zerotohiro | Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

[There's a small pause...and he sighs, rolling his eyes a bit.]

Okay look, I know this probably sounds crazy, but...somebody from CERES actually helped me and Korra. We went further and further into the tower and we found...her.

[The Bridge. They found her, and he's waiting for Rei's reaction before he continues. Sorry he's somewhat dramatic.]

...

[She stops and her eyes go wide, head leaning forward with interest. The hands around the cup tighten, knuckles going white.]

You mean...the missing spirit? [She'll get to the whole other thing first. But if they found the bridge. If they set her free...]

Is she...[Okay? Free? Rei's not sure what to say, so she trails off, looking at Hiro expectantly.]

Yes. [He finally pauses to take a sip of the hot chocolate. It's comforting, at least.] And yes, she's okay. Korra and I helped her get out of the tower and Maris and Caeli came for her. She's safe with them now. I don't know what CERES will do when they realize she's gone, but she'll be okay with them.

[Rei sags forward now, a hand flying down to steady herself against the edge of the table. Letting out a breath, a ragged one she didn't even know she'd been holding, she bites her lip to hold back a torrent of questions.]

Then...it wasn't for nothing. [Closing her eyes, she fights back tears of relief, not wanting to show any sort of breaking. But that?] That's...the best news I've heard from anyone. That was the goal. At least, mine and Jack's. To find her. Thank the gods someone did.

[She wasn't sure how many people Jack had made aware of that fact, after all.]

[It's a lot to handle, he knows. He watches her quietly for a moment, shoulders tense as he ponders that. He hadn't initially known Jack's goal, nor had he known it was Rei's.]

They still had her locked behind a door in a cage...the cage was unlocked, but we needed somebody to actually unlock the door. [A beat.] That's where CERES came in. Kinda weird, huh?

[Her eyes open again, slowly. Calm returns for the moment, though there's a kind of nervous excitement in her now.]

Please. Go on.

...after Soramaru and Masamune were killed, Terra opened a portal inside the hall. We sent Baymax with him to take him out of the tower and to the hospital and Korra and I kept going. We ended up finding the cage they were keeping the Bridge and a CERES representative showed up behind us and actually helped us unlock the door and escape the tower. We didn't run into any kind of security on the way out or anything. Guy said he was going to cover for us and make it look like the Bridge escaped herself.

[Rei blinks, taken completely off guard by the statement.]

Which representative? They were gone, I thought? And why? Did he say?

Yeah, they're all still gone, but Mosley really didn't give us any sort of indication why he was doing this other than he needed something to do.

It was Mosley?

[Okay. This rabbit hole is pretty damn deep.]

You know, I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore. Some of the things I ran into were just insane, and made just as little sense.

Yup. First time I ever met the guy. [Shrug!] What else did you guys run into that makes little sense?

[Well, now Rei frowns again and sits back, fidgeting a bit.]

Aside from the carnivorous plants and the shadow monster? We...found a holding pen. It had cages in it that were containing ghosts. Spirits, bound up. And they were angry. So, so angry at...something. Not me, or Hirari-san, or Toothless. But CERES. All they could think was "murderers" over and over again, when I reached out to them.

I'm positive that with how that room was set up? It was to contain them. The walls were so reinforced I couldn't blast through them.

[A beat, and she looks up with a truly nasty smile. All sharp angles, and quirked lips]

But I set them free. All of them.

[That's reassuring. Sort of. Kind of? Oh man. He pauses with the cup to his lips, staring at her over the rim before pulling it away from his mouth. CERES really liked the idea of keeping things and people locked up, but he has to wonder if maybe now the tables have turned.]

If you set them free, where are they now?

[Rei shakes her head, shrugging slightly.]

I don't know. They said thank you, and then vanished. I'm not...terribly concerned about them though, not as far as we're concerned. They were angry at CERES.

So's the Bridge. She doesn't trust Mosley at all even if he helped us break her out. But she also said she something that didn't make a ton of sense. [He scrunches his face.] She said that she was grateful to us but that we couldn't get too close to her because what's inside can't be sustained near her. I'm not sure what she was talking about, but it kinda ties right into what Caeli told me, too.

What do you think we're actually missing here?

[Deeper and deeper this goes. Rei rubs her chin with a finger, pensively thinking about the implications of such a statement. ]

I think, perhaps, that there's something inside us that might become unstable around her? That wouldn't be entirely out of the question. Magic often interferes with technology. So, maybe she's worried that proximity to her, who I would assume is magical in nature, might disrupt the code at our core? Since we are seemingly just that, code given form. Or maybe even just the occular implant?

I can't really say, not with any certainty, but that would be my first guess. Unless this Bridge is...maybe the Bridge between worlds? She could be the link...maybe? I don't know...but this is good information.

Those were my suspicions, too. [He's put a lot of thought into this over the last couple of days, especially since magic is still fairly foreign to him.] Especially since she mentioned she's already learned that lesson. Something happened that CERES is trying really hard to cover up. I know that much.

[Another sip of hot chocolate.] If she's really the Bridge between worlds, it could explain why CERES locked her up...[What he really needs to do is talk to Jack (which is good since he has a conversation with him the day after this one, so it seems) and possibly Katsura as well. There are too many spread out factors here.]

Mosley kept calling her Queenie but for all we know it's just some dumb nickname. [A beat.] I want to talk to him, too. I don't know what his deal is but there's something weird about the whole set-up. Keep that part on the down-low...as weird as he is? I don't want him actually getting busted for helping us out. He could have killed me and Korra on the spot but he didn't.

Time will tell how this shakes out, at least. Like the ghosts I freed. We'll see how things change, but for the moment I would say we've done the best we can. Sometimes patience and observation are basically all you can do, but I'm sure we've done something that will set a chain of events off. What the result will be I wouldn't even begin to speculate but...

[Another sip of her drink now.] I think what we did was right. Caging spirits is wrong. [So says the priestess in her.]

And yes, of course. I'm going to relay the information to other people who were with me, when I can. And my girlfriend, but I'd intended to keep what you mentioned about Mosley between us. Though [She taps her head next to her eye.] If they want to find out, we do have these implants.

[There's a displeased little sound. Patience and Hiro aren't exactly compatible but observation he can do. Observation and falling down rabbit holes and coming up with brilliant ideas. But he knows she's right. There isn't much they can do now but wait and know that they've set off something.]

…I think I accidentally called Mosley. There was a robot that was asking us for a password that none of us knew, so I requested a password reset. That probably went straight to him. [Now that he thinks about it.] He didn't seem to think keeping the Bridge caged was a great idea, either. He said something about how with CERES being offline he wanted something to do.

[Tap. Tap. Tap. His fingers drum against the cup in thought.] I don't know if the implants are even working. That's where I'm a lot less sure about what's online and what isn't. Are they really down or are they just ignoring us to see what we'll do? [A beat.] And it's okay. I told Tadashi as soon as I got back. [But that's because Tadashi is Older Brother and Hiro probably spent the rest of the evening clinging to him anyway.] Korra and I are going to tell the rest of our group…and I've gotta find Jack. Thing is? We don't know what she'll do with Maris and Caeli either. I don't think we did the wrong thing, but…definitely makes you wonder what we just started, too.

[Rei’s nails scrape back and forth along her cup as she takes that in, understanding the irritation. She can’t place much or really seem to find a motive for CERES either. She knows that some people have suffered greatly at their hands, like Archer and Rin, and that infuriates her but there doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason behind most of what they do. She’s not Ami or Hiro, she’s not that level of intelligent, but she still possesses a genius level intellect of her own and knows that if the problem frustrates her then it must be a great deal worse for him. Her hand slides across the table towards him, palm up, and she smiles as much as she can without straining her head.]

It makes me wonder a lot of things, yes. But those things will all become clearer with time and more data, I’m sure. All things do, and what we’ve set into motion will very likely have a rippling effect. Small at first, so small we may even miss the beginning, but who’s to say how far it will go? We just have to keep our eyes and ears open. And tell people we trust, so they can too.

[She takes a breath.] Tadashi-san, Minako-chan, the people we infiltrated CERES with, trusted allies. If you can find Jack, tell him. I will tell Illidan since I think I may be the only friend he has, and the people I worked with too. And at least inform Sousei-sensei and Phoenix-san about the Bridge. Mosley…I’m not sure how to approach that, but yes, keeping that information off of the CEREVice Network at least is probably best.

[It's a combination of being too intelligent for his own good and being a stubborn teenager. He wants things to happen and he's frustrated that he doesn't have answers or means to make things happen. It's almost a relief to know it's not just him even if the levels are different. He watches her hand for a moment, tilting his head like he's confused (because he is, actually) before tentatively resting his palm on hers. It's…nice, actually, to have some back-up. It makes him miss his team less.]

Slowly making waves. Right. I want to see if I can find more data but maybe we should just wait. It's almost time for new people's codes to be booted in, right? Someone told me it's every month or something. Maybe we'll find out more then.

[He nods along as she lists off the people they know.] That sounds like a good list so far. I should tell Katsura, too. He's the one who told me about the Bridge. …with Mosley? I think I'm gonna give him a few days and give him a call. We have a lot of things to discuss. I doubt he'll meet with me but I'd like to find out. Tadashi told me to talk to him a long time ago, but this was the first time I spoke with him. He owes us some answers anyway.

[Rei's fingers curl up around his, gentle but firm, still just a bit too warm to be normal. Hiro was...certainly something. No replacement for Ami, for those years of training and fighting side by side, but having someone like him around certainly was comforting. It helped, having the leader, and someone with a brain, and some of the other people here who could form a hodgepodge team if needed. Mentally, she's calculating the list, figuring out that sort of thing and knowing Minako would probably have already done the same thing.]

Yes, that's a good time to look for people too, agreed. There may be allies from your world as well, or others from my team. Another few days would fit the pattern.

[She thinks for a moment, but nods.] I believe I'll tell Archer, and possibly Ryuko Matoi, if you know either. I trust them, and I've fought beside them. They know the stakes, and both are powerful allies, particularly in a fight. We tend to share information.

As for Mosley, well. I can't say I disagree with him owing something. So, when you do? If you need backup, you know who to call. My partner and I will be there. And if not? At least keep me apprised. I'll do the same, if anything comes up.

[Knowing there are people with similar goals in mind has definitely put him at ease and though it's a little strange for her to be holding his hand he doesn't mind. It's weirdly comforting, almost the same way falling asleep on Tadashi had been comforting. Nobody will ever replace his real team, but there are people who come close.]

I'm going to check it out and make sure. One of my friends arrived when I did last time but he's gone now. And Tadashi was waiting for me when I got here. It'd be nice if any of them showed up. [He tilts his head.] Just how many girls are part of your team anyway? [It's presumptuous to assume they're all girls but…he's seen enough anime. He has Thoughts on it.]

I haven't met either of them, no. I have a couple of others in mind that I need to gauge and see if I trust them enough. That's the thing isn't it? Figuring out who we trust. This'll be the real test.

I appreciate it though, Rei. Really. [There's a genuine smile and everything.] Korra and I should be okay but we'll definitely let you know. [A beat.] Besides, pretty sure Tadashi's going to be with me no matter what for a while.

[It is a fair assumption, though one Rei has to stick a pin in. It's been a long time, but really, in a lot of ways? She's come to think of Mamoru Chiba, Endymion, as a part of the team.]

Ten girls, and one man. One of each of us for the eight planets aside from the Earth, two for the Moon and it's kingdom, and then the Guardian of Earth is a male. [And she was happy to work with him, of course.]

And yes, I suppose it is. Trust is something precious, and difficult to really give. But at least in this it's unlikely someone's goals are going to run counter to ours. Getting home, figuring out what's going on? That's the endgame, and while opinions may differ on how to reach it, we can at least trust that people will act in their own best interests.

[And supporting CERES has obviously not been the way to go.]

I'm sure you'll be fine, yes, I really don't doubt it. But [she flashes a warm smile.] think of it as a professional courtesy.

That's a pretty big group. [But it makes sense. He knows enough about the planets and the way the solar system works that it isn't even questionable, though he's curious how the Guardian of Earth came into play. It's something they can talk about later, he thinks.]

I hope everybody's goals are lining up but you never know. Sometimes the people you trust the most are the ones who also betray you the most. [Speaking from experience...] For all we know, CERES could be brainwashing people to go against us. We'll just have to take it case by case.

Professional courtesy or not, it's not your job. [It's wholly appreciated anyway.] That's what makes it better. And you know the same goes for you so...we're even.

(no subject)

faithfulflame - 2015-10-02 01:31 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

zerotohiro - 2015-10-02 07:39 (UTC) - Expand