legionworld | (no subject)

76 is not exactly thrilled with this turn of events, if these events are even real. He’s not convinced this isn’t some kind of simulation meant to ply him for intelligence—he wouldn’t put it past some of his enemies, but he has to admit this is extremely elaborate.

He doesn’t take the oath. Says that he needs time to consider, but that’s sort of a lie because he doesn’t intend to concede unless they can come up with an extremely good reason for him to do so. This isn’t his fight. The Legion, as it’s been described, reminds him all too much of Overwatch, and he’s not sure he’s ready to walk that road again, not after how that went down. Saving the world (universe? multiverse?) is all well and good, of course, but 76 has learned the hard way what an impossible task it really is. He’s not keen on doing it again—doesn’t trust that they’re not making the same mistakes he did.

It wouldn’t frustrate him so much if he hadn’t been right in the middle of progress back home. He’d found Ana. Felt for the first time in a very long time that he was on his way to answers, and now this. Is it any wonder he doesn’t want to sign himself over to this?

The observation deck is almost laughably appropriate for this kind of introspection. 76 could have gone to space (or at least into orbit) whenever he wanted, but he’d never exactly found time, like he never found time for an innumerable list of things. Now, he spends his first few hours out of the medbay staring down at the Earth, wondering what he could have done differently, or if this was inevitable all along.

This huge dude in full tactical gear and deep contemplation is definitely someone you want to talk to, right? Right.

2 - Sim Room/Training Gym

But he’s not about to let himself be idle. Hallucination or simulation or not, it pays to keep sharp, so when he’s not trying to learn every inch of this new place, he’s running himself through almost everything he can get his hands on in the training facilities. Since he can't do anything to solve his current problem (one which is still a little baffling to him), he figures now is as good a time as any to go blow off some steam by shooting things.

76 isn’t especially creative when it comes to this sort of thing, so he programs up a relatively simple target range, which he guesses is a nice thing to be able to do. Being kidnapped to space and/or being stuck in a space hallucination is no excuse to let himself slip.

You might not want to interrupt him while he’s shooting (his very big gun), but maybe, possibly, he will not react badly to being approached. We can hope, anyway.

3 - Wildcard

((I can roll with whatever you want to throw at me. I can write you your own starter. I will do anything and everything. Hit me up on plurk at whitticus!))

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Target range...is actually a pretty good idea. OK, so it's pretty lame as a simulation, but why not load up something simple and easy for some uncomplicated target practice. That was more or less what she was here for.

Just...with a long-range taser and not a really big gun.

Yeah, he doesn't look like the kind of guy who's into sharing his space. But what's that they say about books and covers? Well, yeah you have to read the front of the cover to get an idea of what the book is, and the back cover for the price and maybe the inside of the dust jacket for the synopsis and in this case the author's biography would really help a lot as well...

Where was she going with any of this, except to make her stand there staring at the back of his head like a creep for a solid minute.

"Uh, hi."

No, Pidge, on the inside, 76 is just as prickly as he looks. For a long while, he doesn't acknowledge the company, preferring to focus on targets and his gun that his currently shooting the targets. But he stays in his lane, indicating that if Pidge wants to do some practice of her own, he's not going to stop her.

Eventually, however, the feel of eyes on him is far too uncomfortable, and he fires off the end of his clip, lowering his rifle when he's done.

"Need something?"

He sounds a little bit like he's been gargling fiberglass. Oof.

"Just...wanted to make sure you knew I was here. You know, so you didn't shoot me. Not that I think you're a bad shot or anything! Just, you know, safety."

Right, now that she's awkwarded her way into...something that might have a chance to not be awkward in the future, she can take up a spot somewhat away from him. What she wants to do is see if she can reliably hit multiple targets with one whip, and that takes a lot of room to do.

"I knew you were there."

He'd be a terrible soldier if he wasn't able to pay attention to his surroundings at all times. 76 is finely-tuned to any infringement on his (fairly large) personal bubble, and he'd detected Pidge in his periphery long before he stopped shooting.

"Range is big enough for the two of us. You can go ahead."

"Right! OK! Thanks!"

She's not exactly convinced she isn't bothering him but, well, if he's not going to tell her to get lost then she won't. She can't deny that she'd prefer to train by herself for something that doesn't involve teamwork, but there's nothing she can do about it. A moment later, she's altered up her own space in the target range, one more suited for long range archery than gunplay.

She takes a fighting stance, pulls out her bayard, and shoots. The green energy whip flies forward and breaks a target, and she snaps it to the side, letting it slice open another target and get snagged in a third. Pushing the button snaps the cord tight and she yanks it backwards to free it, causing the target to snap in half.

Good, but not near enough power in the initial swing to take out all three targets.

76 doesn't go back to his own training right away, instead choosing to keep an eye on what Pidge is doing under the pretense of futzing with his rifle. With the visor on, it's hard to see exactly what he's staring at, and he uses that to his advantage (he doesn't need to look at his rifle to take it apart, after all), keeping an eye on her.

He makes note of her weapon, her stance. The way she uses it and the fact that she doesn't hit all three targets.

"Is that yours, or something you picked up here?"

Pidge was on the verge of forgetting he was there until he spoke up at which she starts a little. Actually the fact that she can't really tell what he's looking at is more than a little unsettling, and it's clear that it puts her on edge.

"It's...my bayard. I got it back home when my friends and I joined Team Voltron."

People who don't care about putting other people on edge: 76. It's entirely possible he likes to put people on edge, and if he's at all apologetic about making her nervous (he's not), he doesn't show it.

"What's Team Voltron?"

This conversation is about you now, Pidge.

She was in the Garrison, she can probably handle 76. Probably.

"Well, my and my friends have been tasked to pilot five robot lions that combine to form the most powerful weapon in the universe in order to liberate it from the tyrannical rule of the Galra empire."

Somehow, no matter how many times she does it, explaining it doesn't get any less weird.

To 76’s credit, he pays attention—if the minute tilt of his head is any indication. That doesn’t mean he really understands it (Galra empire? okay), but he doesn’t interrupt her. At the end of it, he seems to pick up one thing.

“You’re a mech pilot?”

That’s what it sounds like, anyway. Even if there are lions?

Well, he didn't laugh in her face...

"Yep. The name's Pidge, pilot of the green lion and Voltron's left arm."

...Let's see if he does now.

He's not going to laugh, but now he does look sort of confused, if any kind of expression can be discerned when all of his face is covered. It's not the idea of smaller mecha combining into a much larger entity--that much he can grasp.

It's mostly the lions.

"Why lions?"

She's going to tell him they're shaped like lions, isn't she.

Pidge can't do anything but shrug.

"You know, I wondered that too. Why would an alien species make robots to look like lions unless they either also had lions on their planet or made contact with earth sometime in the past? Unless the Alteans had a mythical being that looked like a lion from misread fossils or mistranslated legends..."

It can only really turn into a ramble if she has more answers to spring questions from. For now, she can really only shrug.

"...Long story short, I have no idea."