mental link, day 32

[headinjuries]

[ Sam crashed hard after the vigil, because between all the lies making him feel like he was going to puke and trying to pick them apart giving him one mother of a headache, staying awake felt like something you only do if you really hate yourself.

Do all newfound psychic powers suck this bad? He was fine with just flying and blowing things up, thanks. ]

( By the way, just figured everybody should know: Seong-Hye Ngazi is full of crap, the Public Safety Commission isn't half as gung-ho about bringing the bomber to justice as she makes it sound, and I'm like ninety percent she actually knows who did it, but that part I'm not quite positive about.

So, you know. In case anybody wanted to break into her office or stalk her or something. I hear some of you guys are actually good at the cloak and dagger stuff.

You're welcome. )

[ He can be found in the common area of the Bearings, scrolling through news reports and radiating pure frustration, if anyone would rather comment to his face instead of over the link. ]

Comments

[inflori]

( You know, I could just make her tell us. )

[ mind control powers, bro, they're awesome. ]

[headinjuries]

( That sounds like a really easy way to get to the bottom of this? Which I'm pretty sure means someone's gonna pop in and tell us why it's a bad idea any minute now. )

[inflori]

( Yeah, because whatever they've been doing has been working out great so far. Pff. )

[adamance]

( No, we need to utilize this skill more. Please feel free to take it from her so long as you do not permanently damage her in the process. We don't need more of a paper trail. )

[batmotif]

[/insert party pooper here]

(It would still be wise to find any potential physical evidence of her lies, other than what we might learn under duress.) [Mind control qualifies as that, surely.] (Both options should be on the table for now.)

[adamance]

( We've sought out evidence. We've failed. )

[batmotif]

(You've looked into Seong-Hye Ngazi, specifically?)

[adamance]

[No. She bristles at this.]

( It is not up to us to find evidence if the results are the same. We're here to stop something much bigger than bombings, and by not employing all of our skills, we are losing. )

[The paper trail is more important to her than acting like one of the police (or guard, as they're called among the Sky People). The more they dig up, the more they risk being seen. They can't fail to employ the talents that they've been stuck with.]

[batmotif]

[He doesn't seem put off by what he interprets as defensiveness; though being unfazed could be seen as being dismissive just as much as listening. Bruce is a man that makes it difficult to determine which.]

(I never said we shouldn't employ our skills, if someone's willing.) [He's not crossed that line yet, though he knows that if it were truly essential, he probably would. And Lexa did mention "not permanently damaging her", so it's acceptable enough for now.] (But if no one has looked into her, and Sam can sense that she's lying about something, then why miss the opportunity? Physical evidence is stronger than words.)

[He's no stranger to breaking and entering, anyway. He'd gladly do it.]

[adamance]

( We are not investigators and have already drawn too much attention. )

[Which, frankly, is a tune that she'll be going with for a while.]

( Petre is willing. Kylo Ren is willing. More will be willing. )

[headinjuries]

( Is she gonna remember this afterwards, though?

Because that's like...even more attention if she does. )

[adamance]

( I'm confident that I can advise either of them to be subtle. )

[batmotif]

[If his next line reads as, "It's because I haven't done it, yet", well. It wouldn't be far from the truth.]

(I won't draw any attention. It wouldn't be the first time I've done something similar, and it won't be the last.)

[Sounds like he's already made up his mind on the matter.]

(Besides, what you're suggesting has the potential to draw just as much attention, if not more.)

[Basically, what Sam just said.]

[adamance]

( If we can openly manipulate the results of the Bout it Out tournament, I believe we can easily do the same here. )

[A beat.]

( You weren't here for that, but we have succeeded before. It was other matters that earned us attention. )

[nirsighted]

( This sounds like a good idea. )

[Big brother says 'Let's brainwash a stranger'.]

[decommission]

[ bro, no ]

[nirsighted]

[but y tho]

[vocalis]

If Nirad is for it, so am I.

[ So much for independent thought. Independent contributions, though- ]

I can help too... my ability is similar to Petre's, I think. And I can take it a little further if I have to.

[nirsighted]

( Oh spooky. )

[In a good way.]

[vocalis]

You think so?

[ So far, he hasn't considered his abilities to be good in away way. Useful to their cause and for helping others sure, but in practice and in theory, they're pretty horrible. ]

I can also insert my consciousness into other person's mind and destroy it. Parts of it, or... all of it.

[ Straightforward. No reason to hide it here, least of all from Nirad. ]

[nirsighted]

( Weird. And useful for places look this. That's good magic. )

[You never know when something like that might come in handy. Depending on how fast he could do it-- well, it seems like a good tool anyway.]

[vocalis]

[ There's a warmth that spills over the network towards Nirad like a summer tide rolling in. Good magic. It's a little weird to hear his abilities called magic, but it's incredibly relieving to know someone else doesn't hate him for it. Especially Nirad. ]

I'm really glad you think so.

[ It hardly needed to be said. Aoba's heart is beating like a base in both their ears. ]

places like* this wtf hands

[nirsighted]

[There's a sensation like a shrug, muddled across the mental link and mingled with: a sliver of embarrassment, a wide stitch of honesty, a bold unapologetic affection. It's easy for Nirad to like things about people he cares about. Questioning them is messy, complicated - what if he didn't approve? Would it be awkward then?

Doesn't matter. It's fine.]

( I'll let you know when we're gonna go. )

shh I typoo'd too

[vocalis]

[ Even if he makes it out to be nothing, Aoba appreciates every bit of it. Every piece of attention and underlying affection, whether it really matters much to Nirad or not. It makes him feel better, and feeling better is nice. ]

Okay. Ah... wait-

[ The steady beat in his mind falters but picks up again, fades in and out, a song that isn't (doesn't want to be) finished yet. ]

What should I wear?

[nirsighted]

[Oh. Uh-- a flicker, a small candle in a box turned away from the wind as his attention verges on scattering.]

( Something in dark colors, I think. You can borrow some of my stuff if you need it. )