UNDERGROUND EXPLORATION

[supermistfrog]

Characters: Fran, Hitsugaya, Usagi, Raven, Harry, Sasuke, Naruto, Rei, Ami, Hinata, Tiera, Thallate the animus and the scientists!
When: Early o' clock on the 27th.
Where: The opening of the underground tunnels --> the area in which the scientists are.
Rating: PG-13 at the most.
Summary: Team shorty leaders Underground Exploration finally makes the

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TALKING WITH THE SCIENTISTS

[supermistfrog]

[Please wait to post here until the NPC account has!]

[adstring_npc]

"So you've certainly made a mess of it, coming here, haven't you?"

No one you talk to yet chooses to identify themselves. And there's little differentiation between 'guards' and 'scientists'; uniforms are apparently hard to come by now, and who has visible weapons seems to be randomized. In the background, people stare at you furtively, before rushing past- most with anger, some with fear.

You've already been ushered past a main thoroughfare, into a small offshoot of the regular tunnels. The air is still bad, and the light could be best described as 'ambient.'

"You're lucky we were already planning to abandon the areas you've tainted with her," a man scolds you, but Thalatte is no where to be found. Upon meeting the humans, she vanished without explanation or warning. "So what've you come to pillage now?"

[buntails]

"That's not it!" Sailor Moon burst out from among the others. "We didn't come here to pillage anything, or do anything bad! We just... want a way to solve this. What's happening here."

She'd intended to be quiet, at least awhile, but it was too much, to be confronted with that opposite view of her motives. And fairness compelled her to add, "You, too. You shouldn't have to hide away, either!"

"We don't understand a lot about what happens here. We were just brought here from our worlds, you know that. So please, tell us what you mean. Why do you say it's tainted if Thalatte came here?"

[supermistfrog]

Thallate's disappearance had Fran worried, of course, but he clutched the knives in his hands tightly. He knew how to use these, of course- but taking down all of them wasn't a large possibility

[aquaticbeauty]

"Sailor Moon, please--" Mercury stepped up beside Moon, bringing a arm before her in order to calm her. While she understood the need for safety in numbers, she was beginning to question the idea of everyone coming down here at once.

She looked over the scene. Several people had fled once they had arrived, scattering like a flock of birds. Still, it was hard to say how many remained, and which of them were a threat to their safety.

Mercury wouldn't dare activate her visor now--lifting her hand to her ear would only cause panic. She had to rely on her own observational skills to get a better grasp of what they were facing.

[feel_nevermore]

Raven didn't speak up. Her face shadowed by her hood, she listened carefully to what was being said and focused her empathy on the guards and scientists. If any of them got hostile (at least more than they already were) she would sense the surge of aggressiveness in them and hopefully have enough time to raise a black energy shield to protect her teammates. Assuming her powers wouldn't fail her when she needed them.

[adstring_npc]

The group watched the topsiders' protestations, their arguments- expressions darkening at some of the pleas, a few people giving short, barking laughs at whatever words they found particularly amusing. One of them, an older woman with dirty auburn hair pulled back in a bun stepped forward, seemed about to speak, before another interjected, barely hiding her panic.

"Haven't you gotten our messages?! We hid away for nothing, and you bring her down to find us! We warned you about her

[buntails]

"Careful!" Sailor Moon's eyes went immediately to the struck woman, but after Fran and Mercury had both pulled her back, she had no chance of going over there. Even she knew better than to try: with the tension this high, it wouldn't be understood as a gesture of help.

She asked it quietly, to the people right near her. "Why aren't they helping her?"

She had to pull herself together. But her eyes still strayed there, sympathetic, even as she spoke, calmer now.

"We never heard. I don't trust the Animus after everything they've done. But we don't have anything else to try, either, right now. If you know something that could help, please tell us!"

[supermistfrog]

Fran left Sailor Moon to Mercury, and ignored the struck women entirely. He didn't bat an eye at all- being hit for speaking stupidity wasn't a foreign concept. Sailor Moon's question was ignored as well- he didn't care about her in the slightest.

"And why were we supposed to support you in the first place? It's your fault we're here in the first place, and you've done or said nothing to help us get out. Of course we'll rebel. Unless you tell us what we want to hear, of course."

He crossed his arms behind his backs, knives hidden away once more.

"Of course we don't trust most of the animus. But we trust you less, because you really haven't done anything to help."

[aquaticbeauty]

"I don't--I don't know." Mercury hated admitting it, but she was thoroughly confused as to what was taking place before her eyes. She was still so new to the politics, the dynamic of this place she had arrived in a little under a month ago.

"Let's just let Fran-san handle this. Our priority is making sure no one gets hurt." Of course, it may have been too late for that. "You can heal, right?"

Better to have Usagi think about what help she could be after negotiations took place. Of course, they'd step in before that if lives were threatened. Mercury turned to look at Mars, hoping to get some sort of visual cue.

[marsfireignite]

Mars had been quiet, for the conversation, watching intently, waiting for some sort of sign that she was needed, before she spoke suddenly.

"The Animus were brought here just the same as the rest of us, because of your actions -- your experiment."

The senshi stepped forward, to linger just in front of Mercury and Moon. She was the brute force behind the inner senshi. If necessary, Mars would act.

"Tell us why we're all here -- why they're here -- and we can work on fixing what you broke," Mars said coldly.

[iceandivory]

Almost imperceptibly, Hitsugaya's finger twitched when Hino stepped forward. He hadn't bothered to say anything as of yet because unless negotiation and information exchange was actually going to happen, he had nothing to add. The tension, however, was tangible, and if any sort of violence broke out while Hino was being her stupid, protective self, he wouldn't hesitate to end it before it began.

[holdnovirtue]

Tieria was remaining quiet as each side said there piece, and it seemed like this conversation was going no where. Both parties too stubborn to give the other ground. Understandable, but they required information, and it wasn't like it'd hurt the scientists to give them some.

Giving Sailor Moon a slight sympathetic glance, he closed his eyes and sighed, and whispered a response. "She spoke out of turn, and she spoke irrationally. Hitting her is a means of controlling the situation, and no one is helping her because then they'd be made examples out of as well." Either that, or they just didn't care. Probably the latter.

[adstring_npc]

"We handle our own affairs. It's not safe for us on the surface." A somewhat bitter tone, poorly hidden by haughtiness.

"We're 'helping' by working to stabilize this world. It's not easy when we've lost half the original creators. When half that equipment's been destroyed by those monsters you've embraced."

Some of the others nodded in agreement. "If you're not happy with how long it's taking, blame them, not us."

[buntails]

She didn't want Tieria's calm explanation; she wanted to be able to do something instead of standing there helplessly. But Sailor Moon soon focused on the conversation instead; that was her best chance at her hopes. She pulled her eyes away and back to the speaker.

"You've had a hard time, too," she acknowledged easily, uncharacteristically subdued. "But that's why we came. We'll have a better chance if we work together to solve these things. We might be able to help your efforts."

"I know it hasn't worked out this way so far, and it might not be easy, but if we all want this to stop, and we all want to go back where we belong - us, you, and the animus - doesn't it make sense to combine our strength?"

Finally, she addressed the one who'd been pushed. "Are you alright?"

[adstring_npc]

The woman spared Usagi a furtive look, lips in a tight line as she nodded once- then shook her head.

"We tried working with her," she finally answered, looking away from her, not getting up.