nysalogs | cut clean from the dream that night [closed]

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cut clean from the dream that night [closed]

Who: Soldier: 76 (

personalwar), Ana Amari (

nanamari), & Bruce Wayne (

beknight)
What: Actual Pillars, Outside the Community quest
When: Mid-April
Where: Edrathe Ruins
Warning(s): Mentions of post-torture PTSD

[ This marks the first time that 76 has directly taken a job from Voss. As much as he remains suspicious of the man's true motives, 76 had been rewarded well for a successful first mission, branded an agent of the Temple. It means that he can actually move around Olympia without risking capture, so long as he keeps a low profile. Voss had even implied he would vouch for him if he got into some real trouble with the Olympian authorities.

So when he's asked to study some ruins and go search a cave, 76 doesn't balk at it. It means taking a trip from Wyver to the ruins, but he doesn't actually have to enter the city of Olympia, so he isn't particularly concerned. Ana agrees to come along with him, though this isn't the sort of job that should require backup.

Alan had mentioned that they should get in touch if they cross the border, so he'd sent him a message and he'd agreed to join them. 76 and Ana are just reaching the ruins on horseback, and as the ground becomes uneven with stone formations, he decides it's time to switch to moving around the area on foot.

He glances over his shoulder at Ana, who isn't thrilled about their mode of transportation. She's been gripping his waist with all of the strength she borrowed from him. It's rare enough to see her uneasy like this, that 76 almost wants to tease her. ]

All right, hop off. I'll tie Apollo up and we can take a look around. Alan should be here by now.

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[ It's not the kind of mission he ought to need backup with, but Ana goes anyway. They've both gotten into rough spots unexpectedly, and the last one had almost ended Jack's life. At least for a little while, she's not taking chances.

Still, she practically dares Jack to say anything about the way she's holding on to him any time he looks back at her. She doesn't have a problem with machinery, whether it's a car or a raging omnic it's entirely predictable. Either it does what you tell it to do, or it tries to kill you. Horses are different. Maybe they're fine for the most part, but one wrong move or something sudden enough to spook it and they get thrown or pinned or trampled.

No matter how much they trust it, it could turn on them at any time. It's like Gabriel, if he was an animal with low-grade anxiety and not a mass murdering psychopath.

She's absolutely relieved when Jack finally pulls Apollo to a halt. Unlike her, Jack really does take to it; sometimes even Ana forgets that he grew up on a farm, and he wasn't always a solider of some kind.

She dismounts a little stiffly and rubs at her back. Another reason she hates horses: she's getting way too old for riding. ]

Knowing Alan, he was here an hour ago surveying the area. I'm going to start talking to the nearest bush until he decides to respond.

[ He misses no opportunity to observe 76 and Ana. They've been exceptionally reliable in the field before, and the opportunity to strengthen a partnership when he's reeling from the loss of one is appealing in a way Bruce daren't name. It's not the kind of job that requires backup, either, but in this place you never know when you need a helping hand. And it's better not to refuse one. ]

[ On any normal occasion he might've been comfortably hidden in a nearby tree, and been more than happy to correct her mildly that he likes the high ground as much as he does, Shrike, but Bruce has been doing a different survey from the air, gently guiding Aether to fly lower and finally land some distance from Apollo. ]

[ He dismounts gracefully, and pulls something out of his pocket to let Aether eat out of his hand. He's getting better at this. ]

Ana. Good to see you. What did I miss?

[ Far too serenely not to have read her lips from a distance. ]

Edited 2018-04-25 01:32 (UTC)

[ If there's one thing that Jack could agree with Ana on, it's that he feels the saddle soreness a lot more these days, compared to back when he'd been young and spry. He should take Apollo out more, both to give the horse exercise and to work his own muscles.

Ana's remark about Alan earns a quick laugh out of him, mainly because she's not wrong. She knows Alan better than he does, if only because she's had easier access to Olympia, but Jack knows has an idea of what he's like.

That doesn't mean that he's ready for Alan to suddenly descend from the sky on a winged horse. It's quite the display, and Jack watches with contained interest. Apollo doesn't seem too ruffled by the appearance, given that Alan didn't land too close.

He greets them as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about his entrance, and 76 decides to roll with it. Alan asked Ana the question, so Jack doesn't respond for her, just remarks on the obvious. ] Nice horse.

[ Leave it to Alan to make a dramatic entrance. She might be less than pleased with the idea of riding around on a horse, but even she has to admit - seeing an actual pegasus is something else. She just hopes that Jack's comment doesn't mean he's thinking of getting one too.

She shakes her head. ] Not much. We just got here ourselves. Did you learn anything interesting from the air?

[ He nods to Jack in greeting. To Ana, ]

Nothing of note.

[ They'll have time enough to survey the grounds themselves — that's assuming Jack and Ana haven't had a look over already, which is an erroneous one to make even on a bad day of all of theirs. ]

[ He offers Aether an apple, and tells him softly to hang around nearby. Whether the pegasus will comply is a whole different matter, but Bruce has been bribing him, regularly enough that he can appeal to Aether's stomach even if he can't earn his goodwill. ]

Let's go.

We're starting with those pillars. [ 76 motions with a nod of his head, to a spot in the distance where there's a circle of pillars rising up from the ground, the worn stone speaking to the age of the ruins. ] Gotta take some photos, and then there should be a cave entrance around here somewhere.

[ He's the one who took the job, so he doesn't mind taking the lead. He quickly ties up Apollo to a nearby tree, gives the horse a quick pat on the side of his neck, and then steps out in front of Ana and Alan to lead the way. ]

What's the latest from Olympia?

[ They may as well catch up while they work. ]

[ Ana falls into step without thinking about it. She's already been briefed on their task, and Alan has the details as well, but Jack goes through the motions like any other mission. It's almost nostalgic.

Since Jack gets the pertinent questions out of the way, Ana goes for the more obvious one. ] And where did you get the flying horse?

[ It's likely the same place that Jack got Apollo, but it's a little ostentatious for Alan. ]

[ Bruce falls instantly and easily into step behind him, effectively Jack's shadow. He's abruptly, extremely glad nobody made a bat and cave joke. He'd have to murder them both, and wouldn't that be a shame. ]

[ To Ana, ]

From a friend.

[ She'll likely find out it's Diana's soon enough — he isn't going to make it simple for her, and he doesn't especially want to be seen often in the company of something so brazen. To Jack, he fills him in succinctly with the usual corners of the city they concern themselves with, the new persons of interest, etc. ]

Things are getting hot at the Institute. I may not stay there for long.

[ Leave it to Alan to always be just vague enough that they'll want to know more. Which friend gave him (or let him borrow) the pegasus ultimately isn't that important, so 76 is willing to let that mystery lie.

Talk of the institute, on the other hand, he's always interested in. He glances over his shoulder to Alan. ]

Hot how?

[ If Alan's thinking that he might remove himself from working there, it must be pretty serious. ]

[ Ana rolls her eye, but she doesn't press him for details. Sure sure she'll meet this mystery friend sooner or later. Maybe it's Clark - he seems like the kind of person who would just have a magical flying horse. They're attracted to people who are pure of heart, aren't they?

She spares him a glance at the comment about the Institute. ]

Something to do with the break-in?

Plural.

[ He describes the atmosphere clinically, the questioning the guards do to every employee now — because it's damn obvious some of them are inside jobs. The rotations increasing, people being unable to trust each other. Not an environment anything can thrive in. ]

— if we want anything from there, we either wait or use extreme caution.

[ So enough people have been sneaking into the institute that they've decided to double down on security. It's not an unexpected turn of events, although Jack can't help but be frustrated to learn this when he hasn't yet gotten the chance to infiltrate the place himself. ]

Kind of an admission of guilt, isn't it? [ If they're cracking down, there must really be something to hide within the institute's walls. ] I'm not surprised that some amateurs got noticed. [ Thus ruining it for the rest of them.

They're approaching the ruins now, so Jack digs into his pocket for his phone and navigates to the camera setting. ]

I'm gonna take a few shots — shouldn't take long.

[ With that, he strides further ahead of them to get to work. This isn't the sort of job he's used to doing, but he won't say no to some easy silver. He has to wonder what Voss thinks he'll learn from these images, though. ]

I don't know what Cree is thinking, bringing so many people onto these jobs. [ Granted, making things tense and difficult at the Institute probably accomplishes his ends too. ]

I'll keep an eye out for trouble, since you two are so good at attracting it. [ She's not expecting to have a lot of competition when it comes to other groups visiting the area, but the local plants and animals are another story. The only thing she's learned about them is that they're so strange she can never really let her guard down. ]

[ He hums in agreement to Jack's words. ]

Probably wants to stir up trouble.

[ Chaos achieves his ends, and there is something Evras is hiding in the depths of the Institute. A few things, as a matter of fact. Bruce doesn't like that they may have only scratched the surface, even with how long the three of them have been around in this world. ]

[ Even now, 76 remains unclear on Cree's real intentions. All he's really gathered is that when it comes to potential problems they need to remain on alert about, Cree is probably only one of them. He might have a personal vendetta, but he can't get completely focused on him either. Get too distracted by one thing, you'll get ambushed by something else.

So far they haven't attracted any attention, and Jack would like to keep it that way. He's thorough in how he takes the photos, making sure to get close-ups of the foreign language etched into the stone. It's nothing he recognizes, but apparently Voss has started to learn how to translate some of it.

Once he's done he returns to the other two, pocketing his phone. ]

All right, there should be a cave hidden somewhere against the cliff wall there. [ He nods in the direction he means, and then starts walking, glancing at Alan as he goes. ] Got any gadgets that might be able to find it for us?

[ Ana does as she says, keeping her eye on the perimeter, but with Alan there as well she allows a few minor distractions. The writing isn't something she expects to understand just by looking, but it does give this place a sense of history. It's strange to think that her own language will die in this place, maybe not so long after she does.

When Jack has taken his pictures, she moves back in with the group. ]

Echolocation maybe? [ She's helping. ] If we any have trouble finding it, I can scout ahead.

Charming.

[ Narrator: It was the opposite of charming. He supposes Ana's being nice by sparing him more comments on how the environment would suit him. Bruce pockets his own phone, used for a quick scan of the language as well as the environment around them. It does have SONAR inbuilt because he's not an animal. ]

We'll find it the old-fashioned way. There should be an opening.

[ That tease from Ana along with Alan's response seems to be getting at something that Jack isn't privy to, but he recalls the symbol that Alan had signed some of his texts with, and he's starting to get an idea of what's going on. He'll ask Ana about it later.

For now, they should focus on the task at hand. They have to hug the cliff wall for a while, but eventually 76 spots the opening they'd been expecting. It's shrouded in shadow and blends in well with the rock around it, so it's no surprise that it hasn't been well-searched yet.

He steps inside without hesitation, but the first thing that greets him is a steep slope downward, and an almost instant drop in temperature. Suddenly a knot grows in Jack's stomach, and he pauses for a second too long before he looks over his shoulder at the others. ]

Gonna have to watch your step.

[ Ana flashes Alan a grin. She's very charming, she knows.

They move into the cave one at a time. Ana is in right after Jack, so she sees the moment of hesitation after he's moved inside. It's chilly, but that's usually the sort of thing Jack barely notices.

She shares a glance with Alan - he'll understand what she's asking. ] Since we're in your natural environment, do you want to take the lead?

I'll take the lead.

[ Not because of ur joke :| He is practiced navigating caves, having his night vision goggles on him as well as a torch. ]

Follow me.

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cut clean from the dream that night [closed]

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