10. [text/video]

[brodakota]

If anyone's having any trouble with the latest round of dreams, I can help. Or at least listen if you want.

I figure I owe you guys since I got helped last time.

[A little while later, the video's on and there's a variety of holograms appearing. Some fireworks, a few dream eaters, a moogle. All a familiar red and blue colour. Theta's trying his best to cheer people up.]


[ooc: timing for this is nebulous and can easily become action if that's what you want. Just let me know the subject line or somewhere how you want to do this.]

Comments

Voice;

[guerriera]

[ For the moment, Carolina simply sounds a little puzzled; whatever dreams she's had so far haven't been particularly taxing. ..But it's still early in the dream cycle.]

York warned me they could be fairly intense.

Are they often trouble? [Enough that someone would need help, at least.]

Voice;

[brodakota]

They show up every so often, and yeah, they can cause trouble.

Sometimes the dreams bring up bad memories and make it hard to sleep.

[He speaks from personal experience.]

[guerriera]

[...Yeah, she heard about that, too.]

Doesn't sound like something to look forward to.

And they end with a keyhole, right? [She thinks hers did..]

[brodakota]

Yeah, they do. They all end like that but everyone wakes up before it starts making sense.

[guerriera]

Guess the fact everyone goes through something similar is a cold comfort.

Not sure how memories from basic training tie into this, though.

[brodakota]

Whatever's behind them is apparently a fan of misery loves company.

I've been having dreams of fights South and I had when we were kids, and really dumb ones at that, so I'm curious to know as well.

[guerriera]

That doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

Actual fist fights? Or just verbal?

[She refrains from asking weren't most of his fights with South dumb, a faint pang felt, given what she knew. Instead, she simply shook her head slightly.]

[brodakota]

Usually just verbal. I think there were a few fist fights though, if it got really bad. But those were rare.

[guerriera]

Verbal fights can be just as bad, depending on who you have them with.

[Not that she has siblings. But there's a fair few arguments she'd rather not remember...]

[brodakota]

I know that much.

[It was rather true between him and South, but North's thoughts have turned to more recent events. Which wasn't so much arguing as the wrong words being said.]

How are you doing with the dreams?

[guerriera]

Not bad, so far. [Sounding a little dubious now.] As I said, a few memories from basic training, one from after I got onto command track. [Training exercises gone awry. First mission deployment after graduating to a real squad...] Mostly things relating to the war back home.

[Nothing Freelancer. Yet. She is no longer sure that will last.]

[brodakota]

Same here. It...uh...it might get worse though, as they go on.

[North switches the feed to private]

If you need to talk about it, let me know. I can listen at least.

[guerriera]

[Well. That sounds fun.] How long do they usually go on for?

[>>>PRIVATE>>>]

I'm fine. Nothing to write home about here.

[And it's even true. Right now, anyway..]

[brodakota]

A week or two, usually. And then a giant nightmare shows up, followed by a new world.

At least that's how it's gone the last two times.

[Now it's Carolina's turn for North's patented "Are you sure about that?" look. He knows what his friends are like.]

[guerriera]

I heard about those giant ones. [Saw the hole that the Bee one left in a roof.] Hope that's not going to be too much of a problem on the ship.

[Because a blow out of the hull due to excess magic powers? Would noooot be pretty.]

[She knows that Look, for all it's one he usually cast her way a very long time ago, from a distance. It works about as well now as it did then.]

[Again:] I'm fine. And if [when] I'm not, well.. I'll deal with it.

[brodakota]

I hope so to. Maybe it'll stick to a wider area like the training room or the hanger.

[God dammit why were they all so stubborn when it came to stuff like this?]

Don't...overdo it. I tried that last time and it didn't really work out.

[guerriera]

If we could trap the invisible thing on the ship in one of those spaces, it might make it easier to pin down properly. [A Pause.] I was talking to that Spartan that arrived about it, don't be surprised if he asks a few questions about what you and Theta can do.

[ ...North, look at who you're talking to when you say 'overdo'. At least the returning look shot back isn't withering, even if she feels her hackles rise a bit.

Freelancers: being stubborn was how you made it up the leaderboard. And survived thereafter. ]

I won't. [Liar.] Don't worry about me, North.

[Huff. She heard about that, too. York's a tattletale.]

[brodakota]

That actually sounds like a good idea.

And I won't be. AI are something of a novelty, so Theta's been getting a lot of attention.

[He's still adjusting to that.]

I'm going to worry Carolina. It's just something I do.

[Hard not to cultivate that when your sister is South.]

[guerriera]

I have a feeling you'll get to put those sniper skills to use. But we still have to find the damned thing first.

Don't know how much exposure he's had to AI before. He asked about Ch--Epsilon, too.

[Be Careful underscores her words, even though Carolina isn't certain how much North does - or doesn't - know about the truth behind the Freelancer AIs..]

[A point. But you'll worry yourself to death if you keep that up, North.]

There are plenty of other people to worry about. I'll be fine. [Her arms fold.] And if I do end up needing someone to talk to, I know where to find you. [begrudgingly] Okay?

[brodakota]

Good thing I've been keeping in practice then.

[He gets the point. York's told him a bit about the AIs, and he knows a bit more thanks to Theta's dreams. He's been intentionally vague about the project mostly.]

I'll believe that from you when I believe it from Wash. [Which is to say never.]

But alright. Any time. Wake me up if you have to because they do get pretty intense.

[guerriera]

Have a feeling we'll have more than we'll want by the time things are done.

[There's something about the dip of her helmet that seems to drop the temperature over the comm. Someone did not appreciate that comparison.]

Understood.

[>>Line Disconnected.]