IC Contact

[tacticalvisor]

For network, messenger bird, or other such IC contact. Also works for actionspam as needed.

Comments

[nanoscope]

[It takes her a bit of time to actually figure out how the crystals work, and from there time to actually focus on one person. But eventually she finds the man she's looking for, and a certain Soldier will get a gentle nudge and a familiar, female voice permeating his thoughts.]

You know, you're a hard man to find. And I thought I was good at staying under the radar.

[tacticalvisor]

[It's a long time before he responds. One might almost think he hadn't 'heard' at all, but- no. It's that same kind of silence he had when he was taking something in and turning it all over in his head before responding.

Finally, he answers her.]

Nothing really hid from you for long.

[Of all things, there is a faint sort of relief-gladness that could be an actual welcome. Guess whose emotions have decided to settle, even if he's still keeping them back.]

When'd you get here?

[nanoscope]

[She's worked with Jack long enough to tell when he didn't hear someone (or chose not to hear them) and when he is pondering over things. She's patient, waiting for him to respond, but when he does, there's a tangible wave of happiness that bleeds through.]

Well, I did like keeping myself informed of what's going on around me. [That relief is a bit surprising, but she takes it as a good sign.]

Not long ago. I arrived last week.

[tacticalvisor]

[A week. A week he's missed her. One can just imagine him shaking his head at that, really. Getting old...]

You already got the run-down, then?

[And...he should warn her about Reyes.]

[nanoscope]

As much as I could from the welcoming committee and the few people I've spoken to, though it's still hard to believe. [Really, magical cities fueled on emotions? Such things were just in fairy tales last she'd heard.]

[Speaking of things that were hard to believe...] I take it you've been here longer than I have?

[tacticalvisor]

About a month now. [He pauses, then;] Winston and Lena were here when I arrived, but they've disappeared. From what I can tell, that's not uncommon.

...Reaper's still here.

[nanoscope]

[So Reaper wasn't bending the truth. She hums a bit in consideration, though he can probably feel that frown about Winston and Lena.]

Winston and Lena... they disappeared? [Well isn't that unsettling. It's troublesome enough that they're stuck here, but now they have to contend with randomly disappearing?]

...I know. I spoke with him a little while ago. [Actually spoke. No bullets or punches flying or anything.]

[tacticalvisor]

Yeah. Went back, if people can be believed. [There's some dubiousness there; he's not convinced. But he understands he won't get answers now, even if he won't give up on them.

Though.

Ana's admission draws forth a subtle swell of something, like an ocean wave rising but now quite cresting. It's something quiet and angry, though it's not directed at her.]

Yeah?

[nanoscope]

So, there's a way to go back. [She goes quiet for a moment, processing what he said. There's some doubt of her own creeping through from her side, as well as some frustration; more answers that just create more questions.]

[She doesn't ponder on that too much, not when she feels that swell of emotion from Jack's side.]

Yes. We had a much more civil conversation than what we had in Giza.

[tacticalvisor]

They say the more crystals you fill, the higher chance it's gonna happen. As for how to do that... [...she already got the run-down, so. He's absolutely willing to go in to what he knows of it, but for now, there's more important things.

He doesn't doubt her. But he doubts Reyes. And so-] You all right?

[nanoscope]

[She's gotten a run-down of how the crystals work, though she'd like to to actually see it with her own eyes to confirm the validity of that information. But that's not as important right now.]

[His concern has a bit of warmth bleeding in from her end.]

I'm alright, Jack. I'm not so old as to not be able to handle myself. [Said with a bit of that familiar tease to it. However, when she speaks again, it's a bit more serious.]

Are you able to meet somewhere? As convenient as these crystals are, I wouldn't mind speaking face to face.

[tacticalvisor]

I can. Where are you? [Let's just. Get straight to the point then. Seeing her in person will calm what nerves he has, anyway.]

[nanoscope]

I'm in the city right now, but I have a place in mind. [She sends him the name of a little cafe not far from her current location.]

[tacticalvisor]

[If it's Steambucks he's demanding they go somewhere else. Like the Cafe Bean.]

I'll be there in fifteen.

[Probably sooner, but he's not activating his sprint for this]

[nanoscope]

I'll see you there, Jack.

[Fortunately for him it's not a Steambucks, but a little street-corner coffee shop. She's already sitting down at one of the tables inside, a cup of tea ordered for herself. She's pretty easy to spot, but for his sake chose a table that's a bit tucked away from the rest of the bustle of the cafe.]

[tacticalvisor]

[You're lucky he's gotten over the worst of his paranoia. He's still not taking off his mask, maybe part of him assuming they're going to meet there and go elsewhere - another part reminding him that there's no one to hide from here. It seems like anyone who'd matter already knows whom he is, but at the same time...

At the same time, the (ex-)vigilante that slips in stays to the walls out of habit, moving with a subtle fluidity that comes with needing to stay unnoticed. At least, until he cares to be seen and to (usually) scare the shit out of someone. He's no Reaper, but when you learn this out of necessity, you tend to get decent at it.

Upon seeing Ana, though...he swallows down a bittersweet feeling, an unseen shade of pink coloring his crystal further. Shoving it all back down for the moment, he follows her lead, taking a seat and trying not to feel...

Exposed? Uncomfortable. This sort of public causality isn't him, not anymore. Even so...]

A week, huh.

[Took you that long to track him down, or to realize he was here?]

[nanoscope]

[She's in the middle of taking a sip of tea when he sits down before her, and when she lowers it, there's a warm smile sent his way. She's not about to ask him to take off his mask here; just because she's fine with showing his face doesn't mean he is. She's glad he showed up at all, really.]

It took some time to get settled and figure out how things work around here. That, and, well, you're a hard man to keep track of when you want.

[She knew he was here since her chat with Reaper, but it was another matter entirely figuring out the crystals, and then how to single out one person. Even then, it still took her some time to actually find him.]

[tacticalvisor]

Not much reason to be tracked. [Nobody knows him here, and up until however many minutes ago, there was no one in particular he cared to see. At this point he's made some 'allies', but really, he doesn't have anyone he'd consider a 'friend'.

...except maybe the person across from him. He didn't need to keep up the metaphorical masks when it was just him and Ana - she was his second for a multitude of reasons - and so they drop just a bit. Public space or not, there's a little bit of easing as he looks her over.

God, she's gotten old. They both have. Even what he saw of Reyes, however briefly...he pushes the thought from his head. At least for the moment, anyway.]

You got any lingering questions? Winston gave me a couple names to follow up with. [Most of whom he hasn't, yet. No real excuse for that other than trying to do it all on his own.]

[nanoscope]

[She takes some time to actually look over Jack... or, well, as much as she could with his mask on. He still looks as he had when she'd spoken to him last (which, for her, wasn't long before she arrived in Verens), though he still held that air of weariness to him, whether he saw it or not. The air of a soldier who's been long at war, and despite being worn likely wouldn't know how to rest.]

[She hardly blames him, of course, not after everything that had happened. But it's still a little disheartening, seeing a man once full of pride and inspiration now little more than a vigilante.]

There's a few things that I wouldn't mind getting some more information about. [Getting right down to business... that was Jack's style. She's interested in those names, but she's got something else on the forefront of her mind. She sets her tea down and leans forward, her lone eye fixing him with a concerned look he probably hadn't seen in a long time.]

How have you been doing, Jack? I hear you've been here longer than I have.

[tacticalvisor]

[This is not the kind of question he was expecting to be asked, Ana.

...though, considering who it is, maybe he should have expected it. She's always been good at reading him, and, apparently, it hasn't rusted in the time between. He can almost imagine it's twenty-five years ago and she's giving him one of those ever-patient looks with both eyes, and him offering the same kind of shrug he is now- though then he didn't feel a twinge of guilt.

No. He would have, just on...other things.]

I'm fine. Restless.

[Bored? No. Just not used to...quiet.]

[nanoscope]

[Of course it probably wasn't what he had expected to be asked; it wasn't always all business with Ana. Even back when she was still working under him as his second-in-command, she always took some time to ask her team members how they were faring. Sometimes when jobs got rough and things became hectic, simple things like asking one's well-being were forgotten.]

[And she remembered how stubborn Jack could be, even back then. His shrug as the corners of her mouth twitching upward. Some things just didn't change, really.]

Not taking the opportunity to have a nice retirement? [Said in that familiar jesting tone.] Although, I suppose in being brought here, we've just traded one mystery for another.

[tacticalvisor]

I'm not retired.

[He's dead, Ana. But all that aside, he nods slightly leaning back in his chair.]

What do you make of it? Seems...

[He makes a vague gesture. Outlandish, if he hadn't been welcomed by a talking gorilla and thought that was absolutely acceptable.]

[nanoscope]

[Stop being so dramatic geez she's concerned about you.]

Ridiculous? Outlandish? Hard to believe? Why not all of the above. [Seriously, there were some days where she still had to wonder if she was dreaming all of this.]

I don't know what's more unbelievable; being brought to this place, or knowing a few people here already. [Because what were the odds of her, Jack, and Gabe all being here?]

[tacticalvisor]

[Dress like the exbae act like the exbae

He nods at that, tilting his head slightly. Too bad Winston and Tracer aren't around, they'd really get a kick out of seeing her, he thinks. And be more...welcome faces, as opposed to, say.]

You said you spoke with Reaper.

[nanoscope]

I have. He had a fair bit to say about this city. Though I take it he's not too happy to see me here.

[The corners of her mouth twitch down into a slight frown, and she takes a moment to take a sip of her tea. She uses the pause to choose her next words carefully, speaking once she lowers that cup.]

He's under the impression that you are to blame for whatever happened to him. He said similar back in Giza. I do not know where he gets this claim, but that seems to be what he believes.

I know that things were not ideal for us back then. But before I was injured, we were still a team. We still trusted one another, looked out for one another. I only know what the media reported of that night, but I know there's much more going on than that. [She leans forward a bit, peering at Jack, trying to see the face beneath that visor.]

Jack... what happened to you two? [There's no blame in her voice, no accusation. She truly wants to know what could have caused such horrible scars to be left on two of her closest friends.]