Logs:Peer-to-peer

Peer-to-peer
Dramatis Personae Avi, Nahida, Nevaeh, Quentin, Sriyani
In Absentia	2024-08-10 "Born ready, stay ready." (shortly after a distress signal. part of mojo tp.)
Location <MAD> Floating Market - Buccaneer Bay
Sorry to the tropical fish in this section of the bay, because over here at the very fringe edge of the boisterous floating festivities, one boat has found itself quite unusually moored. A thick crust of ice has deeply improbably formed, not just around the entire base of the boat but extending in a long thick pillar down to lock onto the shallow bay floor, another thick bridge extending to hold the boat securely to the two boats nearest it. Despite some crunching and cracking, the pirates have not quite yet managed to untether themselves. From the agitated voices above, they very (very) much have already suspected Some Mutant Shenanigans here. Judging by their frantic agitation and accusatory tone between themselves, they haven't yet figured out exactly where the interference is coming from. Several boats away, now, on a much larger yacht, Sriyani has been peeking through a door that should lead into a cramped toilet but instead leads out into the mess. They close it again and with it, shuts out the raised voices. "Okay," they don't need to be whispering now, but they're whispering anyway, "when I open the door, Quentin be ready to tell the kid they can go. Nevaeh you're lookout? And if we need a distraction..." They're glancing to their last companions but instead deciding: "-- hopefully we won't need a distraction." Nevaeh has wrapped up her braids in a pink floral scarf to keep them out of her way in case they do see some action, though she is still very much not dressed for action in her bright yellow sundress and pretty red sandals. Her nerves are jangling and keep flitting to memories of Lassiter before she winds them back with the firm admonition that a few pirates are in no way the same as dozens of mutant mercenaries with Sentinels. But as Sriyani closes the door and goes over their very simple plan, she's thinking very firmly about the child she saw in her vision. She nods very seriously. "I'm ready." "Born ready, stay ready." Avi is not feeling quite as cocky as he sounds -- he's trying hard not to think of Brendan fighting side-by-side with him at the Lassiter gates, but he is thinking it anyway. Still, he's also come to the conclusion that a few pirates are not really the same scale of thread, and also is riding a little bit high on the trouble he's already caused (sorry to the fish but he is not considering their terrified lives at all.) Nahida is standing just a little behind the others, bangles jingling in absent jitter around her wrist as her hand taps lightly at one arm. "Hopefully," she says a little drily, "their God frowns on murdering on the holidays." "Our gods are fine with a little murder here and there. As a treat." Quentin is very reassuring right now, for sure. He doesn't echo Nevaeh's nerves but he does pass along the mental image of the child. "Let's go." Sriyani takes a deep breath. When they pull the door open again, it's not the cramped head but an also-cramped storage room. Tucked among the crates and boxes is a skinny young teenager in jeans and sandals and a blue kurti. Somewhat unfortunately, they aren't alone in the room -- the Mutant Hijinx have prompted the pirates to send a pair of guards down, one perched (with pistol in hand) on a crate facing the door and the other currently not visible but certainly sensible to Quentin where they're on the other side of the newly opened portal, thinking strongly irritated thoughts that they would much rather be getting some chili crab than dealing with this shit on the holiday and all. The flood of new information spills over to the others all in a (totally not-panicked Quentin is confident and they got this but maaaybe the thoughts have a little bit of a frenetic << (oh shit) >> edge) rush. The kid, the armed guards, and Quentin's << (come with us) >> << We can get you out of here >> << (freaks too) >> ripples to the captive teen all in a sudden spill. It's underlaid with << don't shoot don't shoot >> but, regrettably, Quentin's budding powers of mind control are not yet honed enough to do this reliably on command. Nahida is stepping just a little bit closer to Sriyani. Despite Quentin's (totally not) panic she's quite calm; her eyes flick rapid from one side of the small room to the other and then its sturdy crates are beginning to multiply, rapid. They're growing higher right under the guard who sits on them, rapid enough to send him tumbling backwards behind the new Wall Of Boxes, and they're building up into less of a wall and more of a messy heap that piles up between the kids and the unseen guard. "There's a better party outside," she's saying lightly to the frightened teen, "if you want to join us." << born ready >> Avi is chanting silent in his mind, << stay ready >>. It does actually help to steady his nerves and, though already Kind Of Tired from anchoring the boat here to begin with he's stepping forward now, a thick layer of ice building up over the crates to reinforce Nahida's makeshift barriers. Nevaeh, also totally not panicking, is doing her lookout duty without actually looking into the room at the pirates. She has, in fact, backed away and tucked herself behind Avi, though not actually out of fear so much as mindful of frightening the child they're trying to rescue. She gasps quietly, and Quentin sees in her mind a terrified jumble of this door and a different door, these pirates and heavily armed mercenaries, but what she actually cries out is, "Another one is about to come through the door!" The first guard goes tumbling with a startled cry to fall behind the growing ice wall. There's a blam-blam as he falls, though the bullets lodge harmlessly, one in the ceiling to scatter some chips of wood and dust and the other to stick firm in the wall of crates and ice. The second is starting to try and scramble up over the barrier, only to slide repeatedly back as it grows more erratic and more slick. As promised, there's another pirate, burly and bearded and armed, just appearing on the opposite side of Sriyani's door, blocking the way between the teen (who's just scrambled confused but tentatively hopeful to their feet) and the X-Kids. The man takes one look at the captive, at the mess, then spins around to fire a rapid few shots directly at the children on the other side of the door. The noise is terrifyingly loud, the bullets terrifyingly close, but they stop dead in the air, hitting against seemingly nothing right as they veer towards the kids on the other side of the portal. The bullets clatter to the ground and Quentin is hastily adjusting his stance -- where he'd reflexively thrown one arm up in an automatic flinch now he's holding his hand outstretched confidently like yeeeeah I totally MEANT to do that. There's a similar arrogance to it as he sweeps his hand to the side like he's shooing away some pest -- the pirate just shooting at them stumbles hard toward the ice wall as his gun lurches abruptly sideways. << We got you. >> "Shiiit, these guys got no chill." A layer of ice is growing out of the wall where the gun has lurched, cementing the weapon into a thick crust. Avi is buffing his nails lightly against his shirt. "S'cool, though, they can borrow mine." The youth is letting out a quiet eep but then scampering past the hampered guard and through the doorway, which Sriyani promptly closes behind them. There's gratitude in the other teen's mind, but worry too, vague and cluttered with thoughts of other homeless Madripoorean mutants gone recently missing. "Thanks!" they're saying, all the same, and then: "Did you get the others, too?"