driftfleet | 001 | the welcome wagon job

Entry tags:

001 | the welcome wagon job

Who: Parker and you!
Broadcast: nope!
Action: all over the place
When: from now until ~~forever~~ drift week

Bishop

[ she barely skimmed the surface of the first ship that held her - and not for lack of trying, which is simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating (she chooses to focus on the latter) - when poof, like magic she's standing somewhere else.

magic's not real though. right? is it? is it?

if hardison can find her here, he really is the best, and he really did look hard. she's not counting on it.

she's at the ready the second her feet touch down on the bridge. she's unarmed - to her chagrin - but it's okay. she may not be a hitter, but she doesn't need a weapon to be dangerous. the confetti confuses but doesn't faze her. if there happens to be a person there, on the other hand, and they get too close, they'll find themselves pushed against the wall with surprising strength, forearm digging into their neck ]

How'd you do that?

[ whos and whys are so overrated, really.

if no one is there when she arrives, however, she'll be eating that chocolatey dessert (you snooze you lose!) and making her way through the ship, mapping it in her mind, feet not making a sound on the floor. when she hears people approach, she'll try to hide - did the ceiling always have a blond woman clinging to it? ]

A ship! Any ship!

[ like she's going to just stay where they want her! there's a situation. that situation must be dealt with. the first thing she needs is a safe house, and she's going to be looking for one in every single ship (ideally, she'd like to have one on each). don't mind the stranger silently creeping on your ship, listening to walls, touching panels, trying to find a space to crawl into, and retreating into what cover there is at every approach. happens every day, right?

oh, and if you got something especially valuable lying around, sorry, she's pocketing it. look, she doesn't know you earn money just by existing here, okay, and she's not willing to count on it either, if she's been informed by now. a girl has got to eat! ]

Planetside

[ parker doesn't stay put for long. she takes the shuttle on as fast a ride as it can handle and eventually ends up touching down on kayann. wandering around, she helps herself to essentials everywhere she goes; a snack here, a taser there, ooh cool a skydiver kit! her hands grab things so quickly and smoothly no one seems to know where they've gone - or, in most cases, notice it until she's far away. you have to be looking right at her hands or know what you're looking for to understand what happened and she's already on her way. best be quick!

she perches on a private spot, high above the city, to eat some of her loot (if people don't pick up their meal order promptly, how is that her fault? gosh! it's not like she poisoned it and left it for them to consume!).

there's a reality and it must be dealt with. she needs to get to know the place she's ended up in; survival first, exit strategy second. that sure is a pretty blond woman you can see climbing the side of the building, or you've run into in an air duct, or, alternatively, you've found puzzling over which plant to buy. yes, buy. food, clothes, equipment, a weapon - they're survival necessities, they tramp morals. but a luxury, even one she doesn't fully understand (nor does she grasp why the store beckoned to her so, why she feels the need to get a plant when there's not a leverage consolidated and associates office to put it in, when she has no desire to stay here in this place she didn't choose to go to - those days were meant to have ended a long time ago! but she's not overthinking it. it did, so she went in.), that, she's learned she should pay for or leave behind. unless, of course, it's owned by a bad guy. she peeks at the guy behind the register. he does look a little shifty, doesn't he? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ magic's not real...is it? ]

Who wants us here? [ okay, she'll bite, he may be just as trapped as she is. that isn't to say she has any intention of trusting him or giving up on the notion that he's behind this, but she's keeping an open mind.

oh, he asked something too but it doesn't matter so she skips that. ]

[He's starting to wonder about that, but best not to dwell too much.]

From what others have told me, they are known as Atroma. An organization who thinks kidnapping makes for good live entertainment. Goodness knows where the cameras are, but thinking too much about things like that can be agonizing.

[He dares a couple of steps forward.]

I know it may not be much, but if I intended to bite you, it would have happened already. Save your energy and try to relax.

I don't like cameras.

[ especially the kind she can't see so she can't avoid. her skin feels all crawl-y, but she's a practical girl. she can't stay on edge 24/7, so she won't linger on it long, not until she comes up with a solution.

she stares at him like she's about to either bolt or attempt murder as he steps forward. ]

What's with the gas mask? [ she's not going to believe he means her no harm when he could release a lethal gas and kill her in seconds. ]

Well that makes two of us.

[Quite the odd one, but Mantis can't help but try and poke around a bit more to try and get a reaction from her. You don't often meet people who are used to watching their back.

He taps his mask and shrugs.]

There are some things I do not like people seeing. The gas mask is mostly for form rather than function.

[ that gets her attention, but probably not in the expected way. instead of respectfully backing off the subject or expressing some beauty-is-on-the-inside sentiment that one probably doesn't expect to have to act on, she looks curious, almost excited. ]

Ooh, did you brain your face off? Did you?

[He goes silent for a few seconds, honestly stunned with how brazen she is. Most fascinating in a vaguely raised by wolves sort of way.

It takes a bit of thought, but he manages an answer.]

Not quite, but there is scar tissue.

[ it's possible she would have acquired a little more manners if she were raised by wolves, honestly, at least then she'd have been raised by a pack, with some semblance of social norms and order. ]

What from? Were you attacked by a bird?

[The shock of it wears off pretty quickly. People like her are weird and a treasure trove of information about how one is raised affecting their behavior as an adult.

He laughs.] Not quite that, either. I don't remember much about how I got the scars, just that I didn't have them until I did.

Edited 2017-08-24 18:16 (UTC)

[ oh yes, she could make a therapist's career, if she doesn't scare them to death first.

he doesn't remember how he got scars? that's weird. eliot has a million scars and he remembers how he got every single one. she doesn't have that many, and it just makes them more memorable. how do you not remember how you got something that makes you put on a gas mask every day? ]

Was it the aliens? [ in an almost-whisper. did it happen here is the question, really. did they knock him out and experiment on him and he woke up hideous? ]

[She'd have to try so much harder than this to scare Mantis.

When you were very young and traumatized, but she doesn't need to know that. No one does. If he could, he would make it so that he forgot completely, but then he'd lose part of his life's motivation.]

Aliens don't- [Well, they do exist, at least here. He clears his throat.] Have anything to do with it. You'd be amazed at what people can forget. Formative years are a blur for some.

[ oh, when she's trying to scare him he wouldn't be able to miss it, this is just her being herself.

now trouble in 'formative years' - she can understand. hers were about as messed up as you imagine a person's having to be in order for them to grow up into her. she can even understand his choice of cover - a gas mask is functional, which she appreciates, and it hides without embellishing. she gets that. ]

Can I see?

[He kind of likes it. There's no pretense or trying to be something she isn't. Most people at least act like they're afraid of him.

He beckons her to follow, figuring they could continue this enlightening conversation somewhere one can find chairs. Looma's domain on the bridge is especially good for this, as you can get a lovely view of the stars from the Captain's chair.]

No, but I'm tired of standing and you are far too interesting to leave alone. Join me? I like to look at the stars in comfort and the bridge has an excellent view.

[ she's been trying to learn how to pretend and be something she isn't, but she's not very good at it yet, especially without someone in her ear feeding her lines. she can pretend to be a waitress or anything that requires blending in without a lot of conversation - but in one on one talks?

herself is all she's got.

she looks at his desired destination suspiciously, but it's the talk of the stars that wins her over, and she joins him, taking the best seat she can find. ]

You think I'm interesting? [ most people think she's scary. or insane. interesting is such a surprisingly kind description, it knocks her more off balance than his appearance ever could. ]

[Everyone tries that at some point, and the degree of success always comes down to where the person starts at, who helps them, and how much effort they actually want to put in. Goalposts move so often, they're virtually useless.

He sits a relatively polite distance away, but turns to face her in his seat.]

Well, not everyone is so quick to ask about my mask or to the degree in which you did. I want to know where that comes from. What makes the gears in your head move.

[ for her, the attempts have mostly been at passing as various characters as part of a con, not exactly your standard goalposts.

he earns himself another suspicious look. ]

Are you a shrink? [ she doesn't much like those, they tell her she's crazy and try to give her drugs that dull her edge. but the last time wasn't so bad. it was even kinda fun - group therapy is a lot more interesting than the one-on-one stuff. ]

[Goalposts no less, and the kind that are designed to be taken down once they have served their purpose.

Mantis doesn't bat an eye at the look, not that there is much to see. He smirks, too.]

The ship thinks I am. What I really do is more of an old habit that requires learning about people's minds. You honestly strike me as mild compared to some of the people I've worked with.

[ it's much easier to pretend to be someone you're not when there's an expiration date. ]

What do you really do?

[ it sounds to her like nate, or sophie - a mastermind or a grifter. they understand people way better than any shrink she's ever met. it looks like magic to her, she understands so little. ]

[He sits up a little, sensing an opportunity to brag a little. His head tilts a little to one side.]

I helped military forces analyse their opponents to make them easier to take down in a fight. Lucrative work, and occasionally you get to work with interesting people.

[ she knows one of those interesting people. she works with one of those interesting people. she wouldn't be surprised if he knows that interesting person because eliot spencer's reputation has reached farther and wider than any of theirs, and they're a crew of infamy. ]

So you're a mastermind.

[ like nate. called it! ]

[Mantis worked with such interesting people, although he's trying not to think of that too much.

What he does do is laugh, nasally and with a touch of wickedness.]

It has been far too long since someone described me like that! I prefer "greatest practitioner" when it comes to the full scope of my work.

[ yeah, that definitely sounds like eliot. before he joined their crew 'things-people-don't-want-to-think-about' were his specialty. ]

Why? [ she frowns at the preferred term ] It's a mouthful.

[He is one of those 'things-people-dont'-want-to-think-about', depending on who one asks.]

It's honest. A mastermind merely plans. What I do is a unique skill that few people are naturally resistant to.

[ see there had to be a reason she finds him tolerable!

merely plans? she snorts, clearly he hasn't met a real mastermind! ]

So what is it?

[A perfect lead in, if ever there was one.]

I don't know who this Eliot is, but he must be someone clever to leave what seems to be a positive impression on you. That's all I have right now. Surface thoughts are fleeting at best and therefore a bit difficult to read.

[ instantly, her eyes grow wide and she jumps out of her seat and away from him like he just bit her. ]

How'd you do that?

[ she doesn't think of the augment in her head, right this moment she doesn't even think that maybe that's proof that he's her kidnapper - that he studied her and knows her, though it'll come in a second or two.

no, the first thing in her mind is a blinding sting of fear. it only lasts a moment, but it's sharp. she hates psychics, the way only someone with too many things to hide can. ]

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[action] BURN OMG that's what I get for tagging sick I'm sorry ;;

[action] Haha! It's all good. We all typo. (I do hope you feel better soon, though!)

[action] thank you <3 and thanks for the patience!

[action] Of course~ Btw, Parker is amazing.

[action] ahh thank you <3 I'm so glad you enjoy her! I already love this cr sfm

[action] She's this perfect out of left field kind of personality.It contrasts wonderfully with his

[action] and he has patience for dealing with her which she honestly really needs

[action] He does like to poke around people's brains... Her's is very poke-able.

[action] poke with caution, she pokes back with very sharp tools

[action] That could be a fun fight. She'd have to catch him first.

[action] that sounds like a challenge~

[action] He probably won't risk setting off a new crewmate, but it could be interesting.

[action] we shall see where the wind takes us!

[action] Like a gentle breeze or a typhoon! :3

[action] I wouldn't put my money on a gentle anything

[action] Between the two of them? Probably not

[action] therein lies the fun, my friend!

[action] They're like two territorial cats.

[action] /hiss!