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video; un: white_lotus

[The magitek's pulled back far enough to feature not one, but two members of Audentes... or, rather, one of them striving vainly to nudge his teammate out of the feed. It's the tail end of the struggle, though, and Kung Jin is fighting a losing battle. It takes half a second for Asher Millstone to shove his way into view, taking up half of the screen and speaking up before Jin can truly get a word in.

The law student looks more excited than ever when he starts speaking, and even lifts his arms above his head in a “raise the roof” sort of gesture.]

It’s time to get wiggity wiggity whack, yo!

Don't. [He nearly slaps a hand over his friend's mouth, but reconsiders, elbowing him back instead.] So, Audentes. Since we're almost all set to leave on our next assignment, it's come to our attention that not everyone here is from a world that people like Asher or I consider "modern day".

Whoa, you? Wait a minute. Last I checked, there was nothing normal about you, man. People in your world, like, rip dudes’ spines out through their mouths and crap!

[After he says this, Asher immediately turns from Jin back to the camera, and waves his hands emphatically in its general direction.]

Don’t try that.

[Jin casts a dubious glance at Asher and moves right along in spite of all the interruptions.]

Even if you look the part, you’ve still got to play the part, too. If you're looking for any advice or tips to blend in properly on-planet, we’re pretty much experts-- so let us know if you need a hand.

[The paler of the two pops up right behind him, leaning on the other’s shoulder.]

That’s right, baby! We’ll teach you how to be 90s.

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[Asher clears his throat. He's seen this girl around an on the network before, and she doesn't seem to pull any punches. A part of him wants to impress her, to prove that he's worthy of her time, for more than shallow reasons.]

So, I've noticed that a lot of people here are used to carrying their weapons around and...

Generally engaging in combat over little things. That's not really something people do in places like that.

[He hopes this is a good start.]

A good majority of the people you'll meet are gonna be civilians. This team is kind of the opposite.

[Her irritation quickly vanishes in favor of listening to his explanation. It's the basics, the important must knows that come to mind each time she reads a new dossier for any mission she's ever been given.

Though she'll admit that he may have more depth to him then she originally thought. By the end of his explanation she lets out a noise of agreement, followed by a small sigh.]

It will be far harder for some then others to just blend in.

[That is fairly typical.

In a desperate attempt to make others like him, he often tries too hard. His boorishness is more apparent than some other, more positive qualities, as it is what comes across most loudly.]

Yeah. Yeah! I'm feelin' that now.

[He brushes a bead of sweat from his forehead with one hand briefly. Clearly, he wasn't thinking when he made this broadcast, and while some of these conversations have been relatively light-hearted and positive, there's a good deal of information to stew on.]

But that just means that us regular dudes have got to step it up, I guess.

This team's really gotta learn how to work together. And maybe we're all different, but-

[Asher's word choice is interesting, because he sounds a tad disheartened.]

I still think we can crush this.

Regular people play just as important roles as any soldier.

[It's an insight maybe, something she's fully aware of because at one point she was like Asher. Just a regular woman caught in the affairs of some complicated military organization all because she'd gotten married. She doesn't let the thought trail much longer, sitting up slightly with a faint frown.

She sees the stress, hears the tone in his voice but she makes no comment on it. Everyone likely has their concerns with this mission, with how each of them might react when given situations come into question.

Though whether or not she believes they'll be able to learn to work together fully or 'crush it' is also kept to herself.]

A good mindset to have.

[Belief was a strong motivator after all.]

[What Widowmaker doesn't know is just how badly Asher needed to hear that. All his friends here, save for two or three people maybe, are from worlds where the fantastical is possible. At the young ages of 15 through 18, they have all encountered incredible obstacles, and succeeded, something he's sure he never could have done. She may have blue skin but there is something about her words that soothes him, an underlying tone of understanding. He can't quite place her age, but there's an air about her that suggests she is older, that she has had life experience.

Still, as he is bad at concealing his emotions, he answers.]

Yeah, try and tell that to the folks who keep doggin' us to stay in our lanes, and not get hurt...

[This is way of saying that he feels underestimated.]

But it's frustrating, you know? Like, we're part of this team too. We're trying! Gettin' into fistfights isn't the only way to solve our problems.

And god, it seems like most of the time...? It just makes matters worse! Like there are so many dunces on this team who blow shit up or destroy things without thinking about what it'll do for the people who actually have to live with the damage.

And I dunno, that really fuckin' pisses me off.

[She's seen some of the fantastical in her short time here, faced it even, and it's made her realize just how human she still is. There's no magic in her world, no fantastic beasts or monsters like the ones parents scare their children with at night. She's used to technology and the closest thing to magic being medical science. Here she's seen things that ought to have walked out of fantasy novels she used to read to pass the time.

But in the same token she's not a civilian anymore, she's an assassin.]

Unfortunately there will always be those you can't convince. The best you can do is continue to strive to prove yourself.

[It's probably not exactly what he wants to hear, but it's the truth. She knows people, it's her job to know how they'll react; to watch for strengths and weaknesses in each individual and it's not something she can just stop doing, even if now it's geared more towards general knowledge then how best to take them out.]

Yes, It is.

[It makes her think of people she's worked with in Talon, how some prefer a blunt approach instead of the more methodical ones she used. More violence, more problems. So she understands again how it must get to him, since it gets to her in similar ways. So though she can't say she agrees with his language, she does with his statements as a whole.]

Those who keep only the goal in mind without thinking of the broader picture do often cause larger problems then the ones originally presented.

So you have every right to be angry about it.

Edited 2017-01-31 21:38 (UTC)

I can't blame those guys either, though...

[The ones who don't want to cooperate.]

Maybe it was an accident, but no matter how you look at it, none of us asked to be here. Some people don't wanna help out because they think this just isn't their problem, and I guess they're right.

[This was a hard pill to swallow for him, as at first he was irritated. How, how could people not care about all the bad things happening around them? As a man who feels very strongly and very easily, it was a hard thing to process. His exposure to others who were far less fortunate than himself growing up, however, has taught him that some individuals just couldn't afford to think about anyone other than themselves.

And that's okay.]

Anyways, I'm sorry for goin' on about that. Um! As you can probably tell, this mission's a little personal on my end, so... Yeah.

Did you have any other questions?

Edited 2017-01-31 21:53 (UTC)

[In the first months she was here she was one of those people, she didn't care about ALASTAIR or whatever their goals were. However she'd been told it was best to fall in line and help out regardless of what she believed, so she had. She'd made it about her own personal survival, caring little for the people around her beyond the interactions she'd had with a select few.

For better -- or potentially worse, time had yet to tell -- her opinions had been changed. Now she was a little more invested in helping, in trying to get to know people better. Trying to become the mask she projected for so long.]

Perhaps they are, but it is at the cost of those of us who do care.

[But it's a moot point currently as she's preaching to a choir instead of someone she needs to convince. So she allows the topic to be shelved in favor of moving on to the mission once again. It'll be easier on them both that way.]

It's fine.

['I understand' once again isn't tacked on.]

None that come to mind presently.

Okay, well! You can contact me if there's anything that confuses you.

[That he is all he needed, a little peek of sincerity.

It's what makes him curious, after all.]

Hey, and while we're on the subject...

What's your aim for the mission, anyway?

[Because she seems like the type of person who'd be useful.]

I know some of of us suspect that this zombie thing is an inside job. An experiment gone wrong, or some kind of bio-terror situation.

Would you be interested in checking anything like that out?

I'll keep that in mind.

[She's fairly self-sufficient, but having a 'just in case' option is always a good thing to have in her experience. And so far Asher's begun to prove himself knowledgeable when it comes to certain matters.

His question causes her to raise an eyebrow, expression turning thoughtful as she contemplates the answer. Her goal is likely similar to everyone else's; eradicate the virus like ALASTAIR had told them to. The how being a fairly important question to answer, since she feels as though the first option coming to mind isn't the best one.]

My aim is likely similar to most others.

[Briefly she falls back into silence, frowning. Zombies, experiments...bio-terrorism...it makes her shudder inwardly.]

Yes, I would. We might as well exhaust every possible angle before we make a move.

{Assuming they're given the time.]

If I get any leads, I'll let you know.

[Their conversation may have been brief, but it's given him what he needed.

Reassurance that there are others who know what they are doing, but still want to help.]

Good, thank you. Pooling found information is the quickest way to solve cases like this.

[She'd done it once in Perdition's Rest but sadly it hadn't amounted to much what with the constant pressure from their adversaries.

But it had still netted them all some answers.]

Edited 2017-02-11 15:33 (UTC)

[Said with a smile, and a whimsical click of the tongue.]

Weeeell, I guess that just means we gotta keep each other in this little loop-de-loop thing we've got goin' on.

[just

why didn't you just say "we'll keep each other in the loop" i

delete him]

Cross my heart and hope to- Well, you know.

[And look at that. His palm actually is over his heart.

Something he relies on far too often.]

[She resists the urge to roll her eyes. That's certainly a phrase she hasn't heard used in..well ever but she used to work with a bunch of sticks in the mud...so...]

That's exactly what it means.

[It doesn't stop her from rubbing the bridge of her nose a little, however.]

Let's keep that bit from happening.

[That's actually kind of endearing, Asher.]

[A light shines in his eyes, as if they've reached some sort of understanding.

He still keeps one hand on his chest, and one raised in the air, palm flat, although it droops in just a minute.]

Yeah, who knows.

Maybe if we all put our heads together, we'll actually be able to pull this off.

[Asher may be smiling, but there are still little clues to how he's really feeling, most evident in the stiffness of his jaw.

This has to work.]

Edited 2017-02-18 05:19 (UTC)

[She's silent again, mulling over just what to say in response. Nothing about getting anyone on this team to really work together sounds like it'll be easy just from the few conversations she's had so far. Then again she's used to doing everything solo.

But this isn't how it works here.]

Maybe.

[All anyone can do is try.]

I certainly hope so.

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video; un: white_lotus

sorry 4 the wait!!!

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