(no subject)

[theresnodoor]

There's an interesting little group making their way toward the Cooper farm. It consists of three smallish dragons and what looks like an enormous ball of light.

No one's said much on the way back. For Rachel, it's out of frustration. They took it down and that's a victory, but they didn't get the father, the guy that started the whole thing, and that's making her tack it down as a failure.

But she'll mention that when they land.

Comments

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

For Tobias the silence is mostly a product of his conflicted state of mind. He and Rachel had been separated during the fight, and that was eating at him. It was all the worse for how close he suspected she'd come to serious injury.

He's not sure what he'll say to her when they land.

If anything.

[littlestcooper]

When they land...

Well, Lucy heads inside to the kitchen for an apple.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

Val plants herself straight onto one of the upstairs balconies, shakes off her armour, and goes straight to the bathroom for a shower or twelve.

[theresnodoor]

Rachel watches her go for a second before demorphing herself. She'll catch Lucy later, and she can tell Val. She doubts Lucy will mind another fight.

She doesn't think about the pause she took before speaking aloud to Tobias.

"It isn't finished."

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

Tobias is mid-morph when she speaks, and he waits until he's done before responding.

<What do you mean?>

[theresnodoor]

Rachel shakes her head and drops her gaze, kicking irritably at a stone. "The guy that started it, called himself the father. I never saw him but he talked to me. He said he'd just build a new one."

Intangible things, voices without bodies, demigods - Rachel has no good history and no patience for them.

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

Tobias freezes in mid feather-ruffle. <You didn't see him?> And he talked to her? That sounded... not good.

[theresnodoor]

Rachel shakes her head, frown deepening in frustration. "No."

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

<And he got away...>

That brought back some terrible memories.

[theresnodoor]

But it sounds like an accusation. Rachel glances at him sharply, glaring, though it takes a moment for what he's saying to click.

Which makes her blink, her expression softening.

"It wasn't Crayak," she says softly, dropping her gaze to another rock and kicking it, too. "Or Drone."

She could never mistake their voices.

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

He bobs his head slowly.

<Did sound... similar?> Evil? Insane?

[theresnodoor]

She's thinking more all-encompassing, cocky, powerful. Which is why she shakes her head.

"Just another nutjob trying to destroy things."

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

<But a dangerous one,> Tobias points out. <I saw that thing...> Melding with her... or something.

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

There's a big green-and-white robot sitting out back of the earth bunker.

There's a man with an eyepatch perched on its knee.

He overheard some of that. Not all-- some things are obviously private (http://community.livejournal.com/shatterverse/244309.html?thread=15293013#t15293013). But some.

Now he's thinking.

[theresnodoor]

These recent fights with Tobias leave her more worn and tired than any battle. When he flies off (back to the city, back to the destroyed cathedral to see what he can find, maybe just for lunch), Rachel watches until his wings are out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, she runs both hands through her hair and turns to the farm house. She still needs to tell Lucy and now she wouldn't mind some fruit either.



On her way back out is when she notices the robot, with a bowl of fruit salad in one hand and a fork in the other. Rachel stops in her tracks and looks at it, obviously considering the man to be the least important part of the image. If she were back on her world, this would probably be some sort of art installation piece.

Here? There's not a lot of 'probably' that actually works out.

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

She appears on his blind side, but he's looking around periodically. Neil doesn't like to be unaware of his surroundings.

He raises a gloved hand and waves, in that understated hello-stranger way, then stands up and walks down the incline of the robot's leg. It's pretty steep, but he only stumbles once, and arrives on the ground in one piece and on his feet a few seconds later.

[theresnodoor]

Hooray for him.

Rachel's hands are full, so she just nods a greeting, still mostly eyeing the robot. And the robot, even, gets a gesture with the fork.

"What is it?"

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

"It's a mobile suit. My mobile suit."

Neil glances back up at it, not bothering to hide the fond smile.

"It's usually less full of holes. A friend of mine here is working on that."

[theresnodoor]

Rachel arches a brow and looks up at the robot - the suit? - again.

"...you ride around in it?"

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

"When it's working, yeah."

[theresnodoor]

"Doing what?"

If it's just a really complex art installation piece, she'd be a little disappointed in the Shatter world.

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

He raises his eyebrows (one of which is hidden by the eyepatch).

Soft: "It's a military vehicle."

[theresnodoor]

Well, then. At least she isn't disappointed.

Then again, and perhaps encouragingly for the tone Neil just used, Rachel doesn't look at the robot with any sort of invested interest. Just curiosity. Because... well, what does she need machines for?

"Huh."

[neraiutsu.livejournal.com]

"They're pretty common where I come from, but nobody around here's heard of them."

[theresnodoor]

"Yeah, that's pretty standard," Rachel replies with a shrug. She's still looking a little thoughtfully at the robot, but by the time she's speared a grape in her bowl, her attention's on the man instead. "It's kind of rare for anyone to be from your specific version of home."

Not really rare, but kind of.