[Nexus] Remnant II

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Vasquez closes her eyes and nuzzles close. "mthanks..." she mumbles before nodding off, allowing herself to feel weak and soft for once.

Jake stays awake all night, holding her and cherishing the feel of her in his arms. At exactly 8:30 in the morning, he gives her a tighter squeeze and runs his fingers along her cheek. "Wake up, beautiful."

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

Vasquez wakes up to the voice, stiffening even if she doesn't open her eyes, but after a moment, she remembers where she is and who she's with. Once she does, she opens her eyes with a slight smile, leaning up to kiss him. "You stayed up all night, didn't you?"

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

"I couldn't resist," Jake confesses. "We have 30 minutes. We should both be dressed before... well..." He still has a hard time talking about his curse.

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

Vasquez drapes herself across Jake, kissing him deeply, muscles loose and relaxed. "Thank you, Jake. It was a wonderful night." She says, not making any move to get up yet, needing to feel something comfortable for just a bit longer.

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Jake will certainly not argue with this, letting hands and lips wander. But he has a particularly ability that is rather useful for a watchmaker - or for any resident of the Nexus. He has perfect time sense.

At exactly 8:50, he gently extracts himself from the bed and begins to get dressed in the suit he wore to the wedding. "I should warn you. He's going to be grumpy, because these trousers are too tight for him. If you're worried he'll be violent, you can always put restraints on me before."

[Halae]

Eileen notices, and raises an eyebrowm, but doesn't otherwise comment.
"I've been on...extended leave," she says. "Basically more or less ever since the whole Ebon Mirror thing."

[Somewhere on Base]

Caet nods, "I remember hearing about that, but I never got many details. Would you mind filling me on, or is that something better left buried?"

[Mina Kobold]

Probably something vaguely like this, even if it might not be the same music.

Ordo spins the bird-girl and smiles. The psion's not so clumsy that it keeps him from dancing, and he's happy to see it. "Sunny has some memory problems. I helped her out with them once. Was kinda hoping to check her brain again, but..." He looks toward the door regretfully.

Rahona spins back and grins, not really worrying that her fangs make her look like a vampire, and replies.

"I'm sure you'll get ta check on her, or were her problems tha' bad?"

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

"Okay." She tells him, taking heed of the warning as she grabs some clothing. "Just be sure to leave a quick note explaining what happened." She says, giving him a peck on the cheek before heading to a shower.

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Gus comes to consciousness. The first sensation is, of course, his stockier body being squeezed into Jake's clothes. At least Jake hadn't buttoned the shirt, but having those damn pants on. Ugh. Damn it, Jakey, why didn't you pack a change of clothes? You knew you were going to be spending the night.

He opens his eyes and looks down at the note in his hand.

Vasquez invited me to stay the night with her, so you're in her quarters.

Thank you, Captain Obvious. I can smell what's been going on, and it isn't too hard to make the leap from that to where I am.

I'm sorry I didn't pack any clothes for you. I didn't know we'd end up here.

Gus mentally facepalms. Moron. You are a moron.

Vasquez wanted me to thank you for picking out such a nice gift for the newlyweds. They loved it.

And just like that, Gus's irritability vanishes. She really liked it. I did something right. He folds the note up carefully and tucks it away and flops down on the bed to wait for Vasquez. Not because he was after sex - if that was the case, he'd surprise her in the shower. But just because his trousers won't be as tight if he's laying flat.

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

Vas takes a rather long shower and it's about a half hour before she comes out. She's dressed in just a robe, and is carrying her cybernetic arm in her good hand. "Morning, Gus." She says with a slight smile as she puts the arm on a nightstand. "Food? Drink? Bigger set of sweatpants?" She teases.

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

"All three, if you please Mistress," Gus says, casually reaching out to pick up her cybernetic arm and look at it. >.<

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

"I wouldn't touch that." Vasquez warns as she grabs a a couple glasses and a jug of orange juice. "It'll shock you if you keep a hold on it for more than a few seconds and it's not like it'll work for you anyway."

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Gus drops it onto the bed just as he was about to poke at all of her fingers. "Nice. It protects itself too. But don't you need it to pour the juice?"

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

Vasquez sets the glaces down at the glasses and sets it all down on the counter before pouring out the juice for the both of them. Spending so long with only one arm lets her get around just as well as those less disabled. "Spend as long as I have with just an arm, and you learn a few things." She tells him.

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

"How did you lose it?" Gus asks. Kind of odd that Jake didn't think of asking that question.

[horngeek]

Mess

Idari is currently here, eating. And... looking rather down.

[Neon Knight]

Interrogation Room

Jyarl snorts. "Hard labor? For 19 bodies, another couple on the way, and ten more wounded? I don't know where you live, but here, that's so far past "hard labor" that it's not even in the same ball park. With that many deaths, your stint could last anywhere from a dozen missions, to a period of several years. It all depends on what happens during the time and on the threat levels of the events."

"I accept." Ian sat back and looked at the other criminals expectantly. "I'm in." Keith states simply. Jason shakes his head, "Man, this is crazy... but I don't got a better choice. I'm in."

David was the only one left. He swallowed nervously, "This... you can't do this!" Ian looks at him sternly. "They can. They can do whatever they want. And you can either fight and try to live or give up and die."

David looks down at the ground before him. "I'll... I'll join."

[The Bushranger]

Reception

After a bit more dancing, Jeremy gives Shawna a small kiss. "I think it's time we leave." He whispers to her.

Shawna smiles and nods to Jeremy, wrapping her arm around his waist for him to sweep her away...

[Somewhere on Base]

Caet nods, "I remember hearing about that, but I never got many details. Would you mind filling me on, or is that something better left buried?"

Something dark crosses Eileen's face. Dark, and threatening. "Dead, buried, preemptively staked through the heart and ignited in a nuclear funeral pyre, thank you very much."

[Murkus]

Rahona spins back and grins, not really worrying that her fangs make her look like a vampire, and replies.

"I'm sure you'll get ta check on her, or were her problems tha' bad?"

"Nah, you've got it right. I can always do it after her honeymoon. I guess I just wanted to say hi." Ordo glances at his feet, then leads Rahona into a measured turn. "...So, if you don't know them, how'd you get in? Security's crazy out there."

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

Vas stays silent for a long time, taking a seat and looking down at the ground as she reaches up with her good hand and feels along the stub. The touch is enough to send a slight pain down the phantom limb there, causing her to wince slightly before stopping. "As a rookie, I'd been ordered down into the sewers, to chase a man suspected of murdering his wife and her lover. Completely tore them apart. It didn't seem like much at the time, just another crime of passion, ya know? Didn't think there was anything to worry about. I'd been armored, armed, and several years younger and stupider." She begins. "Didn't think about it, and just went on and on, going too far. What I didn't know, was that he wasn't alone. Next thing I know, I get hit on the head and pass out."

Vasquez looks up at Gus, looking slightly harrowed at remembering it all. "See, what we didn't find out until later, was that he had butchered them ritualistically so he could gain powers. Among those, the ability to summon creatures from his own nightmares. I woke up some time later, strapped to a table, wearing just my skin, and find the guy grinning as he started carved symbols into my arm with a knife before severing it and throwing it into a pile of others."

The small stub on her shoulder twitches, as if she's moving her arm and hand to look at it. Turning back to him, she taps her temple. "They're fake too you know. My eyes. He took those too." She says before shuddering. "Damn, hadn't thought of this in years..."

Interrogation Room

Jyarl takes out a few sheets of paper and passes them to the criminals, pens included. "Sign the contract. It just says what I told you, and that you were given the choice to do otherwise."

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

While she's telling her story, Gus sits up, visibly tense, then stands. By the time she's finished, he punches the wall: one fist, then the other, then kicks it, then picks up a chair and flings it across the room (nowhere near Vasquez) with a roar of fury.

Finally, he calms down a little, enough to say in a growl, "Who killed him?"

[Neon Knight]

Interrogation Room

The men all sign. Ian and David do so after reading, while Keith and Jason simply sign right away.

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

"Stop." She growls before catching the leaping up and catching the chair's leg with her good hand. "Never try to break anything of mine." Vas orders him with a glare. She'll stare him down before setting the chair back and taking a seat. "Edijar, my old Commander, now subordinate, had been on the streets nearby when the report of me missing went through. I didn't see what happened, only heard the gunfire before feeling him picking me up and taking me out. After a few weeks of rehabilitation and physical therapy, he requested me to be in his unit, so I joined."

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Gus is stunned out of his rage, first by her amazing leap, and then by her staring him down. He lowers his eyes, clasps his hands behind his back and shuffles his feet in embarrassment. "Was it slow? I hope it was slow."

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

"No Gus, it wasn't. Fifty calibre rounds tend to be very lethal. I know, I was on the wrong side of him once. If not for my armor, I'd have died." She admits before shaking her head and heading to her closet. A moment later, she tosses a set of white sweatpants at him. "Your pants. They're fitted for me, but hopefully they'll stretch to your size."

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

Gus doesn't bother leaving the room to change, but doesn't make a production of it either, simply turns his back to strip down, removing Jake's trousers and underwear, and going commando in Vasquez's sweat pants. "Thanks." he mumbles. He didn't know why he had gotten so angry about something that had happened years ago, to someone he barely knew. But he could still feel the adrenaline in his system. He needed to do something to burn it off, and there really wasn't anything he could do about it here.

I could bed Jakey's girl.

He crosses the room swiftly, grabs the orange juice, and gulps it down. "I should go."

[UncleWolf]

Vasquez's Place

"Give me a moment to get dressed and I can escort you out if you want." She tells him before grabbing her clothes and heading to the bathroom to change. She doesn't expect him to stay, so takes her time.

[happyturtle]

Vasquez's Place

He does stay, pacing back and forth anxiously, before rummaging through her kitchen cupboards and grabbing the first munchable thing that requires no prep - chips, granola bar, crackers, dry cereal... whatever.

When she finally emerges, he walks over and tries to hug her tightly, still feeling the near loss of her, that if it weren't for some guy with a funny sounding name, he would never have met her.

[Halae]

[Somewhere on Base]

Something dark crosses Eileen's face. Dark, and threatening. "Dead, buried, preemptively staked through the heart and ignited in a nuclear funeral pyre, thank you very much."

[Somewhere on Base]

"Say no more. That's the idea behind checking first and asking later." Caet understand not wanting to tell people things. Caet isn't his real name, after all. "We all have things we'd rather leave in the past."

[Morty]

[Gate ==> Intelligence Center]

Anatolij, Filimon Romanowicz, Gniewomir and the three sappers come back to the base on their bikes. After leaving the vehicles back in the machine park, cleaning and changing, Anatolij goes to the Intelligence Center to repot.