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Insert Evanescence Lyrics
CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Bearings
WHEN: Day 052
SUMMARY: Aoba's late to get back from the party with intel that may not matter anymore.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.
[ Visions of the fund raising party are still in his head, dreamlike as he struggles to wake himself from a heavy sleep. From admist the swirling lights and silken fabrics, there's a sense of urgency. He needs to reconnect. Fragments of memory are flung haphazardly through the network, frantic and scattering. Shards of a broken ice sculpture slide across a ballroom floor, cold, worried.
A string quartet mixes oddly with an off-rhythm beat as his thoughts try settle back into some semblance of order. Thud, thud - his pulse and the threat of a headache mix with the memory of a dreamed up applause in a theater. One not his, but of the man whose mind he entered that night. He had tried to get the information he found out to at least one other host, but there's no recollection of success in his half-awake state.
Finally, a connection is established. A somewhat coherent thought, as he jolts up- ]
Goram Saffit is in contact with H+H1...!
[ He's a little late to leaving the party and joining the current time. A groggy look around his empty room and the pristine state of his bed are a clue. ]
Ugh... I'm afraid to ask, but... how long was I out?
WHERE: Bearings
WHEN: Day 052
SUMMARY: Aoba's late to get back from the party with intel that may not matter anymore.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.
[ Visions of the fund raising party are still in his head, dreamlike as he struggles to wake himself from a heavy sleep. From admist the swirling lights and silken fabrics, there's a sense of urgency. He needs to reconnect. Fragments of memory are flung haphazardly through the network, frantic and scattering. Shards of a broken ice sculpture slide across a ballroom floor, cold, worried.
A string quartet mixes oddly with an off-rhythm beat as his thoughts try settle back into some semblance of order. Thud, thud - his pulse and the threat of a headache mix with the memory of a dreamed up applause in a theater. One not his, but of the man whose mind he entered that night. He had tried to get the information he found out to at least one other host, but there's no recollection of success in his half-awake state.
Finally, a connection is established. A somewhat coherent thought, as he jolts up- ]
Goram Saffit is in contact with H+H1...!
[ He's a little late to leaving the party and joining the current time. A groggy look around his empty room and the pristine state of his bed are a clue. ]
Ugh... I'm afraid to ask, but... how long was I out?
no subject
[ He's surprised, though briefly. His mind trails off without finishing the thought. It's true that hosts of the Nest go down and wake up all the time. It could be considered normal at this point, it's just... half his brood is still sleeping after so long. There's an underlying fear that he and the rest of Adara may join them at any time.
He lets out a shaky breath, anxiety tightening around his rational mind. He can't feel Angel. Aoba grips the sheets to keep his hands from shaking and focuses on what else Shiro said-
Except it doesn't make any sense. ]
Grand theft...? What good intentions?
no subject
[He asks it before he can really check himself. He's curious and concerned. Those things are difficult to curb. Especially the latter feeling. It felt wrong when Clint had passed out -- still feels wrong, knowing Rey is in the same boat. So he's got to ask.]
[There's something like amusement. A stifled laugh.]
(I uh. May have helped some people steal food from the party. For charity.)
no subject
[ It's hard to push down, but his worry for Adara is nothing he needs to bother Shiro with. Their combined anxiety helps no one... he remembers from the party. A deep breath in, a slow breath out. He imagines the sheets between his fingers as Ren's soft fur instead. It helps to block out the images of broken ice and stares, and the missing mental presence of Angel-
Despite himself, he chokes out a small laugh at Shiro's explanation. Stealing food from that rich party to give to charity. Why hadn't they all thought of it? ]
What a great idea. I wish I could've been there to help. I... don't know if I actually did anything to help at all that night.
no subject
[He debated asking more. But decided not to. This feels awkward enough already without him digging deeper. As much as he'd like to. Just to have a relatively normal conversation. And not feel like he's burned a bridge here.]
(I'm sure you were.)
[He says it with a lot of easy confidence. Because being confident for other people is easy. Assuring other people is easy.]
(You had to get something out of that confrontation.)
no subject
All I got was that Saffit is benefitting from someone in H+H1, but... it's useless. They're anonymous, the messages they leave are vague, and he destroys them after. He doesn't contact them, they contact him.
I can't think of a way to use something like that to the advantage of the Nest...
no subject
(It could still be useful. We've got people who can trace digital transmissions better than anyone else I've ever seen.)
(So, we could probably try and follow even an anonymous message.)
no subject
The messages are written on paper. He never finds them in the same place twice, and he always burns them after he reads them. How do we track that?
[ So much for having excellent hackers when they're dealing with archaic ways. At the edges of his mind, a headache threatens to grip him. ]
no subject
[Well, now there's a tinge of embarrassment to his thoughts. He'd just thought, in a world like this, no one would even use paper.]
(Well. I'm guessing stalking him is out?)
[There's a pause.]
(Maybe you should get a little more rest, though.)
no subject
[ He lets out another sigh that travels across the connection as frustrated static. Though more than frustrated, he feels defeated, useless. Shiro's suggestion is thoughtful. Helps keep his mind from being derailed by negativity, though he's not eager to take it directly. ]
I guess... but I don't want to sleep. I should take a shower and eat something... and take my medicine.
[ The sooner he picks himself up and gets back to a routine, the better. There's still work to be done, and aside from the mission... there's also personal matters to clear up. ]
After that... can we talk more? Not like this either. I... want to see you, Shiro.
no subject
[Unless he's sneaking around a Galra ship, apparently. But even then... It tended to be hit or miss. None of them were really stealthy. Except Pidge.]
[He nods -- though whether or not that's communicated through the link is uncertain. It makes sense.]
(Sure, do what you have to. Just... don't think nothing came of what you did. There's got to be something there.)
[Because he would be a terrible leader if he didn't at least try and give a peptalk. Even if the next request throws him for a loop. As much as he does his best to contain the surprise, it leaks anyway. It's the last thing he expected to hear.]
(Yeah... yeah, sure thing.)
no subject
Gratitude. ]
Thanks. Can I meet you on the rooftop in a couple hours?
[ He's not even sure what time it is now, with his room so sealed off and dark. He needs a chance to get ready, and he wants to see Angel first, even if she's not responsive. ]
no subject
[The same goes for the gratitude, too.]
(That's no problem. I'm usually up there anyway.)
no subject
[ He withdraws from the line of connection like ending a call. It's easy to imagine it, like pressing the end button on his coil. No more emotional contact, no more stress, no more surprise. It's an effort not to feel it right now, but cutting him off so abruptly helps. Something else he'd apologize for later. ]
no subject
[Well. That went well.]
[He'll be up there though, alternating between idle workout routines and taking breaks to watch the city below. What better way to kill time?]