video; un: LILITH

[cashlin]

[In the midst of all of this pseudo-zombie terror, paranoia, and rioting, one woman alone remains firm, standing strong in the face of madness to remember the real universal importance of ALASTAIR's mission here--]

Well, ain't this an exciting Loverpalooza! Orrrr... almost Loverpalooza, I dunno what day it is anymore. I think the people on this planet call it somethin' else, too.

[--and it is definitely not this chick.

Lilith, rather, is perched on top of a dumpster in an empty alleyway with her legs folded, a paper grocery bag full of the spoils of looting in her lap. The crowds of Woodhurst, still in total uproar, are far from gone: the blare of horns honking, glass shattering, and men and women yelling unintelligibly just up the street is completely audible in the feed, but the woman doesn't seem to be paying them much mind at all. Not when she's grabbed her loot and made off unscathed.

Idly, Lilith rummages through her bag.] I didn't even get any chocolate! What a load of crap. [Instead, she's opting for a bottle of pills. Lilith presses the heel of her palm into the childproof cap and continues speaking as if somebody's car alarm didn't just yelp into life off-screen.]

Anyways, what're your plans, team? Ice cream and bad chick flicks at home? Fancy dinner, if anybody's still running the restaurants around here? A romantic evening punching rioters in the teeth with that special someone? Provided they make it out of this whole ordeal alive, that is. I know my date would've, but hey, he's not even on assignment here, so I'm shit out of luck. Open, you little bastard.

[With a soft noise of plastic clicking against itself (and a little 'ha!' from Lilith), there it is: painkillers are open. Lilith pops an ibuprofen and hops off the dumpster just as the sound of all the chaos grows steadily louder and louder.]

I dunno about you guys, but all this infection nonsense is giving me a real headache. So, hey: entertain me. I still gotta get home, or find a shop nobody's hit up for snacks yet.

[Just as Lilith's beginning to turn a shimmering blue-purple and translucent, she grins wide for the camera and cuts the feed.]

Comments

[secondnature]

When I deal with this stuff, I keep my eyes focused on the goal. You should do the same.

[Keith is just Extra, really.]

[cashlin]

Ooh, touchy.

[*no fun]

I might be on ALASTAIR's payroll, but my goal is to not die. If you wanna be a hero though, kid, be my guest.

[secondnature]

You realize that you can be affected by this, right?

[cashlin]

I can handle myself just fine.

[secondnature]

Like you're handling yourself here? I doubt anyone really cares about this.

[cashlin]

Then why're your panties still in a bunch about it?

I can do what I want. I know I won't die here, but it's every woman for herself even if I'm technically on this team. If ALASTAIR wants anything more than that from me, they're gonna have to do better than trusting in my charity.

[secondnature]

If we mess up, everyone's world ends.

Pretty sure that includes us.

[cashlin]

And by... everyone, you mean literally everyone.

[Somebody didn't read the fine print.]

[secondnature]

What else do you think we're supposed to be doing? That's what the whole Timeline thing is about.

[Ugh.]

Look, some guy back at the HQ gave me a video a couple months ago explaining this stuff. I didn't get it until then. Do you want it?

[cashlin]

Hey, my galaxy's already pretty much broken, I dunno what much more you could do to it!

Ugh, fine. Might as well know what I'm actually signed up for.

[secondnature]

And you don't care about anyone there? Anyone at all who might be affected by this?

[As for the video, it shows up in her inbox before long.

Thankfully, Keith can just tell people to read the info files soon, so he can just be a jerk about it. ... Well, thankfully for him. Sorry to everyone else who has to deal with a cantankerous child.]

1/2, audio -> video;

[cashlin]

[She's going to liveblog herself watching it at Keith as the magitek is picking up the faint sounds of the video itself, I'm so sorry.]

["In the beginning, there was one universe."] In the beginning, [she mimics in a mockingly deep voice, like an asshole,] there was one universe. ["We call this the Cataclysm."] The motherfucking CATACLYSM!

["The Universe became the Multiverse. The harmony is broken..."] These are pretty good visuals, actually. Who made this thing? ALASTAIR? They commission it out, or do they have special promo video people on hire? This looks really intense.

["...while others struggle on as they are able." Lilith makes an unimpressed, huffy 'you sure got that right' noise. Scrounging for survival and hunting for treasure in a remote, bandit and cannibal and cannibal bandit infested end of the galaxy definitely sounds like that to her.

More scenes of various ALASTAIR recruits play, and she hums, thoughtful.] Hashtag don't try this shit at home. Maybe some of those are actual examples and not glamor shots for the documentary.

["Ours is no easy task, but if not us. . . who?"

The background music, muffled though it is, builds to its dramatic crescendo, then stops, as Lilith has cut the recording before it can reach its final conclusion.]

[cashlin]

Okay, so it IS serious junk we're dealing with. Fine.

[She pauses, thoughtful.

Had he asked her that question a few months ago, she'd have said no one. But things are different now: she did have a team at home. Hard to believe she'd give a shit about anyone again, but wasn't it hard to believe that she'd ever find the Vault at all?]

In a sea of snotty rich assholes, people who wanna burn me at the stake or turn me in for a bounty, lunatics whose brains've been fried enough to make human flesh taste like filet mignon to 'em--

There's maybe a handful of guys who're all right.

I'd help for them, I guess.

1/2

[secondnature]

[This is Keith's face throughout the entirety of her reaction. Keith versus Borderlands Characters, take a billion.]

[secondnature]

And for yourself, right? Either way, I'm glad it was persuasive.

[For such an explosive, irritable kid, he can sometimes have really flat responses.

But then, he also doesn't want to encourage another ... play by play ... that he has to watch.]

[cashlin]

Hey, in this crazy multiverse, it's every girl-- and the couple of people she can stand-- for herself, right?

That was a good show, I guess. Thanks.

[secondnature]

It wasn't mine—[Ugh. Never mind.]

Look, you can do whatever you want. Just make sure you remember why we're here.

[One day, Keith is going to be that grandpa telling kids to get off his lawn if they don't have a Reason for being there.]

[cashlin]

Can do. Mostly the first thing.

Don't get caught up in the rioting, Mr. Responsible.

[She's done with him (read: bored now), so she's hanging up just like that... to step all over his lawn for another day.]