[She doesn't even hesitate. It's obvious that the parachute drop of the new recruits had been unexpected, introducing additional stress into an already volatile and intense situation. No one in his situation wants to handle bringing new recruits up to speed on top of preparing for a mission that involved the lives of their friends and comrades.]
We'll get them, and I can manage with what I have.
[And she honestly believes this despite her earlier complaining. She'll manage because she must, just like they'll succeed because they must.
Once Sheva's confident that she has a good grasp on this new weapon, she holsters it. They'll get to know each other better once she's firing it. Otherwise, she'd be wasting ammunition and give away their position.
Then he'd certainly have cause to use that arsenal on her, and she'd let him for her stupidity.]
I'm Sheva Alomar. If it helps, I... [How to explain the BSAA and bioterrorism to someone not from her world?] Let's just say I'm a special operations agent that fights globally against really powerful, really weird shit. [They just took away all of her weapons when she arrived. Has she mentioned her recruiter is kind of an asshole?] I'll even tell you a few stories when we complete the mission and get everyone out safely.
[ D'Artagnan's smile is tight. He's glad she's planning to tell him the stories later. Right now, he's in no frame of mind to listen; he just needs to keep moving.
She seems capable, though, and underneath his frustration and impatience, he recognises that. She seems capable and ready to fight, and she's experienced and that's a hell of a lot better than someone who's not. ]
I'm d'Artagnan, of the King's Musketeers. Or I was, before I was here. That seems like a long time ago now.
[ Too long, if he's honest. His jaw sets again. ]
I'm glad you're here, Sheva. We needed backup, there's no way around that.
[They need to keep moving. It's part of their mission, and she doesn't want to see these recruits loose their friends. Sheva will fight for that.]
King's Musketeers. [It's not a question, more of a thoughtful mulling. She has questions about his life back home, but now isn't the time to delve into them. Maybe she can trade some of her stories for some of his.] How long would you estimate?
[How long will she be here? Maybe his answer will give her a ballpark for her question.]
I can't say that I'm pleased about the circumstances of my recruitment, but I'm happy to help rescue fellow teammates. I don't believe in leaving anyone behind.
[Then something dawns on her.]
Is there a man named Chris Redfield here by chance?
[ But how many months? The days last three times as long here. How long does it feel like for him, in Earth months? ]
Eight, perhaps? Nine? The days last longer, it's hard to say.
[ He keeps moving. His answers are as short and quick as he can make them. Now's not the time to speculate. He'll make up for that, if he sees her again outside of this mission. She seems like a good woman, and a capable one.
[Her face scrunches into one of contemplation. He doesn't sound certain of the time, which worries her the most.]
How much longer?
[Sheva knows he's not in a mood to chat, but this throws her for a moment. Inwardly, she wonders how many planets he's been to with the CDC and how the days compared there. Again, it's a conversation to have at another time.
She's making a mental list d'Artagnan. She'll apologize for that barrage of questions when they get there. Hopefully she'll get to shower by then, too.
There's a mix of emotions with his next answer. He's one of the people who should be back home safe, after all. Her recruiter had promised...
His safety.
Well that's a loophole. She shakes her head and sighs.]
He's my partner back home. I'm not expecting him, but... [It's complicated.] I'll explain later, if you want.
[See: List of Items to Discuss with D'Artagnan Once Shit Settles.]
[ Three times longer. 72 hours, not 24. He's used to it now, but he remembers how strange it had been at first. How he'd gotten used to sleeping irregularly, going to bed when his body needed it and not solely during the hours of darkness. That in turn had meant keeping track of the days even harder. His body was still accustomed to thinking it was the next day once he woke, but two out of three times, that was no longer the case.
All strange, not easy to manage. ]
And the last planet had no moon. So there weren't months to count, not properly, and if a month means four weeks then you have to decide if you're counting a week as seven days at 24 hours, or seven days at 72. It meant working it out all the time. Eventually I just stopped.
[ There'd been too much else to focus on. Enemies had come thick and fast. He'd started to accept that he was here, and here for the long haul.
[She's not looking forward to attempting to acclimate herself to such a sleep schedule that would work in a seventy-two hour day. There likely isn't one. Her lips purse into a frown at this notion. After the mission, her body probably needs a whole day of sleep to catch up and recover. Sheva doubts she'll ever catch up given the mission ahead of them and what she's learned of the CDC thus far.
Her head shakes in frustrated disbelief as he goes on to describe other planets.]
Basically, be prepared to function on garbage sleep during any adjustment period? [She makes a disapproving noise before simply sighing and returning her focus to their surroundings as they moved.] I don't blame you for that. I likely would have stopped as well.
[Or maybe she would have tried her best to write a tally. She'd try first, like he did. The results will probably be similar.
His question has her raise an eyebrow before laughing out right, just once. Now she's really shaking her head. Her and Chris. She never considered it any other way, and even now it just felt weird. Big brother? Yes. Romantic partner? No.
She had stopped believing in romance long ago. Besides, missions were no place for feelings like that. Her smile eventually fades back to a grim, serious expression before she continues.]
Business, definitely. We're both BSAA Agents and we're handling a plausible global spread of a deadly virus. {A pause.] Or at least we were until I was brought here...
[At least that mission finally succeeded, from what Piers from the future told her.]
[ it's all he can really tell her, and honestly, he's not going to talk at length about it now. What this woman will have to go through to get used to being here isn't anything that he envies her for, and it's not that he's unsympathetic.
It's that he has a more than pressing need to get to Alina before things get any worse.
He glances up at her, noting what she said about the virus. It sounds like an impossible job to him, but he doesn't say so. She's probably from his future anyway. ]
Your friend may join you one day, Mademoiselle, but if luck is on his side, he'll stay where he is. You're doing what you can for your world, and so is he.
Roger that. [She stores everything away for future knowledge, and if any more questions come up then Sheva can ask them then. All this information could be overwhelming, especially in conjunction with her baggage she's bringing from her home mission. All of that, anything that could distract her from the mission and simply surviving, is pushed to the back of her mind and compartmentalized for later.
It's something she's been doing all her life, so why stop now? Results weren't horrible.]
He needs to stay home. He needs to finish our mission. [He needs to kill Wesker, for once and for all. Hopefully Jill or Josh can help her with that, since they too survive, or so she was told by another BSAA agent. Sheva can stay here and do her job for her world's sake.]
Any tips for this mission?
[Sheva wouldn't want to let him or the recruits in need of rescue down. For all she knows, someone from home could be one of them.]
[ Tips? D'Artagnan lifts his eyebrows. He shakes his head. ]
Stay alive. Bring our friends home.
[ This is new territory for him too. None of them have been on Macha that long, and as far as the Neraki go, they're a relatively new enemy. There's only been one real encounter, and it was the one they'd lost because they were taken by surprise. ]
The Neraki are strong. Only fight them if you have to. Concentrate on our people. Aside from keep your eyes open, I don't know what more to tell you.
[ He hopes he can rely on her, on all the new recruits. He genuinely doesn't know if he can, but they're about to find out. ]
[Sheva takes his recommendation seriously, focus visibly settling into the BSAA agent. They're obvious goals, but she's taking them very seriously, even as he speaks them.
She stays quiet, thoughtful as they continued to move, taking note of their surroundings in case shit does go sideways. Anything she could use to any advantage. If fighting the Neraki is ill advised, Sheva's going to have to find other ways to get out of trouble. Her main goal will be to avoid them, but she realizes that it may not be feasible after the element of surprise is lost.]
Every bit helps. Even small details can make a tremendous difference.
[Like knowing about Wesker's serum balance. The Devil's in the details.]
[ D'Artagnan nods once, quickly. She isn't wrong. He glances at her, lets out a breath, and then nods again. ]
We can talk later. As much detail as you want, I promise, but survive first. Get our people out. That's what matters.
[ He'll keep that promise. When the situation isn't hot, and his friends aren't in this level of danger, his head will be more ready for it. Right now, saving them is all that matters to him. it's genuinely hard to concentrate on anything else. ]
[Sheva's in agreement with him, and glances over at him in conversation one last time before turning her focus back to the mission.]
We will.
[She doesn't leave good people behind. It's not how she's wired, and from what he's saying, there are good people there. Not all of them may fall into that category, but now's not a time to play any games. They have their orders and units for a reason.]
Stay frosty. [And unless he has anything else to say, she'll follow his lead and focus on their mission.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[She doesn't even hesitate. It's obvious that the parachute drop of the new recruits had been unexpected, introducing additional stress into an already volatile and intense situation. No one in his situation wants to handle bringing new recruits up to speed on top of preparing for a mission that involved the lives of their friends and comrades.]
We'll get them, and I can manage with what I have.
[And she honestly believes this despite her earlier complaining. She'll manage because she must, just like they'll succeed because they must.
Once Sheva's confident that she has a good grasp on this new weapon, she holsters it. They'll get to know each other better once she's firing it. Otherwise, she'd be wasting ammunition and give away their position.
Then he'd certainly have cause to use that arsenal on her, and she'd let him for her stupidity.]
I'm Sheva Alomar. If it helps, I... [How to explain the BSAA and bioterrorism to someone not from her world?] Let's just say I'm a special operations agent that fights globally against really powerful, really weird shit. [They just took away all of her weapons when she arrived. Has she mentioned her recruiter is kind of an asshole?] I'll even tell you a few stories when we complete the mission and get everyone out safely.
no subject
She seems capable, though, and underneath his frustration and impatience, he recognises that. She seems capable and ready to fight, and she's experienced and that's a hell of a lot better than someone who's not. ]
I'm d'Artagnan, of the King's Musketeers. Or I was, before I was here. That seems like a long time ago now.
[ Too long, if he's honest. His jaw sets again. ]
I'm glad you're here, Sheva. We needed backup, there's no way around that.
no subject
King's Musketeers. [It's not a question, more of a thoughtful mulling. She has questions about his life back home, but now isn't the time to delve into them. Maybe she can trade some of her stories for some of his.] How long would you estimate?
[How long will she be here? Maybe his answer will give her a ballpark for her question.]
I can't say that I'm pleased about the circumstances of my recruitment, but I'm happy to help rescue fellow teammates. I don't believe in leaving anyone behind.
[Then something dawns on her.]
Is there a man named Chris Redfield here by chance?
no subject
[ But how many months? The days last three times as long here. How long does it feel like for him, in Earth months? ]
Eight, perhaps? Nine? The days last longer, it's hard to say.
[ He keeps moving. His answers are as short and quick as he can make them. Now's not the time to speculate. He'll make up for that, if he sees her again outside of this mission. She seems like a good woman, and a capable one.
He blinks at the follow up question, though. ]
Redfield? No, I don't know that name.
Why, were you expecting him?
no subject
How much longer?
[Sheva knows he's not in a mood to chat, but this throws her for a moment. Inwardly, she wonders how many planets he's been to with the CDC and how the days compared there. Again, it's a conversation to have at another time.
She's making a mental list d'Artagnan. She'll apologize for that barrage of questions when they get there. Hopefully she'll get to shower by then, too.
There's a mix of emotions with his next answer. He's one of the people who should be back home safe, after all. Her recruiter had promised...
His safety.
Well that's a loophole. She shakes her head and sighs.]
He's my partner back home. I'm not expecting him, but... [It's complicated.] I'll explain later, if you want.
[See: List of Items to Discuss with D'Artagnan Once Shit Settles.]
no subject
[ Three times longer. 72 hours, not 24. He's used to it now, but he remembers how strange it had been at first. How he'd gotten used to sleeping irregularly, going to bed when his body needed it and not solely during the hours of darkness. That in turn had meant keeping track of the days even harder. His body was still accustomed to thinking it was the next day once he woke, but two out of three times, that was no longer the case.
All strange, not easy to manage. ]
And the last planet had no moon. So there weren't months to count, not properly, and if a month means four weeks then you have to decide if you're counting a week as seven days at 24 hours, or seven days at 72. It meant working it out all the time. Eventually I just stopped.
[ There'd been too much else to focus on. Enemies had come thick and fast. He'd started to accept that he was here, and here for the long haul.
She will too, if she stays.
The word 'partner' makes him look at her again. ]
Business, or romantic?
no subject
[She's not looking forward to attempting to acclimate herself to such a sleep schedule that would work in a seventy-two hour day. There likely isn't one. Her lips purse into a frown at this notion. After the mission, her body probably needs a whole day of sleep to catch up and recover. Sheva doubts she'll ever catch up given the mission ahead of them and what she's learned of the CDC thus far.
Her head shakes in frustrated disbelief as he goes on to describe other planets.]
Basically, be prepared to function on garbage sleep during any adjustment period? [She makes a disapproving noise before simply sighing and returning her focus to their surroundings as they moved.] I don't blame you for that. I likely would have stopped as well.
[Or maybe she would have tried her best to write a tally. She'd try first, like he did. The results will probably be similar.
His question has her raise an eyebrow before laughing out right, just once. Now she's really shaking her head. Her and Chris. She never considered it any other way, and even now it just felt weird. Big brother? Yes. Romantic partner? No.
She had stopped believing in romance long ago. Besides, missions were no place for feelings like that. Her smile eventually fades back to a grim, serious expression before she continues.]
Business, definitely. We're both BSAA Agents and we're handling a plausible global spread of a deadly virus. {A pause.] Or at least we were until I was brought here...
[At least that mission finally succeeded, from what Piers from the future told her.]
no subject
[ it's all he can really tell her, and honestly, he's not going to talk at length about it now. What this woman will have to go through to get used to being here isn't anything that he envies her for, and it's not that he's unsympathetic.
It's that he has a more than pressing need to get to Alina before things get any worse.
He glances up at her, noting what she said about the virus. It sounds like an impossible job to him, but he doesn't say so. She's probably from his future anyway. ]
Your friend may join you one day, Mademoiselle, but if luck is on his side, he'll stay where he is. You're doing what you can for your world, and so is he.
no subject
It's something she's been doing all her life, so why stop now? Results weren't horrible.]
He needs to stay home. He needs to finish our mission. [He needs to kill Wesker, for once and for all. Hopefully Jill or Josh can help her with that, since they too survive, or so she was told by another BSAA agent. Sheva can stay here and do her job for her world's sake.]
Any tips for this mission?
[Sheva wouldn't want to let him or the recruits in need of rescue down. For all she knows, someone from home could be one of them.]
no subject
Stay alive. Bring our friends home.
[ This is new territory for him too. None of them have been on Macha that long, and as far as the Neraki go, they're a relatively new enemy. There's only been one real encounter, and it was the one they'd lost because they were taken by surprise. ]
The Neraki are strong. Only fight them if you have to. Concentrate on our people. Aside from keep your eyes open, I don't know what more to tell you.
[ He hopes he can rely on her, on all the new recruits. He genuinely doesn't know if he can, but they're about to find out. ]
no subject
She stays quiet, thoughtful as they continued to move, taking note of their surroundings in case shit does go sideways. Anything she could use to any advantage. If fighting the Neraki is ill advised, Sheva's going to have to find other ways to get out of trouble. Her main goal will be to avoid them, but she realizes that it may not be feasible after the element of surprise is lost.]
Every bit helps. Even small details can make a tremendous difference.
[Like knowing about Wesker's serum balance. The Devil's in the details.]
no subject
We can talk later. As much detail as you want, I promise, but survive first. Get our people out. That's what matters.
[ He'll keep that promise. When the situation isn't hot, and his friends aren't in this level of danger, his head will be more ready for it. Right now, saving them is all that matters to him. it's genuinely hard to concentrate on anything else. ]
no subject
We will.
[She doesn't leave good people behind. It's not how she's wired, and from what he's saying, there are good people there. Not all of them may fall into that category, but now's not a time to play any games. They have their orders and units for a reason.]
Stay frosty. [And unless he has anything else to say, she'll follow his lead and focus on their mission.]