( mental link ) day :041

[iuno]

[ some number of hours after the announcement about the decision they have to make — return to the Station or stay on Hyrypia — there's a restless feeling that hums along the Nest connection for a good few minutes before Juno actually speaks. a sensation like drumming your fingers along a surface; starting to speak and changing your mind. starting— ]

( So. ) [ a pause. nearly vibrating with that strange, jittery impatience. ] ( Who's going where? )

[ he plainly doesn't care, and it's not a social question. but he thinks it would be good to know who to expect to be around on one side or the other. ]

Comments

[iuno]

( It sounds like it's politics from here on out. )

[ there's some disdain for that, like cringing away from a bad taste; he'll do legwork all they want, but he's something of a blunt force object. he can't stand the manipulative nature of politicking. ]

( I mean, we've got an identity. You're gonna have to pull some strings. )

[redheadcarrier]

( I'm not a politician, but I can try. )

[ She's done it before. Been a social butterfly. Tried her best to get people to like her.

She could do it again. Lie and pretend that everything is fine. It might be harder, though. ]

( I dunno what strings to pull. Maybe I'll find out. )

[iuno]

( Yeah, I'm not much of a puppet master myself. If I could, I'd get you in touch with my— ) [ a stutter, lost for words briefly before he just chooses one: ] ( —better half. He's a real people person when he's not comatose. )

[ he doesn't want to think about Nureyev right now. he racks his brain for anything to say about politics instead, to a girl who sounds about as enthusiastic for it as he does. surely he should have picked up on some tricks by now, after a lifetime of picking through the crime scenes of politicking. ]

( I guess your options are to win trust where it matters or make sure the bad guys look like the wrong choice. Maybe play up the teenager angle, make yourself seem harmless. )

[redheadcarrier]

[ Comatose. Her lips twitch slightly in a scowl. She hates the idea. She hates that it keeps happening. There's nothing she can do about it, though. It's just going to keep happening.

She hates feeling helpless.

But that's not what this is about. ]

( I don't want to be harmless. But I guess if it helps, I can pretend. )

[iuno]

( That's the spirit. I think. )

[ he has no idea. he's never bothered to be any good at deception, and she's already showing way more restraint and foresight than he ever did as a teenager. ]

( To be honest, I'm more of a "shoot first, ask questions when everyone's incapacitated" kind of lady. )

[redheadcarrier]

( You're not any kind of lady. )

[ She's a bit dry, there. ]

( Ugh - yeah. I do better with action. Not waiting around. I keep feeling like I'm going to jump out of my skin, but it'd probably be even worse on the Station. )

[iuno]

( Uh. Harsh? ) [ he's not being sarcastic -- he's genuinely baffled by her saying that. he isn't even sure what she means by it. ] ( I've had plenty of people tell me I'm not all that ladylike for a lady, but that's a new one. )

[ that feeling like she's going to jump out of her skin, though. that's common ground for sure. ]

( I'd say to hope we're well shut of it soon, but I've never seen hope make a difference in anything. )

[redheadcarrier]

( You're a guy- )

[ That's not really the point of this conversation, though. And she's not going to question what he calls himself. She gives off a mental shrug and tries to settle herself.

She is way too used to this whole mind chat thing now. It's weird. ]

( Hope just disappoints you. )

[iuno]

[ he's still confused by her thinking he's a guy -- at least in the sense of "not a lady" -- but he lets it slide when she noticeably drops the subject, mostly because it just doesn't happen in the galaxy he knows. people are too busy clawing their way up the ladder to argue about gender. ]

( See? You're already a step ahead. Just make sure you keep any idealists down there in line. )

[ he means you, bakugo. with your heroism and your friendship speeches. ]

[redheadcarrier]

[ Idealists. She doesn't know what to do about them. She wants to so her beat, she really does, but people who insist on attaching too many rules - she's not sure how she feels about them. She'd rather win, honestly, instead of take the moral high ground. At least now, anyway. ]

( We'll see if any of them actually listen to me... )