Post Tenebras Veritas (Planes/Cars RP)

[adelphi prime.]

Otter - Tags: Skila

The F-18 jolted alert when she spoke, going rigid for a moment before calming himself enough to speak. Talking to Skila would never be any easier, he doubted, so he might as well attempt to get used to it either way. "It's this whole vision circumstance," he admitted softly. He was silent for a few moments before the tension between them grew awkward.

"Just thinking about Pike," he murmured quickly, hoping to make up for his absentmindedness. His voice was unusually strained as he spoke, as if the very sentence was difficult to wrap his head around. I look of deep guilt crossed his features and he sighed heavily. "I don't understand why it had to be my mistake that cost him his life. I couldn't do it over again and expect profoundly different results, but it should..." he trailed off, filled with a sudden longing; an urge to be able to see Skila's face, just one more time. He had been about to say it should have happened the other way around.

But surely being blind was worse than death when one knew the world they were missing out on. Everything was so dreary and frightening, and left you with the inability to adjust completely. At least, that's what Otter thought. No, he didn't wish his blindness on Pike in exchange for death. It would have been even more cruel. He couldn't possibly explain this to Skila. She wouldn't understand.

He let the sentence die on the tip of his tongue and the darkness he was living in seemed to close in on him -enveloping him in its cold void. Otter felt more lonesome in this world than ever.

[Alfor]

(*shimmies in awkwardly* I'm lost on how to reply to Finn because he's just all over the place lol)

[Dusty Crophopper]

((Awww, poor Otter! XD And well Finn asked what was on his son's mind. ))

Skila - Tags: Otter

"Vision thing... yes... the thing several of you claimed to have had." she murmured. She still wasn't sure if Otter had seen things or was simply losing his mind. Maybe the guilt over Pike's death had finally gotten to him... and was driving him into the depths of insanity. But still... that Crophopper guy had reported the same thing... and he was silly sure, but he didn't strike her as insane. Plus that Blade guy vouched for Otter... so... guess it was... still... it was strange. That chopper seemed particularly friendly with her erstwhile comrade in arms but...

Speaking of Pike, that's what Otter confessed he was thinking about. "Pike..." she trailed off here, closing her eyes and exhaling. She let him continue though. He seemed to be... thinking deep thoughts here. He didn't understand why it was his mistake. Skila felt anger rise in her... it was because of your arrogance you stupid plane... but she didn't say that out loud... he acknowledged it was a mistake... it was guilt... not... remorseless statements he was making. He then... stopped himself from saying something, and seemed totally incapable of continuing. She sighed heavily here, figuring she had to step in to fill this void...

"Otter..." But wait... he'd said mistake... that implied conscious effort on his part... he didn't say "accident", which would be just that... an accident. "You should've known better." she said here, hoping she wasn't hurting him... too much. "But... I... I don't know if it was an accident or a mistake. Otter you... you killed Pike but... I don't think..." She wasn't great with words, so getting this out was... difficult to say the least. "I don't think it was... entirely... something to blame yourself for. I for one... don't see..." she sighed again. "D*** it's difficult to talk to you after all this time, you know? Here... look... you were stupid... reckless... you got a squadron mate killed... but you suffered for it too... probably too much since it'll stay with you for life." she pointed out here. "Otter... you'll pay for it for the rest of your life and I'm not... I'm not gonna lay any further blame on you because I KNOW you feel regret and I KNOW it tortures you every day. You... you're suffering but... look... don't... do anything stupid, OK? I don't... I don't wish death on you, all right?" she asked here. "And I don't want you to hurt yourself over Pike. I don't... because you paid for it already and you will the rest of your life. Otter... if anything... I pity you. You... I WANT to hate you... I want to bring myself to smack my wing down on your head every time I see you but... you invoke... sympathy in me. I feel sorry for you. And I don't... want you hating yourself over this, OK? You learned from your mistake... at least... I think you did." she said now, gazing at his side, but knowing he couldn't see her. "So please... don't... don't punish yourself..."

[ShadowWolfCelica]

Shadow: Dusty

His points made sense to her, and she nodded understandingly. "I know it's tough. And due to the amount of fans you have.... I know it will be hard to reach out to them... I know. It's like my job... You can't really save everyone. You save as many as you can but.... not everyone can be. There are casualties. I know it's not the same really as your issue, but the idea of a wide scope of people to deal with..... the comparison is there" Shadow added, sighing heavily. Being an agent was rewarding, but it could also be one of the hardest jobs. Sometimes... decisions were made that no car should ever have to make. She sank a little here, thinking of a few of her own choices. Some of them haunted her, but most of the time, the good tended to out weigh the bad.

She could tell that the thoughts of the attack on Propwash were beginning to bring him down again, causing her to fret for a moment. "Hey... come on. It could have happened to anyone.... it was just they seemed to choose you" She said now, rolling forward out from underneath him. Having adjusted to his heat, she now felt cold in comparison, and gave herself a quick shake. "Dusty, come on, let's go to the beach. Get ourselves some air.... We've been in here a while and I need to stretch my tires now. " She smiled at him, making her way to the door now. "You can tell me how much you adore me along the way!" She laughed here with a wink.


Calypso: Finn, Doc

"Oh why would Miles mind? We're not... together, if that's what you're thinking!" She replied with another smile, still watching him carefully. "Nothing threatening about a one on one lesson in french is there?" She teased lightly here now, tracing her tire again. Her smile faltered as he agreed about the world being harsh. "Of course I .... don't suppose I need to tell you about that one do I? The things you must have seen as an agent.... The fact you still fight even after you've most likely seen the most ugly side to the world... it's... inspiring... Really and truly" She added softly here now, relaxing a little more on her tires. "The Miles I knew back when we were younger was actually fun loving, of course adventurous as well as incredibly bright. He still is, he's not stupid in the slightest, though he's... changed. He's withdrawn now. I see the sorrow haunt his eyes. He's almost a shadow of the Miles I knew. That Miles is still there, he just took a bad path with this Allinol thing... He thought he could change the world and stand up for others like him but... I'll admit he went about it the wrong way. However, isn't that car behavior? To make mistakes and learn from them? He never directly killed any of the cars, from what he's said" She said now, giving Finn an easy smile, though hopefully making sense.

"I understand why you would see him that way Finn darling, but perhaps an open mind is what's needed, I mean you need one for this mission right? What with this magic guy running around.... " She said this a little quieter now, lowering her front so mainly he could hear. "I know you agents don't trust him..." She said, now glancing to Shadow, and her earlier display of displeasure crossed her mind. "Some perhaps more than others, but... if I could convince you he's not, would you believe me?" She asked now. "Take it from an old friend of his.... One that has no reason to do so otherwise, he can't offer me money, I have my own" She reasoned here, driving more to Finn's side now.

[ZAFTPrime]

Doc - Tag: Finn, Calypso

Doc glanced back as he heard Calypso talking to Finn about Miles in his younger days, and he could not help but admit she had a point. Finn did need to have an open mind, but it seemed the Faultless was more determined to stick to his normal way of thinking about certain cars.

He then made his way back over. "I haven't seen the worst side of the world's harshness, but I will admit it can be a ruthless place at times." The midnight blue car said as he looked to Calypso. "I was once a racer back in the 50's and when I had a crash that took me out of the season in '54, I was told I wasn't needed anymore. I had to find a new calling, and after a tough time, I found it in the medical field. Although that may seem simple compared to what Finn has seen, it was hard for a racecar of my status. I couldn't reveal myself or who I used to be when looking for a job, otherwise I would be questioned about why I wasn't racing anymore."

Doc then looked to Finn. "The car you know Miles as now may not be the true Miles Axlerod he was in the past." And Doc knew he had a point. "I know this from personal experience. I wasn't the open and relaxed racer I used to be when I became a doctor. I did everything I could to hide the true me. Only after Lightning wormed his way into my heart did I reveal my true past and become the car I once was. No one knew I had been such a laid-back car until that day. They only knew the uptight and serious me. You might know only the criminal mastermind Miles, but if you have an open mind, you just might find something interesting about the true Miles that you can appreciate."

[Dusty Crophopper]

"Yeah... well sometimes... you can't save everyone as a firefighter either." Dusty said softly here, closing his eyes as he thought it over. "Still... it's probably nothing on the scale you face during missions." he confessed, opening his eyes. "Uh... well... I'm not anyone though... and that's... kind of the problem." he said softly, voice dropping low in response to her encouragement. She rolled out from underneath him, and the plane found he missed her warmth, but he did at least brighten when she suggested they go to the beach. "Ha! A beach car, are you?" he inquired, eyes glinting at this as a smile crept across his face. "All right... let's go! And heheh! Tell you how much I adore you?" he asked, feigning skepticism. "It's still early in this relationship, you know!" He said, making a face at her as he began rolling after her. "Lead the way please! Which one you want to go to? I hear Ipanema's pretty nice!"

"Heh, if you say so." Finn replied with a smile to her suggestion that Miles wouldn't mind. He wasn't sure if they were together or not, but still... this was maybe something he could use against Miles in the future...

"Well... you don't have to, you're right. I know full well what the world holds for me." he muttered darkly. "It's... inspiring?" he asked, raising his brow at her, but still not trusting her words. She HAD to be buttering him up for some purpose! Agents weren't inspiring they were... secretive and deadly and well... he never got from others that he inspired them! He listened to her story of Miles in his youth. Youthful Miles... that was... a thought that made him smile a bit in amusement. "No... he's certainly not stupid." Finn agreed. He heard her out, but could only disagree with her about him going about it the wrong way. He got cars killed... and tried to kill others! There was... no other way to slice that.

"I... that's yes and no." He said, replying to her suggestion that he needed an open mind for this mission. "I need one only in so far that I've never dealt with an enemy like this before. IF you could convince me?" he asked as she moved beside him. "Well... if you could... fine... I would." he acquiesced, nodding here. "I know he can't offer you money but... look... Ms. Darrington." he turned to face her as Doc drove up, and the Faultless heard him out as well.

He seemed to soften at Doc's words, even finding that intriguing: that there might be something to the old Miles he could actually... appreciate. But no! He shook his front a bit more violently now. That wasn't... possible! Miles Axlerod was a devious criminal It didn't matter what he was like in the past! He was a criminal now and he couldn't be trusted! "I understand... what both of you are saying. But if I was in the line of trusting people I wouldn't be an agent!" he pointed out to both of them now. "Look... I know you think he deserves a chance and I respect that... I really do, OK? BUT... my job doesn't permit me to just open up to former terrorists! I need a DARN good reason to trust him! I'd love to believe he's OK... and yes... I don't believe he started out that way but still... I can't afford to. If I do that means everyone does and there's no one being careful or wary around him. We CAN'T drop our guard around cars like him! We just can't! Now I know we strapped a bomb to him but still... we need to watch out. What if he's just doing this to get a reduction in his sentence or something, hm?" Finn asked the obvious. "What if he's just trying to manipulate us all? I'd love to trust him but... I just can't do that right now, I'm sorry." he said firmly, putting his wheel down on the ground in a tap for emphasis.

Behind them... Miles sighed lightly. Well... it was worth a shot... but of course Finn wouldn't trust him. Good try guys... he appreciated their kindness towards him... it was more than he'd ever gotten in a long... long time... but just... well he figured it was inevitable that Finn would put his tire down and refuse to trust him completely. He'd be an idiot otherwise for doing so... still... Miles did want a chance and... he knew his opportunities for it were getting slimmer if he couldn't be given a moment to shine...

[ZAFTPrime]

Doc - Tag: Finn, Calypso

Doc growled in frustration. He understood where Finn was coming from, and the ex-racer knew he wasn't as experienced as Finn was, so that had a part to play in him trusting Miles more anyway, but if the Faultless wasn't willing to trust Miles, then this mission could fall apart. Doc wasn't stupid though; far from it actually, as he was vey intelligent. But being a recently graduated agent himself, Doc just wasn't as experienced as Finn, as he felt the elder agent could see it clearly.

But the midnight blue racecar also had a feeling that if Finn didn't trust Miles, then the agent might as well lose his life. Miles couldn't be that bad, right? Then, memories of the Allinol incident came back with a vengeance, and Doc shook his front to drive those thoughts off. He couldn't let revenge thoughts get to him!

"I understand what you're saying Finn, and it might be my own inexperience as an agent speaking, but this case may require that trust to be needed at some point. I know very well what he did, and while I may not be willing to trust him, at least I'm giving him a chance at all!" Doc said. "At least give him the chance!"

The ex-racer was curious as to why Miles had been distracted during the vent infiltration, but he had a feeling it had to do with Calypso. Why else would he get distracted? That may be why Doc was willing to give him another chance at becoming trustworthy.

[ShadowWolfCelica]

Shadow: Dusty

"Well the danger you battle is most likely more... varied as to the amount of people involved, so it could be on a bigger scale. Though.... I will be honest, some of out missions are huge..." Shadow replied, a memory of one of her first missions coming to her. "Heh, you know, me and Finn once saved the whole of France. It was when i was an entry level agent, I hadn't been in the field long when Hudson commissioned us to take care of some smuggling activity in Paris. Of course, turns out it was bigger than that and we got into a illegal weapons auction. Actually had to flirt my way out at some point... It all went downhill when Finn was attacked mind you. I tried to help him, but got attacked myself. We made it out and solved it all, but they were making explosive car parts and selling them cheap to dealers and such. A lot of cars were in danger." She said here now, moving more beside him as she drove on.

"Ipanema? That does sound rather nice, I think we should go to that one!" She smiled now, rolling straight out into the night air. "Do you know where it is?" She asked now.


Calypso: Finn, Doc

"What the world holds for you?" She inquired now. "What... what do you see? I would have thought someone like you would make the world work to your bidding?" She said now, watching him carefully. "I don't believe this whole world is out to... kill you or get you... right?" She asked now, a more gentle tone. She knew she really wasn't getting through to him, though she wasn't sure how far she was hoping to get. She had hoped maybe he would be more accepting toward her, but she was aware agents weren't meant to trust..... She shook her hood gently, looking over to him again, more to her side since she had moved. The mention of her name made her give him a questioning glance, though he didn't seem to reiterate after that. "Oh, please, just Calypso" She smiled at him here. "But it's.... It's miss" She added, looking away now.

Calypso agreed with Doc, nodding her hood here, making her opinion on his words known. "I would agree with Doc... i mean, I understand why you wouldn't, but I think all is not lost with him" She said now, beginning to press harder. She looked to her wing mirror, hearing Mile's sigh. She felt a pang for him, wanting to go up and nuzzle him, help him feel better, but she knew it would only go so far. She herself just wanted to spend the night with him and perhaps help him forget his worries for a while with her company... Though she also knew it might not work, and he could just remain low. She gave a sigh herself, feeling her form slump suddenly. She didn't know how she could help him more.

[ZAFTPrime]

Doc - Tag: Finn, Calypso, Miles

Doc growled as he noticed the baroness slump on her tires. It seemed like she was out of options to defend Miles, and in truth, so was he. If Finn was going to be hard-hooded about this, then the ex-racer figured it was best to drop the matter if it was not so winnable. Unlike what most cars thought about racecars, Doc knew when something was not winnable and to back down. The midnight blue racer snorted to himself. Lightning still had a ways to go before he learned if something was winnable or not, but he was making strides.

As Doc drove away from Finn, the Hudson Hornet saw Miles off to the side and went over to him. "And I thought I was the only one who liked to creep up on others from the shadows." Doc said with a bit of a joking tone to his voice. He then looked back at Finn. "I'm sorry about Finn and his inability to trust you. Although I can understand where he is coming from as an agent myself, I don't have the experience he does, so I may be a bit naïve when it comes to being careful with who I trust." Doc then winced as he realized he had revealed his one weakness as an agent. "D*** it...Should have probably kept my mouth shut..." He added under his breath.

[adelphi prime.]

Otter - Tags: Skila

Otter wasn't sure if she was trying to bring him up or beat him down, but a sense of relief swept through him when she mentioned how she didn't blame him. The F-18 had a hard time finding words for the situation, now. His mind was going so many different directions at once -hurt, guilt, pain, fear, love, joy, relief... there were just too many thoughts for him to form words. Instead he shook his head and sighed. "Hmm..." he grunted softly.

However, he knew the moment was becoming more and more tense. "I..." he hesitated, knowing his words would sound forced. Otter wasn't an actor in any way, so when he spoke he always sounded as he felt. "I needed to hear that from you." He wanted to go on and tell her how he felt about her, but it would seem unwise. It would be best to remain quiet now, he decided.