Midpoint Mods ([personal profile] midpointmods) wrote in [community profile] midpointsaloon2020-06-14 12:52 am

What's up Chicken Little (Midpoint mingle)

PLAYERS: Everyone!
LOCATION: Midpoint, and the Lucky Break for a precious few
GOAL: Wind down and gear up for next round
WARNINGS: None
OTHER: Have fun!

Ten people wake up in the morning to find notes on their bedside tables, coffee tables in the suite, next to their bathroom basin, or even on their pillow next to their face. One wakes up in a cool jail cell with sand, dust, and the distant whistle of a steam engine for her alarm.

For Soldat and Jo, the note reads: Round 86 begins in three days. Your briefing will be delivered tomorrow morning by Nicholas St. North. Be prepared.

Taako, Hajime, and Yoda, get a similar one: Round 86 begins in three days. Your briefing will be delivered tomorrow evening by Nicholas St. North. Be prepared.

For the rest - Fuwa, Inara, Sara, Irene, and Misty, the note reads: Round 87 begins in three days. Please pick up your final teammate and your briefing from The Lucky Break.

North has no information for anyone just yet, but for half the players active this round, there’s nothing to do but loaf around town waiting, and trying to casually suss out who might be on their team and who they have to fight, until the next day when they get their instructions. This has happened before, older players will assure them: if there’s no new players, sometimes they don’t make you trek all the way out to the jails for your briefings.

For the other half of the active players, there’s a new teammate and information to pick up. Who wants to make the trek and crowd into the small jail to free them?

And of course, there’s the expected couple days of chatter as every player, active or not, crowds into the saloon to see who’s getting sent out this month and who isn’t. North has plenty of food for everyone, as usual; there’s a series of shows playing all day at the theater (which turns out to be the Adam West Batman); and everything makes merry the best they can, up to the time people have to leave to get to work entertaining the masses. Good times, right?
resignedcheetah: (glancing up)

II

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-15 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a woman watching them as they eat dinner, her own simple meal carefully but swiftly being finished. She's new, and obviously so - her jacket is too neat, her pants not yet covered with enough dust, and her shoes definitely not the kind you'd want to be using for the kind of work usually done in Midpoint.

Her gaze flicks briefly to their metal arm, and it's clear she's assessing them, categorizing them. She shifts slightly, revealing the general shape of some sort of firearm, but no details.
worthallthis: (wary)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-15 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldat knows all the faces here, the old-timers like them and the people who came in on the last round, and recognizes the new face. They're really kind of less pleased about being stared at. Being stared at makes them uncomfortable. The metal arm, not really hidden at all by a denim shirt rolled up to the elbow today, buzzes and shifts plates to and fro even while Soldat themselves don't look up and meet her gaze at all. If anything, they seem to be consciously avoiding eye contact, while still clearly aware of her gaze.

At least they're not expecting a fight. Getting into a fight in Midpoint Saloon will get Yua in very hot water with North-- they don't even have guns on them, just a couple knives hidden invisibly away, and the metal arm. It's just... uncomfortable.

They'll only actually say something if she keeps it up until they're ready to retire and she's still at it, or if she gets too close to Misty or Sam in the main room.
resignedcheetah: (all business)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-15 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
She’s still there when they get up, though they’ll notice her doing a similar stare at everyone else. The metal arm is concerning but not the only thing to catch her gaze. She doesn’t seem to be writing anything down, at least - but more than once they’ll catch her idly spinning an item of a familiar shape.

(Though given the circumstances they last saw it, it probably wasn’t the Progrise key they were focused on.)

The only times she’s not clearly analyzing people is when she dips out - bathroom, probably - and settles back into her spot when she returns.
Edited 2020-06-15 22:41 (UTC)
worthallthis: (friendly)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-15 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Frankly, if she's watching everyone, they're not going to be that concerned about it. Uncomfortable, yes, but watching everyone is pretty normal behavior around here, especially for new people. Soldat isn't even the weirdest person here, with the metal arm: there's a small talking raccoon, a tall talking tree, a girl with shadow tentacles, and actual Yoda.

They do recognize the little device, but they're also not reading too much into it. If she knows Fuwa, that doesn't necessarily mean they're friends, or that Fuwa told her about them, or that there's going to be a problem.

So eventually, because they're trying hard to be more social and helpful to the new people, they do pause by her table after picking up another serving of dinner. "Anything I can help you with." It even managed to come out pretty friendly-sounding. Soldat is nailing this social thing, oh yeah.
resignedcheetah: (unsure...)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
She's done her best to contain the thought that the strange creatures might be Magia - they're not acting like it. They're also not Humagears, and the sight of none is... she's not sure about how she feels about it.

She doesn't flinch as the large man approaches, just settles her hand near her side. If the stereotype here fits, almost everyone is armed, and this person definitely looks like he would be. Her voice is clipped and businesslike as she responds. "Actually... maybe. Do you know what the purpose of these 'missions' are? Other than entertainment." There's got to be another level to this. There's no reason to go to such lengths unless there's something under the surface.
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-16 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
Not a question they anticipated, and the answer probably isn't the one she wants to hear. Soldat shrugs a little helplessly. "The mine is a functional mine. The herds we drive and steal from are going somewhere to be sold and butchered. Not sure if that's a side-effect of this place, though. An added bonus. Or a secondary purpose. Far as anyone can tell, it's mostly just the entertainment."
resignedcheetah: (Default)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
"I assume escape has already been tried." She doesn't sound surprised, but her businesslike tone is nearly military with how clipped and flat it is. "So whatever products are being made are going somewhere..." She can already think of a few places where there might be security holes, then.

... Come to think of it, if Fuwa doesn't know she's left ZAIA, he must still have Naki in there. That adds a few more ideas. "How long have you been here?"
worthallthis: (cautious)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-16 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
You assume correctly, Yua. Also, she is kind of weirding them out. That's how the Asset talks-- how they used to talk, when they actually bothered speaking.

"Four years. Maybe five. I'm the one who's been here longest. Aside from North and Lee and. The others who run the services." Hell, it's making them start chopping things up more, and that's saying something.
resignedcheetah: (knock out)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
At least it's not quite as robotic, and defnitely not like Naki. "That's... hm." There's some surprise on her face, but it's clear she's had experience hiding away what she feels by how quickly she pushes that away. Her posture shifts a bit, hand moving away from the Shotriser.

"And you don't look like the sort of person easily contained if you don't want to be." There are ways - but there's always ways to break away from that. They just might not be obvious. The image of Gai Amatsu appears in her mind and she huffs in annoyance. "You must know Fuwa, then. He said he's been here a while, as well."
worthallthis: (sad 2)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-16 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
Soldat sighs a little at the confirmation of the guess that the two know each other. "Yeah, we've met a few times. He's not exactly fond of me. But we'd both like to get out of this. I haven't found a hole in their defenses yet. But I also kind of. Stopped looking for a while. Game for tryin' again now that there's a bunch of new folks to maybe help." And now that there's people in here to help them remember who they'd rather be.
resignedcheetah: (free thinking)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
"He's... a former coworker, in some sense. A former enemy in another, though we're on the same side now. He doesn't seem to remember that, however." Ugh. She nods at his response. "I may have some things that would be helpful. I... neither Fuwa nor I would like to go back to being used as a tool or a chess piece, and that's what they're doing here."
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-16 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, they know that feeling. "I hope he wasn't too much of an asshole letting you out, if he thinks you're an enemy," Soldat says, getting their speech back on track finally. "This is a bad place to talk about it, though. There's cameras pretty much everywhere. After the mission. We can maybe go for a ride outside town, try and find someplace a little safer."
resignedcheetah: (smug)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
... Right. Makes sense. "That sounds good to me. And... he was, but I'm used to dealing with him. We worked together for months."
worthallthis: (sad-profile)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-16 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm sorry." Because Fuwa's asshole behavior is absolutely Soldat's fault, right. They shake their head. "It's not like he doesn't have reasons, I suppose. But he shouldn't take them out on other people."
resignedcheetah: (damn it!)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-16 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
She actually drops her composure a moment, rubbing her forehead. “Yes. Well, yes and no. It’s complicated and personal business that he doesn’t seem willing to believe, anyway. He still sees me as an enemy because I don’t have a dream of my own. ... But as I told him, I have my beliefs as an engineer.”
worthallthis: (skeptical)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-17 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"A. Dream?" Soldat's expressions are subtle, but that one is clearly skeptical. "He thinks you're an enemy because you don't have a dream? Seriously?" What does that have to do with anything at all? Is that yet another reason why he doesn't like Soldat? It's not like they've had any kind of goal for... years. Beyond survival, anyway.
resignedcheetah: (free thinking)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-17 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's complicated, and involves personal information that I don't know that he's shared with you. He still thinks I'm mindlessly working for ZAIA Enterprise Japan. The switch was recent, I admit, but he doesn't remember it."

She glances down at Soldat's metal arm and then back up at their face. "If you meet a man named Gai Amatsu, I think your punch would be much stronger than mine was. He deserves to be - ah, this is more of a Fuwa phrase, but he deserves to have the shit beaten out of him." A complicated emotion passes over her face - part guilt, part anger. "He uses people and discards them. I have a very long list of his crimes if you need further justification."

Look. Look. If there's one person in any version of any world she wants to see beaten to an inch of his life so he can be arrested, it's Gai Amatsu.

"... In any case... think of it more like a life goal. His is... the short version is to tear down the company I was working for. President Aruto's is to make others smile and to help Humagears have dreams of their own. ... That sort of dream. But I... don't." She doesn't drink much - she's always been expected to take care of security plans if needed - but she sort of wants one now. "I suppose it would be 'make sure the things I created don't harm anyone else'."
worthallthis: (sit)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-18 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
About halfway through that, Soldat hooks a chair over with a foot and drops easily down into it, arms folded on the back of it rather than sitting in it straight on. This is a Conversation now, and they're going to be attentive and not stand there awkwardly hovering over her table.

They nod as she finishes. "You want to protect people. To. To atone, maybe. That's a good dream. If you ask me. Closest to what I've got, now, anyway."
resignedcheetah: (glancing up)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-18 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
The movement doesn't bother her, and she continues on.

"... Something like that. But he won't listen to anything I say." She needs to talk to Naki, but she's not sure how to do that without pissing Fuwa off more than she already has. "I suppose that's fair... I did try to kill him a few times based on orders. ... Though it's not something I wanted to do." How to explain this in a way that wasn't... entirely revealing.

"My former employer had a way of enforcing pain without even touching me." Easiest way, and it doesn't reveal things about Fuwa. "It took Fuwa to break me out of it and force me to fight back." She... owes him a lot. "There's a lot of things going on at home. Former enemies working together on something when they know they are going to be enemies again soon... the sides are less clear than they used to be, other than 'ZAIA is trying to destroy all of the Humagears'."
worthallthis: (sad 2)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-18 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldat shuts their eyes briefly. Why is there shit like that in every damn universe? Why? "Hell. I'm sorry. That's pretty shitty, I know." They've been there. They know what that feels like. "Ain't much of an employer at that point. More like a goddamn owner. If you can't get out without help."
resignedcheetah: (unsure...)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-19 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
"... He was. He kept a chess set on his desk just to drive the metaphor home." Her voice goes soft, and her gaze flicks down to the table. "He sent me to do some things that... well." From her going slightly pale, they're not great.

"I'm doing what I think is likely the right thing to do, but it's a bit... disorienting at not having direction."
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-20 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Well, now Soldat's got not choice, they've got to like her. They know what both those feelings are like, intimately, and feels them for her, too. "I know. I was like that. For a long time. Making a routine helps. Making your own mission, even if it's something small. Not thinking too far ahead helped me, but might not help you. Your situation's a little different."
resignedcheetah: (glancing up)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-20 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
"... A routine." Right. She should have thought of that. "I'll need to figure out what sorts of things there are to do in this place. I've done a bit of scouting, but it seems relatively empty." She drums her fingers against the table. "I... do you have any suggestions, having gone through this before?"
worthallthis: (friendly)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2020-06-20 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Time for practice, time for a patrol around the town, time to look after my horse, time to clean my weapons. I make one circuit of the arena every time we have downtime, to look for weaknesses. Ain't found any yet, but it's possible. Time for leisure activities." He gives her a faint smile, and admits, "If I don't schedule them, I don't do them, and people keep telling me that's not healthy."
resignedcheetah: (free speaking)

[personal profile] resignedcheetah 2020-06-20 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't think I've had a leisure activity in years. Cleaning weapons... I'm not sure if I have the tools here to take care of it, but I can improvise." And considering how much of her work is in the Shotrisers, she can probably fix it if it's a hardware and not a software problem.

"How big is the arena?"
Edited 2020-06-20 03:55 (UTC)

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