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[puffing]

[ first off: don't ask questions about the username. Bigby assumes it's subtle enough considering no one here knows him as the Big Bad Wolf, but he doesn't really... realize... the implications of the abbreviation he chose. oh well.

there's more pressing matters to attend to. ]

Not even here a goddamn month and shit goes to hell. Because of course. So much for peace.

[ on camera is a man who doesn't seem very pleased with the current chaos of the recent bombing. a moment is given to take a drag of his cigarette between words, blowing a puff of smoke straight towards whoever is watching. ]

I need information on the fugitives. Don't care if you're best friends or you've crossed paths with them once. Backgrounds, real names, affiliations, common hangouts. Also addresses on where they live. Give me a scent to work with and they'll be found.

[ another inhale of nicotine before he smothers the embers on a nearby surface. he's still as displeased as five seconds ago. ]

Also don't really care if they're in deep with this Shady Fucker or just a matter of "wrong place, wrong time". They have questions to answer one way or another. Got a problem with that? Take a wild guess on how I feel.

Comments

[rhygret]

[ He knows two...technically... Whoops. SORRY GUYS. ]

Wait what? I--no, I was just saying we shouldn't, you know, jump to any conclusions...

[ maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, this sounds a lot like he's going to get dragged around town?? ]

[puffing]

No, no. It sounded like to me that you know this Rocket fella pretty well. And you're so interested in protecting his interests that you'll help me find him before he gets himself into more trouble.

[ a pause follows as he gives a deadpan stare. ]

Please, by all means. Stop me if I'm getting ahead of myself.

[rhygret]

[ Rhys s w e a t s. And just rubs the back of his neck, even though this isn't a video call and Bigby can't see him. ]

Look, I'm not...that well-acquainted with him alright? But he helped fix up my arm and most people here don't have the technical know-how to do that. He doesn't seem like the kind of, uh, "guy" who'd want to gas a bunch of random people unless it was some sort of huge prank. And this didn't exactly seem like one?

[puffing]

[ it's okay. the username and the familiar voice do enough for Bigby to get the picture. aside from wondering how this guy always crosses paths with him, he figures he is as nervous as always. ]

Oh. Yeah. The whole... robot arm thing. [ he's been curious about it before, but it wasn't really relevant until now. ] Forgiving the fact that you don't think he would have done it, it sounds like he has the know-how.

You may want to start thinking about the possibility of him unwittingly involving himself one way or another.

[rhygret]

[ In his defence the first time they met Bigby was a giant wolf with a mouth bigger than his entire body. Rhys has ever reason to be nervous at the time and handled himself better in subsequent meetings. ]

I...guess that's a possibility, yeah. But I'm still not sure how to go about finding him. He's a literal raccoon, I'm pretty sure if he doesn't want to be found he can just sort of disappear into the forest or whatever and we'd never find him.

[puffing]

Wait. A literal raccoon? Are you fucking shitting me―

[ he's just going to slap his forehead and drag his hand down his face in disbelief. how is it that talking animals exist everywhere? there's no Rocket in Fabletown to his knowledge, but he has to be on the safe side at this point.

regretfully. oh so regretfully. ]

―have you ever heard him mention anything like Glamours? Fables? Mundies? I'm assuming if he helped you with his arm, he must talk as if he's human.

[rhygret]

He talks like a regular guy yeah. I don't know if I'd say it was like a "human" since there's a lot of other people who're...you know. Not? You know what I mean. But I don't think he ever mentioned anything about fables or "mundies."

[ Rhys shrugs even though Bigby can't see it. ]

He's a talking raccoon from space. No joke. I know how it sounds.

[puffing]

Lovely. As if finding any one of them wasn't going to be a pain the ass as it is.

[ Rhys probably isn't an expert in the matter, but he will take his word as an indication that Rocket Raccoon is, in fact, not a Fable as a former king or knight. he's relieved, to a very minor extent. ]

So, I'm assuming you've been awake for a little while. Has anything like this happened before? Any talks from the locals that indicated problems beyond us arriving?

[rhygret]

Since the first of us woke up, yeah. But aside from us being shot out of the station in escape pods because something attacked it there hasn't been anything like this that I know of. No weird...attacks of anything. This is the first time anything like that's happened on the planet as far as I know.

[ And working in the market district he'd like to think that he's fairly well-informed on these sorts of things. ]

[puffing]

And it just so happens to occur after we "immigrated" into their city. Convenient.

[ Bigby resounds himself to his pessimism, assuming this won't be the last major event they will face now or even in the near and/or distant future. trouble definitely follows him. ]

Kind of surprised a big city like this hasn't dealt with any type of cell operation before. There had to have been conflicts before we came.

[rhygret]

It seems like relations between them and Wyver are complicated? But nothing's come up in the last half a year from what I've heard. But one guy here is pretty sure it's just a matter of time before they go to war. A real charmer, that one.

[ He means you, Koltira. HE MEANS YOU. ]

He's half-dead or undead or whatever, so. You know. Full of cheer.

[puffing]

Oh. Cool. Sounds like someone I need to probably meet at some point.

[ said with about as much excitement as one can imagine when talking about a half-dead guy. still, it sounds like a person of interest if they were speculating tensions rising before shit hit the fan. ]

Consider me ready to be charmed. What's his name?

[ wait. has he... has he even gotten Rhys' name yet. god. talk about awkward. ]

[rhygret]

I....do not actually remember. Sorry? We exchanged names but I was kind of distracted by the whole...dead thing he had going on. First time seeing one of those.

[ So it's totally understandable that he doesn't remember his name right?? ]

I can look his info up on the network though. There can't be that mean dead elves on there.

[ BUT YEAH YOU DON'T HAVE HIS NAME YET how rude Bigby ]

[puffing]

Of course you don't remember.

[ rhys....... what are you good for to him........ ]

I'll politely ask that you reach into the back of your brain and try to fucking remember. ―Looking it up also works. Thanks.

[ :) ]

Hopefully you know your own name by heart?

[rhygret]

[ Thrilling conversation, clearly.

...But he will quickly flick his cybernetic thumb and switch to the records and usernames of people on the network, searching through until he finds the only undead-looking elf there. ]

Haha, funny. Yes, I remember my own name. I met the guy for all of five minutes okay? Sue me.

[ Rhys clears his throat! ]

The guy you're looking for is "Koltira", and I'm Rhys.

[puffing]

Koltira. Alright. Thanks.

[ see, he's capable of genuine gratitude, even if it doesn't sound like much. Rhys has proved to be helpful, even if it's to an annoying degree. don't think he's forgotten the watermelon debacle. never put Bigby and Rhys in a car on a road trip with a map is all he's sayin'. ]

Well, Rhys. It's probably about time we go through informal introductions. I'm Bigby.

[rhygret]

[ Oh god yeah nope they'd never end up where they needed to be but Rhys would have ok with that he and Ros have a bigby appreciation club going on ]

Bigby...well, nice to meet you. Technically we already met and all that but you know what I mean. Nice to put a name to the name.

[puffing]

[ shame on both Ros and Rhys for being the fools that they are. ]

Yeah, uh. I think we've met several times.

[ does he want to tell Rhys about the wolf thing? does he want to fall down that rabbit hole? does he? ]

[rhygret]

We have? I know we met on the beach and stuff with the water melon smashing...

[ he's trying to recall any other instances and drawing a big fat blank though. Maybe they bumped into each other on the station while the new arrivals were getting their hand down? ]

[puffing]

Mm. Yeah. Think back a little past that. It was really cold out. Lots of snow.

[ Bigby's voice isn't all too different when he is a wolf. it might be a little hard to remember that when you're about to piss yourself, but he's being optimistic and hopes Rhys wasn't at that state of mind back then. ]

[rhygret]

Snow?? There hasn't been any...

[ Waaait a second. There has been snow, just not on this planet. Or in reality technically speaking. The simulations are still fresh in Rhys's mind and he thinks back, trying to recall who he actually met besides Rosalind. He's fairly certain it was just her and a...

Well. A very large wolf.

Who sounded awfully familiar, come to think of it. ]

Uhh. When we met, were you...did the simulation happen to, to glitch out at all? Maybe show you as, say, I don't know. A giant wolf? Something like that?

[puffing]

[ ah. there goes the light bulb. Bigby has to resist the urge to crack a smirk. ]

Yeah. One hell of a glitch, am I right? God forbid something like that existing in real life.

[ this is a good way of subtly revealing his identity while keeping the Woof under wraps, right? right. ]

[rhygret]

[ Bigby is incredibly lucky that Rhys's first introduction to the VR simulations upon arrival involved frequent appearance glitches. He didn't suffer any personally but he encountered more than a few who had their appearance altered. None of them turned into wolves mind you, but it's a lot easier to wrap his head around than an actual giant talking animal. ]

Y-yeah...hah. Man, you really had me going with that one. You know that those simulations feel unnecessarily real? Like, it's stupid.

[ STUPIDLY REAL, THAT'S HOW MUCH THE FEEL. ]

Sooo...I'm glad you didn't eat me? That's a weird thing to tell someone. Wow.

[puffing]

[ wow. this guy is believing him. what the hell. he supposes he can call that a win, at least. Rhys can be scared shitless later when Bigby inevitably transforms in front of him again. that's more fun! ]

You'd be surprised how fun it is to pretend to be an actual wolf or something. Guess the simulation took my last name literally.

[ hahahaha, everything he is saying is so funny. hahahahaha. ]

What, you thought I'd actually eat you? Who does that? Don't take it the wrong way, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy the taste of you.

[rhygret]

[ It's an easier compromise for someone who doesn't have magic or fairy tales for real in his world back home okay, let him have this. It's not embarrassing. ]

What? Oh...hah. "Wolf." Wow yeah, I didn't actually read that before. That's...yeah.

[ Did the Orbiters do that on purpose?? Who even knows. ]

I...let's just not talk about how I'd taste if I was eaten? That's. That's kind of weird to think about.