PSIOHEMATIC: STAGE 1

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[ulysses introspects on hating work, hating leaving]
[Ulysses [has recieved?] receives orders to leave island, somewhat hesitant about seeing Ingram because they haven't talked much since breaking up 2-ish years ago.]
[They meet at the ferry station, and make small-talk, discussing how their lives have gone in the last few years. Ingram is still getting used to his new abilities, he became a witch earlier this year and isn't coping too well. Ulysses has stuck with her job, and not made much progress.]

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They sit on opposite rows, a comfortable diagonal away from each other. Minutes pass, but neither one utters a word until the ferry starts moving, pulling away from the port with a soft rumble. Ulysses had brought a book, but can't bring herself to open her bag. It feels rude somehow.
[It's been almost 2 years now, why doesn't this feel normal?] She tries to suppress her hum, but Ingram doesn't seem to notice. She looks dead at him; scanning his face, watching his eyes gaze into the sea. Little has changed since she last saw him. Nothing about his hair is different - he still wears the same long braid, just a little longer now, but the patch of hair on his chin has grown out into a small beard. She thinks it makes him look more mature. The outfit is a new look, Ulysses has never seen him wearing so little. His plain teal dress only goes down to the middle of his thighs, leaving the rest of his legs entirely exposed, and his blouse is similarly short.
"So, blue blood now." She says, awkwardly louder than she intended. He looks across at her. [You're wearing less.]
"Oh, right." He seems to have picked up what she meant from her hum. "Yeah it's been long enough that my body temperature has jumped up, it's actually quite irritating."
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[witch/powers issues]
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"Hey there's benefits though, at least you get the full breifings now?"
"Yeah, it's nice. I think I liked not knowing though, this feels like more pressure. I keep overthinking it." He replies, unreassuringly. "Hey, how much did they tell you then?" Ingram asks.
"Uh, well, I know we're going into the conflict area to deliver something, but I don't know what. I know we're due a 4 day round trip, but I don't know the route, just that we're getting on a train after this." Ulysses replies. She fiddles with her horns and looks towards nothing in particular. "We're clearly moving through some heavy Dameon territory, otherwise they wouldn't be so worried about mental bleed. I'd say it must be something urgent if we're being rushed through the conflict zone, but it can't be that important or they would have given us more kit, or more manpower at the very least."
Ingram's face gives little away - perhaps a slightly defeated look.
"Or maybe the fork just has us spread that thin." She continues. "Don't want to think about it."
Ulysses leans back on her chair. She's always struggled to read him; now with the total lack of hum it feels impossible.
"We're picking up one more after this ferry though." Ingram holds 3 fingers up.
"The scout, yeah I remember. Have you met him yet?"
"Nope. We're borrowing him from the ESB. It'll be good to have somebody who's actually familiar navigating the mainland."
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??? [journey passes, ferry arrives]
[early evening, moving across burrow, entering station]
[description of burrow]
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Inside, the station is dead empty. Just a few months ago this would have been a hub of activity, taking Pseudos to and from all over the mainland, but rail travel has become dangerous since the fork began. Now the only trains operating are controlled by Daemons, taking weapons and supplies to and from the fronts. The risk of an attack becoming so great that the entire station now runs at minimum capacity.
Rows of empty seats are illuminated by a handful of dim bulbs. A single noticeboard has been left powered, showing the schedule of Daemon trains passing through. Ulysses scans over until she sees their's, a supply train due half an hour from now. Nervously she slips her hand into her bag, palming over a Daemon-key, then scanning around for a terminal.
Sprawled over a bench, their scout rests with a set of headphones on, sat beside an array of bags and seemingly unaware of the other two. He's shorter than Ulysses. Well built and muscular with porcelain white skin with even whiter hair spilling over light gray horns in a messy bob. Her uniform is a modified version of Ulysses', custom made for ESB scouts; trading the teal dress for short functional looking overalls of the same colour. Propped up against the seat rests a long rifle, bigger than anything Ulysses has ever handled.
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[Ruby is being borrowed from the OSB [or ESB?] due to the on-foot portion of their journey.]
[Ruby doesn't care about a lack of intel, just wants to do her job.]
[boarding train]