The roof [Friday night]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

The roof of the dorms wasn't precisely above the fog, but it was high enough up that visibility was, marginally, better. So Triela wandering around the edge with an optics-enhancing rifle scope as long as her arm. It wasn't actually attached to a rifle, she was mostly using it as a telescope at the moment.

She scowled at another indistinct shape in the distance.

After all this was over she was going to have to buy some new gear. Probably something from some other dimension. Because it was really annoying to not be able to see any of the countless targets she knew had to be out there.

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah had been out in the fog, fighting the occasional monster, then stopping in to check on 'Dite. But the lack of real progress was discouraging, as well as no plan, so she was back at the dorm, trying to think of a way to get more intel.

Figures she'd find Triela up here too. "Hey. Is that thing working at all for you?" she asked from behind her gas mask.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Not enough to really help," Triela sighed. "I hate this stuff."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"The fog, or uncertainty? Or the weather as metaphor?" Dinah asked, sitting down on the edge of the roof, and scratching at the edge of her mask.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"The fog," Triela rolled her eyes. The rest sounded too much like introspection. "Can't see anything."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Can't see anything when you're out in it, either. Until you're basically on top of a herd of monsters." Dinah sighed. "You been out there fighting anything more than a lizard or a monkey-pony yet? Anything that looks in charge?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"No. Just targets. No handlers and no one handing out orders." Which was too bad. Though shooting the monkey-ponies had been quite stress-relieving.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. We couldn't follow them back to wherever they're nesting, or hanging out, or whatever. The fog's too thick." Dinah sighted and rubbed her arms. "No one's gotten seriously hurt yet, but it's just a matter of time, you know?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"It always is around here," Triela scowled. Then scowled more. "But I bet it's all over by Monday."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I won't take that bet, mostly 'cause I hope you're right," Dinah said. She reached out to poke Triela's arm. "Cheer up. We'll probably get a chance to kill things before then." She tilted her head. "And are you going to be allowed to wear a suit, if it's a monster hunt?" Jeez, she hoped so.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"No," Triela scowled. "I almost tripped in the stupid heels today, too."

Which, to be fair to Alessandro (which she had no intention of being), the point was to get used to fighting in the things.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Dude, can you *ask* for a dispensation from them?" Dinah sighed. "Then again, maybe if you set up a monster-blind..."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I could ask, but..." It would be an admission of weakness.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Triela wasn't about to do that and leave herself open for more 'suggestions.' "Right." Dinah made a face behind her mask, and said, "Arthur said the researchers turned up some scientist who wrote a few papers on hallucination fogs... maybe we should check that out tomorrow. You never know, it might be useful."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Arthur." Yeah. Triela still had... issues with the guy.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah gave her a tolerant look. "What? What, exactly, is your deal with him?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"He's an arrogant jerk." Which was both true and not really the reason Triela disliked him.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"So are a lot of people. Arrogant at least." Hello, present company occasionally included. "The jerk part is just occasional, and if you step on his issues." Which after a year, Dinah had a pretty good idea how to avoid. "He gets to you?" Surprising.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela scowled. "He refuses to admit I'm better than he is." Well, really it was his refusal to acknowledge her as skilled. That was the greatest insult she could imagine.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I'm so shocked. Not.... And at what, shooting?" Dinah asked, perplexed.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Well, that, and everything. He treats me like I'm a civilian." Triela managed to make that sound like terrible insult.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I'm torn between 'he treats everyone like a civilian' and 'does he know what you can do?'" Dinah said, wondering when she got to be Arthur's press agent. "Which, if the answer is 'yes', then you're right, he's being obnoxious."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela's scowl deepened. "How could he not?" Not that they spent much (any) time together, but he had to have at least seen her last year with the whole zombie thing... right?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah gave her a speaking look. "Triela, I know what you can do 'cause you told me. And I knew what to look for. Arthur's assessing everyone for threat potential all the time, and yeah, he used to underestimate girls." She smirked a little. "Kind of an object lesson on the training Alessandro's trying to shove at you."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"'Used to'," Triela repeated darkly. "Which implies that he's stopped."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah pointed at her. "So you haven't told him, 'hi, I'm a cyborg with enhanced strength and endurance and speed and focusing abilities, I know several weapons, I'm only wearing this stupid dress because I'm under orders?'"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I shouldn't have to!" Triela's skills spoke for themselves.

And besides, coming out and telling him might make it look like she cared.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Triela..." Dinah sighed. Because yeah, the caring part? The part where Triela was insulted and scowling about it? Incredibly obvious. Not that Triela wanted *approval* or anything, but respect, yeah... maybe. And Arthur didn't hand that out easily.

"If you haven't told him, and he hasn't seen you fight, and no one else has told him, how's he supposed to know? ESP? He doesn't have it. He'd break out in hives if he did."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"He seems to pride himself on being so smart." If he was half as smart as he seemed to think he was, he should have noticed.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Why is it chafing you?" Dinah asked. "You don't like him. Why do you resent that he doesn't respect your abilities?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I don't," Triela snapped. It would be hard to imagine a more obvious lie.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah gave her a bitch-face worthy of Sam Winchester.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Oh, look at that. The fog was so thick that Triela didn't see it.

Really!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

What with that mask in the way and all.

Right.