[Ami] Welcome to the Neighborhood

[fikgirl]

Who: Ami
Where: The Beach
When: Day 36, during/after Volleyball!
Invited: Anyone, especially the new characters
Status: Complete

Comments

[Lindsey]

[born_again_boy]

Lindsey watched as more of the castaways joined the group, and tried to attach names to faces and commit them to memory. He still thought that tracking down the aforementioned savages was the most logical move for trying to get off the island, but he also knew that doing so on his own, knowing as little as he knew about the place was akin to suicide. And while Lindsey might tend towards confidence bordering on arrogance at times, his penchant for a death wish had somewhat wavered after being shot twice in the chest.

So for the first time since waking up under a mushroom-shaped rock, Lindsey had to fully resign himself to being stuck here, at least long enough to gather as much information as he could so that whatever plan he cooked up had some chance of succeeding.

It looked as though some of the rest of their mushroom-rock group had made their way back to the camp, and Lindsey wondered if that meant Faith would soon be gracing them with her presence. He decided that when she did, he wanted to be busy.

"So, should we be building shelters or something?" he asked the group at large.

[George] Why can't I kill him, again?

[sinanju]

"Unless you like sleeping out under the stars or someone is willing to share," George said, approaching more of the strangers, "then yeah--you should build a shelter."

"But maybe if you ask nicely," Sawyer said, walking up behind her, "George here, and Chloe--that little blonde minx over there--will let you bunk with them."

"Shut up, Sawyer," George snapped, glaring daggers at him. As usual it only seemed to egg him on.

"It's quite a treat, by all accounts," Sawyer continued, clearly enjoying putting George on the spot. She wanted to punch him. "Or at least Captain Jack keeps going back for more."

"Although," Sawyer mused, "he's not what I'd call discriminating now that I think about it. Still--" he looked George over, "you could do worse, I guess."

And then he grinned cheekily and walked off like a man without a care in the world. George stared after him for a moment, shocked--again--by how thoroughly and enthusiastically Sawyer could play the complete asshole when he felt like it.

Then she looked at Lindsey. Sawyer's exit left her standing there with no idea what to say and her face turned red if the burning in her cheeks was any indication. "I'm gonna kill him one of these days," George muttered. Then she turned and walked away quickly.

[McKay]

[lost_mckay]

Rodney paused and nodded at Daniel's encouragement, mollified, if only for the moment. "Stasis pod." He didn't really care about those- he'd seen them before, but anything to keep his mind the least bit active. Boredom didn't sit with him well. "I'll look at the rock, too, see if it has any qualities that might give us a clue-- and-and-and... yes. I want to talk to him."

A step was taken towards the direction Franklin took, catching the comment regarding George and Chloe, and stared at Sawyer, not quite understanding, or comprehending the intent, until, Captain Jack keeps going back for more-- The scientist looked... pained, and turned his back to make his way once more to follow the newly arrived doctor.

"Radio. Right."

[Peyton]

[lyingdrksoul]

When "Sawyer" was told to shut up, Peyton spun around wide-eyed because she hadn't said anything. "Heeh..." She watched the exchange between George and Sawyer briefly before she brought her attention back to Lindsey.

"I'm going to...Go look for stuff to build a shelter with." She motioned off towards the jungle again, and began to move that way. Of course, she had no intention of going far into the jungle at all, not after what they were told and certainly not by herself. Still, she felt the need to tell at least someone where she was going.

[Tara, Mayday]

[weirdweb]

((OOC: Marking where River pulls Tara out of the thread for consistency's sake.))

Tara opened her mouth to protest, but then River was there with Molly in tow, her expression determined.

River then moved to take Tara’s hand. “Circle of sisters. You are Reason. Need to deal with jumbled emotions.”

"Reason? I -" but Tara didn't really fight as River pulled the two women away from the crowd.

TARA EXITS

MAYDAY ENTERS

May followed a few paces behind the others, keeping an eye out for anything that might jump them from behind as they headed to camp. The hike was uneventful, fortunately. When she saw the remnants of the volleyball game - and just what they were using as a volleyball - she smirked and stepped forward, prepared to tease them about the game and what they'd done to that poor basketball.

"Shut up, Sawyer," someone snapped, and May sighed - a sure sign that it was just another day in camp, at least.

As she approached the group, opening her mouth to call out, an unfamiliar blonde suddenly turned to head back to the jungle and May nearly walked right into her. "Hey, guys, I - whoops, sorry!" She caught herself before she could plow right into the woman, who stopped short. May glanced around at the other new faces - whoa, was that guy green? - before adding, "Wow, how many new people did we pick up?"

[Lindsey]

[born_again_boy]

Sleeping under the stars didn't sound all that bad to Lindsey, but judging by the greenness of the jungle he didn't think that this island went too long without a good downpour. He watched the exchange between George and Sawyer and found that despite himself he was amused. He even smiled slightly at George's parting statement.

He turned to look at Ivanova. "Nope. Never was a boyscout. Guess we're all going to be learning today," he said in response to her question. The fact was that Lindsey had never so much as pitched a tent. When he was a kid there was never time or money for camping trips, and it just never ranked very high on his list of things to learn afterward.

"I guess we have to go find materials to build with," he added, turning to follow Peyton towards the jungle, just as yet another girl joined their group, this one nearly walking right into Peyton.

"Er, nine, I think?" he told her.

[Isabel]

[nohatmatt]

The game clearly abandoned for the time being, Isabel wandered over to the new arrivals, studying them carefully as she approached, the ball balanced on the tip of a finger. She stopped next to George, wondering whether to chuck the ball at Sawyer's head. Poking him with driftwood didn't seem to be making an impression, and she was pretty sure whacking him around the skull with it wouldn't go down well with Daniel.

It was a very tempting thought though.

"I see Sawyer's no less of an asshole than usual," she said by way of greeting. "Hi," she added for the benefit of the new people. "Isabel Evans. I was in a storm on a ship, got washed up on the beach." Distantly she felt the pain of remembering that she still didn't know if Jesse or the others had survived that. The impact had faded a bit, and she pushed it aside some more. There was no point dwelling on what she couldn't know. They had fixed the hull before she passed out, so there was a good chance the others had managed to stay on board and had, therefore, survived.

You're woolgathering, she thought, and pulled her thoughts back to the present. There was a definite telepathic murmuring going on which was quite usefully distracting.

"I can help with materials," she said. "If you need palm leaves and don't like climbing trees. What were you planning to use?"

[Ivanova] Telepathy abounds!

[lost_mckay]

Ivanova looked to Lindsay at his response, or rather, his 'confession' at never being a boy scout, and pressed her lips together. This was going to be a little harder---

There was a definite telepathic murmuring going on which was quite usefully distracting...

The Commander stiffened, the easy smile melting off her face to be replaced with a cold, hard glare, blue eyes steeling. Turning towards the 'group' in general, her gaze flickering over some that she could identify before she paused at Ami. There was nothing to show that they were teeps... no gloves, no pin. Rogues, undoubtedly, or perhaps from their times, it was more accepted?

"Don't scan me."

The three words were soft, bearing no little anger, or rather warning, beneath them. "I don't care what you do.. but do not scan me, do not try to get into my head." She'd know.

She turned her back, deliberately, and looked to Peyton, Lindsey, and Isabel, all humour drained from her manner and mien. "I'll join you."

[Scott] Telepathy abounds!

[starborn_scribe]

"Don't scan me."

Although the woman's words were quiet, they cut through the conversation. Ami and Scott tensed as they faced the soldier. On instinct Scott had strengthened his mental shields, so all he felt was Ami's familiar presence in the back of his mind.

Without another word the woman walked off with Lindsey, Isabel, and Peyton. "What was that about?" Scott wondered aloud. Ami hadn't scanned anyone. She didn't violate people's minds like that.

[Ami] Let's Just Clear the Air, Shall We?

[fikgirl]

"That's … wow," Ami breathed. Of course portals to Wal-Mart weren't really so odd considering that portals to other worlds clearly opened up and regularly deposited people here. Still stuck on the idea of an alternate her, Ami continued, "Just so you're forewarned, things are apt to be a bit stranger around here. No portals to Wal-Mart, but what we do have -"

"Don't scan me." The accusation came out of left field as far as Ami could tell. One moment she was happily chattering away with her husband, Damon and Jon and next the woman had the nerve to launch accusations of telepathic impropriety in her direction.

"What was that about?" Scott wondered.

"She's a telepath," Ami announced, her voice dangerously low and cool. Though quiet, the words were able to reach anyone standing near. /That's why I can't sense her a bit./

She tugged her hand from Scott's and marched toward the woman. Newcomer, soldier or whatever, Ami worked too hard to get people here to trust her and to understand that what she did came naturally. She worked too hard to convince her fellow beach denizens that she didn't go probing about their heads and getting into their thoughts.

/Ami, wait -/

/No. I'm not going to let a paranoid psychic make people afraid of me. Or you. Or Damon or any of us. We've worked too hard to have some sodding Russian commander bitch with a chip on her shoulder ruin it./

Ami stepped into the woman's path, forcing her to draw to a halt. "I know that you're new here and this is all confusing. I know that this isn't your time or maybe it's not your reality or who knows what it isn't of yours, but there's something you need to know. You don't get the right to march in here and level accusations like that, yeah? I haven't bloody touched your mind and I don't bloody well plan on it because I don't do that. "

"Ami -" she recognized the firm, quiet interjecting voice as Daniel's, but she didn't look toward the archaeologist.

"No, this clearly needs to be gotten over with before things get out of hand," Ami told him, never peeling her eyes away from the woman. "You're out of your element and you don't know anything about this beach or this camp or these people. And you really don't know anything about me. Don't. Ever. Accuse me of anything without good cause and good reason. And. Don't. Threaten. Me."

[Ivanova] Definitions, please

[lost_mckay]

"Did I say you did? Believe me... if I thought that you had, it would have been a worse reaction. And if you thought that was a threat..." Ivanova held her ground, her shoulders stiff as she remained in place, though she shrugged tightly. "Now that you know that I don't want to be read, scanned passively or actively, we have an understanding."

She stared at Ami, her tones soft. "But, you tell me that you haven't looked at all of us... every single one of us in a little threat assessment. How else would you know that I'm blocking if you don't have your little passive feelers out?" Her brows rise in askance. "I know about that little technique.. listening in on surface thoughts. That's not scanning, is it?"

"Where I come from, telepaths consider themselves to be the homo superior, bloodlines bred oh-so-carefully to make the perfect human. We created the PsiCorps to protect ourselves from invasion of privacy; laws that govern every aspect of the relationship between mundane and telepath... and still, if there was a way for them to break it, they would." Her tones were bitter; referring to the telepaths as 'they', separating them from herself.

[Daniel] Ladies, please

[fikgirl]

"And where I come from, telepaths or anyone with the slightest bit of unusual ability or psychic talent hides in the shadows and pretends to be normal because the mundanes would lock us away in little laboratories. They would turn us into lab rats, or use us for their own purposes, or just have an old fashioned witch burning."

"That's enough," Daniel stepped up laying a restraining hand on Ami's arm. He felt the tenseness of her muscles, and willed the woman to relax. "We've not had any problems with breaches of privacy and they aren't going to start today."

"Commander Ivanova," Daniel addressed the other woman in soft, cool, diplomatic terms. "I'm not a telepath and I don't pretend to know what abilities you have or Ami has. I also won't pretend to know anything about your world or where you come from. What I do know is that Ami Jackson is a loyal and trusted member of this camp. She has never breached anyone's privacy, and she willingly revealed her abilities to us knowing the fear and otracization that it might cause.

"You should know up front that we have several telepaths here in this camp, and they all follow the same codes of conduct. How do I know? Because I know these people and I trust them. We have to trust each other because we," Daniel indicated the camp with a gesture of his hands, "Are all that we have."

"Ami, the Commander isn't from our world, and her experiences are clearly radically different from yours. From my limited understanding of your abilities, it sounds like the basic abilities of telepaths in her world are radically different from yours. There's no reason to think -"

"I wasn't scanning her. I haven't scanned anyone," Ami practically hissed.

Daniel's eyes flickered past Ami to Scott and then back again. As much as Daniel understood her fear and inner conflict, only cool heads would prevail here and stop this before it escalated.

[NPC Jon Murphy] As Much As I'd Like a Good Catfight . . .

[fikgirl]

Things were getting out of hand, and the new group had been in the camp less than a half an hour. (Why am I not surprised?) As much as Jon wanted to stay out of it and on the sidelines - he very adamantly didn't advertise his telepathic abilities - this had to be stopped right now. He knew that more than a few of his fellow castaways put two and two together - he could teleport, he was telekinetic and so could Ami and Damon - he still liked the illusion of denial.

"Look, we get it all right," Jon drew attention to himself by stepping forward a bit. "You hate telepaths because they're the epitome of evil where you come from. Where we come from, people will hurt telepaths because they're," Jon shrugged, "Telepaths.

"Yours are built differently. They learn this passive scanning touchy-feely thing," Jon wiggled his fingers distractedly off to the side of his head. "Ours have to learn to block out stuff and it takes practice and it takes effort and it's a real pain in the ass from what I've heard, unless it comes naturally."

/What are you doing?/ Ami demanded.

/Being the cooler head,/ Jon shot back, /Which is really saying how much you're freaking out about this when I'm the voice of reason./

Jon shrugged, keeping his eyes on Ivanova. All he would have to do was drop his shields to feel what Ami felt and he knew it didn't require any activity on his part. It really was as natural as seeing or breathing. For half a heartbeat it was tempting, but he didn't do it. "Agree to disagree and avoid each other. You don't go implying that Ami - or anyone here - is gonna go digging for your personal brain treasure, and you -" Jon shot his gaze to Ami, "Don't pick fights with the newbies because they don't understand."

/And thicker skin, yeah, would be a big help./ Jon added for Ami's 'ears' only.

/I really can't expect you to understand -/

/That we don't want to be singled out and feared. I get it. Really. But can we just get along and argue about it later? You know how much I really don't like doing this, right?/

He took Ami's silence and her abrupt and sharp disappearance from his mind as assent. The younger/older woman sniffed once and arms folded across her chest, snapped, "Fine."

Jon looked to Ivanova, canted his head, "You okay with that or are we gonna have to go to cage fights and mud wrestling?"

[Ivanova] An understanding

[lost_mckay]

"Well, by 2260, they got even." Her tones held anger that hadn't surfaced in some time.

"Actually, all passive scanning is is dropping your shields and reading peoples' broadcasted surface thoughts." Which, from what Susan understood, was easy. She, however, never, ever dropped her shield. For anyone. Yet one more thing to hide behind, hiding away from anything or anyone who would hurt her. "Shields need to be learned, too." And practiced. And perfected.

The Commander, however, nodded, though her shoulders and back remained tight; controlled. She looked at the teen, her brows rising slightly, and there came a tight smile. "It's one of the few 'touchy' subjects I have. As long, however, as we have an understanding," She looked at Ami, studying the woman for a long moment before she nodded once more towards Jon.

"Right. I need that shelter built... then see if the water feels as good as it looks right about now."

OOC:

[purplerhino]

DAMN, they settled it... sorta... Sawyer was gonna start selling tickets for the mud wrestling.

OOC:

[lost_mckay]

*giggles*
Another time, perhaps? :)