Outsiders: Protecting What's Left

Summary:
August 27 2014: In the midst of the virus hunt, Jericho accidentally opens a line with Starfire's comm network and winds up in a very interesting conversation.

Syria / New York / HMSS Starfire

Various locations all connected by a comm conversation.


Characters

NPCs

  • K'tten
  • Orn
  • K'nert

Mood Music:
[* None]


Sometimes having alien technology on you is… er, well, a bit inconvenient. And sometimes it's just awkward. Like today. It's day here on this side of the world which means pretty late at night on the other and it may be something of a shock or surprise when the communicators that Skaar and Lunair have suddenly activate to what sounds like an action movie sound track. Lots of gunfire, explosions, splintering wood and finally some wet tearing sounds. Then all is quiet.

For about ten seconds. There's a muted drag-thump of something heavy being dropped onto the floor and sounds of drawers opening and closing, rustling paper and the muttered words that either of the two unfortunates might recognize as the coming from a certain digital werecreature and/or hacker.

"Ugh… okay. Let's see." Tear, tear. "Maps… folded documents… mmmmmmm…"

*

Skaar doesn't sleep much, but the communicator going off has spoiled his… very important fishing trip. Yes, it was very important! So he growls at the device. "What the hell is going on?" Pause. "Jericho, isn't it?"

*

Lunair was practicing at an abandoned warehouse. Sure, Danger Room is great. Blah blah blah. But today she's having a lot of trouble restraining that beast within that snaps and pulls at its muzzle and harness. Something within her drives her to fight and destroy. It is in her nature, perhaps as much as it is her upbringing and powers. An anti-tank gun is leveled at an abandoned car and then - suddenly, words.

"Uhm. Hi. Who is this?" An explosion. "Oops. Forgot about that one. Hi Skaar! And Jericho, too? How are you?" She seems concerned. "Are you working hard then?" It might be somewhat alarming that Lunair doesn't seem to think much of explosions and gunfire. "Hey, remember to duck. Okay?"

*

There's a sharp, mildly unmanly yelp on the other side of the line. "WHO THE HELL - oh… wait. This thing's on. Must have bumped it. Lunair? Skaar? Um…" Drag-thump, riiiiiiiip. "How long have you been listening? Sorry if I surprised you." Pause. "Is that an AT4 I just heard go off? Which one of you is lighting off munitions?"

*

You can almost hear Skaar rolling his eyes, somewhere in upstate New York. "Not long," he growls. "I have no use for explosives, so that would be Lunair. Who are you fighting?" Because fighting is somewhat more interesting than fishing. Wait, he is no supposed to care. "Not that I care," he has to point out.

*

Yay! Skaar and Jericho called! Lunair blinks at the yelp. "Yup! Awhile. But not a huge one. Are you sure you're okay?" She seems concerned. "Do you need help or something?" KAWHOOM. "Um. Those were peace keeping fireworks." She must be taking notes from North Korea. "And I'm not old enough to have a license for C4 yet. Don't judge me." The pouting is audible. "If I were to set off such things. And yeah, can you tell us where you are?" If it's making him yelp, it must be serious. He seemed angry at dancing.

*

So Call Me Maybe?? Starfire queues in and yep, cruel irony that song is playing in the background, there’s a laugh and then an abrupt "Shh!" As Starfire hushes K'tten and takes a moment to listen before she speaks up, the music now silent.

"Why does it sound partially like a warzone and I am not invited? K'tten!" There's shuffling and the sound of shuffling as they begin to queue up the monitoring screens. "Or… is there a misdial?" Staring she is not seeing a significant change in readings and radio chatter comes in in.. German, Spanish, Arabic… Then English…

"Sooooo… what's up?" Kori asks as K'tten is in the background.. "I just smudged the one on the end little toe!" Apparently they were doing their nails.

*

Jericho laughs low. "I'm fighting Hydra, Skaar. Or ISIS. Both bad people. Not sure if you've heard of either. Fortunately these ones seem to have caught a bad case of dead." Wonder why? Something to do with the very large machine gun on his back.

There's a sudden, long awkward pause. "Um… Koriand'r?" There's a muttered. "How many people did I dial with this thing?" The hacker moves about the now blasted room, relieving bodies of anything that looks like intelligence before moving for the thing he came here for.'

*

Apparently more than one, as there's a radio signal. "Hey! Beam me up, Sc'tty!"

There's a quick teleportation, followed by Roy Harper with explosive arrow at ready, aiming at… whoever he's staring at when they've beamed him up. "What's going on, what happened?"

*

Skaar will let Koriand'r answer that. He only half-understands the com units. "You should be sure who you are fighting before you kill them," he states, trying to be a reasonable barbarian. "I'll leave you to your war." He shuts down the device and looks around. The mountains are peaceful at night, and he is not used this peace. In Sakaar dangerous predators made his life interesting, but Earth is too tame.

Skaar is bored.

Maybe he should visit that city southwards. New York? And see if humans do anything interesting there. Probably not. Still worth a shot.

*

"Apparently everyone with theirs on.,. Roy!" Starfire states as Roy is beamed into her ship per his demand and is brandishing his arrow with a deadly look. There, on the ship is Kori and K'ttn with those little foam to dividers attempting to keep their toes from touching and smudging. "Yep, Roy too!" Kori states as you can hear the awkward walk/shuffle she makes to get to Roy and pluck him from the ground and hug him in greeting.

Pause, drop.

"Wait, HYDRA? Want some help?"

K'tten is in the backdrop, queuing through screens and data files. "You'll smudge the polish that took me approximately 3.5 attempts and 2 hours to get right…"

*

"Well they're all dead at the moment." Jericho's voice comes over the comm link. Sensors can pinpoint him in Northern Syria. They can also sense an unusual power source. This would be because Jericho's traces are currently active, allowing him to heft the Unreasonably Large Gun (tm) he's currently carrying. Such things are handy when you wish to end a fight in which you are outnumbered decisively in your favor.

"So… wait. Koriand'r, K'tten and… Roy are all doing their nails?" Once again, study of Demonic seems to afford Jericho the ability to not anger K'tten by mangling her name.

*
"How come no one gets upset when YOU kill people?" Lunair asks, contemplating this. She's not in Syria, but she was blowing some things up. "And ooh, what colors?" Lunair is an awful lot like a murderous puppy when she's not entirely serious. "Oh dear." She listens in, quietly otherwise. Although, apparently, all of this was a little overwhelming so she went quiet for a moment.

*

"Oh… what, the quick dial thing wasn't some sort of emergency warning?" Roy gripes, as he lowers the bow and arrow, before he gets lifted off the ground into a bear-hug from the Tamaranean. "Kori, much as I love these hugs, you've got to leave me a little dignity, right? Not in front of everyone…"

Still, that he could pass on a quick squeeze shows he's not offended one bit… although the comm-link, on the other hand… "I am -not- doing nails. What are you in dire need of there, and what were you calling for, a shot from above? Because if you do, point me to the ship's guns and I'll show you shooting…"

*

"I didn't hear anyone say killing…" But Starfire is not going to get preachy, nor really inquire beyond what is told. The gunfire from Lunair and the sounds from Jericho can all be questioned, but she isn't the (goddamn) Batman, so doesn't overly care. Setting Roy down those emerald eyes shift back and forth and one shoulder rises and falls just before she plucks a piece of lint off his shoulder and dusts it with the flicks of her fingers.

"Forgive my transgression Sir Roy." The sarcasm is deep in this one, even accented by a halfcocked smile that doesn't fade when Roy offers guns. Good idea!

"Now there's a quick way to make more of that place empty.." Kori states as she narrows her eyes and looks at the empty landscape in K'tten's scans.

*

"Oh! We alternated after a few smudges, YouTube makes it look so easy… but… Purple and Black!" As Starfire is speaking to Lunair she leans and wiggles her toes, like it's a high school phone conversation, just awaiting to drop into the talk about their teams hottest boy…

*

"I don't think I quite know you folks that well," Jericho laughs. There's a heavy clunk sound from the comm link.

"Now that's a server, goodness. In any case I am kind of flattered that you'd be willing to call down an orbital strike for a questionably legal hacker whom you've only met a few times. You guys really do just want to help don't you?"

There's an energy spike on K'tten's sensors as Jericho uses the wolf-armor to rip a steel vault-style door open to get to what he's after. Hydra has very good security precautions but they're mostly not designed for him.

"To answer your question Roy, I accidentally opened the channel. Probably while I was diving for cover during the firefight."

Lunair's plaintive question gets another laugh. "I'm not sure Lun. Maybe you're just not running with the right people?" Granted, Jericho doesn't kill lightly. He doesn't hesitate to do it, but it's not something he does simply because he feels like it. The ethics of the situation are actually sort of interesting, though no one's asked.

*

"Hmm." Lunair just thinks that over a moment. She doesn't really kill civilians most of the time. But neither does she think much of it. Usually, it's either kill or be killed and that's how it goes. "And smudges? Really? That's pretty neat," Lunair offers quietly. She seems somewhat normal sometimes. Close, but never quite *there*. "And I think I hear - yup," She hears one of the arrow guys. That's Roy, right? Right. "And orbital lasers are cool." Hey, if you're going to roflstomp something, you damned well better do so with *style*. "It's good to hear from you guys."

*

Not only is K'tten pulling up Jericho's readings and loaction but on another screen she is looking up more on HYDRA, attempting to dig deeper into files that are not low key blocked to them. If it is high alert and under sever lock and key, they cannot access it… Yet.

"It appears as if they have a few bases aside from yours Jericho… Also quite a few allies that are in high places but … Wow the files."

Pausing Starfire thinks for a moment and pans in with a zoom on the satellite view of the Syrian base. "What is it you are there for, Jerico? If you need backup we can all be there, quickly." Roy was here, but the others' locations are mapped, one beam and they can all be in the same place at the same time, and maybe some UV rays will dry this polish faster.

"What kind of weapon is that Lunair? Aree you making them dance… or /dance?/" Ya know, spray and pray style.

*

"Well, if you're dealing with HYDRA, then… yeah, a good laser from above would be a good way of cauterizing the head before they try and spread out all over. You sure it wouldn't be easier? How'd you find -this- particular head, anyway?" Roy asks, as he eyes Starfire's nails. "Maybe you should, uh, stick that under a hair dryer or something…?"

*

"This is sort of what I do Roy. Hydra made, and makes, my life a living hell. Long story. I'm returning the favor. Now I sort of stumbled on this particular bit of plotting a few months ago and have been tracking it ever since. I'm in Syria because that's where they tested the weapon." Jericho pauses at Koriand'r's offer.

"I've got this particular building on lockdown but in general I would welcome help. We can discuss that if you'd like. I get the feeling you don't wanna teleport down and camp in the Sandbox with me. Hell even I'm not 'camping' in it all the time." Shortcuts through Limbo and all, which he doesn't mention.

*

Lunair listens, inclining her head a bit. Something explodes in the background. "Oooh… forgot about the C4." Pause. "Hey, hey, the warehouse is empty and due to be demolished. I just got kinda bored," She admits. And this is probably why they make sure Lunair has plenty of hobbies and coursework. She gets a little violent when she's bored. It's bad. nevertheless, she listens more than speaks. "Did someone need help? Do I need to mist more HYDRA people?" She asks.

"Camping!" Oh. Wait. "Wait, is this the camping the spawn point kinda thing and not so much with the tents and s'mores?" Oooh dear. "And I suspect Mr. Wolf probably isn't such a fan of the dubstep gun." Cough.

*

"Well get out of there, and we can talk about what you're doing and how we can help, eh? After we blow it all up in one fell swoop," Roy replies, as he glances over at Lunair. "You can handle something like, I don't know, a bomb that wipes out all electronics?"

*

"Sounds good. I'm done here right now." Jericho pulls his communicator out and hits the recall button. An instant later there's a man in pseudo-military fatigues - sort of the outfit that is common to the area - with an eighty pound grenade launcher strapped to his back and his traces all lit up in blue. "I… am never going to get used to that…" He murmurs as he puts his communicator away, accidentally hitting the link to Nancy as he does. Alien cell phones, he's not used to them yet.

"So, hello. Anyone mind if I take a load off?" Roy gets a curious look, mostly because he seems so at ease with all of this. "I'll give you the rundown, but I've been on my feet all night."

*

Lunair pauses. "Maybe? What do you mean by wipe out? Like, wipe clean? Because just exploding them is easy. But wouldn't they have some sort of EMP protection?" Lunair is apparently frighteningly intelligent when her eager personality doesn't win out over logic. She'll grow up sooner or later. Maybe. No one is too old for cereal at night, okay? Okay. Whatever may happen, Lunair will go along for now.

*

Nancy is doing yet another atv drive around the property that makes up the Nest when that communicator thingy starts making noises. Oh hell. She's been trying to decide if she wants to deal with the aliens when they decide they want to deal with her. Please, let it not be trying to talk down a huge green alien thing that looks like it could crush her head like a grape. She stops the atv and looks at the communicator. "How the hell do I work this thing? Hello? Can you hear me? Is there a button to push? Do I just flip it open like on Star Trek?"

*

That the teleporters grabs the TWO people who reply to their communicators is not Sc'tty's problem. They ask for beam-up, they get beam-up!

Not that English was Sc'tty's proficiency either.

*

So when they're up, Roy gives thumbs up at Jericho. "Go ahead, grab a seat. Mind the nail polish." He darts K'ttn a look, before pausing as Nancy appears. "Oh hi there. Er… Sc'tty!"

Sighing, Roy scratches his head. "I think we need a guard for that comm."

*

"Er… Nancy?" Jericho blinks. He's kitted out for combat probably like Nan hasn't seen him before. Taking full advantage of the abilities his cybernetics afford him. An instant later, a K'nert jumps onto Nancy's shoulder and hisses at Jericho, quite cross with him for TELEPORTING OFF THE PLANET!!!

"Nice to see you again." Nan gets a one armed hug as Jeri puts his grenade launcher down. "Uh, so… is there a conference room or something? Yeah… you may want a guard or something here…"

*

As Nancy finds herself suddenly in the spaceship again, she falls on her butt. She was still astride the ATV when she was beamed aboard, so with no support under her, she has nowhere to go but down. She looks about the ship and lets out a slow breath. "Hoo boy. Once again, I am not in Kansas anymore."

She is both surprised and pleased as she rises to standing and ends up with a K'Nert on her shoulder. She reaches up to scritch him behind his ears. "Hey there! I don't have any ice cream, sweety. I'm sorry. And he didn't mean to take you off planet, I'm sure." She hugs her Brother Wolf. "So, who do I have to talk to today? An alien version of the Flash?"

*

That there was an ATV zipping around riderless wasn't Roy's problem. "No problem. Come on." He wasn't sure who the new one was, but given that she had a comm, there had to be a story there that Kori would have to fill him in on. "Hey, Orn, K'ttn. Take out the base, be gentle to the peeps, ok? Might as well call in the local cops to take care of the stragglers after that," Roy calls out, trusting that they'd check in with Starfire on how to deal first.

Motioning to the others, Roy leads them to a conference room.

Once they're seated, Roy looks towards Fenris. "Ok, spill the beans. What's up with HYDRA?"

*

Jericho takes a seat with a sigh. "I've been tracking the development of a bioweapon that targets mutants. A week and a half ago, they tested it. In Syria. One hundred percent kill rate. Seven thousand mutants dead in Tal Temer." He rubs his temples. "Now I'm operating there in conjunction with a SHIELD team trying to track back who is making it and cut it off at the source while some of Nancy's friends work on protecting mutant populations. We're stretched thin though so every bit of help we could get would be… well, helpful."

Nancy and K'nert get a look. "Don't be like that K'nert. Er…" He watches as the thing purrs to Nan like a cat. "Okay, do be like that."

Back to Roy. "I know I just kind of met you guys and honestly I'm pretty slow to trust, but you seem like decent people, you and Koriand'r and her folks. So if you were inclined to help… either tracking or protecting…"

*

Nancy follows and sits down, patting the table for K'Nert and giving him pettin's over his furless body and scritching him wherever her demands. "I know. He's terrible. Taking you off planet. And not even having ice cream for you. I'll bring you Cherries Garcia just for you and me. No sharing with anyone else. That'll show him, won't it." Yep, Nancy is talking baby talk to a demon. Who seems to be enjoying it. Weird.

"And don't forget the normals that died there too. Was it the virus or just the general panic of people dying all over the place?"

*

"I think we are," Roy grins. "My agency'd love to chase HYDRA, although we're more concerned with American interests than with the UN. We'll have to compare notes, I think. But now I've got to report in and stand down, since -someone- put out what seemed like an emergency call." Saluting, Roy stands up, motioning. "Make yourself at home. Going to check in with Kori. If you need the restroom, it's around the corner. Drinks… stay away from Orn's if he offers you one, otherwise go ahead."

*

Jericho smiles and shakes his head as Roy goes. "Spooks." He looks after Nancy with a smile. "How you feeling Nan? And… when did K'nert get to like you so much?"

He stretches. He's in camouflage fatigues and generally looks kind of like a soldier instead of kind of like a boring guy the way he normally does. There is what looks like a pair of claw marks on his neck that disappear into his shirt over his shoulder.

"And… what do you think of these people? I'm… sort of undecided myself."

*

Nancy looks over to Jericho and shrugs her shoulders as she gets the sweet spot under K'Nert's chin. "I don't know. Probably the same time I started liking him. He's not so bad, once you get to know him. Sure, he looks scary, but when he stopped hissing and started talking… he just became … I don't know… okay. Not nice. He's a demon. I don't think he'll ever be nice. But he's just.. he feels alright. Not scary." She smirks and shakes her head to K'nert. "Silly Jer, asking silly questions. You and I know what it's all about. Don't we?"

She looks about the room and lifts her shoulders in yet another shrug. "Well, at least they warned me before bringing me up here, but still… they are aliens. I'm not exactly a combatant like you. So what do they need me for?"

*

"Started talking? The hell doesn't he talk to me?" Maybe K'nert just likes Nancy better. Hell, Jericho'd admit that she's probably more likeable.

"But yeah. You know I'm not sure but I think we might be friends with Illyana in… mmm, different ways than a lot of her other friends. Could be wrong about that, I only met most of them like once but they seem less comfortable with her inhuman side…" They're also not Limbo corrupted, presumably, though in truth Jericho was comfortable before that.

"In other news… Well, heroing isn't all about fighting, Nan. Besides, with an Alien ship there has to be something you can do. I mean, man the computers? Be the eye in the sky? Or heck, maybe they've got 'phasers' or something you can use to not kill people. Work a little bit better than a shotgun, maybe? Couldn't hurt to ask. You bring more than just Partisan's training after all. You bring you, and you're more than just a mutant power and some hand to hand classes."

*

Nancy used to be uncomfortable with the demon queen, but once she got used to her and to Limbo, that was when the weird things started to happen. Like talking to K'Nert. Who she is still petting like he's a common house cat. And getting away with it. Okay, her arms are riddled with scratches as sometimes he loves her back a little too hard, but she doesn't seem to object. "Why don't you talk to Jer, sweety?" she asks the demon. When he hisses at her, she laughs. "He says he does, but you're too stupid to understand."

"I was talking to Bobby about that. He thinks I need to be involved too. Not just with the Nest but something more active. And phasers would be cool. I could be like that guy, in the movie. I want to help. Maybe they have another hulk thing that needs talking to?"

*

"Sounds like K'nert, yeah…" Jericho mutters. "Honestly, though, I don't… wait, when did you learn to speak demonic? I'm still studying that book Illyana gave me and it's slow going." Jericho cants his head slightly. He really shouldn't be talking given that he's changed as well. In his case, visibly. His eyes aren't what they used to be.

"Maybe, or someone who isn't afraid to mix it up but is still willing to talk. We can talk it over… but, I dunno, you think that we should talk about a 'team'? Koriand'r is… an odd fish. On the one hand she almost seems like a kid sometimes. But get her fighting, or sparring…" He shakes his head. "Definitely an outsider. I guess you and I can identify though, hrm?"

*

Nancy arches a brow at Jericho, looking at him like he is crazy. She gives him that look often. "I don't." K'Nert hisses at her and her jaw drops. "I do? Since when?" K'Nert then gives her the cold shoulder. He's done with her for now. And so, Nancy's attention is back on Jericho. "When did I start speaking demonic?!" she asks him. "Probably around the same time your eyes went all demon lover."

She smiles when he starts talking about Kori. "She was amusing the last time I met her. I think this could be a good fit for both of us. And Lunair too. She and I… using guns, didn't really have us fitting in with those X-Men types."

*

Demon lover. Jericho snorts. The correlation between the amount of magic (mostly Illyana's) he's absorbed and the color of his eyes has not gone unnoticed though he's still not sure that's what caused it. After all. His eyes had gained some amber coloration years before he'd ever heard of magic. Or Magik. Either way. "Odd though. I mean, unless you've spent a lot more time around magic than I think you have…" Maybe Nancy's just super sensitive?

"No, and I don't really fit in with… er, anyone. Partisan… kind of. Not your friends though - well, Illyana excepted - and not SHIELD. Even the younger ones I've met, you know, Roberto, Amara and them. I doubt they'd be comfortable with me being around full time. Helping out sure but… I don't think they're really comfortable with soldiers and the things soldiers often have to do."

*

Kori enters once more, fingertips tracing along the rim of those purple gauntlets that rest over her forearms as if she was 'putting the gloves on'. Long red hair is draped over one shoulder, and once that adjustment is done she reaches up to comb fingers through the red tousled locks and smooth’s them, slowly working long strands into pieces to begin braiding.

Bare feet pad over the floor but no foam inserts wedged between toes that are painted alternate colors of purple and black, Orn shuffling forward with a platter of food and coffee, the food getting a hand wave, one of gratitude, but the coffee is accepted. It's safe.

"Anyone know where I can hire him a cook? As well as I need to find more tranquilizers, Roy will sleep those off quickly." Kori just smiles and goes about her business, mixing cream in the coffee while Orn grunts in her direction and looks towards Nancy and Jericho. "Yes, I am sure they would love some!"

Orn then more then happily holds them a tray of food and coffee. what's a joke amongst friends?? His 'human food' cooking is horrid, but Kori won't warn, just smile.

*

"Yeah, and at least around aliens, my powers are useless. With the other mutants… they don't want to be around me when it comes to being in a fight. I cripple them." She looks to Orn as he offers her food, then looks to the food. It looks like something a 6 yr old made for mother's day. "Ummm… just coffee, thanks."

Leaning back in her chair, she twists her head to speak with Kori as she enters the room. "You could have him watch the Food Network every day."

*

"Um… thanks?" Jericho suspects this is what he was warned about. He reaches over to sample some of the food. It's bad. Bad. Very, very bad. So he also takes coffee. "We were just discussing the relative merits of… um, what you had proposed last time I was here." Please don't call it a friendship with benefits. Nancy will likely get it, sure, but she'll tease Jeri about it mercilessly.

"I'm sure you can find… wait, why don't you just ask Roy to cook? Or teach your cook to cook… I'm sure he knows how."

*

Kori just blinks slowly, her coffee cup cradled neatly in her hand and then slowly brought to her lips as she watches between Nancy, Jeri, and this… K'Nert. "What planet is that from?" She tips the rim of her mug towards it cautiously because well… Some planets are just unclean and certain things need deloused… or dead.. Before allowed on her ship.

Blinking though the moment of pause brightens and she smiles. "Great idea! Roy's drooling on himself right now but K'tten! Cross into the television cable for earth and get the food network queued to be the only channel for Orn…"

Orn stands there with his tray and makes a pitiful low gutteral sound and Kori reaches up to caress his cheek. "No, you're foods great but it needs some flare! nancy knows exactly what they all -love!-"

Orn seemed to liven up, look gratefully at Nancy and amble off quickly.

Kori stands there pinching the bridge of her nose. Whoo-saaaa.

*

Nancy has to chuckle at the thought of that guy that yanked her up here passed out and drooling. It just amuses her. She looks over to K'nert and lifts her shoulders in a shrug. Again. "He doesn't come from a planet. He comes from a pocket dimension. A Hell." She reaches a hand to K'nert to apologize to him, but K'nert will have none of it. Not till there is ice cream involved.

Orn gets a shake of her head when he seems upset about the cooking suggestion. "Hey, no! You're cooking is great! See?" She takes some of the food that resembles cookies off the platter. "Mmmm. Yum." she says, doing her best to look positive and keep the smile on her face. Like the time she was talking to Skaar! "Is that durian… I taste? Mmmmm."

As soon as Orn has left the room, she finds something to spit out the cookie into. Like Roy's coffee.

*

Jericho snerks. "You're very, very polite Nancy. Yeah, K'nert is a demon, I'm afraid. He kind of comes with me though and I promise he won't get into your stuff so long as no one threatens me. One of my… er, long story. He's been assigned to make sure I don't get into trouble I can't get back out of." Pause. "More or less."

The hacker shakes his head with a chuckle and eases back in his seat. "So I have to ask, Koriand'r… why us? Why let… essentially random strangers, some of them quite dangerous, into your home?"

*

Kori smiles at Nancy as she manages to wait until Orn has left. Kori slipped once and still feels bad, hence her refusal to eat any of it and Roy has been gracious enough to feed her and show her new places after she ate half the bakery at their coffee shop. Two days of not eating will make an Amazonian alien woman very /very/ hungry.

"I do not have a cook, Orn enjoys it as a hobby. Now, alien foods from his planet, he can cook. He and Depalo love them. K'tten and I can tolerate it enough to get from one place to another. Otherwise we like the Bell. It's simple and every planet tends to have a version of it."

Sip

The pause is one just for her own peace of mind as she takes a seat and crosses one leg over the other, now holding a lax repose that does not claim a seat of command here. Just leisure with people whom she is oddly… seemingly at ease with.

"Keep your thingy away from Depalo. New things intrigue him on a level…" Kori needs not say more, the insectile looking man is a forboding presence alone.

"Because, when you have nothing left there's nothing to lose. If you all decided to turn against me or try and sink my home, who I have and what I have will die with me, and I seek those of the same mindset. But don’t we all?"

Sip.

*

"AH HAH! DIARMUID ARISES!"

A long drawn out silence. Where is that voice coming from? Dude is a loudmouth and he is practically yelling. "This talisman is not working." Mumble mumble in to it with what sounds like probably him holding it to close to his face, ear or cheek. Then rubbing a thumb repeatedly over it also tapping it on his forehead.

"I SAID DIARMUID ARISES! BRING HIM FORTH TO YOUR FAIRY MOUND!"

Stupid thing.

"Hazel chew on this and see if your slobber fixes it. Be damned sorcery. Let us go find a villain to slay." Turning around from the hilltop he was standing upon Diarmuid tosses the com piece over his shoulder so the dog can catch it in her mouth. Spear flips around the butt scrapes across the ground.

The following sounds coming through the com channel is a dog chewing.

*

Nancy smirks as she is complimented twice for her diplomacy. It's something she's been learning a lot of lately. "Someone needs to tell him that durian is *not* a food. Seriously." She makes face and sips at her coffee to try and get the taste out of her mouth. "And if Orn enjoys cooking as a hobby, maybe you should get him some cookbooks."

Nancy watches as the tall alien woman sits. She's so different from anything that Nancy has previously met. "Hey, I'm not interested in turning against anyone or hurting anyone. So you don't have to worry about me. So, how is that.. " Nancy stops to stare at the communicator. "Dude! Get a grip. So you've woken up. Deal with your morning wood on yer own!"

*

Oy… Jericho winces as he hears Dairmuid… though that does remind him. "Dairmuid? I thought you didn't like this place. Sorcery and fae women and all that?" He shakes his head. If Kori wants to beam him up or Hazel finds the recal button, that's up to them.

"I wouldn't turn on you either I just…" The hacker cants his head, thinking. "I've been running from very powerful enemies for over a year now. Trust, particularly trust like that, is in very short supply in my world. Nancy knows. I don't know that I'd be able to have as much faith in someone like me or… that guy…" He indicates the comm link. "As you seem to. But I'll do my best to not make you regret it. Might get you shot at, can't promise it won't."

*

K'tten's eyes narrow as she turns the volume down on the comm system, muttering. "Sweet X'Hal, someone muzzle it." Pause. "Not the four legged human, the two legged brute…that isn't green." Let's be literal, leave it to K'tten. But hearing the chewing K'tten is not hesitating. Those pieces are not easy to assemble let alone fix. Bad enough she has to make more since Kori has been handing them out like candy.

One second Diar is about to go find a place to plant his spear, the next he is aboard a very sterile ship where Depalo will offer the same in return. Mhmmm.

Kori only tilted her head and turned her device down a notch…after her eyeballs rattled, but once she can land those pupilless eyes on Diar she doesn't let them stray. "Inside voice, it echoes in here.. Badly, and we're not on a hunt."

Looking back to Jericho now she tilts her head and dips her chin in acknowledgement. "Everyone deserves a chance. Let me introduce you to my crew, and the few I am left trusting. Depalo…"

The insectile looking man comes from nowhere on the ship, but stands there like a diplomat awaiting his speech. "Once a Dominator, a scientist of known criminal advancements scientifically. He dissects everything to find out what makes it tick and how to make it tick better. Everything."

"Orn." There's a loud grunt from the back, almost wookie like. "Brute force and a front liner, from a planet of war and inhospitable peoples."

"K'tten and I. Another planet that strived and grew on war, but knew happiness despite the politics. We're the only two left. Even the planet is dead." K'tten did not even look up, it wasn't anything she cared to discuss.

"We all joined for one thing, freedom. There were more but we're what's left of the war I came from. I think you get it. I don't trust easy either but again, when you have nothing left to lose and only one common goal and common home to protect by whatever means… I can throw caution to the wind."

Kori glances to Diar and raises a brow. "What is a fairy? And for the love… Stop calling my home a mound. It's a ship. Ship."

*

Diarmuid and Hazel appear with the teleportation seconds later, "Ah. It is the Princess and her comrades…." His golden eyes narrow at Orn. "Firbolg."

A glance around and he pats the German bred animal on the head, "I had thought that talisman was broken but then your voices started to come out of my faithful hounds mouth. Quite confusing but it is settled." The spear re-adjusts so it's resting casually over his shoulder. "I cannot say I am unpleased to see your faces once again on this new day."

"It was as I had guessed. Hazel's slobber would fix it. Magic dog you know."

*

Nancy can't help but smirk at the man and his dog as he shows up. This guy, he's just… amusing. How else to describe it. She looks to see how K'Nert feels about the dog being here.

Each of the introduced crew is given a wave, including Depalo. When told what he likes to do, she glances again at the small demon. "I'll get him an anatomy book. Much safer. Less bloody."

*

K'nert hisses at the dog… but then he hisses at everyone. "Please don't hurt K'nert. Or prod him. I'd be obligated to defend him and you really don't want his Queen showing up upset."

Jericho quirks and glances around as Dairmuid comes up and the crew is introduced. "Nice to meet you all. And, uh, nice to see you again." K'tten still makes him a bit nervous. Because she hasn't in the past been shy about wanting to know how he does what he does. Though come to think of it, Sir Yellsalot makes him nervous too for entirely different reasons.

"I guess I understand that. Having nothing less to lose… well I suppose I do now but I know the feeling." He glances between Diarmuid and Nancy. "And you think that we're going to be the things that help you accomplish protecting what you have left? I'm flattered…"

*

~Crunch~

"Oh. My…." K'tten is flying from her seat and heading for the dog. ~*crackle* Crunch~ "Good creature, stop eating it… Not a tpy. Down, put. It. Down!" Now commence the chase through the ship as K'tten tries to get the comm piece from Hazel. Good thing she likes the dog or it wouldn't be a gentle sight. Don't mess with her tech… Or her name.

Orn has poked his head out of the kitchen long enough to narrow his gaze at Diar and utter a low growl before turning on the TV in the kitchen, turning it up -loud- and shutting the door with a /whoosh/.

Depalo disappears back from whence he came after a small bow prior.

Kori waits a moment and then slowly shakes her head, sipping at her coffee once more. "You just need to -lightly- press on it. Upper is to talk, lower is to transport you to my -ship-." A gesture to a seat and Kori smiles at the man, though it's around the edges of a mug.

Lowering it though she looks at Nancy. "He has his own drawings, detailed ones, of everything he has ever…. explored. I just leave him to it, maybe he will pick up knitting to pass his time. One could hope."

Once Jerico speaks Kori just looks between him and Nancy and leans back, setting the now empty coffee mug aside. "You already do, I know about your safe-house. It is what my ship is for me and mine, but much fewer. We all have something different to bring to the table, but one similar goal."

From the back there's crashing, barking, and K'tten yelling.

"Avast! You will hand it over human mongerel, lest I take it from you and leave you eating mash for the rest of your days!" K'tten is trying to speak on Diar's level, thinking it'll make her listen.

So K'tten has been watching too much Black Flag, Orn needs more Food Network, and Kori will need a Xanax.

"Ill… be right back…" Slowly Starfire rises and turns to… Hurry to the back.

*

A snort from Diarmuid and he sits down in the area Nancy, Starfire and Jericho are in. Not so much a sit as a crouch on the ground and drape his spear across his knees, "You should not let that hairy monster in your kitchen. Very disgusting." He states like it's just a fact that everyone knows. A curl of the mans nose and he looks at the hissing K'nert, "I suppose like all things anymore, it tastes like chicken?" A *pfft* sound escapes Diarmuid before he looks from those present, one face at time. "What creature do we battle next? The troll was unfulfilling."

Hazel and K'tten are doing laps somewhere on the ship.

Diarmuid tips his head to the side as Starfire races off to aid, "Princess you should let your servants do their duties. It demeans you and them if they are not performing as they should."

*

"Speaking of the safe house, I should get back down there. I have people to take care of. But, if you need me, I'm in. A place of trust is a good thing to have. And I'm tickled pink to be part of that." Again.

"Okay, dude, yer a jerk. I'm sure his hair is a lot cleaner then your mouth. Just sayin'" She waves to Jericho and then hits the button on the communicator. "Does this thing work in reverse and get me back home?"

*

Jericho leans back. It seems, sort of just as it happens, that this is more and more a group. Maybe not a group of people he trusts implicitly, but at least a group of people he can work with. Which reminds him… "Dairmuid, I gotta ask… can you teach me to fence?"

Jericho grins and leaves him to chew on that while he gets up and show's Nan how to get back home.


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