"Eventually." It's a little stern, because they may be soldiers of their kidnappers but they are still people just doing a job. "Most of you use text. Many wouldn't have seen a troll in person yet."

[speakveryclearly]

"Maybe there's a reason for that." She's somewhat deflated by that, though her following of Roslyn hasn't flagged at all. "It was easier when networks primarily functioned that way. It took less time to respond to everyone..."

[boughtabookstore]

"I personally prefer texting, clearly." She shrugs a little, makes sure Kanaya isn't falling behind as they reach the outer boundaries. Time for a little stroll through the gates and out to where the monsters are. "But it's understandable that people would be curious when they hadn't seen a troll before."

[speakveryclearly]

"Even after one of your years I've had to continue adjusting to being the minority species..." It's hard and nobody understands. She still keeps up. "I still have to tell myself to expect it."

[boughtabookstore]

"Where were you the minority for a year? Since you just arrived here." She's seen the feeling before from her job, recognizes it a little bit.

[speakveryclearly]

"Oh, my first interdimensional grubnapping occurred at the hands of a human asylum. It kidnapped its patients just as the Initiative its Transports." She says this not as if it's entirely normal, a trip to the store, but still as a relatively ordinary catastrophe to happen, such as moving because one's childhood home burnt down.