"Good afternoon, I'm Kuroko. Nice to meet you. Yeah, I read the report."

She can do a handshake. She doesn't expect this to be much either way, though she's alert for surprises.

(It's not)

Well, it's better than nothing.

"Great.  I'd like to, er, guide as we do rescue duty.  If that's okay with you.  And if we find one of those ghouls or whatever they are, we can give killing it from stealth a shot, if it looks winnable.  My backlash is exhaustion, so I don't plan on using my power constantly.  Not on a high level, at least."

"Mine is attention seeking. i can go pretty high on it if necessary if I definitely have someone to talk to, though obviously I prefer to avoid pushing it to far. At high levels I can get...pretty unpleasant to be around for most people. Also it wrecks my priorities and makes me act irresponsible. I'm fine with handholding. I do need you stay close by in order to keep you stealthed. Doesn't have to be literally handholding if we need to separate a bit to get through a tight spot, but within two meters.Otherwise the backlash cost goes through the roof. I sometimes use bungee cords, as a reminder. You good at killing things in one hit? I generally avoid shooting things unless I'm pretty sure I can take them in one shot cause it gets a little bit expensive if they're alive long enough to need to not notice what is hurting them.. Also guns are loud."

He grins.  "So, you know those huge rifles they use to take out APCs and heavier-duty dungeon monsters?  If you can make yourself monstrously strong, you can cut one down to pistol size."  He pats a comically oversized pistol holstered on his kevlar vest.  "If you can't take down something with this, it can't be taken down by standard stuff.  ... It is pretty loud, though.  I can't fire it without my power goi-.  Uh.  Did you get the memo about my power, I'm pretty open about it."

"Well, we can try that. You've got sharable strength, toughness, and regen, right?"

"Yes'm.  I'm planning to surf my backlash for the two of us at net-zero.  It won't be much, but I don't think we'll need much for steam?  I might try a finger first."

"No need to ma'am me. Kuroko will do. It depends how hot it is I assume. Steam can get pretty hot, especially if it's been under pressure. Probably a smart move to test something small first."

"Kuroko, then.  You ready to head in?  Anything you want to check before we go for it?"

"I've been through my checklist. I'll cover you when we get in. And you can cover me I guess."

Brisk nod.  He draws his comically oversized pistol, and then hops through.  What's it like in here?

Well, it's dark.  It's just about barely lit by a combination of portal light and a really old-fashioned fluorescent lightbulb, swaying gently from the ceiling.    The pitch and roll of the ship is noticeable, but it isn't too bad.  Except for how sometimes it is - it will occasionally hit a huge swell and yawn almost twenty degrees.  And Tim isn't...quite...stooping constantly, but he definitely will be if he wants to go near some of these lightbulbs.  Or underneath a pipe.  Or through an airlock.

The area as a whole has a grungy, industrial vibe - the place looks like it was stripped down of any aesthetic value.  Pipes and exposed wires hang from the walls.  Smears of...probably oil..? adorn the walls.  The floor and ceiling are both riveted steel.

It's definitely a place that'll make anyone uneasy.  And...was that a rustling noise in the distance?

She comes through right after Tim and immediately extends her power to cover him.

"Creepy. Anyway, you're covered so nothing will know either of us is here that shouldn't."

She's keeping her voice down to a murmur, though not quite a whisper.

Even she's going to have to duck under some of those pipes and wires and she's pretty average height.

"I haaaaaaaaaaate this."  He's got shirtsleeves on, and he's willing to...huh.  Two can't really walk abreast here.  "I think we have to crabwalk if we want to guide here, do you want to take point?  Or maybe I should, so I can watch my head..."

"You are also the one holding the big gun. I just have a medium gun." she points out.

"Makes sense.  Here, uh - " Handhold?  Being used to this sure would have been nice in middle school.  Ugh.  Don't make it weird, Tim.  "Maybe we'll even find something I can shoot.  I hope so."

Handhold. Very casual like. They're professionals.

"And people to save."

Of course.  Casual professional handholding.  As one does.

"That's right."  Okay, haunted? creepy ship.  He takes a second to take stock of how he's feeling.

Nervous?  That's pretty normal, it is a dungeon.  And this one's creepy.  Hm.  Prrrrobably not psychic, just a dungeon with a creepy theme.  "Okay, let's do this.  We're on a timer with our powers."  He takes a second to give them both a net-negative amount of protection, and begins the journey.  "You take spraypaint duty, if you don't mind?  Normally I do it, but."  Handsqueeze, and a gesture with his pistol in-hand.

What was that noise?  Just a rattle of steampipes...right?

"Got it.." The spraypaint is readily accessible.And then she's going to keep her mouth shut for long enough that they can both listen carefully.

Yeah.  Just steampipes.

Probably.

"This is going to be a long one."  And he'll proceed into the murky depths of the cargo ship, looking for civvies.  "Is your power selective?  Can you make us audible to victims, but not monsters?"

"Yeah. I chose who is and is not allowed to notice me and the people I'm protecting. I pretty much never use it on people except as a power demo. So the victims can hear us."

"Oh, that's so convenient!  Uh, mind your ears for a second - hellooooo, out there!  Esper rescue team on deck!  Holler if you can hear me!"

No response is forthcoming.  Just an echo through the deck.

"They must not be close. Or able to talk." Which is a pain but she has somebody right here to talk to.

"Hm.  If I'd realized it was selective, I might have requisitioned a bullhorn.  I guess that wouldn't help, victims need to be able to communicate back as well."

"Yeah, people can only yell so loud. Would be nice to have sensor support in this mess, but you get what you get."

"I think that in almost every dungeon that isn't just kill everything inside iiiiiiiiit!"

How is their front-to-back balance while crabwalking sideways?  A wildly yawing cargo dungeon would like to know.

Espers have good balance but not quite good enough to completely avoid stumbling when trying to walk sideways with their hands constrained.

"Son of a -"

OhshitBUFF

You don't have to stumble far to hit a steam pipe in this dungeon.  Whisssttttttttt, the steam hisses out.  It doesn't feel bad.  It's definitely warm.  It's definitely burning.  But it's not doing any damage to either of them.

She eeps and flinches back by reflex. But has the willpower not to flinch back too far.

"Shit!"  Tim ducks down, trying to get away from the steam without giving up his handhold.  It's not the easiest thing in the world.

The pipe jostles itself back into alignment after a moment.  They're a bit warmer than they were, but they're no longer actively being steamed.

Well now she's damp. Annoying. Also her shirt is clinging a little bit. (it's not thin enough to be see through when wet because she's not stupid but it's definitely clinging).

"it'd be really nice if there was a pattern to that."

"If my DRT team is to be believed, dungeons do that whenever the worst possible moment is."  Hey, that's a closed airlock.  What's on the other side?

An endless, benighted ocean.  There are very good safety railings, thankfully.  A peek outside reveals a dilapidated cargo ship.  It looks like there are dozens of crates stacked on the outside, and some of them have come rather badly astray.

"Plausible. Round the outside then?" And steer clear of the suspicious boxes but that doesn't need to be said one hopes.

There's a creeeaaaak, from behind Meghan.

She's not used to not reacting to being steamed but she's very used to not reacting strongly to noises by this point. She's just going to calmly look over her shoulder and also attempt to monitor her backlash rate to guess if anything is trying to illegally perceive them at this moment. Covering somebody else makes this trickier because it's a background trickle of backlash but it should be doable. Does involve letting go of Tim's hand just for a second. There's also no guarantee that the noise corresponds with anything that is trying to perceive of course (she's not really a proper sensor) but they can figure that out.

Nope.  It was just the wind.  Nothing's behind her.

Unless...?

Tim makes an inquiring sort of chirp noise at her.  "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was trying to figure out if something was trying to look at us but I don't think so. Just creepy noises again."

"I'll probably be desensitized to those after another year of this.  Hm.  I think it might make sense to climb to the top of the ship, so we report dungeon size, and maybe see if there are victims on the topdeck?"

"It's not a good idea to ignore them completely but you do have to learn not to freak out. Yeah, let's do that."

"Okay, cool.  Hm.  How do we...?"  He offers Kuroko his left arm while looking up.

Well, jumping is a bad idea.  What if the shift yaws and you fall?  You'd go into the drink, never to be seen again.  There's a fallen crate you could probably clamber up, then you could grab the railing of the next deck up.  Then you could...climb a pipe that leads to the top of it, for some reason?  Better hope it's strong enough for you...if it fell, you'd surely perish.

She'll take his arm.

"Do you trust that pipe? cause I sure don't."

"Not with the two of us.  Uh, not that you're - just, it's twice as much.  I could throw you up and jump the next bit, but that's a bit risky if the ship rolls while one of us is in the air."

"We both have a bunch of gear, too. I have a secondary power. I can..sort of ignore gravity. But it's expensive so, it's not a good idea to plan on using it. Also I can't go up, only down or sideways. It's not flying, just...air walking."

"That's...weird but cool?  How expensive are we talking?  If it's good enough to use as a safety, I could toss you up and you could tie off a line so I could climb up."

"It's sort of like those old cartoons where the characters run off a ledge chasing something and don't fall until they notice they should be falling. It's not dangerously expensive to use for a couple of seconds.I could get away with using it more than I do but I lean hard on saving it for emergencies because well, it is very cool and attention grabbing so if I'm not careful with it I could get into trouble showing off with it."

"It really is a cool power.  I...hm.  Well, we can definitely get to the top deck, anyway.  And do a circuit around that?  We could get up with that crate, it should be pretty easy."

"You should learn not to say 'this should be easy' in a dungeon. I don't know if they can hear or understand you but they sure are good at making things that should be easy hard. But we can try it, carefully."

"Er.  Yes'm."  Hm, the crate isn't even that tall, how hard could it be Tim you LITERALLY just heard from a senior esper not to say this, what's wrong with you.  "Okay if I boost you up, then I buff you a little and use your arm as a rappelling point?  I can do most of the work, the buff is just so you don't hurt your arm."

"Sure, I can brace myself for you."

Great, fantastic, cool.  In that case, Tim will respectfully take Kuroko into his arms and lift her.  It's about eight feet to the topmost side of this crate, he's about six feet, so he should just need to lift her a few f- FUCK.

Swells coming in off the starboard bow, cap'n!  All hands, prepare for nasty weather!

Just kidding.  You don't get any preparation time.

She's been doing parkour and can recover from being dropped. And not roll too far away from him in the process.

"Oof. Maybe we should be using the bungee cords. Just to make sure we don't get thrown too far apart for my power."

"Yes'm.  Sorry about that, here - hook onto my vest?  And uh, I take your point from earlier.  Ready to try again?"

"Sure."

She needs to pause to get her harness on but she's got putting it on quick down to an art form by now. Then the cord can be clipped in place.

Okay.  Let's do this in a corner this time, where he can theoretically just hold her in position against the side of the ship.  Maybe.  How's that one?

Fine, unless you count a scraping noise as crates shift and settle.

Kuroko, your backlash ticks up for a few moments.

She's good at bracing with her legs to help him out with that (and has good legs).

"Something's nearby. Might have moved on though."

She really does have good legs.  However, Tim is a Professional and will not be Weird About it.  And it makes him think of Carol, a little, which helps with not being Weird About It.  "Thanks.  You see anything?"  Tim squints a bit, looking for signs of life.

"I don't see anything but there's a lot of hiding places."

(She's reminding herself very firmly that she Should Not flirt with this guy. It is Not Allowed.)

"Hm.  Well, you hauled me up the first one, the least I can do is return the favor.  Maybe we'll see some movement from up here."  He grabs the bottom of the railings and carefully tugs a bit - they'll hold his weight, probably.  Then he jumps a little, catches the side of the vessel on his knees, and hauls himself up the rest of the way.  "Okay, I'll lift you about a foot, then just put your feet on the wall.  Then I'll haul you up with the bungee cord, okay?"

Tim is meanwhile not even aware that flirting is an action available to him.

"Got it. Gimme a countdown from three."

"Three...two...one...go!"  And in short order, he's got Kuroko lifted up into his arms and deposited on the deck.

The vessel tilts alarmingly, but doesn't make a meaningful effort to kick them off.  This time.  Was that creak a crate shifting, or was it something more sinister?

No backlash uptick, so maybe just a crate.

"Nothing looking this way at the moment."

"Okay.  Well, it looks like about three hundred feet bow to stern, I think?  And about...forty feet port to starboard?  No idea how deep it is, and the report said cargo ships usually have a draft of twenty-five at the small side, and this seems small.  For, y'know, a ship this size."  Tim takes a second to radio the information.

Hey, that's actual movement.  And a humanoid figure, down at the midsection of the ship, maybe a hundred feet away.

"Something, or someone there.Do you see?" she points.

"Yeah, I see 'em.  HEY!  OVER HERE!  RESCUE ESPERS!"  It goes against his instincts to break cover, but.  If we're protected against monsters hearing him that's great.

Kuroko's backlash ticks up when Tim shouts.  The figure looks up and waves for a second, then glances over their shoulder and starts booking it towards the duo.

She waves (unnecessarily). 

"Monster close by. I can cover two people for a short while if necessary but it'll be harder if the monster is already following the vic."

"You can leave me exposed, I'll be fine.  Let's meet 'em in the middle."  Then, louder:  "We're coming for you!  Just follow the sound of my voice!"  Then, at a normal volume: "I'll lower you towards 'em with the bungee cord, then follow?"

"Well, if your sure. Maybe you can get a cleaner shot at it that way. And sure."

Well.  Kuroko's getting picked up and lowered down to the ground via bungee cord, then Tim's hopping down after her.  Casual professional handhold for guiding, then run?

Yeah they can do that.

Thus begins a two-minute, high-stakes game of Marco/Polo.  Constant dodging around obstacles, anxiously glancing up as a potentially-sketchy but currently-balanced crate, Tim at one point smashes through a blocking pallet.  Why are there wooden pallets on a cargo ship at sea, he doesn't understand.  But there was at least one.

He's left sweating, staring at the victim.  The man is blocked off from them by a barricade of...spools of chain?  For the ship's anchor, maybe?  The victim, holding a fire extinguisher in hand, looks at them in despair.

From behind, the creature emerges.  Kuroko, your backlash will spike quite a bit if you're trying to shield yourself and Tim.  The man's about five feet away, but he's turning around and - points the fire extinguisher?  At the monster???  And extinguishes it?!?!?!?!?

The tall, pale, slimy humanoidish creature hisses and recoils as the foam touches its skin.  It lets out a guttural hissing snarl, then flees.  Its footsteps rapidly fade to nothingness - faster than they have any right to, by the laws of physics.

Hissed at esper volume 'Fast. Or sneaky. Or both. Also playing with the vics."

at a normal person volume, "Sir, please remain calm, we'll get to you."

"Okay.  It, it doesn't like the fire extinguishers.  I had a flare gun before, and that worked too, but.  Only one shot out of it."

"Hang back a second, sir.  And uh, you too, Kuroko."  Once everyone's clear, he surges his power into his muscles and shifts a spool.  A few inches, then six, then a foot.  "Should be enough for you to wiggle through, sir.  I'm Aumento, and this is the boss, Kuroko.  What's your name?"

"S-Samuel.  Oh, God, thank you so much..."  He squeezes past the shifted spool.  "Okay.  What.  What do you need me to do?"  He looks like he's officially Seen some Shit.

"Just stay close for now. I can hide you from the monster if it comes back, if you stay close to me, and then Aumento here will find out how much it likes real bullets."

"That's right.  We've got this, you just have to relax and walk.  You can do that for us, right?"

"Okay.  Okay.  I can...I can do that.  Do you have any water?"  He stumbles over next to Kuroko, a little unsure of how close is too close.

"I got water." Behold water.

Social awkwardness is currently Not Real and Cannot Hurt Her so he can get as close as he likes as long as he doesn't get handsy. (she has a protocol for that). 

He is SO not handsy.  He drains half of it at once, before realizing that he should not simply Drink An Entire Water.  He slows.  "Thank you so much.  Can we...can we just leave?  Is it far?"

"It's not far but we did some clambering around to get here and it's tricky. Especially when the boat keeps rolling."

"I'd climb over broken glass to get out of here.  Let's just go, please."

"Good attitude, sir.  Let's get out of here."  Tim would like to Professionally Handhold while he navigates them back to the entrance.

He is SO welcome to do that. (Even a tiny amount of guiding makes it easier for her to stay focused)

Well.  She can have an entire arm, if she wants?

And they can make it back pretty quickly, overall.  It's sketchy, and Tim has to be a meathead due to some obstacles.  But it's not bad overall.

She'll take an entire arm. And engage both Tim and the victim in small talk on the way.

Tim isn't particularly skilled at small talk.  But he's willing to engage in it for the Good of the Mission.

Their victim is happy to chitchat with the esper saving his life!  He's thrilled to not be Fucking Chased anymore.  It was like those things knew where he was, constantly.  He just hopes that the stains they passed were actually just oil.  Maybe it's fake blood, this dungeon's gotten him to the point where he's never going to watch a slasher movie again.  Hey, speaking of slashers...

And then he's bundled off into the portal.

"Are you okay with another run, or do you have any ideas for how we can be doing this better?"

"I can do another run. I think we're good with the bungie cord. Do you have an actual partner available to take a break with?"

"Er.  No'm."  Not anymore.  "I have a, er, partner back at my silo.  I'm.  Yeah."  He's a little more compatible than you, but.  "Er.  Do you?"  He's actually got a plan.  He starts texting out instructions to the DRT logistics teams - get a collapsible flagpole and a bunch of zipties and a flag painted with the international symbol for  "PORTAL THIS WAY!" on it.  Maybe they'll get a few people to get out more or less on their own.

"Yeah, I've got a permanent, well semi-permanent professional partner. I can call them when we're ready to take a break. Haven't found someone more compatible who...uses their power professionally. Jordan's power is pretty fucking useless, especially with their backlash. But it's pretty convenient  for using a little bit while cuddling for the efficiency."

"That makes sense.  Still, pro guides are doing good work.  Not everyone can drop everything to follow someone dungeon-to-dungeon.  Um.  I've been sticking to minor power use but it's a little - you know.  I wouldn't mind a little more skin contact if - you're comfortable with that?  Just skin?  While we wait for the stuff I ordered?"

"I've got a tank top on underneath this shirt. And you can just be shirtless if you want."

(She has actually formed a cached opinion on this so she doesn't have to try to model her unbacklashed self's preferences on the fly)

Cool, great, you're very normal about this. "Uh, tent first?  If that's okay?"

"Sorry did I make it weird. Sometimes I make things weird without thinking it through when I'm backlashed. Sure we can get a tent, that's fine."

"No no - I just - yeah, you're super fine.  I'm the weird one."  Tent!  And then Tim can shuck off his vest and, after visible hesitation, his shirt.  "I just - I'm like this, it's not you."  He is so not the one to make the first move here.

She's not too backlashed to remember to ask "Okay if I hug you?"

"Yes'm, please."  And as soon as she does, he wraps his arms around her.  "Thanks - I mean, it would have been fine, but - this is better.  And it shouldn't be too long, you won't have to for too long."  And she's a convenient enough height that I don't have to hide my face from her, this is fantastic.

Her face is mostly buried in his shoulder though she will need to move it periodically to talk.

"You're totally fine. It's a more productive way to spend the time until the stuff gets delivered than just standing around."

"Cool.  Great.  Um.  Have you dungeoned long?"  What's next, 'come here often'?  Augh.

"About a year now. You?"

"Just a few months, now.  It took me a little bit to get the hang of my powers.  I have to respect doors as an obstacle for their sake now, not my own.  Or uh, other things."

"My parents insisted I finish the last couple of months of high school first. Also uh, I needed a bit to recover from hell week. Emotionally I mean. I didn't end up in the hospital or anything."

"I got to skip Hell Week.  I just slept through it.  Sorry you had to, uh, go through that."  Little squeeze?  That's a thing you do, right?

Well she's not complaining. "Wow I'm jealous. Oops, you're probably tired of people saying that, sorry. My verbal filter is a little bit shot right now. Anyway, it sucked pretty bad but I think being an esper is worth it."

"Yeah, no, my Hell Week was more of a Heck Week.  My only, uh, issue was afterwards.  I used my power on accident and sorta.  Scared a nurse.  He was fine, but there was a little bit of furniture damage."  And a certain amount of restitution for him, personally.

"That sounds pretty alarming. Do you have ongoing problems with accidental power use? Uh -you don't have to answer that if you'd rather not."

"No'm, I'm a pretty open book, although I might not answer if it's someone else's business, not mine.  Uh, mostly it's a problem because - the people I heal don't have a chance to get used to it?  The Dwarves are all certified for it, and it's not - hard to get used to it.  But maybe twice a week somebody breaks something.  And uh, last week I stubbed my toe on a tile and broke the tile.  Just little stuff like that, you know."

"Dwarves? And I meant, it's really inconvenient for people who can't help picking up little bits of backlash. Although breaking things is also bad."

"Oh, yeah.  So, I basically have my own DRT squad, because of the superstrength cert thing.  So they start giving me a hard time, and I get the nickname Sleeping Beauty, because of my backlash, right?  So I called them Dwarves now, to match the story.  Fair's fair, right?"

Giggle "That's pretty fair yeah."

Excellent!!  He's getting a good grade in Social Activities!!!  From doing things on purpose!!!  His phone chirps.  "Uh, d'you mind if I - you don't have to let go.  If you don't want to."

"You can take that call." She minds but it might be important and she's a professional. She's going to hang onto him a bit."

It's just a text, this time.  "Okay, they're saying the flagpole's ready.  Are you uh - okay?"  The vibe's off and he can't quite put a finger on why.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry. It's just the backlash. Not your fault."

He wracks his brain for a second.  "Oh.  Attention seeking.  Right - sorry.  Uh.  Anything I could have done differently on that one?  Maybe asked you to read it off for me?"

"I'm pretty bad at reading while backlashed unless it's social stuff I can interact with, or something I can do a dramatic reading of. Sometimes I just have to tank things like that."

Well, shit.  Smooth move, ex-lax.  "I'll think about it, maybe I'll come up with something."  He'll...unhug and dress himself.  Arm again, if she's interested?

"It's not really your job to manage my backlash for me but okay."

She's definitely interested.

"Well, I don't wanna be an asshole on accident, either.  I put my foot in mouth often enough as it is."

"That's nice of you."

"Ah, I'm just doing my best.  It's not really anything special, to think about a problem for twenty minutes before you give up on it, you know?"

"Lots of people don't bother unless somebody's holding them accountable, you know?"

"Well, if I piss off a cool esper with a neat power, I won't get to team up on any dungeons with her.  So when you think about it, you're keeping me accountable."  Armsqueeze?

Well if you wanted to butter her up then you succeeded.

Tim, were he aware of the narration, would object on the grounds that it's NOT buttering up!  She genuinely does have a cool power, and she didn't put her tongue down his throat, and she's good with the vics, and she was right about the climbing thing, and she's good at problem-solving!

... Anyway.  He's got a thirty-foot flagpole with PORTAL IS HERE flag pre-attached.  It folds up into six-foot sections, so it's viable as a blunt instrument and a signaling device.  He had been thinking about a zipline or a rope ladder, to make navigation easier.  But really, the decks seem like the safe area, and a zipline would be a real opportunity for the ship to knock someone free.  The claustrophobic lower decks are probably more of an issue.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, ready."

"I've been doing a lot of the steering, but you've been dungoneering longer than I have.  D'you have any ideas?"  Tim, having been reminded of her backlash, is doing his best to face his body language at Kuroko rather than off to the side.  His eyes still roam the hallways, but he's trying to make an effort to look like he's paying attention to her.

"We should maybe see if there's a way between decks on the inside of the thing? And explore inside in general."

"Gotcha.  Let's get our flagpole up, then start at the top?"

"Sounds good."

Unfortunately, he can't look at Kuroko while doing a dungeon responsibly.  Well. Bummer.  Oh well.  After they get outside, he'll use his zip-ties and some electrical tape to put the flag up.  "Think that'll do?"

Putting up the flag seems to have attracted some attention, if Kuroko's backlash it to be believed.

If he bothered to ask she'd tell him that holding hands and talking to her is good enough.

"Yeah, but we've got unwelcome company I think."

Creeeaaaaaaak.

"Where?"  His pistol is in his hand, and his eyes are darting everywhere.

"No idea, sorry. I'm not a proper sensor, I just know when something's pinging off my power." She's also scanning around for plausible hiding places.

If it's any clue, the ping goes away when they stop touching the flagpole.

She reports this.

"Okay.  So it's on the topdecks, somewhere.  And we don't know where.  I guess we stick to the plan, then."

"Yeah. And shoot it if we find it."

"Best plan I've heard all day."  He shoots her a grin.  "Hey, wait a sec.  No beating yourself up about not being a sensor, I'm a sensor and I have no idea where the little bastard is."  Is Kuroko ready to be hurled aloft boosted up like a responsible esper?

"Slippery bastards."

Yeah she's ready.

Then Tim will responsibly lift Meghan up, accept her arm up, climb up to the next level, and while he's climbing up -

DEATH FROM ABOVE.

See, it's a clever little beastie.  It saw the flag appear, seemingly from nowhere.  It doesn't know what a flag is.  But it's weird and things that aren't natural often herald meat.  So it lurked atop the world, and waited.  And when Tim got too far from Kuroko, it saw him.

There's not much backlash for Kuroko.  It's focused 100% on Tim.  It dives down atop him from the top of the aftcastle, knocks him down to the main deck, and is currently doing its level best to perform an all-natural facial dermabrasion procedure.  With claws.

Eep!

She had to drop the coverage on Tim while he was climbing because it was too far unless she wanted to hang onto him. 

Covering him in the middle of a fight would be a fair amount of backlash, forcibly diverting attention once it's already been fixed is much harder than avoiding it in the first place.

She's going to attempt to get into position to shoot the thing herself. It'll be cheaper. Her gun isn't as heavy duty as Tim's but still.

Well, the first thing you do when you're being attacked from above is turn your buff on.  All the way, then drop it until you're calibrated to the level you need.

The second thing you do is get your knees in between the enemy and your legs.

The third thing you do is kick that fucker into the next dimension.  In this case, the ghoul or whatever it is hits a cargo crate.

This is cheating!!!

Well now she has to adjust her position but it not being in melee anymore will make this simpler.

Is it still moving? If it's still moving will a medium sized bullet to the chest stop it?

Well, it had been moving.  A medium-sized bullet to the chest slows it down considerably.  Are there more where that's coming from?

Yeah, it's going to get some more bullets. She wants it dead fast.

It's dead.  It's fast.

Tim swiftly stands up and clambers rapidly up the side of the crate.  The motion of the ocean tries to knock him loose, but does not, actually, succeed.  He's quickly in Kuroko's personal space, offering a hand  Or arm, if she prefers.  "Thanks for that.  I owe you one."

Yeah she'll take an arm. "Are you okay? Sneaky fucking bastards. Maybe we should go ahead and do the piggyback."

"Oh, I'm good, don't even worry about me.  Still got a face built for radio.  Um - Maybe, yeah.  You okay with grabbing hold of me?  Use your feet to hook in on my thighs, arms around my neck?

"I can do that. I get plenty of exercise." Flex.

"Yeah, you do.  Love it when a girl's not afraid to be strong."  Wait, was that weird?  Eh, it's probably fine.  Her noble anxious steed awaits!

She climbs onboard.

"Ready. Let's try this again."

It's not that bad this time.  He does cheat the tiniest bit, but it's not a lot of effort for him to finish the climb.  He kneels down to let her dismount.  "Okay.  I don't...think I see anyone down there right now.  Aumento to base, those ghoul monster things?  Slimy looking humanoids?  At least one of them has gone down fine to bullets, over."

"Copy that.  Is it worth deploying a portal securing team?"

She hops off.

"It's pretty  cramped in there for a team."

"Yeah.  And when the ship rolls, it likes knocking you into those steam pipes.  So maybe one person for each corridor direction, sitting down.  Tops."

Brief pause of bemusement.  "Copy that.  We'll make a determination, over."

Arm?  "Alright, let's see how many of those little shits are down here."  Tim absentmindedly scratches his face, where a few minutes ago something else scratched it.  Arm?  He's basically going to try in constant contact with Kuroko, unless they have to split up.

Yeah. That's a good idea. She's a little rattled and moderately backlashed at this point.

"Hopefully your gun will take them out in one hit."

"Probably.  I could have killed it in hand-to-hand, but.  I don't like keeping my power running, it can be pretty rough with natural tiredness."  Is anybody lurking in this corridor?

Nobody here but you.  Unless - did something just turn the corner ahead?

Well they are headed that way anyway so they will get to investigate. After carefully maneuvering through this hallway.

"Not a great combination no. I took a chunk of backlash shooting the thing but it's nothing I can't handle. Still I'd really rater avoid needing to do it again."

"You can drop your power in a fight, if you're comfortable.  Uh.  Is there anything I need to do to make you - uh, less miserable while backlashed?"  Looks like the thing 'rounding the corner' was a loose extension wire swinging back and forth.  Ugh.

"I could drop it, but that's risky. I can pretty much manage it as long as you keep talking and hold my hand. It doesn't feel like enough, but that's just how it is. It's enough to keep me grounded in reality and that's the most important part."

"Oh, I mean - if you drop your power, I can hit you with mine, and then you're safe from a lot of stuff.  It's up to you, just ask if you need to drop yours, okay?"  They'll keep exploring, and painting...

Until they actually see one of the ghouls.  It's empirically smart enough to close doors behind it, and also it's pretty gross.  It looks like a humanoid with three fingers, and flesh that's halfway between a corpse and a white, half-melted wax candle in appearance.

"I'm used to trusting my power. I'm not used to trusting yours. Uh, no offense."

She makes a face at the monster "Ick. Well now is your chance."

"None taken.  This is going to be really loud, I'll buff you for a sec so you don't go deaf.  Hold still."

BANG.

It's extremely, massively dead.  It no longer has a head.  Or a neck.

"Yeah, wow. I have ear protection but it's rated for my gun not that one."

"Yeah, this thing's pretty good.  Uh, don't ever try shooting it.  It'll break your wrists if you try.  I only get to use it because I've got a bullshit power, I bump it up pretty high while pulling the trigger."  He sounds a little melancholy while talking about it.

Is that a clattering noise coming from the room the ghoul just left?

"Wasn't planning on trying it. I'll leave the shooting to you in this one."

She sighs at the noise, "This fucking place." They can go investigate. They're exploring the place anyway.

Well.  There is a victim in here.  He’s aiming a flaregun at you!

"Sir, please calm down and put that down. We're here to help.  I'm Kuroko and this is Aumento."

Tim can probably tell she's a little tense about the flare gun from the way she tenses up physically but she's pretty good at keeping her voice calm and level.

Well, he doesn't shoot them, anyway.  "O-okay.  Yeah.  I thought I was a goner.  You killed it, right?"  He doesn't put it on the ground, but he does point the flaregun down.

"Yeah, it's super dead. If you'll just follow us we'll get you out of here. What's your name?"

"Uh.  Rick.  Rick Swans.  I'm glad you got that fucker, I swear I hit it right in the face with a flare and it just came back forty minutes later.  It's like a maze in here."

"Yeah, it really is. We're mapping it out as best we can."

"How long have you been in here?"  Tim begins the process of gently encouraging the civvy to link up with Meghan, so he can take point and get the fuck out of this maze of twisty passageways, all alike.  Except for the spraypaint.

"Well, my phone died about two hours in.  Five or six hours, at least.  I was using it as a flashlight in a room that had the lights out, but it went out when I found the case of flares.  So I go from 'woo, I can escape' to 'fuck me sideways'.  Uh.  Pardon me, miss."  Mr. Swans is willing to do anything to get the fuck out.

"No problem."

It's really not that far, it's just very very twisty.

Are they willing to be detoured by the sound of panting?

Yeah they better check that out. And let Mr. Swans know what's up since the sound was too quiet for non-espers to hear.

Well, he's going to ready his flaregun.  It's...probably not the most safe choice from the espers' perspective, but.  It's a very understandable one.

Tim's the first one to see it, taking point.  It's a woman, who's in really quite a bad way.  Her shirt is torn, mostly on the left-hand side.  Her left shoulder looks like something took a major chunk out of it - she's actively bleeding, and her left collarbone is exposed.  In the sense that both halves of the bone, which is usually covered by skin and usually in one piece, is currently visible.  She's...technically conscious, probably.  Her clothing's a little burned, which is explained by the burned-out flare in her right hand.

Ah shit shit shit - he extends a sliver of his power to encompass her.  Broken collarbone, quite a bit of lost blood, but she's...huh.  Normally you'd expect more bleeding from a wound like that.  Minor burns here and there - oh, she was wearing polyester.  That's going to be nasty.  Polyester melts and adheres to skin.  Probably better to rip it off and just regrow the skin.

"Ma'am, are you awake?"

She doesn't quite manage to engage her verbal filter though she does at least manage to engage the volume control and keep it at esper volume.

"Aww shit. That looks nasty. Also she's probably not gonna be able to talk. I hate when that happens. At least I have other people to talk to. But I can't cover everyone here."

"Yeah, she'll be fine.  Uh, you might want to look away for a second - this isn't going to be pretty."

He kneels down next to her and confirms she's not really conscious right now.  Then he administers a painkiller via syringe and starts treating some of the worse injuries.  He unrolls a first aid kit from his kit and breaks out a scalpel.  First, he cuts the sections of melted clothing away from the intact clothing.  Then he cuts the sections of skin off and discards them.  Then he puts a biodegradable bandage over the hole in her shoulder where the two sections of clavicle are, and pushes them approximately together.  This is the part that finally rouses a low moan from the patient.  "Shh, shh, shh, it's fine.  I know it hurts, you'll be okay."  Finally, he tapes the bandage over her clavicle, which should hold the two halves together.  And he applies his power.

"Okay.  I hate moving patients, but we're not going to leave her behind.  I think us two will be okay with my buff, as long as she doesn't wake up."

She does end up looking away for a second when he starts cutting skin.

At esper volume "Okay, uh I'll cover the mobile victim for now then."

At normal conversational volume, "Mr. Swans I'm going to use my power to make you unnoticeable to monsters but I need you to stay close to me while I do that. If we see something just stay put near me and you'll be fine. And don't shoot that thing. You could hurt yourself or somebody else with it. Okay?"

"Okay.  I can do that."  He has a Plan.  He knows what to do.  He's got his shit together.  Or so he tells himself.

Well, if Meghan looks away, she won't see the skin visibly starting to regrow from where Tim cut it.  Those injures will be good as new within a minute.  The clavicle is the real problem - it's not like he can cut out her shoulder and regrow it fresh.  "My old mentor would have conniptions if she saw me doing this to a patient, but I promise it works with the regen."  He's got his patient hefted over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes, gun in his right hand.

"Yeah, I get it, it's just a bit nasty to watch.

And off they go again, Meghan attempts to engage Mr. Swans in small talk about his life.

He's a bit bemused about why such an important esper is interested in the secret to getting his morning glories to stay on the trellis, but he can do it!  It's not long before they see the actual deck of the ship again.

"I think you two are going to have to get down on your own, d'you want my buff to stick the landing?  Or do you think you can climb down safely, sir?"

Well, he'd probably be okay.  But jumping down sounds faster.  "Buff, please!"

Does he have a belt  or at least good belt loops she can attach a bungee cord to to make coordinating this easier and safer for everyone?

Yeah, he's got a belt on.  He unbuckles it one notch, to make hooking the cord on a little easier for her?

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate that." She gives the cord an experimental tug to make sure it's firmly attached and nods. "I think we're ready now."

Tim does his VERY BEST to not jump during a swell.  He switches to a bridal carry for this one, and flares his power during the landing.  He winds up on his knees at the end, as the ship does try to knock him over during the last second, but he doesn't drop the patient.  Instead of shouting, he uses Dungeon Sign.  <Ready, traverse obstacle.>

She steadies the victim when the ship rolls.

<Transverse obstacle, understood>

"I'm going to do a count of three and then we're going to jump when I say 'jump' okay?"

"I, uh.  Okay!"  Holy shit this is terrifying but I'm not gonna pussy out, if a little girl can do it by God so can I.

She gives him a thumbs up and then counts to three slowly.

"Jump!"

She jumps immediately getting into position to land safely. She does add a little bit of a flourish in the process.

The bungee was a good idea.  Mr. Swans tried to do a superhero, three point landing, but a roll of the vessel knocks him over.  Esper coordination is enough to let Kuroko retain her balance, but she’ll have to contend with Mr. Swans’ body weight as he drops.

She drops into a crouch to brace herself against it. Fortunately the cord is easily rated to hold his weight. She'll extend a hand in case he wants help standing. 

Yeah, he'll take it.  "Thanks.  Is it far, after this?"

Handsqueeze "Nah. We'll be there soon." Off they go again. She won't detach the cord while they're out on the deck.

It's not that far.  In just a few minutes, they can be out of the portal.  And as soon as he's out, this man is handing off his emotional support flaregun to a DRT agent and kissing the ground.  In that order.

Incredibly valid of him. She can head back in and see how Tim and his armful is getting on.

Well, he's trying to get the lump of unconscious victim out, but not having a good time of it.  The one low-hanging cable seems to have snagged in the woman's armpit.  "D'you think you can help me out here, I think I'm being sabotaged."

"Yeah, sure. I can help you with that."

She carefully dislodges the cable.

"I swear it was clear when I started it.  Thank you, Kuroko."  With a little help from his new friend coworker, this poor woman's soon touching terra firma.  Or at least, DRT cot firma.  "How are you doing on backlash?  I think I have another run in me, but I'm not super fresh."  They've been at this for a few hours, by now.

"I took a fair chunk shooting that thing but I could do another run. As long as you don't fall asleep on me."

I don't know you well enough for that, is what I'd say if I had a functional spine.  "No'm, I save that for after the dungeon."  Fuck, that's not any better.  Fuck.  Change the topic.  "Um - I was thinking, do you ever try to exclude all victims and use that as a way to find vics?"

"I guess that could work if they're conscious enough to hear me but not able to respond..."

"Yeah, I - uh, I don't want to tell you how to use your power, you've been the one living with it, and I don't know what your backlash is like?  But.  Twenty minutes of thought, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely. I don't usually use it on people, I think I said but maybe it would be okay for that."

"You're the boss."  He grins a little at her.  "Ready to rescue the next one?  The estimate is only about twelve, and we've gotten three so far, we're doing great."

"Sure. Let's go."

"Yes'm."  As a matter of fact, it looks like their trail of spray-paint has borne fruit.  As they're gearing up to go in, a woman who looks like she's keeping her shit together by sheer willpower alone has made it through.  She surrenders her box of flares and fire extinguishers to the DRT.  Just eight more to go, maybe.

The exploration isn't hard, exactly.  It's annoying.  It's creepy.  But they map out the aftcastle within twenty minutes, and make their way down below.  Their next challenges stems from the fact that there's quite a few rolling spools of chain, rolling back and forth as the ship rocks and yaws.

The lady gets a thumbs up on the way by but she's got it together enough not to insist on more.

She eyes the rolling chains. "I can probably dodge those but..."

Can she, though?  One wrong move...

"Yeah, I don't love it.  It's a pretty open space, maybe I could carry you and tank us through it?  Or maybe catch them and right them individually?"

"I wouldn't trust them to stay put if the ship moves again."

"Yeah.  You want me to carry you through it, then?"  If so, Tim can act as a noble steed once more.

"Yeah, let's do this."

She climbs on.

It's not so bad as all that - he only has to activate it once, when the ship rocks and he has to give a push kick to deflect one massive spool away from him.  "This is too much chain, there's no way anyone could need this much."  Beyond the Spool Section are about two dozen crates in various states of having been knocked over and spilled.  "Anyone in here?"

No response, and no backlash, either.

"No monsters at least."

"Good.  Uh.  You think the core's in here?  We probably ought to take a look inside some of these crates..."

"I'd bet on it being on the lowest level but we could look in here."

It takes about thirty minutes to poke through each crate.  They're mostly empty, anyway.  Which explains why they shift around so easily, come to think on it.  On the last crate, Meghan's power twinges - something can hear them.

"Monster nearby."

Just one?  Could there be more?

Esper-quiet, he murmurs back.  "Got it.  I'll play bait, you tell me if you spot it?"

There could be more than one but they seem to be pretty spread out.

"Got it."

Armsqueeze, then Tim departs.  Hey, look at me, monster!  I'm just a dumb little victim.  Oh, woe is me!  It's...a little easier to feel nervous than Tim really likes.  After all, they don't know if these monsters have trump cards or maybe if there are different kinds of monster.  There could be anything down here.

There's a flicker of movement behind Tim.  Looks like the ghouls love swinging from pipes in the ceiling. as a way to avoid the rolling spool zone.

"Behind you. Ceiling."

He spins smoothly, and wings it on the way down.  Of course, with this caliber, a 'wing' is enough to render it combat-ineffective.  His boot finishes the job.  "Good stuff.  I think it came from over there, maybe there's a vic that way."

"Yeah, we can go that way."

Well, there's a little problem.  There's a not-quite-barricade.  You can clamber over it, but clearing it without causing avalanche-style problems will take some doing.

'I wonder if would be easier to clear this thing with people working from both sides...We could just climb over it but we might run into a victim that can't."

"Yeah, I could see that.  That one table would be easier to move if you could pick it up from your end and sort of slide it towards me.  D'you want to go first, since you're the better scout?"

"I'm also lighter so it'll be easier for me to get over it. So, yes."

Climbing over the pile of stuff!

Hey.  Kuroko.

How do you feel about the ship yawing while you're climbing on this stuff?  There's a bent piece of conduit with a sharp edge, and it would like to know.

OW FUCK.

Yeah esper athleticism can only help you so much in this situation. She's going to end up with a nasty laceration on one arm.

Briefly.  "I've got you buffed, Kuroko, just muscle through!"  And indeed, if she's the type to look at nasty lacerations, she'll see skin regrowing.  It she holds the edges together, it'll be even faster.

She's not too squeamish to assess her own injuries but first she's got to haul herself to a safe position on the other side of this pile of stuff. This involves throwing the full strength of her other arm into it. (She's also using her legs of course but more to brace herself).

Her shirt is actually designed to be pretty durable but it's not rated for super strength it tears across her shoulder and upper chest. The sleeve of her injured arm is also pretty shredded. She's backlashed enough that she's not going to prioritize covering up until prompted.

"Thanks. Ow. Fuck.  You wanna help me get the fucking thing that cut me out of this pile?"

Tim is a professional.  Under these circumstances, skin is just skin.  Give him five minutes, then he'll be embarrassed.  "I got it, hang on."  He drops his power once she's safe, then applies his own strength for the ten seconds it takes to bend that sharp edge in on itself.  Then he jiggles it loose from the pile and hurls it, baseball bat-style, into the Spool Zone.  "You okay?"

"I am now. Thanks to you."

She inspects the pile of stuff, "This thing, next?" She nudges the item in question enough to wiggle it.

"Yeah, sounds good.  Here, lift it up a little bit towards me - " two more pieces of bullshit rubble are moved(why do they have 2x6 lumber on a ship???) before he realizes.  "Uh.  Kuroko, you're a little bit.  Uh."  He gestures towards his own chest.  "Exposed there."

"Oh, you're right. This shirt's probably a loss. Oh, sorry was I making you uncomfortable. I have a spare shirt in the storage lockers outside. For now, I have this really good towel I stole from a dungeon a while back and a rubber band?"

"I've got some tape in my kit, when I get across we can tape it back together.  You're uh, you're fine I'm.  Not uncomfortable.  This happens a lot with my power, I'm - sort of used to it, by now.  If you're thinking you'll run dungeons with me more often, maybe we can look at getting you an outfit like mine and your superstrength cert."  He can be Very Professional about clearing a little bit more space and shimmying through.

"You have a cert for that? I know you said you have your own squad of guys.  My outfits are kinda customized, too. I wanted things that are both practical and eye catching."

"Well, it's not like anyone else is going to recognize it?  But yeah, it's just - a little tricky to get a handle on my power.  I tore up a quarter of my outfits before I found the stuff I'm wearing now.  It's inspired by some dungeon material, it's super elastic."  Talking while they work only takes another two minutes, and he manages to crawl forward.  "Um.  Would you prefer to hold the edges together, or to tape it?"

"These shirts are pretty elastic but I guess not elastic enough when I was putting everything into hauling myself over the wall with one arm. I'll hold the edges, the angle is probably better if you tape it."

"Okay.  Sounds good."  Tim is Extremely Normal about taping up his coworker's chest area.  He starts off with a layer of Extreme Tape on the inner side of the right edge, sticks the left side to the tape.  Then he puts a layer on the front of the fabric.  Then he does a crossways reinforcement on the top and bottom.  "Should be good, this stuff's pretty good.  I tried to not get any on your skin, but you may need isopropyl alcohol for your shower later, if it feels tacky later."

"Pretty sure we've got some of that around the house somewhere, if not, I can have it delivered. The wonders of Instacart."

"It should be in most first aid kits, too.  I don't like it because it's tissue toxic, but it can be useful."  Arm?  And explore?  Tim's racked up a noticeable amount of backlash, if Kuroko thinks to check for it.

"If we have it around the house it's for cleaning electronics and not skin. You still good on backlash?"

(It's a bit hard to tell with a near-stranger she's not very compatible with but he seems to be getting a little high)

"I'm okay. Burned a little more than I should, you spooked me a bit. Definitely my last run, though."

Ever Hunted: A darkened, empty staircase.  Surely there are perils approaching.  There's nothing good to come of going down these.  Turn back, while you still can.

"I'd have probably been fine in the end,, but we would have had to go back. Also you might have saved me a scar, so thanks for that."

So obviously they're going down those stairs right? Cautiously.

Of course.  Anytime a dungeon doesn't want you to go somewhere, you have to go there.  Unless it's a trick.  Tim doesn't make the rules.

"No beauty marks for you.  Besides, you saved me from getting jumped from behind, earlier.  We're even as far as I'm concerned."

Ever Hunted: It's silent down here.  Deathly silent.  The echoes of your footsteps vanish far, far too quickly for it to be natural.  Was that a slithering noise?  Was it just a cable brushing against a length of conduit?

"Scars are only cool if it's a really good story, and I don't think getting sliced by a pile of junk counts. Even if it's evil dungeon junk."

She's not being loud but she's not being maximally quiet either, anything trying to listen in?

Ever Hunted: If she talks more than at a mild volume?  Yes.  There's something here.

She drops her voice to a whisper (no reason to rack up more backlash than necessary) "Something nearby."

He murmurs back, in an esper undertone.  "Got it."

Ever Hunted: It looks like this is intended to be some kind of crate-storage zone that had a monster rampage through it.  Massive, forty-foot shipping containers are strewn about like ninepins.  Some of them are broken.  Some of them are ruptured inwards, as though the fist of God had punched through.  The one in the center of the room draws their eye, though.  It contains the sole glittering source of light in the room.  It's a small, glowing silver briefcase.  The dungeon core.

As they enter, Kuroko's backlash ticks up.  Probably just one creature.

"There's maybe a boss around. Better have that gun of yours ready."

He leans back and murmurs an affirmative, then focuses.  Sorry, Kuroko's Backlash.  He sweeps the room, and what does he find, but - 

A MASSIVE fucking ghoul, is what.  It's clearly too large to properly fit in the storage crate that it's lurking in.  It's clearly ready to pick a fight - muscles visibly tense beneath the waxy, sloughing appearance of its skin.  Run, the glint in its eyes seems to promise.  Death awaits you here, if you are lucky.  Escape.  Run.  Buy yourself a little more sweet life.

"So technically we could just grab the core and run but the boss will definitely notice it's missing even if doesn't know where it went and there's still victims in here somewhere probably. You think you gun is up for this job?"

No.  Run.  Walk away, while you still have limbs.

Tim drops into a fake action-hero register.  "If it isn't, I will be."  Then he grins down at Kuroko.  "I think I can take it.  Are you okay with hiding at the entrance and grabbing me if I start losing?"

"Yeah, I can do that. When you're ready I can stop covering you cause this is probably going to be a loud and messy fight..."

"Sounds good.  Okay, wish me luck."  Tim spends a moment to change the magazine in his pistol - two bullets might not make much of a difference, but you never know, and it's a boss fight.  "Count me down when you're ready and I'll start shooting."

She slips over to a post nearer the door. "Three, two, one..go!"

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

Tim magumps his pistol into the monster, then stows it rapidly.  How's the critter looking?

Alive, approximately.  Insofar as 'alive' can be applied to a monstrosity that is, at best, an unholy mockery of life.  Instead of a triumphant pounce from ambush, it's trying to crawl its way over to Tim.  It wails in agony and rage as it crawls after Tim.

Good news, Kuroko!  You don't have to spend hardly any backlash at all.

"Didn't think it would be this easy.  Okay, almost done, I think."  He re-draws his pistol, backs up to create space between him and the terribly-wounded 'boss', and reloads.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

"I don't think it's moving anymore?"

She comes over and gives it an experimental kick.

Well, with her power on, she can tell that there's no response.  It's dead or at least incapable of perception, Jim.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's dead. Wanna stuff the core in your bag and sweep this level for victims and more monsters? Though if there's anyone or anything here they might be coming to find us."

"Yeah, let's nab it."  After a few moments of consideration, he decides to tie it on the inside of his vest.  It takes a minute to make the adjustments, though.  "I want you for all my fights from now on.  That was the easiest boss of my life."  Hand?

"I'm really cool but I can't actually claim credit for that one I think..."

Sure, hand.

"Well, not all of it, obviously?  But that could have been a rough and tumble fight where I have to wrestle the Zombie Hulk for my life.  I uh, maybe I should have evaluated it first?  But I put my gun away because I thought I'd have to fight it barehanded, and instead you just let me shoot it to death.  You saved me an hour of guiding at least."  Actually maybe he should have offered his whole arm but now it'd be kind of weird.

"Oh, I'd like to get your contact information before we get outta here.I like to have lots of contacts. And take a selfie with the core. You can be in the selfie too if you like. Uh, I might blow up your phone at some point if I'm pretty backlashed and having trouble getting responses from people."

Hmmmm.  "Sure, you can have my personal number before we leave.  Uh, if you want a selfie I certainly won't stand in your way, but maybe hold it in front of your, uh.  Pectoral region."  He gestures at his own chest, mirroring where Meghan's boob is only held back by the grace of Esper-grade duct tape.  "Or I could stand in front of you, in the photo?"

"Oh, right. Yeah I think the core will hide all that. You can double check for me so I don't regret taking the photo later.  If you're standing in front it sort of defeats the point of taking a selfie."

Well, then.  They can get a selfie taken together, with the core briefcase cunningly concealing sartorial concerns.  Sadly it's too small in here for a proper selfie, where Tim's picked her up and even if they could it'd be a bad idea, that tape's only so good.  And then the rest of the sweep is pretty standard: spooky, jumpscare-laden, but not actually that hard.  Tim's looking a little peaked by the end of it, but they map the whole place with some DRT assistance, strip the ship, and blow the core.

Afterwards, Tim offers his phone to Kuroko.  "Here, d'you want to put your number in?"

"Sure."

She's a little slow at entering things on this much backlash but she doesn't want to make an issue of it. Afterwards she hands over her phone in return.

Pick your favourite emoji, that's not taken. All my phone contacts have emoiji so I can identify them at a glance. Or I can pick one for you later if you don't have an opinion."

Well, good thing she didn't say anything, or Tim would feel pretty dumb.

"Uh - fist, please."  It's what he's good for, after all.

"Sure. It's been a pleasure working with you."

"And you as well, Kuroko."  He gives her a jaunty little half-salute and a grin, then wanders off to get an autotaxi.  After making a pit stop for some DRT coffee - he's earned it.

Later on, after a cuddle-and-calorie-refueling session with Summer, he thinks about it.

What went well?

Stealth power - want to keep her for every dungeon.  Sadly, won't happen.
Covering us - good job not burning out on the little stuff.
Having tape - Be Prepared
Not weird about it
Scouting w/power.  Confirm kill with power, great thinking.
Flagpole.  Why did they have an extendible flagpole just sitting around???  DRT logistics is absurd.

What went badly?

Torn shirt, cut - consider mentioning to any dungeoneers going forward.  Not practical to have a size for everyone, unless they're OK with very skintight.  Would skintight really be that bad? Should have kept a level of power on her, just in case - thought she'd be safe from monsters, metal is not a monster.  Usually.
Knocked down when climbing
Dungeon heard me say it'd be easy??? Myth, or legit?
Scratched up - secure area better next time.  Also, overdid it slightly on backlash - work on keeping calm.
Marco/Polo.  If alone, could have vaulted - actually, maybe not.  Ship might have rocked.
Being tall.  Consider assigning shorter espers to claustrophobia dungeons.

What can I do better next time?

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY, NEVER SAY THAT.
Keep this girl for every boss fight.
Keep power running on lowest level, maybe.  It's not THAT tiring.
Don't get knocked down while climbing.  Better situational awareness, somehow.
Practice getting teammates hurt so I can respond appropriately when one is injured.  Lol.
Don't get assigned to a dungeon that can troll me with its grasp of physics.
Maybe don't make suggestions on how to use another esper's power or backlash, or figure out how to be more polite about it?  I'm pretty sure she was judging me for that.  Ugh.
Get her actual legal seagull name.  Hard to say 'hey, I know you introduced yourself to me, can you do it again properly this time'.  Uggggghhhhh.