Video - Did someone say something about bacon?

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ He'd really wanted to make this a text message. But as he'd poured over the information he'd run down, Will had come to the sad conclusion that there was no way anyone would read through all he had to address.

At least he'd have never read through it all. So that left video.

While the device was turned on, camera aimed towards the man in question, Will was looking anywhere but at the camera. Hopefully that didn't come across as too strange. But it probably did.

Good news was he'd managed to replace his glasses! They had roamed slightly down his nose and he had yet to bother pushing them back up on his face. ]

Ah hello.

My name is Will Graham, fairly recent arrival through the portal so I don't know ... most of you. Which probably makes this request even more awkward than it should be.

[ Yep, just a charismatic public speaker, that's him! ]

Uhm anyway. My job currently is with the Perimeter Guard, Surveyor and I've been told they would have my assistance with advising on monsters after a bit. To that end I've discovered there was a recent expedition out to the northeast of the city with an eye towards expanding our agricultural opportunities. That expedition apparently identified an infestation of [ here he lifts a paper and reads off of it, as if he can't bring himself to use his own words for this ] 'giant alien-hogs.'

[ Lowering the paper, he reached up to tug his glasses off his face, rubbing at his eyes. ]

Long story short, I've picked up the request for a second survey of the area to see how we can best secure a safe expansion into it, and what options might be available for best dealing with the native species of alien-hogs and or other monsters in the area.

[ Back on go the glasses and he gives the camera a quick look and small, closed lip smile. ]

I'll cover the affinity for animals/monsters requirement for this little trip but I've been advised that, while the object is to avoid conflict with any monsters, the team should include some Perimeter guards, and or someone with combat or combat avoidance, experience.

As I am new to this place, I figured it would be best to inquire about help over this device. But if there is a corkboard people like to use to put these expeditions together, please feel free to direct me to it. Otherwise ... uhm, I guess ... contact me here.

[ Taking a moment to ensure that he covered everything (yeah, think so) Will gave an awkward little nod and reached to switch his device off transmission and back to receive mode. ]


[ OOC: The mission Will references is this follow-up on fertile ground mission. Right now I am open to any discussion/plotting/planning! Feel free to ICly respond to this post or if you want to talk OOC shoot me a PM this_ismydesign. Timeline wise, I'd like to kick something off by the 15th of June. :D ]

Comments

video! assuming TDM is canon

[wronganswer]

Hey.

[ Anderson is much more relaxed today than she was when she'd spoken to him last, and furthermore is more natural over voice or video than texting. She's still in her Judge's armor, so Will gets to see her looking every bit the part as she says, ]

Will, right? [ She recognizes the username. ] If you want armed backup, I can do it.

So assumed!

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

I believe I introduced myself as such.

[ Sometimes he could get sassy. It wasn't meant to be rude or arrogant, if anything the wry humor is directed back towards himself. Sometimes he was shit at giving his name.

Looking at the video, her face doesn't immediately resonate with him but a quick glance at the User name brings it back.

Hrrm.

On the one hand, it's a natural yes, given the majority of their conversation. However, there is that small issue of psychic. Rapidly he weighed his options before determining that a refusal would height suspicion and simply delay the inevitable. ]

Hello, Anderson. The hope is that we won't have a violent encounter but yes, I believe it would be wise to be prepared. I would appreciate your assistance.

[wronganswer]

[ If nothing else, she's just as level-headed as she'd seemed over text. She isn't rushed or impatient at his quip or as he thinks, sitting comfortably, remembering his issue with her abilities and assuming that's what's stalling him.

Anderson wouldn't have been surprised or too exasperated if that had held him back, but his agreement makes her smile, a subtle, small twitch of her lips, an opening of her expression. ]

Thanks. [ She can't help teasing him, ] I'm not bad at stealth, either. [ She wouldn't say she's great at picking up on animal minds-- not enough practice-- but in general it's a useful skill for avoiding things that can think. Scanning constantly isn't practical, since she'd be too distracted by it, but occasional 'pulses' are doable. ]

You planning on having a full briefing?

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ From the quick, double blink behind his glasses, it might lead one to conclude that the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

It hadn't.

Jack always took care of the briefings, leaving Will to hoover comfortably at the back of the room near the wall, only making brief remarks as necessary. But a briefing like this couldn't be worse than standing in front of his students and talking at them; right?

He looked back down at the paper, anything to avoid eye contact for too long. ]

I suppose, depending upon what sort of response I get to this request. If it ends up just being yourself and I ... [ he tailed off and shrugged. If it were the two of them, they could probably get along well enough without any sort of formal briefing. ]

[wronganswer]

[ She nods, understanding the rest of the sentence, unsaid. Her own gaze is steady, unwavering, but unpreposessing, too. Will seems vaguely-- not nervous, but nervy, a little jittery. Anderson doesn't know why, but she doesn't mean to press it. ]

If anyone else volunteers, I'd like to get a sense of their capabilities before we leave. [ She's just a professional that way. Anderson takes her protection details extremely seriously. ]

And I try to warn people about what I can do. Although if we're working together, you're all safe for the duration. [ Something of a lie: she will absolutely read teammates and even superiors if she has reason to distrust them specifically, such as the corrupt Judges that had gone after her and Dredd, but generally speaking, she tries not to. And she knows Will's trying to hide something-- what other motive could he have for wanting to avoid her in person?-- but she isn't interested in what it is. She'd just as soon get him to relax about it if she can. ]

video! don't mind him, inviting himself

[bestrobin]

( Damian Wayne was probably not the person Will Graham had pictured when they first spoke before - a young teen, serious green eyes, and a neutral expression that seems a bit too mature for his age. Any seriousness or professionalism he might have wanted to maintain is likely ruined by the fact that he's wearing a shirt that's a few sizes too big (thanks, Richard).

Regardless, Damian wasted no time getting straight to the point. )

I'm trained in combat and avoidance, Graham. I'll go with you.

( He's not asking if he's allowed to go, rather he's telling Will he's going. )

Damian .... /o

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ Will didn't even try to cover the way his eyebrows lifted when Damian spoke. He had no real room to speak about over-sized shirts, given his own pint size, though the young man's age did cause concern.

Not as much as when they had been text snarking at one another, because there was a serious (the idea of an 'old soul') in those bright green eyes. Enough so to hold Will's tongue when he might have otherwise said 'Hell.No'.

After all, the mission was meant to be more covert and stealth, than any actual fighting. ]

Very well. Though I expect that means we're now up to requiring a full briefing. You're in charge of bringing the donuts.

[ Was he kidding? Hard to tell. ]

B| self-proclaimed mission leader has arrived

[bestrobin]

( Damian was prepared to argue why he should be allowed to partake in the mission. After all, he was the son of Batman, the former heir to the League of Assassins. If he anyone was equip to handle a mission like this, he was sure he fit the bill.

He nodded at the response, lifting his chin a bit when there was no argument. )

Fine. Who else have you recruited for this? ( He took a moment to consider what other questions he should ask here before he paused, realizing there was an important bit of information they hadn't quite shared. Or well, that he hadn't. )

I'm Damian Wayne. ( al Ghul, but that wasn't important. )

Damian ... don't be rude

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ Having already offered his name, Will merely nodded to show he had heard Damian when the young man had supplied his own. ]

At the moment, it's just yourself, a woman named Cassandra Anderson and me. [ He offered without much concern.

Not a large team, it was true but there might yet be some stragglers. If not, then he expected they'd still make do. ]

it's genetic, he can't help it

[bestrobin]

( Three was more than enough for a mission, as far as Damian was concerned. )

What can she do?

( If he was going to work with her, he wanted to know what she was capable of doing. He'd learn some about Graham already, but he planned to learn more once he got an idea of who this woman might be. )

video.

[deceitful]

Peter Hale. [ He gives the camera a languid little wave. ] I think we might be roommates— I could have sworn I saw the back of your head leaving the floor earlier.

[ But Will looked like he was in a rush, and Peter hadn't been in a particularly chatty mood. ]

I have some experience with [ Here, he pauses for a split second. ] strange creatures, and combat experience as well. But I'd prefer not to get into a spat with alien hogs, if it's all the same to you. That aside, I'm willing to join your expedition.

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ Will blinked and then peered at the screen to try and see if he could place the face.

He really needed to start looking at the people he was sharing space with, or else encounters like this were going to be a regular embarrassment. Reaching up to brush his fingers through the tell tale hair, he gave a small nod. ]

Sorry, I'm not used to living with other people. It's about all I can do to remember to keep the wet towels off the floor. [ Among other bad, nocturnal habits.

Not important at the moment. ]

I'd appreciate another [ he paused to choose his words ] creature savvy expertise on this, and I agree about not getting into a spat with the local monsters. However, I can't promise they'll feel the same way.

Especially if we appear to be encroaching on their territory, or worse; stumble across their young.

[deceitful]

[ Peter's fresh to Riverview, just starting to settle in and get a feel for the surroundings. What better way than to kick that off with a survey of the nearby territory? (And if pressed, he'd admit he's curious to see what the hell alien-hogs look like.) It never hurt to be familiar with the less explored areas.

He shrugs. ] No harm done. I only just arrived, at any rate.

[ Will's the first of the lot he's shown his face to, but Peter isn't a fan of living with others. A move in the near future's a high possibility. For this specific instance, bringing it up seemed like a good springboard for a conversation with an otherwise stranger. ]

I understand the risk. Have you done a lot of observation on the monsters in the area?

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ To be fair, Will was already contemplating his own move to somewhere more quiet. Though so far the majority of his 'roommates' seemed to be keeping to themselves, which he appreciated.

Still. It was good to meet a few folks at least. ]

In the short time I've been here, I've observed what I could. [ He explained. ] I have something of a ... natural affinity for monsters.

When I was discussing my job options, there was discussion of becoming something of a monster advisor for the Guard and the police. Figure it could be worthwhile to develop an understanding of what's out there.

[deceitful]

A natural affinity for monsters.

[ Repeated back at Will with raised eyebrows, and no little amount of curiosity. Monsters of the fairy tale variety, or the human kind? Murderers and the like. What does having a natural affinity for either of those mean, anyway? An understanding of them? A sense of kinship?

Or maybe Will Graham's just good at wrangling them. Well, that's something left to explore later. ]

If the monsters are prone to hostility, I can see why that'd be a viable position. [ A thin smile. ] Monsters are interesting. You get all sorts.

Do you have any notes on the alien hogs? I'd like to know what to expect.

video; un: sg.rogers

[livingsymbol]

Well, I'm with the Perimeter Guard if you need some support. I can't say I have much of a way with animals in general, but... I get by.

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

You're already with the Perimeter Guard? [ Just confirming that he's heard that right. It suggests that maybe this gentleman has a little more experience with ... well ... with Riverview, than any of the respondents so far. ]

[livingsymbol]

I've been working in Search and Rescue for three months now. Steve Rogers.

[ He's probably heard a little about him, since Steve puts most of his time into work and various patrols around the city, although Steve mostly sticks to his own devices when he's not specifically working with a group. ]

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ He's heard the name.

From a shell shocked Bucky Barnes. Well okay he's also read a few mission reports and recognizes the name from there as well. ]

That gives you about three months more experience than the rest of us on the team. Lucky you.

[ His tone is wry, a hint apologetic but also a few shades of sass as well. ]

[livingsymbol]

It's been interesting.

[ The way Steve says that carries no resentment. He's comfortable with being thrown headfirst into the action and has actually gotten used to surprise relocation--maybe more comfortable than he should be, but the Avengers live strange lives. If anything, he seems to be in good spirits. ]

At least it keeps us busy. I can't say I'm happy that all of this happened, but it could be worse. And the city is nice.

audio; private; un: t.drake-wayne - Sometime after the initial wave of interested parties

[stalkingandplotting]

Hello, Mr. Graham. When you have a few moments there are a couple of things I'd like to discuss with you.

{The voice is youthful, but has a professional practiced blandness to go with its politeness.}

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ Did nobody get the memo that he was a instructor to adults?

Will was beginning to feel a little bemused by all the young people he seemed to be attracting. He felt like he should issue a disclaimer to the effect that he was not safe for children!

Still, professional politeness he could cope with, even if his own responses often came with a dry sort of wry snarkiness. ]

I don't believe we've met and we're already having the 'we have to talk' talk? That sounds ominous.

[stalkingandplotting]

{Tim is legally an adult, and certainly more experienced than most of Will's students.}

I'm Tim Drake-Wayne. I'm another recent arrival. I just started working with Research and Development. I wanted to discuss monsters with you, as well as a relative of mine you seem to have recruited for an upcoming mission.

{Some would consider Damian a monster. Tim did at one point. The reformation of this opinion is a work in progress.}

[ex_this_ismydesign36]

[ He was about to ask about the 'Wayne' connection, when Tim beats him to the punch -so to speak- and makes reference to a relative. ]

If you're about to start in with some 'big brother' complex, threats I'm just going to say that you can tell him he's not allowed to go play.

[ He'll circle back to the part about R&D and discussing monsters, eventually. Just going to tackle the most immediately troublesome subject. ]

[stalkingandplotting]

{Tim makes a quiet sound that might be a scoff, or maybe a laugh. Please, tell Damian you think they're brothers and see what happens.}

I'm not the one with the big brother complex.{That would be Dick. If he wasn't from a different time.} By all means, he's probably over qualified for your mission. I just want to request you take a panic button with you. I'm sure the guard has protocols in place, but redundancy doesn't hurt.