.1 caliber [Intro]

[goesawol]

[ACTION]

[She steps down from the bus and tugs at the strap around her shoulder tighter - she travels light, but there's something rather long, carefully wrapped, strapped between her bag and back. Squinting lightly at the warm summer sun, she sighs. Mixed feelings, all in one breath. This lady travels light except for the baggage in her mind.

Still, as she treads through the beaten paths towards an x in a map (excellent orientation skills, for one), she looks around carefully with what seems like a half smile in her piercing gaze. Yet, when she finds the place in the map, she keeps walking around, checking the Community center, the city, - greeting a couple of kids playing outside with a smile - walking through the beach... ending up finally at the Saloon around the evening, asking for a cup of tea at the counter.

Where do you meet her? ]


[VIDEO]

[That's exactly where she is when the video feed opens up. She's looking down at the screen, kohl rimmed eyes scrutinizing the device with a somewhat disappointed expression to them. She tsks.]

So unintuitive. How old is this?

[Dexterous fingers reach the screen and blip! goes the feed

Ring ring?]

Comments

Action

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Answer: Right away.]

[She steps off the bus and he's right behind her. Jecht had slept most of the trip, an innocuous presence all the way in the back, but now that they'd reached last-stop-everyone-off...]

[He yawns, stretches with the sort of air of some lazy predatory beast about him, then rolls his shoulders as his arms come down. She travels light, but he's got nothing at all. Not even the clothes on his back, since he doesn't wear a shirt. (He's wearing shorts though. Don't panic.)]

For an unexpected trip, that wasn't so bad, huh?

[goesawol]

[What a good thing, to have shorts.

She looks at him with not much surprise - she had noticed every single person on the bus, awake or asleep, during the trip. Occupational hazard.]

The seats were surprisingly comfortable. [Enough to be nondescript, at least.] I take it you're new here, too, then?

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Yeah.

[Jecht looks out over the peaceful little valley, and for a moment seems like a very different person. A million miles and a different reality away. And then that vanishes as he glances over at her, a broad and cocky grin cracking his face.] Get that! A prize athlete like me, hunkering down on a farm!

[goesawol]

[The corner of her lip twitches, taking notice of the quick change of mood.

Still, the little smirk is a little more devious than actually commiserating.] Sounds like a lovely retirement plan.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Sure beats the old one! [His grin just grows broader, because it sure did beat either of the two retirements he'd already been put through.]

[He sticks out a hand, offering it over with that same general good humor.] Name's Jecht. Guess we're valley neighbors now, huh?

Video

[eidgenossin]

[She may not recognize Ana at first glance to actually be the Ana Amari, but the kohl eyeliner and marking rings a few bells. She probably should have considered the possibility, seeing as how young Jack, Gabriel and McCree are.]

Unfortunately, it's a little clunky to get used to. Greetings! I hope your arrival has gone smoothly?

GOING ON AND ASSUME THAT SHE REMEMBERS YOU FROM YOUR UNIVERSITY YEARS

[goesawol]

[The screen blips back on again, and that's... a very familiar face. A little older than she's used to, but still, strikingly similar.]

Matha?

... Angela?

discord is RUDE

[eidgenossin]

[Angela sits up a little bit straighter, brows rising up towards her bangs.]

Yes, Dr. Angela Ziegler at your service! [WAIT.] Ana Amari, is that really you?

[forgive her for not recognizing you at first, it HAS been a while.]

so rude i want a refund

[goesawol]

["Doctor"? The last time she saw her she was still a student. Even if brilliant, but still.] Yes, it's me.

[Her fingers twitch to go tapping at the screen a bit more to check just--no. Ok, she... knows what's going on, right?]

You haven't aged a day.

{ video }

[frostedplum]

[ Mei calls back straight away, a smile on her face and a smudge of dirt on her cheek. ]

Captain Amari! It's so good to see you.

[ She isn't sure it's good manners to point out how young she looks. But she is wondering... ]

[goesawol]

[Oh my.

Did the whole Overwatch take a bus? She would probably find the image hilarious if she weren't so baffled by it.

So much for a break from work, she supposes.] Dr. Zhou?

[She opens her mouth to say something, but then points at her cheek.] You have something here, dear.

[frostedplum]

Yes! Oh.

[ She quickly wipes at her cheek with the back of her hand. ]

This cheek? I've been getting my farm organized. It's messy work, but a lot of fun!

[ There's a chirp beside her and she looks off camera before tilting her jPad to show the hovering Snowball beside her. ]

Snowball's been helping too. Sort of.

[goesawol]

That cheek, yes. [Here's just a little soft smile.

Mei looks similar to what she looked like when Ana met her - even though they were from completely different departments, so to speak. While she thinks it may be because Mei can belong to a... timeline - she'll get to the mere concept of that in a second when she unwinds from the trip - similar to her own, she doesn't hold the idea too dearly.

The little robot, while cute, kind of tells her that her decision to do so was the correct one.] How long have you been working on it?

Video

[passedover]

Ancient.

[Well look at that.]

Think farm town is trying to collect a whole set here.

[A whole set of what is vague at most.

Kind of.]

[goesawol]

Gabriel?!

[Well look at that, indeed.

Setting her tea cup down, now.

Eyebrow arching. With the amount of people she knows suddenly showing up on her screen, she has an idea of what he means.] Do you think they made a package deal?

[passedover]

Hey, Ana.

[Just one more familiar face.]

All I know is I ran into Jack not long after stepping off the boss. McCree's around too, and fr now we're at Jack's place.

Need a pick-up?

[Because he sure as hell will feel that much better, things are strange and time shenanigans are just part of what he didn't even sign up for.]

[goesawol]

Jack and-- [She spent the whole trip to this place thinking she'd leave people behind.

She's starting to think she's the one actually catching up.]

Anyone else I should know about?

[A nod.] Thank you. I'm at the Saloon.

[veedio]

[deadouttalock]

[McCree is frequently out and about but the summer heat is also oppressive as hell, necessitating shady-covered breaks with plenty of drinks. Currently he's hunkered down under the shade of a tree near a river. He just used it to cool off not long ago, is now mostly redressed and passing time on the jpad while his hair dries.

He's elated to see her face pop up on the network. He almost can't even believe it's her but does well to contain his excitement, and response to the video with a (relatively) casual air.]

That you miss Amari?

[goesawol]

[It's a good thing that Gabriel had told her that McCree was around as well, but he had failed to mention she'd be getting a sudden pang of nostalgia at the sight of him.

He looks so young, and the wet hair takes her to what she thought was a distant memory of him coming out of the locker rooms in the base, after a shower and getting his ass handed by his superiors when he joined Blackwatch.

He had looked the aggressive side to forlorn then. The McCree on her screen looks... perfectly content.

She smiles, raising her teacup.]

Hello, Jesse.

[deadouttalock]

[McCree's introduction to Blackwatch came with the caveat of simmering bitterness, cynicism and frustration. He was doing well in Deadlock and he'd gotten used to how things worked in the gang. It took a while for him to find his place in it, no doubt with aggressiveness leading the way as the gang was probably comprised of mostly Omnic-Crisis displaced children, but once he did it was comfortable. Not the best thing in the world, but it was all he knew.

Then it was all swept right out from under his feet. Join Blackwatch or go to jail. What kind of choice was that, really? What kind of fool would choose otherwise? If afforded him the opportunity to reflect on his other life choices and realize he hadn't been making the best ones. That process of course involved working out the aforementioned bitterness, cynicism and frustration. He got his ass handed to him a lot.

Still did, though now it was because he transitioned fully out of his Deadlock roots and was just finding his place in Blackwatch. This was a place he wanted to be in, doing right by the world and fixing his own fuck-ups.

Now he's farming until they can figure out how to get back to their "prime" universe, but hey, at least he's not alone. He was happy to come across Jack and Gabriel, but Ana really balances out the sometimes overwhelming levels testosterone the three of them suffer with, and McCree knows that. Having a good maternal influence in his life was not something he ever got to understand or appreciate until meeting her.]

When'd you get here? You see Jack and Gabe yet?

[She already looks comfortable with her tea, has she been here long?]

[goesawol]

[That comfortable look comes from the routine of someone who's used to being deployed to foreign places. Get a look of the ground, scout for a couple of vantage points, get settled and people watch - spot patterns in comings and goings to avoid civilian confrontation in a worst-case scenario.

Add a little something to it - small comforts. Order and try the tea.

Which isn't bad, but it could taste better.] Gabriel is on his way.

I just arrived. [A twitch of her lip] How long have you been here?

late with sbux

[strikecommand]

[As soon as Jack sees the video on the network, he hits the ground running, not even bothering to reply. He can sort of gather where she is from the background of her video, or at least, is able to narrow the possible locations down. It does not at all occur to him to check in with Gabriel--that can be for later.

He finds her in the Saloon not long after she makes her appearance on the network, and it's difficult for him to hide a strange mixture of excitement and concern. She's here, which is good, but he'd rather they didn't all get stuck here in this farming community that definitely has some kind of conspiracy going on just underneath the surface.]

When did you get here?

[Hello to you too.]

did you at least bring some for me

[goesawol]

[Here's Ana's head jerking immediately up, chin leaving its resting spot on her palm. Eyes wide but eyebrows slanted downwards.

... yes, yes that's exactly what she's going to say.] Well hello to you, too, Jack.

[Looking at him after having just left him in her own point of time that she realizes that, yes, yet again, he's another person she knew well but from... before.

She sighs, even if she's smiling. Even if the situation is confusing, it's still Jack.]

Just now. Did a bit of scouting, but... [Gabriel would be proud of her shrug. Not much to scout, anyway.

A beat.] Did I broadcast that misfire to everyone here?

uhhHHH

[strikecommand]

I don't know. Maybe?

[He can't know for sure if it got to everyone, but it sure got to him. Perhaps he's just trying to save her the embarrassment.]

When did you get here?

Sadness

[goesawol]

[A sigh, she wouldn't really be surprised. It was such an old contraption.

She shakes her hand, 'nevermind'. ] Not long ago. How about you?