001 | (accidental) voice

[railgunning]

[There's the sounds of a scuffle---with a girl's voice cursing and complaining about 'stupid idiots, I'm not handing over my marques or whatever the money here's called! I told that little girl I'd buy her some bread!' ---when the tablet's voice feed suddenly clicks on:]

Okay, now let me get this straight. We're supposed to be soldiers, off fighting this war, right? So tell me this---

[The girl speaking quickly grunts as she dodges the thugs' attacks. The sounds of her footsteps make a scurrying noise as if she quickly backpedaled away. Afterward, she takes a deep, irritated breath.]

---isn't part of our job supposed to be keeping the peace? Why are there still moron thugs running around?

[After she poses this inquiry, there's the sound of electricity cracking, and the tablet suddenly shuts off.]



[ooc: tags might be slow, sorry! action tags are welcome as well, for anyone who's up for it!]

Comments

[have_hat_will_travel]

I don't recall much about peacekeeping. I think a few people help supplement the local police, but...

voice;

[railgunning]

[About a few minutes later, the tablet's voice feed crackles back on. Mikoto huffs, and the sounds of guys groaning and grunting in pain can be heard in the background.]

I know they have to have most of us in the frontlines...but the police aren't enough!

[Because, ugh, police.]

Because, jeez. A lot of people here seem to live in awful conditions. No wonder those guys tried to take my...uh...marques.

Re: voice;

[have_hat_will_travel]

Sounds like you know how to fight them off, at least.

Though the 'frontlines' thing is... Different.

We're not precisely soldiers in the most traditional sense. Actually, where are you? I'd rather chat in person if we can.

[voice]

[highfrequency]

[His voice sounds a bit desperate.]

Hello? Hey, kid, respond if you're okay....

[voice]

[railgunning]

[---And the voice feed crackles back on! Sort of, but it's really choppy for some reason. Oh, um, don't mind the buzzing and cracking of what sounds like...lightning? Or the sound of pained male groans in the background.]

---Huh? I'm just---I said, no!

[Or the screaming. Yeah. There's a reason for that. A good one. Really.]

--Dammit, buzz off!---dealing with idiots!

[voice]

[highfrequency]

Yeah, the natives aren't very fond of us right now.

[He sighs]

Do you any need help? Where are you?

Video;

[satsujinki]

Local crime? I don't think anyone could be bothered to care nearly as much as you might imagine.

voice;

[railgunning]

[Some time later, Mikoto finally responds, sounding bushed and annoyed. She grumbles.]

I get that---I mean, we've got the...United Earth or whatever threatening to take us over, so it's all about priorities, right? But...

[She sighs. If there's anything she puts first and foremost, it's her sense of Justice.]

We have to keep the natives' morale up, too. They gotta feel safe at home while we're off fighting.

Video;

[satsujinki]

[Shiki, wearing a solid orange jumpsuit as per SOL janitorial standards, leaned against a broom and regarded his comm irritably.]

You're thinking of this place in terms of a balanced, humane society. You should stop while you're ahead of yourself.

[Making a grandiose gesture with one hand, Shiki ended his flourish by adjusting his glasses.]

In reality, you're facing a population of dead-eyed, mindless people who live like cockroaches save for the few optimistic people who were forced to come here and fight for them. If there's any crime to speak of, it's because there's nothing that can bolster their morale.

I think the fact that we're not all on fire right now is a safe testament of the fact that, for some insane reason, they're at their best.

lllllet's action this up

[fortissimos]

[ The sound of a scuffle nearby is all the invitation Sayaka needs to race over — whether it's between natives or transports doesn't matter, only the fact that someone might get hurt. She quickly changes into her magical girl uniform, and bursts onto the scene a moment later; sword pointed at the group of thugs. ]

Hey! [ She isn't sure who or what she's dealing with yet, but heroes don't wait around to figure that stuff out. She'll just target whoever looks the most suspicious. ]

yeaaaah boooiii action;

[railgunning]

[Oh, god. These morons were a gang. They weren't just holed up in the Gardens, which Mikoto just (barely) escaped from. They'd managed to track her down after she brought that little girl the bread she asked for, cornering her in an empty lot a few blocks away, if only to not frighten the child with her powers.

Which were in full display. A true hero didn't flaunt their abilities in front of civilians--no use putting them in harm's way. When Sayaka comes in, she'll see a number of the thugs get zapped by a fairly large electric blast, causing the nearby streetlights to flicker. When they drop to the ground groaning and stunned, Mikoto is in themiddle of the small army of lowlives, a spark of electricity shooting past her head, her right arm wrapped with a piece of her skirt for some reason, and she clutches it, wincing slightly.

She makes eye contact with Sayaka, raising an eyebrow.]

[fortissimos]

[ She's mostly used to other kinds of magic now, so it isn't too surprising to see the sudden blast of electricity. What is surprising, though, is the source — she blinks, then grins a moment later when realization sets in. ]

Need some help? [ The thugs on the ground probably won't be getting up anytime soon, but she steps close enough to be within striking distance if any of them start to get to their feet. ]

voice

[theparasite]

Oh, yes.

Lots of fighting. Everyone bleeds here.

voice

[railgunning]

[GRUMBLE.]

You sound entertained. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you got attacked by morons? To be honest, though? Blood is something I'd like to avoid.

[theparasite]

Don't lie.

voice

[andagain]

Miss, is your tablet functioning alright?

[He pauses for a brief period and then returns to answering the question.]

As for your question, the police does its best I believe! I have been busy rebuilding the town and apprehending criminals when I can.

voice

[railgunning]

What?

[The voice feed has returned to normal! And---OH. Right. Her electrokinesis tends to have Ill effects on technology...whoops!! Mikoto laughs, sheepishly.]

I, uh...I kinda dropped it! But not hard enough to break it, obviously...ha...ha...

[There's a beat, and she sighs loudly and irritably.]

I'll believe that---especially because much of this place is a wreck. Maybe you were just busy when those idiots showed up...

voice

[andagain]

Oh yes, these devices are very study. I imagine they are built to withstand the forces we are subjected to!

May I ask who may you be referring to? We may have already caught them.

video;

[sweetling]

Probably because soldiers have bigger things to worry about.

voice;

[railgunning]

Yeah, the guy with the glasses got that point across to me in quite a bit of detail, thanks.

[Le huff.]

Look, I got that. I'm just saying we have to at least give the natives some ground support when we can, okay? I'm not saying we should drop everything and switch gears.

voice;

[sweetling]

A city this size with an outlook this brutal and a history this depressing is never going to anything less than a shithole.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how well it's doing, considering.

Trying to fix Exsilium is a waste of time.

voice;

[taijiya]

Eh...? Do you need help?!

voice;

[railgunning]

[Some time later, the voice feed returns to normal. Mikoto sighs.]

I'm good, thanks...even after running into two waves of moron thugs.

[Beat.]

Is this sorta thing common around here? I know the place isn't in the best of shape, but...those guys were pretty vicious. And I've dealt with a lot of different thugs before.

video;

[worldswillburn]

It's more the fact that they're not actually that happy to have us here. Not anymore.

voice;

[railgunning]

I've...heard, yeah.

[Mikoto sighs irritably.]

Seems like every odd there is is against us. The UE hates us for obvious reasons, the natives hate us because they think we make things worse, and there are even some of us who think this war's pointless. But we can't just stop what we're doing, either.