[Video] [Locked to New Hires only] [TW for Punishment in the linked log.]

[bringinghopewithme]

Stacia, Armstrong, I need to see both of you in person. On the double. Five minutes ago. Anyone else with a real good sense of smell, you come see me too.

[On the camera, underneath his oak tree in the garden, Bunny has a little bit of that dead-eyed stare that comes from being reminded how thoroughly shackled they all are to the most banal form of evil. Mostly, this is just businesslike, direct. Calmly urgent, after his furious meltdown in the Executive wing got him nowhere good.]

Everyone else: Sam and Dan and I tracked what attacked Tenten and Setsuna into the Executive wing. I smelled it there recently before the suits caught us and kicked us out.

[There's no real reason to bring up their Punishment. It happened, it hurt, he hates that he dragged Dan and Sam into it, but they all knew it was likely to happen. And if anything they learned can help prevent any further damage to the kids, it'll have absolutely been worth it.]

I couldn't identify the species, but it's supernatural, and old. Older than me. Some variety of predator. Given we tracked it into areas we're not allowed to go, and it spent a lot of time wandering around there all leisurely, it either looks enough like a suit that they gave it a pass, or it can walk through walls. If I had money, I'd put it on walking through walls. I'm not ruling out both, though.

But don't worry. Jorgmund's bringing in - [he scoffs, and rolls his eyes hugely] dogs to finish tracking it.

I'm still racking my brains to see if any memory of what it could be falls out, but if any of that rings any bells for all you, I'm all ears.

Comments

[parannoyed]

Thank you.

[He huffs.]

Honestly, if I'm found wanting that's all the more reason people should be fine with me being the bait.

[hallelujahjunction]

Hardly. We should be talking about who's capable, not who's expendable. [Dan raises an eyebrow, but hey, could just be after-electrocution twitchiness.]

[xrater]

No one here is wanting... Except maybe Ronald.

But any of you playing bait is a bad idea. Ideally, it should be someone like myself, Data, or Phos, who can at least be repaired in the instance of someone attempting to rip whatever passes for our hearts out.

[parannoyed]

No one else should be allowed to volunteer any of you but you. I'll always defer to "more tactically sound" but I also think "willing" is the more important factor here.

[xrater]

I wasn't volunteering anyone. Simply saying that we made more sense than trying to bait it with a human.

[parannoyed]

I just mean the reason other people are suggesting themselves instead of what "makes the most sense" is because it's not right to volunteer anyone but yourself.

Besides, with all things being equal on the "are you people that deserve to be safe?" front with the rest of us, you're all infinitely more valuable to the overall well-being of the group due to the things you can do.

So I don't know if I agree with that assessment that you'd all make sense anyway.

[video]

[bringinghopewithme]

Hang on. That's why you're okay with being bait? Because you expect us to be glad you died just because you're annoying?

[he has to bite back on the "How many annoying people have you been glad to see die?" Because Wash is already sensitive over being assumed to be one kind of monstrous, but Bunny is starting to see the shape of the loneliness and the negative value of self-worth that may genuinely be making this guy suicidal.

And that won't do. No matter how annoying this guy is.]

[parannoyed]

It was a joke. A bad one. Why am I sucking so bad at this tone thing?

[Maybe it's because your life has been an isolated disaster these last few years, Wash.]

The real reasons that I'd be a good choice are my combat experience and the fact that if the worst case scenario happens, I wouldn't be leaving anyone grieving back home.

Someone volunteering when it might break the hearts of friends and a family is only a good idea if it's more tactically sound. Experience and "almost no one will miss you" is a good combination for something high risk.