.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

[goesawol]

She patched through earlier. Older than I remembered her. [Well, it's for the best. It would have been an awkward encounter if an Egyptian-Canadian teenager had been around.

Or worse, an Egyptian-Canadian adult.

She doesn't know how to feel about that possibility.

A tip of her teacup before a sip.]

I'm in no rush.

[passedover]

Yeah, there's some weird things going on here with timelines. Different worlds and universes as well from what Jack and I gathered.

[Inter-dimensional bus travel? Apparently.

All the same, it was only one thing on a list that was a bit unsettling.

Already moving out the door, this was fine.]

So I see. Haven't been here longer than a handful of days.

[goesawol]

It's disconcerting, I'm not going to lie.

[Even if she sounds so utterly professional about it.]

How are you finding it?

[passedover]

There are barely any locals, this place is filled with people who came in via bus.

[Most of the people they'd spoken with weren't even sure there were locals, which was definitely unsettling.]

Strange, to put it nicely. Someone mentioned there being monsters outside the town limits.

[goesawol]

I take it you and Jack did recon straight away? Scared a couple of neighbors with questions?

[A small wrinkle around her eyes as she hides her mouth with her teacup again. Is she smiling, who knows.]

Have you seen these "monsters"?

[passedover]

Yeah, first thing we did after meeting up. Apparently people called in to the sheriff's office about it.

[He may or may not have made a friend out of that one.]

Not yet, we were waiting a bit until we went out looking. Were planning to explore the mines as well.

[goesawol]

What did the Sheriff say?

[Oh dear. You two never change.]

Anything interesting in the mines?

[passedover]

Wasn't the sheriff that showed up. Guy who did was helpful, however.

[Never.]

Gold, apparently. Whatever else we'll find out later.

[goesawol]

Gave you a sitrep of the place?

[Good.]

So much for settling into farm life, hm?

[passedover]

More or less.

[Old habits die hard etc.]

Don't seem to be any safety precautions for the mining. People can just go right in and do whatever, from the way it sounded.

[F A R M L I F E.]

[goesawol]

And...?

[Sounding like Jack's long lost twin again]

They allow people in the mines without any supervision?

[passedover]

The locals are very freaked out about all of this. There's just the Sheriff's office and the people who work there, none of them are locals. Sounds like people started appearing an took everything in their own hands, but are fine with just.. farming. [It still doesn't sit right with him.] There was mention of someone named Majorie that had.. information on everyone. That she shouldn't have.

Left it all out in the open, but it was thing like favorite foods and colors. Came off as harmless. Guy believes it was a disarming act to something more going on, but there hasn't been any trace of her around recently.

[Suspicious as hell.]

They do.

[goesawol]

You think there's more to this place than tiling soil, then.

[It's not really a question, as she looks at the tea leaves left at the bottom of the cup. Really, for this to be just a sort of weird farming retreat would be a little too good to be true. But that's not how it usually goes for those in Overwatch, anyway.

God knows they all could use a break, though.] Same way we all seem to have our own farm allocated to us when we arrive, I suppose.

[She's tucking her hair behind her ear. A sign. Not sure if this channel is secure?]

That's very strange.

[passedover]

I think it wouldn't hurt to be cautious, or keep an eye on things.

[So, yes. Gabriel was more than a little suspicious that things were not as simple as they appeared, but the question was more so if it were harmless or not.

Would see, either way.] Possibly.

[Corner of his mouth twitches, the slightest shake of his head. Definitely not secure.]

Hell of a safety hazard.

[goesawol]

I guess it's a good thing you're here, then.

[Said with a twitch of her own. She looks down at her cup again, though her head tilts just slightly lower than usual.

Acknowledged.]

Any record of accidents?

[passedover]

Aren't we all farmers now?

[There comes the sense of humor.]

Haven't gotten a chance to look in to it, and no one seems to think it's all that dangerous to just up and walk in to a mine around here.

[goesawol]

I'm sure you're getting ready for the winter, already.

[Tyra Banks would be proud of this smile in her eyes. Picturing Gabriel as a farmer is a very ... entertaining thought.]

That's a good sign. [She hopes.]

[passedover]

Already helping clean up fields.

[At least it's clean he's come in to town at this point, won't be much longer.

Also, there's something to help with that.]

Either they're not too dangerous, or people don't care about safety.

[Going to find out.]

[goesawol]

You were always the one to go to clear up areas.

[Thoroughly entertained.]

Or unaware of the danger. [Which is mostly the case.

Go team!]

[passedover]

Know what I'm good at.

[Soon, very, very soon.]

Would not surprise me a bit.

[goesawol]

I know.

[A sigh.]

They say that ignorance is bliss, don't they.

[passedover]

[A slight shrug, reason he got Blackwatch after all. Not the only one who knew what he was good at.

Guess who was turning a corner with a little wave before pocketing the device.

S'up, Ana.]

That they do. Almost surprising how many people around here are fine with this, but maybe they've got their reasons to want a life here.

[goesawol]

[The sight of him in person is surprisingly comforting, despite that she had spent her trip there convincing herself that it would be best for her to spend some time alone. But it confirms a little suspicion that arose when his face first showed up on the anachronistic screen. Either F A R M L I F E suits Gabriel Reyes to a point that he looks just slightly rejuvenated, or their point in time isn't exactly aligned.

There'll be time to find out anyway. She waves back, the subtle smile she had while they spoke widening just a bit.]

Have you found any patterns in the people that came here? [Aside from its apparent penchant for people belonging to Overwatch.] Backgrounds?

[Sets the empty cup down on its dinky little dish - everything here looks nice and quaint, utterly bucolic.] Do you want something to go?

[passedover]

[Just around the age of forty, give or take a few months. He and Jack were closer together from the When they came from, but all of that really could be gotten in to later. Right now were just a few more basic things.

The twitch at the corner of his mouth was noticeable, since it curved into one o those perhaps rare smiles of his. Just as glad to see her as he had been Jack when he first stepped in to this place.]

No, and haven't been able to. Been here just a couple of days. [Needed to get solid ground under him, a sort of home ground in this place, before he could dig deeper.] This doesn't seem to be the first time being somewhere knew for some people, but likely can't be said for them all.

Doesn't seem to be any real pattern just putting things together from the few people Jack and I talked to.

[Stopped by the table, giving the place a brief glance before shaking his head.] No, I'm good. Few things back at the house. Anyone else contact you while I was making my way here?

[goesawol]

Perhaps I can help with that, too. [Even if Jack and Gabriel matched in their taste for conspiracy theories, with these many impromptu dislocations and no one batting an eyelash, she can't really blame them for being suspicious.

That, and she's terribly curious, but she's mostly concerned. If there's some way to bring people from different places in space and time, if it falls into the wrong hands...

She drops a couple of the gold coins she had been given before on the table, gets up and picks up her bag.] Dr. Zhou, a climatologist that I met briefly, but I'm not sure if you did.

And Jesse. [A pointed look.] He's younger than I expected.