001 ➛ audio

[squanderlust]

If this magic works the way it was described, somebody should be able to hear me right now. [though the voice of the young lady that's coming through sounds incredibly skeptical about this entire endeavor.] If you can, and you can actually understand me, I want you to tell me whether 8,000 "creds" is a lot of money around here, and what I can do to get it. I can't believe your merchants don't take something as simple as gold for war supplies.

[there's ambient noise for a while, and some confused sounds from somebody who has obviously never seen, much less used, an omni-tool before. eventually she groans in exasperation.]

My sword's been stolen from me and you expect me to do repairs to survive. This is entirely unacceptable.

Comments

[squanderlust]

Zero seems like an easy enough number. You don't win battles by swinging your sword left and right until everything's dead like some... barbarian.

[shutupmarco]

[ Barbarian? Well excuuuse you, princess. There's nothing barbaric about practically being Xena.

...Like she'd ever admit thinking that to Marco, though. ]

Please. I've won plenty of battles, and I didn't need a sword or gun to do it.

[squanderlust]

Oh, congratulations! [there is sarcasm dripping from every syllable of that word.] Do you think you're the first lancewoman I've met?

[shutupmarco]

[ She actually lets out a short laugh at that, shaking her head. ]

Nice try, but no dice, Severa. I don't carry any weapons. I've got everything I need to win a fight right here inside me.

[squanderlust]

[that doesn't make sense, but she's too fired up to admit it right now.]

You fight with your burning spirit, is that it? Gawds, Owain has infected all of you!

delighted giggle

[shutupmarco]

[ All right, Severa is at least as intolerably smug as Rachel can be herself, but Rachel kind of likes her all the same. She's funny, and not in a gross way like Marco. ]

Not so much. Not that you'd believe me unless you saw it. But that doesn't matter. I know I'm a real warrior, and that's all that matters.

[squanderlust]

Psh. Have you seen this station? If I can believe some place like this exists, I can definitely believe that you get your fighting ability by thrusting your hand into the air and wishing really hard, or whatever it turns out to be. [oh, she just came up with something good.] A true warrior wouldn't underestimate people like that.

[shutupmarco]

I'm not doing any underestimating here. I didn't say you don't seem capable of handling yourself, did I? And for the record, there's no wishing involved.

[squanderlust]

[can smirks be audible? who cares, this is fun.] If you keep dodging the question, I'm going to start believing you're not a warrior at all.

[shutupmarco]

[ tee hee ]

I don't remember you asking me a question.

[squanderlust]

[dang, Rachel has her there. fun as it would be to keep up the charade, she just decides to ask.]

How do you fight? Try me.

[shutupmarco]

Oh, I don't know. You might have to see it to believe it.

[ She hesitates, just a moment. Ideally, she shouldn't just fling this information around just anywhere, but the cat's kind of out of the bag, and...well, okay. She wants to be smug. ]

I can turn into animals. Any animal.

[squanderlust]

Is that all?

[okay, yes, being able to turn into any animal is slightly different than what she's used to, but the unbearable smugness is just too great to let go.]

Do you really think I've never heard of a taguel before?

[shutupmarco]

[ what nO SEVERA STOP IT YOU'RE RUINING RACHEL'S PERFECT SMUGNESS ]

Uh, well, I haven't, for starters.

[squanderlust]

You wouldn't have. [victory: Severa.] There's only two left where I come from. Your great-great-whatever grandparent is probably one of them.

[shutupmarco]

[ UNACCEPTABLE ]

Uh, whatever they are, I'm not one of them. I'm human. I mean, I wasn't born with the morphing power.

[squanderlust]

Oh, then you just got your hands on a beaststone? I didn't think they worked on humans. [she smirks in a ridiculously cocky fashion.] But what do I know? I'm just a soldier.

[shutupmarco]

Whatever a beaststone is, I don't need that either. All I have to do is touch something -- or someone -- and I can morph them.

[ RACHEL REFUSES TO LOSE THE UPPER SMUGHAND IN THIS CONVERSATION ]

[squanderlust]

Oh, it's magic. Gods, I don't know why you had to be so cagey about it.

[HEAVEN OR HELL LET'S SMUG]

[shutupmarco]

It's not magic. It's science. Alien technology.

[squanderlust]

Everything here is alien technology. If you're trying to impress me, you aren't doing a very good job.

[shutupmarco]

[ all right that's a fair point URGH HOW DARE U SEVERA

RACHEL IS RUNNING OUT OF THINGS TO BE SMUG ABOUT ]

What if I said I could turn into you?

[ desperate times call for desperate measures, right

rachel u need some new priorities ]

[squanderlust]

[okay, really, it's incredibly weird to imagine someone being able to turn into her, however Rachel can do it. Severa's quiet, but her front comes back full force in a few seconds.]

Puh-lease, do you think I got here yesterday? I'd have to let you touch me first, and that's definitely not going to happen.

[shutupmarco]

[ UPPER SMUGHAND REGAINED. Rachel actually laughs. It's not a comforting laugh. ]

Come on, what are you afraid of? It doesn't even hurt.

[squanderlust]

[yeah, Severa knows that laugh. she's pretty sure she's fought against people with that laugh.]

What would you even do with my body that you can't do with yours?