[PLAYER PLOT | HUB SCANNING SYSTEM INSTALLATION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Any coven members interested in installing the hub scanning system OR exploring the (???) on the map!
Where: From the mansion to the peak of the hub's tallest mountain.
When: Day 128
Open/Closed: OTA!

[ Come one, come all, it's time to head to the top of the Hub mountain! Whether your character has been involved in the preparations up till now or not, anyone near the mansion on this clear morning can join the expedition that's going out. The mission: to boldly install some monitoring equipment up on top of a mountain, and see what's there while you're in the area. Time for departures and last-minute tinkering! ]

((ooc note: If you'd like to backdate any participation, please feel free to comment to the post linked above -- if not, jump in from here!))

Comments

[talim]

Okay, maybe I was trudging a bit.

Remember what happened last time we were up here together? You had to carry me all the way to your place. It was still abandoned at the time.

[deem]

This is further than we ventured before, come to think of it...

[If 9S had such data, he would've shared it with the others. But his mapping had eventually focused more on the western side of the island than anything else.

He wonders, just for a moment, what 4S would think of this place. He'd fared incredibly well in the Forest Kingdom, even without a pod of his own]

I remember.

[talim]

Sort of crazy to think about how much we've been through together in such a short span of time.

[deem]

We really have, huh?

[It really hasn't been all that long, in the scheme of things. But he and 2B hadn't existed for more than a handful of years — or YoRHa itself for that matter]

And you always surprise me.

[talim]

I do? Really?

[ jude tilts his head, curious, hair tickling 9s' neck. ]

[deem]

You haven't noticed?

[His amusement seeps into his voice, a smile tugging at his lips]

Here I thought it was obvious.

[talim]

Not exactly. You're the one surprising me all the time. I don't think I do anything particularly shocking.

[deem]

I wouldn't call it shocking—well, maybe sometimes.

[talim]

... Like what?

[deem]

Like making explosions with your fists, for starters.

[talim]

But can't you do that, too?

[deem]

Nope, pretty sure that's just you.

[talim]

But you probably could if you wanted to.

[deem]

I'd have to get creative.

[Or do something Jude really frowns upon like overheat his systems.

But they're having a nice talk here so he won't mention that]

All the same, it really surprised me.

[talim]

Well, it was quite a while ago...

Meanwhile, you probably surprise me almost every day.

[deem]

How do I surprise you? Not like I do anything new or weird...

[talim]

Well...

[ glancing around to make sure nobody in the near vicinity is paying attention, just because he's not sure how self-conscious 9s is, jude presses a light kiss to his ear. it's the closest place he can reach. ]

Every time you do something like this, I'm surprised all over again. A good kind of surprised.

[deem]

[It makes him jolt, if only because he didn't expect it. The movement is minute, but Jude surely can notice since he's carrying him]

I-I'd hope it's the good kind... I don't like upsetting you.

[Although he's accepted that it is, at times, inevitable]

[talim]

[ he does, and all he does is laugh softly into 9s' ear. ]

I know. Your surprises have never upset me, Nines.

[deem]

[9S won't remind him of the ones that have]

That's the way I'd prefer it to be.

[talim]

You have nothing to worry about.

[ jude's head droops over 9s' shoulder, perhaps a little too close but not minding the proximity in the least. ]

And I prefer the same.

[deem]

Geez, I'd think so...

[It's not as though he minds the proximity either, as they make their way along with the others. He imagines it'd be quite a sight, the whole procession of them following the mountain pass]

[talim]

[ jude doesn't seem to mind it, at least. he allows his eyes to slip shut. just for a minute, he tells himself. ]

You did good out there. I'm proud of you.

[deem]

[Hearing such things always warms 9S, and pertinent to their line of conversation, it surprises him too]

You're always generous with the compliments, aren't you?

[talim]

I'm only being honest.

[ and he knows that 9s thrives off of praise. so jude will give it to him, as much as he possibly can. he deserves it more than anyone. ]