mental link; after the riding events

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam's mental presence is accompanied by the sweep of feathers and the rush of wind as he focuses in on his connection to the Nest, occassionally dotted with a faint hint of static or the glint of stars. ]

( There's more than a few of us going at this mission in our own way, so I figure it can't hurt to check in. I don't got a lot this early in the game, but if anyone wants what I've found out about our hosts or the other envoys or what I've been doing to get it, I'll pass it on. This ain't a trade kind of thing - I'll tell you whether or not you wanna let me know what you've been up to. But if you don't mind sharing, hell, I'll take it. )

[ They're a paranoid bunch here, Sam knows that. He'd rather get what little he's been able to find out to people who might be able to do something with it than insist on getting something back. ]

( If you'd rather do it in person, just tell me when or where. I'm pretty sure I heard something about Adra making us all dinner later, so that might not be a bad time either. )

[ On an OOC note, if you only want info sharing and would rather handwave the interaction or just want to know what Sam would share, hit me up on the first comment to this post! ]

Comments

[perroquet]

(A burned circle?)

[ That sets an alarm off in his head. Nothing to panic over, at least not immediately. The music that played before in his memory of the cliffside parlor continues and shifts, the tempo increasing sharply with the pace of his thoughts. ]

(Knowing that, combined with the blanket sense of dread... it reeks of dark magic. Like a fear spell cast to weed us out from the rest of the envoys.)

[ It takes a caster of dark magic to know the signs, and bards toe the neutral line between corrosive and healing magics. Though he still wonders if they are even on the right side of all this, burned shapes in the ground and widespread anxiety do not paint the enemy in a particularly good light.

If it even was the enemy shuffling around that night. ]

(I'm jumping to conclusions. Without knowledge of our enemy's ability, I'm not sure what else to make besides comparisons to my own experience.) [ Which he realizes is silly when they're on an alien planet, and in many ways alien to each other. ] (Where your conclusions very similar or no?)

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam listens as Gildor speculates, contemplative. Magic wasn't his first thought, but then, he comes from a world where it isn't common. ]

( That's the problem a lot of us are having, I think. We don't know much of anything about the Enemy, except they want us dead and they don't really care who or what they have to go through to get it done. )

[ Or at least, that's Sam's perception of things - he hasn't heard anyone get picked up here without it being from some kind of life or death situation. ]

( Could be trying to lure us out, could be some kind of interplanetary travel - hell, could be them trying to tap into our mental connections to eavesdrop on everything we're doing. )

[ Isn't that an encouraging thought. ]

[perroquet]

(Could very well be.)

[ While he agrees, he'd rather let the guesswork end there before it becomes any more grim. There isn't much use in could-be's until one is proven right. ]

(I am bit confused by the amount of speculating we've had to do so far. Haven't at least some of you faced this same Enemy before on other expeditions?)

[ And from those past encounters, shouldn't they have a clearer idea of what they are up against and how to proceed? ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's the sensation of a soft huff that could almost be laughter, save for the fact that there's no humor attached to it. ]

( Maybe some of the older Hosts like Rhan, but the rest of us? This is only my second full mission, if you don't count the one I got dropped in the middle of, and there's not around left that've been here longer than me. If the others know, they're either not planning on sharing or they're waiting for us to ask the right questions. )

[perroquet]

[ There's a pause of contemplative surprise, punctured by the sound of strings being strummed in idle thought. He wasn't expecting the other hosts to be as in the dark as he is. ]

(Well... that certainly defeats the purpose of our greatest asset in this silent war, doesn't it?)

[ If they aren't all going to use their new mental communication devices for communication, why be connected in a have mind at all? ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's a quiet hum back as Sam tunes into the sound - it's nice, in a way, the flavors of Sam's mind tend to be sensations - and as he quietly agrees. ]

( What, you mean the fact that we got a real damn unique and handy way of communication and half of us aren't even all that keen on the old fashioned way? Yeah, kind of does. )

[perroquet]

(Precisely.)

[ The strumming in the back of his mind continues and then slows, one string being plucked at a time until six chords ring at once. If he's thinking of anything else, it's kept hidden behind the sound. Though there's a tiny hint of frustration in the way he silences the chords - like a hand placed over them just a bit too hard. ]

(Well, I appreciate the information shared today. Thank you for that. If I hear anything new and useful, I'll let you know?)

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Yeah, Sam feels him on that frustration. Still, there's a hint of a sensation, the firm, warm press of fingers like the impression of a hand shake. ]

( Any time, man. I find anything else out, and I'll send it your way, too. Might not be able to herd the rest of these cats into cooperating but hell, at least I can do it myself. )