IC Contact - El Nysa

[ruffboi]

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Pre-Arrival - Freezer

[ruffboi]

[After getting settled in, later that day, Magnus will go find Taako. He's decided it's time to go check out the freezer and see who they can find. In a way, part of him would prefer to do it alone -- rush in, find every person he needs to find, if he needs to be disappointed or afraid, not have to have anyone else witness it.

But also, Taako did offer to come with him. And he appreciates that, and maybe that would also be a good thing. He's made some pretty big mistakes, going off to do things on his own. And also, it occurs to him, maybe Taako wants someone to go with, too. So he approaches it matter-of-factly, finding Taako later in the day.]

I'm going to the Freezer. Need to see who made it. Coming with?

[chaoticlootral]

[ Taako has spent his important time in a variety of useful ways, squeezing gogurt out of the tubes to just make ordinary gurt, avoiding thinking too deeply about anything despair-inducing or potentially horrifying, wasting spell slots on conjuring t-shirts to try to emotionally process difficult feelings. A productive afternoon, overall.

He hadn't forgotten he had made the offer to go, but it was still something of a surprise to himself he had offered in the first place. The end of the world does strange things to you. Taking it on alone seems something like an impossible task, but with Magnus rushing in first - it's a good excuse to tag along. He might need back-up in there if he has to fight a frozen friend with an axe or tries some other dumb shit.]

. . . Guess so, my man. I don't have anything else going on. Let's roll up on that popsicle stand.

[ruffboi]

Cool. Let's go.

[Giving him a reassuring grin! And they're off to the freezers.]

So we should probably figure out where Merle went, right? In case we need a heal.

[chaoticlootral]

So we can go brag to him about it happening? Maybe explain the process to him once we've actually seen it in action? I'd actually argue he's doing a fantastic job serving the team right now. Sometimes cheering from the sidelines is a good thing - shit, we could pull him out of that thing and set him up in a lawn chair and some shades and he'd do great.

[If a dunk happens in space where the dunkee can't hear it, does it make a burn?]

You think they're all grouped together or is there some sort of system here. Alphabetically sorted by class. Bards, Clerics, Clerics slash Can't Heal, Druids. [Dead slash Wife. Dead slash Sister.]

[ruffboi]

[Yeah, well, he set him up for that dunk. He put him on his shoulders and carried him to the basket.]

I just meant if we know where his freezer is, we can go over there and ask for a heal and not get one, like old times. How big is this freezer going to be? There's about a hundred people awake, and if everyone has a few friends or family on ice...

[chaoticlootral]

[Well that's pretty much how they always play basketball, so seems legit.]

Gonna go with "pretty freakin' big." I haven't even figured out the entry requirements for it either - you got some people hanging out up in there making blood oaths to take some fools out the instant they wake up too, it isn't just people you like. Or are related to. Those don't have to overlap either. They just take a sample of the best dudes they can find in your world and shove 'em into cold storage. So, for example, me? An obvious choice. Pretty much the dopest wizard on the planet. Otherwise, who knows.

[It could be a mess in there. What category could Lup possibly be under. There's so much applicable. Undead Sisters, Dope Wizards, the Better Twin.]

[ruffboi]

I mean, seems based on what they're saying, guys might be kind of specific to us? I mean, sure. Best wizard, best fighter, but beyond that? Man, though, I didn't even think about bringing along someone who might want to kill you, or vice versa. Could be kind of a problem!

[Seeing as, he's vaguely aware he has an enemy but beyond that - ???]

[chaoticlootral]

[Best fighter . . . who is that? ]

Killian's here, you think?

[Man, Magnus, you just have a whole lot of problems, don't you pal. Christ. Hogging all the angst up in this shit. Well, Taako did promise to kill that dude, but there's no point in trying to explain to Magnus about it. He already knows it won't take.]

Can't pin down anyone specific who's got beef with us and also important enough to be tapped for this Intergalactic Wax Museum. [Rude, sure, but Taako knows small-part NPCs when he sees 'em.] Seeing as we already blasted a lot of those chumps back to where they belong, and anyone that wakes up and wants to take another crack at it can, uh, bring it? Seems like other people problems to me - we've got bigger messes to slop around in.

[ruffboi]

[Wow!!! Wow wow wow! Damn! Wow!!!! He's just going to pretend he didn't understand that.]

Hmm? Yeah, I bet she's around. Hope she and Carey made it out okay, at least. When I saw them, they were having some trouble fighting the uh, invisible guys, until I showed up and fought off a lot of them at once. [Anyway, it's hard to have angst about someone he doesn't even remember, so moving right along.]

Good point. We can just kill that bridge when we come to it. [Anyway, peering into a couple freezers since they're surely inside by now. Not seeing anyone he knows.]

backdated to when it's not a several weeks later

[ripvanwinkled]

[Listen, Snake's embarrassing amount of time realizing there was a reason behind the fact his arm hadn't been on the ground somewhere is on him. It's totally on him! He accepts that. But like, no one mentioning the possibility that maybe someone other than Junpei picked it up for safekeeping? That's not on him.

He knows who that's on. After what's probably some stalker level asking around for where the stupidest crew of boys lived, Snake's found their door, and he's knocking. And knocking. And knocking. He's not going to stop knocking until someone answers, even if they heard it the first time.]

I know you two are in there!

Listen please don't judge our shame

[ruffboi]

[Throwing the door open! Probably fast enough that Snake hits him in the chest instead of the door at least once.]

Oh, hey! It's you, spidermeat! How've you been? Come on in! [Shouting to Taako back in the kitchen.] Hey, Taako, that one guy is here! Your TV friend! I don't remember his name, so I'm stalling a little bit, you should get out here!

our secret sad boy party has been BUSTED

[chaoticlootral]

Doesn't ring a bell!

[ Taako has no friends. Especially not TV ones. Taako takes his sweet friggin' time emerging from the kitchen, because frankly how dare he be interrupted in the middle of . . . whatever the hell he was doing in there. It smells amazing, which is one of the senses Snake still has, right? ]

Oh, oh, no you're right, I remember this guy. Jonathan right? Or was it Drew.

you better not be SAD IN HERE

[ripvanwinkled]

[They're really lucky Magnus' chest is something to be admired, and the kitchen smells great. Snake was walking in pretty steamed, but he's simmered down to looking mildly irritated in neither of their direction. At a wall, probably.]

Jonathan is the superior brother, but no. I go by Snake. [that's not his fursona, don't,] The whole spider fight raises a bell, yes? I came here with a... question about it. And now... another question about what's cooking?

[ruffboi]

Of course! I never forget a fight where I won and looked amazing doing it. And defended the life of a good friend such as yourself, of course. C'mon, pull up a chair.

[Fortunately, there are several chairs in the apartment available for sitting on, all carved wood and smelling weirdly like lavender.]

What can we do for you?

[chaoticlootral]

I actually just want to take a second here to note that I, Taako, won that fight, and looked pretty amazing doing it.

[Neither of them are going to offer Snake a chair though, or point him in the actual direction of one. He'll just have to sniff one out. Taako just makes a disapproving hum at Snake's very bad no good Property Brothers opinions, but he isn't going to fight him on it during this important conversation.

Is Snake trying to angle his way into a free lunch. There are no free lunches in this world, Snake.]

Nothing much, Drew, my man. Just some sandwiches. Some paninis. A little bit of chicken saltimbocca, you know, easy enough to whip up some sage butter, really makes the flavors pop. Don't want to let that burn, so, uh, chop chop.

delivery!

[laveers]

[ Exactly a week later someone comes to Magnus' door holding a bag of coins. It's the same amount Asha would give any craftsman back home for the same work. ]

[ The delivery boy has a note with him. Asha's handwriting — to her septon's dismay — is passable, neat enough; the note a polite thank you and a request that she may ask for more at some point. ]

[ruffboi]

[Likewise, it takes Magnus about a week to finish a kraken that passes his standards. He carves it so it can be set on a flat surface, with its head up, sitting on the base of its curved tentacles, while the tentacles themselves are curled in the air. For fun, one of the tentacles is curled around a tiny wooden ship.]

audio, un: j.watson

[enarms]

[ it's... a random voice call from that one guy who hates the Sanctuary maybe? except Magnus might have seen him around by now but still, call incoming, do you proceed ]

audio, un: THE_HAMMER

[ruffboi]

[Yes, of course he picks up. Frankly, he barely remembers who this guy is.]

Hey, you've got Magnus, what's up?

[enarms]

[ excellent news, he's here on business ]

Hi. Sorry to bother you, I need to clue you in on a problem at the Sanctuary.

[ruffboi]

Where! Tell me!

[This fairly mild response seems to trigger an unwarranted urgency - John can hear sounds to suggest he stood up and started running for the Sanctuary as soon as John started speaking.]

What am I looking for?

[enarms]

[ it's an urgency John won't protest to: as casually as he's trying to approach it for the introduction, having Magnus present and available at the Sanctuary will make the situation a lot safer ]

Somebody's out on the streets selling the infection. The suspicion is that there's a patient in the Sanctuary selling blood to whoever it is that's peddling it. I need you to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity - sample-taking that hasn't been expressly requested by the institute, an individual being drawn from more often than the rest. Anything like that.

I've got some of the staff already keeping their eyes open, but we need someone there who can intervene if it comes to that.

[ruffboi]

Fuck. You scared me - thought it was gonna be another attack.

[But he still sounds like he's running.]

Yeah, I got you. I'll keep an eye out. If anyone there is trying to make money off getting people sick, I'll punch their faces in.

[enarms]

No, sorry. Not that, thank God. But yeah, thank you, we'd appreciate it. Last thing we need is this thing spreading more than it already has.

it's that good good secret holiday delivery

[politrick]

[Merlin only knows like two things about Magnus and both of them involve dragons, so naturally his first instinct is to get him a lovely dragon carving, delivered anonymously, except for the note included telling him he doesn't have to bleed for this one and not to worry about returning the neckerchief he did actually bleed all over.

Happy nondenominational winter holiday, big guy!!]