[closed]

[rhygret]

Who: Rhys, Vaughn, Steph, & Santo Ravindra (NPC)
Where: Old Town, Westerley
When: W6D6
Summary: tmw u hit up a possibly mad scientist for climatology & such
Restrictions/Warnings: Rhys. That's all that needs to be said.

[ The Summit is over (thank god), and Team Badlands is back in business.

...They're not actually called 'Team Badlands' or anything mind you, but that's how Rhys likes to think of it in his head. Because they are a team! They're two-point-five fully-functioning adults working together for a common goal (and technically the greater good, even if that's not the exact motivational force driving Rhys to look into the Badlands in the first place).

So yeah. Totally a team. ]

Alright, sooo...apparently this guy lives on the edge of Old Town. Name's 'Santo Ravindra,' used to be some sort of scientist? I mean he spoke like he still was but he also sound a little cray-zy so. [ Rhys shrugs, unfazed. ] Who knows. But he might actually have something we can use which is the whole point of this!

[ And it has the added bonus of not being in the middle of a desert full of bandits ready to kidnap and punch him a lot like last time.

You'd think he'd be a lot more worried about going back there again after what happened. Huh. ]

We get in, get the intel, and go home heroes. Or--you know. Whatever.

Comments

[moneyman]

[ guess who's excited about this? go on, guess. it's the first time he's been able to tag along for something directly related to Rhys's plan, and while he's not sure how much he'll be able to help, he... hates being left behind, admittedly. that might be a big part of it.

at least he can talk. and cheerlead. and be supportive in general. if nothing else, he's grateful for the opportunity to do those things. ]

Psh, I'm sure he's not that crazy. And even if he is, some of the most brilliant people are kind of crazy, so you just have to tread carefully, right? Just gotta weed through the good ideas and the batshit ones. As long as we get at least some of the former, we're good!

[ it's an adventure. he's fuckin ready. ]

[eggplanting]

[Unlike their trip to Utopia all those months ago, Steph isn't as unsure about this one, mostly because she's pretty sure she can handle anything they run into. Which is - weird to consider, but she's gotten into enough fights by now to realize it's true.

Also, there's a pistol holstered under her jacket, which helps with the confidence.]

Do you know why he isn't a scientist anymore? That might give us an idea of the good stuff to batshit stuff ratio.

[rhygret]

Well...I don't actually have any proof he isn't a scientist, but trust me: this guy is one shot short of a full drink if you catch my drift. You should hear him go on about the Badlands. "It's a land of death and toxic waste, nothing to be found there! Going there will be your doom!" and stuff. Real nutjob.

Buuuut he...is the only scientist outside the Company I've been able to contact so far, so. [ They're stuck with him for now. But at least he left them with pretty easy-to-follow instructions? And better yet, they don't actually have to go into Old Town to reach him! ]

[moneyman]

Uh, well, to be fair, it kinda is a land of death and toxic waste, isn't it? We're just... trying to make it... not that way. The doom part is debatable.

[ he sounds kind of blasé about that last part. yeah, yeah, "doom," whatever. yawn. he waves a nonchalant hand. ]

It'll be fine. Plus, I dunno if I've ever met a mad scientist before. There's something to check off the bucket list.

[eggplanting]

[Steph has to give Vaughn that point, kind of shrugging as he says it.]

You're not wrong, the Badlands are pretty shitty.

[Eloquent as hell over here, but she's pretty sure that Vaughn and Rhys are the ones that can do all the talking.]

Are you worried he's gonna be dangerous?

[rhygret]

Not really. But even if he is I do have this, [ Rhys says, reaching for the stun baton clipped to his belt and holding it up. ]

I do not know how it works, but it is n.....neat.

[ Rhys holds his 'n' sound just a moment longer than normal, blinking rapidly for a moment as there's this weird...pressure behind one eye? Nothing big but it feels like the muscle behind it twitches for a moment, making him shake his head a little. ]

--I mean, I totally know how to use it. Nnnot...sure why I said that.

[ It had come out automatically, like he'd said it before or something.

Weird. ]

[moneyman]

[ ...okay, that was alarming. he stops fully, reaching out to grab Rhys's arm in the process, turning towards him with sudden concern. ]

Uh... wait. Are you okay, dude? Did you just have a mini-stroke or something?

[ —and then, seemingly out of nowhere, he hears his own voice inside his head. heat stroke, regular stroke, stroke stroke... what the hell? now he's the one who feels weird. he abruptly lets go of Rhys and glances upward. ]

...Man. There's definitely something in the air, here, huh?

[eggplanting]

[Steph doesn't reach out for Rhys like Vaughn does, but she stops as well, and she's just as concerned as she looks at him.

And then Vaughn starts acting weird as well, so he gets a worried look to match the one she gave Rhys.]

Do you guys need a second?

[She feels fine, so she's not sure what's going on.]

[rhygret]

No, no I'm...I'm fine. [ Rhys does sound a little confused at that weird brainfart of his though, and he spares Vaughn a briefly concerned look when it seems to hit him too.

Steph looks fine though, so maybe it's just them not being used to any sort of harsh......uhh. Anything. ]

Let's keep going, I don't think staying out here for very long is good for any of us.

[moneyman]

Yyyeah, seconding that. [ he shakes his head in befuddlement at Rhys. they'll have to talk about it later. ] Let's just find this weirdo.

[ he hasn't spent that much time on Westerley—that could certainly explain it. and maybe this is why the dude they're after's apparently crazy? he can only imagine the effects of prolonged exposure to... whatever they're breathing right now. ]

[eggplanting]

If you're sure...

[She doesn't sound convinced, but getting this shit done and talking to Rhys' contact is more important, so she won't push it.

But she is keeping a careful eye on both of them.]

[rhygret]

[ Honestly Rhys isn't sure either, but what he does know is that he doesn't want to be out here more than strictly necessary. A quick in, meet the guy, find out what he knows, and a quick trip out are what Rhys would really like to see from all this.

So it's lucky he's fairly close to the edge of Old Town and it won't take long for Rhys to check the tracker vs their coordinates. ]

Should be just up ahead. Guy said he had some sort of research facility going, sooo....look for that I guess.

[moneyman]

[ he perks back up pretty quickly. sure, they may be breathing in some toxic fumes or whatever, but it's still more exciting than crunching numbers. ]

Right, got it. I wonder what he's researching? Probably something super weird, if he's as crazy as you say he is. Hopefully this isn't some kind of elaborate scheme to trap us and turn us into test subjects. That would suck.