hangman is coming down from the gallows [closed]

[personalwar]

Who: Soldier: 76 (personalwar) & others
What: Catch-all log for October event! 76 is a fugitive, but that isn't going to stop him from digging for information. Part 2, escape and Wyver exploration!
When: October
Where: All around the dark shady parts of town, primarily in the Red Light District. Part 2, all over Wyver territory!
Warning(s): People may be trying to bring him in, so expect possible violence, language, etc!

[ This is a closed catch-all for me to put starters for any plotted threads. My plotting comment is here if you would like to do something! ]

Comments

[personalwar]

[ 76 takes a few steps away from her. While he passes it off as wanting to put some distance between himself and someone who's possibly infected, it's more about making sure that they're not standing close enough to each other that she could get a good look at his face.

She brushes off his assumption about her being one of the patient zeroes, but that could be her own attempt to stave off any paranoia.

Maybe that would have worked a little better if it weren't for her other symptoms. ]

... You're changing color.

[ That can't be normal. Right? ]

[juniberries]

[She's quite visibly caught off-guard by his statement (or as visibly off-guard as one can be with a mask over your mouth), mainly because she can't see her skintone and honestly thought she was doing an excellent job as per usual keeping her blue skin, well...blue.

But she does tug on her hair, and notices it does look like its usual shade as opposed to what she had attempted earlier.]

That's...normal. Completely normal. I-in fact it is done intentionally! [and this time she decidedly changes colour once again, this time to a ruddy red. hair matching accordingly, albeit lighter.

See?? normal!!]

[personalwar]

[ Maybe 76 would have bought the whole thing if it weren't for the woman's demeanor. She can change her skin and hair color at will, there's no denying that, but her actual behavior indicates that she's uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Most likely because she hadn't realized she was doing it at first.

Operating on this theory, 76 looks her over for a few seconds before making his guess. ]

Whatever you're sick with is making it harder to control your abilities, right?

[ She can deny it until she's literally blue in the face, but there isn't much point. ]

[juniberries]

[Look, she may have been raised and trained for diplomacy and had been slowly coming into her own back in her universe, but she's still young and it is hard to keep up a facade when your temperature is up a few degrees and your throat feels like the dry month of a Daibazaal summer.

Instead of denying, she blushes, which isn't obvious with her now-red skintone, but her pink markings peeking up just above the surgical mask do glow. She brings one hand up to her throat, clearing it, and she looks away.

Deflection is always a good go-to. And she gathers herself through her nerves.]

Never mind my abilities; what is it that you are doing in an alleyway so late at night? [She leans forward a bit, now trying to catch a glimpse of his face.] Are you a patron of the...er...brothel?

[personalwar]

[ The deflection is obvious and telling. If the young woman doesn't want to talk about her condition, that probably means that she was infected at the market. It's a good thing that 76 isn't that concerned about catching anything, or he might have cut off their conversation right then and there.

Not that he wants the questions to become about him, either. While he could let her assume that he's a dirty old man looking for a good time in the red light district, he knows that his current look doesn't really lend itself to that.

He shakes his head. ] Not exactly. I'm on the lookout for any of the people connected to the attack. [ It's the truth, plain and simple, but that's the point. Someone looking for a fugitive probably wouldn't expect them to be so forthcoming about their intentions. ]

[juniberries]

[She's sure he's already put two and two together by now, and her attempts at being covert have become awash. But...her deflection does seem to work, at least it veers into something she is willing to dig deeper into.

And is less about her sneaking around and changing colours unintentionally.]

You are? Are they known to come here?

[personalwar]

Given that they were moving explosives through the city, I don't know where else they would have done their dealings.

[ That's the sort of thing that needs to be done on the down-low. Of course, he knows more than he's telling Allura, given that he'd also picked up the job from the Shady Man in one of the brothels here. Still, even without that knowledge, it's not a difficult connection to make.

Not that he needs to drag someone else into it. ]

If you're looking for a bar, I can point you in the right direction.

[ She should really be home in bed, but he isn't about to lecture her. ]

[juniberries]

[This is true; if the underbelly of Olympia could be pinpointed, it would be this District here. Why she hadn't started here first thing was...well, perhaps due to a sense of propriety, and also knowing one of her close companions already patrols this area.

She looks up at the stranger confused when he brings up the bar, already forgetting her cover.]

The bar...why would I--? [Ah. Right. She blushes, looking away, and though her mouth is covered by the surgical mask, she's frowning at herself.] I...was actually not looking for a bar.

In fact, it sounds like you and I are on a similar mission.

[personalwar]

[ At least 76 has managed to get this woman to tell him the truth, though he isn't about to pay her the same kindness. She doesn't seem to have any clue who he is, at least, which isn't that surprising. They'd once had a brief conversation over text message, but beyond that had never spoken. ]

You probably shouldn't be trying to hunt down terrorists while you're sick.

[ Yes, she'd denied it, but it's not like 76 believed that for a second. He tilts his head at the stranger. She's the sort of person who decided to join the guard, so he probably shouldn't be surprised that she's out here against her better judgment. ]

Is this something personal, or are you just a good Samaritan?