Welcome to Gaia! ::

The first real thought was apathy toward the predicament that Atlantis seemed to be in, having lost the artifact--and that was maybe because he assumed that Atlantis was the reason they suffered through so much rain. And then came concern primarily for how they were all gonna get out of here safely, and then for those who would be most affected by the loss of Kim. Grief followed, weighing heavier the more he noticed it and setting a deep frown on his face; it wasn't so much focused on Kim, though, as it was the loss he'd suffered in his own life that he was reminded of when Kim collapsed, dead.

These were his most private thoughts, ones he would very rarely dwell on because it ate up too much of his time and killed his mood to do just about anything, so when he realized he could hear everyone else's thoughts and they could probably hear his, he tried incredibly hard to shut those memories back into the box he kept buried far, far in the back of his mind. He tried, then, to just focus on what was going on right in the moment, all the while glaring at the gate that opened wide when the voice announced that they were allowed to enter

The trainee followed the rest of the group inside, nerves suddenly starting to act up when the word "courthouse" was said.

'So they're letting us in so they can put us in front of their judge? Most of here weren't even part of the original group, they're just gonna try and condemn us all because few made a mistake and everyone wanted to help correct that mistake? I mean I guess there's a chance it could be a reward, but it's probably gonna be a punishment. That's the feeling I get in my bones...piece of s**t, motherf--' A tirade of expletives followed, very artfully woven together in his own opinion.

Cee didn't know what penintence was exactly until Zeke's thoughts, the person closest to her, rang loud and clear and while it startled her she sort of got the context. Unfortunately, she also had none and was not the type to feel guilty for other people's actions.

Court sounded fun though. Not.

We got this. We got this. We got this. It ran a mantra in her brain though as she looked around at those around her the thoughts changed momentarily..

Well ********. These're the people I'm gonna die with?

Oliver didn't look half as nervous as he felt inside. Sure he looked a little on edge, wary of this new space they were entering, but his thoughts were scrambled and directionless like trying to keep a frightened horse from bolting.

... It's okay. Water dripping. Footsteps- No, it's still okay, just footsteps, our footsteps. It might not be okay soon- But right now it's okay. Nothing threatening yet. It might be okay...

When he felt the press of other people's emotions against his own fear, their panic intruding on his own, he doubled down on that fight for control. The nervousness didn't go away entirely, but it did lose some ground to determination.

... They think we're going to die down here. I'm scared- This is just another mission, I'm going to do my best. If things go weird, I'm still going to do my best. I'm here to help. It will be okay...

This can't be it, I'm not ready yet. I knew there was a chance but I didn't really believe it. Not really. And now I've finally got friends, and I can't let them down, I can't let her-

Henry slammed on the brakes of his train of thought as the realization sack in that he could hear other people's thoughts and worries. And if he could hear them, well...

But still, he could really entirely hide the growing fear or the panic that was creeping up inside him. He waved to show a brave face, but how did you do that when the people around you could feel what you feel, or hear what you're thinking.

Swallowing, baby blues flicking back a day forththrough the darkness, he followed the others, pausing only long enough to make sure Cami was close by.

We'll be okay. We'll be okay. We'll be okay. Playing over and over like a skipping record. It had to be that. Anything else, and he wasn't sure he could continue holding it together.

They won't agree with me they'll argue, they'll say its all good its all fine, blow sunshine up the arse of danger, touch the s**t we aren't supposed to touch, befriend the legacies, do everything we are never supposed to do, never question anything, just drink it all ******** up. Rep's the enemy, turn on him, he's the one ruining s**t, hurt him instead. How dare he, how dare he ******** defy our new mermaid overlords, we want to plead to make it stop raining, we want to bear our ******** throats because we are SCARED TO FIGHT.

Sophie was here, but massive in her size, another robotic golem standing as a collective judge and jury for the group representing Deus.

Deus vs. Atlantis

At least it wasn't Judge Judy, but he felt both ashamed and saddened to appear before Sophie again this way, having hoped to establish better relations with Atlantis and continue learning about their culture and their relationships with other groups from the past. The pools were still a mystery, and a hub like this was a connecting point that no doubt had a wealth of information. Without locals here but a computer system, it made things more straight forward, but it also meant there was only one decision from on party and no way to appeal.

When he heard a grumble of thoughts like low thunder, he went ridged, and soon hear Rep bellowing out to Sophie. Eyes wide, he shot a look over to Rep as anger rose up in his chest.

"What is wrong with you?! Atlantis had no intention of doing anything to us and were instead a hub for information and meetings between our different cultures. Even the Leads know about it and gave their go ahead to continue communication. I was the one that found their home and came here with a group. I was the one that spoke with them. We contacted them. They didn't seek us out and they didn't even attack us until Kim came and took something from them when she was TOLD beforehand and given a warning. They had done nothing but share information and answer questions, and it's clear from their attacks on Deus that they could have done so at any time. Their golems haven't taken people and made them slaves. They aren't guilty until innocent. That's not how this works. I didn't ask for help for you to come here and shout at Atlantis because you can't realize that having a relationship with another culture would be to all our benefit rather than having yet another enemy added to the pile because you want to start burning bridges!"

And you're probably going to just go and make it some self-fulfilled prophecy cause I'm not agreeing with everything you say. It's fine to be paranoid because we do have a lot of s**t going after us but this is Atlantis and I did not find this place and work hard just to make an enemy of an entire culture and burn all the chances and opportunities Atlantis offers. I can't believe you'd think I'd turn around and hurt you instead but I'm just scum so what the ******** ever I don't go to your house and break your s**t.

Melvin looked at the group. "Atlantis is run by golems. The people here died long ago but it used to be a connection point for different places to meet safely. It's why all the pools outside are before it's gates. We can't appeal to the people who lived here but to the system they created. We took something from them the moment we arrived. No doubt they wonder if we are just going to strip this place down and take it home with us. They are just trying to protect and preserve their culture, and now we went against that. They're going to close the doors to us but they might wonder if we are going to try and invade them to steal everything else. We have to establish some sort of promise of safety with hem, but our word isn't going to cut it. We gave our word and Kim ruined that for us. So.....any ideas?"

It seemed like no sooner would they reach the courthouse, that Zeke found his mind completely flooded by a very familiar, very angry string of ranted expletives, and he let out an annoyed sigh as he tried to just tune it out so he could hear the damn golem as it(or maybe she?) addressed them all.

Representatives of Avalon?

{Your guess is as good as mine, boil. But if I were you, I would tread lightly here.} There was an undercurrent of worry in his weapon's voice that he didn't often hear.

Lips twitched to the side in thought, he turned to Melvin to see what the Life had to say on the whole thing, only to sigh yet again, eyes rolling skyward, as Rep's booming voice filled the room, followed by a very understandably irate Melvin. Both men's thoughts bouncing around in his brain almost painfully. It had him lifting a hand to press fingers to his temples, massaging in small circles before turning enough to snap at the redhead.

"Do you think you can save the ******** histrionics for when it's just your damn life on the line, and not the rest of us? Shut the ******** up if you've got nothing to contribute but bitching and complaints." Pale eyes were narrowed, tanned features drawn in angry lines before he was very deliberately turning away again to face mostly the golem, but Melvin as well.

"What about an offering, a show of good faith. Some tech, or maybe an artifact, if someone has one they'd be willing to part with. Maybe runes?" This being his first time in the lost city, he wasn't entirely sure what the AI system could possibly need, but did it hurt to make suggestions?

The civilization must once have been very advanced. Where did they go? We've only got the legends, and that like everything else is likely to be distorted by time and retelling. Probably the only way to find out is to reestablish peaceful contact, if that's even possible. Her death might not be sufficient. It wasn't a punishment, more like a side-effect.

Aloud, Jordan said, "Its motivations aside, it's unlikely that we'd even be able to stand against Atlantis in a contest of strength. The water golems have been trouble enough. We don't know what else the city's systems are capable of. There's much more potential benefit in trying to establish a truce or alliance, since it was peaceful until provoked."

Good job yelling at it, his thoughts added, his inner tone much more irritated than his calm speech. I'd like to get out of here in one piece. This isn't a pissing contest and we're all nominally on the same side here. I'm sure everyone's d**k is sufficiently sized for its intended purpose.

Having his thoughts broadcast was somewhere between annoying and embarrassing. He tried to ignore the knowledge that everybody had heard that. "An artifact or object offered in trade would likely just be drained of power. Assistance in terms of manpower is probably the best we can offer."