BENEATH SHADOWED BOUGHS

[abaxmods]

"Sleighbells ring, are you listening? In the lane snow is glistening... A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a Winter Wonderland..."The eerie melody echoes through the quiet, snowy streets. A single line from a song so familiar to some, and yet there is no festive cheer that accompanies it. It whispers through the park, carries across

Comments

[Open] In which Mordin does science.

[salarian_savant]

This is the first he's seen of the park. Mordin's spent most of his time in his lab working on a new omni-tool and not paying attention to the network. He's only out now because he had needed the awkward looking not-made-for-a-salarian coat he's wearing. It's cold and he's not particularly fond of the feeling.

At this point, he's briefly inspected most of the park but he's really on his way to check out the tree, mumbling to himself as he goes. "Interesting flora. Only living tree in city. Must be a reason."

It's an odd feeling to look at the tree. Mordin is rarely subjected to the feeling of deja vu and it only spurs him to move closer.

[herewegoto]

"An odd day when 'it's pretty' isn't enough reason for a tree in the park."

Though fortunate maybe, in her case, since she'd arrived on the same day something of note had happened. What could she say? She was just born lucky. Or so she thought as she slipped out of the shadows to approach the doctor. Sans her normal outfit, Kasumi had made due with a black hoodie and some department store scavenged lip stick instead, becoming something of a discount price knock-off of herself in the process.

"But a much more interesting one."

[salarian_savant]

He glances over at her, surprised by the interruption and he thought salarians could be stealthy. "Aesthetics should not affect location. Appears mature. Cannot simply spring up. Must have been here. Accessibility of park planned by captors. For what purpose? Hm."

Don't mind him Kasumi, he's just going to keep meandering towards the tree. "Not fond of cold. Only staying long enough to take samples." Thankfully he has his omni-tool to help with that, just a little scraping and he can go back to the 'warmth' of his lab.

[herewegoto]

"Yes," Kasumi replied in her own moment of speaking to herself, "I was surprised to find myself here, too. If not by much. Nothing seems really impossible when keeping Shepard's company."

She smiled to herself, content in all that silly human personal chit-chat being addressed on her side, and uncalled for in Mordin's. Now back to business.

"Cold, but beautiful. Really nice light job next to the city. Softer. It makes me think of moths."

[salarian_savant]

"Shepard seems to attract trouble, yes. Scientifically improbable, but will agree," he nods and pauses to inspect the ice. Why does it feel like he's done this before? He's never been here before.

He crouches to tap at the ice. His omni-tool checking the temperature and frowning when he finds nothing out of the ordinary. He can't make out what the orbs are through the ice but that's not what interests him right now. Right now, he wants to know about the tree. "Been in park previously?"

[herewegoto]

"Not until the music invited me in."

Kasumi crouched down on the shore as well, starring at the faint glowing balls beneath the surface of the water. Lovely.

"I've spent Christmas hidden inside statues or smuggled on board pirate vessels, but I'd never heard an ominous carol before."

[salarian_savant]

He stands, frowning at the clock on his omni-tool and noted that it was malfunctioning. Mordin would have to check that the internal components were working properly, not realizing or remembering that he'd already both noticed and checked it.

"Christmas human holiday. Have not heard carols to know. However, name suggests..." Suggests what? He knows this, or should. Human culture had been part of his studies. "Does not matter. Still would not expect to be malificent."

Now he stands and crosses to the tree, just walking in a circle around it for now. Observation is the first stage of science after all.

[herewegoto]

Kasumi pressed a hand against the ice, content to allow the scientist to...to...hm. She looked up from under the cowl of her hoodie to watch the professor. Recon work, obviously. She was sure of that. The music, the researcher, and a tree. Now really was not the moment to start losing her edge.

"Found what you need?"

[salarian_savant]

"Appears to be like any flora. Save obvious luminescence. Will have to study further. Simply coating, or tree itself?" Mordin pauses, frowning he meant to come here to do something with something. Scan it, somehow. His omni-tool remains off, forgotten as he reaches out to touch the tree.

His expression changes, his forehead furrowing as he stares at the glowing tree in front of him and he pulls his hand back. What is he doing here? Where is here? How did he get here? He digs for something, anything and there's... nothing. Just the tree.

[herewegoto]

"Solus?"

Kasumi had not had extensive chats with the professor, sitting still in a lab filled with things that could possibly kill her if she attempted to steal them was not her typical idea of fun, but she knew enough that observations weren't normally kept to himself. She stood up her crouched position and took a step out on to the ice towards him to check what had happened.

When she took her second, the reason why she was taking them had already slipped away.

"Found what you need?"

[salarian_savant]

He shakes his head once, blinking as he frowns at her. She knows his name, how? Does he know her? It's unsettling to not have anything to draw on when he knows he should.

Mordin moves away from the tree, "Uncertain. Do not know why I am here. Do not recall you." There's a slight hesitation. She knows his name, but should he trust her? Logically it followed that if she knows he is looking for something, even if he has no idea what now, that she came here with him. It made her his only source of information.

"...remember nothing. Should have something. Feel it. However, know nothing but this tree, the park. Where are we? Why? Who are you?"

[herewegoto]

Things were a bit jumbled for Kasumi herself at the moment. Why the professor didn't recognize her ranked up there with why she was currently attempting to ice skate in knee high boots, but months of experience were there for her to fall back on for the answer to the over all situation. A crew member of the Normandy was distressed. There was only one tried and true solution.

"We need to get Shepard. We can catch up on old times on the way."

[salarian_savant]

"Shepard? Do not remember a Shepard," Mordin frowned, some jumbled mix of puzzled and concerned about what was wrong with him. "Should get off ice," he observed, watching her. "Will hurt yourself."

What would he do then? He knew nothing and no one, except apparently this woman and this 'Shepard' but he wouldn't know how to actually contact them. He heads away from the tree himself, back across the ice and towards her.

It made his head feel less fuzzy and his attention caught on the glowing orbs beneath the water. Should he know what those were? He shakes his head. Mordin has bigger things to worry about than what some weird objects are.

"Shepard nearby?"

[herewegoto]

Kasumi followed the general advice about the ice for the time being, the idea of Shepard and trouble able to sustain itself, in part thanks to Mordin's repeated use of the name, until they reached the shore line. She blink a few times in rapid succession as soon as both feet were on firm ground, a sudden clarity present. Though she couldn't quite seem to recall it's absence...only a vague memory of a memory on that account. Odd.

"The trouble is here. He- ah, she can't be that far."

The fact there was only one other district she could possibly be in helped that cheerful prediction. Keeping one eye on her companion, Kasumi pulled out her antiquated phone and sent the text to the modified commander.

[salarian_savant]

Mordin follows her off the ice, stepping off into the snow and his mind might be clear now, but it's still distinctly lacking any actual memories. He eyes the ice and the tree again as she texts Shepard, feeling like he's done this before but he has, hasn't he? He had to get to the tree somehow.

Uneasy, he moves further away from the lake. "Would prefer to leave park. Memory loss disconcerting. Hope Shepard has answers. Different surroundings may trigger something."

He's just guessing here. He honestly has no idea if that's true, but he doesn't care for being in the park, something is obviously wrong with this area and he would rather be somewhere else.

[herewegoto]

"Not so sure about that, professor. Unless the Normandy is suddenly docked in the train station. Which given what I've see so far, I guess really wouldn't be that big a surprise."

But she's all for getting out of the park and the tree that makes the back of her mind tickle. It wasn't a feeling she really enjoyed. Too bad she couldn't access her own greybox with this kind of technology. Shepard could find them just as easily at the entrance to the park than in it.