dualislogs | i've been bitten by the bug ...

i've been bitten by the bug ...

WHO: Open to all residents
WHAT: Inoculation Season, plus your regular monthly NAPs session
WHERE: Throughout the city, with NAPs held at The Ax Hole.
WHEN: Sept. 10-30 for plague shots and associated side effects; Sept. 10-14 for NAPs
WARNINGS: Please use if applicable!

So tell me, what do you prescribe for these symptoms?

Remember that awful plague that wiped out the city's entire original population? You know, the entire reason you've been brought here? Well, the medical science community of Dualis has been hard at work concocting a cure for as long as anyone can remember, with minimal results. But during the morning of the 10th, news of a breakthrough is announced is a special city-wide bulletin. All media channels are overtaken with this message, and alerts hit every citizen's phone. The best part? Science needs your help!

There's no formal approval process for new vaccines and medications, just a series of volunteer trials before it's determined whether what's being tested is effective. All residents are invited to participate in these trials, with a bonus of 200 extra duos as compensation for their time and possible suffering. Simply head down to your nearest MedDualis clinic and inform the MedDroids supervising that you're reporting for your civic duty. Participants will be given a quick, easy, and practically painless inoculation shot in the arm, and will walk out the door 200 duos richer. Neat, huh?

Participants will be warned that like all experimental drugs, there may be side effects. A non-comprehensive list of those possible side effects includes: minor appearance changes (hair/skin/eye color), enhancing or reducing senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, etc.), sudden mild development of extranormal abilities (telepathy, super strength, super speed, etc.), the ability to share dreams (if you're not tired of that sorta thing after last month), and/or loss of control over abilities you already possess, or those abilities misfiring. Hey, at least death isn't included on this list!

Any intrepid Dualizen who comes down with a case of weirdness as a result of doing their civic duty will find that weirdness will wear off by the end of the month. The Head thanks you for your sacrifice!

Don't you feel the fever like I do?

Look at all of these bright, shining new faces! There’s even a few less bright, less shining faces - maybe even a few folks without faces - but hey, this city welcomes all types. Chances are, if you’ve just arrived, you're seeing some pretty crazy things, unless you're used to an eye-blinding amount of neon, robots, weird-ass technology, magic, and an omnipresent police force...and hey, if you are, congrats, you're gonna settle in juuuuust fine. But for the rest of you, the Head knows this has gotta be pretty overwhelming, right?

Well, since your quaint individual processing units are probably having a hard time, why not link up with another one? By which the Head means...

Hello, new citizens of Dualis,
and welcome to your monthly Network Adjacency Protocol~!

NAPs are a monthly community networking event similar to the Earth concept of speed dating! Two citizens (new arrivals and old hands alike) are placed at a table together with a handy cue card of queries to help break the proverbial ice. Ask queries and receive results, or ignore the card and yeet yourself straight into a brand new friendship! But don't be too shy, you've only got ten minutes together, and if you just sit in silence for the whole ten, the Network Admins are likely to come supervise and try to repair the uplink through a mild shock to the ol' central nervous system. You might find yourself saying all sorts of unintended facts about yourself if that happens...probably better to just make friends, right? Who doesn’t like friends?!

This month’s event is held at an exciting new establishment called The Ax Hole! The 'Hole is an indoor ax-throwing range plus bar plus mid-price grill-type restaurant, the first of its kind to find a home here in Dualis. You must be at least 18 to drink and/or throw axes, and if you are throwing axes, there is a limit of one drink per hour. The bartenders are very strict about enforcing this rule, and employees are available to give safety instructions on proper ax-throwing technique and supervise activities.

This is a family-friendly establishment, so anyone under 18 is welcome in the restaurant section and the viewing room between the restaurant and range to watch the ax-throwing action, but they are absolutely not allowed inside the range, even just to watch. In fact, anyone who wishes admittance to the range must sign a waiver stating that they understand the risks of participating and agree to hold the Ax Hole free of liability in the event of any accidents that cause injury or death.

If that hasn't scared you off yet, come on down and meet your new neighbors! Oh, and do try to exit with at least as many fingers and limbs as when you entered, OK?

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"Right. You need to bring it up over your head, as far back as you can..." He moves out of the way automatically at the instruction, then grins to himself at the memory of Hank saying that - they're oddly fond memories at this point.

"Keep the axe straight or the blade won't be embedded in the target," and he reaches up and rotates the axe just so, keeping it at a straight angle. "And when you throw, let it go when it's upright. Too early and it'll go high. Too late and it'll go too low."

A nice way of saying Hank really will attack the ceiling - or the floor - if he screws up his timing.

There's a pause from Thane so minuscule it would be easy to miss it, not properly conveying the scope of thoughts that rush through his mind in that moment. To think, whole planets could very well be 'kicking the bucket', as the human says, at this very moment. But he has to believe that Shepard can stop the Milky Way from succumbing to darkness. "The sentiment is appreciated."

Thane can't help but find the human slightly amusing, evident in the second rumble in his throat resembling a chuckle. "Kahje's surface is ninety percent water, but the drell homeworld is arid and dry. Our bodies function better in dry climates than in the humid one of Kahje." That would be a 'no' to the unasked question, assuming Hank is thinking drell to be some kind of water thriving species.

"At any rate, I would answer what I can to avoid any false assumptions." The only time he's ever been truly insulted by questions and assumptions are the ones people tend to make about the drell relationship with the hanar, mostly.

"Don't apologize. I have seen many a species make fools of themselves before." A joke, but also, not really. "Including my fellow drell. No one is perfect."

He understands the subtle unasked question loud and clear. You don't spend as much time as he did training and honing his skills as an assassin and not pick up on these tiny cues. Though, David could have asked outright and Thane would take no offense to it.

He takes a moment to ruminate on how to answer that question, but his thoughts are swift so it comes as only a short pause. He's thrown many things. Many, many, things. "I'm proficient." Yes, that's his answer. That's it.

"Have you thrown many axes?"

Drell. Interesting. Not one David's aware of, but he had already suspected that. And he chuckles lightly at the man's joke. But he takes the directness of the answer with a slightly raised eyebrow. The understated confidence of someone who was a bit more than confident he thinks.

"Personally, I've never used a thrown weapon in my life. But I think I might be able to pick it up."

[Connor has never been one to let a small thing like an organic not looking friendly to him stop him from pestering them - if he did, he'd never get anywhere in life. Besides, if you're here, you're here to be social, and he might not be able to name the concept of Resting Bitch Face, but he's happy to assume that's what it is.

Anyway, the man at the next table looking totally straight-faced and slightly agitatedly tapping his card off the table doesn't stop Connor from sitting across from him and accepting the handshake.]

Connor - just Connor.

[There's very little that marks Connor as anything other than human at first glance, to a human - just the blue LED on his right temple. He looks human, he sounds human, his handshake is firm and feels very much human. But his chassis's made entirely of plastic...and, inside that chassis, there are quite a few small metal parts keeping things moving and held together. Certain people would definitely notice that, even though a human wouldn't.

He nods at the card in the guy's hand.]

This is only my second event, but I think every single cue card has something about your favourite flavour of ice cream.

[It's not that great, people. He's tried it*.
(*He has licked some out of curiosity)]

[He's... familiar. But not quite. David's getting that a bit lately, a world of familiars but not quites. This one, though, takes the cake. Especially when the name is offered. He shakes the hand before he sits, comfortable in his chair but not with crossed lets. Better to be ready to get out, just in case. You never know how Erik will react to, well, anything.]

Omega-Level magnetokinetic mutant known also as Magneto. Considered by some to be the most powerful mutant alive, or perhaps even the most powerful person on the planet, though the times have changed.

[Yes, he knows you, Erik. In more ways than he wants to.]

I know who you are, Erik. If only because you're very well known to all mutants in my world. My name is David Alleyne, I attended Charles' school. And I must say? You look better without the white hair.

[And now to see just what Magneto would do with someone this aware of him around. David has to admit, he's a touch nervous.]

Edited 2019-09-11 17:38 (UTC)

Mira's not against drinking or ax-throwing (even in concert, venue rules about not arming the drunks notwithstanding), but right now she's doing neither, and she slides in across from Ven with her burger and soda.

"I won't say anything if you won't," Mira tells him with a slightly conspiratorial air, indicating where her hamburger is dripping through the bun on her own plate.

Okay, so that seems obvious. Keep it straight. That doesn't mean he doesn't need to be told and need the second pair of hyper accurate eyes to point out to him that he's crooked. The advice and help is warranted. He's just baffled at fucking... holding an ax, he guesses.

No real lumberjack competitions in the DPD.

He pulls back and.... well, he chips the wood he's aiming for. He doesn't embed it, because it didn't quite hit in such a way to go in, and it's at the bottom of the target area. In it? But just barely.

"Hm." Hank makes a muffled, disapproving sound. "Got that wrong."

"Oh so they're like built in sunglasses." That's Hank's most brilliant assessment of the day. But he starts watching the ax-wielders himself. He'd asked for Heather to keep an eye out for a certain tattoo, and it occurs to him as people pull back their hands to throw those axes, one could probably see the traces of that blacklight tattoo. If they were keen enough.

He'll think about bringing it up.

"You know what concerns me just as much as people fuckin' this up? How many of these dickbags are doing just fine. Sorta blows your mind, huh? Some stupidly smart AI that can reach into other universes decides to grab people? And the people it brings in are all fuckin' talented at something. Makes me think that maybe this isn't about fuckin' genes, you know?"

He doesn't ask what Thane is talented at. He does note, however, the guy got a job where he might have to temper someone's HERE'S JOHNNY moment. Which doesn't say much, could be that he's a doctor, or just good in a fight. But it says at least that Thane probably isn't a boring desert frog.

"At least it makes your job easier. Theoretically."

Connor grins as on Hank's first try, the axe manages to hit the target at the bottom - but Hank doesn't look pleased about it.

"You hit the target your first try," he says, nonplussed. "That's good."

Hank is a champion of pessimism; he shouldn't be surprised about this.

"You can try again if you want to do better - I can try helping some more."

He's already retrieving the axe. If that axe has to be embedded in the centre of that target for Hank to be happy with this, Connor's going to damn well get him to do it.

"Alright."

Like with Fowler and their case, now that he's started it he doesn't want to give up in the middle of it. So he reaches to take the ax again as Connor nears him, holding it with both hands.

"Show me how to hold it. Up here like this?"

Maybe with a second eye with his starting positioning he'll fuck up less.

[Thane has also seen his fair share of small, dodgy, accommodations. Though the last time he was forced to share a room was back on Kahje, during the course of his training. There were no secrets to keep hidden as everyone knew what everyone else was there for. Even aboard the Normandy he had the quiet of life support to himself, and in the hospital he was fortunate enough to mostly have his own room.

His own body had been beginning to wear on him as well. Though being in fatal shape only to be awoken and somewhat 'fixed' made whatever pains he felt in his chest easier to bear with. Kepral's syndrome was still very much a problem, just not as dire as it had been days ago.

At any rate, when he looks up from his spot at one of the desks, having been reading book he found in the lobby, he's not surprised to find that he's been assigned a roommate. The AI seems to pull people in at a frequent rate.]

And I will try not to be a bother. [His hands release the book and fold one atop the other on the desk. He offers an incline of his head in greeting.] Tannor Nuara.

"If that helps you." Brilliant indeed. Although: "Most drell do get an implant in their eyes that allow them to see the sophisticated bio-luminescence that the natives on Kahje use to communicate, so I suppose you are correct, in a sense."

But it has nothing to do with seeing better under water. At least Thane can tell the difference between someone speaking out of ignorance to a species they've never seen or heard of and someone who would rather not understand and instead go by their initial assumptions.

"Silver linings, I suppose." This job was the least of his worries, though. "I can't say the thought of anyone — AI or organic — herding us all together into a city that almost seems like an illusion itself sits well with me, regardless of intent."

He'll admit he has already thought of the Collectors kidnapping entire colonies to melt them down into a human soup, feeding them into that giant Reaper.

Thane is sure of his abilities and has given himself no reason to doubt them. If he misses something or stumbles in his ill state it is not for lack of skill.

"I see no reason why you shouldn't. Given enough time and patience anyone can learn it. Once you have your stance and grip down it shouldn't be too difficult."

He prefers knives himself, but that's not important.

"As long as you're sober when you do it, of course." As that foolish man learned earlier.

"Either I'll have it by the end of my session here, or it will take large amounts of practice," David says, which is vague, but hey, it has a lot to do with his history and the powers he once had. Remembering other people's knowledge can be useful at times. And hampering at others.

But the other thing? David just chuckles. Finished with packing his supplies he stands and shakes his head.

"I don't drink very often. Don't like the way it clouds the mind, impairs the senses, or messes with the reflexes. I'm really not sure how this place can actually get away with selling alcohol. It's a recipe for disaster. Especially since the rule say one drink and not the amount of alcohol content that drink can have, or considers how potency affects different people."

"Just never seen eyes like that. I'm kinda basic bitch guy from earth." The best they've got is androids, and even then? No big dark eyes.

"It doesn't do much for me, either. Not that we can do much about it. Gotta uh... not talk too loudly around some people about that kind of thing, though." Which is a strange thing for a cop to warn people about. But he remembers people got tased for being too questioning, the iterations bearing down on a fuckin' teenager asking about fighting factions in the city.

"Sometimes if you're overly curious around the city's robot patrols- the iterations -they can sorta insist you calm your ass down from basically doing fuck all. In fact if you have a problem I'd definitely call on the human members of the police department. With the robots, everyone gets the same equal treatment... in tasing."

It's strange indeed, which is why Thane surmises that the knock back for insubordination in the city must be pretty severe. "Fuck all" is vague but he can only guess how little you have to speak out to get tased. Or worse. There's always worse, even if it's not out in the open.

"I see. Unsurprising, but troubling nonetheless." There's finally a movement to break up Thane's rigid posture as he leans against the same counter as Hank, mostly so he can lower his voice a bit while still allowing the other to hear him among all the noise. He stretches his neck a bit as well. The frequency in soreness has risen in the past couple of days, though nowhere near as bad as it had been before he arrived. He wonders why the AI would bring a terminally ill drell to this place. "Considering they control our methods of communication, our housing — very few spaces to speak freely, I assume. I've tried searching the dormitories for bugs." But that's more of a force of habit thing.

Thane's quiet for a moment. "There's a large gap between one session for success and large amounts of practice," he comments as idly as his genteel tone will allow.

He chuckles, but it almost sounds like just a rumble in his chest.

"It is becoming quite clear what kind of rules this city prioritizes." He supposes he should leave it at that for now. "But it is wise to stay away from mind altering substances when in forced captivity. Or around very sharp objects."

[ Erik's eyebrows raise and he smiles slightly as he allows himself to hope, for just a moment, that this blue-skinned man is another mutant. There are enough blue mutants, after all. ]

I have some moonshine that could degrease a jet engine, if that sounds appealing.

[ Assuming that it does, Erik dusts off the mason jar with the moonshine in question and pours the man a few fingers. ]

A pleasure, Just Connor.

[ Yes it's a dad joke. He's a dad. Comes with the territory. ]

I'm not much for sweets. I think the most tolerable flavor is cardamom.

[ He doesn't usually extend the effort of examining a person for metal, not when one appears, for all intents and purposes, to be human. But the light on his temple is intriguing, and when Erik extends his senses he discovers that it is not some kind of implant or prosthetic or jewelry. That there is an entire network of machinery within the man. To the point where it would interfere with a number of vital organs.

To the point where those organs can't exist. His eyes narrow slightly. The last time he was around AI was when Nixon unleashed the fleet of Sentinels and that went poorly for everybody involved. This clearly is a much more advanced model. Could it be that it was from some alternate timeline? The one Logan claimed to be from? He leans forward, expression now much more intense. ]

Who sent you?

[ Erik's eyebrows raise slightly as the young man recites some of the highlights of his curriculum vitae. ]

What a flattering reception. [ He smiles slightly. ] Accurate, if incomplete. [ He chooses to elide the white hair comment as it's somewhat disconcerting to consider. ]

One of Charles' students. I take it you've graduated? Did you stay at the school or find fulfillment abroad.

[ Most of the students, as far as Erik knows, haven't strayed far from Westchester. It's something that troubles him, though it's something of a delicate topic to bring up with Charles. And no longer Charles' business, anyway, so an even more delicate topic to bring up with Hank. ]

[ The man is not only green, but so different in appearance he seems almost alien. That coupled with his voice makes for a very alluring package. ]

I don't think that will be a problem, Tannor.

[ Normally he would strip down, but he has no idea how this stranger would react to such a thing, so he decides to opt for discretion and changes into a robe. ]

Have you been here long? I've only arrived a day ago. I think.

[ The worst jetlag he's ever experienced. ]

"So did I." Considering the other people around, it doesn't mean much that Thane, or Tannor, had been looking for bugs. So many of them had a reason to fear surveillance.

"My partner's an android. He did a rudimentary scan but couldn't find anything. But even before he got here, I got so I'd only have conversations like this in loud places." He gestures around. He remembers surveillance was infinitely more difficult with background noise. As long as there was any reasonable doubt, they had an advantage.

"But I figure I should warn you since I think you're new. I don't want 'em tasing some drunk guy that just needs a night in the tank and isn't a real hazard. I'm lucky that the human portion of the PD doesn't mean much- and from what I gathered, 'human' kind of generically means 'person' here. There are a lot of people that look Earth-passing that haven't even heard of the fuckin' place. So there are a lot of different species there besides me if you need to switch it up."

Edited 2019-09-12 06:13 (UTC)

[He'll be sad to let Erik down, but right now he's happy to have him cheer him up. Yondu's accent might be mostly translator tricks, a twist of understanding that makes his particular brand of Proxima Centauri redneck shine through as American Yokel, but the joy at the prospect of moonshine is a universal rural treat.]

You'd have me right. [He chuckles, before giving him a nod and taking the glass. Raises it to Erik, and takes a hard drink.]

Thank ya kindly.

He outright grins to see Hank reaching for the axe again.

"Maybe change your posture - keep one leg forward," he says, nudging Hank's right leg a little with his own. "Then you can shift your own weight with the axe's."

He eyes Hank carefully, stands closer to adjust the axe, and as he does so murmurs, "You were a little bit low last time. Let go a fraction of a second earlier."

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i've been bitten by the bug ...

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