worthallthis | IC Inbox: In the Night

[ daylight flutters his winglets and he flashes big cyberpup optics in gratitude. even after all the trip-ups he had been, soldat being willing to hear out daylight's bit is one he's grateful for. ]

Okay... Um... Hang on. [ daylight hurries back to his room for something and he comes back, holding a letter in his servo.

he doesn't hand it over to soldat just yet- first, he's gotta explain the situation and daylight tries his best: ]

I sent some gifts through the post office during the winter holidays. Robin and Rastus and Dr. Ingram and the spirits. Um- When I dropped by the post office to check if I had mail, I got some presents in return.

One of them from Dr. Solis. She signed a card and everything. From the way she responded to me in it, I realised I... I gave her a gift. I had to because it was with all the other things I got. So I tried to figure it out who it was and sent a letter under that name, just... guessing, really.

Then... [ he holds up the letter, indicating that this had been her reply to the letter.

he hands it over to soldat so he can read it if he wants to because, honestly, this is a lot for daylight to believe himself. he trusts his friend with the very important mail and, more importantly, it allows him to properly gesture with his servos again. if only to let out some energy because the big bit is this: ] She's willing to meet me! Over tea. So we can talk about stuff. I can bring someone with me if I want to but only one.

I- I don't know what to do, Soldat. I want to meet her- I do! -but I don't know how to approach this. Intelligence and diplomatic relations aren't my strongest points. [ daylight is friendly, sure, but he's nothing like his mom, who was considered one of the greatest intergalactic ambassadors of her time. he's not cut out for that sort of stuff. at all. ]

[Each time he says Doctor the Soldier has to smother a flinch. Not always successfully. The flesh hand goes into a pocket so they can keep it on the handle of a knife, and that helps a little. Taking the letter in the metal one, it only trembles a little while they read, because the metal arm is more steady than the flesh one.]

Not mine, either.

[Especially since all they want to do is tell Daylight not to go, to stay away where it's safe. Even though this doctor is probably not the kind of doctor they're used to, they can't help the visceral fear at the thought.]

Rosinante might be okay. Better. Smarter about people than we are.

[Also actually capable of being suspicious, and protecting Daylight if there was danger.]

[ for the luck of everyone involved- daylight does notice the flinches now and then. it takes him longer than he'd like to admit to realise what's causing it but, when he does, the lightbulb goes over his helm and.

oh.

okay. he tries to keep that in mind. ] Yeah! That's a good idea. I'll go to Rosinante after this. To see what his thoughts are on D- [ he stops himself just in time, clearing his vocoder in an attempt to act like his vocoder is acting up. ] To see what his thoughts are on Ms. Solis and this situation are.

... Is there anyone else I should look into for this? Because... I don't know-know a lot of people here. [ he's friendly but that doesn't make him everyone's friend. ] Someone who can ask questions would be great, Soldat. Or, um, I don't know- Someone who can look at this with a new angle? Fresh perspective?

[ help?, is basically what day is trying to say here without saying it aloud. ]

[It's embarrassing the amount of relief there is when Daylight audibly manages not to say that goddamn word again. It doesn't entirely make the fear subside, but it does stop viciously prodding it into wanting to snap at everything like a wild animal.

Fear doesn't keep the tactical mind from working, though. They're used to thinking through fear. It's no coincidence that each person they list, still, would be capable of protecting Daylight in some capacity.]

Rosinante still. Marines. Handles me at my worst. Also capable of being an asshole. Kuai was a leader in life, he knows people well, and he can be polite. Maybe Misty, she's sharp and observant, but she's not very social so she might not be interested in tea with anyone.

[Which worries them a little, sometimes, just not in the middle of a planning session cum freak-out.]

Go in with questions. A plan.

[ daylight nods along, looking grateful and relieved when he hears names being given. he's definitely going to reach out to rosinante and huh! he didn't know there was another leader here in beacon. he'll definitely keep him (and misty) in mind when reaching out to personally hear from possible people as his +1 for the tea party.

but then he blinks at the last words and he tilts his helm to the side, looking utterly lost. as if something just occurred to him now. ]

... Questions. [ his brow furrows and he genuinely looks confused. oh dust and rust- was he really going to go into that without anything at the ready? ] Right! Right. Questions. To learn more about our situation and what we can do about this entire... thing.

And a plan. Right. A plan. ... A plan for what, exactly?

[ oh dear. he really was going to go into that without anything at the ready. ]

[The Soldier fixes him with a brief, slightly alarmed, mildly disapproving stare. No one should ever go into any situation without a plan. Even tea with a stranger. (A strange doctor. Quit reminding yourself of that, dumbass.)]

A plan. What you want to say to her, what you want to ask her, what you'll do if she's dangerous or doesn't want to answer questions. What to do if she doesn't show up. Who you'll take with you and what questions they will ask you. What precautions you will take. Daylight. There should always be a plan when you do something new and potentially dangerous.

[Biggest speech they've given in a while.]

[ it's something daylight notices himself, given the way he looks surprised by the time soldat finishes speaking to him. it's not every day soldat does this sort of thing so daylight takes notices and pays attention, hanging on to his every word with the same, wide-opticked expression on his face.

then the expression gives way to contriteness, his winglets fluttering behind him for a few seconds before pulling back and hanging low out of shame. ]

Right. You're right. [ he rubs the back of his neck, looking more sheepish than ever. ] Sorry. I guess I'm... used to others doing that stuff for me back on the Lornful Light since I was the scout and Dialup and Nightbreak did this stuff and...

[ he shakes his helm. right. no. no making excuses. the others aren't here. he needs to make up for that then. ] Go in there with a plan. Right... [ he falls quiet, trying to organise his thoughts and ideas into something coherent enough to share with soldat. ] My plan, I guess, so far is to bring someone with me who can ask questions and dig for info. Then we see if we can learn what we can from Ms. Solis.

[ it's- it's not a lot, obviously, but better than the confusion daylight showed just moments ago. ]

[It's a start, and the Soldier nods approvingly.]

See, you had a plan. The beginnings of one. Just need to fill in details. You're going to have to ask questions, too. Bringing someone to just play interrogator isn't what she's asking for in this.

[They hand the letter back. Tactical analysis helps. Gives them focus. Lets them put aside who they're talking about.]

So pick your person. Write down questions for each of you. Consider contingencies. Daylight. I want you to be safe.

[They also want to hover outside the church with a gun just in case.]

[ daylight smiles at the last comment, clearly touched by soldat's concern. it takes him a second to find his voice again because, funnily enough, his vocoder is suddenly overwhelmed by a rush of static and white noise.

when he finally can find the words again, he manages out a shy and touched, ] Thanks, Soldat. That... That means a lot to me.

[ he falls quiet again as he looks away while his winglets flutter in bashfulness, trying to find a way to express his own wishes of this situation. he thinks what he has now is enough. ] I want to make sure this ends well for everyone.

[ for them. for dr. solis. for the spirits. for those who couldn't get this far like dr. ingram's group and for those helped them get this far at the expense of their own life like winters. ]

We're in this together, after all! Right? [ right, he believes and hopes. ]

[It's a lot to ask, being "in this together" with actual medical doctors. But it's Daylight, the one who trusts everyone and expects the best of everyone. They can't not support him. Fuck. So they say:]

Yeah.

[Let's get back on task, though. So they don't perjure themselves, or something. Or get embarrassed.]

So what do you want to ask her.

... A lot.

[ okay okay okay- that's not very useful, he knows thankfully, he does clarify that bit by explaining a little further: ] I guess the first thing I want to do is figure out what she doesn't want to answer, whatever her reasons are.

Because... How do I push for information? Should I push for information? Should the other person do it? I want us to get along but... at the same time, I know the others will want to use this chance to finally shed light on what's happening to us.

[ because being in the figurative dark has been the sticking point for a lot of people here. not knowing what's happening and wanting the answers so badly is what caused the feast's events to spiral out the way they did. day is trying to keep this in mind the most as he thinks of things to ask and things to do. ]

I think. She'll know you want to know things. If she's smart at all, she'll expect it.

[It's so hard to talk about her as if she's not a goddamn doctor, but they can't upset Daylight more. They have to help him.]

Ask her. Go in with as many questions as you want. But ask her from the start what she won't answer.

[That might be a good place to start. The Soldier does not generally partake in interrogations, except sometimes as a threat or as backup for torture purposes, but they have seen them.]

[ daylight's optics glow at the advice on asking her pointblank what she won't answer. ]

Oh! That's a really good point! Hang on-

[ daylight rummages through his messenger bag/belt and pulls out his tablet so he could open it up and put down notes. he doesn't want to forget any of these details or advice, so having it somewhere stored for him to memorise or look up would be great.

but as he types at his tablet, he slows down a bit when an idea comes to him. daylight looks up at soldat and lets out a breathless suggestion before thinking it through: ] Do you think it'll be a good idea to give her access to the network?

I mean- I still have Winters' tablet and it's here in the cabin. She said she wasn't connected to us... so... maybe she could...?

[ he does hesitate when making his suggestion. from his understanding, there's no real way to. seeing winters' username - since it was on the directory long enough for the first wave of them to remember - popup might alarm others. ]

[The Soldier blinks, momentarily distracted from worry by the surprise of hearing that.]

You're the one who has it. Winter's tablet. We were wondering.

[Giving it away seems like… a really dumb idea, actually. Not without letting people with actual technological skills do some poking around on it, anyway.]

There might be a lot of intel on that. We should find a different tablet if you want to give her one.

[Which is to say, it's not a bad idea, but maybe not that tablet in particular. Surely there are spares somewhere.]

Um... Yeah. [ daylight scratches the back of his neck, looking sheepish as he gives a nervous 'yep! me!' smile at soldat. ] I was Winters' roommate in the early days of Beacon. I saw where he usually placed it and... after the lighthouse...

[ it didn't seem right to snoop into winters' possessions, day knows, but he had been curious about the man after his passing. he wanted to learn more about him and, while not a lot, it did inform him of some interesting bits.

like this- ]

I poked around it for a bit and I don't think there's much intel in it. The most notable thing I could find was, um, this conversation he had with Robin. [ daylight tilts his helm on the side, humming thoughtfully as he tried to remember the exact details of the conversation. ] It was about Dr. Ingram. Set before our arrival.

[They kind of doubt that's the only thing of interest, and it honestly doesn't sound particularly useful to the group as a whole, but don't push it.

Especially since there's another "doctor" there, and they have to suppress another flinch. They already know William Ingram isn't that kind of doctor, but the word still brings up terrible feelings.]

Ask Inram if he has others he can spare for her. Or ask Solis why she isn't on it already. If she's the one who puts us together when we die. And the original Beacon resident. She ought to know how we get them and how they work. Might not have one on purpose.

Oh! That's a really good idea!

[ daylight hurries to type that down on his tablet, not wanting to forget anything that's being said.

it would be weird to not ask dr. ingram if they had spare tablets lying around. with how often they get new faces every month, it makes sense to... have a lot waiting in the wings. why hadn't he thought of that sooner?

this is why he's gone to soldat and the others: pieces of information here comes in really handy, be it today or tomorrow. ] I hope Mr. Ingarm is open to the idea of giving them away to others. It'll be nice to keep in contact with Ms. Solis and keep her up to date on stuff more easily. [ because daylight had realised his mistake from earlier and tries to correct that now, careful in the way he addresses the other adults. (sorry, soldat. that was his bad.)

but his excited typing soon begins to slow down when he hears the rest of soldat's suggestions and commentary. day looks at soldat over his tablet, optics wide and his half-seen expression now best described as 'very nervous' for some reason. ]

I think I can answer some of those questions for you if you want... But do you promise to not... you know...

[ not bring out the gun? or have the gum come in any equation. ]

[Promise not to what. The Soldier stares at Daylight a moment, trying to follow that train of thought. Finally they settle on a standard response to a nervous expression.]

Daylight. I'm not going to hurt you. Pretty much ever.

[ daylight smiles at soldat in gratitude, surprisingly touched by that statement.

but- no! day! come on, you gotta focus. ] I know you won't.

It's just... I need you to promise that for Ms. Solis too. Just until we figure out how we can help one another. I know... I know there's a lot of suspicions against her but I want us to get along.

Because we know where she is. [ he takes a deep vent, his winglets wriggling in nervousness. ] She's... She's the Friend Under the Basement.

[ soldat is the first person he's confined this bit of information too. ]

[Okay, yes, that is harder to assure. But at least they're sure they can't take out the person who brings them back if they die... or the original Beacon resident... it's too important a resource. It just is harder to say out loud.

The Soldier huffs out a little sigh, like it's a trial to say he won't shoot someone in the face.]

I won't. I'm not stupid.

[A pause, and then the slightly more openly truthful addition:]

Unless she does something, first. As long as she doesn't. She's fine.

You're one of the smartest people I know, Soldat. You definitely aren't.

... And thanks. For trusting me on this. I know it's a lot- [ and then some, considering what they know and don't know in this moment. ] -but thank you. It means a lot to me.

[ he smiles at soldat, his winglets flicking up in sincere gratitude. ]

Well- I need to get ready and talk to the others now. I gotta inform them and hear other perspectives for this. [ he hesitates for a bit, wondering about something. ] Do you... Do you want me to keep you updated? About this?

[Well, they're only stupid in regards to some few things. Mostly related to emotions. And themselves. And where those two things intersect. Tactically, they're very smart. They withdraw the flesh hand from their pocket finally and pat Daylight's metal arm.]

Just stay safe. That's all I need.

[They pause, and add a look that says clearly "are you fucking with me right now, Daylight, cuz that is a dumb-ass question", and then the words:]

Yes. Please keep me updated.

[Otherwise they'll fret themselves crazy and wind up really stalking the guy instead of the occasional amiable distance-check-in they do now.]

IC Inbox: In the Night

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