burndownforwhat | [ARCHIVED] IC Inbox for recolle

It's not strange. I look exactly the way you last saw me. If you remember that.

Uh, I should say. The version without the tattoos and piercings.

it's all very fuzzy and hard to wrap my head around, but i still remember what you look like!

[and the tattoos and piercings part rings a bell, too. maybe she can ask about that later, in person. she's about ready to leave her house before she remembers that these things have the lifespan of a mayfly if they're not plugged in.]

i don't think i'll be able to talk much on the way if i want this phone to last the trip there and back, but i'll be there!

[and she is, and she looks a lot... preppier than Jen might remember. no plaid, no tank tops, no holes in her clothes. she's wearing a gently flared skirt that stops right above her knee, stockings with boots, and a top that's maybe one step removed from a camisole. capping off the ensemble is a thick black scarf loosely wrapped around her neck. all of it is fairly monochromatic with her blue hair and eyes, but she hasn't had a chance to go shopping for new colors yet. either way, she looks bright and sparkle-eyed when she notices Jen.]

Hi, Jen! Oh my gosh, you do look exactly like how I remember.

[ the only thing apart from the norm of Jen's current appearance as she stands there waiting at the mailbox is the unease present on her face. she keeps looking around at the strange environment and just trying to avoid making eye contact with any of the various sleepers that keep wandering about in their preset patterns.

like, she's pretty sure that one person has been taking out the trash from the back of the diner every five minutes on the dot for the past half hour or so. it's. an unsettling reminder of how set in her ways she was until a few months prior. and now how she's questioning what qualifies as "her" ways at present...

Lina's approach draws her attention away from that, and she leans off of her motorcycle to greet her with a wave. ]

Hey, Lina. [ pardon her relative lack of enthusiasm. today has been. tiring. she still manages something of a smile, though. ] You look... different. At least, your clothes. [ a beat. ] Not in a bad way, though.

[ she fiddled with her hair. ] Sorry. That sounded better in my head.

[the lack of enthusiasm is totally understandable. Lina's had an extremely rough... yes lately and it's hard to devote energy to being On when she's also suppressing a whole lot of stuff. you know, like a healthy adult would. it's part of why she's trying to focus on the mailboxes instead of anything else around them just before Jen shows up. boring things, normal things drown out the strangeness. if this is normal these days, anyway.]

You're fine, don't worry about it. I don't really remember how she dressed, but I get the feeling she didn't exactly wear a lot of new clothing? [she has vague ideas of what this other Lina was like. give her time. she'll piece everything together eventually, probably.]

I almost forgot you had a motorcycle—Bumblebee? Am I getting that right? [all that she needs is time.] Either way, you look great. And you'll look even better with a dog in your arms.

[ Jen stopped fidgeting a moment. ] Huh? [ then she looked at her bike. ] Oh! Yeah. That's right.

[ she set her left hand on handlebar and gave it the slightest turn. ] I'm glad some things aren't full-on retro. I bet I know why, too. [ Jen gave Lina a crooked smile. ] Retrospec. Of course.

Of course.

[one day Lina would get something in the mail herself and she'd be able to see what Jen was talking about. in the meantime, she was more than a little excited to see what this whole process looked like. and, uh. she didn't really trust Retrospec not to hurt the dog.]

So... we shouldn't waste any more time, right? I trust you [more than this version of Lina felt like she should but everything about Jen seemed so right] but I'm still a little worried about them mailing something that's alive.

[ at that, Jen chuckled and waved her hand. ] No need to worry. Like I said, this isn't his first time.

[ she pulls the code tickets out of her jacket pocket and makes her way over to the mailbox's display. one quick input later and she's in possession of a tall, narrow cylindrical shipping tube. no way near the size needed to ship something like a ferret, much less a corgi. ]

Aaand, here's Zwei! [ she rips open the lid, turns it over, and gives the end a few smacks to eject the fluffball onto the ground. ]

[yeah but that doesn't mean she was okay with it the first time either!!! ugh. fine, okay, she'll just stand there and watch Jen retrieve the...]

[absolute cutest dog she has ever seen. both her hands go up to cover her mouth as she gasps and she can feel her cheeks starting to hurt from how much she's immediately smiling.]

Oh. My. Gosh. Oh my gosh, Jen, if we didn't already make plans to live together, I would be moving in right now so I could see this cute little ball of fluff every day.

[and she gets down on her haunches and extends her hand to let him get her scent. she's not the Geteilt who's supposed to be good with animals, but... no, girl. no, okay. focus on the puppy.]

[ Jen smiles and laughs as Zwei poofs into his full shape as if some kind of instantly inflatable dog and barks softly at Lina's approach, sniffing her hand and then offering her his paw like a good boy. ]

He's obviously happy to make new friends, too.

Oh my gosh, he's such a good boy. Isn't he?

[the cutesy talk comes almost preternaturally easily to Lina, and it's definitely not something she gets the idea that the old Lina did. well, the new Lina, she guesses. she's the old Lina. both her hands come up to ruffle Zwei's face fur, and she looks like she's absolutely in love with the adorable little doggo in front of her. it takes her a second to look back up at Jen, and there's a completely unfiltered smile on her face when she does.]

I guess it's true what they say about dogs looking like their owners, because he's the cutest little thing I've ever seen.

[she's just more reserved about flirting. it's not that she doesn't do it.]

You're just saying that because we're both fluffy. [ Jen said with a grin, leaning down to pat Zwei on the head. it's really nice to see Lina so happy. a little unsettling but it's less the reaction itself and more the root cause. that detail she mentioned earlier. ]

I'll have to pick up some supplies for him. Do you want to come with me for that?

[haha. ha. whatever could Jen be talking about. whatever could be worrying about what Lina is doing. it's fine. everything's fine. look at the cute dog!]

Maybe I am! But I don't think I'm wrong. [she gives a broad grin and pats Zwei's head, then gets up to her full height again. still the same as Jen's, even though Lina can't bring herself to look her directly in the eyes right now.]

I'd love to. It won't be the last shopping trip we take together, I know that much. Oh, um, I don't have a helmet, though. [she's worried about the motorcycle (more than she might be otherwise) and walked her way here since, apparently, the subway is working again.] Is that going to be a problem?

Oh. I didn't think that far ahead. [ she was in such a rush she completely bypassed the thought of bringing her car instead. way to go, Jen. ]

Not to worry. [ Jen steps back and picks up her helmet, handing it over to Lina. ] You can take it. Zwei and I will be safe. Trust me on that.

[ though now that she's going to zip up her jacket again, she feels the other slip of paper and digs it out of her pocket. this one... she seems less certain about as she stares down at the code and description. ] Hm. One sec.

[ time to retrieve one more item - or pair of them - from the machine. though the bracelets look like someone took the concept of the personal fitness wristband and made it even more Extreme, they look simple enough. harmless. at least in their idle form. ] Huh. so it's both of them?

[Lina takes the helmet carefully, but she's learned to trust Jen, or at least a part of her has, so she's more than content believing her when she says they'll both be okay. her interest is more with the, uh... the pair of fancy bracelets? that she pulls out of the mailbox next.]

I remember you like staying in shape, but that seems a little like... overkill, doesn't it? Are you supposed to use them for resistance training?

[she can't really think of another reason they would exist. because surely all they are is bracelets, right?]

Overkill is... one way to put it. [ she actually winces at the implication. there have been fights in her dreams where she has had to use them - and with the idea of Aura and how it worked, made her a lot less concerned about how much Yang had injured those she fought - but the idea of how much harm she could cause to people in the Real World is still. a lot to consider.

if she has to, she'll do it, but she hopes it never comes to that again.

Jen pulls out the thin black fingerless sleeves from inside the housings and then rolls up her one side of her jacket to put a bracelet on. then the other, though the fit on her robot hand is... strange, to be sure. she isn't even 100% sure it will work on that side, but she has very little in the way of clues as to whether that's true or just a feeling she has.

either way, it feels strangely relaxing to have them on her hands in a tangible way and not just in a memory or a dream. relaxing is probably the wrong word for it. confident? secure?

Zwei seems to sense something about all this and nuzzles right up along Jen's leg, snapping her out of her contemplation. she looks down and smiles. ] Yeah, yeah, okay. Let's get going.

[and Lina just watches. they're... stylish, she supposes, but it's hard to tell what, if anything, they're actually used for. then again, she "came back" with a little surprise of her own when it comes to her fists. maybe Jen's got something similar going on. she hopes that's not the case. neither of them seem like the fistfighting type. ~~but wasn't there...?~~]

[she puts the helmet on in preparation, leaving the visor up so she can still actually see where she's going, and will politely wait for Jen to get on before climbing on behind her.]

It probably isn't easy to hold a conversation on one of these, but when we're somewhere more private, we probably have some things to catch up on, don't we? [the question is sincere and innocent; after all, Lina has a whole life, apparently, that Jen knows nothing about. ~~and so does Jen, doesn't she?~~]

[ Jen slips on her sunglasses before slipping into the seat. she considered just how she would get Zwei up on here but for having such stunted legs he's more than capable of leaping right up into her arms and settling in atop the housing before her and her stomach. she gives a little laugh. ] Guess that answers that question...

[ then she turns her head back while re-tying her ponytail downward so that it would be less in the way of Lina's face. ] We definitely do. I've actually been thinking of how to start that conversation and, uh, I'm coming up blank. Maybe some coffee is in order for once.

[wow, Zwei is cute. so is Jen, which Lina's sure to make note of as she watches her tie her hair again so it's not directly in her face. not that she'd mind if it were. she nods quietly.]

Don't worry. I can get it started once we're done doing everything else. Let's take care of errands and get Zwei settled, and then we can go get some coffee together. [her hands reach around to Jen's sides, but not enough to ruffle any of Zwei's fur. that's a safety problem waiting to happen.] How's that sound?

Sounds like a plan. [ which is somehow becoming a go-to phrase for her. Jen revs up the engine and eases them back onto the road toward... the apartment, actually. she does figure that carrying things like food and a doggie bed will go a lot smoother with the car, so it's off to pick that up first and then hit up the pet supply shop.

on the way back, though, there's something that catches her eye and causes her to pull over rather abruptly. namely, a strange storefront. the strangeness comes from the fact it looks real and not ported into 3D from an NES cartridge.

she takes off her sunglasses and steps out of the car, eyes wide. ] Are... are you seeing this, too?

[okay, awesome. this is a good plan. a good plan that swiftly ends up off the rails, because after they get back to the apartment (that Lina remembers far too well for someone who's technically never been in it) and some driving (and sudden stopping), yeah, there's... that's. hm. Lina carefully closes the door and steps out of the car, too.]

From Dust Till Dawn... I like the name of it, but why is it real? [that's not the right word for what she's saying, but it's close enough.] We should... I mean, we should definitely go inside, shouldn't we?

[she doesn't even know what they would sell, but if it's an actual, proper storefront, then maybe it's. important?]

Y-yeah... [ something about it makes her uneasy, but it's probably just the appearance of it. ]

It could be a trap. At the same time- [ Jen nervously adjusts her bracelets. even though they switched vehicles, she kept those and her jacket on. ] -reading the window, I know exactly what they're selling.

Come on. [ she pauses before closing the door to the car. ] Wait here, Zwei. We won't be long.

[ time to step in and meet the oddly quiet (but friendly) shopkeeper. ] Whoa. This is a lot of... everything.

[that makes one of them. there must be some different meaning to "dust" in Jen's... in Yang's world. it's getting cool enough out that she's not too concerned about leaving Zwei in the car unattended, either, so Lina gives the extremely good boy one last pet before quietly closing the door and following Jen inside.]

[all of it just looks like... colored, uh, dust, she guesses. which makes sense. but it's all laid out like a super-fancy jewelry store, and everything is all packaged in different ways with some vials in cases and some in bags on the racks, so it has to be more than that, right? Jen has to know the actual meaning behind all of it, so—in a constant effort not to seem like she has no idea what's going on—she walks up close beside her roommate-to-be and whispers something at her.]

What's all this stuff for, Jen?

Dust is - a little of everything. It's an energy source. It's a fuel. But a lot of it is also... ammunition.

[ there's an array of custom-tooled cartridges; empty, but closely resembling firearm magazines or speed loaders for revolvers. various tools for maintenance, repair, and construction are also on display, or available for order, apparently? ]

This doesn't make sense. How can... you even get all this stuff? [ she puts her right hand on the top of the glass display case. the man just smiles and nods, as if that was enough of an answer. he doesn't seem very talkative - or capable of talking at all. how odd. ]

Bumblebee uses a Dust canister. If I bring it by, can you refill it? [ again, the man nods. Jen taps the glass, drawing his attention to the arm. ]

[ammunition... Lina doesn't like the sound of that, necessarily. but if something could be used for fuel and energy then it only really makes sense that people would try to use it as a weapon, too. because that's how people are, unfortunately.]

It shouldn't be here. [she's standing close and mostly mirroring Jen's disbelief, but now that she knows what they're dealing with, she's more at ease.] So it's from... her world, right? Maybe it goes in those bracelets you just got, too?

[so much for sounding like she knows what she's talking about.]

Or the arm itself... [she'll let that trail off.]

No, it should, but it is. Just like... everything else that's come from my world. [ she chews on her bottom lip a moment. ]

And, you're right. It's all of the above.

[ Jen takes a step back away from the counter. ] Stand back.

[ since it's the only way she knows how to activate the alternate form from her memories, Jen brings her left hand up to chest level, bent at the elbow, then snapped it down in a quick, powerful stroke. it was a little like flinging something off of her hand, but what it did instead was activate the expanding form of the bracelet to form a thick, heavy-looking metal gauntlet that completely surrounded her wrist and most of her forearm. it's hard to miss the small protrusion of a gun barrel and the bright red shotgun slugs with their metal casings.

that part actually surprised Jen, too. ] Holy - it's loaded!?

[ the man shook his head, pointing at a "no weapons!" sign hanging off a wall. he was otherwise unperturbed. in her defense, she's keeping the barrel pointed at the ground in front of her, a hand locking the shifting top plates in place. ] Look, sorry, I didn't know! This's never happened before.

[ARCHIVED] IC Inbox for recolle

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