paradisabeyond | Terre Haute

[Today, our intrepid explorers have finally made it to Terre Haute. It’s mostly grassland, and on the outskirts small spotted lions, about the size of leopards prowl around. They seem to be more interested in the strange antelope running around than in any people, however. Towards the edge, lies a cliff face, looking out to sea, on occasion giant whales can be seen breaching the water.

Of the weird thing they came to look for, in the distance is a cylindrical shape, lying on its side. But between them and it is a strange village. One made up of excessively tall wooden huts, all of which have electric lights, turned on, though how they’re creating such power is a mystery, they are still very much inside the dead zone.

The residents of this off little village are wandering around, going about their buisess. The residents being a group of bemused looking giraffes. Perhaps you will even see some familiar non-giraffe faces milling about.

Welcome to Terre Haute]

[[GRASSLANDS AND CLIFFS | TOWN SQUARE | JUICE BAR | DANCE HALL | THE ESCALATOR | MIRROR CONTROL ROOM ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Carolina... I wouldn't lie to you about this.

[Carolina shakes her head at him, despite knowing rationally in the back of her mind that he really doesn't have a reason to lie to her.] Unless you're protecting York.

[She says the other agent's name with an extra helping of hate, as if she were speaking the name of a long-hated rival, rather than someone she had loved a mere three months ago.]

I'm not protecting anyone.

[Carolina crosses her arms firmly across her chest as she watches, unsure if she can believe that. She doesn't want to believe anything he's saying about the Director, can't without becoming unraveled at both ends.]

Then you're lying about the Director.

[That hurt in his eyes at that might be more than a little surprising. And he's not even bothering to hide how hard this is.] I'm only telling what I saw in the memories Epsilon gave me. And what happened to me.

I'm not lying to you about this. You deserved to know the truth when I told you before. Nothing has changed.

[Carolina shakes her head at him again, unable to accept that her father had tortured an AI to the point of fracturing. They all had to be lying, that's the only acceptable option.]

Everything's changed. [She snaps back defensively. Her team isn't her team anymore, she knew what they would eventually do down the line, and it's horrifying to take all back in again. The people she had trusted most would stab each other in the back (or shoot in some cases), steal, and altogether abandon each other.

Everyone except Texas and York and that by itself is enough to fuel her anger.]

No. You've just got a different perspective on it.

I'm the same Wash I was before you left the castle. I didn't change.

And you can still trust me. I want to help you.

I don't want your help. [She snaps again, an eerie repeat from her conversation with York. Everyone keeps offering and talking about how much she could trust them, how much they want to help her and she can't help but feel like she's being boxed in. She doesn't need help and she doesn't need a broken team. Still, it should be obvious that she's putting up walls between herself and Wash.]

Fine. But the offer still remains open.

Are you planning to come back to the castle?

[She's not sure what to tell him regarding his second question. She really doesn't want to. There's no reason for her to go back to the Castle other than not wanting to live out in the wilderness with her armor serving as a very heavy paperweight.] Only to repair my armor.

[And to check out that AI Wash mentioned. The Alpha. If she could get a hold of him, then she could really beat Texas.]

If you need help with that or anything else at the castle, let me know, boss.

[Carolina openly scowls at Wash.] Already said I don't want your help.

Not even if it means a workshop to make those repairs easier since you lack one? I'd let you use mine.

And if you need any other questions about the current status of the castle answered, let me know.

[As logical as both of his offers are, which puts her off guard, Carolina isn't ignoring the fact that he's perpetuating "lies" about the Director.] Don't count on it.

And here I thought you wanted to make your time at the castle brief. It'd be faster with my equipment.

Your call.

[Oh shit that's tempting. That's incredibly tempting and she frowns further at him. It has to be some kind of trap. Get her in the Castle to keep her there for longer.

But she can yank her nameplate off and make it harder for her team to find her while she's making repairs and, to her, that's better than letting any of them help her.] I can do it myself.

Carolina, I'm offering this because I regret no being able to help at home. Being in medbay when you needed help.

There's a reason I had your name on me in blood with all the others I failed before this expedition started.

None of this is a trap or a trick.

[She's about to object again when he mentions blood.] What the hell are you talking about.

The castle pulled one of its pranks not long before the expedition. Actually, that's half the reason I came. To get away from castle bullshit.

Remember? The castle loves fucking with us? I had names on me of people I failed in blood on me.

[Carolina takes a second to process what he's saying but she's still erring on the side of not trusting anyone.] Doesn't mean I should trust you. We aren't a team.

No. But it says I care.

And if you want a team again... You know who to talk to.

I won't ever want a team again. [Her anger boils up again hot again in her voice, contorting her gaze as well.]

If you say so. Both the workshop and the team are available for the asking, from me at least.

I don't want them. [She doesn't understand what he's doing, so instead, she'll be storming off right about now.]

Terre Haute

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