After the Dawn (IC)

[Elyrin]

Operator Asura
Landship Cafeteria

Jeremy began to frown as Asura continued speaking. Well, he tried to. Given that half of his face was still occupied with dinner, it was more difficult than one might expect. The steadily furrowing brow was still quite visible, though.

"Well, if someone like you is thinking you might need more operators, it's gonna be deep shit, alright." The man would surely be stewing over his stew if he had any, but he would have to content himself with soup. "Try to keep yourself alive and all your limbs attached, yeah?"

When the conversation turned to really strong opponents, though, the Feline's expression grew darker and his brow furrowed even deeper. He even paused his eating and set his fork down. A touchy subject, maybe.

"That kind of fun has issues. Books, games, movies, parties, you pay in money." Jeremy's tone of voice abruptly turned somber, nearly as dark as his face. Whatever came to mind, it wasn't pleasant. "Your fun, you pay a lot more than a few gold certs. And they don't offer loans or take IOUs."

With his mood good and soured, he returned to his food, digging through it even faster than before.

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:22PM
'Infected Quarter'
Liberty North Side

Surely, Columbia's chest swelled with pride when it could declare its treatment of the Infected the most civilized of all the great powers, another notch in the list of reasons why it shone brighter than the old empires. But 'the ones who treat the Infected closest to human' was still a poor grade, as far as Grapevine was concerned. Her position was privileged: uninfected, born into the most prosperous caste of secure Laterano, and fortunate enough to work for a company that looked after its own. She knew this, and so she could not blame the Infected or Jessica or anyone else from suggesting 'better here than elsewhere'. A patient's eyes were always turned towards improvements- a lessening of their burdens. Doctors and those who did not share in that suffering, however, had a responsibility to fix their eyes on the end of the road. Solutions, cures, workarounds.

“It’s a good start,” she said, leaning down a little to duck under Jessica’s umbrella. Hurrying through the rain suited her just fine. Civilization looked better in the rain, provided the sick and poor had roofs over their heads and clean food in their homes. In those respects, she could acknowledge Liberty.



Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:40PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

Sized somewhere between an urgent care center and a clinic- how much had this facility cost, exactly? Granted, Columbian architecture tended to skew on 'much too large for the purpose and absolute hell to heat or cool', but the Liberty clinic absolutely dwarfed its sister facilities that Grapevine had visited. Surely patient turnover wasn't that high- or had the city actually worked with them to allow Rhodes Island to provide proper care to the entire 'ward'? She doubted it, and supposing things would get her nowhere when she could just ask the department lead about it when she got back, so she filed that train of thought away for later. Right now, Jessica was introducing her, and she had inquiries to make.

“Operator Grapevine, good evening.” The Sankta could afford to be a little more cordial to someone who was technically a coworker than she had been with the Blacksteel receptionist and dipped into a half-bow before offering her identification badge. “I am presently on loan to Blacksteel at Director Warfarin's request, and wanted to ask the status of our Rocky Mountain office. According to the client, the city was struck by a Catastrophe about a week ago. My current assignment prevents me from joining any rescue operations, but regardless, I would ask for the branch address and a list of personnel so that I may do what I am able to while there."

She had other questions, but best to tackle her concerns a few at a time.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:40PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

"Oh, someone from HQ? Nice to meet you!" The woman was practically beaming, a stark contrast compared to the weather outside. Or the atmosphere inside, for that matter. "I'm Terri. What sort of business do you have in Liberty?"

According to the client, the city was struck by a Catastrophe about a week ago.

"Eh?"

The woman stared dumbfounded at the revelation from Grapevine, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Even after the Sankta finished, her only response at first was to blink a few times. Then: full-blown panic.

"A-a week ago? We haven't heard anything! Have we? I'm pretty sure we didn't hear anything! It can't be a mistake, can it? Isn't Blacksteel a pretty reliable source? Oh gosh, is there a protocol for something like this?"

Terri went back to her computer, furiously typing away with such zeal she could be mistaken for firing a fully automatic Laterano rifle. Was she looking into Grapevine's request or had she forgotten entirely? It was a mystery.

"Uh, Terri?" Fortunately, Jessica spoke up before Grapevine had to figure something out herself. "It's going to take a couple days to organize a Catastrophe relief mission, right? We're heading out tomorrow, so we could really use that info."

"Tomorrow!? Right, tomorrow. Calm down, Terri. Deep breaths." The panicking Feline took her own advice to the logical extreme, sucking in a big gulp of air and holding it for about 10 seconds. Jessica, meanwhile, stared at the ground with a mix of recognition and embarrassment on her face. "Phew. Okay. A bit better. Now, address. And personnel list. We have those on file, right?"

It took her a minute of tapping through menus, but Terri eventually let out an 'aha!' upon finding what she was looking for. Or a close approximation, at least. A printer whirred to life somewhere out of sight, and yet another document has handed off to Grapevine.

"Sorry, but I don't know how much that address will help. There's no street name or anything. Now, if there's nothing else, I need to call... someone. Who do I call about this anyway?"

She'd be fine, probably. You had seen worse out of Jessica, and she was fine. Mostly.

Spoiler:

Rhodes Island Office - Rocky Mountain
22-12663-18701

Personnel List - 2 operators, 3 logistics employees

Emma Revello, codename Dust. Female Vulpo, Sniper
Tyler Hill, codename Cinder. Male Vouivre, Guard
Gregory Hamilton, delivery driver
Wanda Fraser, maintenance/custodian
Maxwell Baker, secretary

[RacingeR]

Operator Asura
Landship Cafeteria

“Oh, I know the price well…” She meant that as an off-handed answer, but, pun not intended, she found that she had unconsciously focused her eyes on her left arm. She corrected the slip-up, and looked at Jeremy.

Ah, she’d done it again. Well, this always happened sooner or later. Usually speaking she didn’t openly speak of her desires. She supposed the oncoming mission had left her in a bit of an odd mood, surprisingly enough. Gotta get your act together, Asura.

She shrugged minutely. Ah well, that was that. She wasn’t really apologetic of who she was. Most other people didn’t approve of her true obsessions, once they came to light, and that was fine with her. The Lupo couldn’t explain it in any coherent way herself, nor was she all that willing to give explanations.

Asura started consuming her meal at a higher speed, the food disappearing rather fast once she got going and left some of her manners aside. Her plates were cleaned up in no time.

“Ah well, I got places to go to now.” She waved slightly acting as if the mood hadn’t been soured in the first place. “Always have to relax a bit before a mission, right? If one’s not busy with prep-work, of course.”

“See ya~” With those words, she left to go back to her room.

Operator Asura
L’Antiquario

“Hi there~”

Asura’s voice sounded behind Valravn just after she had entered the bar, although the Liberi (probably) didn’t perceive her entering. It wasn’t something she did intentionally, in as much as she just usually moved in a way so silent it could gather the envy of the average Feline.

Had a tendency to startle the hell out of people, but Asura just found that fun, rather than something to avoid.

“Nice dress, Val.” She eyed the Liberi and nodded. And rolled her eyes at Nuriel’s lack of regard to her outfit, but she’d been expecting that. Asura herself was dressed in the getup she had readied earlier.

“Well, let's just go sit as well.” She walked up towards where Nuriel and Sting were at, seating herself at Nuriel's side. She nodded a greeting at the duo, and started looking at the available menu of drinks.

[Ayakashi]

Operator Nuriel
Liberty, L'Antiquario
5:50 PM

A very peculiar place, for sure... but then species and cultures forming small, isolated pockets within society wasn't something Nuriel was a stranger to. Even in the land of 'equality', where all were technically free to intermingle, these kind of things were inevitable. At least it made for an interesting change of environment from the Blacksteel Landship. The liveliness here was indeed refreshing to a degree, and it's not like the weird looks everyone gave her inconvenienced her, she was used to that, and to just smiling (if that could be called smiling) and waving back at all the either suspicious or befuddled glares. Were Sankta that strange? Well, corrupted Sankta perhaps, but even then by their standard she wasn't that weird... was she? Self evaluation is a bit hard sometimes...

"...I got lost there for a bit," the Sankta utters with a hint of annoyance as she walks up to Sting and takes a seat next to him. "Ahem. Are you the only one here so far?" she asks, not seeing any other of her coworkers around. Feeling like it was rude not to introduce herself to the bartender however, Nuriel however switches her attention to the latter and says: "Oh, hello, I am just here to... hang out? It was your esteemed client's idea. Do you uh..."

The Sankta does finish her sentence and instead looks around to see if there are one of those small dishes filled with snacks that are commonly found at bars. Peanuts, candies, or some nougat... anything really.

"Can I see the menu?"

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:42PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

Oh. Well, the panic was understandable, so she was willing to give Terri a moment to get some of it out of her system before interjecting, but Jessica beat her to it. That had been good of her- she’d have to add that to the younger woman’s file later. For now, she gave the dark-haired girl an appreciative half-nod while Terri tapped away at her keyboard before adding a comment of her own.

“There should be on-site protocols for this sort of thing. Crisis training at a minimum.” The Sankta gave another faint nod. “I won’t tell you not to worry, only to do what you can to the best of your ability and trust that by keeping the company’s operations moving, we help it to aid as many people as possible.”

Her manner of reassurance was… clinical, as befitting her office, but hopefully her intentions came across.

As for the printout… a numerical code, no street address, and a short list of personnel. Two combat Operators and three logistics staff meant the Rocky Mountain office was safehouse and relay station, most likely. Fair enough. At some point, the company had run into trouble in Columbia, and a resort city like Rocky Mountain couldn’t be hurting for medical facilities. The cost to entry probably meant a low Infected population, mostly laborers, so the lack of a proper clinic didn’t surprise her. Still, she wasn’t happy with what she saw: no designated Medic on staff.

“I’ll prepare what materials I can in case we make contact.” She exhaled and folded the paper so it would fit neatly into a pocket. “You’re doing fine, Terri. Start from the top. The branch administrator should know what to do and who to speak to. Please ask them to send word to the landship, too, and to let them know that the Bolivarian Army is on-site. The sooner they know all this, the sooner they can start to coordinate a relief effort.”

She made a vague gesture and swapped the folded paper for another that had been in her pocket.

“There were two more concerns of a smaller scale that I wanted to address. The first is regarding a former patient who should be receiving her medications through us. Her condition is stable, but she’s showing signs of malnutrition. I’ve written my recommendations here.” She passed the note with Nuriel’s information to the shaken Feline. “And lastly, I need a packet of dihydromyricetin if there’s any in stock. Five to ten pills. You can send the bill to the main office and I’ll sort it out later.”

Neither had the same looming weight as ‘Catastrophe relief’, but that didn’t mean she was any less obligated to her patients to mention them.

[SleepMode]

Operator Vitro
March 8 - 4:16 PM
Blacksteel Medical Ward
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"You can't brag about how tough you are and expect me to not put it to the test mate. I wasn't gonna insist, but you dug your own grave."

"I-I-I…"

Vitro made a noise, flabbergasted. To think his excuse backfired this terribly…! Rather crafty, this woman. Though logic dictates the Liberi refute the peer pressure, he knew that will be a futile effort -- better to entertain her whims than further squander their time. It will no doubt cut the refinement process too close for comfort, but the Supporter surmised it was a better alternative than risking an abduction of the Santonia kind.



"Fine, I'll participate in this reckless jaunt." The Liberi relented, shaking his head feverishly. "But once you are in no condition to drink, I'll take my leave; can't ever be too careful crossing swords against an army, amidst a Catastrophe Site, no less."

Note to self: Prepare necessary quantities of head-clearers for tomorrow morning. Better not incur Senior Handler Jordan's wrath before deployment.

With a quick nod of thanks to the receptionist, Vitro strode out of the Medical hall with the Savra following.

"Let's not be tardy, then. We'll have a long night ahead of us, me in particular!"

= = =

Operator Vitro
March 8 - 4:37 PM
Vitro's Private Quarters
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

The door gave way to a scent of chemicals and whirring machines. Though technically the Support Operator's dormitory, the constraints of profession and hazard prevention have led to it doubling as his lab. Glass containers lined the shelves, each containing various liquids or samples. Topping with a cauldron-like apparatus at the center, it brings forth the image of a rural clinic in spite of the landship's minimal interior style.

"Come in, come in. The fumes shouldn't be a worry. I've just vented the place out this morning!"

The lack of space was even more noticeable now that both were inside. With much of the walls occupied by vials and the floor with hardware, there was little room for movement. While Vitro's stout frame made navigation a smoother feat, it was no doubt a struggle for those taller than him.

"Feel free to sit anywhere. Guests are a rarity, so this place sorely lacks in proper seating."

As the Savra looked for a place to sit, Vitro sorted away the medical records for later referencing tonight. With the papers filed, the Toxicologist faced his prospective teammate in earnest. To business.



"Now then," Vitro stated, professional once more. "I'm certain Blacksteel is generous with means to alleviate its symptoms, so am I right to assume you wish to discuss matters regarding your tail-bound toxin?"

While Vitro did have something in mind for the teams at large, it was better to hear the Vanguard out. Depending on what it was, it should not be too tricky fitting in his already tightened deadline. Then again, this was hardly anything new. It was far from the first time Vitro worked under pressure; if it makes the difference between a life preserved, he'll gladly embrace another all-nighter.

[Elyrin]

Operators Sting, Nuriel, Asura, and Valravn
L’Antiquario
5:50 PM

The bartender finished preparing the mystery drink while Nuriel introduced herself. Whatever was in the glass, it was pink, smelled very strongly of some unidentifiable fruit, and was topped by one of those tiny drink umbrellas.

"Menu? Just a sec. Might have to dig a bit to find one." The Lupo handed the pink cocktail off to someone further down the bar before pulling open a drawer to hunt for the elusive menu. The first try was a dud, but he found one in the second drawer.

"Here we go. If it's Columbian or Siracusan, we got it or I can make it. There's a few things from Lethania and Laterano too, but not as much."

As far as food went, the selection was pretty limited. Just the typical Columbian fried food: burgers, fries, chicken, and scalebass. The bartender wasn't kidding about the drinks, though. The different types and brands of alcohol just went on and on, with a good variety of sodas and juices as well.

As Nuriel perused the menu, Luca's eyes went back and forth between her and Sting a few times. Suddenly, though, a twinkle came to his eye. He had an idea. The Lupo turned back to Sting with a shit-eating grin.

"Oh, now I get it. Here I thought you were up to some shady business, but you're just working at a church! No wonder you didn't want to tell me!"

Luca chuckled to himself, but any chance for Sting to present a defense was interrupted by two more women approaching the bar. Seeing yet more new arrivals, the Lupo grabbed a couple more menus to hand out, fake whispering to Sting as he passed them over.

"What were you doin' looking for girls earlier, Mister Yamamoto? Looks like you've got a good collection here already."

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:42PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

After some extra encouragement from Grapevine, Terri took another deep breath. Not as exaggerated as before, but probably still a little excessive. It seemed to help, though, and she was smiling again, albeit not as brightly as before.

"Two more things? Sure, pass them here." Terri grabbed the report on Nuriel, frowning a bit as she looked it over. "Malnutrition? And she works for Blacksteel? Is she just forgetting to eat or something? And dihydromyr... uh, can you spell that, please?"

After all was said and done, Grapevine was - for the final time that day, hopefully - handed yet another set of documents.

"Okay, since you're an RI doctor and all, we don't need to bother any of the doctors here. Just sign right here - real name, not codename - and here. Same places on the second form. Jessica, since Blacksteel is the group reporting the Catastrophe, can you sign this one? Thanks."

With the request forms filled out, Terri booted up a nearby scanner and began loading it up, page by page. When it whirred to life and a green light began moving across the paper, she nodded to herself and turn back to Grapevine.

"All done. It was a pretty slow day before you guys showed up, so someone should be able to fill those orders in a few minutes. Feel free to have a seat."

Jessica was the first to plop herself into a chair, grabbing some pamphlet or another about Oripathy to pass the time. Terri, meanwhile, picked up a nearby phone and began an animated conversation with the other side, seemingly mostly back to normal.

5:54 PM

It wasn't long before Grapevine's requested medicine arrived. A few different supplements for Nuriel - make sure she reads all the labels, they're not all one a day - and one pack of 8 DHM pills. Jessica returned her pamphlet to its original place and turned towards the door, unfolding her umbrella.

"Did you eat already, Doctor? The food on the landship isn't quite as good as Rhodes Island’s, but it pretty solid. Or we could stop somewhere on the way back."

[Zagrin]

Operator Sting
L’Antiquario
5:50 PM

Time sure flies when you're having fun.

Sting was idly staring at the drink that Luca had served to him moments before. After he had run out of things to talk about, he had proceeded onto his usual routine of ordering one different drink after another and he was well and truly on his way of being well inebriated this evening. Unfortunately, he would probably have to cut it off and leave soon. There was just this annoying thought at the back of his mind that just wouldn't go away, about how he had to still get some prep work sorted before the end of the day. Perhaps it was a good thing then that he'd not been able to find some good company this evening, maybe one or two more and then he'd head out while he could still think (mostly) straight.

Putting his mind somewhat at ease with that resolution, Sting began to knock back his drink...

"Ahem. Are you the only one here so far?"

"Pffft!?"

The unexpected voice of a woman caught Sting off-guard and caused him to choke on his drink. It took him a moment to compose himself again and finally see who it was that had greeted him. It was...It was...well her name currently was outside of the reach of Sting's alcoholically-addled mind, but he was able to at least recognize her as one of his new co-workers from the company. Well this was...unexpected? Or maybe not so much, he had given out the address to this place earlier, but was it to the Sankta...? And wait, 'only one here so far'...?

And what's with that look, Luca!?

"Oh, now I get it. Here I thought you were up to some shady business, but you're just working at a church! No wonder you didn't want to tell me! What were you doin' looking for girls earlier, Mister Yamamoto? Looks like you've got a good collection here already.""

Sting turned in his chair to catch a glimpse of the other girls now approaching the bar and, blurry as his vision was getting, he recognized the two new arrivals. One of them was a girl with a freaky giant claw and the other was a...was it a Vulpo, or Lupo? Either way, the strikingly pink hair made her stand out nearly as much as the Liberi and she's the one that he'd given the address to so it all kind of made sense now.

"What do you mean didn't want to tell you? I said loads of times I was now on the straight and narrow, what else could that be than a church?"

Sting then leaned in closer, so as to emulate the same sort of fake whispering that Luca was doing.

"And since it's a church, that makes 'em nuns, y'know what that means, right? Strict "look, but don't touch" policy there, man. Do you know that they actually dock my pay just for giving someone a compliment? It's almost criminal, I tell you."

Sting slumped back in his chair as he recalled the unjust punishments that he had been meted out to him in the past.

"Ah, but where are my manners. Luca Torrio, I'd like you to meet..."

Sting allowed himself to trail off so that Nuriel (Yes, he remembered!), could finish off the introduction.

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:45PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

A little paperwork and a few minutes later, she had what she wanted. A holdover from the company's frugal beginnings, most likely- they tried to keep things efficient. A doctor should waste her time on her days off, not filling out redundant forms and waiting three hours for a fill request like in a conventional hospital. Done up in the Columbian fashion as it was, she was glad that the Liberty branch was still thoroughly Rhodes Island in that respect.

“Thank you for your time,” she nodded to Terri. “Excuse my being the bearer of bad news on this occasion, and the irregularity of saying so, but if there is something that you or your office have need of me, do not hesitate to call.” She punctuated this with a half-bow, one arm swept in front of her chest, before rising and turning to Jessica.

“I did not, but there's no need to go out of the way for my sake. I practiced in the tenement alleys of Victoria for a time, so I'll be content to try most things, provided it is served somewhere clean.” She thought for a moment and shrugged. “Oh, but I've never had much of a palate for seafood.”

[Elyrin]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:54PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

"...right. You're so professional all the time... well, most of the time I forgot you used to, uh, not be."

Maybe that wasn't entirely true. But as someone who was never badly hurt and always followed Medical's instructions to the letter, perhaps Jessica had just never seen Grapevine's unprofessional mode firsthand.

"So, pretty much anything is fine. As long as it not scalebass. Doesn't really narrow things down..."

Not entirely sure yet, Jessica made for the door a bit slower than normal walking speed. No surprise, it was still raining. Even harder than before by the look of things.

"Well, if we're heading back the way we came anyway, how about that Yanese place, Kaiming's? A lot of their stuff is pretty spicy, but that's Yan for you. And they have really good noodles."

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:55PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

Grapevine nodded once. “So long as I can render aid unto the afflicted and study what I please, professionalism has always been a secondary concern. I do try to start from a place of courtesy, though." It was better for the patients that way.

The rain had picked up. It wasn't quite a storm, but Grapevine would have preferred if she had the long, weatherproof coat common to Rhodes Island's support staff rather than the short jacket that went over her semi-formal wear. Oh well, nothing to be done about it. She tucked her tablet and papers into the interior of her vest.

“That sounds agreeable. I haven't had anything with much spice to it in a while. Let me know if you'd like me to hold the umbrella."

She would have suggested hurrying to hail a taxi and return to Blacksteel to get away from the rain, but Kanming was right at the border of the 'Infected Ward,' so it hardly made a difference. If the weather got much worse, though, she'd have to insist they find cover from the rain instead of hurrying through. Tomorrow's deployment notwithstanding, there was no sense in risking a cold.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:56PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side


"I think I can handle holding the umbrella, Doctor. You're not that tall." Jessica turned to face Grapevine as if to emphasize her point, but standing still to compare heights didn't do her any favours. Her ears drooped as she took a moment to visualize the good 40 centimeter difference. "...okay, that's a lie. I think you're taller than Miss Hoshiguma, actually. But Miss Dobermann would never let me hear the end of it if I gave up on an umbrella of all things..."

The Feline pushed open the clinic's front door, holding both it and the umbrella for Grapevine to follow.

---

6:15 PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights

The trip back was damp, but otherwise uneventful. Fortunately, it wasn't windy, so the umbrella shielded the pair from the weather just fine.




The Yanese restaurant wasn't particularly large, with a bit too many chairs and tables squeezed a bit too close to each other, and the music in the background was just a bit too loud. On the plus side, the place was only around half full - thanks to the weather, no doubt - so there was no need to squeeze uncomfortably close to another group. Jessica beelined for a two-or-three person table near the windows, and a Lung waitress appeared to drop off menus not a minute later.

"Chow mein is always good, but I should probably eat more than just noodles with the mission tomorrow, yeah? Maybe Kung Pao fowlbeast..."

Jessica's face was already buried in her menu.

[Ayakashi]

Operator Nuriel
Liberty, L'Antiquario
5:50 PM

"Ah, but where are my manners. Luca Torrio, I'd like you to meet..."

"... Sela will suffice. We aren't working here, are we Sting?"

Of course, Sting wouldn't know that this was her real name, or to be precise, the nickname most people gave her based on her real name. Not like in his current state he'd be bothered about it. Most people would butcher or find her proper name a bit too long anyways, and her work name was reserved for work business.

"Is he a frequent customer here? It looks like the two of you know each other," she asks the Lupo, eyeing the back and forth between him and Sting. Her expression is fairly neutral, though the rigidity that had taken hold of her at the briefing is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the atmosphere of the place somehow put her at ease?

Nuriel sifts through the menu for a bit. A frown temporarily appears on her face as she goes through the part of the catalogue with fried food, but eventually, it looks like she's settled on something as she's reached the menu's end.

"... a Bombardino please. Without alcohol."

The name certainly sounds Laterano, and the accent that cropped up when she said the beverage's name for sure is!

At any rate, I suppose that will do for dinner. I should probably get myself some of that disgusting bread and jam that the store near my apartment sells... or else miss Grapevine might get angry at me tomorrow.

Sighing at her inner thoughts, 'Sela' makes herself comfortable on her stool and awaits the response from both sting and the Lupo bartender. She would perhaps look back to see who the other girls the Lupo was talking about were, but 'Sela' was fairly certain they'd make their presence known soon.

Oh, there she was.

“Hi there~”

Asura, was it? Though she was a Lupo her behavior rather gave the airs of a cat instead to 'Sela'. Nuriel nods at her with a little handwave, saying:

"I see you found the place too. Feels like home I presume?"

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 5:55PM
Rhodes Island Clinic
Liberty North Side

Aha, that actually got a half-smile out of the Sankta. “Don't take it the wrong way, Jessica Brinley. I'd offer the same to anyone who'd already gone out of their way to escort me through the rain in one direction. Offering to share the labor is only fair." She decided to let it be for now as she stepped out into the rainy evening air. Probably for the best if she nudged the dark-haired girl's attention away from her self-image, though. “Though I suppose I could bear to be better conversation on the way back, now that we've made all the progress we can towards identifying the Rocky Mountain branch. Would you like to know about the newest crop of trainees? It is my understanding that the records left by you and your coworkers have come up during their instruction."



March 8 - 6:15PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights
Liberty North Side

A little too tight instead of oversized and empty, and music that rang a little too loud gave the restaurant an air of authenticity. Concessions might be made to the local flavor here or there, but it seemed to have escaped the trap of 'novelty restaurant' that it might have fallen into had it been built a little closer to the city center. And it was clean, despite not being in one of the more affluent parts of town. There were things that could be nitpicked here or there, but there was a line between 'being observant' and 'driving herself insane', so the Sankta dismissed the littler things and took a seat. Jessica was getting more and more excited for her noodles. Hrm, she'd take a look.

“Professionally speaking?" she said, answering the younger woman's rhetorical question. “You should have something small to eat in the morning. For now though, yes, you should eat what you enjoy."

Within reason, of course, but Jessica Brinley seemed a reasonable girl. Mostly.

Hrm, as for the food. Something not too heavy. A stir-fry of tofu, peppers, and pineapple sounded colorful enough. And simple enough to try her hand at making, if the impulse ever struck her.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 6:16PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights
Liberty North Side

"Yeah, you're right, Doctor. Tomorrow's going to be a field ration day, so I should eat while I can." After being off active duty for a while, Jessica couldn't help but shudder at the thought of going back to field rations. "I'll just get both. If there's too much, I can always save some and reheat it after we get back from Rocky Mountain."

Jessica waved over the waitress from earlier, who made her way over with ice water and a notepad to take the pair's orders. She wrote quickly and left with a smile and a nod. The Feline at the table, meanwhile, was very much not smiling, but watching Grapevine with a dismayed look on her face.

"That thing you mention earlier, Doctor. Do... does Rhodes Island really use me as an example for trainee operators?"

...maybe she wasn't 100% recovered from her earlier days after all.

[pinetree]

Operator Santonia
March 8 - 4:37 PM
Vitro's Private Quarters
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

"Come in, come in. The fumes shouldn't be a worry. I've just vented the place out this morning!"
"Feel free to sit anywhere. Guests are a rarity, so this place sorely lacks in proper seating."

Santonia attempted to follow Vitro into his room, but quickly realized it wouldn't be possible. Complaining about someone else's room would be pure hypocrisy, considering the state she left her own quarters in, but this was still a bit much. Most of what took up the space in there seemed to be either fragile, volatile, or both. Santonia attempted to squeeze herself in a bit and immediatelly hit her head on a shelf that had been installed right on top of the door frame.

"Mate, I don't think this is going to work out..." She started, but Vitro already had his attention captured by something else. "Welp."

She followed him further in despite her best judgement. If her heigh was all she had to deal with it'd be fine, but the massive tail complicated things quite a bit.
Still, this were just his personal quarters, the place wasn't that big. Santonia was sure she could traverse the three meters between her and Vitro without causing an explosion.

"Now then," Vitro stated, professional once more. "I'm certain Blacksteel is generous with means to alleviate its symptoms, so am I right to assume you wish to discuss matters regarding your tail-bound toxin?"

Santonia was more focused on her own movements than she realized and Vitro caught her by surprise, her tail hit against a bookshelf and things immediately started falling on her and to the ground.

"Oh shit!" A vial containing a yellow substance — got it, An empty flask with fluorescent stains — caught, a massive glass cylinder filled to the brim — safe, no spills, a big hardcover book — eh, who cares. Alright, got it all!

"Damn that was clos— Ow!" She yelled as the book hit her toe and the Savra let go of everything she was holding. Glass crashed against the floor, spilling chemicals.

"Hm. Well, I tried. To answer your question..." She said, suddenly ignoring everything that had just happened and kicking some glass shards aside so she could finally reach the bed and sit down. "Thanks for the concern but I'm pretty sure my toxin is a lost cause, I gave up on it long ago. I was actually looking for some useful chemicals for our mission. You were peeping my file so I'm sure you know about my chemophony arts, right?"

[RacingeR]

Operator Asura
Landship Cafeteria
5:50 PM

Asura’s eyes glazed over momentarily at the whole church thing. What part of her looked like a nun? She was almost offended by the implication!

On the other hand, Sting was clearly already drunk. That wasn’t going to be pretty, tomorrow. He also seemed to be trying to hide his workplace from his acquaintances here, so Asura just shrugged internally. Better to not poke that beehive for now.

Well she would probably poke it later for fun, maybe.

“You can just call me Ace.” She added after Nuriel’s introduction. Better to not say her real name here. Also, damnit, Ace was probably a better codename than the one she got now. How annoying. Should’ve come up with that before, maybe she could get it changed later… “And… for me, some fries, and hmm…”

She looked at the menu. Although she had drank a lot once she was of age (her former job had a way to make someone want a stiff drink after work, and Kazimierz had a strong drinking culture), what she’d had back then had been mostly unmixed drinks. Strong and flavorful, mostly liquors, although she’d often drink whisky or other stuff when she felt like it.

“Well, I don’t know much about cocktails. Something with a strong flavor, please? Ah, but without too much alcohol. Need to work tomorrow.” She smiled at the big Lupo behind the bar, before turning towards Nuriel.

“I’m not sure, really. I was a little kid when I left home, so it has been a really long while.” She replied. She then looked around at the bar’s décor. “Not that I got to visit a bar while being a kid… but this does feel somewhat familiar in ambience.” There was a slight note of melancholy to her voice.

[Elyrin]

Operator Grave Moss
March 8 - Evening?
Grave Moss's Private Quarters
Blacksteel Worldwide Landship

tap, tap

Strange. The meeting was long over, but for some reason, Sarah was still tapping? The at-least-75%-asleep Pilosa must have been imagining things. And sure enough, it stopped after just a few taps.

tap, tap, tap

Okay, maybe not. It was still going. If it wasn't imagination, then maybe... a dream?

"..."

The tapping stopped, replaced by a whispering voice. Very quiet. Too quiet to make out any words. Well, if it was just a dream, there was no harm in ignoring it, right?

"-oss. Grave Moss!"

Wait. Not a dream. Someone was calling.

When the slumbering operator's eyes finally opened, a well-dressed man with long hair was standing near her with an exasperated look on his face.

"Defender Grave Moss. I know lethargy and long sleeping hours are common for Pilosa, but being tired is no excuse to go without medical examination for so long."

...medical examination. He was a doctor. Probably?

[Egophobia]

Operator Grapevine
March 8 - 6:15PM
Kanming's Eastern Delights
Liberty North Side

Hm, military rations. She hadn't sampled any since her time as a travelling doctor, and at the time, they'd been a fair sight better than whatever else was available. And they'd been Victorian. Considering this was a Blacksteel operation, their food out to be decent enough. And clean, which was the important thing.

“To what extent, I do not know. Only the complaints from trainees staggering into the clinic after their mock-combat drills at being compared to professionals from Blacksteel." She shrugged matter-of-factly. “I doubt that the company is giving out your name or identity without your consent, but I think it reasonable to assume that your records at the firing range are still listed alongside your coworkers'.”

...that is, unless Jessica had signed a privacy agreement on it as part of her onboarding. The Sankta wasn't too clear on the procedure for combat Operators, and the recordings shown to trainees had to come from somewhere besides what drone footage could be cobbled together in the field... but she wasn't about to bring that up.