exsilium | 1st story. (voice.)

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1st story. (voice.)

( there's a bit of a pause before anyone speaks. when the voice does start, though, it's pretty low. flat, almost, like the speaker is tired, and her voice sounds pretty rough and husky-- and distinctly australian. she sounds decidedly... detached from what's just happened, considering it's her first entry. )

I remember, once when I was a kid. One of the shearers bought a kangaroo to the farm – not alive, though. It was roadkill. I couldn't tell you if... he hit it, or if he just found it. I don't know if that matters.

Anyway, he brings this dead 'roo over in the back of his ute, and hauls the thing off his trailer. I'm surprised he got it on there, to be honest. He and my dad, they took it over to one of the sheds and started butchering it. It was already dead, but they still went through all the steps they use for lamb or cattle if we're gonna be using them for food. Slice the throat, first. They took the whole thing apart, until there was just this... steaming carcass, and then they froze the meat for dog food, buried the guts so that the foxes couldn't get at them.

That's a bit what I feel like right now. Like I'm a carcass that someone picked up and dropped off here. It doesn't matter if I was alive or not when they found me. ( She laughs a bit, but it's a bitter sound. ) I'm here now, aren't I? Either I've gone bush crazy and I'll be dead soon, or I'm already dead. This Initiative bullshit is just-- Jesus.

( A sigh, and a long silence. )

My name's Ellie. Ellie Linton. I don't know if names mean much to the dead, but that's it.

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( She doesn't speak, just nods her head in a vague kind of agreement. Problem is, when you get locked up with your thoughts, it makes you wonder. If maybe they thought the world owed them something, that Australia was theirs. But they'd taken it from others, really. It hadn't been theirs then, but their ancestors - or the people who came before their ancestors turned up, for some - they just tried to clear the way and make out like the land was theirs, when it shouldn't of been. They owned stolen land. Maybe the world was just passing it on to someone else, now.

But she doesn't say anything. It wasn't the kind of thing that was easy to say, easy to ponder. She could just imagine one of the others going off their nut if she even verbalised it. Sure, Steph's not one of them, but it was a thing to think about. )

You should introduce me to your supplier. Never hurts a girl to be well armed.

( Ellie nods, very happy with that. YEAH. LEARNING THINGS. Although-- ) Hey, is it true? About weapons being sentient? I mean, should I start being a little more considerate to my rifle? Make sure I don't hurt its feelings, or something?

[Steph won't push the subject, the nod is enough, and she can imagine that none of this is easy for Ellie to talk about. War is never easy, no matter which side someone's on.]

I'll give you an address or too, though some of it comes from the Initiative, they're willing to give you weapons aside from yours.

[Which ties in nicely to Ellie's question.] I think sentient might be a bit too strong of a word. They can certainly improve grow, even, but I don't think they have like - thoughts.

[So the rifle is her weapon. Steph hopes Ellie doesn't ask what her own is, she's not sure how to answer.]

I hope it doesn't grow. They're heavy enough all ready.

( Oh, Ellie, where is your sense of adventure! ) Can you imagine? It'd be at you all the time for not aiming better, or some stupid shit like that. Then it'd start nagging me to clean my room.

( Blergh. No thank you. Though, having said that, she glances around Steph's room. ) Your weapon probably won't need to bug you about that. Or wouldn't. If they had thoughts.

( And now she is looking some more and she is trying to see a weapon. And isn't. Maybe she should mind her own business. )

I was talking metaphorically. [She rolls her eyes at Ellie.

Somehow, the thought of her Batgirl suit talking to her makes her homesick, thinking of the familiarity of Babs' voice in her ear. The suit relayed all her vitals, heartrate, breathing, the adrenalin content in her sweat. If the suit could talk, it'd probably comment on all the same things]

I don't have a lot of stuff here, makes it easy to keep it clean. You should see my room back home.

[It's a lot more personalized than the one here. Steph hasn't really felt like putting up posters on her walls or buying little trinkets to put around.]

So was I. The weight of responsibility, all that.

( Oh, shut up.

It doesn't look like the most personalised place, she has to admit. Just you wait, Steph - Ellie'll help with that. Maybe not today. Maybe not this week. But sometime, when she least expects it... )

I dunno. You've never seen a messy room until you've had to mouse plague.

[That startles a laugh out of her] Nicely recovered.

[She likes you, Ellie.]

Mouse plague? [Does that mean what she thinks it means? Because mice aren't particularly scary to someone who comes from Gotham and is used to dealing with her rat problem.]

I'm a smart one.

( Smartarse, more like, but oh well. )

Yeah. Just floods and floods of mice. They happen every few years, you just get these explosions of them, so you open the grain stores or anything like that and there's just all these mice piled on top of each other. Thousands and thousands, and they're all just hungry and looking for food, so they you've got these bloody great tides of mice in the house. Mice in your bed, all right, it's no good.

( Don't judge her, flying rodent lady. ) Hey, I can handle one or two mice. But when you got so many that your cats are looking freaked out?

( blergh )

You're a smart something.

[Smartarse is what she's going for.

And - okay, Steph is going to wrinkle her nose at that explanation. She's never had personal run ins with the Ratcatcher, but Tim has, and he's told her about, well, all those rats.

Mice might be smaller, but thousands of them still sounds awful.]

That's revolting. Can't you stop it happening?

Cookie?

( :D? So helpfully offered.

Another enlightening shrug. ) There's not a whole lot you can do. If there's enough food and rain and whatever else, then the population just booms. It usually crashes again in winter, and because of disease and stuff.

Besides, we don't have it so bad. I hear they've got a massive problem with plagues of Americans, over where you are.

( 8D

one day Ellie is going to get stabbed, isn't she )

[Dryly:] Sure, let's go with that.

[Her face is still kind of crinkled up in something like disgust.]

This is why I live in the city. We might have rats, but at least they don't have a chance to breed like that outside the sewers.

[And most people don't... go into the sewers.

In an act of maturity, she sticks her tongue out at Ellie.] You've got a mouth on you, don't you.

[Steph approves though let's be real.]

Mm. You city kids never get to ride tractors or birth cattle, though. Lambs and calfs wobbling around on their spindly little legs is still one of my favourite things. It's more like, "oh great, some concrete. And hey, over there. More concrete."

( That said, she has a bit of a grin. ) Sounds like bliss.

( If she were a ninja, and also more of a jerk, she'd have tried to grab Steph's tongue. But also that's kind of gross and she isn't Homer. ) And you got a tongue, apparently.

I wouldn't say we never do. I've helped birth calfs before, though I did have to leave the city to do that.

[She had a lot of interesting adventures during her time in recovering in Africa.]

I've managed to keep it no matter how many people have threatened to cut it out.

[She's joking.

Probably.]

Hah.

( Hmm. Her eyebrows do raise a little bit with that. Hey, you never know, with what Steph has said about her dad.

Despite herself, and perhaps a bit to her embarrassment, she can't hold back an epic yawn. ) God. Sorry. I should probably hit the hay. Or find the hay. And then hit it. Thanks for the help. ( She raises her arm, as if Steph needs the reminder. ) And the food. And booze. And weapons.

( Hmm. ) I guess I did pretty well outta this visit. You should be more careful, otherwise I'll just keep on coming back.

( Like the lost puppy that she is )

You're welcome. [For everything, Steph is glad to help out, especially when that help is going to someone she can empathize with.

She takes the box of weapons back off Ellie, putting it on her bed for now.]

I got some pretty decent conversation out of it, so I think I'll hold off on being careful. [Which is her way of saying that she likes Ellie, and that the other girl is welcome to come back whenever she wants.]

( That sure would have been a thing for Ellie to wander out of the apartment with. She smiles sheepishly, quickly relinquishing the box. )

You might wanna rethink that. I can talk ears off left and right, if you let me.

( She'll be back immediately she realises her poor roommate is an alien an ALIEN, STEPH D: D: D:

Ellie being Ellie, she offers Steph her hand to shake. ) Pleasures all mine.

( It was good to forget about some of the other stuff, here and there. )

I'm sure I'd find a way to survive.

[Ellie's the first person she's really - wanted to trust, in this damn city. And she's definitely someone Steph wants to look out for, which is something she kind of needs to keep herself... feeling like herself.

So she shakes the offered hand, smiling] If you insist.

[Some of it was hers, but she says it like she's teasing a little.]

I do. Best quality, my stubborness. Everyone'll say so.

( Cough. )

I'll uh, message you on the thing about the throwing stuff. ( Gosh, it must fill Steph with confidence. Before she goes, Ellie very dutifully scoops up her AK, and scurries to the door. She looks less like a walking ball of stress than before, at least. )

Stay out of trouble, yeah?

I've had the same thing said about me.

[Kindred spirits. She's certainly not regretting the offer to help Ellie.

She follows Ellie to the door, chuckling at the comment, both of them, really.]

I'll do my best.

[Steph isn't great at staying out of trouble, so she can't really make promises on that.]

Good luck settling in, Ellie.

Thanks, If I can deal with Hell, I can deal with this. ( Oh, why would you even clarify a sentence like that?

All right, good byes are awkward. She'll be giving Steph and awkward salute, and just rolling on out the door.

Not actual rolling. That would have been way more awesome. Maybe next time. )

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1st story. (voice.)

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omg there's a villain called the Ratcatcher? I should start reading DC

he legitimately controls rats

that sounds pretty ratical. He mouset be the big cheese.

.... get out

you could never e-rat-icate me from YOUR HEART

I'm never tagging you again

But I haven't even gotten to shrews or hamsters yet :c you vole break my heart

you'd make a good robin, at least

an egg-cellent one, even

you're embarrassing me

I think I am just embarrassing myself lbr