mental link

[circumspector]

[ someone's up and awake again. Not so tired sounding, though. This time, she's remembered to go and eat before she reaches out to the rest of the hive. ]

( Is anyone in the Bearings that can give me an update on what I've... missed? As much detail as possible.

If it were safer, I might suggest we start keeping more accessible records for these... interludes. )

[ She's not fond of this not knowing everything all the time ever. Which on the note of: she sighs, little echoing tumbling thought that is edged with frustration. ]

( And... does anyone what kind of tricks lions should do? Are they meant to be predators? Are they meant to be tamed?

.... Actually, does anyone know what a lion is? I'm starting to realise I don't know very much about animals if they aren't trying to eat you. Which isn't particularly useful, right now. )

[ ... and for anyone looking for Angel, she will be with a strew of mechanical parts around her that is half in her room, half in the corridor for her shiny new, tackely bright gold performing robotic lion. ]

Comments

[headinjuries]

( Welcome back! Since you've been out...uh, lessee.

Lot of new people showed up.

The Public Safety Commissioner knows something about the bombings, maybe even who the bomber is, and isn't planning to actually pursue it. Kinda like how Ven Diagrams was all gung ho to find them but then cancelled the reward? Kinda like that.

EXTRAAA sent us some smug "we know you're doing something" messages. Someone who actually talked to them can probably tell you more about that? I thought it was a pop-up ad and I closed it before I said anything. )

[whowhatnow]

[Don't mind Nathanial as he ANSWERS THIS WITH LIGHT SPEED. He's too happy. God, he's happy. He's like a retriever puppy all excited that his friend has come home, HEY ANGEL.]

(That voice is a blast from the past! Had a good sleep! Man, I can't give you all the details on things because frankly, I'm terrible at that, but...anyways, you're back!)

(Oh, about lions, I remember that's an Earth predator. Like...a big giant fluffy thing with teeth and claws. Kind of lazy, though. Why are you asking?)

[circumspector]

( EXTRAAA contacted us and I was out...?

Shit.

I mean. Damn it. Sorry. )

[ Damn, damn, damn, she wanted to talk to them. She loves the hive, she does, but not enough of them know what to do with technology, and she wasn't here. ]

( I guess that means whatever Ven is hiding I suppose, the Commissioner is on it too. Or maybe they're being paid off? )

[erbier]

[ She lies braiding flowers and ribbons in Angel's bed, the way she had once done for Jessica, but Jessica is safely tucked away in the Station and Angel has awoken again. Like she always does.

Ilde does not understand mechanical things, not well, and so she simply amuses herself listening to the almost musical sound of metal on metal, the small sounds of interest and annoyance Angel makes. ]

What is it like?

[ The sleeping. The faraway, untouchable, depth of it. ]

[circumspector]

[ Oh Nathanial. She's all ringing warmth at the brush of his mind in hers. Drawing him in close to her. It's good to hear him. ]

( I think so, I can't say I remembered much of it.

... I... well, I was looking at my fake ID, and it said my job was "robot lion tamer" so I thought, maybe I should look the part, and I got one.

But... fluffy? Do people cuddle them? )

[headinjuries]

( Hey, I've heard the four letter words, I'm not five. )

[ he is a Mature Teenager who is just fine with hearing Mature Words and Mature Things thank you! ]

( But, uhhhh. Could be? Or maybe just threats, I don't know. Steve and I went back through a lot of old stuff to see if she was a closet anti-synth, but nothing really seems that way. She's only gotten weird about it super recently. )

[circumspector]

[ She's leaning over it, and messily, she's yanked her hair up off her face and tied it out of her way as she leans in over the lion. A screwdriver in her off hand, and the light of her markings bright in the other in a sphere of light that he holds up to see what she's doing in its internal systems. There's grease on her fingers and smudged on her cheek, tacky in her hair and on her clothes too.

A consideration to where Idle is in her room, ever catering, ever shaping. There is vines growing up and over her bed where Idle sits. Slithering in looping patterns up the wall, drooping thick heavy flowers of bright pinks and blues. It doesn't make it less messy, but it is the part of her that is all Idle's that she finds easy to weave around her when she is close.

A moment of pause and she always finds it easy to - work and talk. The light floods her eyes as it ever does before she pushes herself up and leaning over it's great metal head, she breaths out slowly. ]

A nothingness, I suppose. I don't really remember being in that state. I dream of... the old beings from my world, but I've always done that. [ Idle has seen them in the gardens, the strange statues, threaded with purple veins of light, not so dissimilar to her markings. ] I don't think it's awful. It feels... safe. I guess?

[ Twirls the screwdriver around in her fingers. ] I find it easy. I don't want to go. I ... this means too much to me. But I can... I can see why others don't, I suppose.

[circumspector]

[ Oh - damn, again then, she fumbles then a little.

R u sure tho, Sam, r u sure ur a mature teenager. ]

( Oh that's not... you. My dad was... pretty strict about that kind of thing. He really didn't like it when I swore. I didn't think you couldn't handle it, I promise. I figure you probably know way worse. )

[ Because teengers, really. ]

( Huh... I guess there's something going on then. Do we have plans to find out soon? )

[headinjuries]

[ SUPER MATURE ]

( Yeah, Bruce and Mara are working on it. ) [ A beat. ] ( They're new. )

[ She could probably figure. ]

[circumspector]

[ UHHUH. SHE BELIEVES IT. ]

( I... do we have a lot of new people? It feels... it feels like we do? )

[deployed]

[ Low-key worry about Angel has been a constant in Bellamy's mind while she was out. His relief is impossible to contain, flushing the connection from the moment his mind brushes with hers. ]

( Hey. )

[ Uselessly ignores all her questions. He'll get there, he's just. Relieved. ]

[circumspector]

[ It almost takes it off guard, the way he rushes in like a tide, but with the understanding of him - she lets the water pour in with his presence, let it wash over her. ]

( Hey. )

[deployed]

[ He doesn't verbalize anything, vocally or mentally, but the sentiment is plain: I missed you. ]

( I was beginning to think you were going to keep snoozing until we packed up and left. )

[ Not touching the idea that she wouldn't wake. That fear has to stay abstract. ]

( Can I come see you? )

[whowhatnow]

(Robot lion tamer! Oooh, exciting. I can't say I ever thought robots in general needed training, but I guess I've been proven wrong!)

[You can practically hear his smile.]

(Only if they're in the form of cute toys and stuffed animals! You don't cuddle the real thing. I've heard all sorts of terrible stories of humans having, like, their eyes clawed out. Not fun stuff.)

[headinjuries]

( Yeah, there's like...ten more people since after I got here. )

[decommission]

[ Feels like they're always welcoming her back. He's only glad that they get the chance to each time.

He projects the fierce predator for her in black and white tones shifting into technicolor shifting into a pair of guardians on platforms, their pelts hardened like the stone steps beneath them. ]

( You only get to see the real deal at the zoo back home, unless you can buy a ticket to Africa. )

[adamance]

( It appears my faith still isn't misplaced when it comes to knowing whether you'll return to us.

That said, I much prefer you awake to sleeping. )

[Lexa has so few confidants that she does miss Angel when she's gone, even if she will never grow to be particularly good at showing it.]

[unsea]

( At least one of us has caught up on her beauty rest, ) [ in that deep, distant sleep that sometimes befell the hosts, there was always the hope that they would return. Sometimes, that hope felt unbearable. At least with death, the null state of non-existence did not lead anyone to wish and ache and pine. Angel is Popular. ]

( Welcome back, Angel. You've been sorely missed. )

[shiro2hero]

[PING.]

[Hello sorry Angel you mentioned the magic L word.]

(A lion? Here?)

(This is going to sound... really weird but -- what kind of lion, exactly?)

[circumspector]

[ her robot lion brings all the voltrons to the yard. ]

( Oh, do you know what they are?

And sure, no problem - ) [ there's a pause, a flutter of thought that is distant like she's humming to herself as she goes to find the pamphlet that came with it. ] ( It's a LYON-900 performance android made by Nemean Entertainment.

Is that helpful? )

[circumspector]

( Should I be worrying about that? I've never had to wonder about being vain before. )

[ It's with a giggle, soft and comforting, as he is to her. Nothing but fond of him in the way she is with most. ]

( I am glad to be awake. )

[shiro2hero]

(Real ones, and... well. Robotic ones.)

[He'll just wait. If nothing else, it's sort of funny -- in a good way -- to have a conversation about lions. A nice distraction.]

(Well, sounds like you've got a robot lion on your hands. Just so happens... I've been around those a lot more than the real kind.)

(I'm Shiro. You?)

[circumspector]

( Really? That sounds great. I've been working on some upgrades and I'd love to run them past people that are familiar with these kinds of systems. Our robotics run very differently to this planet - )

[ Pause, wait, he said something else. ]

( Oh, and Angel. I'm Angel. )

[circumspector]

[ And for him in particular, everything else is ignored. Drops her tools and beams through the connection. She treats each memory of his animal as if they're special, precious things, watching the memory of the lion in his memory with a patience and a care as she always did with the things he showed her. ]

( I guess with all that fur, they really wouldn't set themselves on fire. ) [ it's more comprable to what she knows. Large heavy set animals. Slow to eat, takes energy to move all that muscle. ] (They're beautiful. Nothing we have is really exactly like it. Have you ever seen one up close? )

[circumspector]

[ It's barely a question, of course he can. ]

( It's a bit of a mess, but as long as you don't mind... )

[ Her door is open, quite literally, she shows him a brief image of where she's sat. In her room and happy to have a visitor. ]