mental link, day 22

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( Got some information for you guys - Annie was good enough to get some of her makeshift spycams going, and we set ‘em up with the leaders of the envoys. Activated them last night. )

[ There’s a curl of gratitude for those who went along with his plan, for those who spun stories or distractions or contributed to convincing the leaders of the envoys that the trinkets of Annie goo were part of a mourning ritual. Is he gonna talk about the fact that he basically disappeared after that until they boarded the airship? Nah. Instead, he jumps right into it. ]

( Didn’t get a lot from the Carpathans or the Meradans, unless you wanna know what the inside of Saridian Black’s room looks like or what other gifts people’ve been giving him, or see more of the Meradans trash talking each other while playing games.

Got the same Second that Annie saw last time, who’s friends with the Seconds I know, and this time he was with Ysiddia Cabrielle. He’s her son, and they were talking with a Second from one of the other Houses about the murders and the Circle having its work cut out for it when we get to the Red Coast.

And the Descendents - pretty sure we got a couple of them talking about the murders. They were wondering if “they” were discovered, who discovered them and what their intentions were - might have something to do with the last time we spied on people through Annie, and she saw the Carpathans that got killed talking about new friends. That, and blood debts and someone named Casiria, and that no one in Black’s retinue could know about it. Didn’t know this until a little bit ago, but guess what information got passed onto Black’s retinue? )

[ His mental “tone” is deliberately neutral there, but the difference from the usual warmth to his mental link is probably pretty telling. ]

( One other thing, about the circle that was found burned in the ground a while back when we were still running around on the ground and the tracks next to it - Rhan said the circle doesn’t look local, but the tracks appear Rabadocean. Hard to pin down more than that so far, except they don’t really match the Hypyrians. )

[ Is he fixating on that a little too much, to be thinking about it still? Maybe, but he's not gonna let it go. ]

Comments

[shiro2hero]

(These Descendants wondering if they were discovered or the bodies...?)

[He pauses, in thought. Just bear with him a second here, Sam, he's going somewhere with this:]

(People used to think when 'aliens' would land on Earth, their ships would burn or press shapes into the ground they landed on. Most often, it was a circle shape.)

(... think maybe whatever was out there... wasn't part of the party?)

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's a hum of consideration as Sam thinks about that, and then the mental equivalent of a shrug.

He can't be sure, honestly - he'd thought they were talking about the Carpathans being discovered and then killed, but who knows? His mind opens a little more, beckoning Shiro in with an offer - see for yourself?

Shiro's other comment gets a soft huff, amusement curling out. ]

( I'd say I can't believe we're talking about crop circles, but back home we got aliens who travel by rainbow bridges that burn circles in the ground, too, so - yeah, that's exactly what I think. Just can't tell if someone joined the party or left it. )

[shiro2hero]

[His own response is as close to a nod as possible, given it's mental and all. Out of everyone, it's almost like Sam doesn't need to ask anymore.]

(And we have aliens who open and close their own wormholes.)

(Is there any way to get some kind of headcount of who should be here, do you think?)

[sistershoggoth]

( You're welcome, scumsuckers. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam's already said thank you, so he's not gonna repeat himself here - but his mind opens up a little bit more towards Annie's, basking in the familiarity. ]

( Hey, how you doing on art supplies? )

[sistershoggoth]

[ She is familiarly drunk is what she is. ]

( Didn't bring enough, was kind of in a hurry after waking up and all you fuckers had gone on a mission without me. Fuckin' sketchbook and a worn down pencil, fuckin' sucks. Don't have enough paper. )

[wille]

( Don't sound too smug about it just yet. )

[sistershoggoth]

( Don't tell me what to do. )

[justttkidding]

( Espionage and scrying? Colour me surprised and delighted. Coming into this fresh, though I believe a thank you is still in order, Miss Annie. )

[sistershoggoth]

( Did I forget to tell you that the green shit that comes out of me is actually useful? )

[ Probably. She was drunk. ]

( Not as good as my tentacles used to be, but the goo does some of its own shit too. Way better sensory playback, for one.

And oh my god only the students call me 'miss', don't even, that is not my kink. I had to fight off this one girl I was teaching, it was harrowing shit ok. )

[ A beautiful teenage girl with pink hair and a wicked smile flutters to life in her mind, one of many faces that Annie keeps stored inside of herself: friends, teachers, lovers, she remembers their faces and their colors more than she remembers their names sometimes. Unsurprisingly, for such a visually oriented creature. ]

[greentech]

( You didn't tell me you were going to get someone killed. )

[ She sounds a bit flat. ]

[sistershoggoth]

( I didn't know it was going to get somebody killed. You fucks sure do think I have some kind of fucking omnipotence. )

[aluminumandash]

[ Rust listens, his thoughts clean and deliberate as pen strokes. Smooths Sam's retelling where it gets tangled in itself. He's heedful of the proffered analysis without taking it at face value.

A sense of steady pressure, emotions held at a brittle distance. ] ( When'd you find out. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam is - more stable than the last time they spoke. He's remembered that grief is a familiar companion and he knows what to do with it, stopped trying to withdraw into himself and go it alone.

He opens their connection more under the pressure, a silent offer to show Rust so he can see it for himself, if he wants. ]

( About twenty minutes ago. )

[aluminumandash]

[ Later. ]

( How? )

[raw]

( Makeshift spycams? )

[ There's so much more pertinent information here and he's interested in a lot of it, particularly the stuff about Black's retinue, so maybe there's a listening kind of gratitude from this new kid, but mostly he's wondering how they managed cameras. ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's a sense of focus as Sam pulls his attention in from the Nest in general to the feel of an unfamiliar mind. His side of the connection is flavored by the faint sigh of wind and brush of feathers, though he keeps most of his mental presence behind the cloud layer he uses as shielding. ]

( It's the ability her symbiote gave her. She makes some kind of slime, and she can see and hear through it. Comes with some side effects, though, they all do. )

[raw]

[ Elliot still isn't great at shielding, despite a couple of attempts to show him how to walk himself off, create distance, but he's found it easier to just try and think in encryption. It means he still gives off nonsense white-noise and vague impressions but maybe it's easier to ignore? Who knows. ]

( Thought for a moment we had an actual cam system, or something. )

[ Flavored with a little disappointment. ]

( Thanks for the news broadcast, man. But... doesn't it mean our presence is responsible for the murders? )

[sistershoggoth]

( Did I forget to explain that to you... )

[ Probably. She was drunk. ]

( This is spying with goo volume two. We've got like eight goo-things distributed amongst the ranks, I can activate one at a time, and get some sensory feedback on whatever's around it. Do it for too long and I hork! It sucks. )

[wille]

[ How strange to see the Hyrypians grieve and suffer so soon after Lavellan's passing made them endure the same. It's like watching oneself mirrored back, the repetition reducing its impact. Her tone is business-like, stripped of emotions. ]

( Two things. One: the Carpathans are split. Aligning with the Descendants isn't their formal position, and Black will make sure that never happens. But why? Don't forget the Carpathan farana said she's hiding from Black, maybe being found was enough to get her killed.

Two: we have to find this Casiria. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam listens to her, filing away her opinions and mind flipping through a number of possibilities, how to get more information on Black, how to find Casiria, which piece of gossip was the straw that got someone killed -

And for a moment, he's just real damn tired. ]

( You know, all of this is just reminding me of why I fucking hate politics. )

[justttkidding]

[ November listens to all of this intently as he would with his mission dossiers. There's a lot he doesn't know– they'd been briefed on the station, but his own words echo back: different from being on the ground. Some of the missing pieces fill in as he tunes into the various chatter. Such as Annie's ability to spy using her symbiote powers. That shakes something loose in his head, like recognition, although he isn't sure why or how.

Potentially symbiote related, since he hasn't had a chance to try it out just yet. Not from lack of desire, but more from circumstance.

In any case, he's going to process what he does know, which is a compilation of information he's received here and from Cathaway on the station. ]

( Interesting insights.

You'll have to excuse me, I feel a bit quizzical, beyond the covered questions about the circle. Force of habit, you understand. )

[ Alright, so, down to business. The pleasantries drop away mentally, a seriousness settling in, precision sharpened. ]

( Somewhat throwaway, but indulge me: are the Meradans trash talking in general or are there any personality notations we can make? Gambling brings out the insults and often something can be gleaned.

Are these blood debts to Casiria or do they sound unrelated? Either way, they're a person of interest, as I'm sure you've figured.

As for the circle, hard to say how it all factors in, unless we find another instance. Once is coincidence, twice is starting a pattern. Thrice, well, I don't have to go further. )

[ Was there something else? Oh. ]

( This leaves us with needing information on Casiria, blood debts which may be linked, and Black. Would more far and away spying net us anything? It seems imprudent to tax it all on one person, symbiote or not. If there's other possibilities, even going so far as infiltration, count me in. )

[wille]

[ She likes it. Likes that he's getting to the meat of things despite his flippant persona. In response to his precision, she finds herself mellowing, knowing she doesn't need to be sharp enough for the both of them. ]

( Simple infiltration would be tough unless you can shapeshift. )

[ Which isn't an impossibility, and she says it like she's speaking of swimming. You can't go in the water unless you can swim. ]

( But you're a charming one, right? Asking good questions to the right people might be our best bet yet. )

[greentech]

[ Well, Pidge isn't exactly happy about all of this, but it's sort of... over, isn't it? Still, there's a thrumming sense of frustration underneath the surface. And it carries through in her mental voice. ]

( I think I helped pass that information along to Black and company. Annie asked me to put together a device... so I did. )

[ There's a trace of guilt, but she can't linger, can she? ]

( I wish we knew more about the circle or that I'd had time to take samples. I guess we'll just have to keep going and figure it out later. The new friends thing sounds kind of ominous, though. Do we have any idea who Casiria actually is? )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Her frustration is echoed back, a dim undercurrent of anger that they'd involved her in this shit, but he does his best to let it go. It's not like she's some helpless kid unable to make her own decisions - of course, that doesn't help all that much when you're not given all the information.

He can't help but reach out a little when he feels her guilt, mind brushing over hers with a warm ruffle of feathers. ]

( It's not like you knew what they were gonna do with it. )

[ The rest of that is met with a firm agreement, mixed in with uncertainty about - well, honestly, about all of this. ]

( Not yet. I figured that was probably gonna be where I went next. )