Open Log

[scarabwings]

Who: Layla and OPEN
What: Mini-missions and downtime
When: Throughout the month
Where: Around the Witch's Camp
Content Warnings: Possible violence, illness


I. Propaganda: Media
In one of the small parks in the Magitech district, there is a pack of children, ages ranging from four to eight, chasing a stuffed ragdoll that skitters and scampers with a stumbling gait, weaving around its pursuers, ducking between the taller ones' legs, and occasionally bouncing harmlessly off some obstacle, living or otherwise.

Mostly, it avoids passers by. Mostly.

The source of the thing's motion is, presumably, the slim dark-haired woman sat on a nearby bench, gaze unfocused, video camera set up next to her and trained on the spectacle.

It isn't until, through concerted effort, four of the children simultaneously tackle the doll with a gleeful and only slightly bloodthirsty cheer that she snaps back to attention, wincing slightly and rubbing her temples, then pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand. It's only then that she seems to notice she's gained an audience, and flashes a weary smile.

"That wasn't you at the end, was it?" she asks. Maybe it was. Maybe it was a tree. Navigating the world without proper sensory organs isn't the easiest feat, after all.

II. The Weather Wizards
Today, it's freezing rain. Layla stands just outside the zone of hostile weather, frowning at the ice-slicked street. She hadn't actually intended to go chasing trouble today, but her destination is on the other side of the chaos, and she's tired enough - head pounding and stomach sour - that she has no desire to detour several blocks because some idiot has decided they need to get alien internet famous.

She glances sidelong, and maybe you're out visiting the markets with her, or maybe she just recognizes you from a briefing, or around the barracks, or those early raids on the Sylphid's facilities, but regardless, she smiles, though there's an exasperated edge to it, and it doesn't quite touch her eyes.

"Any bets on how long it will take us to sort this one out?"

III. Around the Camp
Layla isn't usually difficult to find - she has coffee at Cyborg most mornings, teaches a self-defense course at a small studio several afternoons a week, and spends much of her free time training, in the library, or making a circuit of various markets, window-shopping and listening to gossip.

Usually being the operative word. The first couple weeks of the month, she's less in sight, harder to pin down. And when she can be, she looks pinched and tired, like she hasn't been sleeping well, or is fighting some illness.

Whatever it is, she seems to throw it off towards the end of the month, sliding back into what passes for her usual routine. If she occasionally looks a little distant, attention caught by something not immediately apparent - what of it? That can't be so uncommon here.

Wildcard
If you have an idea for something else, go for it, or shoot me a PM to plot!

Comments

[stargazed]

Mikumo's colossal hair is in a ponytail already, since it's much more convenient to do that at home for her, but she scans over the area in the interim, checking for any damage that's occurred already, things in the area they might be able to take advantage of, and the culprit themselves. The silhouette is definitely difficult to miss, and the mention of ice reminds Mikumo that when this is a two-person job, she might actually have to let the other person in on what she's bringing to the table.

"The ability I was given here lets me control water, just not create it, so I can potentially form us shields of sorts out of the rain to help deal with projectiles like ice. But whether I do that from the outset or whether we keep it as a surprise for later depends on how you prefer to approach things."

While she does tend to lone wolf it back home, she is at least aware that going off with no idea of what suits the person she's working with is likely to end poorly.

[scarabwings]

Layla perks up a little at that, shaking off some of her exhaustion. "That's a stroke of luck," she says. "Can you control it in all phases, or just as a liquid?"

Useful either way, given just how heavily the rain is falling just inside the perimeter.

[stargazed]

"Just liquid, as far as I know," Mikumo replies. She's admittedly not had as much chance to test with ice, but while she seems to be able to adjust the density of water to make it into actual objects, she hasn't been able to change its phase. "This doesn't strike me as the situation I'd want to be testing if I can control ice for the first time in, but they're giving me more than enough rain to work with, if nothing else."

She does carry water with her as well - there are two large metal canteens attached to the back of her belt at the moment, which is about as much as she likes to carry without a vehicle being involved - but she can do a lot more with a larger supply. When it's being practically handed to her on a silver platter, she's not going to fail to take advantage of it.

[scarabwings]

"Probably not the best time," Layla agrees, with the faintest hint of something rueful in her voice, like she has some experience with attempting unfamiliar use of power on the fly.

She considers the distant figure again. "Let's keep it under wraps for now, so they'll have less time to adjust if we do need to be aggressive. How good are you at talking people around?"

[stargazed]

"Average, I would say. It's not something I have to do often, and I'm not very inclined to spare people's feelings if they've made a poor choice. So if they're insecure enough to have to do something like this for attention, they'll likely respond badly to how I tend to approach these things," Mikumo says, some faint amusement in her tone as if in awareness of how unhelpful being incredibly blunt is likely to be. She's fine at helping people through struggle and getting them to focus on the situation at hand, but not so much at trying to comfort people she feels are doing something stupid.

"Are you more of a talker, or in a similar situation?"

[scarabwings]

"I can be diplomatic," Layla says. "Talking someone down from a stupid stunt isn't how I usually apply it, but it's worth trying the non-violent approach first. How's your stealth?"

The rough shape of a plan is beginning to form. She's half expecting this to end in violence regardless of how they start, but there's a chance, at least, to avoid it.