futurologists: (Default)
Hathaway. ([personal profile] futurologists) wrote in [community profile] epidemiology2016-03-02 09:12 pm

EVENT ★ TEAM BONDING

TEAMBONDING TASKS

Early in the morning, all characters will receive a message in their personal inboxes encouraging them to help with various tasks around the castle. Characters may either volunteer or be randomly shuffled into a group by accident; once assigned, they’ll be expected to show up and harangued by the castle’s animated suits of armor until they cooperate. The teams are as follows, though all groups besides the Training Center are open to sign-ups until the caps are reached. This OOC post may also be used for questions and plotting!
LIBRARY: Anduin, Sigma, Rin, Keats, Papyrus, Adrien, Gumshoe, Sorey, Archer, Rosalind, Mikleo
GREENHOUSE: Koltira, Julius, Sieglinde, Alice, Hellboy, Aqua, Dipper, Edna, Rodimus, King, Jekyll
STABLES: Undyne, Khisanth, Mabel, Rey, Graham, Dezel, Olivia, Steven, Yata, Saber, Anakin
TRAINING CENTER
REDS: Shadow, Gintoki, Luciola, Gilgamesh, Ban, Melan
BLUES: Kylo Ren, Pearl, Masamune, Poe, Barry, Lancer


The Training Center will have a catch-all subthread below, but anyone in any of the other groups (or not in a group at all) is encouraged to make a top level and tag into whichever area you'd like to play in.
TRAINING CENTER


Once recruits step foot into the Training Center, they’ll find themselves suddenly outside. A voice coming from their jewelry informs them that this is a simulation of the world Asharion. There’s swamp for as far as the eye can see, and it’s dark and… sort of squishy in here.

The two teams arrive at opposite ends of the swamp, where their respective “base camps” are located. Each of them will find themselves dressed head-to-toe in the color of their team, red or blue, and will see that a flag of their team color flies above their heads at base camp. There’s no concealing what team you’re on. If you look down, there’s also a HP bar plastered across the front of your shirt. Each time you’re hit, your HP goes down. (Remember, no one is actually getting hurt -- this is just a simulation. Once you run out of hit points, you’ll be kicked out of the simulation and offered a piece of cake from the kitchen as a consolation prize.)

All powers are still around, but use anything too powerful, and the game will view it as a “cheat” and detract from your HP bar.

A timer, floating in front of your eyes, starts counting down and the voice speaks again:
”There are three artifacts hidden within the swamp, and we’d really appreciate getting them back. The objective is simple: be the team with the most artifacts when the game is over. The game is over when all of a team is kicked out of the game or when the timer runs out. Good luck! Oh, and be careful with the artifacts. They have some… interesting magical properties.
The aforementioned artifacts:

THE STAFF OF INVIGORATION
The staff is very plain and easy to miss. When you touch it, however, you’ll know. You’re suddenly filled with energy, flowing through your entire body. At least, for a little bit. It runs out of charge in about five minutes, and if you’re still holding it, you’ll find it actually starts draining you of energy until you’re too tired to walk.

VENKAN STATUE
A small, very delicate statue from the world of Venka, made of crystal. Try not to drop it. Whoever holds it will find themselves easily irritated, however, even by their teammates. The longer it’s held, the stronger the effect -- it starts out with mere annoyance, making you almost comedically ornery over small things, but if you hold onto it, you’ll find yourself becoming paranoid and aggravated. The statue is actually of the Goddess of War, and it turns out it might have started a few wars itself.

THE RING OF… PUPPY LOVE?
A beautiful sapphire ring in the shape of a heart. Once held or put on, the wearer will get an extremely awkward crush on the anyone they see, and be unable to do anything but giggle like a schoolgirl in their presence. The effect will only fade if they drop the ring. How embarrassing.

The artifacts can be found anywhere in the swamp -- almost like they’re moving around on their own. Knowing ALASTAIR, they just might be.

The countdown hits 0. From this moment forward, the voice tells you, you have exactly two hours. The blue team will end up the victors, but only by a hair. Cherenkov will be available for any questions and feedback afterwards (see subthread below), provided she's not napping.

REWARDS: Both teams will receive a pocket watch, with very specific instructions attached. Both are capable of a one-time spell. The blue team’s pocket watches will administer a shock to stun the target when opened for the first time and the first time only, so don’t waste it. The red team’s pocket watches will create a barrier around the character that will shield them from any incoming attacks for three minutes.

LIBRARY


The library is enormous, with stacks that rise nearly to the vaulted ceiling. Rolling ladders lean up against the sides of the stacks, ready to be climbed, but the burly librarians that usually frequent the library are not found today. They have left only a single note behind, in neat, cramped script: Please clean up after yourselves. Thank you.

There is a long wooden table in the middle of the library. Two closed books rest upon it: Escarpan Gardening And You and A History of the Hurricane of 62.516-18 A.

Opening the first book will cause vines and flowers and other greenery to sprout up from nowhere, blocking the shelves and making traversing the library quite a difficulty. Opening the second will cause the entire library to be engulfed in wild winds, throwing books off the shelves and perhaps each other across the room. Opening them both will cause both things to happen, simultaneously.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rest of the books do the same sort of thing. Open a book about medieval weaponry? Suddenly there are swords flying through the air. That murder mystery novella? Everything is now black and white with deep shadows. The encyclopedia? Nothing happens. Encyclopedias are safe, for some reason.

How do you make these book effects stop? Shelve them in the proper place. But beware -- every misshelved book will cause another to pop out of place. Try to catch it before it hits the ground and opens, or you just may have a disaster on your hands.

HINT: The solution is to shelve the books in order by size, large to small.

REWARD: All participants will receive a fountain pen, with instructions: write a character’s name on any surface and you will be able to see through their eyes for thirty seconds. After using it once, it will become an ordinary (but fancy!) pen.

Crowley will be available to contact for any general inquiries, though responses may be tardy since the cat NPCs are likely to be asleep on a high shelf together.

GREENHOUSE


The greenhouse and surrounding courtyard should be tranquil, but more often than not it ends up just as absurd as the rest of Oska. Recruits will be tasked with cleaning one of the giant glass domes that houses a massive, archaic tree at its core. Surrounding it is an entire biosphere teeming with life, but the fauna is limited -- that shift in the corner of your eye? Probably a slithering vine. The snapdragons here will take off a finger if you’re not careful, and the stinging nettles will leave worse than a rash. Some examples of the more fantastical plants are listed below, though players are welcome to create their own:
  • Noxious Nightweed: the bright, glowing flowers of the nightweed are beautiful and full of nectar that smells of berries -- catching scent of it will cause drowsiness, lethargy, and thirst. As enticing as the flower sap may be to drink, it’s deeply corrosive and will burn on contact. Don’t fall asleep handling one!
  • Kukichas: These large, puffy, red fungi are harmless to other plants and tend to grow on just about any other flora. However, they’ll stick to anything that brushes up against them and detonate some time later. Once they explode, characters will be plagued with itchiness, tickling sensations, and sneezing fits. Characters can remove these by quickly finding another person to stick them to. Beware though: kukichas reproduce by budding. Quickly.
  • Mandrake: these plants appear to be normal, tiny shrubs, but when pulled out of the earth will become animate and let out a horrible, piercing wail that only increases in volume over time. They will cease when fed a drop of blood.
But none of the compost should go to waste! After gathering trimmings and various plants, herbs, and flowers, recruits will be shuffled off to the greenhouse labs to make use of them. There are gargantuan, dusty grimoires full of recipes for various potions and all the necessary cauldrons and equipment to brew them. The directions are laid out thoroughly, but are quite complex -- one character may have to read an incantation while the other stirs, others might require careful handling of volatile substances, and so forth. The only thing they have in common is that none of them can be properly made without a little aid from someone else, so work together!

Worse still, the books are old. Text in some places is washed out and requires quick, smart improvising. Or guesswork. ALASTAIR is not responsible for any toxic fumes, poisonous bubbles, or other strange side effects that may arise from randomly throwing ingredients together.

Dagny will be available within both the greenhouse and the labs to offer assistance, feel free to snag her with any questions! There will be a thread below where you may drop links to threads you’d like her to briefly appear in.

REWARD: All characters that participate may keep a single, one-use potion of their choice: mandrake potions are essentially magical molotov cocktails, kukicha potions cause euphoria and ease mental status effects (hallucinations, berserker rage, etc.), and nightweed potions will instantly evaporate into fumes that force anyone who breathes them in to tell the truth.

STABLES


The stables are a mess. It seems like all the stalls have been left open, and there’s animals of every sort everywhere, through courtyard, grounds, and castle. Most of them can be seized by the halter and led back into their stalls easily enough, but there are a few species that are a little trickier than that. Lucky for you, Uruz has a checklist of exactly what’s missing. On it, you will find:
  • Spiked Horkles: These things are enormous, it’s unclear how people are even meant to ride them. They’re giant, bipedal, white-furred monstrosities, with spiked ridges all down their back, intimidating tusks, giant horns, and one single, central eye. The tallest of them are almost fifteen feet high, they look like they could snap you over one knee with their massive hands. They don’t seem to be inclined to violence, but they’re also utterly uninterested in following you anywhere, and impossible to budge. That is, unless you’ve got an instrument or a good singing voice. They’ll happily and docilely follow anyone putting on a musical performance, straight back into their stalls (sized accordingly), if that’s where the route takes them.
  • Sixers: A sixer isn’t really all that different from a horse… except for the fact that it has six legs, and each of its hooves strikes sparks whenever it lands. This is fine if it’s taking a stroll in the wake of a light rain, or over stone, but entire fields have been lost to a herd of sixers. And unfortunately the whole lot of them seems determined to go sightseeing into the castle itself. They’re relatively easy to lead around, all it takes is any sort of food a horse would be inclined to eat, but the route you lead them on is the important part. Try not to cause any more property damage than necessary, please.
  • Boxing Peters: This creature looks like its closest relation might be a giant anteater, although this version is several times larger. Also, nearly hidden along the long, hanging hair of its stomach is several more pairs of legs, tucked neatly into its body as it walks. They’re content to snuffle about in the courtyard, but will resist tugs at their halters, and utterly ignore any attempts at herding. The only way to catch the attention of a Boxing Peter is to challenge it. Drop into a fighting stance in front of it, take a swing at its side (not too hard, Uruz would remind you), shout insults -- whatever it takes. Upon being challenged a Boxing Peter rises up onto its hind legs and unfolds all ten of its hidden limbs, each of which ends in a large, padded hand, ready to fight. You don’t actually have to fight, but it’ll pursue a challenger wherever it might lead, until mutual bows signify the end of the match.
  • Webbed Gliders: These are ALASTAIR’s aquatic environment mounts. And, oddly enough, they’re just tiny frogs with webbed limbs like a flying squirrel. They don’t need to be very large to be useful, as it turns out -- each one secretes a special slime which, when touched, shrinks whoever has done the touching to a size small enough to comfortably ride it. You’ll have to get these little guys back into the tank inside the stables without touching them, and they can be found anywhere outside where it’s damp. Any shrinking will wear off after 5 minutes without contact with the frog-slime.
  • Ferrets: That’s it, they’re just ferrets. They’re enormous rideable ferrets, but still just ferrets. They’re just as energetic and playful as their smaller counterparts, and they have way too much energy to want to go back into their stalls. You’ll have to wear them out first, and it’s suggested you do so by playing with them. Did you know most of these ferrets are trained to fetch? Uruz is very proud of that.

Uruz is happy to give pointers for the trickier species, but she’ll have to be found before she can be asked. She’s off wrangling some of the more volatile mounts, and can be spotted throughout the grounds madly galloping after something or another. If you have any interest in snagging Uruz for part of your thread, feel free to drop a link in her thread below for a tag-in!

REWARD: As thanks for their assistance, each recruit will be sent away with a small, silver whistle. Blowing it will entrance all animals within hearing range, putting them into a placid trance for about a minute. This whistle will work for about two months before its effect begins to wear out.

OTHER


If your character isn’t signed up for any of these tasks, you are still welcome to tag into other characters carrying them out! The Training Center will be locked for the duration of its event, but the Library, Stables, and Greenhouse are all open to visitors. Characters are free to stop in and help (or mock) their friends, but they will not be receiving the same rewards as characters specifically contacted for help. You are also free to create open prompts within Oska at large, or your own logs. This log covers the next 2 weeks, so feel free to set them at any time within that timeframe!

UNIFORMS: Every character will also find their official uniforms when they return to their rooms, accompanied by a note from Dagny: A reward for being you! :) - Love, Dagny. There is a gold star sticker by her name. The uniforms are instantly respawning, no matter how damaged they get. Whenever a character opens their closet, they will find a brand new one.
heavyhitter: (if you're with me let me see your hands)

mechanical room!

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-09 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ramir has done a spectacular job of avoiding any sort of responsibility this week, and she's opted to top it off with an aimless, wandering stroll. All the better if this runs her into anyone carrying out those assigned chores — she loves making fun of those schmucks. They practically painted targets on their own backs.

What she spots as she turns a corner isn't a new victim — at least, not of the chores-doing sort — but is still enough to pique interest. She's got an amused smile in place before she's even five steps closer.
]

You got this whole place to explore, of course you go for the only locked door.

[ Well, sort of only locked door, all the personal quarters are locked except to the owners. That doesn't count. ]
gutpunching: (31)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-09 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Chores are for squares, it's true.

The audience doesn't much surprise him. Much as it goes against almost everything he'd been taught, secrecy can't really be the endgame, here. Just because he'd ditched the magic network gadget doesn't mean that the invisible ALASTAIR powers-that-be wouldn't have half a dozen other invisible ways to keep an eye on the only locked door in the complex, as clean as the corridor looks and as deserted as the hallway might seem between wanderers. No reason to get careless, but sometimes you have to work with what you've got.

So he raises his eyes briefly at Ramir's approach and then drops them again. He's concentrating.
]

Just lucky, I guess.

[Actually, it had taken a lap of the castle, a dip into the dungeons, and a friendly warning from the ALASTAIR staff about the off-limits nature of the room—which, naturally, he'd taken in a way they had not exactly intended—to land him here. He shifts the pins in his hands minutely. Then, as if at a stopping point, he looks back up at his company.]

You sound pretty sure about that.

[The only locked door in the whole place. It's a pretty big place.]
heavyhitter: see you next tuesday (you call me up and had the nerve to say)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-09 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This one, she realizes as soon as he glances up, is cute. Oh man, someone here is lucky, that's for sure. She smiles brightly and drops into a lean against the wall nearest to his work, arms folded over her chest because that looks cool. ]

Super sure. I've had a lot of time to kill.

[ She pulls a mock-thoughtful look, turning her attention toward the opposite wall. ]

Actually, I guess not really the only locked door, there's some locked shit in the dungeons. But god, that's really not worth checking out, just a load of empty cells. [ She sighs dramatically. It's so hard being bored. Back to him again: ] Any progress?
gutpunching: (12)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-10 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
[He cocks a brow back at Ramir as she makes herself comfortable. Well, this is definitely the friendliest welcome he's gotten so far. He's been lying low while he gets his bearings, and mostly the crew had been content to let him. Busy with their chores or just unconcerned by another new face happening by in the halls. (Unenthused HR guy had said that they were short staffed...just how often do people filter in and out?)

Getting chatty with the friendlier locals does have its immediate merits. "Locked shit in the dungeons" gets filed away on lower priority. The "worth a look but probably a dead end" kind. And even though the door right in front of him is actually probably not a dead end, he's no closer to cracking it than he was at the start. He hums under his breath and takes a second or two to suck at his teeth and admit—
]

Doubt it. Not if it didn't give the first time.

[And he says it with a solid kind of confidence that may or may not be warranted, here. And yet here he is, giving it another go anyway. For determination's sake, maybe. Or a dislike of letting something go unfinished. (Or, y'know, boredom.) But really—]

I think we both know it's not really going to be a hairpin job.

[The only locked door in the whole place? Probably not going to be that easy. Still, he's gotten this far. He punctuates his answer with a twist of his fingers and a pull on the door handle. There's a quiet metallic noise that almost could have been the click of the lock disengaging. But the door doesn't move, and when he withdraws his makeshift picks, the metal pins have been snapped clear off a few millimeters shy of his fingers.]
heavyhitter: (yeah you'd hand your life to me)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-10 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her lean might be casual and her attention along with it, but she's definitely watching his technique — mostly sidelong. The guy looks pretty practiced, she has to admit. He might be better than her. She'd mostly given up on picking locks after realizing she could just break them off, she's now officially rusty.

She laughs when he draws away and she spots the snapped-off remains, and turns more fully toward him.
]

Man, that beast fucked up your set! That's so sad. [ She steps forward, making a shooing motion with one hand. ] Okay, here, lemme try something.
gutpunching: (29)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-10 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
[We can't all be supers, Ramir!!! Some of us need to live the utility belt life, okay.

He frowns and spins the useless pins thoughtfully between his fingers before tossing them to the side so he can be shoo'd away from the door. Not exactly a project he's feeling possessive over, so he backsteps out of her way obligingly enough. Be his guest. After she takes his place at the lock—
]

Don't tell me this is an "open sesame" kind of magic door.

[It's too huge and heavy to kick down, that's for sure. Besides, magic always does seem to go for the drama. Speak friend and enter." That kind of thing.]
heavyhitter: you traded me away long gone (with a shower of yeahs and whatevers)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-10 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
God, I hope so. Wouldn't that be hilariously embarrassing for you?

[ But it's probably not, as fun as guessing phrases to try on a door for a while sounds. She takes Jason's place at the door, eyes the lock for a moment, then just settles her whole hand around it and twists. Her body language says she doesn't anticipate having to put much force into it, and in fact she looks a little startled when it doesn't give easily. She ups the force behind it, even getting to gritting her teeth, and finally has to drop her grip on it with a hiss of breath between her teeth. ]

Wow. That usually works. [ She shakes her hand out, giving the palm a rub. Stupid lock kinda hurt. ] That's a seriously heavy-duty secret in there.
gutpunching: (06)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-10 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Speaking of embarrassing. Wow, really? He looks simultaneously bemused and amused by her apparent surprise when that particularly blunt solution doesn't work. He cants his head back at her offended expression, and he can't help a bit of a grin. Helpfully—]

No, keep going. I think you've got 'em on the ropes.

[We'll address the Serious Plot Stuff in a minute.]
heavyhitter: in 45 seconds (i bet i could steal that car AND trash i)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-10 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, yeah? Think so?

[ Hell no, she's not trying that again, looking stupid (unintentionally — intentionally is a whole different matter) once is enough for her. She takes a step back and looks over the door like she's sizing it up. ]

How about I just punch it in? I'm sure no one's tried that before.
gutpunching: (61)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-10 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Yes, because intentionally stupid is much cooler. (????)]

Can't imagine why.

[Because it would be stupid, that's why. He's foolishly at least like, 90 percent sure she isn't...actually going to try to punch the lock in, because he's only known Ramir for like, five minutes, and as familiar as he may actually be with the concept of powered people, it's the exception, not the rule. So he hasn't completely twigged to the Actual Superstrength deal yet. Well, she's a big girl, she can make her own bad life decisions.]

Maybe they couldn't afford the broken fingers.
heavyhitter: (what part of party don't you understand)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-10 02:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She snorts. ]

Sounds like a quitter's problem!

[ She spends a few more seconds studying the door, somehow having shifted from a joking proposition to a serious one. Maybe she could take it down... but, then again, no lock has resisted her like that in months, and if she could batter the door down, it probably wouldn't be easy. She doesn't particularly want someone else watching her attempts.

So she finally steps back with a dismissive wave of her hand before pocketing both of them.
]

Nah, fuck it, there can't be anything that good in there. I mean, have you seen the kitchens? Nothing tops that.
gutpunching: (38)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-11 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Nothing, huh? Locked up doesn't mean that what's in there is all that good in the first place.]

That sounds like a real lack of imagination.

[It also sounds like something a quitter would say! He's not actually in this to egg her on into busting a knuckle open, but he's not giving up on it, either. So much for the direct route, just going to have to find a less obvious angle. There ought to be one somewhere. But the attempt is shelved for now, since he's got company, and if anyone upstairs is watching the door, maybe they can be placated a bit by his apparent backing off. He pockets his own hands in his jacket, as if joining Ramir in writing it off as a lost cause.]

No unbreakable locks on the cupboards, I assume.

[He's aware of the kitchens as a concept and a location. He hasn't actually been here long enough to bother making use of them.]
heavyhitter: (:)))))))

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-11 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ She's not a quitter, she's just invested in... finding other ways to spend time. More fun ways. Like this: she leans in toward Jason, smile suddenly gone wide. ]

Hey, question — what's your favorite food? If you could just pick one thing.

[ For real, man, the kitchen is her favorite place in Oska so far. She's not used to having fully enough to eat every day, let alone whatever she wants. She'll never get over this, never. ]
gutpunching: (69)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-12 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, that's actually fair enough. (Even if it's been a while since he'd had to worry where his next meal was going to come from, you don't really forget it.) Still, he raises both his brows this time when she leans in toward him.]

Why? [He makes a show of considering it, when he's really mostly considering her. All wide smile and in-your-face and mildly personal questions now that the break-in's a bust. It's not really much of a deflection, he's just feeling her out.] Are you going to cook me dinner?
heavyhitter: i'll draft in like a breeze (leave your window cracked for me)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-12 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ She snorts, which really should be answer enough. Her cooking dinner probably wouldn't end well for anyone. ]

Come on, easy question, no reason to dodge it. Pick something. [ And she does lean back a little again, but it comes with a pointed cross of both arms over her chest and eyebrow quirk, so it might not actually be any kind of improvement. ]
gutpunching: (02)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-12 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Bossy! He quirks a corner of his mouth up and huffs a breath out through his nose. But obliges.]

Chili dogs. Real ones. Never got enough of 'em.

[Hadn't been a common sight in Wayne manor. Too many unhealthy nitrates, you know. And city-boy loyalty does go a ways. They just don't make them the same outside of Gotham.]
heavyhitter: (we're looking for something dumb to do)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-12 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ That gets an immediate smile, because of course even in Earth's scifi future there are real chili dogs. ]

Nice. Good choice. [ And she turns on her heel, nodding him along with as she starts down the hall. ] Come on, I'm gonna show you something beautiful.
gutpunching: (30)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-12 06:34 am (UTC)(link)
[If Earth can't achieve the perfect chili dog in the scifi future than what is the point, really.

Well, that's encouraging. She leads the way enthusiastically, so he falls into step beside her before she can get too much of a lead. Keeping casual track of their route through the sketchy mental map he's got of the compound. As they wind through the halls toward their destination, he takes a stab at ruining the surprise.
]

Kitchen?

[Educated guess. He used all his detective skills for this one.]
heavyhitter: (youve a lazy laugh and a red white shirt)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-12 05:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There are a lot of turns on the way — it's not a labyrinth (that's downstairs, with all the jail cells), but it can take some doing to get around. Ramir, clearly, has had some time to practice that doing. ]

No, no — the room with all the food and cooking stuff. What do they call that? Like bakery but more than just bread and dessert. [ that's what you get for ruining the surprise, which was not actually much of a surprise to begin with. ]
gutpunching: (07)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-13 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, if we're going to get sassy about it. Fine, how about something that fits the spooky castle atmosphere a little better.]

Mess? Galley? Scullery?

[No? He can do this in like half a dozen other languages, too. Assuming they don't just get magically autotranslated the minute they leave his mouth, how does this work.]

Küche? Cucina? Am I getting warmer?
heavyhitter: (am i too dirty am i too flirty?)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-13 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ That last one pricks her attention, and she snaps her fingers. ]

Cucina, that's the one! [ And she glances over again, looking pleased. She wasn't gonna give away the big surprise that easily, but she has to make exceptions for Italian. Native language, and all. ] You speak any Italian? Or just that word?
gutpunching: (61)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-13 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Huh. That's interesting. He considers his options for a step, then—]

Conversationally. You'd probably have to go slow, I'm pretty rusty.

[This is a white(ish) lie. He could probably even read lips in Italian if he needed to. It's Russian he still has some periodic trouble with. Though, of course, this is assuming.]

Do you?
heavyhitter: (do i repulse you with my queasy smile?)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-13 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ Conversationally, she'll take that. It's been a while since she's been able to talk to anyone in Italian. So, obviously, she continues in Italian: ]

Don't speak any, myself. But I hear it's a great language, maybe I should learn it some day. [ She speaks it comfortably and fluently, but the regional accent isn't from anywhere on Earth. ] Where'd you learn it?
gutpunching: (17)

[personal profile] gutpunching 2016-03-13 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[He lets an extra beat or two pass by before answering, frowning out at the corridor as if he needs to remember how to switch linguistic gears and catch up to her. The language is right, but the accent is legitimately unfamiliar, and that is also interesting. Lets see.]

Gotham. [And he'll play along and continue in kind, switching over to Italian and speaking a little more deliberately from here on. Assuming she recognizes the city in the first place—and she should, if they're from the same neck of the universal woods, which is worth feeling out—his accent checks out, just the same as it does when he's speaking English. American, by way of New Jersey, by way of Gotham City. He could downplay it more if he tried, but he's rusty, so he doesn't bother.] Had a couple loud neighbors and some pretty thin walls, as a kid. Ended up filling in the gaps in my vocabulary later on.

[This is also, partly, a lie. If mostly by omission. Can't very well come out and claim he learned from the Batman and his butler, can he. Besides, he's not here to talk about himself.]

What about you?

[Clearly she's got a pretty good handle on it. But where does that accent come from?]
heavyhitter: to send me into outer space (vote all yes!)

[personal profile] heavyhitter 2016-03-13 07:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Gotham's no city she's ever heard of, but whatever, he's from Earth from what she can tell, she mostly just knows where she's traveled. His accent is obvious and American, but she doesn't feel like mocking him for it while she's still appreciating that he can speak the language at all. Maybe later. ]

Good way to learn it. [ Also, really impressive. This guy's gotta be pretty smart. ]

As for me — Italian's the primary language of most of the human sectors of Spodea. Grew up with it. [ She looks pleased for a few seconds, before remembering that might not mean anything to him. With a glance over: ] Are you pre- or post- getting the fuck off Earth?

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