mr. sandman, man me a sand

[marsascending]

Who: sleepy idols
Where: your dreams
When: Night 152

[ hope y'all are having sweet dreams~

because you're getting at least one visitor! ]

Comments

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Leaning in to examine one of those propaganda posters more closely]

Could they be a little less obvious...?

[purrrnicious]

[One of the guards down the hall turns to look at the sound of Intensity's voice, his armour creaking, before he settles back in to his original position.





Until he does a double-take, starting for his weapon.]


Hey! You're not authorized to be here! Who're you––?!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Holds his hands up, revealing that he is unarmed. And yet he still sounds as arrogant as ever]

Private contractor.

If you want people not to get lost in this metallic maze, maybe you should put up signs.

[purrrnicious]

[It's hard to tell how he's reacting with the helmet over his face –– it distorts even his voice –– but he sounds confused when he echoes:]

Private. . . contract. . .?



[He then unhooks his weapon –– it looks electrical and unfriendly, but otherwise very alien –– and while he doesn't power it or aim it he keeps it at his side, striding forward.]

Let's see your papers.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Reaches into his coat to pull them out. Does he have papers? Yes. But probably not the ones this guard is looking for.]

This again?

Don't trust the guards positioned at the entrance. This is a shoddy way to greet someone you've invited.

[purrrnicious]

[He reaches for the papers to check them.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[They're plot notes.

And Intensity wastes no time trying to relieve the guard of his weapon.




It's like he didn't learn anything from last time]

[purrrnicious]

[WELL





IT WORKS

By virtue of this being a random faceless mook in an evil army. He pretty much exists to be defeated.]

Hey––!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Thank god for level 1 NPCs.

Zapping the shit out of him then. (Hopefully this tech isn't that hard to figure out)]

[purrrnicious]

[Nah, it's pretty straightforward. The guard goes down with a satisfying mookish YAAAARGH, but some of the discharge is dispersed across the armour, so it's not safe to assume he's going to stay down long.

It doesn't look like there was anyone else in the hallway to overhear the scuffle.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[How tall is this mook?

Tall enough that Intensity can steal the armor?]

[purrrnicious]

[...yeeeeeees, if he's okay with leaving a nearly naked guard mook in a supply closet somewhere, that's an option, sure.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Of course he is! He's a 90s villain. This follows perfect cartoon logic. Guess the mook can have his trenchcoat since it's not going to do him any good.

Intensity settles the helmet over his face, re-holstering the weapon at his hip, and then heads further down the hallway.]

[purrrnicious]

[It branches off here and there into other hallways, there are doorways as he goes (mostly supply closets or doors locked to only certain security clearances) but if he continues down the hallway, he'll be able to start to hear a raised voice echoing from somewhere up ahead.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[He approaches the voice cautiously - prepared to pretend that he is a patrolling officer if he does seen anyone come around the corner.]

[purrrnicious]

[Whoever it is, they're not the ones moving. There's a bend in the hall that leads to an open door that leads to a room that's frankly crowded –– it looks like some kind of lecture, a man who is, uh. . . not human is the only definitive thing you could say. He has narrow slit eyes and an odd, bluish colouration. Somewhat reptilian, though he doesn't look like any lizard species that would be familiar to Intensity, and has a flat, brutish face rather than a long snout.

The audience is entirely children, the youngest around 6 or 7 and the oldest are teenagers around Intensity's age, all in simple uniforms with a red, gray, and white colour scheme. They're clustered according to their age groups and the level of attention they're giving the lecturer varies.

Pass it by or go a little closer?]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[He pauses by the door, trying to stay out of sight and listen in on what exactly Lizardman is teaching these impressionable young minds]

[purrrnicious]

[Propaganda! Very clearly more indoctrination! He's going on about fighting and putting your life on for the Horde and the importance of battling the ~evil princesses~ and that the great Lord Hordak will lead everyone to victory.

And it segues into the related importance of training and following the rules and orders and not questioning authority etc. etc.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Princesses. Where has he heard that before?

Oh.

Yeah.

Tries to stealthily peek into the room. Looking for a certain cat.]

[purrrnicious]

[No one seems too concerned now that he's in guard armor. But good call, there is a cat present –– she's with the teen group at the back, leaning against the wall and whispering to Cap/Adora, slightly apart from the others and not even trying to look like she's paying any attention.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

. . .

[He'll slip back out of sight, back against the wall and pretending that this area is his post until the lessons are complete]

[purrrnicious]

[It goes on for awhile, really, but eventually the lecturer dismisses them all –– some to classrooms, some to training rooms, others to various chore duties, etc. Eventually Kohime's group is coming his way –– a tall green lizard dude, a scrawny blond boy, a dark-skinned muscular girl with her hair in cornrows, and Kohime and Cap/Adora taking up the rear. Kohime does a quick loop around Adora as she's telling some story or another, gesturing animatedly, but then she falls into step beside the other girl.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[He keeps his post until they are out of sight.

And then quietly - he moves to follow them]

[purrrnicious]

[Eventually everyone peels off and it's just Adora and Kohime. They're talking about some sort of military campaign against a strategic rebel outpost "Taisho". Apparently it went well, minimal casualties on their side, a relatively short action requiring less of a resource drain. Adora is wearing a red Horde jacket and slacks and Kohime has a red body suit with a couple of belts looped around her waist. It doesn't look strictly regulation, but with her more physical and flexible combat style, it's probably just adapted for her to be able to move better in.

Maybe of interest is that Kohime is actually undecorated –– it's Adora who has a badge pinned to her chest, denoting some sort of rank.

They arrive at what looks like a locker room, harder to get close to them without being notice because of the layout –– it's a separate room with doors at either end, though the one they entered through remains open for now. Adora goes to a locker and starts putting things away, Kohime hops up on the bench bolted to the floor in the center and begins to pace it.]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Taisho, huh? And Kohime not yet a Force Captain.

Entering the locker room would be bad news but he doesn't want to risk losing them if they go out the opposite exit either. So much like the classroom, he puts himself somewhere near the entrance and poses as if this was his station.

Not close enough to see, but hopefully close enough to hear anything that goes on]