Objective: Investigate New Terrain

[screwattack]

Samus feels slightly better about the situation, having finally slept and gotten an opportunity to examine it at length at her new place. She likes the studio apartment all right. It's nicer than her bunk on her ship or Federation barracks, at any rate. A little less nice than her apartment on Daiban, but she can't win them all. At least she found

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[kineticmachine]

Arlin's been watching this girl, since he nearly collided with her coming out of his regular sandwich shop haunt. Within a few moments, he's pegged her as a Wanderer, just a guess, simply because of the way she's watching everything and making sure she knows what street she's on -- either a Wanderer or a very, very lost tourist, though she's doing a better job than most tourists. Plus, the way she holds herself suggests some sort of military training. And that's interesting. Most of the Wanderers he's seen out and about are less composed, gawping about

[screwattack]

Samus catches a glimpse of the man who is leaning against the shop nearby, her instincts telling her that this is no coincidence. She has her blaster underneath her sweater. Not that it matters much. It's a damn near useless emergency blaster, a glorified stungun. But she's not going to let anyone else figure that part out

[kineticmachine]

Arlin pushes himself off the wall when she nears, letting his jacket fall open -- not enough to show her the gun nestled in the shoulder holster, but enough that he can get to it easily if need be. He gives her an almost smile, more a quirk of the lips than anything, but it's as close to pleasant that he's going to get, at least in facial expressions.

"I doubt you'd want to," he says in reply to her question. "I merely noticed you seemed new to Chicago, though you put on a much better show of knowing what you're doing than most Wanderers." He pauses for a moment. "That's interesting." And possibly commendable, really.

And if she looks at him like he's crazy, well, it's not the first time he's called someone Wanderer and been wrong.

[screwattack]

Another person who called her "Wanderer". Samus had yet to figure out how to tell if someone was in on this Rift business or not unless they brought it up to her first. Until she figures out how to do that, she will keep her mouth shut unless approached about it first.

"Maybe this just isn't the strangest or most frightening thing that's happened to me," Samus tells him, trying to sound casual, arms crossed now. It's a partial bluff: if this isn't the strangest or most alarming thing she's ever experienced, it's pretty high up on the list.