un: Odair65 | video | @all

[fishermansweater]

[ after this ]

[ it's a worried-looking, slightly disheveled Finnick who appears on the network, a small scratch on his face from running into a twig in his earlier pursuit, and noticeable dirt on his shirt. ]

There's something everyone should know.

Earlier today, I saw Moana. A lot of you wouldn't know her, but she used to be here until she disappeared months ago. When she saw me, she ran, and a few of us followed her trail south of the village until it disappeared. We couldn't find her anywhere.

But we did find a hatch that led to an underground room, with food in it. A lot of food. And it looked like people had been sleeping there.

[ he doesn't spell out the implications just yet, but it's clear in his expression that he's troubled by them. ]

Comments

UN: The Brock Report

[imareporter]

Sleeping there? In rooms or like they'd been...I dunno nesting inside?

[fishermansweater]

Like nesting.

There were a bunch of blankets on the floor.

[imareporter]

...Ok. Warm? Fresh? Like somebody was sitting there?

[fishermansweater]

No, no sign anyone was in there just before we were. The hatch was pretty well hidden, hard to tell how long it’s been since anyone was there.

un: beverly crusher | private

[ethnobotany]

Like they'd been forced into that space? Were there beds?

[ or is this another kind of kidnap scenario? ]

Are you okay?

private

[fishermansweater]

No beds. Just some blankets, like someone had been camping out there. Hard to tell if they were forced, but why would they be there instead of in the villages?

[ admittedly, he and Annie had done the same thing, but before they’d moved into the village, not after.

he takes a deep breath and gives a half-shrug. ]

She looked terrible, like she’d been out in the wild for ages. It reminded me of Panem.

private

[ethnobotany]

I can think of a few reasons, but none of them are particularly pleasant.

Poor Moana. She was so sweet. But you said she disappeared? She's just vanished?

[ this whole thing is worrisome. ]

private

[fishermansweater]

We completely lost the trail. I'm not a great tracker, but I know a bit about it, and so does one of the other people we were with.

She led us to a clearing where we found the hatch and then the trail disappeared.

un: boca | video

[vidal]

Wait.

So. There are other goddamned people here?

[ He's normally in such tight control of himself, but this time he lets out his surprise on full blast. What the fuck. ]

[fishermansweater]

I’m not sure whether to be more unsettled by that or by the fact at least one of them used to live in the villages.

[ because that prompts the question why ]

And why they seem to want us not to know.

[vidal]

How long had this Moana been here? Did you know her?

[fishermansweater]

Months. Probably a year.

And yeah, I knew her. She was a good kid.

un: Watney

[markwatney]

Finnick, where are you now? Are you safe?

[An extended pause.]

You're 100% sure it was her?

[fishermansweater]

I’m safe, I’m back in the village now.

[ There’s a similar pause as Finnick considers both the question and its implications. ]

I’m 100% sure I recognized Moana.

I’m not sure it wasn’t some sort of trick. I definitely saw her and I definitely followed a trail through the forest. But I don’t trust that anything strange here is what it seems.

Private

[markwatney]

That's probably wise, although I think we both know that the worst parts of this place happen when things are exactly what they seem.

She came back once before, didn't she? Back in the sim. It's been so long, I can't remember if she remembered anybody that time. Not that I guess it matters if she did, if she didn't remember you now.

It looked like she was living rough out there? And not alone?

Private

[fishermansweater]

[ Watney's right. They definitely both know that, and Finnick also knows that some of those worst parts also happen exactly when he's most reminded of the arena. ]

She looked like she'd been in the Hunger Games.

[ Finnick takes a deep breath and gives a brief shake of his head as he corrects himself. ]

Yeah, she'd been living rough. And there were enough blankets down there for a group of people to have been sleeping there.

She was always pretty friendly and outgoing. Even if she didn't remember me, I don't like the thought of something making her so scared she'd run away from us instead of looking for help.

Text | un: Loptr

[sundr]

Are you certain this isn't just another trick being played by this place? Emotional manipulation seems to be a reoccurring theme here.

text

[fishermansweater]

Anything but certain. Hallucinations came to mind, but she left behind a trail, so if it was a hallucination it was an unusually physical one.

I don't trust anything here to not be a trick.

[sundr]

What sort of food did you find? And the evidence of those living there-- do you mean you found personal effects?

[ataashihunter]

That is... not good. Any plans on what to do next?

[fishermansweater]

We completely lost the trail. No sign of Moana, and no tracks anywhere to suggest where anyone else who'd been there went. I'm not a great tracker, but I'm not bad, either.

Hard to tell what we should do next.

[ataashihunter]

Maybe we need to keep an eye on that place. You got enough people there for that or do you need one more?

un: Jean-Luc Picard

[enterprisingheart]

Would you be able to guess how many people had been sleeping there, or was that not particularly clear?

[fishermansweater]

Could have been up to five or six, at a guess from how the blankets we found were spread out.

[enterprisingheart]

Which suggests that this might have been more than a temporary sanctuary.