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apocalypsehowcomm2023-05-16 08:27 am
- !event,
- !finale,
- !npc,
- bucky barnes (mcu),
- cortana (halo),
- delloso de la rue (d20 fey and flowers),
- edalyn clawthorne (owl house),
- elias bouchard (tma),
- john sheppard (stargate: atlantis),
- martin blackwood (tma),
- raine whispers (owl house),
- steve rogers (mcu),
- yelena belova (mcu),
- zz_caitlyn kiramman (arcane),
- zz_malcolm bright (prodigal son),
- zz_nina zenik (shadow and bone),
- zz_stephanie brown (dc comics),
- zz_tim drake (dc comics)
Event - Dogged
The message goes out to everyone on ADI's network. It seems to be something captured live. It's Pam Ruan, head of HR who holds a prosthetic finger up to her lips before whispering, "Everyone's pushing for transparency right now, right? Figuring out where threats are coming from and sharing. I think that should come at all levels. Let's see what Nia's talking about with Mr. Zyrian Steel, hmm?"
The camera flips around as Pam clearly creeps closer to an office door. There are muffled voices, and Pam sets the phone face up before using one hand to shove the thing under the door. The video shows a sliding picture of the office's bland ceiling for a moment before coming to a stop. The voices become much clearer.
"-down in Wolf Trap," a masculine voice is saying. Presumably, Zyrian Steel. "There's just no need for that."
"Zyrian, this ain't a negotiation." Nia Lehrer's voice is familiar to most people working at ADI at this point. They've likely heard her speak in some pre-recorded training videos at the bare minimum. Nia's tone is no nonsense and clearly on the edge of snapping in frustration. "You're not hiring us. I'm sending my people down to Wolf Trap next month. We've got evidence of those signalhead things being on the march, one down that way, your kick off for New Horizons in the park, and evidence out of there about the Lullaby Girl from some of my people."
There is silence.
"You remember her? Ava? Or Amber, it seems like. She's the one you gave us those Lucidio masks to help train our people against. Frankly, I'd be surprised if you don't remember her, Mr. S." Another drawn out pause. "You ain't been straight with me for a long time. You ain't been straight with ADI since Tawnya was Warden. You tell me you need us in Buffalo, payback for helping in Wolf Pen and Cortana and the mobile med units, and not only do half the staff come back with crab claws and whiskers, but I find out you're using us for business politics." There's venom in her tone. "Or were you just going to stay quiet about Etcher's enterprises competing with your own software companies? ADI is not your personal attack dog. You are our client. And I thought my friend. But I'm about 30 seconds away from firing you from both."
Further silence, then a heavy sigh. "And I was going to offer to send you and your staff on such a nice retreat." There's the sound of a chair being pushed back. "Warden, I think you misunderstand the nature of our relationship. You are the dogs. I am the master. I hold your leash. Or have you forgotten just how much technology I've donated to ADI over the years, how many of your systems run on things I built? We've had a mutually beneficial relationship up until now- Well… you and I have. Tawnya got to be a problem before the end, too. But I made sure that was taken care of."
"You self-aggrandizing son of a-"
"You're a much more practical woman than she ever was, even with those shiny ideals you hold so dear. You'll compromise for the greater good, to protect what's yours. Such a good Warden, looking out for her charges."
"What are you talking about? And get your hands the hell off my desk."
"Haven't you ever wondered about the title? Warden. Odd name for a leader of any organization, even one like yours. But maybe not so odd when you consider your more eldritch masters." A scoff. "The Hunt always does pick out the most oblivious avatars, doesn't it? What does a Warden do?" A beat. "She controls the monsters, Nia. Sniffs them out and contains them. And she goes after the poachers coming after her prey. Tell me, have you ever noticed how you're always picking up on threats far afield with uncanny precision. It's been getting stronger, hasn't it? Tawnya was the same way. As was her predecessor, I imagine."
"That's not- I wouldn't ever…"
"Wouldn't you, though? Every time you sent your own dogs after a threat, reveled in it, you were being such a good Warden, instilling terror in the hearts of your enemies, ADI's enemies. So many cults know who and what you are and they fear it. Fear the Warden of ADI, famed avatar of the Hunt. Even now, I know you've compromised yourself. Have you considered what that's done to you? You let that Visionary kid stay alive. I rather think that might have been the start of your slide, hmm? Making exceptions, just this once.
"Now," he continues, voice growing louder and footsteps starting toward the phone, "I realize this is a lot to take in, to think about. Why don't you do that self-reflection while I attend to other matters? You are doing good work, puppy. I need a dependable pet to take care of all those nasty pests who keep trying rituals. But no need to worry about the New Horizons launch, really. I'll just-" Zyrian pauses and everyone will have a view of a middle-aged caucasian man with dark, slightly graying hair and a beard. He's wearing khakis and a Hawaiian shirt, and he's looking down at Pam's phone.
"Well… fuck." He stomps a heeled shoe on it and the transmission ends abruptly.
no subject
They put their glasses back on, and leaned against the dresser. Their palms rested flat on the top to support themself, and their eyes remained on Eda.
"What.. What happened? That was different?"
They're careful. They'd talked to Eda briefly about the break up since they'd began to date again, but it probably wasn't enough. Raine still, frankly, felt a lot of different ways about it that they wish they could sort out.
But maybe that's why they're in therapy.
no subject
Things were good. Or at least they'd been good. There were bumps in the road, especially lately when it came to settling into the same space for the long haul, but overall they were good.
She knew they needed to talk more. She knew not talking had never helped before. But she also didn't want to dwell on the bad parts of their past. She wanted to simply say she understood and they did the right thing for themself. Even if she still had a lot of other, less understanding feelings to work through, as well.
But, well, for better or worse the mirror situation had taken some of that choice away from her. And she couldn't take it back now that she'd brought it up.
"I don't... remember much. From that day," she finally said, softly.
"I don't remember... most of it." And maybe she should have elaborated on exactly what she meant, but she assumed they'd put it together from the parts they knew.
"I didn't—" Eda took a deep breath, before she went on. "I didn't hurt you... right?"
no subject
"That's okay, I uh.. I remember it," Their tone was gentle. "I remember all of it. That's enough for the both of us."
Raine couldn't blame Eda for not being able to remember. They remembered that day quite well, actually. Maybe too well. They were no stranger to replaying moments of it in their head, telling Eda that they needed to see other people as she hid from them what they could only assume was the Curse.
"But... You... Not physically, no." Raine replied, though their words caught in their throat. "You never did. Ever. If the mirror showed you that, it's.. lying."
no subject
She was about to explain herself better, when they went on, and she couldn't entirely hide a wince at not physically. Still, her shoulders relaxed somewhat. At least the mirror was lying.
Finally she took a deep breath.
"I didn't mean... I remember everything you said." She sort of wished she didn't, but that wasn't their fault.
"It's just, uh—after that," she went on quickly. "I tried to make sure I was far away before—" she cut herself off, whether she simply didn't want to talk about transforming or because she didn't want to use her worry over their safety as an excuse for the way she'd acted.
"I thought it was lying. You'd have said something or..." Or they'd have scars, most likely even with a good healer. But she'd still had blood on her the next day... and she'd never found out what it belonged to. Or who.
"I just needed to hear it." She sounded apologetic, and embarrassed.
no subject
"Eda..."
They sat down next to her, legs crossed, but give her enough space as they gazed up at her from behind their glasses. "I know.. I know it's hard to talk about that day. And I know it's...hard to hear this- we don't even have to talk about it past what I'm about to say. But...at that point you wouldn't even let me close enough to you to ever be physically hurt."
Raine paused, and winced at themself. They didn't want to make Eda feel worse. But they also didn't want to have to lie to her.
"I didn't understand what was going on at the time. I still don't. Not, fully at least. I do understand now you were scared but I was never afraid of you."
They lean their shoulder on Eda, lightly. They were quiet again for a beat, as they quietly picked at a fiber of the nest.
"I think- What I'm trying to say is the mirrors lied to you like they did me. But both of us being here is proof that what they showed us didn't happen."
no subject
She was close enough to hurt them, or it wouldn't have been a believable lie for the mirrors to lodge in her mind. She hadn't thought she was, at the time; she'd thought she had things a lot more under control than she apparently did.
But if they hadn't listened to her and left—or if she hadn't done her best to get some distance in the other direction, once it was was clear sitting and trying to focus wasn't going to work—
Well. She saw what would have happened. Or at least what she believed would have happened. But she didn't say any of that. Instead she just nodded, and leaned against them.
"I know." She also didn't say maybe they should have been. But it was hard not to think it, at this particular moment. She tried to just focus on the reassurance that whatever could have happened, it didn't.
"Wait... they lied to you, too?"
no subject
Eda changed the subject, however, and Raine's almost.. surprised.
"Yes, they did," Raine replied, quietly, and moved their head at an angle to look up at Eda. "They showed me... Upsetting. Things. Things I never wanted to say or do. Like, turning you in when we were younger. Or being cruel to Darius for wanting to help. Things I could've done to gain the coven's trust or more power. I.. do not think the mirrors do anything other than lie."
There was a moment's pause, before Raine moved, and crawled to where they could sit close to Eda, and not have to crane their neck to look at her.
"The mirrors are just another artefact, I think."
no subject
She winced slightly as Raine talked about what the mirrors had shown them, whether at the idea of being turned in or at the fact they were clearly upset over everything. In truth it was at both, but she was more able to focus on the latter. She moved closer when they did, putting a hand on their shoulder.
"I think you're right. And... I'm sorry they showed you all that." It made her wish she could do something to fix the fact it had upset them, even if that wasn't really how things worked. (But if she were better at all of this, wouldn't she be able to?)
no subject
But, still, something still felt like it needed to be addressed. What that was yet Raine wasn't quite sure.
"Are. You okay, though, Eda? This...wasn't really about me." The Bard leaned into Eda's touch, and wrapped their arms around Eda. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Everything's been very challenging lately for the both of us, but you seem very... anxious. Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"
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She wanted to insist she was fine. But she also knew they didn't like when she did that. It sort of felt like there were no right answers, at the moment.
"It's nothing big. Really. I just... didn't want to me making things harder for you. On top of y'know, everything else."
That was everything, right? Right. She was... pretty sure that was everything. Of course it was.
no subject
Raine's not as easily distracted by shiny things as Eda was. But, they couldn't help that their eye was caught by a shiny, foreign object close to the two of them.
"What is this?" Raine reached over, and picked the 8ball up. "A... Bedazzled human... Fortune toy?"
They glanced curiously from the artefact, to Eda. Maybe it would be better to focus on something more mundane.
"Is this a new addition to your collection? I thought you were downsizing."