Eureka Subway, Part 1 - RPLOG
From Flexible Survival
Participants
Date
23/7/2023
Log
(Pteryx) Pteryx tries to walk behind the group. The mutant's brightly coloured shirt contrasted just about everything about this situation, socks and sandals, on his back legs, a pair of rather worn short jeans, he looked to be about as unbattle ready as possible should things go rough. Some small drones surround him, possibly to make up for his own lack of dexterity. Plastered on his face is a growing sense of dread, as he walks along the others going in the same direction. Looking for just about anything to break the ice, he says as loudly as possible, "Uh, every heard of them mutant that lost their left arm and leg, well they're all right now!"
(Theia) Brushing tunnel dust off one rolled-up sleeve of her black leather jacket, Theia hurries down the tunnel with her head bowed, clearly keen to spend as little time as possible in the dirty tunnel. In her haste the feline accidentally nudges the wall of the tunnel on more than one occasion, much to her clear annoyance. Reaching the room she was directed to before any others, she finishes picking bits of rock out of her pale hair and awaits the arrival of three familiar mutants she recognises, one hand resting on her hip just above her holster. "Hey guys! At least I'm not stuck down here all by myself... you here for Elena's notice too?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora picks her way carefully through the mines. The dust in the air has combined with the water vapors hanging around Ysadora to form a patina of grime that coats her clothing and clumps her hair into a matted mess. Every once in a while, she stops to shake the excess off like a dog. "Um... Elena Martin, Elena Martin... Does someone actually have an office down here?" Despite her grimy state, Ysadora's voice and manner are upbeat. "It's cozy enough, but it'd be even better with some wooden walls or something." Sputtering light fills the tunnel as Ysadora raises one hand holding a candle. Another hovers limblessly behind her, loosely grabbing the handle of her scythe.
(Junes) Junes came running in nearly tripping but tails moving to readjust their weight as you see a chimeric skunk look back up with a wave "wow good to see you all! sorry i got caught up a bit" district their unusually open sweater and tights off "any prep we should take or plan?" patting their backpack
(Narwen) Elena's Office in the Mines It's dirty, it's dusty, it's noisy. The Eureka mines began life as Termite tunnels, and this office sits in a side branch of hard-packed earth. It has a mix of sturdy, industrial furniture that's been dragged down here -- filing cabinets, an ancient battleship-grey steel desk -- and a few unvarnished wooden chairs that look to have been put together on the spot. A fold-up camp bed in steel and canvas, heavily chewed up by nanites, is propped upright against a wall. There are no computers or electronics in sight; the most advanced piece of equipment is probably the stapler. The air here is cool but a little damp, and room smells of that, of paper, of rust, but mostly of its main occupant: a human female. The earth muffles the noise of the city above, but less so the constant irregular sound of pickaxes striking rock, less-frequent thumps from something heavier -- hammers? some mutant's iron-hard fists? -- and the constant chatter and cackling of the miners.
(Narwen) It was a small adventure just getting here. The entrance to the mines is easy to find -- just follow the sound of pickaxes -- but the inside is literally a warren: old Termite tunnels, dug out and then abandoned, now taken over by workers from the city. An exhausted group of miners, heading out after their shift with cash in their pockets, pointed you in the right direction to get to "the Boss's office". And here you are, shuffled into an appendix of the tunnels that barely fits even this many people plus the battered, industrial furniture. "Listen, thanks so much for coming. I'm Elena. I run the mine, day to day." She's standing with you, leaning against the desk and running a hand through short-cropped brown hair -- and it's actual hair, not fur. In fact, as far as you can tell, she's entirely human. Not so unusual out here in Eureka, but a strange sight for anyone coming from Fairhaven. She's maybe five-six and lean, boots and denim, wearing a hard-hat like all the other workers you've seen. There're bags under her eyes. "I wasn't sure anyone'd show. I can't pay you, can't offer any reward -- the mine belongs to the city, and the city doesn't give a shit as long as ore's coming out -- but if you can find Linda I'll buy you a drink or six." She breathes in and out, organising her thoughts. "Linda's from Third Shift. Doug here's the shift lead," she says, gesturing to the other new face, some kind of human-rodent mix, taller and a lot heavier, wearing orange coveralls. "The missing worker's named Linda McKee. She's a bit shorter than me, mostly human but got a bit of coyote in her. Red-brown hair, tanned. Tail. She would've been wearing coveralls -- grey, right, Doug? -- and boots plus a helmet and lamp. She's been gone a day and a half now. Everyone's supposed to take spare water with them, but if she didn't, or if she lost it, and she's stuck somewhere, she may not have a lot of time. We already searched all the active parts of the mine, plus the tunnels we've worked out. Spent a whole shift on that, and I can already hear the Council typing up angry notes about the drop in output. There's no cave-ins, no flooding, and she's not asleep in a storeroom somewhere. But," she continues, taking a breath, "there's the old tunnels, all the mess the Termites dug out and whatever that leads to. We don't go down there, because -- well, because we're not idiots, basically. I took a look at the entrance to the upper part last night, didn't see anything, but I'm not sending my guys in there and losing a whole crew. Needs someone who can actually handle themselves." She smiles wanly. "That's you, I hope."
(Pteryx) Pteryx stares with curiosity, human!? Pure human!? Though he tries to catch himself from the moment. The skunk beast tries to get up on two legs, reaching out for mayhaps a handshake... Showing off 4 arms before he crashes back to all fours... "Dag nabbit... Howdy huma... I mean Elena, thanks fer them physical description on the missin, any er, unusual behavior frum em as of late too?" Lookin 'round the place, this... did not look too safe as a working condition, but them workers seemed to know what they're doin.... "Oh right, howdy, names' Pteryx and if we find yer missin, also a human? We can fix em up in too shakes of a lambs tail! Or at least get 'em stable enough fer sendin ta a hospital..."
(Theia) The snow leopardess raises an eyebrow at that last part of Elena's explanation. "So, you won't go into those old tunnels because you're not idiots... but *we* are idiots for even considering it? How does that work, then?" Theia lets out a long sigh, before unfolding her arms, both her expression and her voice softening. "Listen. I'm sorry about your miner. We can go look for her. And as you were upfront about it, we can do it for no pay too... we just need to know what we're getting into. What's down in those tunnels that's gotten you so concerned?" After waiting for Elena's response, the feline nods thoughtfully. She turns to the rest of the group to see if they're happy, before continuing. "And while I get that you can't pay us... salvage rules apply here instead? If we find something of value down there, it's ours if we can carry it out and we get a cut if we can't? You're asking us to risk ourselves, after all!"
(Ysadora) Ysadora waves with a free hand. "Ysadora here! I wear many hats, but I work with the Embassy sometimes so that's probably the closest official business I can claim this time. Hey Theia. Pteryx. Junes. We should be able to handle this, right? What's down there in the 'old tunnels' that's a match for a buncha veterans like us?" After slapping Pteryx heartily on the back, she glances at Elena briefly but doesn't actually wait for an answer. "Do you have any other information, or uh...something Linda might have worn?" Realizing how this sounds, Ysadora raises a couple hands with palms out. "Not like, anything sexual, but maybe one of the others can get a whiff of her scent to help track her down.
(Junes) Junes nodded to ysadora before giving a quick hand raise to elena and doug "junes! and yeah i wouldn't mind going in after her but she has a point" looking to the snow leopardess and then surprised at pteryx "i thought you saw other humans around before? huh" brushing at their okami head and looking down at their currently different form, primarily skunk but waving into view are the familiar nine kitsune tails with a range of colors and utility "any natural dangers like structure and gas leaks? oh and" pulling a small compass out of their bag curiously to look "any directions or things she said before heading down?"
(Narwen) "I try to run a tight ship, but we're working with manual tools and the nanites chew everything up. It's as safe as we can make it, and we make it as safe as we can with what we got, but we're on hand-me-downs here," Elena says, starting to lean forward, then sinks back and waves a hand. "Sorry, sorry. Not your fault. The old tunnels're what the Termites dug out. They're not shored up, and-- well, I can't tell you exactly, but I'm pretty damn sure there're ferals down there. Big bugs, not sure what else. We're tough but we're not soldiers." The question about salvage seems to faze her. "The mine belongs to the city, if you pull ore out you gotta turn it in -- but I guess if you find other valuables, that's none of my business. Can't say I expect you to, though. Doug, you want to tell them about the shift?" Doug reminds you a bit of a beaver, though he's something different, without that wide, flat tail, and he's only partly infected: one arm, his legs -- which are stumpy in proportion to the rest of him and end in blunt-clawed paws, no boots -- plus part of his face and one ear sticking out from the hard hat. Maybe his general body shape too, unless he's just naturally round. "She clocked on. I saw her from time to time working the face. Don't remember seeing her towards the end of the shift, but people work different parts, or take breaks, or punch out early. Sometimes they punch in and plain forget to punch out. It happens." He looks away for a moment and sighs through his nose, making a whistling noise. "Mostly happens to her. She's been distracted recently. So it took a while to realise she was gone, then a while to check she wasn't in any of the places she's supposed to be, then a while more to send runners to make sure she wasn't just in a bar, drunk off her ass. I was sure she'd just be in someone else's bed and show up the next day like nothing'd happened. Was all set to chew her out. But she never showed." He shakes his head. "She sometimes missed a shift, but I never knew her to miss a payday." Ysadora's question comes back to him. "Should be a change of clothes in her locker. Maybe more, couldn't say."
(Pteryx) Pteryx wings puff out on Ysadora's slap, "Eek, gotta couple frayed nerves 'round these parts... Red-brown hair, tanned, coyote tail, standard grey miner's uniform..." His head shivers along with his drones, a kind of headset with a large antenna on his left ear has its emblazoned Z glow a bright green. "Ugh, it ain't nano magic doohickey stuff but them brain tech still tingles... Drones should be set ta focus on folk matchin them description!" Trying to whisper to Junes, he mentions, "They still ain't too common..."
As Elena's description of what may lie ahead of the group, Pteryx lets out a sudden loud laugh, with no joy in it, only nervousness... "B--bugs ey?" A shiver cralws through his whole system. Taking whatever he could get from the... rather haphazardly mutated beaver morph? the only thing he could really get out of was... "Distracted?" A histry of alchohol use was moot in the age of nanites, so there wasn't much he could think ado with such information. "Well sounds like itsa good think ya had a search earlier than later! More likely ta find folk that way!"
(Theia) Nodding along to Elena's words, Theia seems satisfied with the answers she received. Well, most of them. "Bugs... are not fun. But that can't be helped I guess, can it? Lets try not to waste too much time down there..." The feline turns around to Junes, in a somewhat different form to the last time they met. "Heya, Junes... how's your sense of smell in that form? Not sure if your, uh, 'changes' have made that better or worse. Might be worth a try?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora nods, then places a hand on her forehead to stop it from rolling off her shoulders. "We'll get started then, unless you've got more you think might be helpful. Which way's Linda's locker?"
(Junes) Junes shrugs "always can track in whatever form... usually anyways im used to being mixed up but yeah i can track just fine, hmm if we know what bugs are here hopefully we could defend against em better but for now those clothes should definitely help with finding her so to the lockers!"
(Narwen) "Yeah, let me take you to her locker," Doug says, leathery hand on the door, then pauses as Elena steps towards the group. "Thanks again, I really appreciate this," she says, starting to reach out her hand for a shake, though with a slightly awkward glance to Pteryx as she does so. "Just let him know if there's anything you--" All of a sudden, a rumbling starts -- you feel it as much as hear it -- and the place starts to shake. Dusty earth trickles down from the ceiling. It's not violent, but it's not stopping.
(Pteryx) In a panic, Pteryx opts to duck and cover! Throwing himself under a steel desk, his drones following him. "Uh, is that one of em quakes!?"
(Theia) Instinctively dropping into a half-crouch the moment the earth started the shake, Theia raises an arm to shield her head from the shower of dust from above - and thankfully nothing more than just dust, for now. "What in the heck is that?!" she shouts Elena's way. "Is this your guys' doing?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora quickly slaps her hands to her body, one pair to her head, one pair holding her feet, and the others clustered around her torso. Trying gamely to keep herself together without falling over, she shouts over the noise: "Is this normal?!"
(Junes) Junes looked up with a tail shielding their eyes of dust "we better move on fast, that doesn't sound good so once this is open we should head down there fast before things get worse..."
(Narwen) Elena's under the heavy desk, squeezed in next to Pteryx. Doug's standing in the doorway, more or less blocking it. You see them exchange a look at the rumbling continues -- but this is not The Big One, and nothing collapses or even falls. As it goes on, you realise there's a pattern to it -- it's not continuous but more like thumpety-thump, repeated again and again. The sound of pickaxes from the rest of the mine has stopped, replaced by surprised yells. After perhaps ten seconds the noise starts to die down, then fades to nothing. "Everyone all right?" Elena asks. More or less simultaneously, Doug has ducked out of the office and yells out into the mine: "Everyone all right?" "That wasn't us," says Elena. "At least, I hope to God not. Never heard anything like it, and it sure as hell wasn't normal."
(Pteryx) With nothing colapsing, Pteryx takes a curious peak out of the desk... Hearing them 'quake' has a pattern, "Huh, kinda sounds like a big machine? Ain't nothin natural from them kinds of sounds., or ain't nothin I can think of"
(Theia) Still visibly on edge, Theia stands back up straight and unclenches her fists. "I have no idea what that was either, but that can't be good... you think it's a coincidence that your miner vanishes mid-shift, and then a day or so later this happens?" She turns to Doug, or where he was standing anyway. "We should go see if the other miners are okay, once we're done here at least..."
(Ysadora) Ysadora frowns, her normally cheerful eyes now creased with worry. "I'm with Theia. If there wasn't a cave-in before, that could have changed now. We'd better hurry and check things out." She blinks, momentarily nonplussed. "You know, I'd say that sounded a lot like a train. A subway line or something. But that can't be right; Eureka doesn't have a subway or we'd have heard about it by now, right?" Ysadora swivels to Elena and Doug, looking to them for confirmation.
(Junes) Junes nodded to ysadora "totally sounds like a train but who knows maybe its another piece of...well unearthed it seems history that was hidden away, i wonder how far it goes but anyways we definitely need to go down, get her out and then see if we can find that crazy train and get them to stop so you all can reinforce the place before it gets more unstable, got a key for the locker?"
(Narwen) "It'd be a pretty damned big coincidence," Elena says, pushing her way to the door. "I've gotta see to my guys, find out what the hell happened, make sure everyone's okay. Doug, you get these people what they need, okay?" Doug looks at you, shrugs, and starts leading you to the locker room. "Hell of a day. Does sound a bit like a subway, don't it? But we don't have one here in Eureka, long as I been here." You arrive in the locker room. Doug taps at Linda's with a blunt claw. It has a big 'DON'T MESS WITH MY STUFF' sign taped on it, and there's a padlock. "Don't got the key, though. Locker's personal. Could get some tools?"
(Theia) Looking somewhat confused as they all head into the locker room, Theia turns to Ysa and Junes in turn and asks "'Trains'? What's that? Is that something from the Old World? The same as a 'subway'?"
(Junes) Junes quickly went into their bag and pulled a small case out, opening and bringing a few careful tools out, one tool being stuck into the tip of a tail while two others in the other hands, left hand tilting a tool deeper and up slowly, right hand ready to tilt the tumblr and tail slowly going forward as their left hand does most of the legwork as the tail goes further and finally a click, their right hand turning as the lock opens!
(Pteryx) As curious and worried as Pteryx would be on the status of them other folk 'round from them disturbances, he had an assigned job already, look fer them Linda folk. Seein them locker they had though, well he sure had no idea what ta do with it locked. Being just as confused as Theia, he'd also find himself asking aloud... "Ain't heard of them stuff either. Pre PDay artifacts I reckon?" Hearing a click, looks like Junes already solved them locker business.
(Ysadora) Ysadora searches for the words. "A train's a mode of transport from before P-Day, yeah. They're so useful, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody reinvented or repaired one, though. It's just a big engine that runs on tracks, fast and direct and can carry a lot of stuff, but more limited than a car. A subway's basically the same thing but underground." Ysadora leans forward as she speaks, craning for a look inside the newly-cracked locker. "...I wonder what kind of stuff she's got in here she doesn't want touched, eh?"
(Narwen) The padlock is a pretty cheap one, and the main thing that makes picking it tricky is just how much the nanites have chewed it up inside. But Junes manages to pop it open after a minute or two of work, and the contents of the locker are revealed. One set of casual clothes -- way more suitable to a club than a mine -- that are relatively clean, and another stuffed at the bottom. A bottle or two, half-full, looks like liquor. A battered purse holding keys, wallet, and other personal items. There are a few faded photos taped to the side, mostly showing people -- including mutants -- celebrating, and one with a naked foxboy raising his eyebrow to the camera.
(Pteryx) "Welp, sure hope them Linda don't get too angry at this... if they're still alive or conscious." Having a gander at the locker, he doesn't take too much interest in them stuff, 'cept fer them naked foxboy photo. With a lecherous grin, he wolfwhistles, "Guess them Linda's got good taste!"
(Theia) Nodding at Ysa's explanation, Theia finishes dusting herself off from the earlier 'quake'. "That makes sense - I think I've seen those metal tracks above ground in various places, always wondered what they were for..." The feline indicates at the more ruffled set of clothes at the bottom of the locker. "Junes, those look worn, they should have Linda's scent on them - these work for you? I don't have the nose for this sorta thing, I'm afraid."
(Ysadora) Ysadora pokes around the locker with one of her hands, raising up the club clothes for a critical eye. "Her fashion sense wasn't terrible, I suppose." Folding it up, she hands one of the pieces to Junes before grabbing another. "Awful color coordination, though." Although she speaks with confidence, Ysadora isn't exactly showing the peak of fashion in her simplistic black-and-white outfit either.
(Junes) Junes swiped their face with a tail and put the tools away, seeing the clothes they grabbed the purse and took a whiff "yeah this should help, the clothes maybe too but this might have a photo in here and well, purse is used more I think so stronger smell?" putting it on their shoulder "id be more excited on the train but is anybody else missing or just linda?" looking up to sniff the air seeing if a trace of her is here "and should we have a plan before we go down there or with these quakes should we just head in and plan as we go"
(Narwen) Junes grabs the purse and clothes. Purse first: there are some interesting smells there, but they're mostly drowned out by leather, and it's difficult to get a lock on the owner good enough for tracking. Still, there's something off, something chemical... there! A little plastic baggie, mostly empty, but with a few traces of dust or powder at the bottom. Being wiser than to sniff _that_, Junes turns her wolf-like to the worn clothes and gives them a good ol' snoof. Yep, they smell mostly like a female mutant, human and coyote blended together. Junes files that information away. A few other scents hang in there, but they're faded and weak in comparison, probably just people Linda hung out with.
(Narwen) Just then, the rumbling starts up again, just the same as before: rhythmic thudding that shakes the mine gently. It's definitely coming from somewhere down below. The mine goes quiet again, then voices start up. It's bare seconds before Elena, now wearing a high-vis jacket, runs through the locker room. "This is too much. I've got to get this place evacuated," she says as the rumbles die down. "It may be connected to Linda going missing, but I've got fifty other guys to keep safe. Doug, can you..." she begins; he nods to her and answers: "On it." Elena turns back to you. "I can't ask you to risk it -- but I won't tell you not to. Either way, good luck." And with that she's moving on, yelling at people to head to the exit. Doug looks at you. "Can take you to the old tunnels, but then gotta get out m'self. Got kids need me."
(Pteryx) Lookin 'round shifttily, Pteryx has one of his drones get near the foxboy photo. Emiting a quick flash of light before going back to circling the gremlin sized skunk beast, currently just whistling to himself, trying ta look busy. With the rumblin and shakin back, and no steel desk ta hide under, Pteryx can only find his nerves fraying. "Uh, what should we do!?" He yelps in panic!
(Theia) When the shaking started up again, Theia was simply shaking her head at Pteryx's drone's 'sneaky' photo-job, the slight grin playing at the corners of her mouth making it clear she felt more bemusement that anything else. As before she instinctively drops half a foot down as the quake hits, knees bent, eyes and ears alert for any sign of danger. It takes a few seconds for her to recognise the symptoms of the quake and acknowledge that she's not under attack, removing her hand from the gun at her belt and instead trying to shield herself from the dirt falling from the ceiling, for as long as it takes for the rumbling to cease.
The feline simply nods at Elena's retreating back as she leaves; she couldn't exactly argue with her there, getting the workers safe had to come first. She turns back to the rest of the group before asking, "Do you want to head down there? We might get trapped down there. All it would take is one tunnel to collapse and our way back to the surface would be cut off. I've got a backup plan", she notes, bringing out a small vial of semi-clear silvery liquid from a pouch at her belt, "but it would only really work for myself... if you want to leave with the miners, I wouldn't blame you."
(Ysadora) Ysadora stashes one of the smaller items of clothing from the locker just in case. Then, she turns to Theia. "Of course I want to go down there. What's the worst that's gonna happen? Buried alive? Too late for that!" The ghost smirks. "I guess I wouldn't begrudge anybody who wants to duck out, but we've all got our own ways of dealing with the unexpected, I'd reckon."
(Junes) Junes smiled to ysadora "you sure do love your dirt naps, anyways im in too but how about you pteryx, staying or going but no hard feelings either way" looking to Elena with a nod "just point us to the way and ill get us the rest of the way by scent hopefully" they were glad ysadora held onto the clothes and took a baseball bat out just in case
(Pteryx) Never having been one to make big decisions, Pteryx goes along with the general group concensus. "Down it is!"
(Narwen) Doug leads you down through tunnels lit by rickety strings of bulbs and, very occasionally, some kind of glowing nanite sphere, paws slapping down as he picks his way between abandoned pickaxes and sacks of raw ore. The path winds this way and that, but mostly down, and the tunnels change from packed earth to chipped rock to oddly rounded, almost organic-looking shapes. Junes walks up front with him, sniffing at the air. At first it's a complete jumble of scents, all the miners mixed together, throwing off sweat and fear and lust. But as you get further in, Junes picks out a trace of the same scent from the locker, faint at first but coming clearer as there are fewer and fewer competing scents until that's the only recent one in the tunnel. Linda did come through here. "Gotta turn back now," Doug mutters, coming to a halt. After the yelling a few minutes back, it's strange to hear him speaking softly, not much louder than the occasional drops of water that splash down from the ceiling. Still, he hesitates. "You got everything you need?"
(Pteryx) Lookin 'round, them place was dreary... Pteryx dpuble checks all his drones... no actual quakes so far, just shakes, so none damaged... Still feelin them antenna on his ear and a first aid kid strapped to his side, seems like he's still got everything he'd need. S...so, Ysadora, you know these kindsa places right, real spooky down here..."
(Theia) With a kindly pat on the shoulder, Theia lets Doug return to the surface. "We're all good, thank you - stay safe, and we'll see you topside." Her voice is confident, but she does unclip the cover on her holster just the same, just in case things don't go to plan further down the tunnel. As the mutant vanishes back up the tunnel, she turns back to the group and tries to defrost the tension slightly. "At least it's not as dusty down here, right?" With that, she heads further down the tunnel to hopefully find the source of the ground shakes.
(Ysadora) Ysadora pats Pteryx comfortingly on the shoulder. "Sure! I love being underground. It's just so cozy. Although...I don't know this place, as such." She keeps her voice low, mimicking Doug's whisper as she follows along just behind Theia. Her eyes shimmer with a dull blue in the darkness. "There could be any sort of thing down here. Have you heard the old saying, 'dug too deep and too greedily'? Mines always seem to end up finding stuff that was supposed to remain buried." After a moment, Ysadora seems to realize this might not exactly be comforting to Pteryx. "But look on the bright side! There's a subway or something down here, and that means people, which means civilization, and I'm sure it'll all be safe and fine."
(Junes) Junes went into their bag and took a flashlight out, flipping it on and shining it forward and said to doug "stay safe, hopefully nobody else is down here but we'll find out" turning back and holding the bat in their left hand while looking at their tail briefly wondering before shaking it and looking forward with the light in the right while quietly speaking "yeah best to keep it lower if we go deeper, hmm and if we find a way to the train should we investigate there after getting kinda out?" sniffing for traces of her as they continue forward
(Narwen) The tunnel suddenly seems awfully quiet and dark after Doug heads back, but you keep going. It twists and turns repeatedly -- it's hard to imagine why people would make it this way, but all to easy to picture some giant worm or serpent eating its way through the earth. The flashlights pick out spots in the tunnel, and Ysadora's lonely candle sheds light in a tiny sphere, enough to light you up but not much beyond. For Ysadora and Theia that's enough to see the tunnel clearly, though for Junes and poor Pteryx there is a lot more dark than light. The path forks a couple of time, but with some careful sniffing, Junes is able to pick out Linda's scent and keep following it. The next section opens up into a larger cavern, scattered with stalagmites, and you can hear a trickle of water running through it somewhere.
(Pteryx) The skunk beast not really being one to lead, Pteryx just tries to nab one of Junes' tails to hold on, they seem to have some sense of direction with them scent they look ta be sniffin 'round! He has his drones float over and ahead, to try lighting some spots in case of... whatever could happen down here. All the light from the drones may draw some unwanted attention if any though.
(Theia) "Now this was not dug out by termites..." Theia wonders, more to herself than anyone in particular, as she tries - and fails - to make out the far sides of the cavern with her keen eyes. Her pointed ears twitch and pivot off towards a point in the far darkness, and she becomes very still for a few moments, clearly focusing on something. "There's running water over... over there! A stream maybe? It's more than a trickle, at least." she exclaims, a pale-furred digit indicating a point deep in the cavern and beyond her eyesight. "How do we want to do this? I dunno about you guys, but I do *not* want to get lost in this cave..."
(Ysadora) Ysadora lifts her head to blow out the candle, instead relying on her darkvision to paint the cave out in monochrome. With the light snuffed, she nanomagically fades away until all that remains is a ghostly silhouette against the darkness of the cave. "I'm still with you," Ysadora whispers. "If there IS anything nasty down here, I'd rather get the drop on it." Sha pauses before answering Theia, "I've got a pretty good sense of direction, but that might not be so reliable in a windy place like this. Hey Junes, didn't I see you with a compass earlier?"
(Junes) Junes looked back and shone the flashlight over looking for the water as they try to listen for the source and brings the compass out once again, handing it out and waiting for a phantom to grasp it before shining a light and finally the water is seen but realizing something "hey theia you could see the water in this darkness...mind if i do something?" asking while still holding the compass out "and hmm should i leave something for us as a crumb trail actually?"
(Narwen) As well as the sound of water, Theia's sensitive ears pick out the sound of regular -- and deep -- breathing. There's something in this room, and it's probably sleeping. Or, at least, it was... she hears a whuffled intake of breath and a rattling noise. Then, something scrapes against the ground. It's not moving yet, but whatever it is is no longer asleep. Drifting up above, like a-- well, like a ghost, Ysadora looks down, eerie eyes seeing through the darkness. There's definitely something there, something big and insect-like, with a plated hide, but too many legs, plus weird tentacles wobbling out in front of its face. It's maybe the size of a family car. There're some droppings and the occasional shed plate but you don't spot anything else, and in particular no trace of a coyote woman.
(Narwen) Junes can still scent Linda's trace, hanging faintly in the air.
(Theia) As the group discusses next steps, Theia's large ears pivot towards something new. She throws out a hand palm-first to get everyone's attention, then holds her other finger to her lips to motion for silence. The feline is motionless for a few long moments, not even daring to breath. Then, as silently as she can manage, she gestures for herself, Junes and Pteryx to stay here and stay quiet, and then gestures for Ysadora to... jump? Fly? Hand gestures are not her strong point. To do *something* in a very specific direction she indicates to the ghost girl.
(Ysadora) Ysadora stops with a strangled gasp of air as she spots the creature in the darkness. She casts around to the group, then phases back into sight to raise a pair of hands and wiggle her fingers. Another pair of hands float up to her temples, where they extend a single finger and sway around. Pointing at the monster, she simultaneously cocks her head at Theia's motions. Hesitantly, she hops once in place. There's no sound, but the amount of distance beneath Ysadora's feet stays static, as though she's standing on an invisible ground just a few inches above where it is for everyone else. She shrugs.
(Pteryx) Confused at Theia's hand gestures, Pteryx, most likely fruitlessly, signs what are you saying!? in ASL, though judging by the gestures the mutant made they may not have known it... He's confused enough to just keep quiet thoughm unknowingly following Theia's attempted message. Spooked by Ysadora popping seemingly out of nowhere... he should probably be use to that by now, but with how they were gesturing... Pteryx dims all the drone lights, and commands a single one of them to go as far towards the direction Ysadora was pointing, as opposite from them as possible. The small Z on their antennae glow dimly... as the drone suddenly flashes a light as bright as it can, mayhaps as a distraction, a lure?
(Junes) Junes thought about something and wished they had telepathy right about now but...! bringing a tail into view and getting a scrap of paper they carefully wrote ( group up to plan and i can try something with theia? ) handing the paper to ysadora and getting another few bits of paper letting anybody use their tails to write if needed and pointed the flashlight up so the light would be against the ceiling without a risk of shining it onto whatever was around
(Narwen) The creature reacts slowly -- maybe just waking up, maybe having trouble making out the sounds now that they've suddenly gone quiet. Theia, and anyone else straining to hear, can make out shuffling noises above the splash of water as it walks in a slow circle. Then-- a blaze of light from one drone! The creature makes a weird, trumpeting hiss and scuttles towards it. Junes still has Linda's trail.
(Narwen) The creature quails for a moment as the drone emits a burst of sound and colour, but that drone is just too interesting to it. It's headed right for it, clearly about to pounce on it. It doesn't seem to be paying attention to the rest of the group right now.
(Pteryx) With whatever that thing is being distracted so far, Pteryx looks to anyone else for ideas!? Trying to keep to a whisper, "Uh, Junes? Ya know anythin 'bout trappin critters, or er, Theia, ya got a gun right? Ysadora's got them spooky powers?"
(Theia) Seeing the creature follow the drone - and thus straight to them! - Theia grabs Junes and Pteryx by the arm and drags them perpendicular to the direction the creature is travelling in, keeping low and out of sight. Once the creature has passed, she motions for them both to bring their heads together and in a quiet whisper responds to Pteryx's question. "I've got my gun... I'll fight this thing if I have to. Or. We could just keep going, and hope it doesn't follow us to the far side. What do you think?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora pauses for just a moment at Pteryx's question. "What makes you think we're gonna fight this thing? It's like, a Rust Monster or something! Nasty business, eat your gear as soon as look at you. No, I say we keep going. If it follows us, we'll be just as well off finding a place to hide as we would be risking a fight here." She ducks down next to Theia, keeping a low profile and turning her head all the way around to catch glimpses of the monster.
(Junes) Junes nodded "yeah it is dangerous but we do need a plan later when we get linda out of here, speaking of" smelling and looking for the next spot to go mentioned "and theia mind if i borrow something? you won't lose anything but figured to ask" pointing where the scent seems closer to and heading there
(Narwen) The creature jumps at the drone, and suddenly the bright light winks out, leaving the room almost totally dark, with just Junes's flashlight and the very dim glow of a few drones. Pteryx's sensors report that the drone has gone entirely. There are some contented sounds coming from back that way. Meanwhile, the group hustles across the cavern, keeping low, and follows the scent trail out into another tunnel.
(Junes) Junes shone their light forward as you hear the occasional sniff leading further away from the creature, keeping a pace that was faster but not straining "since we need to go back i have an idea to deal with that thing, ysa you can go over while theia is around to get" looking to pteryx "your webs and a drone for more distraction or maybe me and then when it trips or gets stuck maybe i can shock it or hmm...i can add some features to the web or use my own wire and some things to raise our odds.. some water and...oh! ysadora or theia mind if i grab something too, it won't be long but curious about your eyes since your eyes since you can both see so well"
(Pteryx) "Welp, guess even child proof has its limit, dag nabbit that one had that foxboy photo.... photo." Walking behind Junes following them scent, Pteryx listens in, "Would need an anchor point ta stick on to trip anything, or just make the stuff as sticky as possible and shove it on the ground."
(Theia) Theia raises an eyebrow at Junes' request... before realising the skunk probably couldn't see the gesture. "Sure, just be quick about it, yeah? We don't know how long that thing will be gone. Lets keep moving if we can. We can always set traps on the way back - if we have to come this way, that is?" The feline gestures towards the direction they should be heading in, towards a particularly large and odd-looking stalagmite. "I want more distance between us and that thing - I'll meet you by that wonky one over there. Then we can keep on moving."
(Ysadora) Ysadora furrows her brow as she scurries along after Junes. "What is it you want to borrow? Are you talking about like, sharing senses or something? If so, I don't mind." She flinches at a particularly loud crunch from behind them. "I think that thing's sated for now, though. Like I said, Rust Monster, they eat metal, not people. At least, that's what it seems like. It's definitely not natural, I can tell you that. A mutant or...something else."
(Narwen) The bone-rattling thumpety-thump, thumpety-thump comes again. It's louder this time, shaking the whole tunnel, and you can hear a high-pitched whistling squeal along with it -- and it's definitely coming from up ahead, further down this tunnel. As you round the next corner, your eyes catch a glimmer of yellowish light, just a reflection from the water that glistens down the wall, but after moving through near-total darkness it's impossible to miss.
(Pteryx) Seeing some sort of light ahead, it was a beacon compared to all the darkness. Still a ways away, Pteryx would just follow the pace of the rest of the group, not really lookin to end up vulnerable if he rushed forward alone.
(Theia) Drawing her gun from the holster at her hip, Theia goes still in mid-stride as the shaking starts up again, visibly tensing as a new squealing sound follows the rumbles. She turns to Junes and Pteryx and gestures towards where she sees the glimmer of light, not sure if their eyes can pick up that glow. In a low whisper, she warns "There's another creature down the tunnel. Still some way away. Lets keep it quiet, and hope it wanders off..."
Theia sticks close to Junes as they all head down the tunnel; periodically checking to see if the skunk was still following Linda's scent, and growing increasingly wary as they grew closer to the strange light.
(Ysadora) Ysadora visibly relaxes as a smile forms on her face. "Now that's a familiar sight! It's gotta be the lights of a subway tunnel. Who knew there was something like this down here? That is...unless I'm totally off the mark, but I don't think I am." Activating her vanishing nanomagic once again, Ysadora fades from sight but continues to speak at an elevated volume over the rumbling. "That begs the question of who's riding it, or operating it at least, and why? What are they moving? People? Monsters? I can't wait to see." She edges forward eagerly, but not so far as to steal the lead from Junes.
(Junes) Junes continues along and saw the light but answered "sure looks like it, and as for the thing i need well" looking back at ysadora's eyes with a certain look to it "i should be able to get...a...hmm that's weird" looking to theia's eyes though you could see junes looking intently and soon enough something in them seemed to change "oh! there we are, okay so pteryx wanna hold the light or should the drones be enough?" in junes eyes you noticed a sort of reflective property to those brown eyes, like a cat would have "but yeah im guessing she found this spot too huh... I wonder but should we try and see if there's another way out from this subway so we can avoid a collapse or...oh right!" slowly you saw one of their tails get wetter as it lightly pokes the ground with what looks like ink "i nearly forgot about our breadcrumb trail but the way back should be fine enough" continuing to walk as their tail drags paint behind in a trail only occasionally pausing feeling some things that are surprising or unusual
(Narwen) The off-white light gets brighter as you approach, and you hear sounds of... people, voices, movement. Whatever is up ahead sounds bustling. Scents grow stronger, too: Linda's trail moving that way, but drifting down from there a tangle of other scents: humans, machinery, oil, stale air. Then the rattling, squealing noise comes again -- Ysadora and Junes definitely recognise it as a subway train -- and noise and movement picks up. The warbling, distorted voice of a tannoy comes through, something about doors about to close? You move forwards. The slick, rock-walled tunnel opens up to -- yes, a tunnel, concrete-walled and artificial, with a subway train actually rolling past in front of you, deafeningly loud. The lights of the platform, reflecting off white tiles, are just ten or twenty feet away, and a few feet up. Seems like a crowd of people has just exited the area.
(Pteryx) Pteryx looks to Junes and just nabs the flashlight from em, though that won't be needed soon enough. As the group closed in on the area Pteryx would see something completely unfamiliar, yet somehow innately disturbing to him, "Are those... cars" His last word drips with venomous animosity.
(Theia) Keeping an eye on the light as it grew ever closer, Theia follows the group out into the new part of the tunnel, suppressingly a flinch as the shaking and squealing started up once more. "Surely this couldn't have been dug out, not something this smooth..." she wonders, mostly to herself. This time however the noises were getting closer, and fast! Eyes flicker from point to point, trying to spot the source of this, when suddenly she sees it - the light racing towards her, impossibly fast. How can any creature run that fast! She drops to one knee and aims her handgun at the approaching... thing, closing one eye to preserve her vision against the ever-brighter light, and just takes time to spot the metal-grey face of their attacker behind the source of the light...
Her gun knocked to one side, Theia throws herself back against the wall of tunnel, dragging Junes to safety with her as the creature bears down on them both... and ignores them all, hurtling past them and down the tunnel. It was as if they didn't exist to the creature; no acknowledgement of their existence at all. The feline stares at the body of the snake/worm as it passes, stunned at the myriad bright lights projected from its side... from inside it? Was this creature hollow? As it passed and disappeared off into the distance, she sat there on the floor stunned for several long moments. "What... what was that? And how did you know we weren't in danger?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora sees Theia lining up the shot and acts fast. A distortion runs through the air as one nearly-invisible hand whips out, palm open, more focused on speed than finesse. Ysadora manages to slap the gun to the side just in time to flatten herself against the wall as the train barrels by. The sheer force of the passing giant blows her hair into an even wilder mess than usual. "Yikes! That was too close. That's a subway train, Theia. Just a vehicle, and it runs on these tracks, see?" Stepping out from the tunnel, Ysadora hops on (or a few inches above) the tracks in the train's wake. "As long as you aren't standing on these, it won't harm you. And there are people riding it, so be careful." With that, she starts making her way down the tunnel toward the platform. "It'll be safer once we get out from here and up where people are supposed to stand. Who -are- those people, anyway?" Ysadora cranes her head to get a look at the figures vanishing from the station above. In doing so, she nearly slips, three hands whipping out to catch herself on the wall. "Oh! And watch out for that." A fourth hand points at the big rail in the center of the tracks. "It's electrified, all the time. Never, never touch it."
(Junes) Junes watches the train with a sense of nostalgia and is quite literally pulled out of it, by theia "woa-" on the ground and a tail hanging over them "yeah sorry, these are safe and that goes for you too pteryx their fine in fact i could help with that electricity issue if we need to but i wouldn't be able to keep up my painting ability" wiping their eyes as they adjust a bit to the feeling "and its been so long since ive used this, feels weird on my eyes" pointing up to the platform "alright people lets get to safety where we wont be trampled or electrified" one tail still on the ground as they stood before a few other tails were held out front offering to hold as they made their way and attempted to climb up "but yeah who's running this place?"
(Narwen) The station is brightly lit, and as one by one you make your way up onto the platform itself -- grey concrete floor, with a white line running along the very lip -- a fresh wave of people is starting to come down from the stairs. They look both familiar and very strange: they are all apparently human, and dressed in clean clothes that, in most cases, look new or at least whole. Very few show signs of nanite degradation, with a few wearing jeans that are just chewed away at the knee. Several are in suits, worn only by the most senior of Zephyr staff. These people (obviously, Theia and Pteryx might conclude, very important) seem quite busy and distracted, occasionally exchanging words but mostly just queueing up on the platform and staring off into space.
(Pteryx) Having spent just about too much time near these 'trains' overly long cars, Pteryx opens up his wings and lauches himself off the tracks, right on to the station in a quick burst. Lookin 'round, sure are a lot of folks round here... a lot of, humans? It was quiet an odd sight to Pteryx, just gawking at the view, before he notices some rather well dressed folk... Like a button flipping, Pteryx's tries to fix himself up, his posture stiffens, and he tries to look as presentable as possible.
(Theia) Taking a couple of skipped steps as a run-up, Theia launches herself upwards towards the platform rim. She doesn't quite make it all the way, but comfortably grabs hold on the edge with her hands and brings herself up and onto her feet rather elegantly. Dusting herself off, she finally takes a proper look at the other inhabitants of the platform - a whole motley collection of people, all human, all apparently in normal clothing, unable to spot a single weapon. She can't help but stare, having to tear her gaze away to ensure her companions all make it up without problem.
(Ysadora) Ysadora walks up to the platform's edge, but finds her small size a hindrance in this case. She opts to climb the ladder, which presents its own challenges, but after getting a foot and a hand stuck twice, connecting nanotubules wrapped around the rungs, she manages to make it up. Surveying the apparent humans filling the place, she quickly brushes the hair out of her eyes and tucks her extra hands in the sleeves of her robe. With the hem of the same covering up her lack of legs, she almost passes for a pale, short, disheveled human. Almost. With a genial smile, Ysadora approaches the nearest traveler and greets them. "Excuse me! I think I got off at the wrong stop. Uh, where is this train headed, again?"
(Junes) Junes looked and gave a heavy sigh "ysa...i think you know whats happening here cause well its happened before, hmm everyone see the guy in that suit?" waiting for everybody to look before flicking counter nanomagic on for a few seconds to see the results and then stopping it
(Narwen) The people here seem completely unphased by your presence -- in fact, they don't seem to be paying attention to you at all, barely noticing the leopard woman, the pair of skunks, or the ghost, other than to step a little out of the way if you get in their personal space. When Ysadora approaches one -- a man in a suit, wearing a beige trenchcoat on top -- he takes a moment to react and then gestures up at a LED panel, which specifies that the next train is for EUREKA in 1 minute, then the next is for EUREKA in 4 minutes. "Eureka," he mutters, then immediately looks down at his wrist and off in the direction of the other tunnel, where the hint of lights is starting to appear. Then, Junes fires off her nanomagic at him and he collapses, screaming in agony. Every single person in the station turns to look, shocked, some gasping or clutching themselves. When Junes shuts the nanomagic off a few seconds later, he does not get up.
(Pteryx) Pteryx's ears twitch at the sound of agony, and he finds himself drawn to it like a magnet. "Junes... what did ya do?" Pteryx aims for the wrist to check for a pulse and... nothing? To the neck... nothing either, not even breath. Lookin over the feller, they already seem ta have rushed into a... meltin stage? Were them nanites eatin the body up already? And them clothes too? "Well, I ain't wastin ma breath, that feller's deadzo donezo! Though..." Pteryx looks to the body in apt curiosity, his claws seem ta itch, he doesn't even notice that he let his own intrusive thoughts out in the open, "I ain't seen somethin like that 'fore, if I had sum tools or a scalpel I could see them whole system degrade insdie and out..."
(Theia) Seeing Junes focus for a moment the way she'd seen them do many times before when demonstrating nanomagic, Theia flinches as the crowd start suffering in various ways. Rounding on the skunk, Theia demands "What did you do?! Junes, what's going on?" Her hand instinctively goes to the gun at her belt, but she releases it a few moments later. Something bad just happened, but it's not something she could fight or trick... so she was out of ideas.
(Ysadora) Ysadora flinches back as the man collapses in front of her. She twists from side to side, checking to ensure the other passengers aren't reacting with hostility, then blinks a few times. "Dead and...melting? He said this train was going to Eureka, too, but this is...Eureka Station. Something really weird is happening, and I don't think it's the same thing we ran into with the bunker, Junes."
(Junes) Junes saw this and their eyes widened before rushing over, horrified if this is some nanite reliant...melting thing? or genuinely murder "this wasn't supposed to happened! i made him exist outside of the bubble!" bringing their hands together and above the goo to let out the effect hoping it was enough to bring it back "i thought it was the-yeah! either way this effect stops nanites from doing their thing so people normally are fine but illusions...dont exist so why, why goo?" you could see and hear the immediate panic in junes rising
(Narwen) As the train pulls into the station, a few things happen at once. The crowd, which was panicked and on the verge of a stampede, seems to calm down and focus on the train, watching it attentively and paying less, and less, then no attention to the fallen commuter. Pteryx is checking on him, and Junes rushes over to attempt to revive him. As Junes arrives, the body is already starting to liquify, and though they follow the right procedure, putting their all into using the nanomagic, it doesn't seem to take -- it's almost like there was no life there to save. One set of humans gets off, the others board, and the body dissolves into goo. The pre-recorded announcement chimes, informing everyone that the doors are about to close.
(Pteryx) Pteryx snickers in amusement, "Huh, that was one of the easier cleanups!" Just about to guffaw, he... noticed Junes distress, "Uh, hey, Junes, it's alright! Folk die all the time! Just how things work." With a deep sigh, he... tries, to comfort Junes somewhat, "I was like ya first death too! But ya can't save everyone, and... if ya crash like that mid crisis, ya end up getting less chances ta help folk." Pteryx does find it odd still how quickly the body disposed of itself, but dead was dead, and Junes was someone he'd consider a friend, so as far as he knew his priorities were in the right order.
(Theia) Theia looks on in horror as the man's body collapses into... goo? "I don't... I don't understand... why did he... why don't they...", the feline's voice trailing off into wordless gibberish as the inconsistent sights overwhelm her mind. "Was that guy even real? Junes, if all you did was turn off his nanites... things could have gone wrong, sure, but not *this* wrong surely? I don't understand what's going on, but I don't think this is your fault. Something bigger and stranger is happening."
(Ysadora) Ysadora looks between the fallen man, Pteryx, Junes, Theia, and the train. Then, acting on impulse, she dives for the car in an attempt to squeeze in before the doors close. "Come on! We won't learn anything standing around with these melty commuters! Let's find out just where this dang train goes!"
(Junes) Junes hands were in the goo as it dissolved as they replied not looking anywhere but down "it wasn't my-" breathing slowly but listening to the others replying to pteryx first "yeah...i know and" glancing to theia "i knew it wasn't real but... yeah that wasn't expected, or the people..." heading to the car but briefly looking where the pile was and at their hand with a sigh heading into the car looking a bit distant
(Narwen) The humans who've just got off the train all hustle up the stairs in a clatter, and almost before the train has left the station they are all hurrying away and out of sight. The goo that was a person thins out, evaporating. You rush onto the train, squeezing in past the doors just before they close. On board, everyone is sitting or standing staring into nothing again, very pointedly not making eye contact. The whole experience is very similar to the platform... ... except that Theia spots something that doesn't fit the pattern. A couple cars away, there's someone sprawled out along one set of benches, not looking as neat.
(Theia) Seeing Ysa make a dash for the opening in the side of the metal snake - subway train, apparently - Theia hesistates, almost for too long as she's torn between fear of this unknown creature/machine and of being left on the platform with the liquid remains of the man. She pounces forward and into the car *just* as the doors start to close.
Theia paces around in a little circle, eyes wide as she takes in the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the inside of the subway car, all bright lights, metallic surfaces and mechanical squeals. Still on edge, she takes in every inch of the car around her, every passenger, every surface, looking for any sign of a threat - in complete contrast to the sedate Old World commuters around her. With one exception. "The people here are like on the platform... there's something not quite right about them. As if they're not really people. Aside from one - don't look, don't stare, don't draw attention to it." By now her voice was down to a low whisper; barely loud enough to be heard over the sounds of the car. "But two segments down, on the right, lying on the third bench along, you see them? Not like the rest of them. I don't understand what's happening, but that can't be a coincidence, right? Shall we go look?"
(Pteryx) Pteryx is hating just about every moment of having to be in this 'train'. Wallking on all fours... or rather sixes. This was... way larger than a car! And far more terrifying, Pteryx would have webbed himself to a seat if he didn't hear Theia speaking first. "Them fellers 'round are purdy calm ain't they, well that's just borin company! Who'd ya spot Theia?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora tries to blend in with the crowd, aided perhaps by her height but stymied by her clothing and general spookiness. "That is weird. Are they asleep, or...? I guess we'll need to get closer to find out. I'm interested in where this train goes, too, although..." She pulls a face as she begins edging her way through the crowd toward the collapsed figure. "If it pulls right back in to Eureka station I'm going to be a little cross."
(Junes) Junes heard the commotion and thought about some things for a bit but sighed again knowing pteryx was right, best to move on and be able to help more people sooner...and not linger on the past so looking back they carefully glanced around before noticing who they were referring to "i can take a look at nanites to see if anything is unusual instead of well, my last idea" they spoke normally but seemed a bit down still "i could disguise or maybe just ask too but we could also watch and see what happens from here and follow if needed too" taking a whiff to see if they can smell who they were after but asked "oh and ysa, still got her shirt?"
(Narwen) The train rattles along, bright in the dark tunnel. Ysadora approaches the figure. They're lying down, either asleep or faking it, taking up a whole bench with their feet up on the rough cushion. The people around are politely and pointedly not mentioning it. As you approach, you can see that, unlike everyone else, the woman is dirty, wearing tattered grey clothes, and looks physically ground down by hard years. She's got some kind of cloth rag draped over part of her head, but you can see that her reddish hair is streaked through with grey. As you approach, one eye cracks open, and she makes a very obvious snoring noise, which turns into a choking sound as she catches sight of four very non-human passengers. "Hsst! This is my train! Get your own," she hisses, trying simultaneously to be quiet and to make herself heard. None of the other passengers react, except to look at their wrists or raise their eyes further.
(Pteryx) Pteryx rushes to wherever Ysadora wandered too, more curious than anything, "Well ya look homely!" He bluntly says to the figure. Looking to the hair though, he haphazardly pulls the rag off the woman's head, "Reddish hair! Is yer name er, Linda? Miner, grey uniform, alcohol issues, had a picture of a nude foxboy in her locker!" His drones swarm the woman to scan her as Pteryx keeps running his mouth.
(Ysadora) Ysadora recoils as the woman suddenly opens her eyes, bumping against a passenger behind her and absentmindedly apologizing. "Uh, what Pteryx said. Are you Linda?" As she speaks, she reaches into a pocket of her robe and hands the clothing she'd stashed to Junes for confirmation. "And why is this your train? Do you have something to do with all...this?" Gesturing broadly around her, Ysadora attempts to take in the passengers, the inexplicable subway, and the platform beyond.
(Junes) Junes smelled the air once more to confirm and yep! definitely very strong here so they confirmed plainly "yeah that's linda" more to her they mentioned "the other miners are worried about you and well, dont worry I won't bother telling them about the coke I found but any info on what's going on here?" slowly taking a seat and offering the purse back to her "i know the people aren't quite right here but this train seems pretty real but... I'd rather not risk trying anything again right now" elbows resting on their legs and slightly hunched "oh and the mine is having some quakes from this I think so should we look into stopping it temporarily?"
(Theia) While the others crowd around the woman and barrage her with questions, Theia stands off to the side slightly, putting herself between the group and some of the commuters... just in case things went sideways. Her feline eyes dart between the crowd of people and back over to the woman on the bench, taking in her hair, and her now-exposed furry ear. She seems to match the description they were given, at least.
(Narwen) "It's my train, it's my train, it's my train, it's--" The woman stops abruptly and shakes her head, dropping from a rising shriek to a low hiss again. "Can't let them see us. They might make me leave the train." The prospect seems to terrify her. "Can't leave. They die when they leave. I'll die if I leave." She looks up at you again, as though actually seeing you for the first time. "Oh no. You're trapped too. You can't leave." The pre-recorded announcer chimes in. "Now approaching: Eureka station." The other passengers start to stretch their legs, adjust their clothes, peer out of the window, and generally make about-to-get-off noises.
(Pteryx) As much as Pteryx hated this 'train' ride and was itchin ta get off, Linda sure was a hoot! Starting to bob to the mad ravings, Pteryx thinks of raves. In a clubby sing song voice he mimics it "It's ma train it's ma train, Linda in the house! Ooh a shriek too! Yer fun! Guess that there foxboy was fun too!" Snickering and guffawing to himself, he barely hears the warnings given. Looking the party animal over, he does note something weird, whenever she didn't talk... she didn't seem to breath, "Huh, do ya ever just take a deep breath o' air Linda? Guess yer an experienced deepthroater or somethin?"
(Theia) Crouching down next to the bench to bring herself down to Linda's level, Theia places a grey-furred paw on her shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, we're here with you now. They aren't like us. They might 'die' when they leave... but I don't think they're actually real. How do you know you'll die? Have you tried it?" Sensing that might not have been the right thing to suggest to the clearly distraught woman, she quickly adds "What if I tried leaving? Would that be okay?"
(Ysadora) Ysadora steps back to allow Theia to handle Linda. Rather than dashing for the door as before, she sidles over and prepares herself. When it opens, she'll wave a hand outside, just to make sure they aren't, in fact, trapped.
(Junes) Junes was confused by linda and asked "think its a curse, deity or maybe well...i dont think these people are real, an illusion maybe but they do seem odd but i could do something if it helps you see this place isn't going to kill us when we leave but first do you need anything?"
(Narwen) TO BE CONTINUED!
