bakerstreet | and since we've no place to go

and since we've no place to go

❄ it's quiet
and the snow's beautiful tonight

snowfall;

stage i; none, streets are already blanketed in white.
stage ii; very light and intermittent.
stage iii; light - moderate. lasts longer periods.
stage iv; continuous, heavy snowfall.
stage v; the hardest of cores - blizzards, snowstorms, you name it.

scenarios;

① fuck the police, this is the best time for a walk. hope you've got a nice thick coat on.
② stranded in the buttcrack of nowheresville? weren't you watching the time? now you've gone and missed that last bus out of there. or maybe you're lost, somehow. what do?
③ literally chilling, in this weather, is quite easy to do. sitting around relaxing in it is a wee more difficult, but sometimes much more enjoyable, especially if shelter can be found. the snow is beautiful to watch, after all.
④ the weather's not going to stop you. your snow fort's packed full of ammo and ready to go. those aren't snow angels over there; they mark where the poor souls you've downed have fallen. be careful with that snowman's head!!
⑤ you're about fifty miles from civilization but there's a roof over your head, so never mind the chilly draught, right? right. you mightn't be the only one lucky enough to stumble upon this little shelter, though. remember to share the blanket.
⑥ everyone stuck outside should be jelly. you've got a fireplace and hot cocoa and damn if it isn't awesome. a heater's not quite so romantic, but it'd do. there'd better be a backup generator in case the power trips.
⑦ mix and match, or make up your own.

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A lot of figurative!

[ Her cheerful voice chimes behind him, distorted by Meka's speaker system. Okay, it's probably not "figurative" either. She's just giving him a hard time. As she tends to do with everyone.

Then again, everyone eventually gives into her cute smiles and batting eyelashes.

Hana has her own reasons why Soldier 76 wears the mask. Most of those reasons she's fairly sure aren't the real reason, but she can't help but let her imagination get away from her. He could be embarrassed of his really old, ugly face. He could need it to see because he's blind.

Although she's pretty sure he's just hiding his identity for some reason. Compared to her, who streams missions and flaunts her idol status, he's like her opposite. ]

What's your story, anyway? You're pretty mysterious. Wearing a mask, keeping secrets...

Super heroes do that too, you know.

[76 offers little more than a sigh and another shrug. Perhaps surprisingly, though, he can provide a serious explanation, even if it's only part of the reason.]

Not exactly on the right side of the law.

[Granted, none of them are on the right side of the law simply by affiliating themselves with a reformed Overwatch, but he's gone out and deliberately caused real property damage. He's not exactly a good person to have around.]

Just don't want to risk anything.

[ Realization spreads across her face. In the slight widening of her eyes, in the small parting of her mouth. That's right -- Soldier 76 has done some bad things. Good, but also kind of bad. Things the police would be going after him for if, you know, he wasn't a one man army on his own.

Plus, she's heard about his exploits from Winston. Overheard, hah. ]

Are any of us on the right side, being a part of Overwatch? Didn't the top dogs perma-ban this group before? You think I'm gonna blab to everyone your true identity? Listen, I may stream my missions and share a lot with my fans but I can keep secrets.

As long as our goal is to make the world better in some way, we're all in this together. Okay?

[It would be a good speech, if he were someone else. As it stands, even running with the re-formed Overwatch is detrimental to them. Being seen on their missions immediately discredits their attempt to be seen as legitimate. They might be violating UN decree, but public opinion of Soldier: 76 is not exactly great. He’s a terrorist at worst, a thorn in the side of private security details at the very best. Not exactly great for public image.]

It’s more complicated than that.

[Some of them have figured him out—people who were close to him, and of course there’s Ana, but the more people he can keep this from, the better. He shouldn’t be here in the first place, but having his identity revealed will be disastrous. How can they reform Overwatch with the knowledge of how he abandoned them all? Knowing that he’s done things like plant bombs and break into old bases, not caring for the collateral damage he causes?]

Better if you don’t know.

[ Hana has a feeling that everyone in Overwatch knew what they were getting into if they knew anything about Overwatch and its history. While not a expert on it, Hana knew enough through word of mouth both before and after she was enlisted.

Plus, you had to be living under a rock if you didn't know about Soldier: 76.

But he's had her back and he's been on these boring patrols with her enough that she trusts him. How the public views Soldier:76 and D.Va might be vastly different but that doesn't stop her. Nothing does. And it doesn't change that they're both here with Overwatch.

After a long pause where Hana says nothing, she powers down her MEKA and climbs out of it. All 5'5" of her in a suit that does nothing to protect her from the cold. Yet she marches over, snowflakes getting caught in her auburn hair until she's standing right in front of the soldier. ]

I'll decide what's best for me, Soldier: 76. [ Give her some respect here. She's seen her share of disaster, too.

She punches his shoulder. Not enough to leave bruises or marks. Not to really cause pain but enough to show frustration, at least. Things she did with her squad. ]

You know, I like you. [ SHE PUNCHED HIM. ] You're weird, and grumpy, and you're really naggy but you're still alright. It's because you care, huh?

[He knows that he's not going to dissuade her--she's just as stubborn as he is, most days, but when she climbs out of the MEKA he's perhaps a little surprised. It doesn't show on his face, but his shoulders tense as she invades his personal bubble and it's clear he's not sure what to do when she outright punches him in the arm.

76 has absolutely nothing to say on the subject of whether or not he cares. Of course he cares. He tries very hard to make it seem like he doesn't care, but he knows that it doesn't work nearly as well as he'd like it to.

He doesn't even have an argument against anything she's saying, but now that he has her out of the MEKA, he shrugs off the overcoat and offers it to her. Perhaps that's his answer.]

[ It's enough of one. The weight of the coat, the warmth leftover... hell, even that very same care she was talking about lingers there in the fabric. Instead of giving it back, she's pushing her arms through the sleeves. Her fingers don't make it past the ends as she spreads out her arms. ]

Thanks.

[ Her smile is a bit more genuine, a bit less cocksure. A glance over her shoulder towards her MEKA and then she's back in his personal space, a handful of his leather jacket in her hand. ]

... Okay, I'll show you the inside but don't touch anything.

[The new genuineness in her voice and expression lets 76 know that he's made some sort of breakthrough here, even if he's not quite sure what he hopes to accomplish. When she takes the jacket, however, it feels like victory, to say nothing of her inviting him to take a look inside the MEKA.]

I won't touch anything.

[Scout's honor. He'll defer to her entirely as she leads him to the MEKA, making it clear that he's going to follow her lead while she gives him the tour, as it were.]

[ He's unlocked Point A, at the very least. She doesn't expect him to take off his visor, although it would be pretty cool if he did. For now, she's starting to babble about her pink robot as she opens the back hatch and reveals the interior.

A hand braces at the top as she leans in, points out the controls. ]

It's like having a really advanced keyboard with a ton of media keys. It would have been awesome if I had this many buttons while I was playing StarCraft for increased APM. Sometimes it felt like I needed more hotkeys for certain commands.

[76's talents mostly involve pointing a gun at things and pulling the trigger, so he has a real appreciation for Hana's excitement when she starts talking about the technical aspects of the MEKA. He's not so removed from Jack Morrison that he doesn't recognize real passion when he sees it.

It makes him glad she's here now, even if Overwatch isn't at all what it used to be. He wonders how things would have gone if she'd been part of the organization in its heyday.]

Are you your own mechanic?

[ Awww, he likes her.

Overwatch isn't what it used to be, but they're still trying to make a difference and that's enough to capture Hana's attention, too. Who wants to stop the fighting as much as she thrives in it. Peace matters more, life matters more. Her country and her people matter the most. More than her penchant for kicking ass.

She looks thoughtful, then gives a little shrug. ]

As much as I was my own IT support for my computer, I guess. You learn stuff the more you're around something. [ A small face. ] I'm nothing like that handsy Torblerone guy.

[Don't tell nobody! He has a reputation to uphold!

But he's clearly interested as he peers at her control panels, still taking care to keep his hands at his sides. After a long moment, he steps back out, apparently satisfied with what he's seen.]

It's a good skill to have.

[As Torbjörn took the opportunity to remind him almost every time he wasn't physically present and they were dealing with something that needed repair.]

Even if you only know the basics. Better than nothing.

[ Nope. Announcing it tonight on stream.

Hana keeps leaning on her MEKA, cool as a cucumber, but closes the hatch and locks it in place so it's protected from the small flurry around them.

Yeah, it's a good skill to have to not to have to rely on anyone to fix her MEKA. She would be the only one to touch it but that would leave people out of a job, too. There are already too many people suffering without jobs or homes. Besides, working on a MEKA is peaceful and she doesn't have to worry about putting people in danger.

Just her putting her own life in their hands if they mess something up. ]

Did Toberone [ it sounds more like she's struggling with the name pronounciation than anything else ] tell you that?

[Does anyone know how to pronounce ‘Torbjörn’, really? 76 bets not, though her attempt gets a bit of a laugh out of him.]

He tells everyone that.

[Best not betray any more familiarity with the founders of Overwatch than he really needs to. Luckily, Torbjörn feels strongly enough about that particular subject that he probably does tell everyone. 76 offers a shrug.]

But he is right.

[That’s all the concession he’ll offer.]

[ Johnny Cruz sure doesn't.

Hana isn't sure how to take him laughing at her. It's not her fault his name is hard to say with her accent. She should just stick to The Mechanic. Or Wrenchy. That hand.

But she's never heard 76 laugh at all. Not like that. Maybe derisive laughter. In fact, she wasn't sure if he could laugh genuinely. Her shoulders slack. ]

Yeah, well, he's still not allowed to touch Meka. Ever.

[ The snow falls so quietly and Hana looks down at the jacket she's wearing again. ]

My old CO used to say stuff like "information is power" a lot, too. He'd drill us with specs on the omnics all the time. Know your enemy, which was the same mindset I had playing PvP. But, like, a lot of the omnics aren't our enemy anymore.

Hey, you're old. [ WH ] Do you know why the big ones aren't more peaceful like the little ones?

Noted.

[76 doesn’t think Hana needs his help with that—she’s certainly a force to reckon with on her own, and he’s more than confident in her ability to keep Torbjörn’s hands off MEKA. The thought pulls a wry grin out of him, and even if she can’t see it, it’s fairly evident in his voice.

It’s short-lived, however, as she takes the conversation in a more sobering direction. Jack spends a lot of time thinking about the new generation, the one that hasn’t lived through the Crisis but exists in its shadow anyway. At the rate the world rebuilt (thanks in part to Overwatch) rebuilt, it’s all resigned to the history books. She still fights Omnics, but she’ll never know what it’s like to face down an entire legion of bastion units, standing on the precipice of complete annihilation.

Then again, he’s never gone head-to-head with the South Korean Omnic in something like MEKA. They probably have a lot they can tell each other, and it has him thoughtful to the point where he doesn’t even object to being called old. ]

Well, you had the god programs, right?

[Quarantined by Overwatch during the Crisis.]

They were the ones that did it. Put all the other units under their control. They didn’t know what they were doing.

[ STOP LAUGHING AT HER. SHE'LL SHOW HIM JUST HOW MUCH OF A FORCE SHE IS.

Hana isn't really one for serious conversations and heavy topics. She's as much as a dangerous force as she is a positive one. The one she shows the world, anyway. If 76 is going to genuinely laugh and show her a side not many people see (one she doesn't think he shows to many people) then it's only fair he gets a glimpse of the person inside the sassy, ornery D.Va.

Someone more human. Someone who's more than video games, pink robots, or junk food. ]

Yeah, I know that. [ Her arms cross and she leans her back against that same pink robot. A foot starts kicking idly at the snow, her toes numbing in her boots. ]

So, what? You're saying the big guys are actually peaceful too, but they don't know any better? [ All the destruction of her home was done by brainwashed omnics? ] Sounds like zombies.

... You think they'd be nice if we took control back? [ Right after she's said it, she grips her own head and sinks down into a crouch. ]

Ugh! It's never like that in zombie games!

I think so. We can't be sure.

[Because that's what happened, really--the Omnics attacked, and no one really knew why. Overwatch in its earliest days functioned through asymmetrical warfare. They weren't breaking into Omniums to negotiate with the god programs. They were there to quarantine and shut them down.

The public was surprised when it came out that famous war hero Jack Morrison held no real ill-will towards post-crisis Omnics and did, in fact, advocate for their rights in later years. Then again, few people understood what it meant to fight against them like he did. Now the pendulum has swung back in the other direction. Mondatta is dead. Progress is being undone. 76 wishes he had the answers.]

Very few things are ever like video games.

[But he doesn't need to tell her that.]

[ Her hands lower but she doesn't stand. The comeback is quick on her tongue. ]

Everything is a game.

[ No. Really. Just like Life.

Nobody could tell her differently, anyway. Not only did it make it easier to handle situations, but if she looked at everything like a game then it could be analyzed. It could be beaten, she could win. Would win. She could come at it with everything she had and still laugh at the end of the day.

Still look for answers that elude the best of them. ]

Perimeter checks are really common in games. Usually I'm the one sneaking in, though. [ Hana gestures around them. ] Weather just like this is perfect because it's hard to detect anyone until it's too late.

[ Is she teasing? When is she not? ]

Not everything.

[76 fires that back quickly enough. He's not going to try and convince her, because he knows this is just something that comes with experience--or maybe he's just that serious. Still, he can't deny that there are certain advantages to that kind of thinking, in very specific situations.

Hana might be teasing, but 76 is as deadpan as ever. Maybe he's taking her seriously on this.]

If something breached the perimeter, Winston would've alerted us by now.

[ He won't convince her.

ll she does is narrow her eyes at him, though. As much as he knows he won't convince her, she knows Soldier: 76 is way too serious to think everything is a game like she does. Whether she means literally, it's a game, or that everything in life is a game. ]

If the spy was any good, Winston couldn't know. Maybe they have, like, thermoptic camo.

[ Her hand does the motion of covering her face in a sweeping gesture. ]

Or maybe they're too fast to even be detected.

[ She poses. like this. His jacket hangs on her like a curtain. ]

[She’s right—he’s way too serious, but the pose does pull another genuine laugh out of him. It’s not at her by any means, but perhaps at the situation in general. Not that he’s discounting spies with thermoptic camo (and Reaper has broken into Gibraltar before), but it seems unlikely to happen at this moment in time.

Snow is not very friendly for sneaking.]

We’d see their footprints.

[He points behind them, making note of the trail they’ve left on their own.]

[ Huh. He laughs more when there aren't that many people around. Is he shy? Haha, that's cute.

Hana looks over her shoulder at the gesture, spotting her mecha's footprints, her own much smaller ones scattered around, and Soldier's. The steady fall of snow hasn't covered anything up yet. Incluuuding, ]

Oh! What's that?

[ They're not the footprints of a person. Too small for that. There are another set of something that breaks off into the trees. ]

I'm gonna find out!

[ Scrambling under the coat, she pulls out her small pistol and starts jogging (SLOWLY WITH HER KNEES HIGH) through the snow and into the treeline, hair bouncing. Her whole body bouncing, like a rabbit. ]

[He watches her make the realization and look around them, seemingly taking stock of the footprints--but then seeing something else. 76 doesn't expect her to break their patrol in pursuit of something, and his own paranoia has him running after her.]

Song, wait.

[Because the last thing he needs is for her to wander off when he's theoretically supposed to be keeping them both safe (or maybe that's just a self-imposed responsibility).]

Probably just an animal.

[ Does she wait?

Nope.

The treeline has a lot more cover than the slightly open area they were hanging around in. It's not long before she's disappeared behind the dark silhouette of a pine tree and it's low hanging branches in her search for said animal. ]

Or an animal spy!

[ Do those exist? Probably. We're talking about a game where the developer thought about including a cat hero. There's already a talking gorilla! ]

Maybe we can convince him to join our side. Star Wars style. You be Palpatine. You're gray enough. I dunno about wrinkles, though. [ PAUSES. Then, looks over her shoulder for Soldier: 76. ]

You have seen Star Wars, right? Wasn't it made in your time?

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thank u for tolerating my 2000 & late backtags.....

shhhh youre beautiful

no you're more beautiful youre beautimus

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screams..........

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i die and come back to life every 2 weeks