driftfleet | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Nightingale, anyone else
Broadcast: Video
Action: Y
When: The 11th, sometime mid-morning.

[The video starts up showing... Well, for most people, it's probably an empty wall, at the end of the dormitory hallway, and there's a crazy person just pawing at the wall. For those who have the lab support or cook augments that are currently glitching, though, you can see the doorway and touchpad. A hand will reach over from outside of the camera's view, touch the touchpad, the digital voice says "Level five access granted", and the door slides open, at which point she pulls a chair from off the camera to wedge it into the doorway so it can't close again. This probably looks very strange to anyone who isn't glitched.

This is when she will finally turn the camera around to show herself.]

This is Nightingale. I've found something weird that definitely wasn't here yesterday, and I'm starting to think this ship isn't as safe as was claimed. I need a party down here to investigate this, as soon as possible. Preferably people that are able to fight in case things get ugly. I haven't gone through here yet, but I think we might be on a time limit.

... And, while I'm making myself sound totally insane, something's wrong with the ship. I've been checking it with my Scan spell for a while now, and it feels more like a monster than a ship to me. Aren't there story books in here about getting swallowed whole by monsters and living in their bellies? Because that seems a little relevant.

Anyway, I'll be going to investigate this room soon. It's at the end of the dorm hallway. Anyone else who wants in, hurry, I'll be here.

[And true to her word, anyone who comes to check it out (or to check if she's completely lost her mind) can find Nightingale standing right where she said, anxiously checking her communicator. The door is still wedged open, too.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Two minutes.

[And in two minutes or less, she's there, even though she doesn't see what Nightingale sees, even though she doesn't understand what's happening. Because Nightingale she said she needed help. Crew is crew no matter if they leave or stay, just like the regiment always is, just like she'd kick anyone's ass for Wazzer even now, no questions asked.]

Explain?

[Nightingale feels an immediate rush of gratitude towards Mal. And maybe a little guilt, that after she was moved, Mal still rushed to her aid so readily...]

Which part first?

The part that's worrying you most.

[She takes a step forward, two, examining the way the door's been wedged open with the chair.]

We'll handle that first, then move on to whatever the next stupid bollocks happens to be.

[She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, prioritizing. She just has to treat it like a game. Another weird event for her to plan her way through.]

The ship is a single, cohesive unit. I can see an... A sort of aura but not quite from the ship that's...

[She trails off for a minute before resuming.]

It's something hard to explain if you don't have magic sight. Do you? Either way, it feels like it's something alive, but not quite. It's... A ship is supposed to be a part of the environment- It's not something you can target with combat magic. But the Marsiva is targetable, and I've been casting Scan on it, and it's... targeting the whole damn ship as a single unit. Normally a machine-type monster of this size would be broken down into several different targetable pieces- It feels more like it's alive than just a ship.

I realized I could see the not-aura this morning, and I found this door a little later. I haven't ruled out the idea that the augment is making me hallucinate all of this, but I don't know if the augment can change targeting rules like that.

[She listens to all of this carefully, turns it over in her mind before speaking. It's probably a pretty different Mal from what Nightingale's used to, for the most part; keeping quiet is not her strong suit ordinarily. But it's obvious that something's very wrong, and everyone's in danger - and Cassandra told her to prioritize that, but even if she hadn't, Mal still would. These people are hers now, even the ones she doesn't like. That's just how it is.]

I don't have magic sight. But when I haven't - fed, or whatever I happen to be doing for substitute, I can tell if I'm being watched. If there are people close by. If they're friends or enemies. I can't do it now. But I know what you mean, and I trust you.

So you think we're feeding it? Psychically or literally?

[That last bit, when Mal says she trusts Nightingale, causes her to flush just a bit. Now she's determined.]

I don't know. I can't even tell if it's conscious, or anything else. When I try to scan it, all of its stats come up as mysteries- Either it's so alien my spell can't figure it out, or it's got some kind of property to hide its stats, or... Or it's a superboss-tier monster.

It might not even be aware we're here. I can't tell you anything concrete past it being some kind of living unit, and... I don't know if it's a monster in the literal sense, but it definitely seems to be one in some way.

If there's answers, they'll probably be through the door.

Hmm.

[Her first instinct is to wonder how to kill the damn thing. But perhaps not, with all these people on board. Even if it probably deserves it. Instead, she looks at the door, looks at Nightingale, looks back at the door like she's daring it to start shit.]

All right. Then let's go through the door.

[What she is refraining from mentioning is that while she can target it, she totally could try to kill it. But, you know. Bad idea.]

Yeah. ... Be ready for anything. It might be harmless, or we might be about to paint huge targets on ourselves as problems for the Atroma to get rid of.

[ it is a very strange sight indeed, but it seems no more strange than the wild claims the blond is making. lacking her usual means of offense, weiss hesitates only briefly before deciding to follow through, her boots clicking lightly down the corridor to signal her approach. with the communication, she can't see what nightingale is seeing, but she thinks to save that part for later.

first thing's first. ]

Hi, my name is Weiss Schnee. You were the one who'd made the video earlier, yes? [ nightingale, she'd gone as. ] What did you mean by "Scan spell"?

[Well, that is a pleasant thing to wake up to.]

I am not much of a fighter, but I am a thinker. Is it technological in nature? I ... am apparently an engineer.

[Another pause.] Although I have considered perhaps we were inside the belly of a dragon.

Hi. I'm Nightingale. Yeah, that was me.

[She glances over Weiss, trying to see if she looks strong. She would normally be checking her with Scan, but conserving MP seems important right now...]

I'm a mage, that's a spell I have. It can tell me a lot about a target- Name, general strength, specific stats, all of that.

As technological as the rest of the ship, probably. I'm a mage with a cooking augment, so this isn't my specialty. If you want to come, we could probably use your expertise.

... We definitely seem to be, whether metaphorically or literally.

Hmm! You need someone who can fight in case you see something ugly--

[ No no, she said in case things get ugly, there's a difference! And, sure, sometimes you can still have one along with the other, but that's not the point! The young man in the straw hat continues: ]

--and I could really use a steak!

[ Got anything to barter for the services of a pirate? ]

Very well ... give me a moment to clothe myself and I will be with all of you directly.

[And Tyrion is as good as his word - in less than ten minutes he is hobbling towards the small group, and yes, he does have a small tool box with him.] And a good morning to all, or not, as this may depend on what I am about to see.

[Mis-matched eyes moved around.] What am I seeing?

... Well, if we get out of this safely, I do have the cooking augment...

[She's not even going to try to correct him. She knows this type of person, and there's no way she can get him to understand, so it's better to just point him at the this that need punching.]

Can you fight, then?

[... A dwarf. Another one? It says something about how jaded Nightingale's become that she doesn't say anything about that.]

This door wasn't here yesterday. I saw it at around the same time my magic sight started seeing the rest of the ship being weird, so I'm not sure if anyone without that sight can see it.

[It's a fair guess. Wrong, of course, but a fair guess.]

So... I wedged this door open with a chair from the lounge rooms. What are you seeing, is my question?

[If he knew that dwarves were starting to be commonplace, he would assuredly laugh.

As it was Tyrion's eyes opened, wide, as he moved towards the door itself.] I am seeing a door ... a door, I might add, that spent the the better part of an hour looking for the day before. A door I did not think existed.

[He moved to touch the door, see if it had hinges or opened automatically.] Have you moved beyond the door?

Edited 2015-11-11 22:01 (UTC)

Not yet. I have no idea what's beyond there, so if it's dangerous... Well, it would be pretty useless of me to go in alone, get killed, and not be able to bring back information about it.

You were looking for this before, you said?

[Sokka can, indeed, fight, which he figures is important if Nightingale's asked for it. He also wants to work out what's up with the ship, he's noticed a few...anomalies himself, that he can't quite remember right now.

When he gets there though, he just stares ahead of them. ]

...Nightingale. You know that's a blank wall, right?

... I was worried about that. You don't have magic sight or anything, do you?

[Of course, given that her magic sight is going nuts and seeing the ship as alive, she's inclined to attribute her sudden ability to see this door to that, too. It seems logical, anyway.]

Give me your hand for a minute?

Definitely not. I'm about as non-magical as you can get.

[He glances at the door, to her and back again, before offering his hand. ]

Okay, but don't do anything weird with it. I need it back.

That seems to support my guess.

[That said, she's just... taking his hand, and pulling it through the open door. But not very far into it, because she still has no idea what's in there, and she doesn't want to get his hand bitten off by a monster or something.]

[That's so very good of her. He lets her do it, but, of course, all he can feel is WALL. ]

...Yeah, I don't know what I'm supposed to be touching here?

...

Okay, new plan.

[She lets go of Sokka's arm, and just steps through the damn doorway herself.]

I see ... hence why we are waiting for the proverbial muscle to arrive. [Tyrion murmured, before his mis-matched eyes narrowed thoughtfully.]

Indeed, my young friend Ahsoka and I theorized that it would be impossible for them to enclose us in this space without giving us a way out in case of emergencies. So... it would appear I was correct.

[He lifted an eyebrow at her.] And soon, there may be an emergency.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 8