eye of the storm. ☁

“Is that so?” A sparkling electrical engineer, it seems. What a curious thing. “The feeling is very mutual. Everything here possess a certain enclosed air to it, regardless of how open the skies may seem.” Which is one of the very few negatives he’s come to ascertain during his stay ( aside from, say, the random events that happen once a month and the existential horror that comes from it ). “There are some rare areas where you can see them almost perfectly, however.” Quite rare, perhaps, but worth it.

Through that, their talk of stars segues into the equally interesting topic of cities, and perhaps that of time. ( And Olympus, though the meaning of that word seems to differ for the two of them. ) “Yes, you’re quite right. They’re almost perfect replicas of that era of architecture. Well, this sector is, at least. It’s rather homely, in its own way.” 

“But, if I may. This is your first time encountering such a city, Miss Natalie?”

       Rare areas? Curiosity regarding their whereabouts illuminates her eyes in silent question, hoping that he’d detect the slight dilation in her pupils and read her mind. However friendly she may be, there is still... an instinctual hesitation that arises at the thought of furthering relations here, something akin to fear that she quite dislikes. It reminds her too much of the fragility she once felt when she was alone; how it made her turn strangers into emotional anchors as a result.

       “Oui, it is. I am, something of what you may call, a country girl? Non, that is not right. The lands I grew up in... the territories are recovering from a war fought not long before I was un petit bébé. Familiar sights to me are open areas filled with dirt and many mysterious installations. Haunted! Possibly by militant soldiers.” She has seen them before, after all! Ghosts, that is. 

      “If I were to judge a book by its cover, you would be something like the princes I read about in fairy tales. Accustomed to castles more than cities! ...Are you?” 

He knew of course, by now many of the modern things were familiar to him.

“ ….they are everywhere on the island but…“ he mumbles between chewing.

“ Why? “

“ Wouldn’t a restaurant do better job? Less needless effort.“

The taste seems fine enough. Crunchy but still soft. What is this stranger being so friendly for? 

     “A restaurant? We require money for that, non?” 

      Natalie flips her jacket pockets inside out, revealing a grand total of... nothing. “Though the city says we need Dust for things, I don’t believe this is the dust they're looking for.” 

     She giggles to herself, emptying out those crumbs she mentioned earlier.

His gaze follows in close tandem, skimming over the darkened skyline and empty space above; a faint glint somewhere in the distance. An eerie sight for some, but comforting for others. In this case, he’s something of the latter. “It’s relatively easy to forget, given the circumstances.” And, oh, what circumstances they are.

“You’re quite right. However, none of these coordinates match those of any star near earth. Nor are there any familiar constellations, either.” Which should be terrifying, and likely is, but he offers it with a calm inflection and a poker face like any other. “It’s all rather fascinating, actually.” A single blink orientates his eyes from up to down. 

“A pleasure, Natalie. My name is Kirschtaria Wodime. Considering your opening line, I would say you have something of a spark, no?”

      Natalie’s over the moon to have found an entertainer of the puns, just like her! It gives her comfort, something she finds herself in scarce supply of in recent days. “Oui. I am an electrical engineer, just like my Papa. From where I come, the terrains are empty enough for me to possess a large presence simply by existing. Here, I feel rather small, diminutive — just like those stars.” 

      A pause. “Only at home, they shone brighter. With the vast amount of artificial light here, their splendor becomes dull.”  Is she to admire the architectural ingenuity of it all, or mourn the muted skies? Returning her focus, she ponders his name — Kirschtaria — thinking that the name sounds at home on her foreign tongue. 

      “I read much about these ‘cities’ in textbooks when I was young. Yet, this one is also nothing like the one I saw on Olympus. The structures seem to resemble those of the early 2000s, non?”

“ Skip a lunch? To feed a cat? “

There’s sneer in his voice. Pointless kindness like that will always feel beyond his understanding. In the end it does turn out she has more food on her though so maybe she was just saying that. Bullet, of course, looks perfectly content with it.

The offer has Ogata’s nose twitch a little. The smell isn’t bad at least and so he inches closer like a cat offered something new to eat.

In the end he does grab it.

      While she is no stranger to the condescending tone he bears, there’s a familiarity in it that reminds her of certain legends back at home. Whether or not she was fond of said legends is another matter, but she’s honestly just happy to see him obliging her!

     “Hehe, you may have the rest of it if you wish! I have too many crumbs in my pockets already. I don’t have anything to drink though, so we might have to go hunt for refreshments. Have you ever heard of a vending machine?”

A shadow of a smile passes over Kirschtaria’s face, the softest chuckle ghosting one step behind. There’s an impossible list out there somewhere, detailing everything he’s been compared to over time. Somewhere among it all, star is likely the most used ( given, well, everything ). Still, he’s never had someone word it quite like this. Other mages should take note. 

“Oh my. That’s quite the electrifying opener.” He’s nothing if not cordial, though given she’s started with a pun of all things, it’s only right to pay in kind. “Though I fear I must disappoint. The only real life stars you’ll find around here are pointedly skyward. Even so, it’s nice to meet you too, young lady.”

      Oh! What a delightful sense of humor! Petite hands clap with giddy elation, her laugh skipping beats. “Skyward?” Come to think of it, has she done that at all since arriving here? Look upward? Natalie’s chin tilts toward the abyss, blue eyes pooling with curiosity. “Oh. I seem to have forgotten about the sky. I only recently arrived, and... well. Let’s just say many things have been occupying my thoughts.” 

      Would the thought of being an unwelcomed guest not plague everybody? “Seeing that there are stars here confirms that we are on a planet relative to that of Earth’s. The moon’s orbit seems to be within the same reach as it would be at home.” Thoughts for later, really. “You may call me Natalie, if you’d like! Natalie Paquette. Though I am young, I do have my wits about me. ...I think.”

Tension made things anything but easy. Hesitation only came natural considering circumstances, but it was a hurdle to be climbed all the same. Brushing off a sigh, he minds a few manners above all else. “죄송합니다… Do you mind coming in?” Not that conversation couldn’t be held in the hall, there was just a bit of added security in doing so. 

Right. Her question. “I’m fine. Settled enough, considering everything.” Work with what he had, as is normal. “I lost Hack, but there seems to be something of trend with that.” One of the added mysteries on his pile to handle, but at least it was something he could work to fix easily. “You haven’t had to deal with anything similar yourself, have you?”

      The invitation causes her to flinch, as if she weren’t expecting a hospitable welcome the moment she decided to intrude upon a stranger’s home. Were it anyone else, she’d not have hesitated, but —  “...Only because I do not enjoy standing at vacant doorways. If I had my abilities, however! bzzt, bzt!” 

Ogata gazes down from the top of the very small convenience store sign. He’s not surprised finding Bullet making a new one in her likely a long line of acquaintances. He wonders if they all feed her. Maybe he should leave her to the elderly lady living nearby more often than letting her wander out.

“ It has eaten so nothing too big. Pampering doesn’t help anyone. “

      Wouldn’t anyone with a heart be more than willing? Extracting a can of sardines, she peels back the lid and invites the feline to its polarizing scent. “I did want to make rillettes with this, but I suppose I can go without lunch!” Speaking of, doesn’t she still have half of her rolled up crackers? There’s an overwhelming urge to offer it to him as if he were also a cat, so she does, shaking it hospitably. 

     “Would you like to share? They’re butter flavored! They will make your fingers a touch bit oily, though.”

     Oh my! A real aristocrat in this day and age? She’s never really seen them before, though she has worked for them, and she’s certain Syndicate’s got a handful themselves. King’s Row wasn’t exactly a place that was brimming with prosperity — not like Olympus — so to someone like her who grew up playing in fields of dirt, seeing this man was like seeing a celebrity. So, just for this occasion, she’ll pull out some of her best!

   “Why hello, there! I thought the temperature would be a lot hotter standing next to a real life star.” Natalie giggles, her humor candidly innocent. “I’m quite ec-static to meet you! Get it?”

     How long has it been since she’s last fed Nikola? Is anyone feeding Nikola? As Natalie curls a finger beneath the purring babe’s chin, she can’t help but start tearing up at the thought of her own kitten. It doesn’t take long for her to be startled by the pair of eyes observing her from a tree, however. Really, if she weren’t so accustomed to the presence of snipers, she might not have noticed him at all.

    Furthermore, if she weren’t so accustomed to strange people like Silva, the thought of someone perched up in a spot like that would send her running. “I-Is this your little lady?” She pays no mind to the strangeness of the man. “How charming! Have you fed her today, yet? If not, I have some treats!”

      “That is quite the lovely scarf you have there. Perfect in time for the season!” She excitedly gestures to the other woman’s comfortable attire, eyes aflutter at the thought of cozy, fall afternoons with fuzzy slippers and woven hats. “Sorry. You must get that a lot. I would wear one, you see, but I’m uncertain where I would even fit it with all my current gear.”

       Just take a look at her! Imagine if she still had her pylon. “Perhaps one would make me look more normal. Ease the questions of whether or not I’m an astronaut, you think?”

    By his want the title of friend was the minimal he wished for. But as it stood, the man knew better than to expect such from.

    Thorough as he was, it didn’t take long for the man to settle and ingrain his roots. To do his research, and find out whatever information he needed for now. That included discovering a familiar to him was nearby and that he should reach out to, especially considering the who. Though that grit of his seemed to have faded slightly, as he stood in the door frame.

    “Wattson.” Hesitation comes. As prepared the man normally is he seems to forget what he had in mind before showing up at her door, and he can’t hide it. But with a deep breath composure returns, allowing him to speak more than her name. “..Are you alright? Unharmed?”

      Pupils dilate, blood running cold as soon he comes into frame. The way in which he frazzles her circuits never fails to irritate her, even here, even now. There was a reason she ignored him for so long! She wasn’t even done reading that book yet! She never even got a chance! Wait, hold on. What did section two of chapter eight tell her to do? Act... act natural? 

      She wildly pats down her hair to mimic said 'naturalness’, but it only produces more static. Her blonde hair frizzes, and her cheeks pink out of frustration. “C-Crypto.” She spites his name, even though she swore she’d stop. It’s out of self-defense, really. So he wouldn’t think she was as weak and vulnerable as she had been. “I am... I am fine. Unharmed. As you say.” An awkward, bloated pause. “...And you? Safe? As well?”

      Natalie would be lying if she said she hadn’t spent the last few nights holed up in her apartment, eyes rimmed red and hair a frizzier mess than usual. How did things get to this point? Things were already terrible for her on the Frontier, so Olympus was supposed to be a fresh start. New beginnings and all, leaving the past behind, etcetera, etcetera.

     This, however, was far too much of a jump start into her new life! She wasn’t supposed to be separated from her family back at home, and she didn’t want to be either. There existed no palpable, logical explanation for the Pandora’s Box she had woken up in, but all she knew was that she wasn’t going to get anywhere hiding beneath her table, waiting for Anita or Ajay to find her again. They can’t always come to her rescue. 

      So, gathering what composure she can muster, she puts on her best guise of stability and hesitantly knocks on her neighbor’s door. Surely, whoever it is... they’ll be her friend, right?

hello there! it’s been close to a year since i’ve last written anything, but i think it’s only proper to warm up with a starter call. if anyone’s interested in science jokes, or just being humored in general, just give this post a like! 

                                                                                              cap is at 4 for now.             i don’t really have castmates so there’s not much to exempt there keke.

something of a genius.

electrical engineer at 22, yet was always a young prodigy.

very witty, very funny. at least she thinks so.

thick french accent.

prominent scars (electrically triggered) that web across her left cheek, and seemingly disappear from her collar down. few know how extensive the damage is on the left side of her body.

she loves puns.

she’s got an infectious level of charisma, but she’s overwhelmingly prone to feeling her emotions intensely. 

a touch naïve; innocent, even, but she’s no stranger to things like death and murder.