Agent North

[bothbarrels]

● Agent North Dakota | Andrew Engelsen
Theta likes dealing with the messages so just leave something appropriate for him to respond to.
[video | audio | text]

Comments

[bothbarrels]

Yeah, I've been, ah...getting a lot of lectures about how I handled that.

[ 'A lot' meaning he heard from South and York about it, anyway. ]

I went in unarmed.

[onequartershark]

[ She shakes her head. But, considering he's alive and whole, she seems to find it more funny than serious. ]

North.

[bothbarrels]

[ He can tell she doesn't intend to start in on him, so he smirks. ]

Hey, I had a time crunch.

[onequartershark]

Fair.

I ended up hitting one with a fire extinguisher.

[ That was, at least, kind of satisfying in a weird way. ]

How's Theta? He had a busy night.

[bothbarrels]

He's good. Has a lot of stuff he took notes on last night, and is still thinking about. He's being pretty quiet with me.

[ But North knows Theta will say something if he needs comforting or anything. ]

So how are you settling in? We haven't really had a chance to talk before now.

[onequartershark]

I'm alright.

[ It's automatic, a reflex, Carolina is always Fine. ]

I'm more concerned about the rest of you than me, honestly.

[ Some more than others. ]

And Price is here.

[ Of all fucking people. She says that as flat and heavy as a manhole cover. ]

[bothbarrels]

We're all doing all right. I mean, there's some...you know, interpersonal squabbling going on, but I feel like it'll sort itself out soon.

[ Just as soon as South decides to be nice and give D back to York, at least. He still doesn't know how or whether to approach South about this issue. ]

And yeah, Price is really showing himself to be a piece of work here, isn't he?

[ Not that they didn't know that before, but it's becoming more and more amplified by the day. ]

[onequartershark]

And by "interpersonal squabbling" you mean the "South has Delta" situation.

[ She refuses to dodge it. She heard some things, and was there for that intensely uncomfortable memory scanning incident. There it is. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He gives a little dip of his head. He should have known. ]

Yeah, that's the one. I'm biding my time on saying something—whenever I go in too soon on a thing like that, it turns into a tug-of-war.

[onequartershark]

[ She nods. ]

I don't have any clout with South anymore.

[ Not that she feels like she had a whole lot to begin with, by the end of things. ]

There are some things I think are going to have to come to light for her on her own, if they come at all. She reminds me of someone.

[bothbarrels]

[ He nods. And then tilts his head. ]

Oh? Someone you knew before?

[onequartershark]

[ She shakes her head. ]

Me.

[bothbarrels]

Oh.

[ He still has his head tilted. He's not sure he understands. But Carolina didn't really let them in much back during Freelancer; he knows South a lot better. ]

[onequartershark]

I told the rest of you I had some things I needed to figure out. Nobody could've told me them. That's what I mean.

[ She sails on past it. Enough about her. ]

She'll come around or she won't, and I think if anyone tries to force her hand there's only one outcome.

I feel bad for D and York.

[bothbarrels]

That's true. That's why I haven't tried yet.

[ He pauses, eyes slightly downcast. ]

I couldn't imagine what it'd feel like to have Theta separated from me under circumstances like these.

[onequartershark]

[ She nods, a little grimly. ]

I only had an AI after the rest of you were... gone.

[ That's a good word for it. ]

But I think I understand now, how that feels.

[bothbarrels]

[ North nods. ]

Epsilon, Theta tells me. I'm pretty confused about how that could happen...and how you were okay with it.

[onequartershark]

Epsilon.

[ She confirms. ]

I was trying to find the Director. It turns out Epsilon and I had that in common.

[ The Director, she says. Not 'my father.' ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He nods, still a bit confused, but willing to accept that that had been enough to change her mind about him. ]

I hope that turned out well for you.

[onequartershark]

[ Carolina is quiet for a moment. ]

It was closure for both of us.

[ There, that is a totally measured statement that isn't unloading too many Feelings. Acceptable. ]

Epsilon stayed with me. We started hunting down equipment that started falling into the wrong hands after Freelancer was dismantled.

[ There's a brief, thoughtful pause. ]

He's gone now, though.

I'd rather you and York not have to go through that for a long time.