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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 22, 2019 17:52:01 GMT -5
"Gooooooooood morning, Nexus Island! It's a beautiful day here in William Lowe's ventral cavity, so get on up outta bed, grab yourself nice, hot cup of coffee, and fill those lungs with a big ol' breath of fresh air, 'cause a great big world of adventure is out there waitin' for ya!"
As Proteus II gently bobbed and weaved through the surrounding chest muscles, Lydia spun around in her pilot seat, feeling surprisingly energetic despite some slightly stiff joints. She gulped down half a bottle of water in one swig, then after capping it with a refreshed sigh of relief, she danced to the music currently being broadcasted through her headset and the radio attached to her humble host's eardrum. She twisted her hips, she swayed her arms, she mouthed along to the lyrics, all while she finished booting up her pod's instruments. At one point, she tapped her visual feed monitor to the beat as if playfully inspecting whether or not it was on. She knew full well that it was. Her cameraman just hadn't taken the lens off the camera.
"C'mon, sunshine!" she continued in a giddy tease. "Up and at 'em! We got a big day ahead of us, and I'm not just speaking relatively from my perspective!"
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Feb 23, 2019 10:56:09 GMT -5
"Oy vey..."
Will groaned and slowly opened his eyes, feeling around for his glasses. He heard the outdated pop song in his head, and yes he was sure it was in his head, he hadn't turned on the radio last night. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Gimme a moment to actually get up." Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the blonde slowly got to his feet and made his way towards the coffee machine. "Hope you like black. Can't stand anything else."
Click click, psssssht. Oh sweet merciful heavens. That's the disgusting bean juice he couldn't function without. Bringing the mug to his lips, Will looked around for anyone else...
"Sorry. Kinda a grouch without my morning fix."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 23, 2019 11:45:23 GMT -5
Behind the closed bathroom door, Max was already wide awake and nearly ready for her day.
For lack of anything else to wear, she had opted to simply don the same outfit she had worn yesterday. It might not have been the most professional-looking, but it was still clean, she didn't have time to run home, and none of the clothes in Lydia's suitcase were any better. At least she had her makeup in her purse, which she was currently in the middle of applying. And at least she had all the equipment she needed to conduct as convincing an interview as she could.
One last swipe of mascara and Max was primed and ready to go. All that was left was breakfast. From there, the biggest hurdle she would have to face was ensuring that her new accomplices didn't screw anything up.
With a deep breath, she threw her makeup kit back into her tote bag and stepped out of the bathroom. She was quickly greeted by the rich smell of fresh coffee.
"Well, glad to know we're already on the right track," she mused humorously as she stepped into the kitchen, nodding to Will before she started rooting through the fridge. "Morning. You ready for action?"
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Post by ColArana on Feb 24, 2019 22:10:22 GMT -5
Ryan seemed quite awake already, and had been for some time. He needed very little sleep after-all and had come back online only a few hours after everyone else had passed out. Still, he'd done his best to be quiet so as not to wake anyone. "Good morning you two." He said, seeing Will getting up and Max entering the room. "Hope you all slept well. We're going to need it today." He suggested. He'd already had the coffee brewing by the time that Will had begun to stumble toward the machine. He smiled at Max. "I ate before the two of you woke up so help yourselves." He advised.
"So, Max. What's the plan for today then?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 27, 2019 11:29:23 GMT -5
Lydia couldn't help but chuckle at Will's grumpy demeanor. Maybe even a little at herself. Honestly, she wasn't completely certain why she was in such a good mood. Normally she was the antithesis of a morning person, thanks in no small part to waking up most days of the week with a hangover. Part of her felt like she should've been sour given the circumstances, but for some reason, she simply wasn't.
Well, regardless of her current emotional state, she wasn't about to say no to that morning pick-me-up. "Just straight black, huh? No complaints here! That's how I like my coffee. And my men. Pfft... That was a terrible joke, I'm sorry. Just save some for me, alright? I'll be there in a jiff!"
As she made her request, Lydia opened a vein and slipped the pod inside, setting herself on a charted course to the esophagus and her breakfast. As she piloted her ship through the bloodstream, still humming that classic tune all the while, she looked to her monitor and spotted Max out of the corner of Will's eye. "Punctual as ever, I see."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Feb 27, 2019 11:58:30 GMT -5
"If you want anything, feel free to take it if I haven't marked it. We should have some jam and butter." After deeming himself awake enough, Will walked over to a bag on the counter and pulled out a bagel. "Excuse me," he said, reaching over Max to retrieve what appeared to be cream cheese and salmon, although the containers were labeled in a strange language. "Sorry 'bout the fish smell so early. It's what my siblings and I usually have at this hour."
"Morning!" Percy's door slammed open, the brunette already fully-dressed. Pieces of what seemed to be a comb were tangled in his hair. "So! What's the plan? Ooh, cream cheese and lox bagel?"
"Touch my food and I will murder you in your sleep."
"Worth a shot. Hmm, I wonder if it'll still taste good...?" Percy fished around his coat for a pizza box, producing several slices and allowing the microwave to heat them. "Can I have coffee?"
"You're on a ban until you either turn eighteen or learn to curb your energy levels, remember?"
"Damn, I was hoping you forgot." Defeated, the brunette reached into the fridge for a carton of orange fluid, the label in the same language as the cream cheese and salmon.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 5, 2019 20:12:00 GMT -5
"No worries," Max mused, hardly bothered by William's breakfast of choice, simply grabbing herself some eggs out of the fridge. She smiled to Ryan and Percy in turn before rooting though the cabinets for a skillet and cooking oil. "Morning, fellas! Glad to see some sunshiny faces. We'll need that charisma to get through today."
As she got to work fixing herself some scrambled eggs, Max obliged with the boys' request and started detailing her plan. "Well, I checked the train schedule. Our ride for the north mountains pulls out at nine forty-five, so we'll wanna be at the station to catch it by nine thirty. Like I said last night, we're scheduled to meet Andrew at the lab at ten thirty. Our ruse is that you guys are journalism students shadowing me and we're there to talk about LunArc's new robot super suit. I jotted down a list of interview topics and questions for the sake of authenticity. It probably wouldn't hurt for you guys to act like you're taking notes and ask a few questions yourselves now and then, but you can leave most of the talking to me. Your primary job is to look around the lab for any signs of Lydia. Any clues where we can find her or what they want."
She turned and smirked almost knowingly at Will. "As long as neither of those thugs from yesterday are there, I don't think keeping our cool and acting like we're just there for an interview is too demanding a challenge, right?"
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Post by ColArana on Mar 5, 2019 21:34:33 GMT -5
Ryan grinned at Max's comment about a sunshiny face. "Yep! I slept really well last night!" Blatant lies, obviously. "This is the first time I've done anything like this, so... I dunno if anyone has experience with this sort of infiltration thing?" He asked. "I mean I know this is Max's job too but..." He bit his lip. Damnit. Should he tell them? A literal life was at stake here.... William's and Percy's shenanigans drew Ryan's eye for a moment, distracting him from his thoughts for a moment, and he smiled. It was nice to see that they could stay so... relaxed, in a situation like this. Looking at Will intensely for a moment, Ryan wondered how Lydia was doing in there.
Max was still talking though, discussing the route. "Nine thirty huh? We can catch that easily enough." He continued listening and his eyes widened. "W-wow. Seriously, that's... you've thought this through haven't you?" He praised Max. "Alright then! I'm ready when you all are!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Mar 5, 2019 21:48:55 GMT -5
"Thinking things through was something Max always had over me," Lydia mused to herself, considering Ryan couldn't hear her response to his comments. Bearing this in mind, though, she couldn't help but feel a little bad that her own plans would inevitably conflict with Max's. It was a shame to put all her ex's hard work to waste, but hey, she was braced for the hurricane at this point.
Right now, though, she was trying not to think too hard about that. With Proteus II attached to the inside of William's esophagus, all Lydia cared about was catching the coffee that rained down from above in the thermos currently extended from the pod. Once that much had been accomplished, she retracted the mechanical arm holding the thermos and pulled it back inside, promptly helping herself to that hot, strong, bitter concoction with a wistful sigh.
"Hey there Mister Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you..."
Max did have a point, though... The biggest issue Lydia would likely face was keeping Will calm enough to carry out this plan. His role was so much more important than Max gave him credit for, after all.
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 6, 2019 12:28:34 GMT -5
"Oh, uh. Interview, huh? Maybe I should dress up a bit." Percy took a swig of orange juice before vanishing back into his room. Shuffling sounds could be heard. Glad that Percy wasn't around to rib on him, Will took a bite of his bagel before looking back up at Max.
"Uh, yeah. I... I can do that. Maybe I should put something else on." Will scratched the back of his head. "Hmm, should I dress up or down? Maybe actually comb my hair? No, it'll end up looking like this by the time we're at whatever..."
His heart was beating fast, though his clothes obscured most signs of nervousness.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 6, 2019 12:42:40 GMT -5
Max let out a slight chuckle, one that was less humorous and more uneasy. "I would recommend dressing up a little. Formal wear isn't necessary, but we still wanna look professional, y'know?"
She slid her eggs out of the skillet and onto a plate, then she started eating them standing up, her eyes trained on Will and Ryan. In between bites, she continued, "My biggest concern is that this plan doesn't offer us much leeway to explore every nook and cranny of the research lab. We'll basically be limited to whatever rooms Andrew tours us through, and there's no guarantee that we'll find any evidence of Lydia or their attack on Mexus on that linear path. If anyone has any suggestions on how we can conduct a more thorough investigation, I'm all ears."
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Post by ColArana on Mar 6, 2019 18:44:59 GMT -5
Ryan pondered and looked at the time. "Hmm... I didn't bring a change of clothes either. I could race home and see if I could dress up, or something I guess...." It occurred to Ryan that under normal circumstances, he'd have been wearing his outfit for about twenty four hours straight. At least he no longer had to really worry about body odor anymore, so they'd be clean enough. "But that's only if you guys have enough time. I'll make do with whatever." He suggested, and glanced at Will and Percy. "Actually, I don't suppose you have any clothes you don't mind lending out?"
As Max suggested ways to conduct a more thorough search, Ryan thought for a moment. "...There's... something I can do. I think. Umm.... I'm sorry to do this, but I can't explain right now." He told Max. "But, I don't suppose anyone here has sunglasses? They'll be important." He suggested, and looked around for a moment. Ryan was still uncertain about telling everyone what he was (even though Percy already knew), but realized he could potentially remove his eye and send it into places that he couldn't normally go to. Or apply a number of his other cybernetic abilities to do so.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Mar 6, 2019 19:29:41 GMT -5
After taking a big swig of coffee, Lydia smirked at her monitor with a deep sigh and a small chuckle. Some small part of her psyche, the part with a particularly morbid sense of humor, was a bit curious to see what kind of drama would unfold once she turned this plan on its head. Sure, she still felt pity for Max, and Will's elevated heart rate was fairly conspicuous from her position, but in all fairness, madness had become par for the course for the microscopic voyager.
"Don't worry about it too much, Will," Lydia offered as she started unwrapping a granola bar. "You and I are gonna have our own business to deal with when we get there. You won't have to talk to this Andrew guy a whole lot. Don't worry, I'll explain it when we get there and I have a better idea of what we're getting into."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 7, 2019 14:24:08 GMT -5
"I... might have something. Just..." Will stood up, leaving his half-finished breakfast on the table. "Hang on. Do we have a few minutes? I might have an extra suit in my case... And some hair tonic, perhaps..." Sighing, the blonde slumped towards his room, closing the door behind him. Just moments later, Percy's door swung open.
"How do I look?" The brunette was clad now in a dark green suit jacket and lighter pants, a white dress shirt visible underneath, a pair of fake eyeglasses on his face. A purple hairtie was wrapped around one of his wrists, and he carried a pair of black loafers in one hand. "I'll tie my hair back when we get close, and I'll put the shoes on when we're about to go in." Clearly, Percy found the idea of wearing shoes uncomfortable. "Also, I, uh, have a... distinct appearance." He motioned to the markings on his face. "Is there some way I could mask these? Just in case?"
---
"... Well. Here it is. My dad's old suit." Will shot a strange look at the black suit. "He was broader in the shoulder than me. And broader overall." Holding the jacket up to his chest, he frowned at the width difference. "I can just throw on a polo and khakis if you think that's too much. ... Yes, I have those."
He made his way over to the bathroom, pulling out a tonic in a purple bottle, labeled in the same language as the cream cheese. "Hair tonic. It's supposed to keep your hair tidy. 'Course, look at mine..." Will yanked at a lock in frustration, before reaching to an ear and beginning to remove the piercings. "Okay, polo or suit? Slick it back or steal one of Percy's hairties that he never uses?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 7, 2019 19:36:12 GMT -5
Max offered Ryan an awkward frown and an empathetic shrug. "Hmm... Yeah, I don't know if we'd have the time for a pit stop. Borrowing an outfit might be your best bet. As for sunglasses... well, I have a pair that's pretty unisex, but might not be your size. I'm mostly worried about how conspicuous that might look, though..."
She quickly finished her eggs and got to work cleaning her dishes, looking up as Will left to change and Percy entered with new attire. The latter earned a smile and a nod of approval from Max. "Looking spiffy. That oughta work." A wary chuckle escaped her throat. "If you're worried about your facial markings, I could try covering them with some foundation. It might not be your exact skin tone, but it could get the job done."
Her eyes briefly glanced at William's abandoned breakfast. What were the chances of Percy making a move at it while he was in his room, she wondered. Max briefly considered thwarting any theft attempts, but ultimately said nothing on the matter and opted to let Percy do whatever he wanted, if only for the sake of potential schadenfreude.
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