[PCA] UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS

[skinstealer]

[image description: maes and charon standing tensely in front of synna, hands on her hips and clearly judging them for their overnight crimes. synna is dressed in a pitch black skintight suit, with maes wearing her hazmat getup sans helmet.]

CHARON: Good to talk shop ahead, no?

 

eyes dart to Maes-

-and then back to him.

SYNNA: Maes doesn't make friends.
MAES: Hey.
SYNNA: Look, it's not bad, I'm just- confused.
SYNNA: I'm confused.
CHARON: Maybe I'm just special.
SYNNA: Uh huh.
SYNNA: I mean-
SYNNA: I've heard you're doing good work.
MAES: You would see it for yourself if you came down more-
SYNNA: Maes, you know I-
SYNNA: Ugh.
SYNNA: Look.
SYNNA: I'm not trying to give you shit.
CHARON: I mean I've been meaning to work with you anyway.
CHARON: Your portfolio impresses me and I've got a few projects I'd like thoughts on.

 

She relaxes, letting out an amused huff.

SYNNA: You don't gotta flatter me.
SYNNA: I want to be down there and collaborate.
SYNNA: ...just been busy.
SYNNA: Nervous.
CHARON: Nervous?
SYNNA: ...

 

She averts eye contact, suddenly looking more anxious.

MAES: Synna.
SYNNA: ...the political debates have me freaked.
SYNNA: Nothing you don't already know intimately.
SYNNA: Has people in my field pressed-
SYNNA: -and now we have to deal with the basement.
CHARON: Mm...
CHARON: I have significant stakes in all of it myself, can address concerns and worries if people are shaken.
SYNNA: Shaken's not quite the right word.
SYNNA: More...
SYNNA: ...preparing for the worst.
MAES: ...did something happen?
SYNNA: Depends on how in the loop Judgment here is.
MAES: You can trust him.
SYNNA: ...Nothing concrete.
SYNNA: But sources say there's been more Salivist movement in anti-Revision circles.
MAES: There always is.
SYNNA: Blatant movement.
MAES: ...oh.
SYNNA: Yeah.
SYNNA: Mask off.

 

Maes' tail thumps against the ground nervously, Charon clearing his throat.

CHARON: Very much in the loop, part of the job.
CHARON: Get a lot of intel, dossier leaks myself on the topic.
CHARON: Guilds on continent have been very aware of the matter.
CHARON: Cousin of mine is a knight operating Plaza and Hearth as a modified dopple himself.
CHARON: Whole family has personal reasons to break the Salivists.
CHARON: Unfortunately the most larger guilds can do right now is out plants and incentivize bounty hunters.
CHARON: They've been too public as of late to not play the censorship card to reactionaries if we were to hit anything more than under the table meetings.
SYNNA: Good.
SYNNA: You're on the right page.
SYNNA: We're trying to get names of the active plants right now, but they're relying on figureheads with big personalities, big names.
SYNNA: But behind the scenes, lots of nasty talk.
SYNNA: People feeling really confident talking about "vices" and "indulgences" in company bars right now, even in this zone.
SYNNA: Maybe not out in public yet when it comes to the movement, but...
SYNNA: ...we're doing what we can.

 

' tail thumping grows louder, the karacel visibly on edge.

MAES: Fuck's sake Synna, we don't need this on top of-
SYNNA: The apparent fucking ghost in Intake?
SYNNA: Yeah, no, I'm aware.
CHARON: Lucky day that I'm a specialist in both of these matters, no?
SYNNA: You wrangle ghosts?
CHARON: Secondary specialization is in the occult and ultrafauna.
CHARON: Grew up close to a coven family.
CHARON: Witches as some would call them.
SYNNA: Wild.
SYNNA: And...very useful.
SYNNA: How are you on the compassion end of things, though?
SYNNA: We're not killing this thing.
MAES: ....

 

Her ears flatten.

SYNNA: We're not.
SYNNA: You know that as well as I do.
MAES: ......I know.
MAES: But we can't risk it if they attack the compound.
SYNNA: We don't abandon our own.
MAES: We don't even know if-
CHARON: It'll be fine.
CHARON: Worst case scenario, I can give it a time out in my back pocket.
SYNNA: ...eh?

 

He made a square gesture with his hands, static noise and lines visible for just a brief moment.

CHARON: Bit of a trick of mine you'll see as needed.
CHARON: I'm plenty supernatural myself.
SYNNA: ...Huh.
SYNNA: I'll take your word for it.
SYNNA: Hashbrown gave me your gear.
MAES: No shock sticks-
SYNNA: Fuck's sake, no.
SYNNA: If we're dealing with a ghost made up of residents, that'd kill us all.
SYNNA: You've got the containment domes.
CHARON: Mm..
CHARON: I'm armed to the teeth myself.
CHARON: It'll work out.

 

The dog's soft and flowy attire isn't exactly the most convincing.

SYNNA: ...okay.

 

squeezes her eyes shut and nods.

SYNNA: I hope so.
SYNNA: I won't be going down to Intake with you, but I'll be running comms.
SYNNA: Had to reschedule a bunch of shit for this, but JB wants to help hold down the fort in the compound itself-
SYNNA: ...and I have more experience than he does in the actual old lab.
CHARON: We'll keep everyone safe..

 

The dog paused for a moment.

CHARON: Boss?
CHARON: Should I explain the proxy system now or hold it til we're down there?
SYNNA: The-
SYNNA: ....is that the fucking skeleton thing?
MAES: There's only one skeleton, and besides that, they're proxies-
SYNNA: I know what a proxy is, I've just never heard of somebody having a skeleton one and now that's everything people are talking about.
MAES: That was yesterday-!
CHARON: So it's spread then..
SYNNA: All people have to do down there is talk.
CHARON: ...Then yes, there is a skeleton among others.
SYNNA: Cool.
CHARON: They're very polite, you'll get along well.
SYNNA: Not too polite I hope.
SYNNA: I can't deal with people with sticks up their asses.
MAES: Synna.
CHARON: You'll see.
SYNNA: Cryptic.
SYNNA: Better not be as cryptic when we're on comms.
SYNNA: ...Finish your gearing up and meet me down there.