1st Fracture [audio]

[septicbeauty]

Huh. Well. Ain't this a kick in the teeth.

Pro'lly just as well, though. Kinda tough hangin' around lookin' fer the knife in yer back. The way things were goin', been kinda expectin' it. Guess I can breathe a little easier on that.

I swear, though, if I ever get another chance t' ventilate Creed...Anyway

Comments

Voice

[frosty_mind]

Hello, Marrow. [Absolutely neutral tone.]

Voice

[septicbeauty]

[Takes her a moment to register the voice.]

Frost.

Been awhile.

Re: Voice

[frosty_mind]

That it has. Assuming we're from the same world, I'm here from two thousand and one. You?

[And she's telepathically looking for Marrow near the diamond.]

Voice

[septicbeauty]

Two thousand an' three, not that it really matters.

Hm. If ya remember Hemingway, then we're prob'ly from the same world.

Voice

[frosty_mind]

I remember Hemingway. [Same utterly neutral tone.]

[And she keeps looking for Marrow's mind near the diamond. If she can't find it, time to see how much help proto-Cerebro is being today. If she can, she wants to make sure they're from the same world and figure out if Marrow has any intentions towards Emma or her people.]

Voice

[septicbeauty]

Then we're on th' same page.

[Though she never learned how to speak to telepaths in her head during her time with the X-Men, she remembers enough about Emma's modus operandi.] Are you sneakin' around in my head, Frost, 'r am I just paranoid?

Voice, then telepathy

[frosty_mind]

Yes: you're from two years in my future, roughly Jubilation's time.

[Telepathy:]

Tempted as I am to leave you to wonder, I'm here. The network is public data, and some excellent hackers read it. Kindly turn your broadcast off before you accidentally give away more information, and we can attempt to come to an accommodation.

Telepathy

[septicbeauty]

[She gives the whole brain-speaking a go, even though it's pretty obviously a first for her.]

Okay, give me a reason... to care about any of that. Ain't really.... yer friend or anything.

Re: Telepathy

[frosty_mind]

Let's make a deal, Marrow. I know you're not fond of me. I can't imagine you think I'm fond of you. Nevertheless, I believe both of us are better off if we come to an arrangement.

Telepathy

[septicbeauty]

Kinda got... a captive audience. What've ya got in mind?

Re: Telepathy

[frosty_mind]

We make a bargain and then leave each other alone. It's not a big island, so there's a chance we'll come into conflict, but we won't seek each other out and we won't talk about each other. Unless you want to be talked up for the rep.

I'm including my allies in this - you've already heard from Jubilation, though I gather she hasn't recognized you yet. If I fail to shove our deal down my allies' throats, the deal's off and you're free to do as you will.

Since I'm the one proposing this and I believe I'm more interested in keeping secrets than you are [[Not projected: and since I'm planning to make this binding if I can]] I'm willing to include a sweetener in the form of a leg up here. Be aware I don't have anything like the resources I did at home, but you're in a position where a leg up can make the difference between starting as a grunt somewhere and working your way up and convincing someone to hire you at some approximation to your talents. Be aware that most people here have powers, so yours will help less than you might expect

Telepathy

[septicbeauty]

I ain't been here long enough to figure out what's what yet... But I've got very specific skills, and things I'm gonna need if... this is a long vacation. Don't give me a handout, but I'll take help. Even from... you.

I really don't have any interest in you or whoever you've got in yer pocket, Jubilee or whoever. I'm not an X-Man any more; I've... got my own life. I don't like ya, Frost, but yer not on my shit-list. So I can keep you out of my business if you keep outta mine.

Tell me who you know that needs an assassin.

Re: Telepathy

[frosty_mind]

The two major players are AGI and SERO, both of whom use assassins. I believe SERO uses more of them and already has more of them, and suspect it would be easier to get a job with SERO and easier to get promoted with AGI.

The city government could really use a competent assassin, but they have less to offer and I don't know that they're set up correctly to use one.

If these nebulous things you will need - about which I shall restrain my curiosity as they are simply none of my business - are unusually technological in nature, SERO would be more able to procure them. By contrast, if they are something that would be available elsewhere but would need to be imported onto the island, AGI would be more able to procure them.

[She is probing, though not for the things she said she wouldn't: she wants to know if Marrow is dealing in good faith here.]

Telepathy

[septicbeauty]

Sounds like this SERO might have what I need.

They have good medical tech?

Re: Telepathy

[frosty_mind]

SERO has very good experimental medical tech, and they're often willing to dispense it for low or even no cost to people willing to be experimented on. Fair warning: also sometimes to people not so willing to be experimented on. AGI and the neutral hospitals are probably better at predictable standard tech treatments. A moment, checking something.

...

Can get you an intro through channels. You don't need one to work for SERO: they try to recruit Newcomers. As does AGI if you want to try to bid up your price that way. But it would give you better odds of starting as something other than a grunt. It would take a couple days to a week.

Telepathy

[septicbeauty]

Standard won't do me jack. I'm a 'special' case.

I think my skills can get me far enough once my foot's in the door.