<> * Katherine crouches down, and pops off her helmet, because god be dammned if 25 years later she can't ALSO have a fucking pop off helmet. Her braid is tucked down the back of her suit, close to the back of her head. She sets it down and says, "Hey, hey, Luanne..." * Threnody waits until everyone else is out of sight, then gets up and walks over to Roch's exo, tilting his head a bit and then knocking on the faceplate like a door. <> * Rochelle keeps staring into the distance, but one hand mechanically rases up and removes her helmet. "What?" * Threnody smiles cheerily. "I wanted to know that the strong, confident Rochelle I knew was still in there somewhere." He laces his hands behind his back. * Rochelle eyes Threnody like a lobster grew out of his ear. This is nothing new, really. (It's a little chibi Ian in a tiny lobster costume, actually.) (*grabs a mallet* Hold still, Thren. This'll only hurt a little.) * Katherine grins a little and says. "I'd give you a hug, Luanne, but the suit's not good for it. I... I'm sorry." She adds after a beat, "I know you don't know much about me, but I've been there." * Threnody laughs. "I'm not crazy. Sorry. But..." He pauses, then looks a little sad. "I guess I just wanted to make sure you were still alright in there." I'm fine. * Threnody smiles again. "I'd ask you to smile to prove it, but you don't really do that sort of thing." A pause, and he speaks a little more quietly. "I depend on your strength, even if you don't know it." * Rochelle shrugs. "If you say so." She looks to Luanne for a moment, then to the ground. <> * Katherine nods a little and is quiet while Luanne gets her breath a bit. No need to babble quite yet. <> "Kat, he's got ANDERS!" * Threnody finds someplace relatively clear to have a seat, and does so, looking a bit tired. He gives Luanne a weak smile. "I know it doesn't sound good, but..." He pauses. "How should I put it." (*cracks up* You were saving that, Ard, werne't you? For the second Thren busted out a platitude.) * Katherine nods, then says, "How about, 'You're all still alive, if hurt, and that means you haven't lost yet?'" She smiles weakly. "I mean, unless the note had more that I didn't get relayed." * Rochelle blinks at the ground, then up. (Yup!) (... I feel deprived. ;_;) * Threnody shakes his head. "I was going to quote an old swordsman's saying, but I don't know that it would do much good." <> "But he's going to know where we are! Where we're going!" * Threnody glances at Luanne. "No amount of telepathy can make up for a lack of humanity, Luanne. You're right... he has the information advantage on us. That's undeniable. But... he thinks of us as lessers, and he doesn't know what's really going on in our hearts and minds." He stands up. "I don't believe in Fate, because it implies we live in an unchangable universe." * Rochelle fixes her gaze on Luanne. "You can't really believe that." "Anders knew _everything_. He could find _anyone_." * Threnody pauses, then draws Guren and points it at Luanne. "Then I might as well strike you down right now." * Katherine starts grinning, but then glances over at Thren with a ,"What the hell?" look. (I know what I'm doing. This always works in manga! ^____^) (Ha ha ha ha ha.) (Although really, this is his mother taking over his brain.) * Rochelle shrugs and gets to her feet. She doesn't seem to particularly care that Thren's about to potentially decapitate Luanne. (You're no fun. I ought to do it just to surprise her.) <> "Okay." * Katherine frowns. "Listen, Luanne... we know a few people who can find anyone too. Especially if he exposed himself here, which he certainly did." * Threnody looks at Luanne calmly down the length of the blade. "I'm not going to kill you. What a terrible waste it would be!" He sheathes the sword again. "Don't you understand? That's what you're doing... you're denying everything you are and everything you've done and putting your head on the chopping block. Please, don't. You're worth more than that." <> "It beats what Dorian will do when he has the time to waste on it.>> (*hands Guren to Kat* Welp, I tried. Slice her.) "But okay." * Rochelle shrugs. "If you really want, you can go get yourself killed now." "No. I just ... want my friend back." Then what good are you if you've already let yourself die? What good are you doing Anders by simply presuming we have no chance? <> "I don't know." You're being stupid. * Threnody winces. "Not how I'd have put it, but..." "You guys are going to help me get him back, right?" * Rochelle looks at Thren. "It's true." She turns her attention to Luanne. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, nobody really knows what happens 'till it happens." * Katherine says, with a small grin, "Yeah, that's the plan. So give it a chance, alright? I'm not quite ready to die." * Threnody blinks, gives Rochelle the eye for a moment, then nods at Luanne. "I don't have any plans to be killed by that man." * Katherine offers Luanne a claw. "C'mon, stand up. I know we can think of a few things even he'll have a hard time dealing with, even if he knows we're doing them. And that's just to start." <> * Threnody looks around. "I wonder how the others are doing. They've been gone a while." (Winamp: PAPA LOVES MAMBO) (Ha!) (Sadly, just a few minutes ago, winamp busted out Momentary Life.) * Rochelle shrugs. * Katherine stands with Luanne, then says, "If they need something, they'll fire. Me... well. ATC for real, then, Thren?" * Threnody rubs the back of his neck. "I think they can help SIG-ASP more than Demetreia could... and to be honest, I'm not ready to face my mother again just yet." * Katherine nods, with a grin. "I hear that, friend." * Threnody smiles distractedly in spite of himself. "I think Ronnie is going to be upset at all the refugees we keep throwing in her lap." She can deal. (... That's exactly what I had typed.) (Hehe.) * Katherine grins. "Yeah. Besides. My lover would do aaaanything for me!" She says the last in an incredibly sarcastic voice. "Man, I hope she's having fun with that little campaign." * Threnody stretches his arms behind his head. "It's probably making for interesting news footage, anyhow." * Katherine smiles a little more normally. "Yeah. I bet Krissy's having a heart attack, if she actually read the nets." * Threnody tilts his head, wearing a curious expression. "Krissy?" * Rochelle idly distracts herself by looking at the plants. Her skin's already turning pinkish red, from the short amount of time her helmet's been off. * Katherine nods. "Yeah... Krissy. The mysterious blonde woman?" * Threnody shakes his head. "You mentioned the name in passing once, but I don't have a mysterious blonde woman to attach it too." * Katherine says quietly, "Ah. Thought you woulda picked that up." Her voice goes back to normal. "Ah well. It'd be funny, if I actually got to see it." * Threnody frowns a little, but doesn't press the issue. He instead closes his eyes and devotes himself to 'listening' for the others to come back in range. * Katherine looks over at Roch and winces. "Dammit, Roch, you're burning again." * Rochelle blinks, looking up from the leaves in her hand. "I am?" She puts one hand to her face and winces. "Oh." * Threnody opens one eye, and has the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry. I guess it's my fault." * Rochelle drops the plant, now that she's a medium shade of red, and puts her helmet back on. * Katherine reaches down and gets her helmet herself, and says with a teasing grin, "Self preservation, woman. Sheesh." * Rochelle shrugs. * Katherine holds the helmet under her arm, motorcyclist style. "So, who calls ATC to tell them we're coming in? It's probably my turn." * Rochelle is busying herself by looking up a tree this time. * Katherine takes a step backwards, for no visible reason. (Went about as well as I expected.) * Rochelle pokes at the bark some and gets distracted by some other plants. * Katherine starts pacing. "Space Jesus." What? * Threnody closes his eyes again, 'watching' for the others. %% I told her. %% (To both of us?) (Was to both of them, yeah. And they can hear each other, because Threnis once again playing telephone.) * Katherine glares at he for a second, then shakes her head. "Just..." she hears Thren's statement. "Fuck." %% Oh. %% * Katherine glares at Roch. %% Oh? OH? Did you HEAR about how I left, Roch? Did Zak ever fill you in? It was not pretty. It... %% she shakes her head. %%... had nothing to do with either of you. Dammit. %% <> * Rochelle eyes Kat. %% Nope. %% (Are we still three-way?) (Why the heck not.) %% Well, of course he wouldn't, because he wouldn't know Roch wanted to hear about it anyway. %% (OT3 HAW HAW ahem.) (If it'd be anyone... @____@) %% It's past, now. No sense in lathering ourselves into a frenzy over it. And I'm cutting the link; I'm starting to get a migraine. %% * Rochelle manages %% Like that's anything new. %% before the link cuts.