01 - Public / Video

[domesheriff]

[for a moment, a woman's face is simply staring out at the broadcast, consideringly, as though not sure it's started yet. she's in her early twenties, Hispanic, her dark hair braided, and dressed in the uniform of resort security]

[realizing from the display on the screen that the broadcast must have started, she says:] Hello. [the word is a bit uncertain. she swallows, trying to mask her nerves, and continues more calmly:] I'm Linda Esquivel. I'm from Chester's Mill, Maine. [there's a beat of hesitation, as she wonders if she should give more information than that, but she ultimately decides to leave the description as it is] I just got here a couple days ago, and I've joined the security patrol. I was a sheriff's deputy back home. [and sheriff, but she doesn't think two days of that job due to the disaster that happened really counts, so she leaves her credentials at that]

I thought you should know who I am in case you see me around. And, uh, I'd like to start meeting people, too--and learn a little more about this place. I've never seen anything like it before. [another pause as she debates how to end an open message like this. finally, she goes with:] I'm here if you'd like to talk.

Comments

[Video]

[ratkicker]

[A young, brown-skinned woman in her early twenties shows up on Linda's feed.]

Hey. This is Jade. [Her voice is curt, as if she's making a conscious decision to be reserved.] I'm a photographer and an explorer here.

[domesheriff]

[she nods and comes in, though she doesn't sit without him indicating for her to do so. she knows that the casual manner with which she and Duke worked together isn't something that would fly for a new employee, especially since she doesn't know Kay very well at all yet]

You said there are things I need to know? [she's not quite sure how to ask the question--she can't decide if he means there's required training or if he's referring to the situation Boone mentioned. so she leaves it up to him to share as he likes]

[domesheriff]

[she raises an eyebrow at the name] Say that again? [because she definitely couldn't repeat it if she tried]

Wait. [her surprise is clear] They let you leave the resort and come back?

[domesheriff]

[she frowns, not understanding] I'm...not sure what you mean, but I haven't heard of it. What state is it in? Or country? [she's trying to cover all her bases]

[domesheriff]

Then I'll meet you there. Thanks...Wynter. [and she cuts the feed, heading for the bar]

[domesheriff]

[she frowns] I wonder what's causing that. Recent expansions, maybe? Are they losing their habitats?

[her eyes widen as he describes the animals, though. she's never come across anything quite like what he's talking about. she moves over to a drawer and fishes out a pad of paper, jotting a few things down]

Okay, so I take it they keep more people on the night shift than day. What about the spiders? Are they large, or poisonous, or...? [because they sound like they must be more dangerous than the garden variety she's used to]

[domesheriff]

Hi, Jade. [Linda can sense annoyance in the woman's voice, but she's not sure what it's directed at, so she ignores it for now] Nice to meet you. [she pauses, thinking about what she's read about the area] You explore the ruins?

[vengeance_driven]

Liberty State. It's the city that has the big statue holding up a cup.

I have a postcard. [He leaves his screen to go rifle through things.] Things are a like, but they're a little different.

[In the meanwhile, a big Quadratus hound sticks its four-eyed face in front of the camera, and blinks two sets of eyes.]

[timesbureaucrat]

Narvinektralonum.

Narvin will do.

[He tilts his head.]

They rather encouraged us to leave in the wake of the skeleton spawner activation. Some refused to go, but I was not one of them.

And now that the offworld governments issued a planetary quarantine, imports like us are the resort's only connection to the outside universe--any outside universe. They need us. The foreign governments can blockade air space but they can't block interdimensional teleports. It was simple enough to return here.

[most_feared]

Yeah, there's just a few. [He brings over the tablet, which has a pretty good rundown of what happened when the spawner was activated.]

It was an import, one of us, that's responsible. And someone leaked the information. We're going to try and do damage control before rumor gets outa hand, but we want to figure out who it is that did it.

You can talk to whoever you want, bring in any help you decide you trust to be a suitable expert to help look for clues, whichever. If anyone else from security brings in any information about the case I'll dispatch it to you all.

[givessweetness]

[The last time he was here, he was meeting with Narvin, but that was a meeting with the Head of the CIA, who didn't wish his position to be spread about.

Wynter had no such concerns here. Whether or not there was more to Esquivel than there seemed was irrelevant, as he didn't know any more than the next person here.

With this in mind, he foregoed the 'privacy' of one of the tables against the wall and chose a place more to the middle, closer to the bar.

He rose when he saw her.]

Hello.

[thumbsdown]

The skeletons showed up when a spawner got turned on. Not so sure about the creepers, though.

[He looks away for a moment, apparently looking for something. He walks a short distance, and then turns the communicator so the video is showing a very large spider scuttling around on the other side of the fence. It looks big enough that someone could easily ride on its back if they wanted to.]

Yeah, they're big. Even saw a skeleton ride on one, once.

[He doesn't sound bothered by it, though. He's seen weirder things back home.]

The ones out here aren't poisonous, but it still hurts like hell if they bite you. You can get some in caves that are, though. Those ones are smaller. Some people lost their memory after being bitten by them.

[domesheriff]

You mean the Statue of Liberty? [she's still frowning, not sure what to make of this] It's New York. Maybe...they changed the name? [she can't think of how else to account for this difference]

Oh! [the dog catches her by surprise, and she blinks at its odd appearance briefly--but then she smiles at it] Hey, you. [to Niko, she asks:] Is this guy yours?

[domesheriff]

Nice to meet you, Narvin.

[she nods] I heard a little about that. It sounded...difficult. [she's not sure what else you can say about a disaster that involves killer creatures appearing in the middle of a populated area. she's glad she missed it--and that they were able to contain the problem]

So you think they'll want to keep us here now. [the comment is a statement--a fact that shows no real emotion from her. but her expression is more uncertain when she adds:] Can I ask you something about going back?

[ratkicker]

Yeah. [A puase.] I help out with documenting what was discovered at dig sites, mostly.

[She seems pretty nice for a law enforcer, but she never can be sure.]

[domesheriff]

[she's quiet for a minute, reading over the information he's provided with a frown on her face. and then all she can think to ask is:] How did it get turned off?

[but she looks even more troubled by what he says next. she considers for a minute before the questions start] How do you know it was one of us? And do we have a full list of all the...imports...at the time?

[domesheriff]

[she's not sure what to expect from Wynter, but his kindness so far has given her a good impression. she comes to join him at the table, having changed out of her uniform and into a plain shirt and jeans. it doesn't feel right to go drinking in uniform] Hey, Wynter.

[domesheriff]

The things that make food, you mean? [she looks disturbed at the thought] Do you know where the skeletons came from? Or did the thing just...make them? [she doesn't understand how food comes out of there either, admittedly]

...damn. [she stares; she can't think of any other words to describe that spider] So definitely big. [and while the mental image of a skeleton riding a spider is very weird as far as her home is concerned, she doesn't comment. having come to this strange place, she thinks she could believe almost anything is possible at the moment]

[she cringes at that thought, though] Then we're probably lucky those are just in the caves. They're mostly off-limits, right?

[domesheriff]

[Linda just keeps trying to be conversational] Sounds like a busy job. I've heard the wildlife out there can be...intense.

[timesbureaucrat]

Well, the interdimensional teleports use quite a lot of energy. I'm sure they won't want to waste it on pleasure jaunts back and forth. They'd take us back if we asked, just not necessarily promptly; it would need to be scheduled in around the more essential teleport usage.

[He tilts his head, curious about her question.]

You may ask. It doesn't mean I'll reply. That will depend on what the question is.

[domesheriff]

[she nods] Makes sense. [there's a brief pause before she adds:] I'm just surprised they bring individuals here--instead of groups, I mean. [her tone is a little wistful]

[she raises an eyebrow at his rather haughty response, but she goes ahead and asks the question anyway] I don't really know much about...travel across dimensions. When you went back, had much time passed since you left?

[givessweetness]

[Wynter has not bothered to do that, because Time Lords don't… really change their clothes much. But he sits when she does.] What would you like? [He indicates the bar.]

[domesheriff]

[she waves a dismissive hand] Whatever beer they've got on tap. [she's not sure what to expect in terms of drinks in another universe]

Thanks for meeting me. I get the impression there are a lot of people here I should meet. [she pauses for a beat before clarifying:] Uh, people like us, I mean.

[vengeance_driven]

It's the Statue of Happiness where I'm from. It's all the same thing, just ah... is like one of those stupid TV shows where the evil double has a beard or something like that.

I don't know. A lot of TV is dumb. But that's the way it is I guess.

[Finally he looks at the doggish thing.] Yeah, ah... His name is Pas. [Which is serbian for "dog".] If you have one, they protect you no matter what and I figured in my line of work it would be helpful.

[most_feared]

That one in particular had to be destroyed, but apparently there are still hundreds out there in the world.

They know because we're the only ones with access to the import filter. And while we have no idea what they checked, or if they sent a message, there was residual traces of communicator activity from the spawner area just as it was turned on. The full list is on our filter.

Some people have left, but most of them were checked before they went.