#ark comms

Apparently this Kindling is a dating service, meant for those avoidant of genuine human interaction, but as far as Teague is concerned it’s an easy way to get a handle on the people he’s been stuck with here. If he can find anyone else from Dunwall, even better, but he’d like to make a few alliances as soon as he can to make sure it doesn’t end up him against the world.

He’s swiping right on pretty much everyone. Gotta keep his options open.

Eventually there’s a ding! of someone else matching with him, or so the app tells him, and he’s a little bit confused tapping at the screen so he misses exactly who it is, but once he’s on the right screen he figures it’s only polite to say something.

It takes a full twenty minutes of pacing outside the front door of the Palilicium for the Whaler to work up their nerve, and even then, they can’t bring themselves to actually go inside. 

They’re keenly aware that it’s been a full month since they’ve spoken to Daud. It’s not like they’ve been avoiding him, exactly—but between the two weeks it took them to figure out the text message function on their holophone and the vague nightmares that plague them whenever they’re forced to sleep in the Flats, it’s been... difficult to contact him. Even once they got the hang of the “touch screen”, something about the nightmares made them hesitate over his name on the list.

But the Whaler is sick of the nauseating dread that washes over them when they see Daud’s name. They’re sick of the bitter anxiety that comes with hearing his name. This isn’t their Daud. This is a different Daud. So they’re going to see him again, and remind themselves that this isn’t the man that left the Whalers to die.

And they want their powers back.

The Whaler exhales slowly, watching their breath fog in the cold air, and pulls out their holophone. They itch with frustration; every mode of transportation they’ve tried is just not the same as a transversal. Speed isn’t the issue—they’d just save up the “moon points” for a motor carriage if it were. What they miss is the safety. Every morning they wake up from a nightmare, they try to transverse away. Every time it doesn’t work. They’re sick of the trapped feeling as much as they’re sick of their Daud-related anxiety.

Two birds, one stone. Trembling only a little—just from the cold, of course—they punch Daud’s name into their holophone and send a quick series of texts:

[msg] Sir

[msg] Forgiive my silence, sir. 

[msg] I’d like to speak wth you again, if possible. 

     Some kind of strange forest that’s not as drearily lit as he’s used to? Why’s it so cheery? It’s like he’s been put into some alternate reality that he never agreed to be a part of. Actually, it’s exactly like that! Snatcher woke up on the wrong side of the bed, clearly, and he doesn’t even sleep.

     Are you tired of being complacent with the way things are? Do you ever just want to go apeshit? Because that’s exactly what Snatcher wants to do right now. But no, he’ll keep his cool, he’ll be chill, he’ll do what any reasonable spiritual entity with a weird device would do: mass text everyone to get some answers. That’s what kids these days do, right? What else is he supposed to do with this thing he just got?

     (He may or may not be purposely ignoring the protocols programmed in to his device. He’s not a nerd.)

TO: ALL FROM: THE SNATCHER

[msg] Anyone willing to tell me exactly what this place is? [msg] Some answers would be much appreciated! Like how to leave, for instance! I’d love to know! [msg] C’mon, someone throw me a bone here!

It doesn’t work with sheer brute force alone, unfortunately. So she decides to try again with her trusty Fishbones-- which, wait. What the fuck. Where the fuck is he. Holy shit. Oh my God, Fishbones is gone. 

Further inspection-- by which of course we mean tearing her room to metaphorical shreds-- reveals that not only is her trusty Fishbones missing, but also her beloved Pow-Pow, her precious Zap, and her darling Flame Chompers. This is where the panic sets in. Sure, she can handle being dumped in the middle of the ocean without warning or reason, but taking all of her weaponry? Her prized creations? Her best friend? Completely unthinkable. 

The speed in which she grabs the Holophone off the nightstand would make one think her life is seconds from ending, and, in her eyes, it is, a little bit. Instead of opening the file that details what’s going on and the rules of this new universe-- because what kind of fucking loser reads the rules-- she opens up the first messaging app she sees, and sends out a missing person ad to everyone in her contacts list.

[msg] Greetings, citizens. [msg] My name is 82 White Chain Born In Emptiness Returns To Subdue Evil. [msg] I am a Concordant Knight - a peacekeeper and lawbringer whose jurisdiction lies above all legal systems across all universes. [msg] As you may or may not know, the governing body of the Aldebaran Ark has refused to cede authority to me, in direct violation of omniversal law. [msg] Therefore, I have been given no choice but to declare their entire government illegal, and to take any and all means necessary to prevent them from enforcing their illegal laws.

[msg] Recently, a concerned citizen approached me with the intent of forming an organized resistance group against the Ark Administration. [msg] I have graciously agreed to legally sanction this organization by taking full command of it. [msg] If you are interested in joining us, or were previously recruited by the group’s founder, please contact me so I may add you to our official roster.

[msg] The group’s first action will be an organized protest at the Commerce Hub Station. [msg] We will convene at noon on the first of this coming month, declare our grievances, and disrupt the hub’s standard operation for several hours. [msg] We will then end our protest with a coordinated attempt to damage as much of the hub as possible, in order to test the limits of the Ark’s Enforcement Protocol and repair systems. [msg] Even if you are not comfortable participating in the protest itself, we will also need a number of legal observers on hand in order to record any illegal retaliatory actions taken by the Ark Administration. [msg] Please let me know if you are interested in either of these critical roles, or if you have any questions.

Which is how she finds Kindling. It takes a minute for her to fill in the blanks of the profile with only the basics and swiping past pictures of various people, and a little more time for her to realize exactly what it’s meant for. 

You have a match! the program announces right then, and she rolls her eyes to herself but doesn’t throw the entire thing into the ocean for some reason.

The app Kindling seems like a good way to start. A good way to scout out some potential recruits.

So she sets up an account. The picture is blurry at first, so she spends a bit of time taking a better picture. Sharper, better angled. She finds an app that lets her fiddle with lighting, colors. And then it’s perfect. She flips through people, and she ‘likes’ all of them, hardly even looking. Once she sees that she’s made a match, with a soft ding of her phone, she smiles. Got one.