Scene #8812: Voluspa: First Contact

Owner	Pose
Dysnomia	The warpgate is a teardrop of whirling, opaque silver-white, like snow, like lightning. And from the moment it comes into view, it's obvious that something here has gone wrong. Yellow hazard tape has walled off the scaffolding leading up into the gate. Instruments pointed at the tear beep and sound. The people milling outside the gate are painfully easy to divide into three groups. There are the gawkers. There always are; not all of them even callous...At least on purpose. Drawn to the show of a tragedy, by morbid curiosity, by a desire to come to teh flashing lights and despair, some vestigal instinct baked into the human brain when every member of a community knew every other, when every tragedy made ripples through all, where not being there could hurt. Then, there are the professionals. Carrying small arms, and wearing uniforms, with bored-but-attentive looks on their faces. Yesterday, they patrolled a warpgate dividing the superplanet from ravenous zombie hordes, or starving vampires, or ecology-destroying spores, and tomorrow there would be another threat just like this one, or worse. Then, there were the others. The smallest group. The ones at the heart of it all. They were a ragtag bunch, wearing matching red vests with identical emblems on their left breast. There were a half-dozen of them, and they watched the tear with yearning and horror and anticipation. It's one of these who meets you, a man with a thinly stubbled face, worry gnawing behind his eyes. "Are you the volunteers? Thank god." A tablet is held up, as he begins to scroll through pictures. They seemed hastily put together--it wasn't professional at all. Messily cropped images of them making faces, or standing shoulder to shoulder. "Rashid and Ashley went in first--" He choked. Closed his eyes. Another man's hand touched his shoulder. "--We work in pairs. So no one ever goes alone. We didn't hear back for them for twenty-four hours. So Tabbi and Sam followed them..." "...And they went missing too. I couldn't let in any more, if it would just catch them too." More pictures; how old was this one? Sam scarcely looked older than Meika. "They've gone on expeditions into gates before. They know how to take care of themselves. Something happened to them. I know it." "Find out what happened and bring them back. Please."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine shows up early, like she had nothing better to do. Like she was eager to get into some real trouble. She seems in high spirits today - there's almost, but not quite, a bounce in her step. Torrie stayed home, it seems, but the spear called Drogrung is here, lazily watching the other elites from Madeleine's back. The huntress chimes in with a question at the first opportunity. "What sort of gear did you send them in with? Tools, weapons, vehicles, anything that they could lose that isn't just body parts." She pulls out her ritual knife and inspects it idly while awaiting an answer. "And are any of you lot coming through with us Elites?"
Odette Raskins	When news of a search and rescue mission comes in, Odette's actually eager to get to work for the first time in days. When she actually sees what's going on, though, that eagerness turns into confusion. She can recognize the usual signs of onlookers and things being cordoned off for their safety, but she isn't quite sure what she's looking at in the first couple of seconds. Thus, she turns to the ragtag bunch that make themselves immediately known as the ones willing to talk to the obvious outsiders. Dressed in her blue and white-ish uniform indicating her as some kind of space EMT, Odette raises her ID-on-a-lanyard in passing to the professionals before turning to the speakers. "Odette Raskins, company EMT. Um. I-I've been assigned to help look for your friends, too." She explains, frowning a bit in concerned sympathy when the stubbled man speaks. "We'll do our best to find and get them out of there, okay? Any info you have would be great, though, yeah." She explains, nodding at Madeleine briefly and piggybacking off her questions next. "Do you have any communication signals or callouts or anything that we could use and they'd recognize if they can hear us?" She pauses, looking over at the messed up warpgate. "Or... D-did anything ever come out of there that wasn't them?"
Angela	It's time for... Lobotomy Corp's most expendable agents? Well the truth is...all Agents are expendable but the ones that Lobotomy Corp are less concerned with losing tend to be the Agents that aren't already attuned to strong EGO, haven't proven themselves to the company, and aren't Outsiders who have a whole set of different management rules than Agents do. This means that the team sent out today are Moku (silent, Clouded Monk EGO GEAR), Fox (orange hair, glasses Old Lady EGO Gear), and Yuri (Snow Queen EGO Gear, chill personality too). Of the three, only Yuri is really considered a 'strong Agent' and Fox is there because they need ''A'' Captain present and Moku's inability to communicate means she is generally kind of unhelpful as far as L-Corp operations go. Leading this team is Malkuth, because Angela tends to not get personally involved in these cases--she has no doubt seemed like a hands-on manager herself as of late but that was because she had some personal interest in a sudden and large number of outings that this one does not yet qualify for. As such, Malkuth is taking charge as this sort of situation is Control's area of expertise (which may explain why Yuri is present). "Mm." Malkuth says from her pad that Yuri is holding. "Well do not assume the worst yet! If it was immediately fatal you almost certainly would have heard a scream or a noise, so it is possible that they merely ran into hostile elements beyond the Warpgate which means they may yet be alive! And at the very least, if we lose our entire team--''I'' am safely back at L Corp and can fill you in on all the gruesome details!" "Don't worry," Yuri says. "We're not planning on dying or anything either but we're experts in dealing with Anomolies. Don't come in after us if we don't report back immediately." "..." Moku adds. "Hah... I packed the HP Ampules but I'm not too keen on being the third group neither. But orders are orders and I need the money. Please tell me you had some sort of comms open to get something or any clue what's on the other side." As Fox is quizzing, Moku just goes right on through the Warpgate.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Phreak arrives on the scene in a blur, stopping on a dime with a sharp bank that brings his figure into clear focus. Rust-colored treated leather of some sort is interwoven with ablative metal panels. Some of them sport vents, and from within those fluted vents there is the occasional gleam of some internal light or the reflection of a cooling fan. The sleeves of this armor are absent, his wiry-but-toned grey arms exposed to open air. Golden eyes, behind a soft blue hardlight visor, sweep the scene, as mirrored readouts slowly scroll across the visor. Are you the volunteers? Thank god. "Don't thank God. Thank us. We're the ones who actually showed up," says the fixer sourly. Two obscenely large submachine guns, one to a thigh, gleam as one leg is planted on the ground. They're large and blocky enough to call into question the health of his wrists. The other leg remains on the hoverboard by which he arrived, its turbines steadily spinning with a gentle whine. The messily-cropped photos are saved somehwere, displayed mirrored on the surface of his visor. Find out what happened and bring them back. Please. "Got it. One sec." Phreak's grey fingers race across a keyboard only fainly displayed on the visor, projected onto the air by some sort of AR display. A flick of his golden eyes, and the pictures are minimized, pushed to one corner of the display. A picture of the Warpgate is snapped, then reduced to the size of the pictures of missing explorers. A few instant message conversations are opened; attachments included. One doesn't need to be able to read mirrored text to discern that Phreak doesn't get any bites. 'Uncharted' means 'uncharted.' Pushing a breath between his lips, Phreak mashes 'Escape' a few times, until the pictures and the instant messenger fade from his visor. Something else pops up, looking more like a command prompt. "Don't close the programs I'm running on you, if you don't wanna get fucked up and left behind," he advises, generally. Sure enough, the vision of anyone intending to help with the search and rescue sports a pair of sketchy-looking splash screens. They hover at the corner of one's vision, for such time as it takes the programs to initialize. They're kind you tend to see on cracked software or on programs existing entirely for and by niche subcommunities. The first logo is that of a cracking community, called the Smoker's Lounge, a circle of shadowed figures sitting at a table with a halo of blue-grey smoke overhead. It disappears; a glitchy message asking for credentials is dismissed. A cracked emergency surgery program (renamed by the cracking group as "Dr. Hack 'n Quack," bearing a crudely drawn duck with a head mirror giving a thumbs-up) is directed towards everyone, to keep them in fighting shape should they take any nasty hits. The second seems to be something Phreak wrote himself (as evidenced with 'by Phreak' beneath the splash page)--a program called "Gridspace Freedom, Offworld ver. 2.0." As it runs, there's a feeling of being light on the feet. Odette Raskins, company EMT. Phreak's golden eyes size her up. "EMT, huh? Good. HNQ is triage 'ware, not like what real doctors use. Be nice to have you along." And at the very least, if we lose our entire team--''I'' am safely back at L Corp and can fill you in on all the gruesome details! Phreak spits. "Yeah, I heard you saying these were your most expendable agents. I bet they're real fuckin' happy to hear it. Jerkoff." he adds, not bothering to mutter under his breath. "I'll be waiting on the other side," he says, generally, to everyone. "Don't dick around too much--we're burning daylight." With that, he steps through himself.
Sarracenia	Though not the first to arrive, Sarracenia arrives in a timely manner like she too has little else going on. And to show she is taking it seriously she is wearing her battle dress. The black leather number with the red metal plates riveted on in appropriate places. She has her hammer - a weapon as tall as she is and with a head that is likely heavier than she is - resting over her shoulder. She wants to look ready for action when she arrives. When asked if she is among the volunteers, she smirks confidently and nods. "Indeed! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, at your service! And, I have all the provisions with me that any injured or starving survivors might need." she says, holding up her satchel that doesn't look like it could carry much more than a few sodas. She looks around after to see if anyone here is among the group that's after her head. She doesn't see any that she's aware of, but does see Madeleine. She offers a wave in greeting, then returns her attention to the questions being asked. And blinks in surprise as a couple of their number just...waltz right on in. The princess huffs softly. She gets those pictures on her phone, then heads right on in herself. "No time to waste! They would be in danger!"
Meika Kirenai	The Eggman Empire Quicknest's formerly-royal Castle EARLIER: A handheld radio buzzes to life, blinking that it's recieving. <Q-conversation> Explorer Noah says, "A-attention..." He takes a deep breath. "Attention Sector Zero. I am making a missing persons report." An emergency broadcast is a good way to stir from the aimless ambling around castle grounds that have filled Meika's morning. Kicking emptied-out beer bottles and cans from the night at Petra's robotic staffers, staring at propped up displays of fancy decorative armor made for Quicknest inhabitants of- actually, Meika has no idea if these are historical artifacts or something regularly used. History lessons, even with what Petra would have known and cared to mention on her rudimentary castle tour she'd mentioned, are far from sticky enough in the magical girl's brain for her to recall. Even the dreary chatter between the two is faded, but that's part of the point of drinking with friends, isn't it? It's a comforting distraction, being there, but it's quiet and empty, too. As her footsteps don't echo down lavish halls of Petra's newly-acquired castle, Meika is somewhat glad for something loud and exciting to come over her radio, even if it's trouble. Especially since it's trouble. Stone brickwork mutes and distorts the girl's voice when she stops to listen in, and make up her mind whether it's worth answering. A cigarette butt gets tossed- flicked, really, at an old-timey empty fireplace, that ought to be bringin warmth to the drafty halls. Bundled up in her ever-present letterman, Meika barely notices the chill. <Q-conversation> Explorer Noah says, "Oh, thank you! Thank you--I'll pass you the coordinates. . . . <Q-conversation> Meika Kirenai static-crackles on, her voice faintly echo-y. "... Rescue? Where- what're- can you share them here, too? I- I want to..." <Q-conversation> Explorer Noah isn't about to turn down more help. "I can. Here it is..." He lists off a multiversal address. <Q-conversation> Meika Kirenai sounds... slightly eager? "Right, right. Thanks, Mister. I'm sure your friends are- will be just... yeah." Silently, with, for once, no eyes to watch her, Meika is smiling wide. Unknown Warpgate Proximity NOW: Meika Kirenai looks like a dime-a-dozen disheveled highschool basket case, not an Elite, as she makes her way to the coordinates given. She's even waring a school uniform, albeit one she's expelled from, now. The crowds of gawkers are awkward enough to push past and through, with muffled 'Sorry''s)], uncomfortable shoulder-brushes, and a nigh-unbearable ankle-rolling stumble or two, but it's the actual professionals, in the barricades and preparations they've set up, that makes Meika wish she was invisible, or could otherwise dissapear, to meet the gaze from. Stop looking at me like I shouldn't be here. A whisper here and there, twisting words a little, or just making little distractions like the sound of falling ammo tubs and expensive scanning equipment, just to make heads turn, lets her cover the gap, when it's not like she can just say she's there with the Paladins, anymore.
Meika Kirenai	'Are you the volunteers? Thank god.' Meika's mouth opens up, half sneering, at the first part of Noah's words, to try and defend her place in part of something she justifiably doesn't look the part of. His relief, though, catches her off guard, and she looks towards the ground instead. "Yeah. I'm- I'm here to help, Mister." As if that's believable. "... A collage..?" That thought is something Meika didn't mean to let slip past her lips, as she scans her eyes over the tablet. It feels like her heart is in her throat. I'm sure they're okay. You wouldn't know if- Her hands ball up at her sides- then, in a stilted, performative act of 'you're in good hands', Meika sticks her hand out towards Noah, to shake. "Meika Kirenai, Chevalier Vermillion- I'm a magical girl, Mister. I'll help get your friends back, okay?" Smiling isn't easier after words so forced, but it's the thing that's needed. "Rashid, Ashley, Tabbi, and- and S-sam. I promise." It's oh so easy to make a promise that'll put you in the line of fire if it's broken, if that's the goal. Meika swallows- it feels like she's choking down barbed wire. "Do you know anything, um, anything at all, about what's on the other side? It's important, if you do. It'll help us a lot, I think." Meika's unslinging a duffel bag- to grab both a baseball bat, and her worn out sketchbook from within. Essential equipment. Her gun can wait until she's not front and center with professionals staring down. 'Do you have any communication signals or callouts or anything that we could use and they'd recognize if they can hear us?' Oh. That's a really good idea. I guess she's- Meika coughs. "You're- have you done stuff like this before, Miss- Raskins? You're- I've heard your voice, right..?" Odette's next question has the magical girl wince. "... Oh. That's- that'd be scary. I hope not..." Rocking where she stands, in her unlaced boots, Meika takes a deep breath. Her arms swing a bit, clutching a torn off-page, and she finally steps towards the teardrop gateway. "Right. Bet you this won't- won't take too long at all, Misters." And through she goes.
Dysnomia	"What sort of gear did you send them in with? Tools, weapons, vehicles, anything that they could lose that isn't just body parts...And are any of you lot coming through with us Elites?" "It's not big enough for vehicles." He spoke up, premptively defensive. "They're here to help, Noah." A gentle chide. A deep breath, and Noah forces herself to be clinical. "We all carry a pistol." He pulled a sleek steel gun from a holster at his side, displaying it for them to see. "The same make. A breathing mask and an oxygen tank, a geiger counter, body cameras, flares...And our combat knives." "I'll go with you. If--When we find them, they'll recognize--" Noah make a decision, immediately. "We work in pairs." The look his partner gave him was surprised, first. Then warm. "Odette Raskins, company EMT...D-did anything ever come out of there that wasn't them?" "No, nothing. The gate has been quiet for days." He gave Odette a sickly, unhappy smile. "I'm glad you're here. I hope we won't need your help." "Meika Kirenai, Chevalier Vermillion- I'm a magical girl, Mister. I'll help get your friends back, okay?" Elites are a strange bunch and it's hard to get around just how different they could be. But...Meika didn't look much older than one of the friends they'd just lost. Even as Noah shook her hand, automatically, the the worry was writ plain on his face. "Hello Meika." His partner said. "I'm Levi, and this is Noah." He bit briefly down on his lip. "Be careful. We don't know why they haven't come back..." "Please tell me you had some sort of comms open to get something or any clue what's on the other side." "Do you know anything, um, anything at all, about what's on the other side? It's important, if you do. It'll help us a lot, I think." "We didn't have time to establish proper communication, but we have our early scout drone data." He stands up straight. "Standard nitrogen-oxygen mix. Breathable atmosphere. It's cold, but not outside earth-standard. Gravity isn't much heavier. Radiation readings don't make much sense, but shouldn't be harmful. But it's enough to know it's a non-earth planet." "Don't close the programs I'm running on you, if you don't wanna get fucked up and left behind," Noah's eyes come alight as he feels Phreak's programs starting to run, bouncing up and down twice to give them a test. "This should be more than enough to compensate for the change in gravity..." They give Sarracenia's satchel a disbelieving stare as she gestures toward it. Decide that Odette and Phreak would have them covered anyway. "Stay together! We need to watch each other's backs...!" Levi tool hold of Noah's hands, pulling him through the warpgate after the others.
Dysnomia	Passing through the warpgate like this, there's a sensation, something like pressing against surface tension. When breach through, it flows about them, engulfs them. For a timeless moment, feeling nothing else-- --And then they're through, the 'substance' of the warpgate parting around them as they step into... In a moment's disorientation, it's easy to think something must have gone wrong, that you mustt be underwater. Around you, a vast forest of kelp stretches into the sky, lazily floating. Green, with glowing veins running through them. Above, in a half-cloudy sky, burns a sun a color far too vibrant and red an orange to be earth's. There's a CRUNCH, stepping through the warpgate, as feet break through a heavy snow. The cold bites, hard, while schools of fish fly in eerie, silent harmony far overhead, shimmering, like silver clouds cutting across the sky. Around the warpgate, the kelp has been systematically cut down, leaving a wide swath of space between the gate and the forest. The snow around them was smooth and unmarred. A paranoid thought nibbled at the agent's minds. Their heartrates spiked. Their eyes kept trying to tug themselves up to the same points. But, they saw the same thing everyone else saw. There was nobody there.
Angela	Malkuth is rightfully called out for her attitude. "Not to worry, Agents have to schedule their use of the public bands ahead of time so they didn't hear any of that!" She tells Phreak despite Phreak just now telling everybody what she said and Malkuth not denying it. "Ahah.... A lot of work where we're from is like that." Yuri tells Phreak. "Malkuth gets this way sometimes." "Glad to know it's not something everyone's used to," Fox mutters which might be why he was included in the 'expendables'. Moku is looking up at the sun, shading her eyes with her straw hat to provide some cover. "..." She says. Fox and Yuri, who waited to get more information before going on through, end up following along near the rear. Yuri seems unaffected by the cold, but Fox is shivering and Moku is probably just relying on good old fashioned willpower. Moku points silently towards the cut down kelp and looks to Phreak. She holds up a hand, cupped with palm facing down and swings it from side to side. Some time after going through, Fox gets a little antsy and taps his foot rapidly against the floor. "Doesn't feel right. Our guys wouldn't have cut this mumch kelp away right? ... Let's head back before something happens." "..." Yuri frowns and places her index finger on her wrist. "...Nothing's here... So why does it feel like we're under attack?" Moku crouches down by the snow and points to it and makes her hand flat, swinging it from side to side like she's brushing off a countertop before shrugging both her shoulders. A bead of sweat drips down her chin. "Hm... Yuri, take a kelp sample. Carefully.") Malkuth suggests and Yuri ducks down to do just that, aiming to store it into a vial to bring back to Lobotomy Crp. It's those glowing veins that drew Malkuth's interest.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine steps through the gate after the warpgate team personnel. She likes passing through warpgates, the sense of removal from physical space is predictably comforting for a being like her. As the sunlight hits her eyes she doesn't blink - she doesn't have eyelids - but she does squint reflexively. "No tracks," she says, examining the snow. "Must be fresh. That'll make our job a little harder." Then she looks up, at the towering kelp and the schools of 'fish'. For a moment she shields her eyes from the sun with one hand and takes in the view with a look of simple admiration on her face. "With the kelp cleared like this, whatever lives here probably knows what a warpgate is, at least roughly," she says, idly kicking at a kelp-stump. She leans down closer to examine how fresh the cuts are.
Odette Raskins	"And at the very least, if we lose our entire team--''I'' am safely back at L Corp and can fill you in on all the gruesome details!" Malkuth doesn't fill Odette with confidence. That even seems to inspire a little more dread on the EMT's face despite her attempts to smile through it all. "D.. Don't worry. We'll be back after all this! No... No gruesome details needed." "But orders are orders and I need the money." Odette nods slowly shortly after Fox says that, closing her eyes for a moment. Finally, someone else gets it! When she reopens her eyes, though, she jumps a bit when there's suddenly more stuff showing on her fancy glasses' HUD than the usual readouts she's used to getting from them. She peers at the stuff Phreak's laid out for everyone, and she can't help but let out an awed noise as she notices that lightness in her step. "HNQ is triage 'ware, not like what real doctors use. Be nice to have you along." "Every bit helps! Between that and the.. This." She jogs in place briefly, still getting used to that feeling. "Especially if.. Um. Well, let's hope neither your medical thing or my stuff'll be needed that much." She chimes in with a hopeful tone in her voice, but in that trying-too-hard kind of way that makes it clear she's not counting on that. She also doesn't realize what she might have just implied about not needing medical care at all. "And, I have all the provisions with me that any injured or starving survivors might need." Anyone that has food ready can't be that bad. That gets a firm nod from Odette as well, although her thoughts do already start drifting towards getting herself ready for the worst. "Good thinking. If-uh. When we find them. Th-they'll probably be real hungry, yeah." Thinking about how it's been days with no contact doesn't help her feel any more confident about what she just said. "You're- have you done stuff like this before, Miss- Raskins? You're- I've heard your voice, right..?" Another familiar voice has Odette turning to Meika with a briefly confused look, then a quick nod as she realizes that Meika might actually be... Someone close to her age! Maybe? Maybe. Would it be impolite to ask? "Yes! Um. H-hi, Miss Meika. Well. Kinda? Nothing like this, but I've heard stories of things out there being able to imitate voices. Having a unique call's good for this kind of.. Um. Situation." Between Moku, Phreak, Sarracenia, and Meika, all heading right on in, though, Odette doesn't have a lot of time left for questioning the pair about the actual situation. She does get some helpful answers, though, breathing a light sigh of relief when Noah tells her that the warpgate hasn't had any other activity beyond eating his friends. "Let's hope, yeah. And if it's a breathable atmosphere that's safe enough for humans..." She adjusts her hold on her duffel bag, then pats it once. "That kind of info'll help plenty, too. Less to worry about for us, and I'll be able to reserve the tank for anything else that might come up." Running to catch up with the advance team, Odette closes her eyes as she goes right through that warp gate like doing so might protect her from whatever might hit her on the other side. She promptly yelps in terrified surprise when the underwater feeling hits her, and her hand is already shooting for her bag when she realizes that she's stepping on.. Snow? Snow, flying fish, rising kelp, and fairly rough coldness all over. She's not drowning, at least, so she's not in a rush to get anything other than one of those packable bubble jackets out of her bag to slip on underneath her uniform jacket. "Intel from their scouts checks out.. Th-that's good. But..." Odette looks down at the snow finally, turning in place slowly to get a better look at her surroundings before looking back up at the kelp and seeing if there's any kind of path through all the kelp that to guide the way. "The snow's too smooth for anyone to have come here. Unless it snowed recently?"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	"Fuck, that's cold," Phreak complains, his breath visible as vapor flying forth with force matched to the vitriol of the complaint. Trails of steam gently float upwards from the hoverboard's turbine, its air cushion gently displacing the snow. A lot of work where we're from is like that. Malkuth gets this way sometimes. "Maybe she should 'get' one between the eyes. You ever think about that?" He shakes his head, focusing on the mission. Moku points silently towards the cut down kelp and looks to Phreak. She holds up a hand, cupped with palm facing down and swings it from side to side. "You asking me to cut down more? No can do," says the fixer, patting one of his blocky, oversized SMGs. "These aren't rated for that." Moku crouches down by the snow and points to it and makes her hand flat, swinging it from side to side like she's brushing off a countertop before shrugging both her shoulders. "No, you're right. No footprints," he says. He holds a palm out, looking up into the sky. "And it's not snowing. So either it just finished snowing, or we're getting fucked around." Let's head back before something happens. "Don't talk shit about my nanos," says Phreak, interpreting Fox's fear in the most toxic and least possibly helpful way. "If you die, God himself couldn't have saved you. Alright?" "We got fliers? Up with me, for a second." Phreak leans forward on his blue hoverboard, his boots solidly on the black grip-tape, Its soft whine pitches louder, slightly higher, as it takes off into the air. Instinctively, one gray hand is cupped over his visor as the surveys the kelp forest for any further signs of habitation, or for anything that looks like a monster's lair. Berc'd make this easier.
Sarracenia	When Meika steps through, Sarracenia...is right there. Nose slightly upturned, a frown on her face, and her eyes sizing Meika up. "So...you are Meika. Chevalier Vermillion. Magical girl." she says, arms crossed and hammer planted in the ground head down. The princess stands several inches taller than Meika, and makes sure the difference is felt. Of course, her attempt at being intimidating might be undermined by how she is already shivering thanks to the biting cold and snow. "You really are a child..." she says, then hmphs and turns away. "Well, we are allies on this endeavor, so -I- at least will attempt to be civil." she says, even as she starts digging in her satchel. She pulls out what looks to be some sort red glowing flower, gives it a squeeze, and in a poof...the princess's color scheme changes to a flame design. She holds up her hands and fireballs appear, radiating warmth to help fight the cold. She takes a look around after that. Kelp? Flying fish? But they...aren't underwater? She looks around at the thick snow. "...fish and kelp in the snow? And it is cut but...there are no footprints or anything?" As others start coming through, Sarra holds up one of those fire flowers to anyone who wants one. It might look a bit unusual, but the fire is sure to help fight the cold and provide a way to melt the snow if wanted. "Do not be shy~ You could look stylish and be warm~" Phreak's programs are somewhat distracting, but Sarra tries to ignore the logos as best she can until they disappear. He asks for fliers, and Sarra huffs softly before pulling out another power up. This time, a fluffy white wing. She squeezes it, and her fire flower power is replaced by a pair of raccoon ears and a tail along with a flashing P on her chest. She flies upward after Phreak, hammer in hand.
Meika Kirenai	'Indeed! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, at your service!' Meika isn't looking Sarracenia's direction when she announces herself, but it's still blatantly obvious that the girl flinches and goes stock-still, and dead-silent for the moment that the princess is speaking. She exhales some of the tension- but only breaks from the magically-perfect silence to say, just barely glancing behind herself, "Oh. It's you." 'You really are a child...' "S-shove off." Meika is, actually, a bit intimidated- she takes a half-step back, and won't really look Sarracenia's direction straight-on. The hammer head's clink against the ground almost makes her jump. "'You', at least, will be? I- what the hell? I haven't done anything. I'm just- you're saying it like I'm already going to mess that up, and-" Hands shove themselves into pockets, and Meika bites words back. Today was going to be okay. It was going to be. Don't ruin it. Come on. 'Be careful.' Meika tries, and fails, to not have her expression sour. I've got this. I know what I'm doing. You're worried enough already. Don't fucking worry about me. I can tell when you do. It's so easy. She can read it off faces, if she wasn't just reading it off minds, too. Her bitter exhale is silent. "Hi, Mister Levi, Mister Noah. You two be careful too, please. If it's dangerous... a pistol's only... yeah. I'll keep you safe." Her motive, there, isn't quite just assurance- but a little bit the selfish positioning of herself as capable, reliable, and slightly more able to press her control. Paper rips, to let her clutch on to the tiny, balled-up fragment of a drawing that she'll need, and her sketchbook gets tucked away. 'Breathable atmosphere. It's cold, but not outside earth-standard.' "That's- that's good. I like it when the air's breatheable." Huh? Did I say- Meika blinks, and rolls her shoulders, hiding the instant tension of realizing she spoke aloud something she was just thinking. Another cough, irritation from stale tobacco smoke and nervous reflex to make some sort of motion and sound. 'Nothing like this, but I've heard stories of things out there being able to imitate voices.' Something about that phrasing unsettles the magical girl a lot. "Don't- don't worry too hard, right? Maybe there's not even anything on the other side. And- if something can do that... their friends are coming along, too, so they'd... if they're suspicious, it'll be obvious." Again, she's not trying to assuage fear. It's something else.
Meika Kirenai	And then it's go-time. The telltale flash of Chevalier Vermillion's transformation is hidden by the transit through the warpgate, such that it's ornate ice skates that crunch against snow in the same stride that boots left asphalt from. Ribbons stream in the air, and armor glints oddly- too normal, too much like how metal would under the earth's daytime brighthess, not enough how it'd be in the alien sun's light. She doesn't shiver or shudder at the frost, despite not being covered up quite so warmly- a sleeveless cuirasse, with just past-elbow gloves and gauntlets, no jacket anymore, no cape, but a headpiece that's somewhere between earmuffs and a winged circlet is something close to winter gear, at least. She's a magical girl. Shining, shimmering, and not sitting by just to shiver. That wouldn't fit with the pristine mantle she's shouldering, from that burnt-away scrap of paper, the vestige of a childish drawing she's hiding herself with. "Woah... this is..." Vermillion does a little half-spin where she heads out, skates tracing in the crunchy snow, as she scans her surroundings. Her neck cranes from the flat snowy ground, to the slowly-swaying stalks of kelp, to the odd sky and the flying shoals. It's kind of like... No. That was different. Just because it was weird, doesn't mean it's similar, right? "... There was an arcade, at the old rink I'd pracitce at, with a racing game... had a map that you'd drive underwater, and there'd be-" At the memory, she flinches, and spins around, half expecting there to be some sort of shark swimming by, to have to dodge out of the way. It's not like she can't shape out what's behind her usually, but still. Imagination takes precedence over logic, sometimes. The way Chevalier Vermillion moves, her skates ringing as she drags them through the snow, make it seem like she's happy, and trying, for the snow to get messed up by her passing. There's a soft little smile on the knight's face. But there's a task at hand, too. "... Hey, if- if I could get a moment of quiet, I could see if I can- can hear anything. I'll- I'll even get a better vantage point, 'kay..?" 'We got fliers? Up with me, for a second.' Vermillion raises her hand. "Yeah. That- does that gadget go quieter, Mister? It's gonna really- um, don't worry about it, actually, I guess." Her skates ring softly as she kicks off- and starts moving upwards, too, like her blades catch on platforms and slippery courses that just aren't there, waving banking turns and helixes up and through the kelp, in-pace with Phreak. Keen hearing won't help her look for signs of life, but being up and away to catch calls for help, or other fragments of what she can, will mean she gets what isn't muffled and caught by masses of kelp and snow between her and any source. Plus, she really, really likes the chance to fly. What's more free than that?
Dysnomia	Yuri approaches the kelp, cautiously. Carefully. The hair-raising feeling of being watched is nearly teeth-grinding, brain screaming to her, you're in no danger! She cuts a away some of the greenery. Nothing happens...? Yuri is left to slip the sample into a vial in relative peace. Odette and Madeleine, leaning down to study the kelp, immediately notice that they were cut by a single sharp edge, cut into again and again, like the swing of an axe. It's not like most animals that Madeleine is familiar with at all. It seems more human... Did they create this clearing to have a clear view of the warpgate? Then why was there nobody here? It was a nausous thought, like something was trying to shake their thought process off its rails. As Phreak and his group fly upward, cresting above the kelp, they're exposed to the full chill of the rushing winds, unblocked by the fronds of the forest. The wildlife is the easiest to see. There were more fish to see up here by far, creating a great shifting horizon of bioluminescent shapes. A great fish with a wide mouth, swooped down, in pursuit of one of the school-clouds, sending them scattering about, while strange birdlike shapes spun to and fro in the air, snapping at little fish, dodging the great strands of glowing jellyfish tentrils that drifted even now from high, high above. In the midst of all this, it'd be easy to miss, if one wasn't looking for it. There was a shape in the earth, carving a valley where the forest stopped. And at the epicenter... ...A ship? Crashed, dismantled and refitted into a little settlement, but still, the shape was indistinquishable. It was faint, hard to make out...But, there were lights there. From up here, in this ideal vantage point, Meika hears nothing worth considering.
Angela	Yuri quips, "Can't shoot Malkuth between the eyes, she's only got one." "Don't worry, if we were allowed to die, we would have!" Malkuth chirps. Moku smiles at Phreak who is probably the first person who was able to understand what she was trying to communicate in ages, lifting up her hat for a moment. There is a thick scar down one of her eyes and one across her throat. ''Don't talk shit about my nanos'' "What? No, it's not--it's not that." Fox says. "You don't feel it?" Fox glances over to Sarracenia as she starts harassing Meika. "Keep this up and I'll bury you in the snow. I'm freaking out enough without you acting like a kid picking fights." "You can't do that, she's Concord." Malkuth chides. "Malkuth seems to be breaking up," Fox says. Malkuth sighs, "Just calm down, Fox." Fox tries but his body still feels like he's in danger despite everything telling him he's not. "This has to be psychic shit, right?" Yuri asks. "But why's it just affecting us, we should have some resilience--" The disconnect with her body and her brain is starting to get to her. "..." Moku says. "Mm... Maybe it is because of the resistance...?" Malkuth suggests. "We already know there's likely some danger here. Don't relax. That's an order~" That's easier said than done but the perturbed nature of having one's mind and body at odds makes them more generally skittish and on guard--this isn't entirely a positive thing. Fox is trigger happy (because that's how you survive in Lobotomy Corp) and Moku--if she snaps, it's not like she'd give an audio clue. There's a ship but it looks like they'll need to fly. "...Fine, hit us up, Sarracenia." Yuri says. The others grudgingly agree--even Fox, and they'll end up joining the flight team to check out the ship irrespective of how incredibly silly it makes them look (Moku seems to dig it or maybe she's still just happy Phreak understood her).
Odette Raskins	Odette probably shouldn't be as surprised as she is when she sees Phreak flying on his hoverboard or Sarracenia using that P wing, but she can't help it. Even for someone that's used to moving in zero-gravity environments, seeing others doing it without the aid of a ship still gets her gawking at them. Meika's transformation into Chevalier Vermillion, though, steals the show for her, and Odette lets out an excited little noise at all the streaming ribbons and inaccurately lit armor. Once she realizes she's doing it, of course, Odette clears her throat and continues checking out the kelp while trying to act like she wasn't just fangirling a moment ago. Seeing those cuts, she holds her hand straight and imitates little chops through the air, getting a better idea of how those cuts could be made before realizing... "This doesn't look like a natural cut. Had to be someone coming through here. But..." Her gaze goes back to the snow. "If that's the case, there should've been tracks, right? Or some deeper parts, at least, unless they just..." <J-IC-Scene> Madeleine Cadrasteia says, "Come to think of it. This snow isn't even in drifts. Someone may've planed it over to hide whatever used to be here." "Someone's hiding the tracks, but who would...?" Wait. No. That's the reason they're here, aren't they? An enemy of the group that had sent four people in already, perhaps, or even just someone trying to cover their own tracks from those unlucky enough to come across them? Maybe even some kind of evolved fauna that's learned to use tools and begin their own conquest of humanity? Unless it's an inside job from those 'professionals' trying to cover up whatever's going on in here... Indeed, Odette's thought process is already going off the rails with all sorts of potential conspiracy theories instead of focusing on the actual investigation. She keeps it together enough to follow flying squad towards the ship (and opting to stay on the ground with Madeleine to not get eaten by a flying whatever), but she's also distracted enough that she might very well end up walking into something she shouldn't on the way there.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	<J-IC-Scene> Madeleine Cadrasteia says, "Reckon we should stick together?" <J-IC-Scene> Phreak says, "Dunno how smart it is to stay up here, though. I'm seeing a lot of sickos flying around, and I'm not the guy you want for 'is it poisonous or not.'" Madeleine nods at Phreak's comment, though he's up too high to see it, so she radios an affirmative as well. She sets off on foot after the fliers, kicking up snow as she runs. As she moves she keeps an eye on her surroundings, watching for signs of violence, trails of blood, anything that might indicate the warpgate away team ran into danger.
Sarracenia	Sarra can't help a slight smirk as Meika takes a step back. So, she is intimidating after all. Good to know~ Sarra also likes to fly, whether in a vehicle or through her power ups. As Meika joins them, Sarra does seem impressed by the sky skating. And the outfit is dazzling as well. Sarra cannot resist a good outfit. And so, in a moment where she happens to hover close to Meika she quietly says, "...I must say...your outfit is lovely." The others mention they should stick together, and flying should be faster, so Sarra throws out power wings to any who want one. Those who take one will find themselves with raccoon ears and a tail and that flashing P much like Sarracenia at the moment. The flight is not particularly fast by flight standards, around typical bird flight speeds. But, at least you can move as the crow flies and easily see where to go. As they start toward the crash town, Phreak mentions the dangerous creatures in the air, and Sarra's eyes widen. "Oh dear..." She looks around at all those who have used the power wing now. "Ehehehe..." She will just...reveal that info if the time comes. No sense in worrying everyone now or looking foolish in front of Meika. She does however push as quickly as she can toward the town now. "Hurry everyone! Every moment wasted is a moment that those four could be in danger!" she says, though only partially because it is true.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	EARLIER: Phreak boots up transcription software, a command prompt rapidly scrolling with boot messages. He erases the entries for Meika and for Malkuth, replacing them with custom nametags. ERROR: Name 'Giamoke' already exists. The fixer scowls and enters something else. [Vicinity] Jerkoff: Don't worry, if we were allowed to die, we would have! "So everybody else has to be miserable, too? Are you brain damaged or something? Fuck me. At least you're honest. I guess." The longer Phreak stays at this altitude, the more his bare arms, neck and cheeks complain, the lattermost sporting a dark grey flush matching the tip of his nose. It's a far cry from two suns and desert winds. [Local Broadband] Phreak: I got something on visuals, here. Looks like a shipwreck. Lights are on. Vermillion, Sarra, check me on that? [Local Broadband] Sarracenia: "It does indeed look like a shipwreck, and perhaps built up into a town? [Local Broadband] Vermillion: Check you on- Oh, I think I see it too, yeah. [Local Broadband] Phreak: I say we head over and see if anybody's home. Maybe somebody there knows what coulda happened. [Local Broadband] Madeleine Cadrasteia: Reckon we should stick together? Odette and I can follow on the ground, unless you've got room on that hoverboard for three. [Local Broadband] Vermillion: Weird that it doesn't sound like- Um. I'm sure it's fine, probably. Checking it out seems good, Mister. [Local Broadband] Odette Raskins: S-sounds good to me! Yeah, I don't... I don't think it'd be a good idea to split too hard, yeah. [Local Broadband] Madeleine Cadrasteia: I'm sure I could keep you alive, but if we muck about finding tracks they might just lead us to the settlement anyway. [Local Broadband] Sarracenia: If you would like, I can provide flight power ups. I have plenty. [Local Broadband] Phreak: You're better off with Sarra's thing, if you're gonna fly. My Ghost's calibrated for me, and more of 'em means more noise. Phreak's eyes narrow, at the sight of all of the fauna flying overhead. How many are friendly, and how many hostile? Could whatever got Rashid, Ashley, Tabbi, and Sam be one of them? [Local Broadband] Phreak: Dunno how smart it is to stay up here, though. I'm seeing a lot of sickos flying around, and I'm not the guy you want for 'is it poisonous or not.' When Yuri, Fox, and Moku join him in the air, he banks and hovers over to Fox. Hand on the agent's shoulder, "I don't feel it," he says, "But that doesn't mean it's not fucking with me, too. Don't relax, like your boss said, but don't panic either. Deep breath, count to three, and let's go." One, two, three. Phreak is fast--but so is everyone else, thanks to that 'Gridspace Freedom' program he'd run. It's easy to keep up with him, especially since he's flying a straight line--well, mostly straight. His board tucks and his knees bend to avoid towering kelp, which becomes necessary because he's also flying slightly 'down,' intending to reach ground level by the time he's at the settlement. "YO!" he calls, once within earshot of the makeshift settlement. "Anybody home?"
Meika Kirenai	'I'm freaking out enough without you acting like a kid picking fights.' Meika, at first, doesn't catch which one of them Fox is talking to, and tenses up. She's already started apologizing by the time she realizes, and cuts herself off. "I don't need your help. It's- it's fine. Just leave it alone, okay?" She doesn't seem too fine. Big, tall adult with a weapon, who evidently hates her, of course she's scared. She's scared often. Sarra's obvious happiness with that fact, though, gets an ill-advised glare back from the magical girl- angry, even as she stays just about out of her hammer's reach away. On the other side of the portal, Vermillion catches Odette's little exclamation- it's a bit surprising. She's been at this all most of the year, still, and is getting used to having more of an audience while transforming, but it's odd to notice people reacting like that- excitement and awe. After a second, it metabolizes into a small bit of guilty pride- How many more times can I even do this? Just... eleven? Just ten? Oh. Am I losing track? Better make it count. There's a bit of her exaggeration in her playful motions, out on the snow- and a tiny little smile that Odette might see. It's nice, to feel for that second like she's pulling off at least looking like a hero should. -Up in the Air- <J-IC-Scene> Phreak says, "I got something on visuals, here. Looks like a shipwreck. Lights are on. Vermillion, Sarra, check me on that?" "Check you on-" Vermillion's gauntlet-covered hand rises up to shield her eyes from the sunlight, as she scans her gaze in the direction Phreak is alerting the group of fliers to. "Oh, I think I see it took, yeah." "Weird that it doesn't sound like- Um. I'm sure it's fine, probably. Checking it out seems good, Mister." There's a moment, floating on nothing up there, that Vermillion worries that, with her dwindling stock of sketchbook pages, her powers are losing their edge. Shouldn't towns be noisy, if it's... really one? 'Every moment wasted is a moment that those four could be in danger!' "... You- you don't get points for just saying the obvious. Everyone knows. Everyone's assuming that- it doesn't help anyone to... Whatever. Yeah. Hurrying's good." The magical girl's eye-roll is tangible, even without looking at her.
Meika Kirenai	The motion to start her descent is clean and simple. She just tips forwards, knees bending, and it's like an invisible slope opens up in front of her for the magical girl to rocket down- twisting past the schooling fish and flowing tendrils, nearly tracing them with the tip of outstretched arms as the air turns streaming ribbons into a blur. She lets out an excited 'Whoop!', the sound carrying far and wide. The distance gets cut through quickly, higher gravity means higher speed, more or less, and concussive bursts of her magic add even more to that. It's fun to just be a bright streak across the sky. The impact she touches down with blows snow out around her, but it's silent- and it ought to have hurt, with the force and speed she hit at, even if she looks perfectly fine. Vermillion dusts off her armor's skirt, and skates on forwards- the snow is as friction-free as ice, to her, even without any of Phreak's assistance. She's not just listening for voices now, though, as she nears the rim of the settlement- but deep enough to seek out thoughts, too. A sick sort of eavesdropping. Hiding dangers, or timid explorers who can't make themselves talk or shout, won't be unheard by her, she assumes. I'm sorry. But it's for a good- Vermillion bites the inside of her lip, hard, as she navigates up and over the settlement walls, as easy to traverse as a normal track hurdle. It's for a good enough reason.
Dysnomia	As they get further and further from the warpgate, the facade of normality fades, and Madeleine sees tracks. But not four sets of tracks. Dozens. Some of them she recognizes as sharing the same footprints both ways. A crowds kept coming and going, to watch the gate. And the freshest prints were coming toward them-- The dissonance over the party fades away, leaving behind a sickly feeling in the gut. "Go on." A voice says from behind Odette and Madeleine. "Join your friends." A large group of soldiers in uniforms appeared--No, not that--They didn't appear; look at the places they stepped into the snow, look at how they bristled in the cold. They were never invisible; Just beneath notice long enough for the group to pass them by. Long enough that now, they stood between the elites and the warpgate. "She's expecting you." As they neared, the settlement--shut well and firmly down, but far from abandoned--Meika is the one who can make out the most. A child crying, here. A mother's frustrated sigh. The shallow breath of a soldier pressed against the wall, gripping their rifle tight. The city was holding its breath, no one was truly quiet until they were dead. When Phreak touched down, he saw her. One could, describing her, go over the little physical details. Her eyes were blue, cold and sharp, her hair long, so blond it was nearly whtie tied into a braid behind her and a long, pale scar across her face. She wore a military uniform, with a sphere orbited by nine circles clipped to the shoulder of her vest. One could. But that would miss the entire point of her. The weight of her will was like a glacier, implacably carving mountains from solid rock. Every one of the elites felt it, even the agents, whose EGOs safeguarded them from the fullest extent of it. "So." She said, and her voice carried to Sarra in the air, to Phreak right in front of her, to Meika combing the town, to every agent, even to Odette and Madeleine, as they left the kept forest and reached the edge of town. "You're our latest intruders." You are the trespassers. You are the one who should not be here. You are the one who must justify themselves. The name of the ship was still visible on the half-ruined hull of crashed Voluspa. "Give me a reason to tolerate you."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia looks over at Fox as she realizes what was said. "I was not picking a fight. When I pick a fight, it is quite clear. And usually leaves a crater behind. I was making it clear that I was not here to fight, actually. It would be quite unheroic and counterproductive." she says, then after a moment adds, "Besides, I am not as easy to bury as one might think."
Sarracenia	'You- you don't get points for just saying the obvious.' "It is not about points! People are in danger, and hurrying will help them!" Sarracenia retorts, then hmphs and turns her nose up again. "...and after I complimented your outfit, too..." she mumbles, much more quietly but still probably audible to Meika. Sarra doesn't really realize that those soldiers cut off their escape route. She follows Phreak down and comes face to face with a glacier. Her eyes widen a bit at the weight coming off of the military woman. 'Give me a reason to tolerate you.' Sarra blinks as she realizes she is holding a very larger hammer. That could be misinterpreted. She flips it over and sets it on the ground head first and without the usual thud. "Greetings. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew. I, along with the others here, were summoned to find some lost explorers. Four people whom it sounds like you encountered already. We do not mean any harm, and did not realize we were intruding. If you will permit us to peacibly take them home, we would be grateful. In return, I can offer a fruitful trade negotiation. Or, if you wish to not be disturbed, we can carry the news back through the gate and help ensure no others come through uninvited."
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Phreak's landing is nimble, his braking bank kicking up a little curtain of snow as one foot crunches into the white curtain. [Vicinity] ???: So. You're our latest intruders. [Vicinity] ???: This is MY ship. Give me a reason to tolerate you. Ordinarily, an imperative like the one this scarred stranger gave would receive in response a profanity-laden tirade or flippant insult. The overpowering will which emanates from her not only circumvents that by demanding justification, but in all likelihood probably saves everyone present a great deal of grief--but not every bit that might be had. This is still a deeply angry, insecure man, after all. "Okay, I will. We're not here to fuck with your ratty-ass, broken-down shitheap." He spits, to deliver the point, already off to a great start by complying in the most combative possible way. "We're just looking for the people that came here ahead of us, so they can go home and stay the fuck away from here. That work for you, 'boss?'"
Angela	The Jerkoff says, "Ahaha, is now really the time for this?" to Phreak. "It's not as if how I feel about it is going to bring them back safely. That's on you!" Her tone is sickeningly sweet, like a secretary saying 'No, He Won't Be Seeing You' elementally speaking. "Wasn't for you, it was for everyone." Fox says to Meika, bluntly. "We know this place is dangerous, not exactly the time to fuck around with each other." Why he thinks he can in turn add to it with threats is probably just because he figured it'd be effective and stop things from progressing. He didn't really expect to need to get a 'powerup' from her after. Which SUCKS. But. "Yeah? Good. We'll leave it at that." He doesn't really buy it but he also doesn't care about buying it so long as nothing actually happens. AND THEN... They officially become intruders. Fox startles upon seeing the soldiers and nearly draws his pistol but upon seeing just how many there are, he decides that he probably sould leave that as a last resort. Yuri is openly wielding a sword and Moku is holding some kind of staff because they can't really hide those, but they aren't being held aggressively. "..." Moku waves with a hand. Yuri doesn't seem to think that'll do it. "Ahh we didn't really know we'd be intruding. A Warpgate appeared nearby and some explorers were investigating it--before they vanished. We just want to get them back to where they came from. Doubt they want to be sticking around in your turf any more than you want 'em to be." Fox continues along that line. "If that doesn't convince you, we're connected to much bigger organizations that won't be happy if we don't get back." A pause. "...Plus my boss has already seen you." He shows off the Malkuth datapad. "We don't have business with you unless you make it, but we are capable of responding. Stronger mental defenses out there than what we've got." Malkuth, who hadn't commented on the soldiers (was she tricked too, or just a jerkoff!?), makes a noise like clearing her throat. She does not look like a human being on that pad, she looks like a boxbot with a singular eye. "If you harm our Agents or those explorers, we at least will not limit this to accidental intrusion." Malkuth says. "But we're happy to leave you alone if that's all you want~, just as soon as we take our friends back to the portal."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	After the soldiers appear, Madeleine is bristling the whole rest of the way to the shipwreck. Appearing from under someone's perception was HER trick, darn it! Drogrung gives the armed men and women a lazy side-eye as the huntress jogs up to where the other elites are gathered, just in time for Phreak to spit in the snow. Madeleine folds her arms and puts on her best menacing demeanor to accentuate the hoverboarder's point.
Odette Raskins	Meika's showmanship with her motions gets the expected reaction from Odette: More wide-eyed gawking, a little more excitement in her steps, and even a little fistpump at the acknowledging smile. Clearly, the EMT is a fan of magical girls, or even just anyone that reminds her of those shows she likes to watch so often. Between that and the conspiracy theories swimming around in her head, Odette doesn't even think twice when she hears that voice from behind herself. She even nods slowly as she hurries along, still grateful for Phreak's program helping her move along at a far speedier pace than she would on her own. It's not until the group of soldiers speak up the second time that she finally realizes that the first voice behind her didn't come from anyone she recognizes. That, of course, gets her to nearly jump out of her skin, clutching her duffel bag's strap tightly and almost looking like she's ready to tear it off for a moment. "Wh... Who's expecting us? H-huh? Where'd..." Odette has far too many questions to ask, but she's pretty confident in her ability to assess that the soldiers aren't necessarily going to come after her and everyone else as long as they behave. She'll have to trust more than anything else for the time being, partially because she's in uncharted territory and partially because she's never actually seen ANY of these people with her fight before. The voice is intimidating as hell, too, so she's not going to fight her instincts and even try to challenge her. Placating sounds like the right strategy, and that means- "Okay, I will. We're not here to fuck with your ratty-ass, broken-down shitheap." If Odette looked pale before, she's turned practically white as the snow at hearing that. Her mouth remains half-open as she lets out a strained noise from the back of her throat, then swallows the dryest lump in her throat she can before throwing her hands up with palms visible in a clear show of surrender to the imposing commander/general/high authority figure. "W-w-we're.. Uh..! J-just here to locate some missing people, ma'am! N-no threat! Um. C... Company EMT, Odette Raskins!" She sputters out her greeting, taking a moment to just breathe in and out rapidly several times before finally managing to get some more words out. "We.. Uh. H-heard there was no contact since they came through the gate, and... We mean no harm. R-really!"
Meika Kirenai	' When I pick a fight, it is quite clear. And usually leaves a crater behind. ' There's almost no way to hear this and not assume it's a veiled threat. It's easy to read in her demeanor, that she is, actually, pretty scared of the taller woman. It hardly matters if she should be or not. Meika doesn't say anything. 'Wasn't for you, it was for everyone.' "R-right. Sure. Can you just drop it, please?" There's a slightly frantic- almost pleading -tone to the girl's voice. Fox's shift to 'each other' makes the magical girl deflate. Right. Now it's both of us he's mad at, not her. Figures. -Now- Gliding- by skates, not flying-gliding -through the outskirts of the settlement, Vermillion holds her breath, entirely silent herself. {"There's people here,"} is her whispered warning, audible just to the Elites and explorers she came here with- it's only a few moments before it's otherwise clear, though, that the crashed ship isn't abandonded. Vermillion isn't dead yet, but she is as truly quiet as a corpse. It's not a fun similarity to draw. More in line with a corpse, though, when the shipwreck-town's keeper announces her presence, it feels like all the air has left Vermillion's lungs and rendered them frozen and hollow in its absence. The magical girl goes stock-still. 'You're our latest intruders.' It looks like Vermillion's breath- or reply, or something- catches in her throat, but there's no sound to confirm it, at that last word. Absolute and utter guilt washes over her face, bitter and caustic. Not one bit of it is unfamiliar. As quickly as it washes over her, it metabolizes into a faint, ground-facing scowl. Yeah. Sure we are. That's just how it'll go, right? Her metal-clad hands fidget with the grip of her baseball bat, tracing its tip in the remnants of snow by her feet as she stands in audience. 'Okay, I will. We're not here to fuck with your ratty-ass, broken-down shitheap.' Vermillion doesn't silence the snort that comes out in reply to Phreak. It's not that she agrees, really- but it's a punctuation against the pressing weight, and in-tune with the sparks of anger she's feeling about it all. "Y-yeah. We're not threats, Mis- Ma'am." This person is authoritative enough to count as 'ma'am'. "Rescue. We're here on- on normal rescue. People came through here, right?" She's not trusting words alone for an answer to that- probing deeper herself. 'W-w-we're.. Uh..! J-just here to locate some missing people, ma'am! N-no threat!' Chevalier Vermillion's head tilts to Odette's side, a half-nod-ish gesture of 'what she said'- and another exhale of air through her nose. The EMT's nervousness makes Vermillion soften her next words, though, not quite on purpose. "... Nobody wants more than in and out with- with the people we came for. Especially not their friends. They're- they're worried. Made collages, they seem really- Yeah. So just come on. We're- we're getting them home." Vermillion's posture is odd, still glaringly uncomfortable and nervous, as her free hand- not the one still fiddling with her makeshift weapon -picks at the material of her frilly-ish skirt. Don't look at me, ma'am. Nobody meant to trespass. I know we shouldn't be here. Please just let us do this- She tastes copper, forcing past the worry and biting at the inside of her lip. Talking's hard like that, sure- but pain focuses, and shuts her up from blurting anything out. She's made enough of a point, so has everyone- less chance to make it worse if she's quiet and well-behaved, now.
Dysnomia	"Okay, I will. We're not here to fuck with your ratty-ass, broken-down shitheap. We're just looking for the people that came here ahead of us, so they can go home and stay the fuck away from here. That work for you, 'boss?'" What does it feel like, to have ice water running in your veins? To feel the grinding pressure of the artic carve through your soul, crack you open and spill your lifeblood into the snow? When the captain's eyes find him, Phreak knows. "I should punish you for that." She smiles, a private little joke. It's not her rage that buries Phreak; it's her pity. "How would a little bird that's only known its cage recognize a home?" Her hand found her pistol's grip... "W-w-we're.. Uh..! J-just here to locate some missing people, ma'am! N-no threat! Um. C... Company EMT, Odette Raskins! We.. Uh. H-heard there was no contact since they came through the gate, and... We mean no harm. R-really!" The spectre of death is put off by another moment. "Survival instinct?" She said, looking over Odette. "How novel. At least one of you understands what's at stake." "I have chosen to take those four intruders as my guests." Magnamious. Unspoken went the alternative. "They have proven agreeable. Will you?" "If you harm our Agents or those explorers, we at least will not limit this to accidental intrusion." "Do you believe you can dictate terms?" The agents are spared the full wrath Phreak is subjected to, but the numbing pressure of her mind was near to frostbite in of itself. "Do you believe you have power here?" When she spoke, the questions had the same note of absurdity of asking if candy was made of hopes and dreams. She leaned forward. "How arrogant. Perhaps I should correct you?" "Rescue. We're here on- on normal rescue. People came through here, right?" "Perhaps you are." The woman conceded, and though Meika was not within her range of vision, nevertheless she felt her gaze as though it was a real, tangible thing. "But 'explorer' is just another word for 'scout.' And just what happens, when a scout carries word back home? You cannot speak for the whole of your 'multiverse,' can you?" When Meika tries to eavesdrop, it doesn't work quite as expected. She meets a solid wall when she tries to penetrate the captain's thought, but there's noise on the surface--More than just her voice. --am reading seven-no, nine signatures. Verify. Copy ma'am, nine individuals entered through the anomoly. All accounted for. How goes contact? Our...guests are asking. That depends on them. Doesn't it, Meika Kirenai?