Video -|- un: nunya

[assholic]

[The video starts with a shot of the invitation that she'd received, the writing bold and clear before she tosses the invite down and directs the camera up to her face, which looks entirely unimpressed.]

Tell me I'm not the only one that feels like this is some lame attempt to gather certain people into a specific area for an unknown reason, aka, a fucking trap?

[Someone was feeling especially incapable of trusting anyone from this world or any of the Orbiters. She held up the ring she'd gotten, not wearing it, but showing it.]

And as far as some kind of... compensation for the shit some people went through, this feels pretty weak to me. An invite to a trap-party, a gold coin, and a pretty little bauble, because clearly I'm that easily distracted and easy to appease. They realize that people died during this, don't they? And we're all supposed to just slap a smile on, pull out a dress, and go along with this like this isn't a giant fucking joke?

[There was a look on her face like she was really, really hoping someone would be as salty as she was over this.]

Maybe it's just in my nature to think everyone's out to screw me over, but when I've already been screwed over, and not in the fun way, I'm not exactly feeling inclined to bend over for round two. There have to be other people that think this is shady shit...

[Please tell her there were other people out there that thought this was shady shit.]

Comments

voice; un: badgerlock

[badgerlock]

You're not.

Voice

[assholic]

Were you part of the shit show, or just a witness?

voice; un: manbun

[song_of_ice]

No, but I don't think it's a trap. I wouldn't trust them, but they wouldn't be so obvious about it.

Voice

[assholic]

Uh huh. Like they've been so upfront about everything they've done here. Lulling people they want to off into a false sense of security wouldn't exactly be a stretch of the imagination.

video | un: zevran

[agradecido]

I'm fairly certain they don't know any refugees died. That would raise a few too many questions as to how they're suddenly not dead.

[Not mentioning the people who were responsible who died, because who cares about them?

Zev holds a hand up in appeasement. The whole thing makes his ears metaphorically itch.]

Of course, I don't intend to belittle you. I certainly wouldn't go unarmed, if it were me.

[assholic]

They had to know some of them died. It was obvious. There were bodies.

[She still hadn't entirely worked out how someone of Reinhardt's size had just been a crispy corpse, then disappeared before coming back as he was, but there was a lot about this place she didn't get.

Like magic. Fuck magic.]

Which doesn't matter anyway. This is their fault, their bullshit, and we're smack dab in the middle of some political war bullshit and the stupid space lords telling us to play nice 'or else'. I don't like ultimatums. I also don't like people trying to throw parties as some kind of 'sorry you had bad shit happen that wasn't your fault, how about we pretend it never happened' maneuver.

text; un: spanglethesestars

[ukase]

It ain't a trap. This is a government show for recognizing their new heroes to make themselves feel better about the shit show that happened. They can say they did their part this way.

And when has any government cared if anyone died unless it was one of their own ranks? This is a way to appeal to the public, to stoke the fires of emotion to get people involved. Happens all the time.

Text

[assholic]

You willing to bet your ass that they work the same way the ones you're familiar with do?

video; un: mai

[maipokerface]

[Mai waves a hand dismissively.]

I'll take the bauble but I'm definitely not taking anything else. Forget that, the last time I went to one of their parties I had to deal with everyone being angry at me for daring to exist in Olympia's territory.

[assholic]

The Christmas thing, right? Or whatever holiday winter shit they have here instead. It was less hostile then, but it was still there. Then there was the surprise magic shit. All in all, I cant' say I'm exactly feeling the love. Or any sort of security.

video | un: colt.saa

[shashka]

They might not realize any refugees actually "died". Our "friends" up on the Station seemed to have made sure of that.

[ a laugh. ]

There is such a thing as being too suspicious, you know.

[ truthfully, he's a little suspicious too. but at least this time, he's prepared. ]

[assholic]

They had to have known some did. They just might not know they're back. If all of them came back.

[She'd only known of Reinhardt in her group dying. And he'd returned, surprising the shit out of her. Who knows if any of the other groups had any casualties, or if they'd all been brought back.]

Sure there is. When you see me running around with a tinfoil hat, I've reached that point. This? This is just healthy.

Text, un: rtozier

[summertimeblues]

If we're being marked out, it's by the opposite side of the ones that snatched us in the first place. And the only reason we were taken is for being suspected of kissing too much royal ass, so if anything it's going to solidify the upstarts' suspicions. Plus, as other people have pointed out, we have a very public time and date to show up to, so the cavalry will know where to look. They could be planning to set off a bomb but for Christ's sake, the capital's goal has always been to endear the public to the government. They'd be a real pile of dumbasses if they thought blowing up victims of a front page tragedy would charm the people. I'd be more worried about the rebels crashing the party.

I suppose there's no way to know until we shimmy into our dresses and slather on the lipstick for the occasion. Leave some space in your garter for a gun holster. I know I will.

Text

[assholic]

I had dick all to do with the royals. There were new people taken. How much ass could someone that was already shot at kiss? The only people taken were non-natives. That isn't a fucking flag to you?

I'm not slathering on shit.

video; @unburnt

[dorzalta]

[ She's reclining on her balcony's chair, surrounded by green. In her hands, she works with fabric--a bright turquoise. ]

It would be reason enough to stage an attack. The question, of course, is how our survival thwarted their plans.

[ Now she looks up, gazing at the screen Jessica is on. ]

Do you intend to hide?

[assholic]

[The voice is familiar, even if the face isn't. She hadn't seen Daenerys during their captivity. She'd heard her. They'd talked. She might have seen a flash of that hair near the end, but she'd been too out of it to really piece together too much of what happened then. Poison and pain... great combo for good memories.]

I still want to know what it was they expected to gain by grabbing us in the first place. I'm not buying the political outrage excuse.

[Jess came from a time and place where one couldn't believe what one saw in the news, and the government was pretty much expected to fuck you over.]

I'm not that big on cowering.

video; un: ROCKET

[beatupgrass]

Man, they got everybody paranoid down here now.

[assholic]

Call me crazy, but almost dying tends to make me less inclined to just take someone's word that 'it's going to be okay'.

[Don't you give her shit, Rocket.]

text; un: eproghuefgdzptrrw

[vorrutyer]

My dear lady, all that worry will give your lovely face wrinkles.

Text

[assholic]

Like you give a shit about my wrinkles.

video | un: scarletwitch

[seeingscarlet]

[Well, it's kind of comforting to know she isn't the only one feeling paranoid.]

Maybe. Or maybe we are meant to be the bait.

[assholic]

Bait for what? As far as I know, most of the people involved in the original snag job are dead or caught. If they expect to parade the survivors around like a goddamn mouse trap, I'd like to be given the chance for that to be a sign up, not a sneaky bullshit trap.

voice; un: crusader08

[panzersoldat]

[ She should know this voice by now. It's a deep rumbling bass that sounds very distinctly Bavarian. It also has little to no volume control. ]

Mein Freund, this isn't the first time I've received commendations for valor. And while you are correct in being worried that this might be something terrible, I think that is even more reason to go. If they plan on doing something to us, then we need all capable fighters to protect those that can't. They may think they pinned in the sheep, but some of those sheep are lions, ja?

This old lion is going. In full armor. I will be ready. And if nothing comes of it, then I will still have something useful to show for it. I was given a boon, and I will prove worthy of it by using it to help as many as I am able.

[assholic]

Kringle, you've really got to learn when enough's enough. You keep running head-first into this shit, there might be a time you don't come back.

[And after their last chat about it, part of her thought maybe that's what he wanted.]

video; un: lady

[unprays]

Of course this is shady. They'll likely want to use us. It's what people do.

But if we don't go, we won't know what it is they want. [ and in the absence of proper power, knowledge will do. ]

[assholic]

[Well, she couldn't fault the red haired girl for that logic.]

Maybe knowing what they want isn't going to do jack shit. The way I figure, it's either putting us in the spot light as people of interest for either pissed off party, or trying to make up for the shit that happened that a goddamn party isn't going to fix.

text | un: english

[revlon]

If something were to happen during the ceremony, who's to say it happens in the same place? Leaving the cities vulnerable with all their heroes out of town for a night is something to consider just as deeply.

Text

[assholic]

The ones they know of. I can think of some of the people that came down here from the station that weren't taken or on the rescue squads. Besides, I didn't sign up to be anyone's hero. That's not what I'm down here for. If the cities can't take care of themselves without us guinea pigs doing it for them, then there's a lot worse things to worry about.

video | un: eggsy | private.

[tailorable]

[ hm, he hadn't planned on being vocal about receiving a commendation, let alone attending the council, but it's jess. ]

Wasn't too different back home. My dad died on duty, and all I got was a fucking medal. [ which is all true, so he isn't inclined to be overly suspicious. tokens are a universal gesture of atonement and honour. the party, however, is a mild concern. code yellow, maybe. ] It's shit, but it's standard stuff, 'cept the assembly.

[ a beat. ]

I'm going. [ soft but firm. ] Won't be able to forgive myself if anything shady happens without me.

PermaPrivate

[assholic]

[Fuck her life. Why did people she didn't want to see hurt keep winding up going to things she had to keep an eye on? Idiots.]

Of course you are.

text | un: yusei

[planetary_bonds]

Looked like more government non-action to me.

[As someone who didn't actually get anything, nor does he feel like he did anything to deserve it, he still finds the gesture rather...lacking in substance.]

Rather, they want to look like they care about all this. Or maybe they do care, but only because of the unrest the insurgents were causing, and not about us. We're the token victims.

[Shrug.]

I'd be worried about whether somebody else wants to crash this gala or not.

Text

[assholic]

There's a lot of what ifs in this scenario. Not really enjoying it all.

[She didn't disagree with him. It was all lip service as far as she was concerned. And she wasn't particularly sure of the motivations, which is why she was feeling more suspicious than normal. That and, well... torture.]