sixthiterationlogs | OTA - First Things First

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OTA - First Things First

WHO: Steve McGarrett and YOU
WHERE: Fountain, Forest, Village (behind and in between buildings)
WHEN: September 3rd
OPEN TO: All
SCRUB COLOR: Hunter Green
WARNINGS: None to start
STATUS: Open

[ Fountain ]

Coming to, Steve knows instantly that he’s underwater. Fighting the upwards momentum, he opens his eyes and tries to get some idea of what the hell is going on. All he sees is darkness with light shining down from above. He knows which way to go and after confirming he’s alone without any detectible threat in the water he kicks up.

Slowing just before surfacing, he eases his eyes and nose above the water with barely a splash. SEAL training coming in especially helpful at the moment. He scans his surroundings, only to find that nothing looks familiar.

The last he remembered was taking Wo Fat prisoner and flying a chopper from an island not far off Hawaii. They’d been over the pacific, he remembers that, but then nothing until coming to in the water. Had someone shot them down? The chances of him landing in the fountain he found himself in was extremely slim, but it is possible someone attempted to dispose of him there. The landscape doesn’t look familiar and he doesn’t think he’s on the islands anymore. Which makes him wonder how long he’s been out and where exactly he is.

But first things first. Easing up high enough to see over the edge of the fountain, he sees what looks to be... a park?

[ Forest ]

Out of the fountain, he makes quick work of getting some distance between him and it. It’s not till he has some cover in the trees does he notice what he’s wearing. It strikes him odd to find himself in scrubs and instantly he misses his cargo pants and everything he normally keeps in his pockets. What he misses most though is a weapon.

Taking inventory of what he has in the backpack, he decides against changing at the moment. Changing may help him fit into whatever mess he’s found himself in, but until he has more intel he’ll stay as he is. Instead he removes only one sock from the backpack and with a quick look around him he picks up a rock about the size of his fist and slips it into the sock. Not a great weapon, but it’s better than nothing until he has time to either acquire some or make something better.

With the backpack secured to his back, he carefully scouts out the forest staying as concealed as possible while also gathering as much information as he can. As he moves through he does some light tracking of any animal trails that he might find as well as notes any vegetation that could be useful for food, weapons, tools or anything else he may need. He may not need any of it, and doesn’t waste time lingering, but if he needs it later he’ll know where to find it.

[ Village ]

Once he ventures out far enough from the fountain, he sees the buildings. With the fountain he had figured there was a settlement of some sort not far off and now that he finds it, he’s curious to see what he’s up against. Attempting to keep as concealed as possible, he peaks into windows and around corners.

The town isn’t what he was expecting and he’s still confused about where he is and why. His leading theory is that Wo Fat somehow managed to get the upper hand, knock him out and brought him here, but seeing the village and the people walking around without weapons he realizes that doesn’t seem likely either.

After watching for a bit he slips his ‘rock-in-a-sock’ into his backpack and ventures in closer. He can only find out so much information by remaining hidden and so far he’s not detected a specific threat. Still, he came to by almost drowning in the fountain and as far as he knows, any one of these people could have tossed him there... Along with a backpack with three days worth of clothing. Whoever put him in the fountain hadn't expected him to die there. So, he’s ready for anything.

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Ned approaches in a way to show he's familiar with the delicate dance of diplomacy - his features and stature are soft and rounded, purposefully warm and inviting, yet firm underneath the gossamer cloak to indicate his ability and strength. The way in which he handles himself would be a clear indication that the man has had some sort of military training, even if it is a bit foreign to a person from outside of Westeros, and that he is more than likely someone high-born, or well-bred. Despite the aged appearance of his face, there is no doubt that Ned is in prime shape and condition.

He keeps himself a respectable distance from the newcomer, though not far enough to make him seem apprehensive or afraid.

"It has been just the one for quite some time, as far as I know; I have been here for more fortnights than I can currently recall. It was not all that long ago, however, that a quake broke apart the canyon wall and revealed to us a second village, almost a perfect mirror image to the one in which you currently find yourself." His latter question gives Ned pause, and though he is not quick to trust those he does not yet know, he is also motivated by a distinct urge to be as helpful as possible. "It would depend on what it is you mean by 'threat of attack.' But you are generally safe here, yes."

Watching as the man approaches, Steve picks up on visible tells. Being a military man himself it's something he notices quickly and instantly does a full assessment as to the other man's strengths and possible weaknesses. The speech patterns make Steve think of someone from a time period considerably earlier than his own, add that to the diplomacy he sees further brings him to the conclusion of a leader. A certain amount of relatability is felt towards the other man. They man come from very different places and possibly times, but they have much in common.

An earthquake opening up access to a second village catches Steve's attention. "Were there inhabitants there as well?" The second village could mean several things but Steve is hoping it means a way out and to escape. "I was thinking by animal, others brought here that may not be as friendly, or possible neighboring villages, but really anything in general qualifies..." Being naturally suspicious, especially when it comes to threat assessment, he latches onto Ned's choice of words. They tell Steve that there is a threat, but not likely in the way he was thinking. "Are there attacks that we can't defend against?"

"No, it .. seemed as though, if there had been any, it had been many, many moons since they'd last inhabited the structures left behind," Ned replies, words slow and thoughtful with each escape. "I was not here for the initial discovery of the village in which you currently stand, but I was told that it was in a similar state of .. abandonment, where it seemed as though there had once been other villagers who, for whatever reason, were no longer here." The story of the genesis of the village had sent chills down Ned's spine, and even now, months after his arrival, it still elicits the same reaction. There had been a great deal of debate amongst the villagers of whether or not the scene had been staged by the unseen forces behind the area, or if there had, indeed, once been inhabitants.

"There have been animal attacks on occasion, though - they do not seem all that frequent. It was not too long ago that there were these strange swarms of insects whose stings contained a kind of venom that brought about fever and hallucinations. But as quickly as they arrived, they disappeared. I haven't not seen them in some time." He pauses to gather the rest of his thoughts, which follow. "As for the other villagers, I believe most come from a common place - a wish to survive and assist each other to the best of their ability. I wouldn't be so foolish as to apply such a belief to every single person here, but I do believe it is safe to say that it is applies to most." The latter question darkens the color of Ned's icy eyes, his jaw tensing slightly. "I see it would make no sense for me to try and sweeten what is otherwise .. unsettling, not with a man such as yourself. There are .. events that unfold and take place with .. seemingly random irregularity. There is a great deal of talk amongst the others of Observers. That is a name you will hear somewhat often if the topic arises. Things like - gods, unseen and unknown aside from the plagues and/or gifts they see fit to bestow, with no true pattern. It is believed that these Observers are the very things - or people - who brought us here in the first place."

"So I guess the question is, did those inhabitants, of either village, find a way to leave or did whatever brought us here have a hand in it...?" He's not expecting Ned to know the answer, but it does make him wonder. He's not sure if abandoned villages should be a sign of something positive and hopeful or negative of something more sinister. "I take it there were no clues left behind to give us any ideas as to what this place was meant to be or what happened to them?" While he expects the answer to be 'no' from what he's been told so far, he still feels the need to ask. After all, Ned told him about the new village where the others he'd encountered hadn't mentioned it.

Steve frowns at hearing about the insects, not liking the sound of that, especially if the medical supplies and equipment were from the same age as the buildings. As Ned moves onto his perception of the other villagers, Steve nods. It makes sense to him. Even those who may not have had the best of motivations or intentions back home would quickly find that it would be easier to work with others here than against if they wanted to survive.

"Observers..." Steve repeats when Ned mentions them. That they are like gods is more than a little bit unsettling. "They provide gifts?" He asks, somewhat surprised to hear that. "What kind of gifts?" It makes him slightly alter his building hypothesis about their motives for bringing and keeping them here.

It suddenly dawns on Steve that he's forgotten his manners. "I'm Steve, by the way, Steve McGarrett." Taking a step closer he extends his hand in greeting. "I appreciate the information. May I ask how long you've been here?"

"It is a question that has been plaguing many minds as of late," Ned admits, finding no reason to withhold such information. "If you can believe my saying so, it almost seemed - from what I had heard - that the setting was staged, with just enough left behind to insinuate it had once been inhabited, but without anything more detailed so as to provide clues and answers as to by whom or when." There's a tingle at the back of Ned's neck, one that lives in the shadow of what the Observers might do to those who speak against them or reveal too much about them. He purses his lips together slightly, nodding to reaffirm the use of the term "Observer."

He hesitates in revealing more but eventually replies:

"A variety of things. Clothing, sometimes. Animals and livestock, plants, seeds, tools." Something he does choose to keep to himself is the fact that they'd bestowed upon him a Weirwood sapling, a tree from his native Winterfell, which was still thriving, despite the differences in soil and climate. It had seemed overly personal and familiar for a gift, which are often much more generic. There are many things Ned prefers to keep private, and mention of the Weirwood is one of them.

Ned considers the hand for a brief second before closing the distance. When he reaches for Steve's hand, he bypasses the palm and instead grips near the man's elbow, a standard greeting for men in Westeros.

"Pleasure. I'm Eddard Stark," he hesitates for a breath, still remembering to negate the titles that followed for his life prior to the village, "Though most call me Ned." He withdraws his hand as he considers the length of time. "It is hard to say, having no concrete method of tracking days - but I would say seven months."

There was no reason for Steve not to believe Ned. Especially about this. The information surprises him though, either there was nobody before them and it was staged, or someone was very anal in their cleaning. Either way, it's a great deal of effort. "That's not an easy task, to make all personal aspects of an entire village disappear..." Not that Steve doubts what Ned says to be true, but having moved around over half his life as part of the military Steve can't count the amount of times he's found someone else's personal belongings in his temporarily allotted space and realized after the fact that he forgot something of his own. Even when he's stayed in hotels there's been times he found something of someone else's hidden under the bed or at the back of a drawer.

Noticing certain tells in Ned's behavior, Steve tilts his head forward and lowers his voice. "You believe they can hear us." It's not really a question, even if it is worded similar to one, but more of a confirmation. If these beings are considered to be like gods then it makes sense that they could hear and see everything. He doesn't add that should these Observers not like what they see or hear that they are likely to dish out negative consequences in return, but the implication is that he understands this to be the case. "Those sound like pretty good gifts considering where we are. Especially the tools and animals. Is there rhyme or reason to the gift giving? Prayer or good deeds?"

Steve smiles as Ned grips near his elbow and copies the action. The smile fades a bit at the length of time mentioned. Steve had heard some had been here up to a year, but Steve can't imagine being here for seven months. However that length of time brings about another question. "In your time here, has the weather seasonably changed, or is this pretty standard?"

"No, it is not - not for the average man or woman. But for an Observer who seems to behold a great power we can only begin to fathom, perhaps it is no harder than exhaling a breath or blinking an eye," Ned mutters in reply, his face dour to match the growing darkness in his chest. He cannot shake the feeling of impending doom - even if such a thing is nothing more than his anxiety getting the better of him, in this moment, it feels quite real.

Because of this, the corners of his lips seem to tighten and there's a sudden shift in his demeanor. He now appears significantly more detached from all of this than he really is, and he wonders if he is putting on a good enough show for the Observers to believe that he hasn't spent the vast majority of his time perseverating on this very topic. When not consumed with the care and well-being of his children and the Weirwood, he has been contemplating Them.

Still, he manages to nod in response, not wanting to be rude and so tight-lipped as to ignore a newcomer's understandable curiosity.

"No rhyme or reason that I can discern," he says, voice a bit more cautious and flat. "Perhaps - if you are willing - we might be able to continue our conversation at my family's home. I - do not often prefer to have these sorts of talks out in the open, within earshot of all who might be nearby. We aren't far, it's just to the south."

At Ned's description for how powerful the Observers might be, Steve can only blink at the other man. Not out of disbelief necessarily, but he simply didn't think that way about gods, or that to them it could possibly be that easy. It's something he's going to have to contemplate about more and stretch his mind somewhat in order to fully wrap it around that idea. The discomfort he sees in Ned though now makes more sense.

It's not Steve's nature to believe in the supernatural to this extent. Personally he's not a religious man. At the same time, he has more than a healthy amount of respect for other people's beliefs when it comes to both religion and the supernatural. In the past it has always served him well to listen and be open to other's philosophies in such matters. Being in a place that has more questions than answers it only makes sense.

"Understandable," he says with a nod. "And thank you. I appreciate you being willing to discuss this with me." Especially when it's clear how uncomfortable it is for the other man. "Lead the way."

"I don't believe it does a man much good if he's not given as much information as is available," Ned starts, beginning the trek to the Stark family home. "Although knowledge can be quite a dangerous thing." He thinks back to his time in King's Landing, the moment he'd finally understood Jon Arryn's warning of, 'the seed is strong,' and how it came into play with the Royal Family. How Joffrey, and Myrcella, and Tommen had never been Robert's. How it had all lead to his death. "It is a balance, I believe, of seeking out the truth while also understanding that perhaps there are things we are not meant to know."

Falling into step with Ned, Steve nods. "I agree." And he did on all accounts. He had been part of Naval Intelligence for five years and understood how it worked and the reasoning behind 'need to know'.

"It's a tricky balance. What information needs to be known and what doesn't. Knowing too much or not enough can both be problematic." He thought about that a moment and then shook his head. "At the same time, when it comes to directly involving myself, I believe that I have a right to know." Having secrets kept from him were a large part of the worst moments of Steve's life. Not knowing why his father had abandoned him and his sister had emotionally scarred both of them. Earlier this year he'd been tortured because others believed it kept him safer not to know all of what was going on. They had their reasons keeping the information from him, but had he known, he would have made better choices himself and handled things much different.

"Aye, that's an understandable and reasonable demand. And by all accounts, I believe most of us here would agree with you. Unfortunately for us, however, we have those who might not feel similarly, and those are the ones who are in power here," Ned replies, voice more quiet than normal. There were oft times where Ned can't help but question the veracity of just about everything he feels or thinks he knows. His distance and separation from Westeros, from the life he'd had before, it all seems so much like a dream now that he wonders whether any of it was real to begin with. He's not spoken about this to any of the others, least of all his family, though he's been meaning to bring it up with his sister, Lyanna. He could always go to her with the dark thoughts he'd often find in his mind. "And in situations such as these, there is another game of balance to play - finding out information without bringing about punishment."

"Which is difficult never knowing who is listening and by which possible means," Steve says, his voice low and serious. Ned's comments about not wanting to discuss such things outside with never knowing who will over hear aren't far from his mind.

At the moment, he realizes that he is extremely naive to the consequences. Not only has he not directly seen or experienced any, he's of the mind that having the information far outweighs those possible costs. He's been tortured before, trained to withstand and deal with it, and right now he doesn't expect these observers will be able to break him. Ned's behavior and concern however are strong balances to Steve's point of view. While he's willing to risk almost everything when it's himself on the line, he's not willing to take those same chances with someone else, especially someone else who's willing to help him against what might be his own best interests.

"But, that just means we need to be extra careful and not bring undue attention." With a smile Steve places a hand on Ned's shoulder and squeezes gently. "Tell me your house is nearby where we can speak without as much concern."

Ned merely nods at Steve's observation, slightly dampened by the saddened truth of it all. Despite having spent, by his rough estimations, a time a few months short of a year here, he finds that he's no closer to answers than he was when he'd first arrived. If anything, he has been buried under a pile of never-ending questions with very few, if any, answers to help lighten the load.

Steve's voice is a grounder for Ned, and it, combined with the hand at his shoulder, is about all that's keeping him from pursuing the darker path in his mind. He nods, glancing over to the man with an equally warm smile. With a gesture towards the front, he flicks his head in the direction, as well.

"Aye, just ahead. We're in the large white and grey cabin, almost at the end of the path." Within a few moments, Ned's ascending the stairs to the porch, opening the door, and gesturing Steve inside ahead of him.

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OTA - First Things First

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