Excerpt 007: Lay of the Land

[rekindledtitan]

TYPE: Patrol log

LOCATION: Nexus

PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [rekindledtitan], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Costas, Adia [chiron_survivor]



ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Costas, Adia; Blaze-37; Cylons; New Caprica; Demeter Effect



Blaze’s patrols in the Nexus have become less frequent, but the need to keep the place monitored and safe hasn’t diminished just because she wants to distract herself. So she still arrives, on a schedule dictated by strategy and calculated variations. All the better to be unpredictable.

Still, there are certain people they’re not out to surprise, and by the time her boots hit the paved Nexus streets this time, Ghost has already sent a text message well ahead of them:

Hello Adia! If you’re free to come along, we’ll be on patrol in the Nexus three hours from now. Hopefully the temporal variations won’t throw that estimate off by too much. If you can make it then we’ll arrange a rendezvous. -Ghost

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

"It is," she says simply. "But they aren't as different from humans as some people would have you believe, either. You see far scarier things on your world, Ghost." It is something of a marvel that a little alien machine can show more concern for Adia than a Cylon that is biologically no different from a human. Blaze is lucky to have him as a companion.

Adia keeps pace with Blaze as best she can. It is not her height or a lack of energy that gives her trouble, it's that darn cup of hot chocolate. She can't take a sip without slowing down. "Ah, maybe not so fast at first?" She'd ditch the drink but she hates to waste anything, even if it was free and made with one of those instant cocoa packets. "The snow is beautiful, but I don't want any of it on me when I return home." There is no way to explain snow on a planet where the only precipitation is rain. "But it is very pretty. I'm glad I get to see it here."

[rekindledtitan]

"We get to punch ours, though," Blaze points out, regretful that Adia doesn't have it so simple. She counts herself lucky for a lot of reasons; Ghost's guidance and companionship is just the first.

"...You get to punch them. I only break their locks," Ghost corrects, to a chuckle from his Guardian. "Not that that isn't satisfying..."

Blaze is a little reluctant to slow down, but needs must and she did invite her friend out here in the cold. An easy stroll it will be, until Adia indicates otherwise. "Did you have snow back home? On... Leonis?"

It takes a brief search of her memory to find the rare instance where Adia named her original homeworld: fortunate that Exo memories are hyper-accurate when they aren't utterly blank.

[chiron_survivor]

"You can fight them with a clear conscience," Adia says, smiling a little at Ghost's comment. Not that she desires to punch anyone, but a war fighting pure evil sounds much more appealing than the complicated mess in Adia's world.

"Sorry." She lifts up her cup. "Once I finish this, I'll be able to move faster." The cold doesn't seem to be bothering her, though. She's not even wearing a hat. "Yes, that's right," she says, pleased that Blaze remembered her home world. "We had snow in the mountains, but the winters where I lived were very mild. Only a few inches at most."

The topic of winter is a perfect segue to mentioning its patron spirit, but Adia stalls, taking another sip of hot chocolate first before clearing her throat. "I, um... I talked to Reynard."

[rekindledtitan]

"It's a rare privilege," Blaze acknowledges. She's only too aware how special her position is... though she tends to spare little thought for the downsides.

"We're not in a hurry," Ghost assures Adia. The little bot is peeking at her now and again as they go, noticing her relative comfort compared to how much Steve wraps up when they patrol with him. "I don't know how chocolate tastes, but it smells nice."

Her other news distracts him quite handily, however. Both bots stop dead for a moment, Blaze's head swiveling to look at Adia. It's just a moment though, before the Titan resumes her slow march stroll. "How'd that go? You hash things out with him?"

Adia doesn't appear hurt at all - Ghost would have jumped to call attention to it - and she doesn't seem distraught. Both ought to be good signs, in Blaze's opinion.

[chiron_survivor]

Despite the conditions of her settlement, Adia is a lot hardier than Steve. It also helps that Reynard blessed her with cold resistance for the season. "You have a sense of smell?" she asks Ghost, surprised, before peering at the little bot thoughtfully. "You aren't missing too much. Flavor mostly comes from a human's sense of smell. The tongue only picks up five distinct tastes, so it's smell that carries the most information."

Adia stops as well, less gracefully, not expecting so abrupt a reaction. It takes her a moment to fall back in sync with Blaze, "It went okay. It wasn't easy confronting him, but he knew something was wrong as soon as he saw me. I... I don't think he realized how much it would hurt me, to be caught off-guard like that." To be reminded of her own painful past. "So, um... he explained himself, as best he could, and promised that he would try to be honest with me from now on." She looks up at the both of them, Blaze especially, unconsciously looking for their acceptance, or at least tolerance, of her continued friendship with Reynard. "I don't think he would ever hurt me -- not directly -- but I can't say the same for the Nexus. He's not the same person in the winter. But at least I know what to expect."

[rekindledtitan]

"Yes, although I think I may be biased toward smells my friends enjoy. Or against the ones I find in... unpleasant surroundings. Without instincts to guide us, we Ghosts have to make our own associations. Exos can taste."

"Pretty much like a human can," Blaze confirms absently. "Definitely get more than five flavors though, so I guess it's more like smelling through your mouth. Ghost's nose is more sensitive."

When she looks there's something in Adia's expression (that strange expectant hope) that makes her blink twice, rapidly, then jerk her gaze back to the path. She brushes it aside and gives a nod. "You know where you stand - that's something. What was his excuse for the attack?"

[chiron_survivor]

"Well, if you don't need to eat, then a sense of smell loses some of its purpose," Adia muses out loud. "But it's still important. It's the most primitive sense. Can you eat, Blaze? Or do you use your sense of taste for something else?" Seems kind of a strange thing to give an artificial life form, even one with a similar structure to a human.

Not knowing how to interpret Blaze's reaction, she hurriedly takes another sip of hot chocolate, draining the cup enough to justify throwing it out. A quick toss in a nearby trashcan, and she quickens her pace for Blaze's benefit, as if to apologize. For what, she doesn't know. "He said that this time of year, his own will is Winter's. And Winter wanted to stay in the Nexus for as long as possible."

[rekindledtitan]

"Nah, it's just- more information about my environment, I guess." There's a momentary hesitation in her voice, but Blaze shrugs. "We inherited a lot from humans." Whether it makes any visible sense or not. What does an Exo need with a mouth? A gender?

She's less concerned with hiding her uncertainty when it comes to Reynard, frowning before she shoots a look at Ghost for advice. His will is not his own. She's heard things like this before. Maybe even touched on a state like it herself. Still, this is new, and she's not immediately clear if Reynard really means that or if it's a particularly pretentious excuse.

"Winter's will?" Dark and Light and the Wrath of Queens and Warminds she knows, but... "Winter has a will? So you're saying he doesn't get a say in his actions?"

Intense as she is, it's determination rather than anger or even disbelief. She doesn't know if she buys it yet; she doesn't understand and she's trying to feel it out.

[chiron_survivor]

She hopes she hasn't said something inappropriate by asking. Although it's true, it doesn't make much sense. "Cylons inherited a lot from humans, too, but I much prefer your company, even if we can't share a meal." Or the same walking speed for too long.

"Well... not quite. It's not as though he's possessed. But Winter lives through him. I don't think he could tell it 'no', even if he wanted to." She hopes she's explaining it in a way that Blaze will understand. "Do the people on your Earth have any stories about spirits that they like to share? Creation myths, things like that?"

[rekindledtitan]

"Heh." She can't smile, and yet there's something in the look she shoots Adia's way that suggests it. "I always liked thinking that was important to our creators, whoever they were. Making sure we had common ground. We were meant to share the same world even if we look at it a little differently." She chuckles. "Besides, we can still share a drink, and that's what matters."

Neither of these bots tends to be familiar with popular culture as the Nexus knows it... but myths are a different matter. Myth is a matter of tradition, and Titans are inclined to take note of tradition even if it's not directly related to war. Blaze has to nod, albeit slowly.

"Yeah. Not the ones we're normally listening to, but I've heard 'em. Demeter's one of yours, right? Some of Reynard's powers are named after her, in our records."

[chiron_survivor]

"Whatever they did, they did it the right way." She wouldn't want hordes of evil aliens swarming her solar system, but she can't help but wish that the relationship between Cylons and humans had turned out a little more like the ones between Guardians and humans. "You can drink? How does that work?" She looks over at Ghost again curiously. "How about you? Or do you only have sensory receptors?"

Adia nods, mildly surprised. She had forgotten that Blaze's world had some names and myths in common with her own. "Demeter is one of our gods, yes. She's in charge of agriculture and fertility..." She puzzles a little over any possible connection to Reynard, then shakes her head. "She's responsible for winter, too, but only because her daughter was kidnapped and taken to the underworld. At least, according to the old myths. Stuff that predates the Sacred Scrolls. But the reason I bring it up is that Reynard fits those old myths. The ones that talk of spirits who are beholden to the things that they represent."

[rekindledtitan]

She'd smile at that first remark, if she could, and it might not be her usual sort of smile - but it means something to her, that Adia thinks so. Booze and buzzes are just an easier topic to move onto. She gestures toward her mouth, a mimed movement that looks suspiciously like swigging from a hipflask.

"Just need a powerpack with contacts that can fit my mouth. I don't need it, but sometimes it's nice to get kinda buzzed with some friends."

Ghost gives her a rather direct stare for a moment with his unreadable expression, before he sighs and answers Adia. "Ghosts don't have that ability, which I suspect is a very wise safety measure. I... guess you don't drink much either?"

At least they all have things to puzzle over, here. Blaze chews it over as they walk, optics sweeping over the street ahead. "Yeah. I've heard stories that go that way too. Guess I can understand if he's bound to Winter. Wrapped up in it mind and soul. Doesn't let him off the hook for his actions, either, but I guess snow doesn't have much sense of responsibility."

Hmmmm. Not an easy one for her to come to terms with, but she's working her way through it. Ghost is keeping quiet during this discussion, it must be noted - ostensibly scouting just ahead but looking back at the two of them in a way that makes it clear he's still listening.

[chiron_survivor]

"Oh... oh, I see." She never would have thought it possible for robots to get drunk, except she's had this conversation before. "I had a robot friend in the Nexus who told me that his kind could get drunk on something called energon."

Adia hides a smile behind her hand when Ghost gives Blaze a look. "Not a fan?" she says mildly. She suspects that Ghost wouldn't drink even if he could, likely for the same reasons she chooses not to imbibe much. "No, not very much. I have a low tolerance, and the only alcohol available in the Settlement is the kind you make in a wash basin. It smells like paint thinner."

"No, of course not," she agrees quickly. "It's not like he's possessed, he's still aware of what he's doing." She absently adjusts the scarf around her neck, a thick wool knit in a pretty shade of blue. "He's well aware that he's made enemies here, too. He doesn't seem to care much about that. But... he does care about me, for what it's worth."

[rekindledtitan]

"'Energon', huh? Sounds like an ancient brand name." She'd try it, anyway. Not much she wouldn't try for the hell of it. "Don't see too many other bots around the Nexus- I'm guessing this guy wasn't a Cylon either." That's an easy bet. It's nice to think there are other cybernetic people out there, specifically ones who aren't hostile.

"Well, going for a drink doesn't always stop at a little buzz, especially... um, in the Nexus." Forget it, Ghost, Blaze is merrily oblivious to meaningful glances. "I think the important thing is to spend time with our friends, getting to know people."

There's no halt this time, but Adia's words draw a look from Blaze, golden optics intent on her face for a brief moment. "You trust him." That's not a question. This is: "You believe he's worth it?"

[chiron_survivor]

"It was their fuel, too, but I guess if you had too much of it, it was like being intoxicated." She flashes a brief, wry smile at Blaze. "No, not a Cylon. He was a... Cybertronian." She hopes she's remembering that right. "Human-sized, but others of his kind were much larger. He could transform into a boat." Something she never got a chance to see. The regret shows on her face. "But I haven't seen him lately, not since I started visiting the Nexus again..." She tucks her hands in her pockets and looks away. It's clear that she misses him. It must say something about his character, that he was able to befriend her despite her inherent wariness of robotic lifeforms.

She smiles sympathetically at Ghost. "It isn't easy being the designated driver, is it? But it is nice to unwind a little. Those of us who can, anyway." She certainly could use something to take the edge off, now and then.

Adia looks up at Blaze and nods emphatically. "Despite his powers, he lives as a human. And all this time, he's been rejected and cast out for what he can do. Maybe what he needs is a friend, someone who reminds him of the part of him that isn't Winter."

[rekindledtitan]

"Oh, hey! I know one of those guys. Big fellow called Bulkhead, visits the Nexus once in a while. Good to have at your back in a fight." Blaze's character references are a bit different, but she cares deeply about her friends. She understands the sorrow Adia's trying not to show. The Exo lifts a hand to her shoulder, offering some honest optimism.

"I hope you find your friend again. Everything else shows up here: it wouldn't be fair if he didn't." Hmmm. Now she thinks of it... "Cybertronians have a hell of a war on their hands too, if I got that right. Could be his world's keeping him busy and he'll be back when things settle down."

As she often does, Blaze exchanges a look with Ghost before she nods. "I hope he proves you right, then. I'll trust you to hold him to account if he pushes you, got it?"

[chiron_survivor]

The name is unfamiliar to her, but fits the pattern of other Cybertronians that she's met. "I don't see as many of their kind in the Nexus anymore... hopefully I'll get to meet Bulkhead sometime." The larger Transformers are easier for her to handle, in some ways, bearing little resemblance to Centurions.

She smiles at Blaze's shoulder pat, appreciating the gesture. "I hope so, too. He was a good friend. I'm not sure that's why I haven't seen him, though. I think there had been some sort of truce on his world? He talked about working with the opposing side a few times..." She hadn't asked for any details, not wanting to be embroiled in another conflict where she'd be forced to pick sides.

It's a great relief that Blaze and Ghost are trusting her on this. "I won't let him take advantage of our friendship," she promises. She's reasonably confident about this. She didn't let him get away with his weak excuses on why he hadn't told her anything, after all. "And he knows that I won't stop being friends with people he doesn't get along with, either." If someone asks her to pick sides, she'll... well, probably cry in a corner somewhere. But she's not a fair-weather friend.

[rekindledtitan]

"That's good - all the more reason to figure he'll be back safe and well." She wonders what a boat Cybertronian would look like - what a Cybertronian boat looks like, for that matter. She doesn't remember Bulkhead mentioning any oceans on their planet. "Huh. I almost envy that transformation trick of theirs. Being able to fly would make patrols a lot easier- but I'd miss having my boots on the ground."

Blaze won't pretend she isn't concerned, but she's got no authority to order Adia around either - nor does she see that she's got any business telling her friend not to act brave and principled. "Good. But if he does threaten anyone, we won't hesitate to stop him. Nothing says you can't fight Winter."

"He's not the only one who answers to a higher power," Ghost adds quietly.

[chiron_survivor]

"Oceanglide knows how to take care of himself," Adia says with a small, wry smile. No, it's not that she's worried that something bad has happened to her friend. Her concern runs deeper, a matter of her not being in the same Nexus as before. But there's nothing wrong with hoping. She's made some good friends in the meantime. "You could have been given wings," she says light-heartedly. "Then you wouldn't even have to transform."

"As you should, but I'm hoping it won't come to that." She's not thrilled about waiting to see if Reynard can keep out of trouble this year, but it's not like she can do anything about it. "He promised that he wouldn't put me in the middle of any conflict, at least."

She looks over at Ghost and smiles reassuringly. "Hey, before I forget to tell you, I got to ride a horse in the Nexus."

[rekindledtitan]

"Heh, think I could pull off wings?" She's tickled by the idea, though one glance over her shoulders and she decides they'd get in the way of her weapons. "The only person I know with wings is an angel. Touches down like a feather. Me, I'm more like a crashing warsat."

Promising retribution to Reynard this way holds none of the joy she felt last year, charging out to answer his challenge in the snow. But it's a true promise and she's glad Adia understands the necessity. (Even if a small part of her wonders whether Adia's feelings will be so simple, should warning turn to battle.)

For now she nods, with a low grunt of acceptance. There's some reassurance in knowing Adia (and any civilians standing next to her) will be left out of future trouble.

They both look up curiously at her news - and the happy change of subject. "You did?" Ghost perks up. "We've only met one up close. Although I... don't think that was a normal horse either."

[chiron_survivor]

"Absolutely," Adia says with a bright grin. It's easy for her to imagine a pair of stylized wings on Blaze's back, the same colors as the rest of her armor. "You could swoop down like one of the Furies." Her eyebrows go up at the mention of an angel. "Are they nice? We don't have anything like angels in our mythology... well, except for Eros, but he's a god, not a spirit."

She seems at peace with the situation currently, but Blaze is right to wonder if she will feel differently when push comes to shove. But that is a problem for another time. "I did!" She beams, remembering the event fondly, before blinking at Ghost in surprise. "Oh, I wonder if it was the same horse. What did it look like? Was its owner a woman with black skin and horns?" It's always possible that there is more than one strange horse in the Nexus (which would be totally awesome, by the way), but it's more likely that Blaze and Ghost also met Paladin and her steed.

[rekindledtitan]

"Hah, I'd like that!" Like a Fury, huh? It's a good image. She imagines how easy it would be to stoop in, to light out and reposition at will, hammering her enemies from a different angle every time they tried to regroup, striking them with Light and vengeance-

Yeah. It's a very good image.

"Angel's great," she assures Adia. "Kinda shy, but she's loyal and brave in a fight. Uses her power to protect and heal people. I should introduce you two sometime, you'd have a lot in common." Well, so far as Angel gets mortal people. Blaze hasn't actually seen her socialize in the usual sense, but she assumes it'll work out for the best.

And on the subject of friends in common, she brightens right up at Adia's description. "You met Paladin too, huh?"

"A big black horse who sort of... floats when it moves? That sounds right. You really rode on him?"

[chiron_survivor]

It's flattering to hear that she has something in common with an angel, especially one held in high esteem by Blaze. "I'm assuming you mean the shyness, and not the fighting. I'd like to meet her, if the opportunity comes up. And her name is Angel?" An angel named Angel... Adia would find it strange if she hadn't already met a paladin named Paladin.

Speaking of... "I did, when she first showed up in the Nexus." And judging by the open smile on her face, they got along quite well. "We've hung out a few times now. I like her a lot, she's really nice." It's not entirely surprising that Blaze seems to like her, too, but it is also a relief after the whole Reynard fiasco.

She grins at the small bot. "Yep. She let me name him, too." She shrugs thoughtfully and adds, "Honestly, he doesn't ride that differently from a regular horse. What did he think of you, Ghost?"

[rekindledtitan]

"No, not so much the shyness. More the loyalty and compassion, even after she got a hard time from all sides back in her world." Blaze explains this quite casually, adding with a chuckle, "Even if you don't demonstrate it on the battlefield so often. But yeah, she calls herself Angel. Got a few things in common with Ghost that way, too."

And Paladin, well- Blaze's tone says that she's already rather fond of the Tiefling warrior. "She's pretty great, isn't she? Only ran into her once, but we got a drink and she told me how she fought a chimera once. You know she actually killed one?"

"What name did you pick?" Ghost asks at once, all curiosity. "I don't really know what he thought, but I think perhaps he was curious. He didn't shy away like the other horses I've seen. He just took a good look at me."

[chiron_survivor]

Living up to her shyness, Adia ducks her head and blushes, but she's unable to hide the smile on her face. "So often?" She echoes with a laugh. "Maybe on a metaphorical battlefield... why was Angel getting a hard time?" That, she can relate to, even if the feeling of being pulled in different directions is mostly in her own head.

"She is. And yes, she told me about the chimera. She's fought all sorts of monsters. Kind of reminds me of what you do, actually." Both Paladin and Blaze have a straight-forwardness that Adia deeply appreciates. She grows tired of the subterfuge that some people engage in, even if they are looking out for her best interest. "Did she tell you about the giant bees? She and her friends were able to tame them, and now they make honey for the town." It seems only natural that her favorite story so far is the one with the happy ending for all involved.

"Shadow." She waves her hand in a so-so gesture. "Not the most creative name, but his appearance is so striking, and I couldn't think of a good hero name to give him instead. I think you're right about him being curious. Some horses can be high-strung about new things in their environment, but I'm sure he's been exposed to all sorts of sentient beings."