open

[antietam]

who: Adam Parrish + open
what: catchall log
when: throughout may, post-memoria
where: community housing/breaking and centering/perimeter/wherever
warnings: none as of yet



community housing

[ Anyone who knows Ronan Lynch or has seen him around will recognize his raven Chainsaw swooping around menacingly in front of the community housing. Is she hunting something? Trying to gouge your eyes out?

Another look will reveal Adam standing below her trajectory. Every so often, he tosses up some food that gets her to swoop and calls out something in Latin. Whatever he's saying, she responds by doing aerobatic tricks.

Stand there long enough and she might come barreling worryingly close to you. ]

breaking and centering

[ Have some sort of vehicle that needs a tune-up? Or just want to find someone with a wrench? Breaking and Centering is your place! Adam is working, but it's a slow day. If you're just passing by, he's balancing on a workbench with a textbook in his lap and a wrench in the other.

If you're bringing him something to look at, you might be treated to a mildly judgmental: ] What did you do to it?

perimeter

[ Adam has been taking classes at the university, but he's not getting all of the information he wants. Therefore, he has to find it for himself. He takes some light provisions, long-sleeved shirt and pants to protect from strange plants, a knife, cheap binoculars, and a notebook.

The plan is to find a creature he's never seen before and study it from afar. Find him kneeling between overgrown plants and taking notes, or maybe save him from a creature that will probably eat him. ]

etc.

[ Or write-your-own-adventure! If you want me to write up a prompt, hit me up @faildere/PM

As a note, I'll be on hiatus from June 1-14 and I'll backtag after that! No worries about dropping anything that's too late, though. ]

Comments

perimeter

[howlongiwonder]

[Looking for strange creatures, Adam? You might find one very soon because all out of sudden, the peaceful atmosphere is disturbed. Something is moving through the thick canopy of treetops not too far away from you. Something that is both too fast and agile to be a human, and judging by the creaking sounds of the branches - too massive to be one too.

This could be very dangerous.]

[antietam]

[ This might have been less dangerous if Adam had asked for help from the perimeter guards, but he doesn't really know the meaning of the word.

The problem with only being able to hear out of one ear is that he can't trace sounds like he used to, and he's not entirely sure where the rustling is coming from. Somewhere above him, so he shifts away from any trees and closer to the ground. He's good at keeping still, but he can't stop himself from holding up his binoculars to catch a glimpse of whatever might threaten him. ]

[howlongiwonder]

[Adam may be able to catch glimpses of a quickly moving dark shape - right before it jumps down from the treetops, falling down towards his general direction!

The treetop dweller turns out to be a strange woman, dressed in black. She lands in a crouch, but her impact with the ground sounds around heavily, with a loud thud.]

What are you doing here?

[Worryingly, she is armed with a large sword. It remains on her back though, not in hand.]

[antietam]

[ Adam sees the shape coming closer through his binoculars, and he barely has time to curl into himself, letting go of his knife in reflex. He's definitely not used to this sort of thing.

He looks up when she speaks, realizing this is a person and not some gigantic nightmare. How did she make so much noise? ]

I'm—exploring. [ His voice is still a little shaky. There are a lot of questions going through his head. The only one that seems to come out is: ] Are you human?

[howlongiwonder]

No. I'm an android.

[She states in a matter of fact way, like it was supposed to explain everything.]

Monster activity has intensified around here recently. It may not be a safe place to explore.

[She stands up and dusts herself off briefly. The android woman seems to be on the lookout, glancing briefly around in search of... something.]

[antietam]

[ Well, she doesn't seem like some kind of wild android bent on destruction. He quickly uncurls himself and sits back in the grass. ]

I'll be fine. [ Like he was just now. Though he seems to have misplaced his knife. He pats around the grass for it. ] I'm hoping to spot some monsters, actually. Maybe they won't be such a threat if we understand how they work.

[howlongiwonder]

Even if they are just animals, something still motivates them. However...

[2B gives up on the search for whatever she was hoping to notice. Her attention is back to Adam, with a somewhat softer expression that is hard to read.]

Even if you understand what makes them aggressive, they will still be aggressive if they find you.

Do you think you can defend yourself if that happens?

[antietam]

[ Of course he can, he should say. But the truth is that he has nothing to defend himself with. Apparently he can't even use his knife when he needs to.

Instead, he shrugs. He's not going to ask for help, but this... android girl seems to be someone to stick to at the moment. He lifts himself up, brushing off the dirt. ]

What are you out here for? You seemed like you had a purpose. Maybe I can help.

[howlongiwonder]

As a member of the Perimeter Guard, it's my duty to patrol this area and make sure no one suffers from an emergency, or a monster attack.

[She notices that her question wasn't technically answered. 2B shrugs briefly, her stance relaxing.]

However, there was something atop the trees that I had to investigate.

[antietam]

[ He seems to relax even more at the information that she's part of the guard. At least she's not just some weirdo running around. Like Adam. ]

Yeah? What was it? I, uh, have binoculars. If you don't have that... already installed.

[howlongiwonder]

There's no need for that. I was able to inspect it from up close.

[2B glances to the side, her arms crossed, the stance now looking if anything a bit too relaxed. Like she is doing it on purpose to mask her awkwardness.]

It was... a flower.

[antietam]

[ There's a pause. He's trying to figure out how a flower fits into this. ]

Like, um, some kind of new species of flower? A man-eating sort?

[howlongiwonder]

No.

[She quietly clears her throat. It doesn't help any, embarassment is audible in her voice regardless.]

Just a flower. There are many more kinds of them here than what I knew of.

[antietam]

Oh. [ He gets it, and he feels bad for causing that embarrassment. He didn't really expect an android to enjoy the sight of flowers, but it also sort of makes sense. ]

You know, I didn't really notice any of the flowers. [ The monsters seem like the most exciting thing to look at, but... ] Maybe I should study those, too. Would you want to help out?

[howlongiwonder]

Study whatever you wish, or find useful. These aren't important, they are just... flowers.

However, if it is my assistance you ask for - I'll do what I can.

[antietam]

Flowers are important. It'd tell me more about the ecosystem the monsters are living in, or how their biology might differ from what I'm used to. [ Of course, she doesn't seem all that interested in the scientific properties. So he pauses. ]

I just think we could combine our interests. You don't have to.

[howlongiwonder]

No, it's fine! You made a good point, we should do it.

[She is quick to react, still sounding a little flustered.]

I have already catalogued several species that seem most common in the area. Do you want to look at the data?

[antietam]

[ He's just glad she's actually interested. It wouldn't hurt to have an exploring buddy. ]

Oh, that'd be great. Saves some time so we can go looking for the rarer flowers. Cataloged how, exactly?

[howlongiwonder]

I have filed and segregated data as I came across it. It is currently saved in my memory.

You... do not have an easy way to read it, do you?

[He is a human after all - as far as 2B can tell.]

[antietam]

Uh... do you have a USB port? [ Is that an appropriate question? He grabs his notebook and pen instead. ]

Maybe you could transfer it over to here, if that wouldn't be too difficult.

[howlongiwonder]

USB? I'm not familiar with this data format.

Let's try to recreate the images then. I have them in my memory so putting them on paper shouldn't be a problem.

[2B nods, hand reaching out as if she expected that notebook to be given to her. She didn't really do much drawing but how hard can it be? With the visuals vivid in her memory, it's just copying the lines.]

[antietam]

Oh, I guess you wouldn't be. Technology where you're from has to be way more advanced than I'm used to.

[ He hands it to her alone with his pen, keeping a close eye on her like he's trying to figure out how she works. ]

Are, uh, androids normal where you're from?

[howlongiwonder]

It's likely the case, but it's no problem.

[2B confidently grabs the drawing implements. She saw pens being used before, so it's not that she is a total stranger to one.]

Yes, they are. Everyone I knew was also an android - humans are very rare.

[She starts to draw, her grip steady but the sketch looks weird somehow. Just several loose lines, not even connected, with a new one being added every second.]

[antietam]

[ He watches her drawing closely even if it makes no sense to him as it is. Just like she said, she's tracing it from her database, probably in the most efficient way possible.

It's the humans thing that makes him look up in surprise. ] What, really? But someone had to make the androids, right? So what happened to humans?

[howlongiwonder]

It's true. Androids are a creation of humans.

[As she adds in more lines, details start to form. Outlines of a plant...

Pretty sketchily drawn outlines to be honest. Even if 2B has a perfect view of how the flower is supposed to look like, her skill at drawing is still very basic.]

New models are developed without human input, only based on data acquired by androids themselves, but the first ones were made by humans. There aren't many of them left, so they are hiding, in a safe place.

There is a facility on the Moon. Anywhere else is dangerous.