station72 | mental link; it's a catbus!

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mental link; it's a catbus!

[ It's an ungodly hour of the night as these things go, with both Misato and Gildor's minds flickering to announce their presence to all. Forceful and unapologetic, for her part, while urgent and unsettling, for his part. They insist on your attention. ]

( Everyone. We found something out there beyond the barrier. It was too dark for us to see much-- )

(Or anything, for some of us, but-- )

( But it's massive-- )

(Big as the shuttles that brought us-- )

( And predatory. At least, it seemed pretty clear that it wanted to take a chunk out of us. Some of you found tracks the other day, right? Let's talk. )

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( Both. Seems either two tangos came in and one left or one came in and two left. Difficult to know. )

[With human feet, it's easier to tell, not only due to the shape of the foot, but the way people walk. Some drag their feet to hide which direction they came, but the deepest sections of tracks still indicate the pressure of the ball of the foot.]

( Eerie. And the mark on the ground? What did it look like? )

( And these tangos, are they dangerous? )

( Unknown. The circle burned in the sand could be propulsion for mobility or a weapon. )

( I had suspected dark magic when Mr. Wilson explained the circle, but a weapon... a likely possibility as well. I'm not sure I understand the movement theory. )

[ And that's not the only thing he doesn't understand here. ]

( So, what exactly are... tangos... )

[Bucky pauses, unsure of what's being asked. He replied that the tangos were unkown. After a moment, though, it clicks.]

( Tangos are targets, unknown enemies. )

( Oh... well in that case, why not simply say targets? )

[ For having just completed what was essentially a miniature stealth mission, he's not very military-minded. In fact, there's hardly anything apparent in his consciousness besides an all-encompassing darkness and noise within it. ]

[Actually, Bucky's never considered saying targets instead of tangos. The latter has belonged to his vocabulary much longer than he can remember- which, isn't very long per se, but long enough to make a difference to him.]

( Never said targets before. )

[Gildor's darkness meets Bucky's frosted barbed wire and he wonders if there's someone like him here, someone without much in the way of memories beyond a name.]

( Force of habit then, nothing to be ashamed of. )

[ He's tired from spell-casting, but not so tired to be polite to a host trying to help. Especially one he hasn't yet spoken to. The music coming from his dark consciousness eases on the volume, though he can't quite remove the anxiety behind every note. ]

( Hopefully those targets have no correlation to the creature beyond the barrier. Thank you for clarifying, Mr... sorry, I don't believe I got your name? )

[Telling Bucky not to be ashamed is akin to telling a cat to not be afraid of water. There's a lot he doesn't hnderstand about the world and shame comes hand in hand with that lack of knowledge more often than not. Whether tbe creature past the barrier bears the same footprints as their tangos will come with time.]

( Bucky. ) [There's a certain edge when he responds with his name.]

[ That edge is noted, and Gildor remembers a well-meaning warning from Pidge about the amount of anti-social types in the Nest. It seems a safe bet that Bucky is one. ]

( I am Mr. Gildor Helyanwë. It's a pleasure Mr. Bucky, or it would be under better circumstances.

I'm sorry if we woke you with our clamor. Or... well I suppose it was mostly mine. I was, or... still am rather spooked by that creature's presence so nearby. )

[ The organ playing behind the black curtain of his mind shifts to a gentler piano. Still noisy, like he needs it to be noisy to process his emotions, but mindfully better. ]

( Was already awake. And just Bucky, sir. You... were probably warned about me. )

[He knows how other regard him, but he's been working on getting better. His mind is no longer as noisy, as cold or sharp.]

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( Appears to be burned into the sand. Perfect circle, about three centimeters in diameter. Something with propulsion, maybe. )

( You're saying like a rocket? That's so weird . . . )

( Know anything else that can burn in a perfect circle? ) [Besides a brand, but there would be no point to taking the time to brand their location if they were attempting stealth.]

( Too many things. But some sort of shuttle makes the most sense.

And thanks, we'll keep these in mind. )

[Bucky sends a mote of acknowledgment bobbing over the link. It's not a welcome thought to consider an enemy using rockets or propulsion, but at least someone knows besides him and Sam now.]

( I promise it wasn't me; my wings're in storage for the moment. )

[ Light, playful - not at all apologetic about the eavesdropping, but look it's an important conversation about information and it's his broodmate, he can't help but listen.

He doesn't ask if she made it back safe; he figures he can probably tell if she didn't. ]

( I took a sample back to Katie to analyze, but hell if I know if there's anything to make from it. )

( Katie can work miracles! I'll ask her about it. )

[ If there was ever any doubt as to how Misato feels about the resident tech prodigy. ]

( By the way, how did you all get to the spot? It's not the easiest thing to find. )

( Damn right she can. )

[ There's clearly no doubt that Sam feels the same, either - and not just because she's his broodmate. ]

( We followed the path that you guys took the night before, and Cohle picked up the tracks. Bucky's been working on trying to match 'em. )

[ There are many names in this conversation. Many people with their respective roles to play in the grand production. And one name that she knows is being left unsaid. Her hesitation is telling. ]

( You, Rustin, Bucky and Kaji. )

[ And Kaji. He doesn't have to repeat the name to acknowledge that - or to acknowledge her hesitance. There's a pause of his own, as he considers. ]

( You know I trust your judgement, Misato - what are your thoughts on them? )

[ On Cohle and Kaji, he means. He asks about them both because he does want her opinion, but if he was honest he needs it more on Kaji. He hasn't pried, as much as he can in a hive mind, but between what she's told him and what he's picked up from her on Kaji, well. Sam'd rather know what she'd actually say about him, and not just have an impression of the man based on secondhand feelings. ]

[ Secondhand feelings is as common as air by now. Like so, she can sense what he means, tease out the reference to them as exactly as if he had said their names instead. First comes puzzlement. Why Cohle? A misunderstanding on his part surely. Her answer is spoken to him and to him alone, the channel between their minds carefully guarded. ]

( I trust him. ) [ Him, Kaji. She trusts him to be right and to be kind. ] ( But I can't say if you should too. And I don't know enough about Rustin to say. Now, your turn. )

( I can't say if I should, either, but it's a point in his favor that you do. )

[ Sam is slow with his trust these days, guarded as their connection at the moment, but Misato's earned it. For better or worse. He can't help but keep that in mind. As for Cohle - there's so specific reason, really. Except that she's met him, and he values her opinion. He just wants to know if she's got any about him. ]

( I don't either, unfortunately. He picked up pretty easy on the cover I had going so no one found us out there and went with it, but that's all I've got right now. )

[ She takes a moment to consider the allocation of trust she gives to each of the three men. It is an exercise in teasing apart the differences, the history -- no, track record of trustworthiness -- and the more amorphous criterion of affection. ]

( I don't think Rustin's a bad man, but I don't expect we'd agree on a lot of things. Like you and me. It doesn't mean I don't trust you to do your best for all of us, even if I might not like the method you choose. )

[ Her exclusion of Kaji from the equation is meant to be telling. ]