The door slides into the wall above with alarming speed and you both feel more than see a field of force dissipate. Movement, light and sound are now free between the two rooms.
Vivian takes in the ten-foot room she's revealed with the same, somewhat bored expression that seems to be her neutral as she stuffs her right hand in her pocket again, trying not to chew absently on the lit cigarette in her mouth and even going so far as to remove it and let out another puff of smoke over her left shoulder.
"Yo." She says briefly to the small, grey cat she's freed, otherwise unmoving except for glancing about the other room.
Adult. Box of stuff. Book.
"Yo." She says briefly to the small, grey cat she's freed, otherwise unmoving except for glancing about the other room.
Adult. Box of stuff. Book.
Gem stares back up at the teen in front of her, eyes wide and tail puffed out at maximum. Whatever she'd expected to happen, the entire wall sliding out of sight had not been it.
Well. She's been addressed. This whole situation is already at maximum weird. Might as well bite the bullet.
"Yo," she says back, voice unmistakably human in a body that is just as unmistakably feline.
Well. She's been addressed. This whole situation is already at maximum weird. Might as well bite the bullet.
"Yo," she says back, voice unmistakably human in a body that is just as unmistakably feline.
Before she could rightly decide whether or not she was curious enough to go poke around the box or pick up the book, Vivian blinked and looked back down for a beat at the animal whose fur was reflexively standing on end, probably startled from the door which Vivian hadn't been expecting to shoot up so quickly, or into the ceiling for that matter, either.
She shifted half a step back to turn and look over her shoulder at Trouble, "Is it just me or can the cat actually talk?"
While the thought of being insane herself was in fact the farthest thing from Vivian's mind, too young for such considerations, she still wanted confirmation as to which of the two offered possibilities she came up with might be true.
She shifted half a step back to turn and look over her shoulder at Trouble, "Is it just me or can the cat actually talk?"
While the thought of being insane herself was in fact the farthest thing from Vivian's mind, too young for such considerations, she still wanted confirmation as to which of the two offered possibilities she came up with might be true.
“Is it uncommon for feline’s to have vocal capabilities on your planet?” 0814 asked almost rhetorically. “It would seem this one does.”
They continued working their hacking device.
“Feline, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself? I am eight-one-four and this is...” their sentence ended in a sudden gasp as they turned and saw the unconscious woman on the ground.
“Ohh no... that is not good.”
They continued working their hacking device.
“Feline, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself? I am eight-one-four and this is...” their sentence ended in a sudden gasp as they turned and saw the unconscious woman on the ground.
“Ohh no... that is not good.”
"Our planet?" Gem echoes weakly, then shakes her furry head. "Yeah, alright, just. Okay." She extends her front paws and stretches out, then closes her eyes tight and focuses very hard. After a few moments of intense concentration, she starts to feel the almost-familiar contracting of her muscles, and before long she's seated on the floor in her human body: small frame, short grey hair, cat-eye glasses, and, thankfully, a full set of human clothes.
"I'm Gem," she says, pushing herself back up to her feet. Briefly, she extends a hand to shake either of the kids' hands, then decides better of it and shoves it into the pocket of her work trousers. "And you're several numbers? And you're...?" She trails off, looking at Vivian, then follows 0814's gaze toward the woman lying prone behind her. "And that's... a woman who asked me about you two back in the coffee shop. And this day is probably only going to get weirder, isn't it?"
"I'm Gem," she says, pushing herself back up to her feet. Briefly, she extends a hand to shake either of the kids' hands, then decides better of it and shoves it into the pocket of her work trousers. "And you're several numbers? And you're...?" She trails off, looking at Vivian, then follows 0814's gaze toward the woman lying prone behind her. "And that's... a woman who asked me about you two back in the coffee shop. And this day is probably only going to get weirder, isn't it?"
Vocal capabilities? Not uncommon. Human speech, though--
Vivan's thoughts interrupted by the confused-sounding cat nearby, after a brief twitch of a frown when her eyebrows met together as she watched the feline become inwardly focused, her expression otherwise shut down when the adult stood up from the ground, cigarette returning to her mouth to take a single inhalation and occupy her seemingly free hand when it seemed like the other, shorter metahuman might be going for a handshake.
"Vivian." She may have met the other's gaze head-on with an intensely guarded one of her own as she answered, but she only replied to the implied question flatly around the smoke in her mouth, turning her face away to breathe it out away from the shapeshifter as she stepped with hunched shoulders into the room with the unconscious woman on the ground to move towards the metal box, putting the cigarette back between her lips when she reached it.
She intended scoop up whatever items laying nearby looked as if they had once been inside the box and put them back into it before going to pick it up if it wasn't too heavy and carry it out into the room where Trouble was still hacking into the ship.
The book and the unconscious woman she would leave alone at present.
Vivan's thoughts interrupted by the confused-sounding cat nearby, after a brief twitch of a frown when her eyebrows met together as she watched the feline become inwardly focused, her expression otherwise shut down when the adult stood up from the ground, cigarette returning to her mouth to take a single inhalation and occupy her seemingly free hand when it seemed like the other, shorter metahuman might be going for a handshake.
"Vivian." She may have met the other's gaze head-on with an intensely guarded one of her own as she answered, but she only replied to the implied question flatly around the smoke in her mouth, turning her face away to breathe it out away from the shapeshifter as she stepped with hunched shoulders into the room with the unconscious woman on the ground to move towards the metal box, putting the cigarette back between her lips when she reached it.
She intended scoop up whatever items laying nearby looked as if they had once been inside the box and put them back into it before going to pick it up if it wasn't too heavy and carry it out into the room where Trouble was still hacking into the ship.
The book and the unconscious woman she would leave alone at present.
"Yes, the statistical odds of your day involving more unfamiliar elements is high." 0814 said to Gem. Aggressively turning back to her work and not looking at the unconscious woman.
To Vivian ~~
The box (and the floor beside it) contains about a dozen small glowing capsules that look something like a game boy cartage. The only other item has a slot on the main body of it that would seem to hold them and looks like this:
Vasto
The box (and the floor beside it) contains about a dozen small glowing capsules that look something like a game boy cartage. The only other item has a slot on the main body of it that would seem to hold them and looks like this:
Vasto
Vivan curled her lips a little when she caught sight of the thing, and made quick work of handling each piece with fingers covered by the edge of her oversized t-shirt, dropping them into the box and carrying it out of the room to set somewhere closer to the four columns of light.
She paused when she stood back up, looking over at Trouble for a moment and pulling the cigarette from her lips to speak clearly, "Your kind don't typically transfer knowledge via hardbound, tactile medium, do they?"
She paused when she stood back up, looking over at Trouble for a moment and pulling the cigarette from her lips to speak clearly, "Your kind don't typically transfer knowledge via hardbound, tactile medium, do they?"
“Correct!” 0814 says not turning their eyes for a moment from the work they are doing. “Primary information transfer is digital, why do you ask?”
The cigarette went back in her mouth and she jabbed her thumb in the direction of the cell she just left.
"There's a book in there on the floor I was gonna grab and bring out." She shrugged as she turned to move back towards the smaller room to do just that, "Then I figured we'd just close the door again unless you have a better idea."
"There's a book in there on the floor I was gonna grab and bring out." She shrugged as she turned to move back towards the smaller room to do just that, "Then I figured we'd just close the door again unless you have a better idea."
“That would be an excellent idea friend Vivian.”
0814’s voice has an odd tone to it, but their continuing to focus on their work.
0814’s voice has an odd tone to it, but their continuing to focus on their work.
Gem slowly circles the room, taking in the lit-up columns and occasionally stealing a glance at 0814 as they work. The remnants of her cat mind are driving her to be a bit more curious than she might typically be; she pokes her head back through the door to watch Vivian as she explores the dark room that Gem just left.
On hearing Vivian suggest closing the door, however, Gem has to speak up: "Sorry," she says, "but spooky books aside, which, yeah, probably shouldn't be left alone... There's a whole person in there. Is it really a good idea to lock them in there? In complete darkness?"
On hearing Vivian suggest closing the door, however, Gem has to speak up: "Sorry," she says, "but spooky books aside, which, yeah, probably shouldn't be left alone... There's a whole person in there. Is it really a good idea to lock them in there? In complete darkness?"
Vivian glanced the cat lady's direction and shrugged like she didn't genuinely care one way or the other.
"I dunno. I ain't touchin' 'em."
Someone like that was probably armed, in which case Vivian had no desire to try and wake them under any circumstances. Except maybe with a door between them.
And probably not even then.
She walked over to the book to pick it up and take it back into the room with the columns.
"I dunno. I ain't touchin' 'em."
Someone like that was probably armed, in which case Vivian had no desire to try and wake them under any circumstances. Except maybe with a door between them.
And probably not even then.
She walked over to the book to pick it up and take it back into the room with the columns.
To Vivian~~~
When walking past the unconscious woman you notice that she is armed. A harness across her chest underneath her jacket has an array of knives on it.
Once you have been holding the book for a few moments you feel it vibrate, like a cell phone but more... ominous.
When walking past the unconscious woman you notice that she is armed. A harness across her chest underneath her jacket has an array of knives on it.
Once you have been holding the book for a few moments you feel it vibrate, like a cell phone but more... ominous.
Oh, I don't like that.
Vivian paused in the middle of the doorway separating the first room from the smaller cell, staring down at the book in her hands and feeling as if at any moment a name and number might light up across the front of it.
Without giving it further consideration, she opened it up.
Vivian paused in the middle of the doorway separating the first room from the smaller cell, staring down at the book in her hands and feeling as if at any moment a name and number might light up across the front of it.
Without giving it further consideration, she opened it up.
The book opens up and Dominic’s senses are assaulted with not so much Light as awareness of his surroundings. He can see an essence, a young one, with an essence that has been... changed, somehow... and an essence older than time.
He mentally projects words onto the page...
He mentally projects words onto the page...
To Vivian~~
Words appear on the page in a neat hand...
I can see you now, yes, it is good. I shall begin with an introduction, my name is Dominic, what is yours? I shall not be able to hear you, you will need to write in the book.
Words appear on the page in a neat hand...
I can see you now, yes, it is good. I shall begin with an introduction, my name is Dominic, what is yours? I shall not be able to hear you, you will need to write in the book.
Fixing Gem with a icy stare 0814 says surprisingly calmly.
“That female may be currently unconscious, but she is a vicious warrior and likely will not fight on our behalf. We should keep her contained.”
“That female may be currently unconscious, but she is a vicious warrior and likely will not fight on our behalf. We should keep her contained.”