Scene #4222: At the Mountains of Tharsis

Owner	Pose
Morrigan	The Tharsis National Park is a man-made paradise, an open acknowledgement of the triumph of Ubuntu. Nestled in Candor Chasma - a valley sven times as deep and broad as the Grand Canyon on Earth - Karen Ng'Mei's rustic cabin is another world to the Wargods pilots, something utterly removed from the cold gunmetal grey of the Yangtze and Indus. On the edge of a manmade lake, Levi moans. "This was a terrible idea," he says. "We're never going to be able to go back." Olefumi has just finished cooking barbecue. Now, he and the Wargods sit playing a bluffing game with bottle caps - Simms excluded, the Captain sleeps on a folding chair. It's cold, colder than Earth, but there's warmth and atmosphere enough down in the Chasma that no one needs to worry about pressure suits or breathing masks. "My parents were friends with an Elder," Laporte says. Olefumi leaps on it like a heat-seeker on a Tev. "Bullshit!" "No bullshit," she grins. "Gimme a cap."
Yulia Koslova	Yulia is admittedly still fuzzy on this 'Ubuntu' thing, but, she'll readily agree it's a triumph, all right. While the gravity still feels like Mars (which she's used to), it looks closer to the way she remembers Earth. The smell isn't quite right, but close enough for terraforming, right? Also, she brought a fruit salad. Real, fresh fruit, berries and grapes and chopped melon of some kind. Somewhere along the way, the young woman zipped up her windbreaker, but otherwise she doesn't seem to care all that much about the chill. With a "Thank you!" to Olefumi, she'll help herself to some of that barbeque, then have a seat down close to where he and the others are playing.
Zephyr Windstar	She's a bit late, but Zephyr arrives via a dimensional jump, her spell seal, one that the pilots might well recognize as it marks every single one of her spells, draws itself in an open area, filling in with that dark purple light, before a brief flare of white marks the Mage's transition from origin point to local area. She's wearing pretty casual clothes, a tee-shirt, cargo slacks and a pair of sneakers, with an airman's jacket baring the 493rd's patch on the shoulder. She lifts an arm to wave after arriving, her right wrist glinting with the partly hidden metal bracer that forms part of her Device. She's not brought anything with her but herself, though the Wargods probably remember her as a pretty tough if low endurance opponent in their sparring matches.
Rory White	A pillar of blue-white brilliance briefly flashes between the heavens and the Earth - well, mars. It's a teleport beam, and as it fades... Rory White's revealed. She's not in her flexbot shape today, oh no. Quite the opposite, she's entirely indistinguishable from any ordinary human (apart from the light blue hair), with fair, real-looking skin and blue eyes. She adjusts her pocketed white robes for a few moments then makes for the gathering with patiently measured and paced steps. "It's hard to believe that Mars could -ever- be made livable in any way.... to the point that a completely normal human can exist on the surface. The terraforming marvel this must have been...." The bluenette scientist stands up straight, hands at her sides, "Rory White... in the flesh, so to speak!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa had thought about coming in her synth but since food was involved she brought her primarybody, she was going to get to enjoy this meal one way or another. She'd be bea,ing in much in the sam way tht Rory has and the beam fades revealing Kotone and she lets out a whistle seeing a Green Mars more or less before her. "It really is something the sceince that went into this is bdyond me I'll admit and hello! I'm Kotone Yamakawa." She bows slightly and she's in a far more causl outfit a sleeveless jacket, top, small gloves, shorts, stocking and botss oddly together it worked well enough and she was also a bluentte much like Rory. Though something about the eyes was a bit off for her and maybe the lack of any real deformties in the visable parts of her body.
Morrigan	The new arrivals get warm greetings. If any of them notice Kotone's strangeness, none comment. But Rory's comment about Mars draws a reply from Olefumi, "Mars is nothing. We've got colonies on Io and Ganymede. Well, 'spose the Tevs have them now." He bumps his broad shoulders up in a shrug. The barbecue is good, but it's probably not 'real' meat. Something vat-grown, probably. "I was a graphic designer before I went Fleet," Karen Ng'Mei says. Levi nods. He's bald now, for whatever reason. "I'll buy it." "Have any of you played caps before?" Laporte asks the newcomers. "We can make space in the circle."
Zephyr Windstar	"Never played before." replies Zephyr as she approaches, hands stuffed in pockets. She takes a detour over to nab something from the barbeque, munching on it as she returns to the circle. "Waff uh rooth?" she asks around a mouthful of whatever that stuff is.
Yulia Koslova	Yulia does raise her brows at the others' entrance - is the the only one to come by shuttle - but then she smiles and waves to Zephyr, Rory, and Kotone as the join the party. As for what the barbeque really is, that doesn't matter so long as it tastes good, right? Which, after popping a morsel in her mouth, she decides is definitely the case. "Mm!" A grin toward Olefumi. "My compliments to the chef." Followed by, "All the way out to Ganemede, huh? There's a tiny colony out orbiting our Jupiter, but it's not much more than a tritium mining rig." She leans in a bit when talk turns to this game that their hosts are playing. "I haven't," she admits with a small shake of her head.
Rory White	"Then I'm sure the people behind it will have a lot to say to the Reclaimers and terraforming movements back home. IO of all places?! That volcanic nightmare?!" Rory exclaims, disbelieving... but she watches the goings-on with very focused attention. "No... no idea what game this is..."
Morrigan	"It's a bluffing game," Laporte says. "You claim something, someone else calls it as true or false. If you've lied, you give them one of your caps." The caps in question appear to be bottlecaps from bottles of beer. "Whoever gets the most caps, wins." "Like this," Levi says. "So, the Indus deck crew and I tested the shock clamps on the hangar deck by strapping my Kent in and firing the afterburners..." Shocked gasps echo around the circle. "Simms would have killed you!" "Oh, she was furious." He glances to the sleeping Simms. "I can prove it, too. The Captain talks in her sleep, and she's on a hair trigger. Behold." Levi raises his voice slightly. "Captain, about the incident with the shock clamps-" Simms explodes in her sleep. "FLIGHT LIEUTENANT LEVI, I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN YOU FOR A SECOND-RATE ITEM OF HELMHOLTZ TRASH, QUALIFIED AS A PILOT ONLY INASMUCH AS YOU CAN YANK YOUR FLIGHT STICK LIKE A LONELY TEENAGER, ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE YOUR ANCESTORS WERE DUMB ENOUGH TO SETTLE A PLANET SO HOSTILE THAT COWARDICE WAS THE ONLY VALID SURVIVAL STRATEGY! AND NOW I FIND THAT OPINION WAS A CONSIDERABLE OVERESTIMATION! SO IF YOU EVER-" She flails out an arm, tips over in the chair and awakens on the Martian ground. The Wargods don't stop laughing until she pulls rank.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Curious, the best my world can do for enviormental improvment is clean up radioactive contamptio. Wait ... but given the mass of those worlds....damn that really s impressive." Vatmeat still hadto come from a animal somewhere down the line and it's not soy, so Kotone is more than happy to dig in. She looks to Karan for amoment ponering this. "I was a mechanic and vechile designer myself I still do orders fort custom motorcy....." She joins the wargods in laughing she can't help it as much as she tries to /stop/
Zephyr Windstar	Welp... you see that quivering mass on the floor? The one wearing the 493rd division's flight jacket? Yeah, that's Zephyr, rolling around in uncontrolled laughter at the Captain's expense. Even once she pulls rank, the Mage won't stop, not for a good while anyway, and even then, she'll snicker and chortle for the next few hours at least.
Yulia Koslova	Yulia gives the barest of frowns when it dawns on her where those bottlecaps came from...but that doesn't last long. Not with that story, and not with the laughter that comes with it! She finds herself joining in with a snickerfit's worth of giggles, one that almost sends her plate tipping off her lap, but she manages to catch it in time. Once things are called back to order, she pops another bite of barbeque in her mouth, a good way to consider while giving good excuse to not talk for a minute. "I don't know..." she says after she's swallowed. "Seems unfair, since you guys really don't know that much about me..."
Morrigan	Simms settles next to Laporte as she reluctantly hands a cap to Levi. "All's fair in love and caps," Levi tells Yulia. Then, "You're up, Laporte." "When I was a kid..." she says, "I had an invisible friend named Ken. He told me I had to watch the ants in the yard go to war, the red ones and the black ones... and that I had to choose one side to win. He said it was the way of things. And, so, I got a garden hose and I took him- I took him really seriously..." Simms bursts into laughter. "That's got to be true. No one could make that up. You're crazy, Laporte, and I'm glad you're on my side." With that, the Wargods turn expectantly to the newcomers. "It's caps, or you can go for a swim in the lake," Simms says. The water must be freezing.
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr finally gets out of her laughing fit, snickering occasionally as she joins the circle. "Okay then, I'll go." she offers, before closing her eyes. Breath. "When I was eight years old, I watched my mother die protecting me and my father from a raging Ral'girak. It's... what did you describe it as Dee?" she then suddenly asks her Device. Divine Wind chimes <A cross between an elephant, a rhinocerus and a leopard, with scales.> "Right, thanks."
Yulia Koslova	Yulia purses her lips as she looks down at the caps...and then her gaze slowly shifts away, toward the lake. It lingers there for a lomg moment. Then, she sets her plate aside and unzips her windbreaker. "All right then."
Morrigan	Levi purses his lips, watching Windstar closely. "Yeah, that's true," he says. "Listen to the other voice - she's got someone backing her up." "Or they're both lying, and you're an idiot," counters Simms.
Rory White	Even Rory ends up making a face at the apparent sleep-talking. Confounded, disbelieving... and a bit deer-in-headlightsy. She's SO not used to casual carousal of this sort! One can only imagine how much her Muse had to help her with some of that slang and references. A few of which are a bit on the odd side indeed.
Yulia Koslova	While the others debate Truth or Bluff on Zephyr's morbidish story, Yulia loosely folds her windbreaker up, sets it on top of her now vacant seat, and proceeds toward the water's edge. Her pink long-sleeved shirt and boots are likewise shed along the way, and by the time she gets there, she's down to her sleeveless military-style tank top, dog-tags, and pants. Wait, she's serious?
Zephyr Windstar	"Oh it's true." Remarks Zephyr, smirking mirthlessly. "S'how I got this." she explains, thumbing at the jagged scar bisecting her left eye. "Went to help 'er... got clawed for the trouble." She shrugs then. "Heh, sorry to be a downer."
Morrigan	"I think we all have our downer moments here," Ng'mei says, smiling. Meanwhile, Levi is watching Koslova, mouth agape - maybe for a few reasons, but most likely because earlier he found out the truth of how cold the water is. "Are you serious?!" he calls. "Seems she is," Simms says. She nods to Rory. "You up?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa Seems amused abotu things she looks at the person on the ground tgen finally stops laughing as she listens to the stories she just looks at Zephyr with an honest look of horror on her face... and isn't sure what she should do when it's her turn.'
Yulia Koslova	Ker-splash! Well, that answers that. Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! So cold so cold so cold! Yulia comes up sputtering, tossing her head to get the water and bangs out of her eyes. "N-n-not so bad!" she declares. Never mind that her teeth are already chattering.
Rory White	"U-Up for which?!" Rory squeaks, realizing she's being pointed at... and looking after Yulia. Then at Simms. Then Yulia again. "Swimming?"
Morrigan	Swimming. After a few seconds for everyone to watch and stare as Yulia braves the freezing Martian waters, Levi stands up. From behind, Simms shoves him, and Levi stumbles and falls into the water. "Surf's up," Simms says. Levi pops his head up from below the waves. "I think I'm dying! You've killed me, Simms!" "Swimming," Simms says, "Or caps. You got something to call?"
Yulia Koslova	Yulia is treading water, trying to keep her muscles from completely seizing up after having willingly dunked herself like this, and trying to put on a big grin, though the effect is marred by her teeth chattering like mad. And then poor Levi gets dunked, not by his own choosing. She shriek-giggles as she gets caught in the backsplash, but after shaking her head to get the water out of her eyes again, she'll half-swim half water-tread over to him. "Not so bad, right?" Only afterward does it occur to her, "Someone did b-b-bring towels, right?"
Rory White	"But... I don't feel cold that way!" Rory protests... but only mildly. She soon ponders the novelty of the situation. She's never actually tried to swim before, and it's not like she can drown. ... swimming in low gravity could be a very fun experience! Instead of changing clothes however, her clothes change on their own. The robes seem to lose cohesion and move like flowing sand, albeit slowly. In about a minute they've reshaped into a skin-tight white bathing suit. Only her head, hands, and feet are bare, and she looks human enough. "A-alright, it's worth a try!" And she just sort of... walks. Straight into the lake. ... past her head. Ten seconds later her head breaks the surface. Rory's got her arms spread out and is making some awkward motions in an attempt to mimic Yulia's treading water. The cold's not bothering her at all. But she looks at Yulia nearby and frowns. "Sensors tell me the water is far below flat tolerances... don't take too many chances! Hypothermia is a serious medical condition!" She warns Yulia, pleadingly. 'Don't be TOO reckless.'
Morrigan	The Wargods watch as Rory walks out and... under the water. There's silence, and then laughter as she reappears. "Ay," Olefumi calls, "You've been swimming before, eh?" Levi stumbles out of the water, shaking like he's being followed by his own localised marsquake. Ng'mei is waiting with a set of towels. "C'mon, Simms, first my hair - now this. I'm going to start thinking you like me. Almost."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Your turn Rory isn't it? Come on it will be fun! I can't take the swimming out I might sink like a rock." E she's got a basic floatation system in her body. She is wearing smart clothes though idf she does need to go in she's totally got a camera out and is taking a photo of Rory with a big old grin on her face. "... someday we'll help you catch the being social thing better." She looks to the group for a moment. It's my trun now, right?"
Rory White	"First time actually doing it outside a Simulspace and it isn't what I expected! ... Being buoyant's such a weird sensation.... so strange. So different from getting around in micrograv." She excitedly comments, transitioning into an incredibly impractical-looking backstroke that ends up with her going completely under in a flop. Only to rise again. It's a bit of an odd thing though. Where most people would maybe have their eyes scrunched closed or show even slight discomfort or effort to breathe, she's taking it completely in stride. Well that might be obvious. "This is almost a reason to be jealous of Dolphin uplifts... the way they move through the water... could mimic that shape if I was sleeved into the Flexbot..." Hearing the laughter, she turns about to peer BEWILDEREDLY at the group that's now retreating... and that puzzled look's captured in Kotone's camera too. "Wha... what's so amusing, Kotone?"
Morrigan	"That it is," Simms tells Kotone. "Got something to call?" She turns a bottlecap between her fingers, around and around again. "Dolphin, huh?" Olefumi says, "They get the fins and everything?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Oh the look on your face and something else." She's giggling but opens a channel. <<Just your adorably aquard at times Rory about as bad as I am when it comes to your world's culture or being digital>> She grins to the pilots and says "As much as you'd like to see me soaked from swimming I have a tale for you. "When I was a kid I was conviced when someone was agumented they'd use an Icecream scoop to remove someone's brain for cybernetic conversion. I thought his was insanity until I was facing my own.... when I was far older and just before I passed out I heard Turkey in the Staw a song comonly ... played by ice cream trucks on my world .. echo through the ER before I passed out, and when I awaken afterwards ... I had the world's worse brain freeze."
Rory White	Adorably awkward? This concept leaves Rory's face frozen as she tries to figure out if this should be insulting, bemusing, or something else instead of just bewildering. "Dolphins! ... there was an effort decades ago to give intelligence to many creatures. Parrots, octopi, chimpanzees, dolphins and whales... they arent' well-treated by most groups though. Sometimes no better, or even worse, than AGIs like myself..."