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[zen_en_vert]

My friend has vanished.

[Says Bruce, shortly, into the camera.]

I heard a rumour we were all supposed to come back from the dead here, but he hasn't. Either he's found a way home- and there is a way out of here. [And he didn't come back to tell them, which he doesn't like to think is like Tony, but honestly might be.] Or something killed him and we haven't found the body.

I know we don't know one another well yet, and it'll be hard to guess, but has anyone else noticed disappearances?

I for one am not done trying to break out of here.

Comments

[casperdisaster]

[Noah ooohhhhs as he sees the work Bruce is doing. Clothes that he doesn't care about, that makes sense. Noah's just wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt, that's like begging to be paint stained so that works.]

Yeah, that's a good idea. That way people can know where it is. Harder to miss.

[zen_en_vert]

Exactly. After this, I'm going to draft up directions, and post them in the entrances of the big spires, so people can find their way in an emergency.

[casperdisaster]

Oh! I can help with that too! I've got glitter pens and good handwriting!

[he's not even being sarcastic, he's genuinely excited.]

[zen_en_vert]

That would be perfect. I'm terrible at that sort of thing.

[casperdisaster]

Whelk always made me write the map stuff. But he was also lazy, I think. [Noah rolls his eyes at that a bit. Sure, the guy killed him, but he's trying to hold on to the good memories, to keep them separate from that.]

What can I paint? Is there a stencil or just... freehand and eyeball?

[zen_en_vert]

Plants.

[He decides, whimsically.]

Paint me wall full of plants. Start in one corner, I mean, and then we'll all keep going with it. No stencils.

[casperdisaster]

Plants. Okay, plants. I can do plants.

[He's not entirely confidant in that ability, but hey, fake it until you make it. So he goes through the paints available, faces the wall with a sort of determined face, and gets to work without question.

He's no artist, but he's not particularly self-conscious about it. He also knows some sets of plants particularly well, doing his best to capture the image of the living, breathing forest his soul is tied to at home. Cabeswater, he's part of it now. He draws it in spring, with all the leaves on the trees bright and green. As pretty as they were the day he died under them.]

[zen_en_vert]

[Bruce works quietly alongside him, on the text- stark red and white; red for the cross, white blocks for the words;]

HEALERS. MEDICS. CARE AVAILABLE INSIDE.

[Redundant, maybe, but there are people from so many different times.]

[casperdisaster]

[It's true, lots of people from all over with lots of different words to try and get across the same point.]

Medicus? [Noah suggests quietly as he paints. He has definitely gotten green on his hands, pants, and shirt. Even though so far the only ones here that he knows speak latin are him and his other schoolmates.]

[zen_en_vert]

Good call.

[Bruce decides, adding that on, and ਡਾਕਟਰ as well, just in case.]

[casperdisaster]

Is that arabic?

[It's pretty, in any case. Maybe he should ask Ronan what 'medicine' or 'doctor' would be in the tree language, if he knows.]

[zen_en_vert]

Punjabi.

[He admits, with a smile.]

And it's about the extent of that language that I have, but- you know, it's also sort of the principle of the thing.

[casperdisaster]

Ooh. Gansey knows French enough to order food, maybe he knows how to say 'doctor' too... ... ... it isn't le doctor. Probably.

[Noah does not speak French.]

Did you learn the punjabi when you were with the army?

[zen_en_vert]

Afterwards, when I was on the run from the army. I went down to Brazil and through Columbia, then tried Canada and eventually took a cargo ship overseas. There's nothing for vanishing like that kind of population density.

[casperdisaster]

[Oh wow, that sounds really exciting, but also scary...]

Were you on the run from the army because of the... [He pauses then brings his arms up to indicate a height shift of 'big'. He also has green paint on him. The second part wasn't intentional but it works for what he's getting at.]

[zen_en_vert]

They wanted to weaponize it.

[He says, with a little nod.]

As the controlling scientist on the project, I disagreed. They decided I was US Army property, since the research they'd been funding was manifest in my- well, body, and they started trying to take me in. So I ran.

[casperdisaster]

People aren't property. I'm pretty sure we had like, whole wars about that one.

[Noah died at seventeen, the world was much simpler then.]

Was that what you were doing before this whole place? The running?

[Noah normally just lets people talk as they choose to, but Bruce has led a pretty fascinating life, so if he's going to be here painting he wants a story if Bruce is willing to tell it.]

[zen_en_vert]

I was working with Steve Rogers. Have you met him?

[He wonders, as he continues daubing paint on.]

Tall man? Also known as 'Captain America?'

[casperdisaster]

[Noah laughs softly, a bit of a grin on his face.]

Captain America? Really? That sounds like a cartoon. No, I haven't met him. I'm kinda shy around new people, so.

[He's unusually outgoing here, mainly for lack of other options. Gansey's usually their go-to for introductions, but he's had his own problems lately and someone needs to be someone that talks to people for the team.

It's completely terrifying.]

[zen_en_vert]

Well, my codename is 'the Hulk-' so I guess it is a little comic-book-y, isn't it?

It's like that, though. We're on a team of people with comparable abilities, and we just- stop things from going wrong, where we can.

[casperdisaster]

You really don't look like a Hulk. [Noah laughs softly, but he hasn't seen Bruce all hulked out, so that's probably why he has the opinion.] We try and stop things from going wrong too, me and my friends, but... I think we kinda make things worse sometimes.

[zen_en_vert]

You know, us too. It goes wrong sometimes.

[He agrees, with a small nod.]

I was getting out of the heroing business before I came here.

[casperdisaster]

[Noah clearly feels a bit relieved that actual superheroes also make things worse sometimes and it isn't just a problem with being a teenager.]

Just tired of it, or... did something happen?

[zen_en_vert]

I'd like you to keep this to yourself, since the woman involved is here, and is already apologetic- I don't want it getting out to her that I'm still concerned.

[Says Bruce, moving closer.]

[casperdisaster]

[Noah's eyes go wide and he drops into a conspiratorial whisper.] It's about a woman? [Oh my gosh this just got 200% more interesting tell him everything.] I'm great with secrets.

[Noah is conditionally great with secrets as long as telling the secret won't ultimately help all those involved.]