[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

[hallelujahjunction]

[Dan gets serious again. If the situation weren't so dire, he might try and defend himself and Remy by bringing up the benefits of team-building and levity - but Guts is right. They are kind of just fucking around when the next killing could be nigh.]

Are you suggesting we try to do a bait thing without consulting the others? I can't imagine they'd take kindly.

[kingofneworleans]

Doubt dey would. An' I'd be wantin' more back up 'fore we did anyt'in' like dat.

[His own life, Remy's fully willing to gamble with. Other people's lives? He's more likely to fall on the side of caution.]

[He shuffles the deck to have something to do with his hands.]

But. I gotta admit, I ain't much of one for sittin' on my hands, neither. Feels like we're jus' waitin' on dis t'ing to come after us 'gain.

[garmr]

Don't have my sword and armor with me, so splitting up ain't gonna go well.

[He might hunt this thing down on his own if he had his gear, but alas, he does not.]

If we go with that plan, I don't want that chance to kill to be wasted. Goin' off to sniff out more information was a good start.

[he can give compliments too!]

[hallelujahjunction]

Waiting's killing me. [Dan makes a huffing sound and takes a long drag off his cigarette; he kills it and stubs it out with his foot before kicking it off the deck. Waiting for something to attack is perhaps uniquely hellish for Dan, who spent his youth waiting with a curse picking off his family one-by-one each January, never sure how it would happen this year, never sure if he was next, never sure if he didn't want to be just to spare his siblings a year. That thought's crowding his mind, and it's making it hard to be as chill as he knows he should be. He thinks he's probably shaking more from than from the earlier electrocution, but he's certainly not going to tell Remy and Guts that.] But you're both right.

[He folds his arms and leans against the railing again.]

Anyone want to come with me and see if we can get any information out of the brass? They ain't cooperative and I'm thinking I'm on thin ice with them, but maybe they'll have some sort of...record or log of all the people legally on this thing.

[kingofneworleans]

[The cards flip through Remy's hands one more time before they disappear to wherever he was keeping them to start with.]

Wouldn' min' tryin' to do somet'in'. Talkin' works jus' as well as anyt'in' else. An' if we can mebbe get somet'in' outta de brass? All de better.

[garmr]

Uh... I don't get along too well with a lot of 'em...

[Apparently, being huge and menacing doesn't get you very far with Jorgmund suits. The minor shocks barely register to him at this point.]

Sorry. They grate my nerves.

[hallelujahjunction]

Alright. Me and Remy, then. Even if I ain't any fonder of them than you are, Guts. [Dan's whole spine jerks again. He's really looking forward to when the aftereffects of the violation tasing fade out.] I don't understand what brings people to be like...that.

[kingofneworleans]

You can al'ays jus' come 'long an' watch. [Remy's smile is wide and charming, but in a friendly way, not anything more.]

[His smile turns to a concerned frown, though, turning to look at Dan with...what's probably worry or at least checking on him. It's difficult to tell without being able to see his eyes.]

Folks like dem? Dey get like dat 'cause dey don' have control over what's happenin' to dem. Dey don' have any power to change it. So dey take control over ot'ers, 'cause it's easier dan leavin' off an' takin' back deir own control.