On a mission

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren smiled at Thomas. "Yeah, maybe focus on one thing at a time and just be sure we're updating each other on our progress."

He added, "I know you just woke up, but I hope you heard everything so far.'

[Thomas Windsnip]

"Yeah... I was pretty drowsy, but I think I've been following along in my sleep! So can you actually see what's going on in other locations from the watchtower?"

"I forgot to ask, do you really think Reese would try to lie about finding the pod? She would be hurting herself as well"

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren rethought his response about the pods... They were both dangerous. They could focus all attempts on one first, or take a stab at both to not use all their energy on one...

"Why do you ask? If you have anything useful that would help with any tasks, maybe we can work on both pods as long as we mention which one, to each other."

"And yeah, the tower was pretty helpful. We had some great times up there... And some not so great times..." Wren furrowed his brow.

That was mostly Cal's thought... He's been paranoid lately. It got me beat up yesterday... But I agree with you, Thomas

[Thomas Windsnip]

"I have this holo. It help you look for things. I don't mind lending it out to someone I know I can trust. I am definitely willing to spend my time either trying to look for the second pod, or disabling the first." He thought on longer. "I wonder if all of the locations got two pods... if so the locations with only a few tributes are VERY unlucky. I'm just glad you all showed up or it would have been just me and Julian trying to sort this out." Speaking of Julian... where was he? "Julian, I know you said you were not great at hacking, but will you be willing to give it a try if we need it?" 

"Did you guys hear what I whispered earlier? I just wanted to make sure." 

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren grinned. "That would be super helpful! If you're not naturally great at looking for things, we could have someone else use it. I'm pretty strong in every area, and most of our friends here are getting better at things, too."

Wren looked around. Everyone seemed a bit tired and quiet. "That's good to know, though. Thank you! Maybe we'll let everyone discuss and decide if we want to do one at a time or both at once, and then we can talk about who should look using the holo."

[Cal Mensen]

Cal smiles as Thomas arrives, giving him a slap on the back.

"Glad you can join us and that you're still kicking. That holo is going to come in handy. If we can manage to locate both pods, we could get out of this unscathed. Can you look for the second pod?"

He looks at Wren, giving him a defeated look.

"Thomas says he's a good scavenger, he should be the one to find it."

Hey... My paranoia has done enough this game. Thomas, look for the other pod. You have a great chance to find it, that can be a guaranteed device for us to try and disable. We'll work with Reese, she has mutual survival to think about.

[Thomas Windsnip]

Thomas shouted to the others "Hey! I found the muttation pod! Now we just have to try to disable both of these pods." Now that I've talked to you guys, I'm more confident in my hacking abilities, but I don't have any additional items to help me hack. Does anyone? Otherwise I can try to hack the muttation pod. I don't need the morphling as much as others and I don't want the weapon, so I'm totally cool with hacking if needed."

[Gwendolyn Fisk]

Gwen returned from gathering her thoughts in another room. "I overheard we found both pods? I still have all my actions, and my hacking is up to par. Which one should I try first?"

[Thomas Windsnip]

"Try the Muttation Pod - that sucker sounds nasty. Let me know how it goes... I'll take a whack at it if you can't get it!"

[Gwendolyn Fisk]

Gwen worked nervously on the muttation pod. The controls were different, but not too much different than the consoles they had been hacking this entire time. A bead of sweat dripped down her face as a few minutes.

Finally, the pod appeared to shut down. Baffled, she felt her whole body relax and a smile appeared on her face. She looked around the room, "You all can call me a genius hacker from now on."

[Thomas Windsnip]

Gwen! You did it! Great work. One down, one to go. Should I try to shut down the other?"

[Gwendolyn Fisk]

Gwen tried to disable the other pod while she was on a roll. She looked up sheepishly at the others. "Sorry, guys, I should probably take a break. This one's a bit more difficult. I have one more action and a token if necessary. Anyone else want to take a whack at it?"

Gwen moved aside for Thomas, "Yea, go ahead!"

[Thomas Windsnip]

Thomas ran over to Gwen and took a look at the Fire Pod. It was pretty complicated, but he thought he could find a way to shit it down.

He ran back to the others a few minutes later. "Guys, I did it! I shut down the fire pod, we're safe!"

"If anyone has actions left, figure out which one of you is going to get the morphling and the others should spy on Julian, until someone is successful. I have a recording device that I successfully set up around Reese, so I will know which side she's on my morning."

[Reese Oberron]

"It's been awhile eh Thomas? And yeah I've been flying solo so far as well, somehow I've barely managed to scrape by."

She'd barely spoken with Gwen, but seeing the team work so well together made her happy. "Way to go Gwen!!! That's one down, one to go, though I must say I definitely am far more scared of that Fire Pod than I was of the other, it is definitely the one that is more dangerous." After a pause, I guess we got lucky that we all found eachother when we did, anyone out there alone probably doesn't have much time left in this world."

"So guys, about that Fire Pod, someone should probably do something. If there is still anyone out there who hasn't chipped in it is probably about time they put in some work."

...

Seeing Thomas run back towards the crowd with good news, Reese was ecstatic, "THOMAS!!! My man! Seems like I spoke too soon!" She gave him a high five and a quick hug, "That's what I'm talking about! Looks like we get to live another day after all!"

[Cal Mensen]

OOC: I'm so fucking happy, I'm gushing on this side of the screen.

IC:
Cal's jaw is just, hanging out there. He had hoped it could be done, but to have BOTH pods disabled, he just, just...
"Thomas you're a saint, a miracle sent in our darkest hour. Seriously man, we owe you."

His attention turned to Gwen. Every ounce of him just wanted to pick her up and twirl her around, like they used to. After a few moments to compose himself, he settled on a hug and a wide grin.
"I've never met a better hacker than you. You continue to save our asses day in and day out. Thank you, Gwen..."

After her response, he gives Reese a small smile, offers his hand.
"Reese, it's good to meet you. Thank you for scoping out that fire trap, it was definitely the more serious threat to us all."

Walking over to Eloise, he puts a hand on her shoulder with a warm smile.
"You were the first to jump to the task, and you gave it everything you could today. Let me know how I can help you, I'll do what I can."

By the time he finished his congratulations, Cal laid his eyes on Wren. He danced to him, pulling him in with one arm, the other bracing him, looking deep into his eyes.
"Don't think I forgot about you, Wren. You've rallied us when it was darkest, balancing precaution with necessary action. I don't think 'Chatty' does you justice. Would you mind if I called you Eagle, Talon or... Hawk?"
He grinned at the last part, his joy and relief just can't be contained.

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren let Cal lift him from the chair and accepted the hug. He was overwhelmed with relief and joy that everyone would live through the day. Before he could stop himself, he kissed Cal. "You can call me anything you want," he chuckled. " I've actually considered going by hawk once things took a dark turn..."

He realized his affection might have upset Gwen, so he walked over and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I'll admit, I like to be the hero but I've failed you all here and you Gwen, you are the hero today. Val will be so proud when we tell her what you did."

He turned to the group. "Thomas, thanks for helping save our assess, man. I'm so glad we finally met. And thanks to everyone for their efforts today. As I've been saying since day one, it takes a team effort to succeed."

"I feel pretty confident that I found morphling. I can do one more thing today, just let me know what..."

[Gwendolyn Fisk]

Gwen's smile was plastered on her face upon hearing Thomas's success. "Way to go Thomas!" she gave him a tight hug, "Dream team right here!"

Gwen blushed at the praise from Reese and Cal. She didn't know Reese very well, but she was excited to have a day or two in getting to know her. Same with Thomas. "Oh, it wasn't a big deal. Thomas really saved our butts disabling that last one. He's the real hero of the day." She noticed Cal's hug wasn't as enthusiastic as it usually was in these situations, but she hugged him back as tightly as she could and smiled back, It's probably to save some drama from Wren.

Gwen was more than surprised when Wren came over to her and kissed her on the cheek. He had never so much as hugged her up until now. She always figured that he wasn't that fond of her. "Oh, uh, thank you Wren." She gave him a warm smile, Maybe he's not so bad after all. Her smile faltered a bit at the mention of Val. She sighed inwardly, Hopefully, they are having just as much luck as we are.

"Same here. One more action for the day. Should I go for the morphling as well just in case someone else is trying for it, too? Otherwise I don't know what else to do other than spy on people. Otherwise, there's also that shiny looking weapon laying over there."

[Cal Mensen]

Cal nearly melts in Gwen's tight embrace, lets himself just enjoy it. If they do part ways today, he'd want to be able to talk to her one last time, too many thoughts left bottled up to not let that happen. "Alright, you're both the big damn heroes and everyone contributed... I should really contribute."

While wrapped up with Wren, he nods his head, still smiling. "I think Hawk suits you, and you don't need to be any darker for it to fit. Your prey is peace, and your eyes have never wavered from it, always circling overhead. Metaphors are hard, just remember I love you."

As Wren goes over to Gwen, Cal is genuinely surprised with the kiss on the cheek. He's touched that Wren would go out of his way to appreciate Gwen, especially with their past contested history. To be honest with himself, there was a scenario or two playing through his head where this could be taken a step further, but he lets them go. Why imagine idle fantasies when reality felt this good?

Cal notes Gwen's expression change when Wren mentioned Val. He feels a bit guilty not having been able to find a compromise for yesterday, but settled on trying his best to make it up to them today and tomorrow. He looks over the group.

"Well... we've got half a day left, and a reprieve from a quick and violent death. I think we've earned a little time to relax. Maybe there's a few things left to find in the hospital. Hell, maybe a rec room to take a load off. I'll meet you guys inside."

Great job guys. We still have the greater task at hand, keeping the hospital secure and confirming our new friends. I still can't hack for the rebels, so Gwen and Wren, do you think you can use your action to hack the point just in case? I have three actions left, I'll go ahead and grab the gun, we can figure who should best have it come movement phase. I'll also spy on Julian, try and get our ducks in line.

[Cal Mensen]

Walking through the abandoned hallways of the Hospital, Cal still can't shake the odd feeling wandering around the building. He chalks it up to the general atmosphere, still optimistic from their recent success with the pods.

After hearing a slight noise, Cal opens half-closed door. Inside he finds a pool table, a small music player and even some refreshments. Nothing substantial to live off of, but maybe something to stave off hunger. There was even a set of comfy chairs, figures take a load off as he settles into one.

OOC: Alright, so I failed the first spy roll, succeeded with a possible steal on my second spy on Julian and I've got a decent number on the SMG. Keep us up to date on your remaining actions, I'm up for RPing if others are, otherwise I think we're pretty set for the weekend.

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren followed Cal into the other room. He never expected to see a billiards room in a hospital, but then he also didn't expect to find love in the Hunger Games, let alone a war. He sunk into one of the chairs.

"I hate to ruin the mood, but we still don't know who's going to be working with us or against us now that we've disabled the pods..." Wren glanced back out at the group in the hall. "I'd like to believe we're all fighting for the same reasons, but there are some people here that I don't know much about."

Wren let out a sigh. "Guess I'll hang out, enjoy everyone's company, and relax a bit until we know more." He smiled at Cal. I'm trying to be more pleasant for her...I hope you see that..

"I can go check out security systems here and hack, just in case Julian or Reese is on the other side, if you guys want.

I'm not really sure what else to do, since we've taken care of pods, and likely already snagged the morphling and gun. Unless we truly doubt we've managed those pods and want a second search just in case.

I'd like to think Dante was right about Reese being rebel though, cause he told me that when he thought I was on his side... I... may have played some mind games with him before he died. I'm not so proud of that." Wren frowned. 
"So, should I hack?"

[Cal Mensen]

Cal smiles as Wren walks in, listening to his considerations. He nods, growing a little somber.

"There's a risk to all this, we are assuming that everyone is acting out of self-preservation when it came to those pods. But we've been down this path before. If we start suspecting everyone of being the sociopaths I could imagine myself being in their shoes... we lose what's been built and earned. At the very least, we'll have earned a little security, and no one had to be a martyr to earn it."

He looks to Wren, his hand reaching out to grasp his. He smiles warmly at him.

"I appreciate what you're doing for Gwen. This past week has not been easy for you, and you've been put in the most difficult position out of any of us. I'm with you, from now to the end. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask."

"I'm still in support of you hacking the systems, the last thing we want is all of this blowing up in our faces. I think we have the supplies and our spying will keep give us knowledge, finally. We also have a little bit of time, so I'm open to other opinions to be shared."

He moves his hand to Wren's shoulder, gently rubbing it, trying to sooth his frown.

"I don't judge you for it, you had an opportunity to keep your friends safe and took it. At least you didn't have a potential Sharlot at the time throwing in wrenches in the works. And you were right, not paranoid. If you're not comfortable doing that again, we don't have to. We can just be... forward, and honest."

[Reese Oberron]

"Thanks Cal." Looking over to Wren, "What he said is right, you act like I've got something to prove to you just because I'm not part of your clique. You talk like this and like that, but from what I can tell I helped out more than you did. You're acting just like Holly." Realizing she was getting worked up, "Look I'm not trying to get on your case, I just don't appreciate that, so just lay off and who knows we might actually like eachother."

Reese walks over to the pool table and grabs a que, "I thought the games were over." She let out a laugh and then realized she couldn't remember the last time she laughed. Looking around the room, "I'm sorry was that too soon? Anyways who's up?"

[Eloise Sugarglider]

"Now that we're safe, for the time being, how is everyone holding up?  I know it's been a rough couple of days.  We may want to start figuring out what we're going to do next."

Cal what the hell happened with you Gwen and Wren?  Why are things awkward and what did you do?!?

Hey, unless going for an item I think that all other actions should be used to hack.  There is nothing left to do, especially if we already have a spy on Reese and Julian.  Why not just make sure we have what we need.

[Gwendolyn Fisk]

Gwen walked into the room. It was going to be nice to have a few moments to relax. Looking around she noticed Cal and Wren sitting by each other, "Good to see this is a designated no banging zone," she grinned over at them.

Gwen noticed Reese over by the pool table looking very much like she needed a partner to play with. "I'll play! I've only ever watched people play, so don't laugh if I'm no good." For the moment she wasn't going to worry about who was against who. She had had enough of that the past couple days. For now, she just wanted to live in the moment.

"So just how much do you trust Reese? I have no problems spying on her if you want to hack. I'm always more comfortable with finding things out for myself rather than take someone's word, but if you two are comfortable with her then I could hack as well just to make extra sure we have this point."

Gwen paused, thinking. "I know we still have time to think about it, but what do we do now? It looks like this place has been picked over as far as food goes, but the morphling might be worth another day here." She glanced towards the watchtower. "Who knows what's happening over there, too. Unless a few people moved over there, Lartius was on his own. Chances are... he didn't make it. So who knows what's going to be waiting for us over there."

[Wren Hartwood]

Wren sighed and rubbed his temple at Reese's defensive remarks as she entered. 

"Can we not? Please. I've been through so much drama these past few days, and I'm done with it. Not once did I say I didn't trust YOU in particular. There's also Julian hanging around, whom I haven't spoken to since the feast. But now that you mention it, I don't know you very well either. I think people's actions speak to who they are more than their title. And I haven't seen much from you to make me distrust or dislike you, yet.

And you obviously don't know me or what I stand for or what I've done so I really don't think it's your place to judge who's more helpful here. So, I'm going to forgive you for your defensive attitude and judging remarks and give you a chance to be pleasant. Because that's who I am." He glanced at Cal. "I forgive people."

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sit and relax, maybe hold Cal's hand, and watch you ladies play a game of pool."

He winked at Gwen, "I hope you're better at this than dancing. I hear your moves are sub-par compared to Val's." Wren laughed.

"I think Thomas spied on Reese. Cal has Julian accounted for. I think I found morphling, Cal might have found a gun. I'll hack for us, just in case.
Sorry about just now. I'm sick of fucking drama though."