[video]

[ownperson]

[ The woman on the video may look somewhat familiar; it's the shape of her face, the ice blue of her eyes, the blonde of her hair, her height. South and her brother aren't identical, of course, but the family resemblance is clearer than she'd like it to be.

(More than ever, these days; who wants to look in your own reflection and see your dead brother's features looking back at you?)

She's shoved the sleeves of her coveralls as far up her arms as she can get them, revealing a variety of tattoos up one of her muscled arms. There's hints of old purple dye in the front of her hair. Around her neck there's a puck, dangling from a chain, holding a chip of some kind.

She looks... pissed. ]

So this ████ing sucks donkey— [She blinks, then squints.] Oh for ████'s sake, I can't even ████ing swear? ████. ████. ████ing ████-████ ████████████.

[ There's a pause of a few seconds before South visibly decides to test this thing's limits. ]

████trumpet. Bull████. ████biscuit. Dip████. ████face. Jack███. Fuck██████— ha, ████ed that one up.

Ugh, whatever. My name's South. Yes, that's a ████ing codename, no, I'm not telling you my real name. Guess I'm stuck here with the rest of... whoever the hell you guys are. Which ████ing sucks.

[ Not that things didn't suck where she came from, but at least she was something resembling free and kind of in control of how much stuff sucked. Call her old fashioned, but she'd much rather ruin her own life than have someone else do it for her. ]

Comments

[Video]

[bringinghopewithme]

Guess you sure are.

[It is time for Attitude to bump up against Attitude as Bunny props his communicator up on a knot in the oak tree to keep working on growing the vetiver that Dan asked him for. The grassy plant is growing slowly under his outstretched paw, in a small plastic pot with a hanging sling made of woven, dried grass.]

I'm the Easter Bunny and that's not a codename. What's your favorite fruit, and do you need any plants grown?

Re: [Video]

[ownperson]

What the ████?

[ South didn't really know what to expect from the people here, but the Easter Bunny wouldn't have come close to even making the list. ]

The literal ████ing— yeah, y'know what, sure, I'm not even gonna ask. Today's already ████ing unbelievable so why the ████ not add the Easter Bunny to the mix? Goddamn ████in... [ She trails off into indistinct muttering. ]

[ She'll process what she's seeing... at some point. Maybe. ]

████in', strawberries I guess? [ She can't actually remember the last time she ate actual fruit and not something from a military mess or meal pack. ] Why would I need plants? And why the ████ am I answering questions coming from the Easter Bunny?

[ That last question might be more for herself. ]

[bringinghopewithme]

[Sometimes it's funny to watch adults react to him existing, and sometimes it's just an exercise in feeling disrespected up front.]

Maybe because I asked you politely, maybe because I'm growing your produce. Pick one or the other, I don't care.

[South is in luck, as he already has a well-established strawberry patch, even if it's only able to yield about two berries per resident kid and maybe a few left over for adults he likes at the end of the day. Now if only he liked South initially.]

[ownperson]

[ She actually can't argue with either of those points, though her instinct is to want to. What can she say, it's her in nature. ]

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Like to see you react all ████in' polite and ████ when faced with uh— um—

[ Whatever point she was trying to make falls apart when she realises she has no idea what an equivalent would be for the Easter Bunny on the other side of the equation. ]

Look, it's just ████in' weird. This is all so ████in' weird.

[ Failed at a comeback? Just fall back on more vague attitude! ]

video

[parannoyed]

[He has his comm set on float because he's moving very quickly through the hallways and doesn't want to fuss with it while moving. He isn't running. The injured knee doesn't hurt anymore and he doesn't need the crutches but it's still weak.]

[Still, he's moving as fast as he can, in a purposeful trot. Practically machinelike. Driven by a cold fury she can see etched into every line of his face. The lack of helmet certainly means he's...expressive right now. And he looks a little older than when she saw him last.]

[Instead of looking at the hall as he moves, for a moment he directs a sharp gaze directly at the camera, icy blue eyes carrying a threat of at least violence, if not murder. His words come out with a menacing calm, a cold disdain the Freelancers never heard in his voice before the project fell apart.]

How unfortunate for you. Being stuck in here with us.

[Yes, it is a threat. Whether she's from the moment before he killed her, or from some time before, it doesn't matter. He has a score to settle.]

[And he recognizes where she is from the background behind her.]

[bringinghopewithme]

Oh, when faced with slavery and a shock collar planted around your neck? Sure and I wouldn't know anything about that, would I, mate?

[Honestly he could stand to be a little more patient with her, given that she's new to these circumstances and he's had more time to adjust to them, but even mortal adults have had time to learn to mind their manners under stress. Usually.]

We're all in the weirdness together now. [He manages to say that a little more gently.] So what is it you're bringing to the table, besides a vocabulary?

[ownperson]

████ing Washington?!

[ To say South looks like she's seen a ghost would be the understatement of the century.

It's not possible. She *shot* him. Left him bleeding out on the ground. He should be dead, either from the blood loss or from the Meta cleaning up after itself.

But he isn't. He's right there, and oh, she does not like the look on his face or the tone of his voice. Or the fact he's moving.]

████.

[ She cuts her feed. ]

--> action

[parannoyed]

[He catches up to her. He knows the rig by now, has the layout memorized. After that nasty business with the Spirit of Murder, he made sure he knew every inch of this place, and the most logical paths to take, the ways she might retreat from a fight, or ambush a New Hire.]

[He catches up to South in one of the common rooms. Ironically it's the one near the still out-of-order elevator shaft where he'd survived multiple grenades and having the elevator dropped on his head.]

[Whatever had protected him then probably won't protect him here. It seemed like the power was triggered by extremes. But he figures he won't need it. She got him once because he dared trust someone, but when it comes down to a fight, she'd fallen off the leaderboard. And he has muscle memory that makes him much better than he used to be, even if he can't remember that his training partner is usually Carolina.]

[He comes in through the doorway and immediately raises his fists, but waits to see what she does before attacking. He's become...patient.]

You seem surprised to see me. This world sometimes pulls people from different places in time. What's the last thing you remember? You putting a bullet in my back?

[Hate. His voice is filled to the brim with hate. It's ice cold but it's still hate.]

Or me putting a bullet between your eyes?

text

[turntex]

[Because clearly what South needs right now while in this mood is to be assaulted with candy red text...]

youre better off giving up dude
thats a losing battle
no one wins in the fight against the profanity censor
i mean i guess we as the audience kinda win because we get to watch you flail futilely at an uncaring computer program but thats probably not what you wanna hear right now huh

[ownperson]

[ South shifts uncomfortably, scratching at her neck. The hostility and attitude is mostly just her being, well, her, but the circumstances certainly haven't helped smooth out her rough edges. ]

What is this, another ████in' interview? [ There's a little less bite to it, this time, a little more defensiveness. ] I can fight. M'sure that's what they ████in' want from me, anyway.

[ownperson]

[ South falls straight into a defensive posture, fists raised to match, hackles up like an animal backed into a corner that's more than prepared to fight its way out if it has to.

The tone of his voice sends an unnatural shot of cold down her spine and her stance tightens. She'd like to call bullshit on the idea of people being pulled from different times, but she's not stupid. She won't deny the evidence of her eyes, or the things she's heard and seen since they dragged her into this place.

Still, the idea of him having shot her? That makes her snort. ]

Don't give me that shit. Like you could do it.

[ The Washington she remembers couldn't. At least, she doesn't think he could. Even under direct orders he let her live and, well, that had been his mistake to make, hadn't it?

Of course, nothing much about this feels like the Washington she remembers, either. ]

[ownperson]

[ South blinks. Yeah, didn't expect the visual assault of bright red text. ]

Yeah, no, definitely ████in' not. [ She huffs. ] And like ████ I'm gonna let some stupid ████in' censor stop me.

[ She's stubborn. If she can get it to break and miss a word even once more she'll feel way more vindicated than anyone should feel over a computerised censor. ]

[turntex]

[It does slip up sometimes. Maybe she'll get lucky eventually.]

well ok then
guess the rest of us can start popping some corn then
maybe get some nachos
weve got a feature length show ahead of us and we gotta get our snack on

[parannoyed]

[His tone is even. Too even. Unnaturally so.]

There's a lot I can do now that I couldn't in the past.

[His fists tighten.]

I also learn from my mistakes.

[Trusting her was one. Trusting anybody was one.]

Delta isn't too fond of you. He pointed out that you'd probably just try to shoot me in the back again. And he told me that you left North for dead. Set him up.

I always liked him.

[He tilts his head slightly.]

I still like him now. Present tense. He's here, too. Alive. That's how I know there's time travel involved.

[He's not fighting her yet because he wants to hurt her. He wants her to know there's a familiar face that nearly mirrors her own, that she'll have to look at.]

I told him what you did.

[Even though he seriously wants to make sure she goes down and never comes up again, he'd rather see her face that.]

[ownperson]

[ South's stance falters. Her face drops from hard lines of anger to an uncharacteristic mix of shock, fear, pain.

North's... he can't be. No, she saw what the Meta did to him, she saw her brother die there on the concrete in front of her. She watched and she did nothing because to act would be to risk dying at its hands, too, and she wasn't willing to give up her life for his.

Not then. Not anymore. ]

Don't you dare lie about that.

[ The words come out as a venomous hiss. It's a protest she doesn't even believe, isn't sure if she even wants to believe. Her brother, here, alive?

Relief and shame war in her chest. ]

That green little... [ Her hand automatically goes to the puck laying against her chest, knuckles turning white as she grasps it. ] I didn't set him up. What the hell did you tell him?!

[ownperson]

[ South snorts. It's hard to tell if it's amused or dismissive. Probably a little of both. ]

Glad I can be so entertaining. [ The sarcasm is dripping. ] Fancy yourself a real ████in' comedian, huh?

[turntex]

nah youre just setting me up really well
you deserve all the applause

[parannoyed]

He said you injured him, too, and left him to die. Just like you shot me in the back and left me for the Meta.

[Wash believes it. Of course he does.]

You were right there when Delta said it. You didn't deny it.

[Guilty.]

You can come up with any story you want. North was still dead when I found him.

You weren't. And he at least remembers when he started to go down. That's the point this place pulled him from.

[ownperson]

I didn’t— [ She grits her teeth. Almost bites her tongue. ] I wouldn’t—

[ Wouldn’t she? Can she say that? Even if she didn’t, even if that isn’t what she remembers, can she honestly say she never would?

She doesn’t know the answer to that question, but it’s clear that Washington would only believe one of the two. ]

He’s my brother.

[ The words mean nothing on their own and she knows it.

He’s her brother and he’s alive. He’s her brother and Washington has told him that she set him up to die. He’s her brother and she let the Meta kill him because her own skin mattered more, because she was tired of living in his shadow.

The maelstrom of emotions twist into rage and South all but growls. ]

You little... [ The words on the tip of her tongue aren’t wise, but like everything else her sense is caught in the twister. ] I should’ve aimed for the fucking head when I shot you.

[bringinghopewithme]

Absolutely. Hope you've got your suit ironed.

[Fighting is . . . hopefully she's REAL good at it, given her diplomacy isn't wowing him yet.]

Well, that's not nothin'. Where'd you learn?

[parannoyed]

For once we can agree on something.

Too bad for you that I did.

[And then Wash attacks, running up and throwing the first punch. Even after all his injuries, even when he's still partly on the mend, he's fast.]

[Faster than he ever was on the team during Freelancer. Stronger than he ever was on the team during Freelancer.]

[He has extra years of experience all his dead former teammates didn't get to have by virtue of being...well. Dead. He's been drilled by Carolina. Practices with regularly with Carolina. Fights side by side with her, coordinated and competent.]

[And even though he can't remember parts of his memory, there are more parts to memory than chronological memory. The muscle memory is etched in there and still completely accessible.]

[Carolina had been number two on the board, right under Tex. Tex, who was something impossible and not human. Now? He's only a half step behind Carolina - a half step and no farther.]

[And he fights like it.]

voice;

[notvulcan]

You're going to have people taking that last bit wrong, you know.

[ownperson]

[ She actually snickers, a little, at that first comment. South's always rather appreciated when someone can give back as much attitude as she can give out. It's less dull. ]

The playground. [ It's a dry answer and not immediately clear if she's serious or just being snarky, until she snorts. ] Nah, learned most of it in the military. One of the best in my squad.

[ Or, she was. Until the higher ups decided otherwise.

And look at that, she even got through a response without setting off the filter. ]

[ownperson]

Shit.

[ When the hell did he get so damn fast?

The punch lands, catches her unprepared and out of stance. The force of the blow and the surprise are enough to knock her off balance, but there's nothing like the impact of a fist to spur you into action, either.

She barely ducks before he can strike again and tries to jam a kick into his chest, using the attempt to put what space she can between them. Jumps up onto the nearest piece of furniture, but only takes her eye off him long enough to spin on her heel to get momentum behind another kick aimed at his head.

Her style has always been about momentum. In a space like this, it's harder to use that to her full advantage; she has to take what she can get.

It's not going to be enough. She's lost her edge, she hasn't got those years of experience that she can see in every move Wash makes. Doesn't mean she's going to back down and just let him whale on her, not by any means, but she's quick to orient herself for defense, rather than offense. ]

[ownperson]

What, think I shoulda been more specific? The situation ████in' sucks, I'll reserve judgement on the rest of you until you ████ me off or don't.

That better?