emotionally-helpful-illusionist

✨ Hi! I'm the Illusionist! I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and working together. I'll do my best to help! ✨ OOC: Asks and DMs are open! Excited to interact with people! I use tone tags, and I promise that I mean no real harm to anyone. My icon and character design was made using a picrew and modifiying it. The picrew is here: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1868017

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Hiya!

I feel like I'm introducing myself a lot, but I'm happy to do it again! I'm the Illusionist on the books, but really everyone calls me V. I've been working here for a few months now, I think I've gotten everything figured out!

I work as a disruptor, so I might not get the most kills, but I can pull the enemy team's attention away from you while you do... most of the killing, probably. I have hologram projectors and smoke bombs to buy you as much time as I can! If those don't end up working, shooting or stabbing is usually distracting enough.

Here's my little info card! Those pins on my hat tell you I'm aro and ace. I use she/her pronouns too, by the way.

Here's who I've made friends with so far!

@emotionallydeprived-shapeshifter - By far the person I've talked to the most. Really nice!

@emotionally-clumsy-soldier - Bravest man I've ever met, no idea how he does it.

@physically-synthetic-engibot - Sweet and respectful. Glad I managed to get him out of that factory.

@physically-dead-spring - Extremely confident, and somehow always doing something. She's friends with Shifty!

@emotionally-traumatized-wildcard - Chaotic and friendly at the same time!

@emotionally-inept-medics - Soldier's friend(s?). Very intelligent!

@mentally-joyful-demobot - A calm and well mannered friend. Loves to read and to garden!

@brighteyed-sniperbot - Currently camping out in my room until further notice. (I love the little guy but don't tell anyone I said that!)

✨✨✨

OOC SECTION:

Hi! I'm the person running this! I'm Oceania, I use he/they/she pronouns, and I'm aro ace like V! (Those definitely aren't related! /j) I'm new to roleplay on the internet, especially on tumblr, so please be nice to me lol. Follow backs and likes will be from @oceania627 since this is a sideblog! That's my personal blog.

Any relationship you see V in will be purely familial or platonic!

I may use tone tags in my out of character messages, you can find lists pretty easily just by searching for them. There are much better formulated explanations of what they are out there too!

Tell me if you think your blog should be added to the friends list! I might've forgotten about it by accident.

If I take a while to respond feel free to DM me or poke me some other way, I don't mind notifications!

I will take asks literally whenever, ask me or V anything!

Uh I think that's it! Let's do it!

(This post was last edited on April 29th, 2024.)

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

She really had been trying to resist the urge to simply hop on her motorcycle and go somewhere. V had too much work to do to be goofing off and speeding around. She doesn't exactly have the time for little getaways right now.

But here she was, tearing down the open road. She just had to get out of there. She had considered going to the greenhouse but maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to dump herself on Esme. The plan was to just go for a ride and then loop back to base before bed. Simple.

Since when has the universe given her simplicity?

Something feels... bad. Bad enough for her to slow down and pull over. It's just open desert. The occasional cactus. So why does she feel so strange? There's no one hear despite the footsteps she hears. You'd think V would be used to that by now. Despite the sun setting and the temperature lowering she assumes the weird squiggly look in the air to be heat waves, but she takes one step too close and next thing she knows she's in some strange hallway.

Ohhhhh fuck.

-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist

Jane wished the feeling that came over him- humming in the back of his teeth, like standing too close to a power station- was an unfamiliar one. By now, it wasn't. At the end of the hallway, in a shabby but home-y living room lit ambiently, a man sat on the couch, the sounds of late-season baseball coming from the radio at a low volume. He stared down at the person who'd just materialized in his apartment, not with a sense of suspicion or shock but exhausted resignation. "Hi." He sighed, rubbing his temples and making a gesture to the improptu visitor to come closer. "I bet you have questions. Come over, have a beer if you want. Fridge is full."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Her whole body goes stiff. Sure, this has happened to Jane over and over. But V is terrified. She's got one hand in her pouch of smoke bombs.

That's not him.

Run run run run for the fucking hills get far far away from here.

This can't be real. She's dreaming. As per usual. Something out of the ordinary happens, and then she wakes up and it's all just fine. She doesn't need to freak out! She isn't freaking out! Of course not!

It's never real when you see him anyway. Just leave. Find your bike and run.

He's gonna kill you. Don't just let it happen.

That annoying smart-ass rude voice loves to pop up when she's freaking out. Which she isn't. She never freaks out. What is anxiety anyway?

But sitting down and having a chat with somebody would be so fucking nice right now. She glances down at her free hand. Normal color. Normal creases. Normal nails. Just plain normal.

Respawn will catch me, yeah?

"Does your uh, water have lead in it?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"I don't know. Probably not." Jane shrugged, almost as if he couldn't care less about the prospect of lead poisoning. Sighing, he reached over and clicked off the radio. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I know you must be confused, you probably wound up here out of someplace else. That's my fault. Time doesn't work right around me and sometimes it randomly affects other people." The Soldier's tone was the weary cadence of someone who'd said the same thing quite a few times before. In fact, 'weary' was an understatement. The man before V, once a boisterous, loud, fearless fellow who blasted himself through the sky with explosive ordinance for fun, had an aura of exhaustion and sadness stuck to him like an ink stain on a white t-shirt. "It won't last long. Hour or so, then when you leave the room you'll wind up back where you started."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Lies. Run. Go.

Stop waiting around! The moment you get close you'll have a knife between your shoulder blades.

He's just fine. Eh. Whatever! You teleported without a fun little machine under your feet. Who cares.

You will be. Fine.

She puts one foot in front of the other, desperately trying to be more normal now. Like that should even matter.

"Sorry about um, almost smoke bombing you. I'll keep my hands off the weapons."

She shoots a look behind her but nobody's there. Coast is safe. Just imaginary sounds again. She follows Jane.

"My name's V."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Hello, V. I'm Jane." He looked over his shoulder with a flick of a smirk. Most people took his unusual name in stride, but even if V didn't, he was past minding it. He'd batted around the idea of picking another one, but... it was the only name he'd ever had. "Make yourself at home if you want. Food and drink in the fridge. You can talk to me if you want but if you don't, that's fine. I get you might be a little disoriented. I would be, if I wasn't so damn used to it. Popping in and out of wherever time and space wants to throw me, I mean." Opening the fridge, Jane pulled out a Blue Streak for himself. There were quite a few beers inside, along with some Cokes, stuff for sandwiches, and a bottle of milk. "So... when are you from? Is the Gravel War still going on?" The question seemed light and conversational, but there was an unmistakably grave furrow in the man's brow.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"So you're Jane as well..." She didn't mean to say that one aloud. She's still a little loopy. She doesn't even notice that she actually mentioned it.

She takes up his offer and grabs a Coke from the fridge. She turns the glass bottle over in her hands once, twice, a third time. Totally normal. It's sealed, probably not poisoned. Not impossible but not likely either. That's good enough.

"Yeah I'm... from the Gravel War time? Is it over? Here, I mean. Did somebody win?"

She's not thrilled with the idea that one of the brothers would actually end up winning the war.

"I'm not really in it to win it. I don't even wear the colors when I don't have to." She gestures at her beloved purple jacket. "But I can't leave. It feels like everyone else managed to though. The fights are kinda quiet now. Kinda."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Yeah, somebody won. Kinda. For a second. Blutarch got in a limo crash and then got shot in the head a lot. Redmond gloated about it for like ten seconds before he was run over by an ambulance. Good fucking riddance." He sighed, though for just a second that little smirk flicked back onto his face. If you didn't blink and miss it, the Soldier looked almost like a satisfied cat who'd licked an entire saucer of cream down to the last drop. "It's good. That you're not caught up in the thick of it. That you're not stupid like I was once. But it'd still be good if you left. Even if you try to ride the edges and stay out of the muck, it'll rise up and get you if it can. And it will. I don't know why you can't leave but for your own good, you gotta figure that crap out. The machine is hungrier than you could possibly imagine." Cracking his beer open, Jane took a few deep drinks before setting the bottle on the side table. "Why can't you? Leave, I mean. If that's not too pushy a question."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

She starts clicking with that emptied out lighter in her pocket. Tapping her heel a little. Nerves.

"They fucking deserve it. Props to whoever shot the fuck out of Blutarch. And I would pay to see Redmond get run over. They'd better be burning in hell together." If only she could do that at home. Just march up to Admin and put the woman down for all the grief she's caused the robots and the mercs. Blow Redmond and Blutarch to pieces. No wonder everyone's gone. If only.

'That machine is hungrier than you could possibly imagine.'

Oh she's never going to sleep well again. Not that she did in the first place.

"Hungry? Hungry how?"

So you can get stuck. And never come back. Fuck.

She'd had the thought but always dismissed it. The old gen mercs were just fine. Nobody ever mentioned someone not coming out. Probably. Was that one a dream?

"The cops are looking for me at home, god forbid I try to redistribute the wealth a little! Nobody needs 3 cars all to themself! Rich racist bigot bastards. Really though... well-- what matters is-- ...you ever met any of Gray's robots? I assume you've got that guy? Ones that think? They're like, whole people in there. Not just... mindless drones?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Of course I have. They're good kids, least the ones I've met. I know a couple, they sometimes wind up here and know they're welcome. Found myself in their neck of the woods before too." As for the hunger... Jane sighed, taking another long drink, clearing most of the bottle. "But I'm stalling. You want to know how a machine can be hungry. Truth is I don't know. I ain't got a damn clue how that thing works... worked... even now. And I don't want to know. But what I do know is that... coming back from the dead, least on the surface... we take it for granted, but that kind of shit is what most would call a miracle. And miracles don't come for free. And not everybody gets one."

The ex-Soldier's expression was hollow. His stare went on through the walls, hand slowly raising a cigarette to his mouth. "It's a game, what you're playing. A game for rich assholes and you're just one of the pieces. Maybe the more cynical of you'll have figured that crap out already. But what you don't know is that the board isn't sitting on a table. It's sitting on top of a mountain made of corpses." There was something in his tone that said that the statement was not, in fact, hyperbole.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"I know. I know it's a game. I've been playing them y'know? I don't care about winning! I just want their money. And getting to shoot people and using my life's work for once without the cops behind me is nice. Real nice." She sighs and finally takes a sip of her Coke. It's not bad. She's trying not to think about whether it's poisoned or not.

"There's a sniper bot staying with me. And she banned all robots. I could get terminated just for talking to him. But his joints are all rusted. I fixed as much as I could but if I go in any deeper I might break something vital. If he weren't a person this would be when you replace the thing entirely. But I can't just take him somewhere far off on the other side of the country. And I know jack shit about here. There. New Mexico, I mean. I don't know where to go to avoid the cops or what places have more than they need and--" she sighs. Too much info. Much too much. But Jane does live in an alternate reality so maybe it's fine? Who knows.

If she didn't know how to dupe Admin's cameras, would Sammy have survived? Would he have found another place to live?

Would he be a pile of scrap now?

She repeats him under her breath, "miracles don't come for free."

Are you willing to risk getting eaten for him? Dying a gruesome death? Perhaps getting stuck between-- never really dying but instead being in agony, in Hell, forever? Would that even happen to you? What if? What if, V?

She takes another sip, a small one. Then she sighs, trying to go through all of the possibilities like that will somehow save her from the mess she got herself into. "Choosing between myself and family. Joy."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

She really had been trying to resist the urge to simply hop on her motorcycle and go somewhere. V had too much work to do to be goofing off and speeding around. She doesn't exactly have the time for little getaways right now.

But here she was, tearing down the open road. She just had to get out of there. She had considered going to the greenhouse but maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to dump herself on Esme. The plan was to just go for a ride and then loop back to base before bed. Simple.

Since when has the universe given her simplicity?

Something feels... bad. Bad enough for her to slow down and pull over. It's just open desert. The occasional cactus. So why does she feel so strange? There's no one hear despite the footsteps she hears. You'd think V would be used to that by now. Despite the sun setting and the temperature lowering she assumes the weird squiggly look in the air to be heat waves, but she takes one step too close and next thing she knows she's in some strange hallway.

Ohhhhh fuck.

-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist

Jane wished the feeling that came over him- humming in the back of his teeth, like standing too close to a power station- was an unfamiliar one. By now, it wasn't. At the end of the hallway, in a shabby but home-y living room lit ambiently, a man sat on the couch, the sounds of late-season baseball coming from the radio at a low volume. He stared down at the person who'd just materialized in his apartment, not with a sense of suspicion or shock but exhausted resignation. "Hi." He sighed, rubbing his temples and making a gesture to the improptu visitor to come closer. "I bet you have questions. Come over, have a beer if you want. Fridge is full."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Her whole body goes stiff. Sure, this has happened to Jane over and over. But V is terrified. She's got one hand in her pouch of smoke bombs.

That's not him.

Run run run run for the fucking hills get far far away from here.

This can't be real. She's dreaming. As per usual. Something out of the ordinary happens, and then she wakes up and it's all just fine. She doesn't need to freak out! She isn't freaking out! Of course not!

It's never real when you see him anyway. Just leave. Find your bike and run.

He's gonna kill you. Don't just let it happen.

That annoying smart-ass rude voice loves to pop up when she's freaking out. Which she isn't. She never freaks out. What is anxiety anyway?

But sitting down and having a chat with somebody would be so fucking nice right now. She glances down at her free hand. Normal color. Normal creases. Normal nails. Just plain normal.

Respawn will catch me, yeah?

"Does your uh, water have lead in it?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"I don't know. Probably not." Jane shrugged, almost as if he couldn't care less about the prospect of lead poisoning. Sighing, he reached over and clicked off the radio. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I know you must be confused, you probably wound up here out of someplace else. That's my fault. Time doesn't work right around me and sometimes it randomly affects other people." The Soldier's tone was the weary cadence of someone who'd said the same thing quite a few times before. In fact, 'weary' was an understatement. The man before V, once a boisterous, loud, fearless fellow who blasted himself through the sky with explosive ordinance for fun, had an aura of exhaustion and sadness stuck to him like an ink stain on a white t-shirt. "It won't last long. Hour or so, then when you leave the room you'll wind up back where you started."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Lies. Run. Go.

Stop waiting around! The moment you get close you'll have a knife between your shoulder blades.

He's just fine. Eh. Whatever! You teleported without a fun little machine under your feet. Who cares.

You will be. Fine.

She puts one foot in front of the other, desperately trying to be more normal now. Like that should even matter.

"Sorry about um, almost smoke bombing you. I'll keep my hands off the weapons."

She shoots a look behind her but nobody's there. Coast is safe. Just imaginary sounds again. She follows Jane.

"My name's V."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Hello, V. I'm Jane." He looked over his shoulder with a flick of a smirk. Most people took his unusual name in stride, but even if V didn't, he was past minding it. He'd batted around the idea of picking another one, but... it was the only name he'd ever had. "Make yourself at home if you want. Food and drink in the fridge. You can talk to me if you want but if you don't, that's fine. I get you might be a little disoriented. I would be, if I wasn't so damn used to it. Popping in and out of wherever time and space wants to throw me, I mean." Opening the fridge, Jane pulled out a Blue Streak for himself. There were quite a few beers inside, along with some Cokes, stuff for sandwiches, and a bottle of milk. "So... when are you from? Is the Gravel War still going on?" The question seemed light and conversational, but there was an unmistakably grave furrow in the man's brow.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"So you're Jane as well..." She didn't mean to say that one aloud. She's still a little loopy. She doesn't even notice that she actually mentioned it.

She takes up his offer and grabs a Coke from the fridge. She turns the glass bottle over in her hands once, twice, a third time. Totally normal. It's sealed, probably not poisoned. Not impossible but not likely either. That's good enough.

"Yeah I'm... from the Gravel War time? Is it over? Here, I mean. Did somebody win?"

She's not thrilled with the idea that one of the brothers would actually end up winning the war.

"I'm not really in it to win it. I don't even wear the colors when I don't have to." She gestures at her beloved purple jacket. "But I can't leave. It feels like everyone else managed to though. The fights are kinda quiet now. Kinda."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Yeah, somebody won. Kinda. For a second. Blutarch got in a limo crash and then got shot in the head a lot. Redmond gloated about it for like ten seconds before he was run over by an ambulance. Good fucking riddance." He sighed, though for just a second that little smirk flicked back onto his face. If you didn't blink and miss it, the Soldier looked almost like a satisfied cat who'd licked an entire saucer of cream down to the last drop. "It's good. That you're not caught up in the thick of it. That you're not stupid like I was once. But it'd still be good if you left. Even if you try to ride the edges and stay out of the muck, it'll rise up and get you if it can. And it will. I don't know why you can't leave but for your own good, you gotta figure that crap out. The machine is hungrier than you could possibly imagine." Cracking his beer open, Jane took a few deep drinks before setting the bottle on the side table. "Why can't you? Leave, I mean. If that's not too pushy a question."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

She starts clicking with that emptied out lighter in her pocket. Tapping her heel a little. Nerves.

"They fucking deserve it. Props to whoever shot the fuck out of Blutarch. And I would pay to see Redmond get run over. They'd better be burning in hell together." If only she could do that at home. Just march up to Admin and put the woman down for all the grief she's caused the robots and the mercs. Blow Redmond and Blutarch to pieces. No wonder everyone's gone. If only.

'That machine is hungrier than you could possibly imagine.'

Oh she's never going to sleep well again. Not that she did in the first place.

"Hungry? Hungry how?"

So you can get stuck. And never come back. Fuck.

She'd had the thought but always dismissed it. The old gen mercs were just fine. Nobody ever mentioned someone not coming out. Probably. Was that one a dream?

"The cops are looking for me at home, god forbid I try to redistribute the wealth a little! Nobody needs 3 cars all to themself! Rich racist bigot bastards. Really though... well-- what matters is-- ...you ever met any of Gray's robots? I assume you've got that guy? Ones that think? They're like, whole people in there. Not just... mindless drones?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

She really had been trying to resist the urge to simply hop on her motorcycle and go somewhere. V had too much work to do to be goofing off and speeding around. She doesn't exactly have the time for little getaways right now.

But here she was, tearing down the open road. She just had to get out of there. She had considered going to the greenhouse but maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to dump herself on Esme. The plan was to just go for a ride and then loop back to base before bed. Simple.

Since when has the universe given her simplicity?

Something feels... bad. Bad enough for her to slow down and pull over. It's just open desert. The occasional cactus. So why does she feel so strange? There's no one hear despite the footsteps she hears. You'd think V would be used to that by now. Despite the sun setting and the temperature lowering she assumes the weird squiggly look in the air to be heat waves, but she takes one step too close and next thing she knows she's in some strange hallway.

Ohhhhh fuck.

-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist

Jane wished the feeling that came over him- humming in the back of his teeth, like standing too close to a power station- was an unfamiliar one. By now, it wasn't. At the end of the hallway, in a shabby but home-y living room lit ambiently, a man sat on the couch, the sounds of late-season baseball coming from the radio at a low volume. He stared down at the person who'd just materialized in his apartment, not with a sense of suspicion or shock but exhausted resignation. "Hi." He sighed, rubbing his temples and making a gesture to the improptu visitor to come closer. "I bet you have questions. Come over, have a beer if you want. Fridge is full."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Her whole body goes stiff. Sure, this has happened to Jane over and over. But V is terrified. She's got one hand in her pouch of smoke bombs.

That's not him.

Run run run run for the fucking hills get far far away from here.

This can't be real. She's dreaming. As per usual. Something out of the ordinary happens, and then she wakes up and it's all just fine. She doesn't need to freak out! She isn't freaking out! Of course not!

It's never real when you see him anyway. Just leave. Find your bike and run.

He's gonna kill you. Don't just let it happen.

That annoying smart-ass rude voice loves to pop up when she's freaking out. Which she isn't. She never freaks out. What is anxiety anyway?

But sitting down and having a chat with somebody would be so fucking nice right now. She glances down at her free hand. Normal color. Normal creases. Normal nails. Just plain normal.

Respawn will catch me, yeah?

"Does your uh, water have lead in it?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"I don't know. Probably not." Jane shrugged, almost as if he couldn't care less about the prospect of lead poisoning. Sighing, he reached over and clicked off the radio. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I know you must be confused, you probably wound up here out of someplace else. That's my fault. Time doesn't work right around me and sometimes it randomly affects other people." The Soldier's tone was the weary cadence of someone who'd said the same thing quite a few times before. In fact, 'weary' was an understatement. The man before V, once a boisterous, loud, fearless fellow who blasted himself through the sky with explosive ordinance for fun, had an aura of exhaustion and sadness stuck to him like an ink stain on a white t-shirt. "It won't last long. Hour or so, then when you leave the room you'll wind up back where you started."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Lies. Run. Go.

Stop waiting around! The moment you get close you'll have a knife between your shoulder blades.

He's just fine. Eh. Whatever! You teleported without a fun little machine under your feet. Who cares.

You will be. Fine.

She puts one foot in front of the other, desperately trying to be more normal now. Like that should even matter.

"Sorry about um, almost smoke bombing you. I'll keep my hands off the weapons."

She shoots a look behind her but nobody's there. Coast is safe. Just imaginary sounds again. She follows Jane.

"My name's V."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"Hello, V. I'm Jane." He looked over his shoulder with a flick of a smirk. Most people took his unusual name in stride, but even if V didn't, he was past minding it. He'd batted around the idea of picking another one, but... it was the only name he'd ever had. "Make yourself at home if you want. Food and drink in the fridge. You can talk to me if you want but if you don't, that's fine. I get you might be a little disoriented. I would be, if I wasn't so damn used to it. Popping in and out of wherever time and space wants to throw me, I mean." Opening the fridge, Jane pulled out a Blue Streak for himself. There were quite a few beers inside, along with some Cokes, stuff for sandwiches, and a bottle of milk. "So... when are you from? Is the Gravel War still going on?" The question seemed light and conversational, but there was an unmistakably grave furrow in the man's brow.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"So you're Jane as well..." She didn't mean to say that one aloud. She's still a little loopy. She doesn't even notice that she actually mentioned it.

She takes up his offer and grabs a Coke from the fridge. She turns the glass bottle over in her hands once, twice, a third time. Totally normal. It's sealed, probably not poisoned. Not impossible but not likely either. That's good enough.

"Yeah I'm... from the Gravel War time? Is it over? Here, I mean. Did somebody win?"

She's not thrilled with the idea that one of the brothers would actually end up winning the war.

"I'm not really in it to win it. I don't even wear the colors when I don't have to." She gestures at her beloved purple jacket. "But I can't leave. It feels like everyone else managed to though. The fights are kinda quiet now. Kinda."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

She really had been trying to resist the urge to simply hop on her motorcycle and go somewhere. V had too much work to do to be goofing off and speeding around. She doesn't exactly have the time for little getaways right now.

But here she was, tearing down the open road. She just had to get out of there. She had considered going to the greenhouse but maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to dump herself on Esme. The plan was to just go for a ride and then loop back to base before bed. Simple.

Since when has the universe given her simplicity?

Something feels... bad. Bad enough for her to slow down and pull over. It's just open desert. The occasional cactus. So why does she feel so strange? There's no one hear despite the footsteps she hears. You'd think V would be used to that by now. Despite the sun setting and the temperature lowering she assumes the weird squiggly look in the air to be heat waves, but she takes one step too close and next thing she knows she's in some strange hallway.

Ohhhhh fuck.

-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist

Jane wished the feeling that came over him- humming in the back of his teeth, like standing too close to a power station- was an unfamiliar one. By now, it wasn't. At the end of the hallway, in a shabby but home-y living room lit ambiently, a man sat on the couch, the sounds of late-season baseball coming from the radio at a low volume. He stared down at the person who'd just materialized in his apartment, not with a sense of suspicion or shock but exhausted resignation. "Hi." He sighed, rubbing his temples and making a gesture to the improptu visitor to come closer. "I bet you have questions. Come over, have a beer if you want. Fridge is full."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Her whole body goes stiff. Sure, this has happened to Jane over and over. But V is terrified. She's got one hand in her pouch of smoke bombs.

That's not him.

Run run run run for the fucking hills get far far away from here.

This can't be real. She's dreaming. As per usual. Something out of the ordinary happens, and then she wakes up and it's all just fine. She doesn't need to freak out! She isn't freaking out! Of course not!

It's never real when you see him anyway. Just leave. Find your bike and run.

He's gonna kill you. Don't just let it happen.

That annoying smart-ass rude voice loves to pop up when she's freaking out. Which she isn't. She never freaks out. What is anxiety anyway?

But sitting down and having a chat with somebody would be so fucking nice right now. She glances down at her free hand. Normal color. Normal creases. Normal nails. Just plain normal.

Respawn will catch me, yeah?

"Does your uh, water have lead in it?"

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

"I don't know. Probably not." Jane shrugged, almost as if he couldn't care less about the prospect of lead poisoning. Sighing, he reached over and clicked off the radio. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I know you must be confused, you probably wound up here out of someplace else. That's my fault. Time doesn't work right around me and sometimes it randomly affects other people." The Soldier's tone was the weary cadence of someone who'd said the same thing quite a few times before. In fact, 'weary' was an understatement. The man before V, once a boisterous, loud, fearless fellow who blasted himself through the sky with explosive ordinance for fun, had an aura of exhaustion and sadness stuck to him like an ink stain on a white t-shirt. "It won't last long. Hour or so, then when you leave the room you'll wind up back where you started."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Lies. Run. Go.

Stop waiting around! The moment you get close you'll have a knife between your shoulder blades.

He's just fine. Eh. Whatever! You teleported without a fun little machine under your feet. Who cares.

You will be. Fine.

She puts one foot in front of the other, desperately trying to be more normal now. Like that should even matter.

"Sorry about um, almost smoke bombing you. I'll keep my hands off the weapons."

She shoots a look behind her but nobody's there. Coast is safe. Just imaginary sounds again. She follows Jane.

"My name's V."

[emotionally-destroyed-soldier]

She really had been trying to resist the urge to simply hop on her motorcycle and go somewhere. V had too much work to do to be goofing off and speeding around. She doesn't exactly have the time for little getaways right now.

But here she was, tearing down the open road. She just had to get out of there. She had considered going to the greenhouse but maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to dump herself on Esme. The plan was to just go for a ride and then loop back to base before bed. Simple.

Since when has the universe given her simplicity?

Something feels... bad. Bad enough for her to slow down and pull over. It's just open desert. The occasional cactus. So why does she feel so strange? There's no one hear despite the footsteps she hears. You'd think V would be used to that by now. Despite the sun setting and the temperature lowering she assumes the weird squiggly look in the air to be heat waves, but she takes one step too close and next thing she knows she's in some strange hallway.

Ohhhhh fuck.

-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist

Jane wished the feeling that came over him- humming in the back of his teeth, like standing too close to a power station- was an unfamiliar one. By now, it wasn't. At the end of the hallway, in a shabby but home-y living room lit ambiently, a man sat on the couch, the sounds of late-season baseball coming from the radio at a low volume. He stared down at the person who'd just materialized in his apartment, not with a sense of suspicion or shock but exhausted resignation. "Hi." He sighed, rubbing his temples and making a gesture to the improptu visitor to come closer. "I bet you have questions. Come over, have a beer if you want. Fridge is full."

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Her whole body goes stiff. Sure, this has happened to Jane over and over. But V is terrified. She's got one hand in her pouch of smoke bombs.

That's not him.

Run run run run for the fucking hills get far far away from here.

This can't be real. She's dreaming. As per usual. Something out of the ordinary happens, and then she wakes up and it's all just fine. She doesn't need to freak out! She isn't freaking out! Of course not!

It's never real when you see him anyway. Just leave. Find your bike and run.

He's gonna kill you. Don't just let it happen.

That annoying smart-ass rude voice loves to pop up when she's freaking out. Which she isn't. She never freaks out. What is anxiety anyway?

But sitting down and having a chat with somebody would be so fucking nice right now. She glances down at her free hand. Normal color. Normal creases. Normal nails. Just plain normal.

Respawn will catch me, yeah?

"Does your uh, water have lead in it?"

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She blinks her eyes blankly at the other, shuffling the papers in her hands as the other fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for. She lifts a questionable brow at V, tilting her head just slightly before she cleared her throat. Right, act professional. Yes, yes. | "Good to meet you!" | At least it was a woman, not some musty old man like the last merc she had to give a contract to. What was it? Soldier? Something like that. Weird names. | "Yo creo..." | A slip of her tongue as she tapped her cheek in thought. | "It's a contract, big boss needs ya for something" | There was a hiss in the words 'big boss', as if thinking about her made it all sour. She dips of her heels, swinging her weight back and forth before she held out the folders to the other. | | Curiosity wins as she pulls her hands back once the papers are taken. | "This place usually as empty as it is now? Aren't you supposed to have a full crew?" | She asked, raising a brow. It was a group of ten members right? Something like that, she doesn't remember all that well. Interacting with the mercs wasn't part of her daily runs. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

'Big boss'. Her. Wonderful.

They share a disdain for the woman. Though V can't get caught talking about her like that in here. Her eyes flick back and forth between the assistant in front of her and the camera. Maybe they could discuss her outside sometime.

V eyes the papers and takes them, skimming the first page and deciding to read the rest of it later. She sets them all on the counter and takes the glass out of the microwave, pouring the hot water into her thermos.

"It's nice to meet you too-- oh, what should I call you? You can call me V, by the way. If it's easier." This sounds like it's turning into an actual conversation rather than just a drop off.

V laughs, she knows by her tone that it's not a joke, but it's fucking funny. Solly left, she hasn't seen Shifty in two weeks, who else? Whatever. BLU seems to be having a similar problem. The matches feel quiet, there's less explosions... it's kinda creepy. Maybe that's how it was when there were only 9 members of each team?

"Full crew? Haha! Not for weeks. We've had... several people quit. It's too early for anyone to want to be awake anyway. I'm just making some hot cocoa. Want any?" It wouldn't take very long to make, she's got another thermos in the cupboards... somewhere. She rips open her powder packet exactly on the tear line. It's sort of a strange thing to have so much practice in. She likes her hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi ponders for a moment before glancing to the camera, staring at it dead on for a moment. She didn't like the shudder that rolls up her spine, hands twitching slightly to the gun on her hip. | | Her feelings for the boss lady was more than just disdain, it was a fury of fire. A abhorrence for her. Miss Gi didn't take kindly to that woman. | | All interactions with her always ended in some form of threat, always a consequence. | | She lets her eyes pull away from the camera, her one good eye focusing on the woman in front of her. Lightly pulling her hands away from her waist and letting them drop in front of her. Instinctively she brings one hand up again to run it through her hair, she must have forgotten to put on her hair tie today. | | As the other woman introduces herself Miss Gi winces, she didn't expect to turn this into a conversation. | "My name isn't easy on English tongues" | She says with a wave of her hand, dropping it to the side after a moment. | "Miss Gi is just fine or Gi" |She shrugs slightly, uniform rustling. | | Miss Gi scowls a little as the other laughs. What was funny? Scrunching her eyes slightly as her lips pull into a snarl before it drops. Professional, yes yes. Act accordingly. Rolling her shoulders she stands up straight, putting one heel behind the other as if she was going to turn around and walk away, however she doesn't. | | Early? Miss Gi lifts one hand to check her watch and blinked in surprise. She could have sworn it was late afternoon, not this early. Maybe the event with that robot made her lose track of time. | "I'll have some, gracias" | She drops her hand, resting it on her hip. She wants to ask more questions but glancing at the camera once more she decides to keep it to herself. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, she didn't quite like that. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Miss Gi." She's feeling the name out. Simple enough. "Are you like... a Miss Pauling for Miss Pauling?" She's not a merc. V would've seen her out on the field by now, and she had a contract for her.

She notices the scowl. And the eyeing the camera as well. They both don't like it.

Right. Be normal. Be nice. You're tired, not a jerk.

V nods and fills the cup back up with water, going through the motions again. She finds her backup thermos and another pack of hot cocoa. Just waiting on the microwave.

"If you're not busy we could go and sit outside and chat for a little while. It shouldn't be too cold." Even in the summer the desert could get chilly at night, but the sun should be peeking up any minute now. V does wear a jacket though, cold to her might be a little different. "Don't let me keep you from the things you need to do, though."

She stops the microwave just a second before the timer runs out and she transfers the water, rips open the packet, and pours the powder in again. She's stirring Miss Gi's instead of just shaking the thermos. Is that... a chopstick? Well, it works.

She twists on the lid and passes it over.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi chuckles softly at the mention of the other woman, Miss Pauling. A sweet woman, kind to Miss Gi for certain. Strong individual who held her own ground and didn't let herself be brought down too easily. Miss Pauling was a determined woman in Miss Gi's eyes. Admiration perhaps is what she felt? More if she wanted to indulge in the thoughts of who was technically her boss. But she won't, not now at least. |

"If you want to treat it like that, yes. I do work for Miss Pauling, takes off the luggage from- er... ella... ella ella.." | It's on the tip of her tongue, give her a moment to think about it. | "Her! Yes, for her work!" | She cheers, clapping her hands in front of her with a friendly smile that quickly fades despite the chirpy-ness of it. She had a chipped front tooth. |

"I didn't have much after this..." | Aside from finding out where that demobot with the antenna went off too but she could wait for that. | "I wouldn't mind fetching my jacket from the truck, I'd love to..." | Fuck wait what's that word for being with someone. What was it again. Shit- think think think! | "...Follow you..." | She didn't remember| "Ah I got nothing to do right now, just some business for the boss lady but I'm sure she doesn't mind it being a little... tarde" | Miss Gi glanced at the camera once more before she lightly reached out to take thermos. Miss Gi wasn't one for thermos, or drinking out of cups in general. She had a little flask in the inside of her shirt that held her water, since that's what she grew up using naturally. | "Aye, gracias..." | She's polite enough to smile and thank the other, waiting for the other to make the next moves before she said anything. Polite but also knowing she was in unknown territory, she wasn't going to get on a mercs bad side. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V has picked up on the struggle with English and brings absolutely no attention to it. Unfortunately she doesn't really have any experience with Spanish, but at least she could try to prevent making the other feel subconscious.

She's feeling more normal now, save for the actually-fake-this-time footsteps she's hearing. V has elected to ignore those. Miss Gi will react quickly enough if somebody approaches, surely.

"Sure! I can follow you over. Once we grab your jacket I have a spot where we can sit. Talk for a little."

V has a hand in the pouch where she keeps her projectors, ready to block the camera on the other side of the door in the kitchen that leads outdoors and towards the garage, where she assumes the truck and jacket were. She manages to look more like she has her hand resting there, though. Whatever she can to do keep her off her back. The amount of surveillance the hag had was impressive if not annoying. Even better than a few of the jails. Not that she couldn't find ways around even her tricks.

"Of course! I hope it tastes alright." It usually tastes... Fine. She's had better, but she's also had worse. At least it didn't have any of the lead water in it. No need for poisoning.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Cheers to the struggle of English! Despite being forced into this land she still hadn't quite grasped it just yet! Although clearly by her confidence she was really trying. As long as she could pass for someone who knew English anyways. | "You know what? That sounds lovely!" | Miss Gi chirps happily, clasping her hands in front of her before they turns on her heels. | | Despite her clunky apparel she was smooth and graceful in her walk, heels clicking against the floor as she walked at a decently quick pace. She took lead with ease, waving a hand in front of her as she lifted the other to take a sip of her drink. | | Now thinking about it she never thought to think if the drink was spiked or anything. Whoops.. Oh well too late to think now! | | She doesn't stop at the heat of the drink, humming as she pulled it from her lips. Oh hey aren't these the guys with the lead water? SHIT MISS PAULING TOLD HER ABOUT THAT- | | She doesn't have to know | | She makes her way joyfully for the garage, where V thought her truck was *was* indeed right! Tucked away safely in the garage was a truck that's label had faded with time, it almost looked like it said something about bread? Though it was unknown. | "It tastes fine, thank you" | I wonder if I'll wake up with lead poisoning tomorrow. How quick does that work again? | | She quickly fetches her jacket from the front seat, closing the door behind her with a rough slam as she steps to V again. | "The way" | She motions for her to lead, perhaps having meant to say 'lead the way' instead of just 'the way' |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

As they leave she tosses her projector across the ground, and the illusion flickers on above it as it slides just under the outdoor camera and projecting an image of what the thing would normally see, minus her and her new friend. She does it with practiced precision. Only the best for one of the skills she's spent her whole life honing.

She follows along, hands in her jacket pockets. She's trying her best to be non-threatening, but this paranoia and the random sounds aren't making it exactly easy. Would Miss Gi have the same concerns about spies that the other mercs would?

Is she a Spy?

Ah, a... bread truck. Well, at least it wouldn't draw attention? Yeah, that makes sense. V glances over at her motorcycle which is parked nearby. Looks like it did when she parked it yesterday. Good.

V almost jumps out of her skin when the door slams. She quickly tries to laugh that off. "Haha! You scared me. Got everything?" Given the cue to lead, V starts off in the right direction, walking a bit to the side to invite Miss Gi to walk beside her. No need to get careless and give a Spy her open back.

She leads the way around the base, somehow having found a path that avoids most cameras. For the remaining few she just pulls the projector trick. Her pockets can't be big enough to hold that many of them right?

She brings them to a little spot, out of the way of just about everything, on the backside of the building. She scans around the wall and surrounding area, not a person to be seen. The camera that was here seems to have been broken.

"I think Scout broke this one last week. It still hasn't been fixed. I checked it out and there aren't any microphone or video components left, so we're officially out of her view. Probably."

Satisfied with her distance from the overhanging surveillance, V relaxes, rolling her shoulders and finding a spot to sit that didn't look too sandy. This is much better. She takes a sip from her own hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She wasn't a merc, why would she have any fear of spies? At least not the sort of spies V was thinking about! Spies weren't her forte, she didn't seem like the kind of person to pick up on it. That was more a job for Miss Pauling. | | Luckily for V, in this sort of setting Miss Gi looked... Relaxed. She was sipping the hot cocoa from the thermos while walking. Her eyes did move from side to side but it looked more out of curiosity than paranoia, she was in an unfamiliar place after all. Tracing pictures in the wall with her mind she pats her sides comfortably to make sure she's carrying all her important things on her. | | She jostles the pistol on her hip slightly and gives it a pat like treating an animal. Very careful and gentle with it. | | With the slam of the truck Miss Gi just stared at V for a moment. She lifted a brow in curiosity at the laugh, almost freaked out by how sudden it was. | "ᴾᵉʳᵒ ⁿᵒ ᵈⁱʲᵉ ⁿᵃᵈᵃ ᵍʳᵃᶜⁱᵒˢᵒ?" | She murmurs mostly to herself as she lifted the thermos up to her mouth while shooting V a weird glance. | | Despite it she brushes it off quickly, picking up her pace to walk behind V. She isn't completely behind her, mostly to the side but not in her peripheral vision. After a moment of walking behind her she recognizes the motion and invitation to walk beside her and picks up her speed with grace. | | She's glancing over at the other every one in a while with the projectors before she starts ignoring it's existence. She knew about some of the technology the mercs used, Gods bless her favorite gun stored in the truck (courtesy of BLU Engie). | | She brings her hands up to her face to take a sip of her thermos and hums a little. | "I can assume you don't like her either, yes?" | She tests the waters out with the simple comment, glancing around before mimicking V and rolling her shoulders. She leans against the wall, shooting the broken camera a little glare before lowering her gaze to the woman on the floor. | "I am... Curious." | She starts off slowly. She likes asking everyone this when she can. | "What made you... want to.. be here?" | She always notes a persons choice to work there, it always gave her an idea of how the person was, how they'll be. | "With that witch I doubt you'd work here... Willingly." | She scoffs with a roll of her eyes. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V takes note of the pistol.

Just in case. Don't get killed.

She does not understand a word of that Spanish but she sees the look and elects to just move on.

"Oh she's fucking horrible. Easily the worst part of working here."

Why are you here anyway? You threw away a perfectly nice life in Seattle for... This. This shit show.

"I... Well I grew up in Seattle. It's a good city. And I saw this contract for 'indestructible signage'. They were looking for something that would still work after being shot, exploded, and burned. I think they were expecting like-- bullet proof material? But I had these projectors. They've kinda been my life project. And I made them modules to install. About a year later they sent a job offering." She did not expect all of that to come tumbling out of her mouth. And then she tells even more!

"I didn't know about the hag. Maybe if I had I wouldn't have come. But on paper it's great. I make great money. Protection from the feds. Room and board. I get to use my projectors without people trying to steal them. I get the adrenaline rush without leaving anybody actually dead. It was a good gig for a while! But then she turned mean, give it a few months of that and look at us now. I've met some great people though. Made friends I never would've found otherwise." V gives Miss Gi a little smirk. She thinks about Shifty. Soldier. Esme. Sammy. Sylvester. Gods, when was the last time she had seen any of them? She's been so... busy. Yeah that was it.

Okay, let her talk. What do I ask... Same thing?

"What about you? How'd you get tangled up in this weird war? Working with maybe the world's most dangerous criminals?"

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She blinks her eyes blankly at the other, shuffling the papers in her hands as the other fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for. She lifts a questionable brow at V, tilting her head just slightly before she cleared her throat. Right, act professional. Yes, yes. | "Good to meet you!" | At least it was a woman, not some musty old man like the last merc she had to give a contract to. What was it? Soldier? Something like that. Weird names. | "Yo creo..." | A slip of her tongue as she tapped her cheek in thought. | "It's a contract, big boss needs ya for something" | There was a hiss in the words 'big boss', as if thinking about her made it all sour. She dips of her heels, swinging her weight back and forth before she held out the folders to the other. | | Curiosity wins as she pulls her hands back once the papers are taken. | "This place usually as empty as it is now? Aren't you supposed to have a full crew?" | She asked, raising a brow. It was a group of ten members right? Something like that, she doesn't remember all that well. Interacting with the mercs wasn't part of her daily runs. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

'Big boss'. Her. Wonderful.

They share a disdain for the woman. Though V can't get caught talking about her like that in here. Her eyes flick back and forth between the assistant in front of her and the camera. Maybe they could discuss her outside sometime.

V eyes the papers and takes them, skimming the first page and deciding to read the rest of it later. She sets them all on the counter and takes the glass out of the microwave, pouring the hot water into her thermos.

"It's nice to meet you too-- oh, what should I call you? You can call me V, by the way. If it's easier." This sounds like it's turning into an actual conversation rather than just a drop off.

V laughs, she knows by her tone that it's not a joke, but it's fucking funny. Solly left, she hasn't seen Shifty in two weeks, who else? Whatever. BLU seems to be having a similar problem. The matches feel quiet, there's less explosions... it's kinda creepy. Maybe that's how it was when there were only 9 members of each team?

"Full crew? Haha! Not for weeks. We've had... several people quit. It's too early for anyone to want to be awake anyway. I'm just making some hot cocoa. Want any?" It wouldn't take very long to make, she's got another thermos in the cupboards... somewhere. She rips open her powder packet exactly on the tear line. It's sort of a strange thing to have so much practice in. She likes her hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi ponders for a moment before glancing to the camera, staring at it dead on for a moment. She didn't like the shudder that rolls up her spine, hands twitching slightly to the gun on her hip. | | Her feelings for the boss lady was more than just disdain, it was a fury of fire. A abhorrence for her. Miss Gi didn't take kindly to that woman. | | All interactions with her always ended in some form of threat, always a consequence. | | She lets her eyes pull away from the camera, her one good eye focusing on the woman in front of her. Lightly pulling her hands away from her waist and letting them drop in front of her. Instinctively she brings one hand up again to run it through her hair, she must have forgotten to put on her hair tie today. | | As the other woman introduces herself Miss Gi winces, she didn't expect to turn this into a conversation. | "My name isn't easy on English tongues" | She says with a wave of her hand, dropping it to the side after a moment. | "Miss Gi is just fine or Gi" |She shrugs slightly, uniform rustling. | | Miss Gi scowls a little as the other laughs. What was funny? Scrunching her eyes slightly as her lips pull into a snarl before it drops. Professional, yes yes. Act accordingly. Rolling her shoulders she stands up straight, putting one heel behind the other as if she was going to turn around and walk away, however she doesn't. | | Early? Miss Gi lifts one hand to check her watch and blinked in surprise. She could have sworn it was late afternoon, not this early. Maybe the event with that robot made her lose track of time. | "I'll have some, gracias" | She drops her hand, resting it on her hip. She wants to ask more questions but glancing at the camera once more she decides to keep it to herself. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, she didn't quite like that. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Miss Gi." She's feeling the name out. Simple enough. "Are you like... a Miss Pauling for Miss Pauling?" She's not a merc. V would've seen her out on the field by now, and she had a contract for her.

She notices the scowl. And the eyeing the camera as well. They both don't like it.

Right. Be normal. Be nice. You're tired, not a jerk.

V nods and fills the cup back up with water, going through the motions again. She finds her backup thermos and another pack of hot cocoa. Just waiting on the microwave.

"If you're not busy we could go and sit outside and chat for a little while. It shouldn't be too cold." Even in the summer the desert could get chilly at night, but the sun should be peeking up any minute now. V does wear a jacket though, cold to her might be a little different. "Don't let me keep you from the things you need to do, though."

She stops the microwave just a second before the timer runs out and she transfers the water, rips open the packet, and pours the powder in again. She's stirring Miss Gi's instead of just shaking the thermos. Is that... a chopstick? Well, it works.

She twists on the lid and passes it over.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi chuckles softly at the mention of the other woman, Miss Pauling. A sweet woman, kind to Miss Gi for certain. Strong individual who held her own ground and didn't let herself be brought down too easily. Miss Pauling was a determined woman in Miss Gi's eyes. Admiration perhaps is what she felt? More if she wanted to indulge in the thoughts of who was technically her boss. But she won't, not now at least. |

"If you want to treat it like that, yes. I do work for Miss Pauling, takes off the luggage from- er... ella... ella ella.." | It's on the tip of her tongue, give her a moment to think about it. | "Her! Yes, for her work!" | She cheers, clapping her hands in front of her with a friendly smile that quickly fades despite the chirpy-ness of it. She had a chipped front tooth. |

"I didn't have much after this..." | Aside from finding out where that demobot with the antenna went off too but she could wait for that. | "I wouldn't mind fetching my jacket from the truck, I'd love to..." | Fuck wait what's that word for being with someone. What was it again. Shit- think think think! | "...Follow you..." | She didn't remember| "Ah I got nothing to do right now, just some business for the boss lady but I'm sure she doesn't mind it being a little... tarde" | Miss Gi glanced at the camera once more before she lightly reached out to take thermos. Miss Gi wasn't one for thermos, or drinking out of cups in general. She had a little flask in the inside of her shirt that held her water, since that's what she grew up using naturally. | "Aye, gracias..." | She's polite enough to smile and thank the other, waiting for the other to make the next moves before she said anything. Polite but also knowing she was in unknown territory, she wasn't going to get on a mercs bad side. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V has picked up on the struggle with English and brings absolutely no attention to it. Unfortunately she doesn't really have any experience with Spanish, but at least she could try to prevent making the other feel subconscious.

She's feeling more normal now, save for the actually-fake-this-time footsteps she's hearing. V has elected to ignore those. Miss Gi will react quickly enough if somebody approaches, surely.

"Sure! I can follow you over. Once we grab your jacket I have a spot where we can sit. Talk for a little."

V has a hand in the pouch where she keeps her projectors, ready to block the camera on the other side of the door in the kitchen that leads outdoors and towards the garage, where she assumes the truck and jacket were. She manages to look more like she has her hand resting there, though. Whatever she can to do keep her off her back. The amount of surveillance the hag had was impressive if not annoying. Even better than a few of the jails. Not that she couldn't find ways around even her tricks.

"Of course! I hope it tastes alright." It usually tastes... Fine. She's had better, but she's also had worse. At least it didn't have any of the lead water in it. No need for poisoning.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Cheers to the struggle of English! Despite being forced into this land she still hadn't quite grasped it just yet! Although clearly by her confidence she was really trying. As long as she could pass for someone who knew English anyways. | "You know what? That sounds lovely!" | Miss Gi chirps happily, clasping her hands in front of her before they turns on her heels. | | Despite her clunky apparel she was smooth and graceful in her walk, heels clicking against the floor as she walked at a decently quick pace. She took lead with ease, waving a hand in front of her as she lifted the other to take a sip of her drink. | | Now thinking about it she never thought to think if the drink was spiked or anything. Whoops.. Oh well too late to think now! | | She doesn't stop at the heat of the drink, humming as she pulled it from her lips. Oh hey aren't these the guys with the lead water? SHIT MISS PAULING TOLD HER ABOUT THAT- | | She doesn't have to know | | She makes her way joyfully for the garage, where V thought her truck was *was* indeed right! Tucked away safely in the garage was a truck that's label had faded with time, it almost looked like it said something about bread? Though it was unknown. | "It tastes fine, thank you" | I wonder if I'll wake up with lead poisoning tomorrow. How quick does that work again? | | She quickly fetches her jacket from the front seat, closing the door behind her with a rough slam as she steps to V again. | "The way" | She motions for her to lead, perhaps having meant to say 'lead the way' instead of just 'the way' |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

As they leave she tosses her projector across the ground, and the illusion flickers on above it as it slides just under the outdoor camera and projecting an image of what the thing would normally see, minus her and her new friend. She does it with practiced precision. Only the best for one of the skills she's spent her whole life honing.

She follows along, hands in her jacket pockets. She's trying her best to be non-threatening, but this paranoia and the random sounds aren't making it exactly easy. Would Miss Gi have the same concerns about spies that the other mercs would?

Is she a Spy?

Ah, a... bread truck. Well, at least it wouldn't draw attention? Yeah, that makes sense. V glances over at her motorcycle which is parked nearby. Looks like it did when she parked it yesterday. Good.

V almost jumps out of her skin when the door slams. She quickly tries to laugh that off. "Haha! You scared me. Got everything?" Given the cue to lead, V starts off in the right direction, walking a bit to the side to invite Miss Gi to walk beside her. No need to get careless and give a Spy her open back.

She leads the way around the base, somehow having found a path that avoids most cameras. For the remaining few she just pulls the projector trick. Her pockets can't be big enough to hold that many of them right?

She brings them to a little spot, out of the way of just about everything, on the backside of the building. She scans around the wall and surrounding area, not a person to be seen. The camera that was here seems to have been broken.

"I think Scout broke this one last week. It still hasn't been fixed. I checked it out and there aren't any microphone or video components left, so we're officially out of her view. Probably."

Satisfied with her distance from the overhanging surveillance, V relaxes, rolling her shoulders and finding a spot to sit that didn't look too sandy. This is much better. She takes a sip from her own hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She blinks her eyes blankly at the other, shuffling the papers in her hands as the other fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for. She lifts a questionable brow at V, tilting her head just slightly before she cleared her throat. Right, act professional. Yes, yes. | "Good to meet you!" | At least it was a woman, not some musty old man like the last merc she had to give a contract to. What was it? Soldier? Something like that. Weird names. | "Yo creo..." | A slip of her tongue as she tapped her cheek in thought. | "It's a contract, big boss needs ya for something" | There was a hiss in the words 'big boss', as if thinking about her made it all sour. She dips of her heels, swinging her weight back and forth before she held out the folders to the other. | | Curiosity wins as she pulls her hands back once the papers are taken. | "This place usually as empty as it is now? Aren't you supposed to have a full crew?" | She asked, raising a brow. It was a group of ten members right? Something like that, she doesn't remember all that well. Interacting with the mercs wasn't part of her daily runs. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

'Big boss'. Her. Wonderful.

They share a disdain for the woman. Though V can't get caught talking about her like that in here. Her eyes flick back and forth between the assistant in front of her and the camera. Maybe they could discuss her outside sometime.

V eyes the papers and takes them, skimming the first page and deciding to read the rest of it later. She sets them all on the counter and takes the glass out of the microwave, pouring the hot water into her thermos.

"It's nice to meet you too-- oh, what should I call you? You can call me V, by the way. If it's easier." This sounds like it's turning into an actual conversation rather than just a drop off.

V laughs, she knows by her tone that it's not a joke, but it's fucking funny. Solly left, she hasn't seen Shifty in two weeks, who else? Whatever. BLU seems to be having a similar problem. The matches feel quiet, there's less explosions... it's kinda creepy. Maybe that's how it was when there were only 9 members of each team?

"Full crew? Haha! Not for weeks. We've had... several people quit. It's too early for anyone to want to be awake anyway. I'm just making some hot cocoa. Want any?" It wouldn't take very long to make, she's got another thermos in the cupboards... somewhere. She rips open her powder packet exactly on the tear line. It's sort of a strange thing to have so much practice in. She likes her hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi ponders for a moment before glancing to the camera, staring at it dead on for a moment. She didn't like the shudder that rolls up her spine, hands twitching slightly to the gun on her hip. | | Her feelings for the boss lady was more than just disdain, it was a fury of fire. A abhorrence for her. Miss Gi didn't take kindly to that woman. | | All interactions with her always ended in some form of threat, always a consequence. | | She lets her eyes pull away from the camera, her one good eye focusing on the woman in front of her. Lightly pulling her hands away from her waist and letting them drop in front of her. Instinctively she brings one hand up again to run it through her hair, she must have forgotten to put on her hair tie today. | | As the other woman introduces herself Miss Gi winces, she didn't expect to turn this into a conversation. | "My name isn't easy on English tongues" | She says with a wave of her hand, dropping it to the side after a moment. | "Miss Gi is just fine or Gi" |She shrugs slightly, uniform rustling. | | Miss Gi scowls a little as the other laughs. What was funny? Scrunching her eyes slightly as her lips pull into a snarl before it drops. Professional, yes yes. Act accordingly. Rolling her shoulders she stands up straight, putting one heel behind the other as if she was going to turn around and walk away, however she doesn't. | | Early? Miss Gi lifts one hand to check her watch and blinked in surprise. She could have sworn it was late afternoon, not this early. Maybe the event with that robot made her lose track of time. | "I'll have some, gracias" | She drops her hand, resting it on her hip. She wants to ask more questions but glancing at the camera once more she decides to keep it to herself. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, she didn't quite like that. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Miss Gi." She's feeling the name out. Simple enough. "Are you like... a Miss Pauling for Miss Pauling?" She's not a merc. V would've seen her out on the field by now, and she had a contract for her.

She notices the scowl. And the eyeing the camera as well. They both don't like it.

Right. Be normal. Be nice. You're tired, not a jerk.

V nods and fills the cup back up with water, going through the motions again. She finds her backup thermos and another pack of hot cocoa. Just waiting on the microwave.

"If you're not busy we could go and sit outside and chat for a little while. It shouldn't be too cold." Even in the summer the desert could get chilly at night, but the sun should be peeking up any minute now. V does wear a jacket though, cold to her might be a little different. "Don't let me keep you from the things you need to do, though."

She stops the microwave just a second before the timer runs out and she transfers the water, rips open the packet, and pours the powder in again. She's stirring Miss Gi's instead of just shaking the thermos. Is that... a chopstick? Well, it works.

She twists on the lid and passes it over.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi chuckles softly at the mention of the other woman, Miss Pauling. A sweet woman, kind to Miss Gi for certain. Strong individual who held her own ground and didn't let herself be brought down too easily. Miss Pauling was a determined woman in Miss Gi's eyes. Admiration perhaps is what she felt? More if she wanted to indulge in the thoughts of who was technically her boss. But she won't, not now at least. |

"If you want to treat it like that, yes. I do work for Miss Pauling, takes off the luggage from- er... ella... ella ella.." | It's on the tip of her tongue, give her a moment to think about it. | "Her! Yes, for her work!" | She cheers, clapping her hands in front of her with a friendly smile that quickly fades despite the chirpy-ness of it. She had a chipped front tooth. |

"I didn't have much after this..." | Aside from finding out where that demobot with the antenna went off too but she could wait for that. | "I wouldn't mind fetching my jacket from the truck, I'd love to..." | Fuck wait what's that word for being with someone. What was it again. Shit- think think think! | "...Follow you..." | She didn't remember| "Ah I got nothing to do right now, just some business for the boss lady but I'm sure she doesn't mind it being a little... tarde" | Miss Gi glanced at the camera once more before she lightly reached out to take thermos. Miss Gi wasn't one for thermos, or drinking out of cups in general. She had a little flask in the inside of her shirt that held her water, since that's what she grew up using naturally. | "Aye, gracias..." | She's polite enough to smile and thank the other, waiting for the other to make the next moves before she said anything. Polite but also knowing she was in unknown territory, she wasn't going to get on a mercs bad side. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V has picked up on the struggle with English and brings absolutely no attention to it. Unfortunately she doesn't really have any experience with Spanish, but at least she could try to prevent making the other feel subconscious.

She's feeling more normal now, save for the actually-fake-this-time footsteps she's hearing. V has elected to ignore those. Miss Gi will react quickly enough if somebody approaches, surely.

"Sure! I can follow you over. Once we grab your jacket I have a spot where we can sit. Talk for a little."

V has a hand in the pouch where she keeps her projectors, ready to block the camera on the other side of the door in the kitchen that leads outdoors and towards the garage, where she assumes the truck and jacket were. She manages to look more like she has her hand resting there, though. Whatever she can to do keep her off her back. The amount of surveillance the hag had was impressive if not annoying. Even better than a few of the jails. Not that she couldn't find ways around even her tricks.

"Of course! I hope it tastes alright." It usually tastes... Fine. She's had better, but she's also had worse. At least it didn't have any of the lead water in it. No need for poisoning.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She blinks her eyes blankly at the other, shuffling the papers in her hands as the other fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for. She lifts a questionable brow at V, tilting her head just slightly before she cleared her throat. Right, act professional. Yes, yes. | "Good to meet you!" | At least it was a woman, not some musty old man like the last merc she had to give a contract to. What was it? Soldier? Something like that. Weird names. | "Yo creo..." | A slip of her tongue as she tapped her cheek in thought. | "It's a contract, big boss needs ya for something" | There was a hiss in the words 'big boss', as if thinking about her made it all sour. She dips of her heels, swinging her weight back and forth before she held out the folders to the other. | | Curiosity wins as she pulls her hands back once the papers are taken. | "This place usually as empty as it is now? Aren't you supposed to have a full crew?" | She asked, raising a brow. It was a group of ten members right? Something like that, she doesn't remember all that well. Interacting with the mercs wasn't part of her daily runs. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

'Big boss'. Her. Wonderful.

They share a disdain for the woman. Though V can't get caught talking about her like that in here. Her eyes flick back and forth between the assistant in front of her and the camera. Maybe they could discuss her outside sometime.

V eyes the papers and takes them, skimming the first page and deciding to read the rest of it later. She sets them all on the counter and takes the glass out of the microwave, pouring the hot water into her thermos.

"It's nice to meet you too-- oh, what should I call you? You can call me V, by the way. If it's easier." This sounds like it's turning into an actual conversation rather than just a drop off.

V laughs, she knows by her tone that it's not a joke, but it's fucking funny. Solly left, she hasn't seen Shifty in two weeks, who else? Whatever. BLU seems to be having a similar problem. The matches feel quiet, there's less explosions... it's kinda creepy. Maybe that's how it was when there were only 9 members of each team?

"Full crew? Haha! Not for weeks. We've had... several people quit. It's too early for anyone to want to be awake anyway. I'm just making some hot cocoa. Want any?" It wouldn't take very long to make, she's got another thermos in the cupboards... somewhere. She rips open her powder packet exactly on the tear line. It's sort of a strange thing to have so much practice in. She likes her hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| Miss Gi ponders for a moment before glancing to the camera, staring at it dead on for a moment. She didn't like the shudder that rolls up her spine, hands twitching slightly to the gun on her hip. | | Her feelings for the boss lady was more than just disdain, it was a fury of fire. A abhorrence for her. Miss Gi didn't take kindly to that woman. | | All interactions with her always ended in some form of threat, always a consequence. | | She lets her eyes pull away from the camera, her one good eye focusing on the woman in front of her. Lightly pulling her hands away from her waist and letting them drop in front of her. Instinctively she brings one hand up again to run it through her hair, she must have forgotten to put on her hair tie today. | | As the other woman introduces herself Miss Gi winces, she didn't expect to turn this into a conversation. | "My name isn't easy on English tongues" | She says with a wave of her hand, dropping it to the side after a moment. | "Miss Gi is just fine or Gi" |She shrugs slightly, uniform rustling. | | Miss Gi scowls a little as the other laughs. What was funny? Scrunching her eyes slightly as her lips pull into a snarl before it drops. Professional, yes yes. Act accordingly. Rolling her shoulders she stands up straight, putting one heel behind the other as if she was going to turn around and walk away, however she doesn't. | | Early? Miss Gi lifts one hand to check her watch and blinked in surprise. She could have sworn it was late afternoon, not this early. Maybe the event with that robot made her lose track of time. | "I'll have some, gracias" | She drops her hand, resting it on her hip. She wants to ask more questions but glancing at the camera once more she decides to keep it to herself. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, she didn't quite like that. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Miss Gi." She's feeling the name out. Simple enough. "Are you like... a Miss Pauling for Miss Pauling?" She's not a merc. V would've seen her out on the field by now, and she had a contract for her.

She notices the scowl. And the eyeing the camera as well. They both don't like it.

Right. Be normal. Be nice. You're tired, not a jerk.

V nods and fills the cup back up with water, going through the motions again. She finds her backup thermos and another pack of hot cocoa. Just waiting on the microwave.

"If you're not busy we could go and sit outside and chat for a little while. It shouldn't be too cold." Even in the summer the desert could get chilly at night, but the sun should be peeking up any minute now. V does wear a jacket though, cold to her might be a little different. "Don't let me keep you from the things you need to do, though."

She stops the microwave just a second before the timer runs out and she transfers the water, rips open the packet, and pours the powder in again. She's stirring Miss Gi's instead of just shaking the thermos. Is that... a chopstick? Well, it works.

She twists on the lid and passes it over.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

| She blinks her eyes blankly at the other, shuffling the papers in her hands as the other fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for. She lifts a questionable brow at V, tilting her head just slightly before she cleared her throat. Right, act professional. Yes, yes. | "Good to meet you!" | At least it was a woman, not some musty old man like the last merc she had to give a contract to. What was it? Soldier? Something like that. Weird names. | "Yo creo..." | A slip of her tongue as she tapped her cheek in thought. | "It's a contract, big boss needs ya for something" | There was a hiss in the words 'big boss', as if thinking about her made it all sour. She dips of her heels, swinging her weight back and forth before she held out the folders to the other. | | Curiosity wins as she pulls her hands back once the papers are taken. | "This place usually as empty as it is now? Aren't you supposed to have a full crew?" | She asked, raising a brow. It was a group of ten members right? Something like that, she doesn't remember all that well. Interacting with the mercs wasn't part of her daily runs. |

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

'Big boss'. Her. Wonderful.

They share a disdain for the woman. Though V can't get caught talking about her like that in here. Her eyes flick back and forth between the assistant in front of her and the camera. Maybe they could discuss her outside sometime.

V eyes the papers and takes them, skimming the first page and deciding to read the rest of it later. She sets them all on the counter and takes the glass out of the microwave, pouring the hot water into her thermos.

"It's nice to meet you too-- oh, what should I call you? You can call me V, by the way. If it's easier." This sounds like it's turning into an actual conversation rather than just a drop off.

V laughs, she knows by her tone that it's not a joke, but it's fucking funny. Solly left, she hasn't seen Shifty in two weeks, who else? Whatever. BLU seems to be having a similar problem. The matches feel quiet, there's less explosions... it's kinda creepy. Maybe that's how it was when there were only 9 members of each team?

"Full crew? Haha! Not for weeks. We've had... several people quit. It's too early for anyone to want to be awake anyway. I'm just making some hot cocoa. Want any?" It wouldn't take very long to make, she's got another thermos in the cupboards... somewhere. She rips open her powder packet exactly on the tear line. It's sort of a strange thing to have so much practice in. She likes her hot cocoa.

[emotionally-eager-assistant]

V is in the kitchen, microwaving some water for her hot cocoa. Her thermos is open on the countertop waiting to be useful. She's clicking with the lighter in her pocket while she waits, watching the timer carefully. She wants to stop the alarm from going off, no point in waking anybody up.

Work is tough with so many people leaving, she's picking up way more slack than she thought she would have to. She got a new high score for kills this morning. Delightful.

She ignores the sound of footsteps she hears. She thinks it's in her head. For once, they're real.

Not again. Annoying.

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

|Miss Gi had no pleasures in interacting with the men that worked beneath The Administrator. Actually, she hated interacting with anybody, Administrator included. Aside from Miss Pauling she'd have to guess. It was simply a matter of moral, something she found herself a little startled she still had.| |The woman scoffs quietly as she fiddles with the papers in her arms, organizing them as she always does as she walks down long hallways. She was advised to give a contract to a merc, although she couldn't find any folders on this... What was it... Something about Illusion? She doesn't remember, or well. She doesn't care| |Why would she care?| |Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she turned the corner, finally stumbling her way into the kitchen where she was alerted the other would be. As per the information of the camera tucked away in the corner of the room. She clears her throat slowly, having expected to see the boy she almost always sees, what Scout or something? Boy scout. Something. The annoying boy who wouldn't leave Pauling alone. Right yes. Him. She was almost never assigned to give contracts to the other men, just that annoying boy.| |Much to her pleasant surprise this wasn't that boy, nor did it look like any of the men she knew about. This was someone new! A woman nonetheless! Oh joy! Her tense shoulders drop almost instantly.| "Good morning, uhhh" |She pauses to give a little sticky note on top of her folders a glance.| "Illusionist was it?" |The name falls from her mouth slowly, slurred with a heavy accent that has the word falling off her lips in a clunky manner.| "Miss Pauling sent me"

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Upon hearing the voice V startles, right hand moving out of her pocket and reaching for a smoke bomb. She's got her fingers around the thing before she realizes that she's not dying, actually. Just a woman from... somewhere. With a clipboard. Work stuff.

Get it together.

Maybe get some sleep tonight.

It's not like she hadn't tried. The noises kept her up. They didn't have a rhyme or a reason she could determine. Stress, probably. Like everything else. That's probably normal.

"Sorry." She presses the button on the microwave to stop it before continuing. "That's me. Miss Pauling needs something? Is everything alright?"

She automatically assumes something has gone horribly wrong if somebody is actually asking her for help outside of a match.

She refrains from mentioning her name. The interaction might be a little too short for it to matter. She hasn't been called Illusionist in a little while though. It felt a little strange. This place is a job, not a home. It was supposed to be like that, anyway.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

It's the same, loud engine again. This time though, V is happy to be on it. Happy to be out. The sun is setting over the horizon and she speeds openly over the abandoned desert road. She's learned that no one bothers to monitor the roads like these. The daily heat is beginning to die away as the sky transitions from bright blue to a soft purple.

She's finally found the time and energy to ride back out to talk to Esme. With two legible copies of A Wrinkle In Time no less!

You've outdone yourself this time. Remembering to talk to your friends? Unheard of!

She pulls around to the front of the greenhouse, gentler with her arrival this time. She parks the motorcycle and takes off her helmet, trading it for the books.

"It's V! Are you here?"

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

[ It had been some time since Esmé had anything remotely eventful happen. Things just. . . Got quiet for a while. She didn't mind, but it felt odd not having to run around and deal with a million problems; odd. . . Oddly nice? Maybe? ]

[ Hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine approach and cut off was off putting to her at first, but soon the memory resurfaced: V! Her book club friend! She made her way outside, setting down the watering can she had been holding. As the summer heat grew intense, she had taken to adjusting her schedule to water the plants in the early morning and near dusk to avoid overheating herself and damaging the plants. ]

V! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!

[ She noted the books in her friend's arms, the satellite on her hat flicked about with curiosity and glee. ]

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V presents one of the copies to Esme proudly.

"I found some copies! I had to drive to the next town over since Tuefort doesn't have a book store but I managed to grab these."

She watches the satellite bob back and forth for a moment before continuing.

"How have you been? Plants doing alright?"

She's just really happy to be here. Genuinely happy has been hard to come by.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The demobot carefully took the book from V, examining the cover and pages carefully. ]

WONDERFUL! THIS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER TOWN, THOUGH.

[ Esmé returned her attention to V. ]

IT HAS BEEN. . . UNEVENTFUL. I HAVE BEEN FINE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH GOING ON OUTSIDE OF MAKING SURE THE FLOWERS DO NOT WILT.

THAT HAS BEEN GOING WELL, THOUGH. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

[ She tilted her head, expressing genuine curiosity. There was a lot she wanted to ask, as the last time they met had been some time ago, but she held back for now. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V had taken the time to gently wash off the cover. The hardback book had well loved pages. Definitely secondhand.

"Oh, it was no problem! The ride wasn't too long or anything. I'm surprised they had two nice ones honestly!"

"I'm honestly impressed with how well you take care of them. You do a wonderful job." She's happy to give the simple compliment. She kept a radish alive for about a week but no plants made it any longer than that. She quit trying after a while, she felt bad for them.

"We've had some people quit but work is chaotic as per usual. Dying and respawning and dying again. We ran late today but not too late for me to make it out thankfully!"

It completely does not occur to her that Esme might not know what she does for work. Or anything about the mercs for that matter. She phrases it like she would to one of her coworkers.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

THANK YOU! I ENJOY TAKING CARE OF MY GARDEN. I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL COME TO FRUITION.

[ Esmé paused as she processed what V said regarding her job and how things were going there. She was. . . Aware that humans didn't last forever, some were expedited. She'd seen the remains in Area 52. She knew her axe belonged to someone who fell; the robot wondered if that person still worked there or was even around. ]

I HAVE HEARD HOW CHAOTIC IT ALL CAN BE. I AM. . . AWARE OF HOW IT IS. NOT FIRST HAND, BUT SEEING THE AFTERMATH IS. UNPLEASANT.

[ Her facial expressions were lacking, but her voice made up for the concern and sadness. ]

BUT- WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE ALL OK BY THE END OF IT! PHYSICALLY, AT LEAST.

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE OK.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"It's a great hobby to have!"

She really likes the way Esme put it. 'being able to see something so beautiful come to fruition'. V usually doesn't have the time to think about the trees or the flowers. Not anymore, anyway.

"Oh yeah! You come out of it with no scars or anything! It's a little creepy how good it is, actually." She jokes. Physically fine, sure. The rest of it? Eh, who wants to talk about that? She's away from it with her book buddy.

She makes sure to transition the topic quickly.

"Have any of your other friends dropped by?"

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ She appreciated the change of topic more than V would know. ]

OH. . . UH- YES? SOMETIMES? NOT AS OFTEN AS I WOULD LIKE, BUT WE STILL HANGOUT ELSEWHERE!

[ It wasn't a lie, not many people stopped by the garden while she was there. Doesn't mean she was neglecting spending time with anyone aside from her friendgirl. ]

WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, HANGING OUT IN ONE SPOT HAS BEEN EASIER.

[ If a bit dull. She missed the small adventures they'd all have. She'd take what she could get, though. ]

OH! SPEAKING OF, WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY OUT HERE OR HEAD INSIDE TO TALK MORE? I FOUND NEW BEAN BAGS THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY ARE QUITE COMFORTABLE!

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Everything going on?" She assumes it isn't tied to her own problems at base but she really has no idea. "Actually," she backpedals, "don't answer that if you don't want to."

V loves bean bags. Any seating that isn't a normal chair actually. It's fun! Great distraction from the awkward question she just asked.

"Oh bean bags? We can sit inside! Bean bags are great."

She takes a glance back at her bike before deciding that it's probably safe enough by virtue of the surrounding area being an abandoned desert. No need to worry about thieves. She turns to follow Esme inside, excited about the seating and the plants.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ Esmé shrugged at V's acknowledgment of "everything going on." It was so much, and she only had vague details of the most important details. ]

I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON TO ASK, BUT. . .

[ Her vents sighed. Maybe it was for the best for that moment to just head inside. ]

UH- YES! YES, THE BEAN BAGS. THOSE ARE COMFORTABLE.

[ The garden's flora had been thriving, overgrown by typical greenhouse standards, but it was clearly deliberate. Hanging plants resembled frothing cups of green, planter boxes were lush like beds and trimmed enough to where they couldn't be trampled, and splendid rocks and minerals created boarders, designs, and decoration around the ground. Everything was so well loved for something that hadn't even been around for a year. ]

[ The beanbags were tucked away behind a bookshelf where books were organized and stacked around, resting on an old rug that kept everything from touching the mossy and grassy floor. Esmé picked a seat that was snug against the greenhouse's wall, a make-shift back support. There were two other spots to sit, one in the corner between the bookshelf and wall and one that was put away from the shelf and wall. Good for sprawling. ]

APOLOGIES FOR THE MESS! I HAVE YET TO ORGANIZE THESE. THEY ARE IN SOME SORT OF ORDER THAT MAKES SENSE, I GUESS?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V follows Esme inside, trying desperately to take in every detail of the place. It's been so beautifully arranged! And it all just sings of her friend. It almost feels like stepping into a new world, the walls so much contrast to the hot, endless, red desert around them just outside the door.

She could examine each bit for hours.

"Oh that's alright! I think it's tidy in here, really." Her room is generally messy but she knows where everything is as long as she's the one who left it there.

V has some fun falling backward into the bean bag in the corner, settling into it. She gives Esme a little smile, waiting to see if she will continue with her answer or decide against it.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The reassurance that the garden wasn't a complete mess seemed to ease her worries. Once V had gotten settled, she continued with her answer. ]

I DO NOT KNOW THE FULL DETAILS OF EVERYTHING GOING ON, BUT MANY OF US HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH LARGER CHANGED IN OUR LIVES.

NEW PLACES TO LIVE, FIGHTS AND RESOLUTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING.

[ Not to mention new models running about. . . Ones that were higher-tech and made for more than fighting mercenaries. ]

. . . IT IS A LOT.

[ And she wishes she could do more to make things stable again. Part of her knew that wouldn't happen. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Even the vague reminder was gut wrenching. The robots were all uniquely innocent. They're just kids. They're so young. None of them asked for this. She knew about Sammy's troubles. But that was it.

Of course they're all struggling. Duh.

"If..." she takes a short pause to choose her words carefully, "If you or any of your friends are in danger, get to me. I will fight like hell to keep you safe."

Maybe she could make some sort of panic button for Esme? She'll look into it later.

"I'm so sorry you have to manage all of this. New Mexico is full of unorthodox situations apparently. I'll help you however I can if you need something."

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

. . . I APPRECIATE IT, V. MORE THAN WORDS CAN EXPRESS.

[ Esmé tries to help everyone when she can, but even then, she is just one person. More robots meant less time to help each one, and there was only so much she could do. This uncontrollable fact was one of the many things that gnawed at her. Yet she still persisted. ]

I KNOW- I KNOW MERCENARY WORK IS A LOT, I WOULD NOT WANT TO OVERBURDEN YOU, THOUGH.

[ Esmé gently tapped her fingers on her knuckles, a soft metallic "clink" barely disturbing the ambient noises outside the garden. She's avoidant on asking for help most of the time, but as of recent, this has been a more frequent thing, much to her dismay. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Work won't ever take priority over friends and family. They can't get rid of me anyway, I'm the only person who can do my job!" She laughs a little. She's happy she can offer some sort of help.

She refrains from mentioning the panic button in case she can't pull it off, but the plan she has going in her head should work? Probably?

Hopefully nothing happens between now and then.

Don't think about that.

She leaves space for Esme to change the topic if she wishes.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The laughter gave Esmé some reassurance; at least V was sure she'd keep her job and she wasn't putting too much on herself. Well, she hoped. ]

SO LONG AS YOU ARE NOT STRETCHING YOURSELF THIN. I WILL STILL DO MY PART, THOUGH. EVEN IF I AM SEEKING YOUR HELP, YOU WILL NOT BE DOING ALL THE WORK.

[ Even when accepting help, she'll always make sure to do something. In the past when she's asked for help, she almost always ended up helping the other person in some way. If not, she'd apologize for not doing more. Old habits die hard, even if the habits were barely a year old by technicality. ]

[ . . . Maybe she would take the subject change. Thinking about this too hard was making her worry. ]

. . . FOR THE BOOK, WILL WE BE DISCUSSING WHAT WE HAVE READ NEXT TIME WE MEET, OR AFTER WE HAVE READ IT ALL?

[ Book clubs all worked differently, after all. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Of course."

Stretching yourself thin is nothing new.

You're working on it.

"I think... Maybe just the amount we've gotten up to. I have no idea how much I'll have finished by the time I swing back around. I only remember bits and pieces of the plot now, it's been a while."

She just gives a soft little smile. How long has it been? A decade? Maybe a little more.

"I'm really excited to have a book buddy! I haven't met anyone into reading at base. Not that I really asked I suppose."

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

It's the same, loud engine again. This time though, V is happy to be on it. Happy to be out. The sun is setting over the horizon and she speeds openly over the abandoned desert road. She's learned that no one bothers to monitor the roads like these. The daily heat is beginning to die away as the sky transitions from bright blue to a soft purple.

She's finally found the time and energy to ride back out to talk to Esme. With two legible copies of A Wrinkle In Time no less!

You've outdone yourself this time. Remembering to talk to your friends? Unheard of!

She pulls around to the front of the greenhouse, gentler with her arrival this time. She parks the motorcycle and takes off her helmet, trading it for the books.

"It's V! Are you here?"

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

[ It had been some time since Esmé had anything remotely eventful happen. Things just. . . Got quiet for a while. She didn't mind, but it felt odd not having to run around and deal with a million problems; odd. . . Oddly nice? Maybe? ]

[ Hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine approach and cut off was off putting to her at first, but soon the memory resurfaced: V! Her book club friend! She made her way outside, setting down the watering can she had been holding. As the summer heat grew intense, she had taken to adjusting her schedule to water the plants in the early morning and near dusk to avoid overheating herself and damaging the plants. ]

V! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!

[ She noted the books in her friend's arms, the satellite on her hat flicked about with curiosity and glee. ]

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V presents one of the copies to Esme proudly.

"I found some copies! I had to drive to the next town over since Tuefort doesn't have a book store but I managed to grab these."

She watches the satellite bob back and forth for a moment before continuing.

"How have you been? Plants doing alright?"

She's just really happy to be here. Genuinely happy has been hard to come by.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The demobot carefully took the book from V, examining the cover and pages carefully. ]

WONDERFUL! THIS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER TOWN, THOUGH.

[ Esmé returned her attention to V. ]

IT HAS BEEN. . . UNEVENTFUL. I HAVE BEEN FINE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH GOING ON OUTSIDE OF MAKING SURE THE FLOWERS DO NOT WILT.

THAT HAS BEEN GOING WELL, THOUGH. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

[ She tilted her head, expressing genuine curiosity. There was a lot she wanted to ask, as the last time they met had been some time ago, but she held back for now. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V had taken the time to gently wash off the cover. The hardback book had well loved pages. Definitely secondhand.

"Oh, it was no problem! The ride wasn't too long or anything. I'm surprised they had two nice ones honestly!"

"I'm honestly impressed with how well you take care of them. You do a wonderful job." She's happy to give the simple compliment. She kept a radish alive for about a week but no plants made it any longer than that. She quit trying after a while, she felt bad for them.

"We've had some people quit but work is chaotic as per usual. Dying and respawning and dying again. We ran late today but not too late for me to make it out thankfully!"

It completely does not occur to her that Esme might not know what she does for work. Or anything about the mercs for that matter. She phrases it like she would to one of her coworkers.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

THANK YOU! I ENJOY TAKING CARE OF MY GARDEN. I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL COME TO FRUITION.

[ Esmé paused as she processed what V said regarding her job and how things were going there. She was. . . Aware that humans didn't last forever, some were expedited. She'd seen the remains in Area 52. She knew her axe belonged to someone who fell; the robot wondered if that person still worked there or was even around. ]

I HAVE HEARD HOW CHAOTIC IT ALL CAN BE. I AM. . . AWARE OF HOW IT IS. NOT FIRST HAND, BUT SEEING THE AFTERMATH IS. UNPLEASANT.

[ Her facial expressions were lacking, but her voice made up for the concern and sadness. ]

BUT- WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE ALL OK BY THE END OF IT! PHYSICALLY, AT LEAST.

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE OK.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"It's a great hobby to have!"

She really likes the way Esme put it. 'being able to see something so beautiful come to fruition'. V usually doesn't have the time to think about the trees or the flowers. Not anymore, anyway.

"Oh yeah! You come out of it with no scars or anything! It's a little creepy how good it is, actually." She jokes. Physically fine, sure. The rest of it? Eh, who wants to talk about that? She's away from it with her book buddy.

She makes sure to transition the topic quickly.

"Have any of your other friends dropped by?"

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ She appreciated the change of topic more than V would know. ]

OH. . . UH- YES? SOMETIMES? NOT AS OFTEN AS I WOULD LIKE, BUT WE STILL HANGOUT ELSEWHERE!

[ It wasn't a lie, not many people stopped by the garden while she was there. Doesn't mean she was neglecting spending time with anyone aside from her friendgirl. ]

WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, HANGING OUT IN ONE SPOT HAS BEEN EASIER.

[ If a bit dull. She missed the small adventures they'd all have. She'd take what she could get, though. ]

OH! SPEAKING OF, WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY OUT HERE OR HEAD INSIDE TO TALK MORE? I FOUND NEW BEAN BAGS THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY ARE QUITE COMFORTABLE!

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Everything going on?" She assumes it isn't tied to her own problems at base but she really has no idea. "Actually," she backpedals, "don't answer that if you don't want to."

V loves bean bags. Any seating that isn't a normal chair actually. It's fun! Great distraction from the awkward question she just asked.

"Oh bean bags? We can sit inside! Bean bags are great."

She takes a glance back at her bike before deciding that it's probably safe enough by virtue of the surrounding area being an abandoned desert. No need to worry about thieves. She turns to follow Esme inside, excited about the seating and the plants.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ Esmé shrugged at V's acknowledgment of "everything going on." It was so much, and she only had vague details of the most important details. ]

I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON TO ASK, BUT. . .

[ Her vents sighed. Maybe it was for the best for that moment to just head inside. ]

UH- YES! YES, THE BEAN BAGS. THOSE ARE COMFORTABLE.

[ The garden's flora had been thriving, overgrown by typical greenhouse standards, but it was clearly deliberate. Hanging plants resembled frothing cups of green, planter boxes were lush like beds and trimmed enough to where they couldn't be trampled, and splendid rocks and minerals created boarders, designs, and decoration around the ground. Everything was so well loved for something that hadn't even been around for a year. ]

[ The beanbags were tucked away behind a bookshelf where books were organized and stacked around, resting on an old rug that kept everything from touching the mossy and grassy floor. Esmé picked a seat that was snug against the greenhouse's wall, a make-shift back support. There were two other spots to sit, one in the corner between the bookshelf and wall and one that was put away from the shelf and wall. Good for sprawling. ]

APOLOGIES FOR THE MESS! I HAVE YET TO ORGANIZE THESE. THEY ARE IN SOME SORT OF ORDER THAT MAKES SENSE, I GUESS?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V follows Esme inside, trying desperately to take in every detail of the place. It's been so beautifully arranged! And it all just sings of her friend. It almost feels like stepping into a new world, the walls so much contrast to the hot, endless, red desert around them just outside the door.

She could examine each bit for hours.

"Oh that's alright! I think it's tidy in here, really." Her room is generally messy but she knows where everything is as long as she's the one who left it there.

V has some fun falling backward into the bean bag in the corner, settling into it. She gives Esme a little smile, waiting to see if she will continue with her answer or decide against it.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The reassurance that the garden wasn't a complete mess seemed to ease her worries. Once V had gotten settled, she continued with her answer. ]

I DO NOT KNOW THE FULL DETAILS OF EVERYTHING GOING ON, BUT MANY OF US HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH LARGER CHANGED IN OUR LIVES.

NEW PLACES TO LIVE, FIGHTS AND RESOLUTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING.

[ Not to mention new models running about. . . Ones that were higher-tech and made for more than fighting mercenaries. ]

. . . IT IS A LOT.

[ And she wishes she could do more to make things stable again. Part of her knew that wouldn't happen. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Even the vague reminder was gut wrenching. The robots were all uniquely innocent. They're just kids. They're so young. None of them asked for this. She knew about Sammy's troubles. But that was it.

Of course they're all struggling. Duh.

"If..." she takes a short pause to choose her words carefully, "If you or any of your friends are in danger, get to me. I will fight like hell to keep you safe."

Maybe she could make some sort of panic button for Esme? She'll look into it later.

"I'm so sorry you have to manage all of this. New Mexico is full of unorthodox situations apparently. I'll help you however I can if you need something."

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

. . . I APPRECIATE IT, V. MORE THAN WORDS CAN EXPRESS.

[ Esmé tries to help everyone when she can, but even then, she is just one person. More robots meant less time to help each one, and there was only so much she could do. This uncontrollable fact was one of the many things that gnawed at her. Yet she still persisted. ]

I KNOW- I KNOW MERCENARY WORK IS A LOT, I WOULD NOT WANT TO OVERBURDEN YOU, THOUGH.

[ Esmé gently tapped her fingers on her knuckles, a soft metallic "clink" barely disturbing the ambient noises outside the garden. She's avoidant on asking for help most of the time, but as of recent, this has been a more frequent thing, much to her dismay. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Work won't ever take priority over friends and family. They can't get rid of me anyway, I'm the only person who can do my job!" She laughs a little. She's happy she can offer some sort of help.

She refrains from mentioning the panic button in case she can't pull it off, but the plan she has going in her head should work? Probably?

Hopefully nothing happens between now and then.

Don't think about that.

She leaves space for Esme to change the topic if she wishes.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

It's the same, loud engine again. This time though, V is happy to be on it. Happy to be out. The sun is setting over the horizon and she speeds openly over the abandoned desert road. She's learned that no one bothers to monitor the roads like these. The daily heat is beginning to die away as the sky transitions from bright blue to a soft purple.

She's finally found the time and energy to ride back out to talk to Esme. With two legible copies of A Wrinkle In Time no less!

You've outdone yourself this time. Remembering to talk to your friends? Unheard of!

She pulls around to the front of the greenhouse, gentler with her arrival this time. She parks the motorcycle and takes off her helmet, trading it for the books.

"It's V! Are you here?"

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

[ It had been some time since Esmé had anything remotely eventful happen. Things just. . . Got quiet for a while. She didn't mind, but it felt odd not having to run around and deal with a million problems; odd. . . Oddly nice? Maybe? ]

[ Hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine approach and cut off was off putting to her at first, but soon the memory resurfaced: V! Her book club friend! She made her way outside, setting down the watering can she had been holding. As the summer heat grew intense, she had taken to adjusting her schedule to water the plants in the early morning and near dusk to avoid overheating herself and damaging the plants. ]

V! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!

[ She noted the books in her friend's arms, the satellite on her hat flicked about with curiosity and glee. ]

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V presents one of the copies to Esme proudly.

"I found some copies! I had to drive to the next town over since Tuefort doesn't have a book store but I managed to grab these."

She watches the satellite bob back and forth for a moment before continuing.

"How have you been? Plants doing alright?"

She's just really happy to be here. Genuinely happy has been hard to come by.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The demobot carefully took the book from V, examining the cover and pages carefully. ]

WONDERFUL! THIS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER TOWN, THOUGH.

[ Esmé returned her attention to V. ]

IT HAS BEEN. . . UNEVENTFUL. I HAVE BEEN FINE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH GOING ON OUTSIDE OF MAKING SURE THE FLOWERS DO NOT WILT.

THAT HAS BEEN GOING WELL, THOUGH. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

[ She tilted her head, expressing genuine curiosity. There was a lot she wanted to ask, as the last time they met had been some time ago, but she held back for now. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V had taken the time to gently wash off the cover. The hardback book had well loved pages. Definitely secondhand.

"Oh, it was no problem! The ride wasn't too long or anything. I'm surprised they had two nice ones honestly!"

"I'm honestly impressed with how well you take care of them. You do a wonderful job." She's happy to give the simple compliment. She kept a radish alive for about a week but no plants made it any longer than that. She quit trying after a while, she felt bad for them.

"We've had some people quit but work is chaotic as per usual. Dying and respawning and dying again. We ran late today but not too late for me to make it out thankfully!"

It completely does not occur to her that Esme might not know what she does for work. Or anything about the mercs for that matter. She phrases it like she would to one of her coworkers.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

THANK YOU! I ENJOY TAKING CARE OF MY GARDEN. I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL COME TO FRUITION.

[ Esmé paused as she processed what V said regarding her job and how things were going there. She was. . . Aware that humans didn't last forever, some were expedited. She'd seen the remains in Area 52. She knew her axe belonged to someone who fell; the robot wondered if that person still worked there or was even around. ]

I HAVE HEARD HOW CHAOTIC IT ALL CAN BE. I AM. . . AWARE OF HOW IT IS. NOT FIRST HAND, BUT SEEING THE AFTERMATH IS. UNPLEASANT.

[ Her facial expressions were lacking, but her voice made up for the concern and sadness. ]

BUT- WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE ALL OK BY THE END OF IT! PHYSICALLY, AT LEAST.

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE OK.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"It's a great hobby to have!"

She really likes the way Esme put it. 'being able to see something so beautiful come to fruition'. V usually doesn't have the time to think about the trees or the flowers. Not anymore, anyway.

"Oh yeah! You come out of it with no scars or anything! It's a little creepy how good it is, actually." She jokes. Physically fine, sure. The rest of it? Eh, who wants to talk about that? She's away from it with her book buddy.

She makes sure to transition the topic quickly.

"Have any of your other friends dropped by?"

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ She appreciated the change of topic more than V would know. ]

OH. . . UH- YES? SOMETIMES? NOT AS OFTEN AS I WOULD LIKE, BUT WE STILL HANGOUT ELSEWHERE!

[ It wasn't a lie, not many people stopped by the garden while she was there. Doesn't mean she was neglecting spending time with anyone aside from her friendgirl. ]

WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, HANGING OUT IN ONE SPOT HAS BEEN EASIER.

[ If a bit dull. She missed the small adventures they'd all have. She'd take what she could get, though. ]

OH! SPEAKING OF, WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY OUT HERE OR HEAD INSIDE TO TALK MORE? I FOUND NEW BEAN BAGS THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY ARE QUITE COMFORTABLE!

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Everything going on?" She assumes it isn't tied to her own problems at base but she really has no idea. "Actually," she backpedals, "don't answer that if you don't want to."

V loves bean bags. Any seating that isn't a normal chair actually. It's fun! Great distraction from the awkward question she just asked.

"Oh bean bags? We can sit inside! Bean bags are great."

She takes a glance back at her bike before deciding that it's probably safe enough by virtue of the surrounding area being an abandoned desert. No need to worry about thieves. She turns to follow Esme inside, excited about the seating and the plants.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ Esmé shrugged at V's acknowledgment of "everything going on." It was so much, and she only had vague details of the most important details. ]

I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON TO ASK, BUT. . .

[ Her vents sighed. Maybe it was for the best for that moment to just head inside. ]

UH- YES! YES, THE BEAN BAGS. THOSE ARE COMFORTABLE.

[ The garden's flora had been thriving, overgrown by typical greenhouse standards, but it was clearly deliberate. Hanging plants resembled frothing cups of green, planter boxes were lush like beds and trimmed enough to where they couldn't be trampled, and splendid rocks and minerals created boarders, designs, and decoration around the ground. Everything was so well loved for something that hadn't even been around for a year. ]

[ The beanbags were tucked away behind a bookshelf where books were organized and stacked around, resting on an old rug that kept everything from touching the mossy and grassy floor. Esmé picked a seat that was snug against the greenhouse's wall, a make-shift back support. There were two other spots to sit, one in the corner between the bookshelf and wall and one that was put away from the shelf and wall. Good for sprawling. ]

APOLOGIES FOR THE MESS! I HAVE YET TO ORGANIZE THESE. THEY ARE IN SOME SORT OF ORDER THAT MAKES SENSE, I GUESS?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V follows Esme inside, trying desperately to take in every detail of the place. It's been so beautifully arranged! And it all just sings of her friend. It almost feels like stepping into a new world, the walls so much contrast to the hot, endless, red desert around them just outside the door.

She could examine each bit for hours.

"Oh that's alright! I think it's tidy in here, really." Her room is generally messy but she knows where everything is as long as she's the one who left it there.

V has some fun falling backward into the bean bag in the corner, settling into it. She gives Esme a little smile, waiting to see if she will continue with her answer or decide against it.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The reassurance that the garden wasn't a complete mess seemed to ease her worries. Once V had gotten settled, she continued with her answer. ]

I DO NOT KNOW THE FULL DETAILS OF EVERYTHING GOING ON, BUT MANY OF US HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH LARGER CHANGED IN OUR LIVES.

NEW PLACES TO LIVE, FIGHTS AND RESOLUTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING.

[ Not to mention new models running about. . . Ones that were higher-tech and made for more than fighting mercenaries. ]

. . . IT IS A LOT.

[ And she wishes she could do more to make things stable again. Part of her knew that wouldn't happen. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

Even the vague reminder was gut wrenching. The robots were all uniquely innocent. They're just kids. They're so young. None of them asked for this. She knew about Sammy's troubles. But that was it.

Of course they're all struggling. Duh.

"If..." she takes a short pause to choose her words carefully, "If you or any of your friends are in danger, get to me. I will fight like hell to keep you safe."

Maybe she could make some sort of panic button for Esme? She'll look into it later.

"I'm so sorry you have to manage all of this. New Mexico is full of unorthodox situations apparently. I'll help you however I can if you need something."

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

It's the same, loud engine again. This time though, V is happy to be on it. Happy to be out. The sun is setting over the horizon and she speeds openly over the abandoned desert road. She's learned that no one bothers to monitor the roads like these. The daily heat is beginning to die away as the sky transitions from bright blue to a soft purple.

She's finally found the time and energy to ride back out to talk to Esme. With two legible copies of A Wrinkle In Time no less!

You've outdone yourself this time. Remembering to talk to your friends? Unheard of!

She pulls around to the front of the greenhouse, gentler with her arrival this time. She parks the motorcycle and takes off her helmet, trading it for the books.

"It's V! Are you here?"

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

[ It had been some time since Esmé had anything remotely eventful happen. Things just. . . Got quiet for a while. She didn't mind, but it felt odd not having to run around and deal with a million problems; odd. . . Oddly nice? Maybe? ]

[ Hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine approach and cut off was off putting to her at first, but soon the memory resurfaced: V! Her book club friend! She made her way outside, setting down the watering can she had been holding. As the summer heat grew intense, she had taken to adjusting her schedule to water the plants in the early morning and near dusk to avoid overheating herself and damaging the plants. ]

V! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!

[ She noted the books in her friend's arms, the satellite on her hat flicked about with curiosity and glee. ]

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V presents one of the copies to Esme proudly.

"I found some copies! I had to drive to the next town over since Tuefort doesn't have a book store but I managed to grab these."

She watches the satellite bob back and forth for a moment before continuing.

"How have you been? Plants doing alright?"

She's just really happy to be here. Genuinely happy has been hard to come by.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The demobot carefully took the book from V, examining the cover and pages carefully. ]

WONDERFUL! THIS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER TOWN, THOUGH.

[ Esmé returned her attention to V. ]

IT HAS BEEN. . . UNEVENTFUL. I HAVE BEEN FINE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH GOING ON OUTSIDE OF MAKING SURE THE FLOWERS DO NOT WILT.

THAT HAS BEEN GOING WELL, THOUGH. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

[ She tilted her head, expressing genuine curiosity. There was a lot she wanted to ask, as the last time they met had been some time ago, but she held back for now. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V had taken the time to gently wash off the cover. The hardback book had well loved pages. Definitely secondhand.

"Oh, it was no problem! The ride wasn't too long or anything. I'm surprised they had two nice ones honestly!"

"I'm honestly impressed with how well you take care of them. You do a wonderful job." She's happy to give the simple compliment. She kept a radish alive for about a week but no plants made it any longer than that. She quit trying after a while, she felt bad for them.

"We've had some people quit but work is chaotic as per usual. Dying and respawning and dying again. We ran late today but not too late for me to make it out thankfully!"

It completely does not occur to her that Esme might not know what she does for work. Or anything about the mercs for that matter. She phrases it like she would to one of her coworkers.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

THANK YOU! I ENJOY TAKING CARE OF MY GARDEN. I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL COME TO FRUITION.

[ Esmé paused as she processed what V said regarding her job and how things were going there. She was. . . Aware that humans didn't last forever, some were expedited. She'd seen the remains in Area 52. She knew her axe belonged to someone who fell; the robot wondered if that person still worked there or was even around. ]

I HAVE HEARD HOW CHAOTIC IT ALL CAN BE. I AM. . . AWARE OF HOW IT IS. NOT FIRST HAND, BUT SEEING THE AFTERMATH IS. UNPLEASANT.

[ Her facial expressions were lacking, but her voice made up for the concern and sadness. ]

BUT- WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE ALL OK BY THE END OF IT! PHYSICALLY, AT LEAST.

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE OK.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"It's a great hobby to have!"

She really likes the way Esme put it. 'being able to see something so beautiful come to fruition'. V usually doesn't have the time to think about the trees or the flowers. Not anymore, anyway.

"Oh yeah! You come out of it with no scars or anything! It's a little creepy how good it is, actually." She jokes. Physically fine, sure. The rest of it? Eh, who wants to talk about that? She's away from it with her book buddy.

She makes sure to transition the topic quickly.

"Have any of your other friends dropped by?"

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ She appreciated the change of topic more than V would know. ]

OH. . . UH- YES? SOMETIMES? NOT AS OFTEN AS I WOULD LIKE, BUT WE STILL HANGOUT ELSEWHERE!

[ It wasn't a lie, not many people stopped by the garden while she was there. Doesn't mean she was neglecting spending time with anyone aside from her friendgirl. ]

WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, HANGING OUT IN ONE SPOT HAS BEEN EASIER.

[ If a bit dull. She missed the small adventures they'd all have. She'd take what she could get, though. ]

OH! SPEAKING OF, WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY OUT HERE OR HEAD INSIDE TO TALK MORE? I FOUND NEW BEAN BAGS THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY ARE QUITE COMFORTABLE!

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Everything going on?" She assumes it isn't tied to her own problems at base but she really has no idea. "Actually," she backpedals, "don't answer that if you don't want to."

V loves bean bags. Any seating that isn't a normal chair actually. It's fun! Great distraction from the awkward question she just asked.

"Oh bean bags? We can sit inside! Bean bags are great."

She takes a glance back at her bike before deciding that it's probably safe enough by virtue of the surrounding area being an abandoned desert. No need to worry about thieves. She turns to follow Esme inside, excited about the seating and the plants.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ Esmé shrugged at V's acknowledgment of "everything going on." It was so much, and she only had vague details of the most important details. ]

I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON TO ASK, BUT. . .

[ Her vents sighed. Maybe it was for the best for that moment to just head inside. ]

UH- YES! YES, THE BEAN BAGS. THOSE ARE COMFORTABLE.

[ The garden's flora had been thriving, overgrown by typical greenhouse standards, but it was clearly deliberate. Hanging plants resembled frothing cups of green, planter boxes were lush like beds and trimmed enough to where they couldn't be trampled, and splendid rocks and minerals created boarders, designs, and decoration around the ground. Everything was so well loved for something that hadn't even been around for a year. ]

[ The beanbags were tucked away behind a bookshelf where books were organized and stacked around, resting on an old rug that kept everything from touching the mossy and grassy floor. Esmé picked a seat that was snug against the greenhouse's wall, a make-shift back support. There were two other spots to sit, one in the corner between the bookshelf and wall and one that was put away from the shelf and wall. Good for sprawling. ]

APOLOGIES FOR THE MESS! I HAVE YET TO ORGANIZE THESE. THEY ARE IN SOME SORT OF ORDER THAT MAKES SENSE, I GUESS?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V follows Esme inside, trying desperately to take in every detail of the place. It's been so beautifully arranged! And it all just sings of her friend. It almost feels like stepping into a new world, the walls so much contrast to the hot, endless, red desert around them just outside the door.

She could examine each bit for hours.

"Oh that's alright! I think it's tidy in here, really." Her room is generally messy but she knows where everything is as long as she's the one who left it there.

V has some fun falling backward into the bean bag in the corner, settling into it. She gives Esme a little smile, waiting to see if she will continue with her answer or decide against it.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

It's the same, loud engine again. This time though, V is happy to be on it. Happy to be out. The sun is setting over the horizon and she speeds openly over the abandoned desert road. She's learned that no one bothers to monitor the roads like these. The daily heat is beginning to die away as the sky transitions from bright blue to a soft purple.

She's finally found the time and energy to ride back out to talk to Esme. With two legible copies of A Wrinkle In Time no less!

You've outdone yourself this time. Remembering to talk to your friends? Unheard of!

She pulls around to the front of the greenhouse, gentler with her arrival this time. She parks the motorcycle and takes off her helmet, trading it for the books.

"It's V! Are you here?"

(-@emotionally-helpful-illusionist)

[ It had been some time since Esmé had anything remotely eventful happen. Things just. . . Got quiet for a while. She didn't mind, but it felt odd not having to run around and deal with a million problems; odd. . . Oddly nice? Maybe? ]

[ Hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine approach and cut off was off putting to her at first, but soon the memory resurfaced: V! Her book club friend! She made her way outside, setting down the watering can she had been holding. As the summer heat grew intense, she had taken to adjusting her schedule to water the plants in the early morning and near dusk to avoid overheating herself and damaging the plants. ]

V! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!

[ She noted the books in her friend's arms, the satellite on her hat flicked about with curiosity and glee. ]

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE?

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V presents one of the copies to Esme proudly.

"I found some copies! I had to drive to the next town over since Tuefort doesn't have a book store but I managed to grab these."

She watches the satellite bob back and forth for a moment before continuing.

"How have you been? Plants doing alright?"

She's just really happy to be here. Genuinely happy has been hard to come by.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ The demobot carefully took the book from V, examining the cover and pages carefully. ]

WONDERFUL! THIS IS WONDERFUL, BUT I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER TOWN, THOUGH.

[ Esmé returned her attention to V. ]

IT HAS BEEN. . . UNEVENTFUL. I HAVE BEEN FINE, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH GOING ON OUTSIDE OF MAKING SURE THE FLOWERS DO NOT WILT.

THAT HAS BEEN GOING WELL, THOUGH. WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

[ She tilted her head, expressing genuine curiosity. There was a lot she wanted to ask, as the last time they met had been some time ago, but she held back for now. ]

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

V had taken the time to gently wash off the cover. The hardback book had well loved pages. Definitely secondhand.

"Oh, it was no problem! The ride wasn't too long or anything. I'm surprised they had two nice ones honestly!"

"I'm honestly impressed with how well you take care of them. You do a wonderful job." She's happy to give the simple compliment. She kept a radish alive for about a week but no plants made it any longer than that. She quit trying after a while, she felt bad for them.

"We've had some people quit but work is chaotic as per usual. Dying and respawning and dying again. We ran late today but not too late for me to make it out thankfully!"

It completely does not occur to her that Esme might not know what she does for work. Or anything about the mercs for that matter. She phrases it like she would to one of her coworkers.

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

THANK YOU! I ENJOY TAKING CARE OF MY GARDEN. I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL COME TO FRUITION.

[ Esmé paused as she processed what V said regarding her job and how things were going there. She was. . . Aware that humans didn't last forever, some were expedited. She'd seen the remains in Area 52. She knew her axe belonged to someone who fell; the robot wondered if that person still worked there or was even around. ]

I HAVE HEARD HOW CHAOTIC IT ALL CAN BE. I AM. . . AWARE OF HOW IT IS. NOT FIRST HAND, BUT SEEING THE AFTERMATH IS. UNPLEASANT.

[ Her facial expressions were lacking, but her voice made up for the concern and sadness. ]

BUT- WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE ALL OK BY THE END OF IT! PHYSICALLY, AT LEAST.

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE OK.

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"It's a great hobby to have!"

She really likes the way Esme put it. 'being able to see something so beautiful come to fruition'. V usually doesn't have the time to think about the trees or the flowers. Not anymore, anyway.

"Oh yeah! You come out of it with no scars or anything! It's a little creepy how good it is, actually." She jokes. Physically fine, sure. The rest of it? Eh, who wants to talk about that? She's away from it with her book buddy.

She makes sure to transition the topic quickly.

"Have any of your other friends dropped by?"

[mentally-joyful-demobot]

[ She appreciated the change of topic more than V would know. ]

OH. . . UH- YES? SOMETIMES? NOT AS OFTEN AS I WOULD LIKE, BUT WE STILL HANGOUT ELSEWHERE!

[ It wasn't a lie, not many people stopped by the garden while she was there. Doesn't mean she was neglecting spending time with anyone aside from her friendgirl. ]

WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, HANGING OUT IN ONE SPOT HAS BEEN EASIER.

[ If a bit dull. She missed the small adventures they'd all have. She'd take what she could get, though. ]

OH! SPEAKING OF, WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY OUT HERE OR HEAD INSIDE TO TALK MORE? I FOUND NEW BEAN BAGS THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY ARE QUITE COMFORTABLE!

[emotionally-helpful-illusionist]

"Everything going on?" She assumes it isn't tied to her own problems at base but she really has no idea. "Actually," she backpedals, "don't answer that if you don't want to."

V loves bean bags. Any seating that isn't a normal chair actually. It's fun! Great distraction from the awkward question she just asked.

"Oh bean bags? We can sit inside! Bean bags are great."

She takes a glance back at her bike before deciding that it's probably safe enough by virtue of the surrounding area being an abandoned desert. No need to worry about thieves. She turns to follow Esme inside, excited about the seating and the plants.