The Alley Across from the CIC, Friday Evening

[uncertain_dume]

So, this was going to be it, probably. If that damn stone was going to pull something funny, it was going to be doing it tonight.

... Probably.

Which meant that Kanan, true to his word, had situated himself in the shadows across the street from Kaidan's business, where he was keeping an eye open for... well... John. He'd promised his friend that he'd give him a heads-up if Shepard showed up for this, given that there was no way in hell Kaidan was ready to face him just yet, and he was nothing if not true to his word.

He sighed and took a long pull from a thermos of caf he'd brought along. He just had to make it through the night. If he made it through tonight, they were probably in the clear.

This was going to be a long haul.


[OOC: For some in particular, can be open! Note for Squirrels: Okay to say visitors arrived and they went inside after a brief misunderstanding, specifics of the misunderstanding NFB, please!]

Comments

[random_encounters]

She'd been walking for some little while with her helmet tucked under her arm. The streets of the city were narrow and quaint. Had to be a primitive colony to have rickshaws instead of hovercars or fastcars.

Hadn't chosen the direction. Just walked the way that felt right. Eventually she'd find someone who knew where the Alliance outpost was. Find Kaidan, maybe find Shepard.

A bright blue neon sign caught her attention. Stopped her in her tracks to read it.

The C.I.C.

Ashley snorted quite loudly. That was definitely somewhere to look for someone who could point her to the outpost and probably the Normandy. Turning, she headed for the door.

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan glanced up at the unfamiliar figure who was moving with purpose towards the CIC. Not a customer, most likely. It was too close to after-hours for someone to walk in wanting to solicit repairs or rent a room.

He frowned a little.

And then, in spite of the fact that she was most certainly not John, he shoved himself off from where he was leaning against the wall and made his way over to intercept all the same.

"Hey!"

[random_encounters]

Ash glanced around and saw the man in scavenged armor coming toward her. She turned toward him. Her face was a polite mask.

"Is there something I can help you with, citizen?"

[uncertain_dume]

There was the slightest pause at that.

Citizen? Being addressed that way was somewhere so far past alien it was circling around into borderline hilarious.

"Oh, you are definitely here for Kaidan," Kanan muttered under his breath. A little louder, he called, "You show up alone?"

Kanan, there was no way to come out of a dark alleyway at a lone woman in the street and ask that question without it being taken the wrong way.

[random_encounters]

Her gaze went hard and frosty at the question. Ash shifted her grip on the helmet.

She challenged him right back, "Who wants to know?"

She was an Alliance officer. If this scav wanted to dance, she'd kick his ass for him so hard he cried for his mama.

[uncertain_dume]

"Someone who's been keeping an eye out for a certain someone," Kanan replied, lifting his chin a little. He nodded toward the CIC. "You heading in there looking for somebody?"

Someday Kanan would learn to use his damn words.

You know.

Someday.

[random_encounters]

Ash's eyes narrowed. "That's none of your goddamn business. Beat it, scav, before you get hurt. I have no time for your macho posturing bullshit."

[uncertain_dume]

"... Scav?"

Kanan managed a split second of looking baffled before his brow furrowed a little and he shook his head.

"No, no, let's start over. I'm here on lookout for the guy that runs this place."

Kanan. Now it looked like you were stalking Kaidan.

[random_encounters]

"What do you want with him?" Ash fired back aggressively.

She had no idea who the owner was but if they were using that name they were Alliance.

[uncertain_dume]

"Want with him?" Kanan shook his head. "Look, a buddy of mine just wanted me to be absolutely certain he didn't get any unwanted visitors in there until he's done dealing with something, get it?"

Kanan, stop talking.

[random_encounters]

Ash nodded. Scavver syndicate, sounded like. Going for an officer or former officer.

Ash was done talking. Without telegraphing it she pitched her helmet at his face and dove for his legs.

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan... didn't see that coming. The island was crawling with new and he was still half preoccupied with his own concerns about what that meant, he barely had time to raise a hand to stop the helmet from breaking his face.

Which meant that he was going down, hard, his legs getting swept out from underneath him. He barely managed to turn enough to slam an arm down, taking the brunt of it that way rather than cracking his head open on the cobblestones.

"I don't have time for this," he complained, lips pulled back in a snarl as he tried to get back to his feet.

[random_encounters]

Ash wasn't about to let him up if she could help it. She aimed a rabbit punch at his solar plexus.

Snarling right back at him. "What does your friend want with an Alliance officer? Who are you? Who do you work for?"

In the big game room

[spectre_alenko]

Once they were all inside, Kaidan locked the door and headed down the hall. Digging in a pocket for his keys, he opened the soda machine and pulled out four bottles. He expected they all had some talking to do and he, for one, wanted something wet to wash the words down with.

In the room, he passed them out. Cokes to Kanan and Stance, Diet Coke to Ash. The Sprite he kept. He flopped down on the loveseat next to Ash and exhaled harshly. "Welcome to our lovely little island where this kind of shit happens every other weekend or so."

Re: In the big game room

[uncertain_dume]

"Not usually the dead people thing," Kanan noted, "that only happens... something like every other year."

He opened his Coke and took a moment to take a swig.

"It's an adventure every time."

Re: In the big game room

[not_the_dog]

"Seems like it," Stance noted, not quite able to look away from Cal--Kanan.

He'd changed so much. And here he thought the brothers were the ones who grew up quickly.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask.

"Where is this place, anyway? Too warm for Mygeeto. Too lush for Kardoa. Definitely not Coruscant."

Re: In the big game room

[random_encounters]

Ash absently cracked open her pop and then left the cap a half turn loose so it could outgas. "I thought it was one of our colonies but these two aren't from anywhere I've heard of if those are worlds Stance listed." She nodded to Kanan and Stance.

"You haven't been here long enough to have seen this before," she glanced at Kaidan, "not if your friend had to warn you that you might get a visitor. Shepard.. A year ago, you said? What's going on, L-T?"

Re: In the big game room

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan took a drink of his to buy himself a moment. "The island's a nexus between realities. It's on Earth in the year 2018. It's not our Earth but it's close enough to give me the creeps sometimes. I've been here for just about four months."

A lengthy inhale that came out as a sigh. He gave her an apologetic sort of 'brace yourself' glance. "Short version? Sovereign was a Reaper. We took it out but not before it got a message out and invited all its friends and neighbors. It lead to a war. We won the war, made the Reapers extinct, but not before they took out about half the population of the galaxy. Shepard gave his life to take the Reapers out. I took it .. pretty damn hard. About four months ago, took some leave to go visit Mum. A transport accident landed me here, century and a half in the past and entirely different reality to boot."

He took another drink, buying another moment. "I've decided to stick around awhile."

Re: In the big game room

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan watched Kaidan explain, keeping respectfully quiet as he did so, and then glanced at Stance.

"Just wait, buddy," he said, tone apologetic. "I've got a fun story to share with you, too. For the time being, we're on Earth. Little planet so quaint they named their world after dirt and they call their sun, 'sun.' Completely different galaxy from home."

Re: In the big game room

[not_the_dog]

"Was afraid you'd say something like that," Stance noted. "Suppose it was going to have to be something like that. That was one hell of a reception out there."

A confusing, very worrisome reception. What with the having a blaster pulled on him and all.

Re: In the big game room

[random_encounters]

"I'd ask if you were kidding but even your sense of humor isn't this bad," Ash said. She put the bottle of pop on the table and leaned back with her arms crossed over her. Holding herself in more than warding anyone off.

"I guess that makes enough sense as anything. I was dead. I knew I was dead and it wasn't Heaven but it was peaceful where I was. I got asked, in a way, if I wanted to see you again. Said yes, started walking and came out in the woods. Was just kind of wandering when I saw the sign outside." She cut him a faint amused look. "The C.I.C.? You named a store the Combat Information Center? Kaidan, really now."

"Guess I can't complain so much. It's how I knew someone inside would be Alliance and might know where you were. Kanan's questions made him sound like he was waiting to rough up one of ours. I wasn't going to let that happen. Then Stance showed up with a gun and you came busting out with one."

She stopped and thought about it a minute. Frowned. "That could've gone bad. I guess I'm glad it didn't."

Re: In the big game room

[spectre_alenko]

"Had a dream about it the other night," Kaidan said quietly. Looked up and over at Kanan for a minute, "Tuesday night, in fact."

"Virmire, I mean."

Re: In the big game room

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan looked back at Kaidan and just nodded a little in understanding.

"And my thoughts have been wandering back to Mygeeto," he noted. "I knew the rock was doing something again, it felt the same way it did when my Master showed up. Just didn't know exactly... how..."

He tapered off at Stance's stricken look.

"Ah," he added, after a moment.

Re: In the big game room

[not_the_dog]

Stance just sat there staring at Caleb in shock for a few moments more, before kind of anxiously drumming his fingers on his helmet and looking to the side.

"We're really going to have to work on that situational awareness thing of yours. Story for another time?"

"Story for another time," Kanan replied, apologetically.

Re: In the big game room

[random_encounters]

"I didn't know you made it out," Ash said. "I saw the Normandy come for you. Sent the STG team in your direction and then.." Held her hands out. "Endgame."

"I'm glad you made it out, L-T. Glad I could do my part. Like I said, I have no regrets. A few things left unsaid and a whole lot of questions but no regrets."