guadalajara ♔ polishing a compass that I hold in my sleeve

[wynn]

♬ Grounds For Divorce - Elbow

WHO || Carol, Malina, Alex, Kali [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a ~mysterious crash~
WHERE || Guadalajara, Mexico
WHEN || April 19th [back dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

With most of the team staunchly convinced that about to go check out Area 51, they head off to Guadalajara, Mexico, to investigate local rumors of a crash site outside the city. One of the best things about this little trip is that even in February, it's in the seventies, so there's definitely a vacation air to arriving in the bustling city. They'll need to rent a car and head out in the direction of the supposed crash in the flat countryside. It's a fourteen hour flight so get comfortable.

Comments

[hacker]

[ A quick glance shifts between Alex and Malina. ]

I want more than photo credit.

[ Skye leans in. ]

I want in. You take me with you, and I'll give you more than men in black. I'll give you the shots I got of the thing that came down.

[ambitionist]

[he raises an eyebrow and glances at malina again like YOUR CALL CHAMP.]

[airforceful]

This how you do all your job applications? [Which isn't saying Carol disapproves. Honestly, she likes Skye's gumption. But it's still unusual.] If you're as good as you say you are, we could probably use someone like you. But why do you even want to work with us? You don't know anything about us.

[bredinthebone]

Right now all we know is that she got some pictures and maybe is good with computers.

[Not to kill Carol's buzz but she doesn't really recruit on missions often. Malina crosses her arms in front of her chest as she studies the girl in front of her, trying to make sense of her (sense motive 18). On the one hand, they didn't have anything to lose. The Karthur Institute was was a real thing, but they lived on their secrets.]

You want in, you can't dump this out there for the whole world to see. Some secrets are meant to be kept.

[hacker]

What? No.

[ She holds her hands up readily. ]

No offense, but no. I'm not after a job; I'm just trying to get to the truth. I work with the Rising Tide. [ Knowledge local 25 for that group of online activist-hackers. Clamming up, she takes a step back, shaking her head. ] God, you sound just like them with your "people keep secrets for a reason." They do. Usually really bad reasons.

You're not stopping me from getting this out—if you're from Ripley's, why would you want to?

[bredinthebone]

[Yeah, Malina has no idea who that is (knowledge local 12). And this was exactly what she's worried about. She's already shaking her head and taking a step back.]

Bad reasons? How about the person that may be in whatever the hell it is that crashed? It's not your choice to subject them to the microscope of the world and it's not mine either. It's their's. I'm not going to let you blow some person's life up just because it's the truth. The truth can do as much harm as it does good.

Until we know what that is, we can't just believe that it's something everyone needs to know about.

Never mind whoever else you could accidentally expose in the process.

[Like her teammate who is currently cowering behind Alex.]

[starprince]

[ ♬ the joker - steve miller band

meanwhile

while they are sitting here arguing, someone wanders up out between two of the other vans parked in the distance, sauntering in the direction of the crater, and stopping dead in his tracks, staring that way for a long moment, all through the background of their convo. he likely doesn't attract any specific attention, because quite simply, he looks 100% human in every way. what initially barely registers as the usual gaping and gawking of the tinfoil hat crowd is actually complete and utter shock, as slowly evidenced by the way he reaches up and tangles one hand through the back of his hair, grip tightening more and more as if he's about to rip his hair out, his entire body frozen.

it's only at this point in time, as malina finishes saying exactly that over here, that he suddenly finds his words and shouts out in offended distress, gesticulating dramatically with his free hand as his words cut through the air and reach them: ] WHERE THE FLARK IS MY SHIP?!

[hacker]

[ Skye opens her mouth, ready to answer with something curt, composed, and unrelenting, but—

Dark eyes go wide. Her shoulders hunch with unexpected tension at the shout, and Skye slowly whips her head around to look back, following the voice to a—

… Frat boy? (That explains a lot.) ]

Did you just say your—?

[ Jesus, take the wheel. ]

[bredinthebone]

[Malina is also drawn by the sound of shouting and did he say ship but given that she's friends with Rocket that's officially not the weirdest thing she's ever heard. Or a least she's not acting like it (will save nat 20).

She just turns back to Skye and gestures with one hand.]

Oh look. It's my point.

[ambitionist]

[ethan?????? what is his brother-in-law doing — no nm that's some other douche. who's kind of hot in a frat boy way. and owns a spaceship which is a huge turn-on for alex. he's in.]

Come over here, we'll help you find it! [gonna get that d tho]

[airforceful]

[Meanwhile Carol is not waiting for Quill to get his ass over here. She was a Guardian of the Galaxy, even if not for very long, and she knows Star-Lord when he's wandering around making an idiot of himself. She takes off and flies over, landing in front of Peter with an impatient look... though there's some fondness there too. He is a friend, no matter how dumb he is half the time.]

Star-Lord, what the hell?

[starprince]

[ he does a good job of not jumping out of his boots when she suddenly lands in front of him, and DOESN'T AFRAIDING of her at all with a nat 20 will save, be impressed. his will save is less impressive to not let his wide eyes shift into an appreciative and obvious once-over, his horror fading into a moment of sort of dazed pride as a smile creeps up his cheek against his will when she USES HIS OUTLAW NAME AW YEAH. ] Hey there. [ idk he rolled an 11 and i don't have his sheet done yet but i'm sure he has ranks in charm. so he adopts a smarmy voice that probably isn't all that actually charming but entirely transparent. ] So you've heard of me. [ for the moment his stolen ship is totally and completely forgotten, don't worry, he'll remember in a second. ]

[hacker]

[ Meanwhile, Skye is just gaping between them because did anyone just see Carol fly. Important to note is that she doesn't seem surprised by the ability, but rather awed to be in the presence of it.

And with that in context, she knows precisely how to interpret 'Star-Lord.' ]

You— Are you two — Superheroes?

[airforceful]

[Disappointment over his clear lack of any memory of her wars with the fact that I guess she's feeling weirdly nostalgic for his idiocy (will save 10) because his obvious flirting does get a smile, though she also whacks him upside the head (subdual atk 19, dmg 2).]

Get a hold of yourself, Quill. Come on.

[And she's just going to take his arm and tug him back towards the others.]

[ambitionist]

[alex draws a line between carol and peter with his finger.] You two ... know each other? [werwatey?]

[airforceful]

Before I came through the veil, I was working with the Guardians of the Galaxy as Earth's ambassador to the wider universe. Quill leads the team, though it doesn't seem like he remembers who I am. [She glances back at Peter.]

Rocket's here too, and Drax. Do you remember them, at least?

[bredinthebone]

[Not that Malina doubts Carol's knowledge on the matter but she's going to pull out her phone to snap a picture of the guy in question, just to be sure.

And then she'll be over here texting the raccoon in question.

Carry on.]

[starprince]

[ he lets himself be dragged over, but it might be a) half about his boner and b) half about alex claiming he could help. but when carol introduces him, he pulls his arm away, giving her a look like she's grown another head. ] Anytime you want to start making sense, lady, would be a step in the right direction. I mean, don't get me wrong [ his chest all but puffs up as he gestures at himself ] - I am the Legendary Outlaw.

But that's more of a lone wolf sort of deal. Outlaw, singular.

[hacker]

Wait, through the Veil?

[ Skye points to Carol, then Peter, looking between them and eventually settling on …

Utter disappointment. ]

Damn. [ She sighs, pulling out her phone and thumbing away at the touch screen. ] So much for intelligent life.

[airforceful]

Outlaw? [Meanwhile Carol just looks scandalized because NO. NOPE. THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ARE HEROES. Except maybe Rocket. And Groot, of course, since they're pretty tight. And Drax and Gamora definitely seem to have some kind of past. And she's pretty sure Quill steals stuff when he's not saving the galaxy.

Okay, outlaw might not exactly be the wrong term, but she's still offended. She's a hero. She gives Quill another scowl, then turns to Skye.]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Quill's never qualified as "intelligent life." But there are aliens out there. At least... somewhere.

[Maybe not in this galaxy.]

[starprince]

Hey! [ RUDE. ] If Veil's your term for breaking atmosphere, then yeah, that's where I came from. On my ship. [ he gestures at the big ol' crater that's at a distance ] The ship that I left right there.

[ambitionist]

It's not, but I'm glad to see us circling back to the matter at hand. [he crosses his arms] Ziggy Stardust, we think the government might've hijacked your ship for science. She [he nods towards skye] thinks she might be able to track it down. We were looking into it because we thought it was just that awesome.

[bredinthebone]

[And Malina's starting to put two and two together that the Veil might have done a number on Quill's memory (wisdom 19). She keeps that to herself, though, and since Rocket hasn't texted her back yet, she's just going to pocket her phone and not worry about it for now.]

We were just discussing the hows and whys. And if we're going to be storming government facilities I definitely need to update my boss.

[This was supposed to be a recon mission. Stealing someone's ship back does not qualify as recon anymore. And she will step away to do just that.]

Excuse me.

[felidity]

[ still in a state of no, i don't wanna in regards to going up again the government, kali otherwise seems to be vacillating between bored indifference -- he is not the alien she expected and is thus disappointed -- and curiosity -- it's still space! -- she finally edges out from behind alex and pipes up with, ]

Who's Ziggy Stardust?

[hacker]

Okay, now I'm officially wondering who's actually an alien here.

[ Seriously, Kali. But more to the point: ] Not thinks. Knows. [ Skye's confident about a few things: her hacker-y is one of them. ] Just like I know there is no way you guys work for Ripley's. Or a news outlet. Guardians of the Galaxy? [ No one with that high a pay grade demeans themselves to cheap press and Ripley's Believe It or Not. Pointed look at Carol, who seems to be more willing to offer honesty. ] Just who are you?