maskormenacelogs | she only ever walks to count her steps

Entry tags:

she only ever walks to count her steps

WHO: kanaya maryam & danger.
WHERE: residence #001.
WHEN: evening.
WHAT: danger drops in for a visit.
WARNINGS: to be edited as necessary.

[ Danger had always been very observant. That was, in a way, what her father had created her to do-- to observe, to notice everything. And she'd found a place in this new world doing what she did best: Watch.

That's how she'd seen it. The red-haired woman-- a tall figure dressed in all black, approaching the ImPort called Kanaya Maryam. The time had been 10:15 PM. Their conversation had been brief. Perhaps this alone would not have warranted any particular special attention, except Danger had seen the woman before. She had noticed the same woman inside the base before on other occasions, but that night as well, lingering at the outskirts in a way that had struck Danger as suspicious enough to take note of.

It called for investigation. She wanted to know what Kanaya Maryam knew-- hence tracking her down tonight. Locating Kanaya's residence had been simple enough. She arrives in the evening, metal knuckles rapping carefully on the door. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ kanaya's familiarity with danger before today is, at best, negligible. she knew she lived with karkat for a time, and that she'd been with the school prior to that, when kanaya actually attended it, but beyond that she was simply an intimidating robotic woman.

so, to find her on the other side of her door is unexpected. she can't really imagine what it could be about, but these things don't happen every day, and that it might be important is likely. so, once she opens the door, she leans against the jam with a curious frown. ]

Can I help you?

[ she gauges kanaya for a lingering moment when the door opens, almost curious with her attention. kanaya wasn't entirely unfamiliar-- she was, as danger understood, a another close associate of karkat's, like herself-- but this encounter, face to face, put them both in a new kind of context. ]

Yes, Kanaya Maryam.
I suspect that you can.

[ a purposeful pause, before danger goes on: ]

I might recommend that we have this conversation in private.

[ kanaya casts a look behind her, into the house. somehow "private" and "inside" don't really equate to her, so she steps out onto the porch, closing the door behind her as she folds her arms. it isn't in an offensive way so much as it's wary, more clinging to herself than casting a barrier. ]

How private will we need? I imagine we could go around back, if that will suit your purposes.

[ danger seems agreeable enough to the idea. she isn't certain yet-- about the implications of what she'd seen. privacy, no matter where they find it, would be preferable, and it isn't as if the weather or anything like it bothers her in her mechanical body.

she gestures for kanaya to lead the way. ]

I imagine that will be suitable.
I would not wish to disturb your housemates.

Right. [ well, now she's just worried. what kind of thing would she need to discuss that might disturb kanaya's housemates? she moves to the gate and lets danger pass through it before shutting it behind her, finding a spot in the backyard where they wouldn't be seen from the patio door. ]

So. What sort of assistance can I provide?

[ she joins kanaya in the backyard, confirming their privacy with her various sensors before speaking: ]

I will be straight-forward with you, Kanaya Maryam.

[ her voice stays calm, not accusing but blunt. ]

I observed you interacting with a possibly suspicious individual.
She was a woman with red hair, dressed predominantly in black.
I wish to know what transpired between you.

[ it doesn't take her long to know who danger's talking about, she had reported it to holiday already, so it was still on her mind. ] The night of the murder, you mean.

Was she suspicious? I thought she was a bit odd at first, but apparently she has become a party of interest.

She was telling me about some man who assaulted her, that she broke her umbrella trying to ward him off.

[ there's a quiet moment of processing, fitting facts together and gauging to possible explanations for the situation before danger responds again: ]

I had observed her on the premises a handful of times before.
Hence categorizing her as a suspicious person.
I have yet to discover what her purpose was.
I was hoping your information would assist in that endeavor.

[ another brief beat, before she goes on: ]

What did she tell you about the man who assaulted her?
I encourage you to be as detailed as possible, Kanaya Maryam.

[ kanaya pinches the bridge of her nose with a slight groan, recalling as much of the incident as she can. she wonders if danger always does that, saying a person's full name in what she assumes must be some show of propriety. ]

Well, she was frantic, but collected enough in what she was saying. Maintaining the illusion of calm under pressure, I suppose. A man was trying to take her umbrella, saying it was "his scepter."

She showed me the handle after it was broken, wanting a witness in case something might happen after. She was explicit about that point. Then she ran off toward the shore.

I looked down the alley she came from once she was gone, but couldn't find anyone.

[ she commits everything kanaya says to the databanks of her memory, adding these details to what she already knows of the situation. it doesn't completely shed light on what that woman was doing-- but still, any context is useful. she'll have to decide what to do with this information. ]

I see.
I am appreciative of your cooperation.
I have only one additional question:
Who else is aware of this information?

I have spoken with Captain Holiday about it already. He had some additions of his own.

[ which makes this feel even more uneven, since he gave as much as he received. danger seems to just want to receive, and kanaya doesn't care for that. ]

You say you had noted her as suspicious already. What is it she was doing on those occasions you observed her?

[ so, kanaya had already chosen to approach holiday. danger herself had yet to decide-- knowledge was power, after all, and while she had outwardly chosen to show loyalty to the government system here, she distrusted it. ]

It was less her particular actions than the fact that I had observed her more than once before.
Occasionally she would linger at the outskirts of the base.
Others, she would be inside the base itself.
I have yet to conclude what the significance of her presence was.

[ it was mostly a matter of who the information was actually important to. it held no power to her, but may have contributed to the investigation, so she saw no reason not to report it. though she knows now that it's only one small part in a much bigger puzzle. ]

Merely lingering? Do you think she had a station there, or could she have been a trespasser?

If I knew her identity, it would be less complicated to investigate whether or not she had some official involvement with the base.
As it stands, I can only say that she was there a number of times.
And I am unaware of what her purpose was.

[ she may have to bring the information to holiday, if she wants to know that. though there's no guarantee of that either. it's difficult to say what anyone knows for sure at this point. ]

Though perhaps illuminating her role properly would shed some light on why she was killed.
The identity of the man she spoke of to you would undoubtedly be helpful as well.

She certainly hadn't provided enough of a description which with to identify him.

[ and there's something else that occurs to her, her earlier question seems a bit silly now. ] But they would know who is among their own, wouldn't they? If she was among the native military, Holiday would have been able to identify her from their records.

If he does have an idea who she might be, he hadn't mentioned it.

[ which means he's either withholding important information, or she wasn't supposed to be here at all. ]

[ perhaps she would have to review the surveillance footage again. she had obviously noticed the red-headed woman, but she hadn't been looking for a man before. it is possible, however slightly so, that she may have missed something. new context could shed light on old evidence. ]

Perhaps I will need to speak with Captain Holiday myself.

[ a beat. ]

Are you aware of anyone else with information?

No names were mentioned, only that the woman was already a person of interest in the case. But there would have to have been someone to spot her before, or find her discarded clothes.

Acknowledged.
Your cooperation is noted and appreciated.

[ another beat, before she goes on: ]

Do you intend to pursue this, or are you content with the information you have received?

[ she folds her arms and screws up her lips, considering that for a moment. ]

I wouldn't be opposed to assisting the matter further, but unfortunately I'm not especially gifted with investigation.

Your insight will be sufficient.
My own skills with data collection and analysis should suffice.
Will you consider cooperating with me further in this matter?

[ she pauses slightly, then rephrases: ]

We could function as a team.

I wouldn't be opposed to the idea.

[ danger may not strictly need muscle, but kanaya's good at strongarming. she's definitely down to punching people if an interrogation goes south. ]

Where do we expect to start?

[ she's come to realize the value of allies. kanaya seems competent enough-- and as powerful as danger may seem, her inexperience with the world is a weakness she knows to compensate for, with a mission like this one. ]

Perhaps it would be worth our time for me to approach Captain Holiday myself.
Our primary goals should be to first identify the woman and the man.
Do you concur?

[ well, kanaya's not much use in an investigation beyond a ferry, so it could do her some good to learn as well. ]

I do. And identifying her will be the first step, given our dearth of information about him. Captain Holiday would likely be our best start to determine how that can be done.

Then we are in agreement.
I suppose it will be my responsibility to approach Captain Holiday with my own information.
I will take care of that and report to you with the results.

In the meantime, perhaps it would be productive for you to simply keep your eyes and ears open.

That much I can do without any trouble.

[ and she reaches her hand out in front of her, pressing her fingers in the air. the moment she touches it, a glimmering green thread extends from nowhere and right to danger's chassis, as if tethered to her by magic. ]

My eyes tend to extend a bit farther than most.

[ the robot tilts her head almost curiously, her attention drawn to the green thread stretching between kanaya and the front of her armor. despite her vast experience with superpowers, she hasn't seen anything exactly quite like this before. ]

Acknowledged.
I assume this is a component of your ability.
What exactly does it entail?

This is your thread. Everyone has one, but I suppose I'm the only one able to perceive them.

[ she takes her fingers off of it and it disappears. moving her hand up, she looks toward the house for a specific point maybe a few inches from her chest, then puts them down, each finger leading to a thread, three in total, that go into the house. her roommates. ] They are where we are, and if a thread is known, it can be followed to its source.

[ she drops her hand and looks back at danger. ] I didn't have the chance to know our mystery woman's thread. By the time I thought to look, she was gone already, lost in the rest.

But people aren't the only ones with threads. Is there anywhere you needed to go from here?

[ interesting-- and potentially useful. perhaps this team is capable of being more productive than she had initially calculated when she'd first suggested the idea. the possibility that they would solve this mystery seems somewhat more realistic now. ]

I will keep your ability in mind.

[ a pause, as she considers the implication of kanaya's elaboration. her power is not limited to people then. even more intriguing. ]

I intended to return to my residence.
I am being housed at Residence #007.

[ if kanaya can ever be useful as anything, it's as a taxi. she's well aware of this fact. she puts her hands together and turns to the side, looking out past the house, through it. ]

That's where Rin stays, isn't it?

[ she pulls in the air, the threads coming in bunches into her hands, and pulling one side forward but swiveling the other to the side, the space in front of them opens up into a square three yards across. calling it a portal doesn't even seem quite right, it's more like the space in front of them has become the front porch of unit #007, like patchwork without a visible seam. of course, the seams are more obvious when it's viewed from behind.

she turns to danger with a self-satisfied smile. yeah, that could be pretty useful and she definitely knows it. ]

Correct.
Rin is currently one of my housemates.

[ she observes with interest as kanaya goes about her ritual, pulling at the threads like a conductor leading an orchestra. in a way, it's a little beautiful-- at least to whatever sense of the word "beautiful" that danger has. as the space opens up to reveal the familiar house, danger allows herself to feel just slightly impressed. ]

Thank you, Kanaya.
I am appreciative of your assistance.
Should anything relevant arise, you are welcome to contact me.

[ with that, she pauses before stepping towards the portal. ]

And you be sure to do the same, should anything arise from your end first. But perhaps we'll see each other before then, Rin is a friend of mine, after all.

[ and she gives her a nod as danger steps through, waiting until she's on the other side before releasing the strands to snap the opening shut behind her. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

she only ever walks to count her steps

no subject

no subject

SORRY THIS TOOK ME AGES

THAT IS TOTALLY OKAY

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject