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meadowlarking2019-11-20 05:33 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME 007
Welcome to the Meadowlark test drive meme! After waking up in strange and rather worrisome conditions, characters will need to begin to live their lives in this new world. All TDM threads take place after the arrival process, so please assume that the initial adjustment period has passed – in which the characters were found after being dropped off in a random part of the city and had to live in a safehouse for four days before hitting the streets. Now it's time to see the bright sights and sounds that New Amsterdam – and beyond – has to offer.
All Meadowlark test drive memes will not be game canon because of the nature of our arrival logs. Please feel free to carry on relationships that make sense, but please keep in mind that the TDM may not reflect current circumstances in game.
All applicants can use threads from the TDM for their samples.
NOTE: The PCs have chosen to call themselves "the Displaced," and that's become the common parlance to refer to them.
There is very little that can smooth over the experience of your arrival in this world. Coming to your senses in a van, drugged and restrained, only to be carefully helped out by the unknown guards and nurses and then abandoned in an alleyway. What comes after is relatively straightforward: you're found by others and taken back to a safehouse that is hidden under an old hover bike shop. You aren't the first group that this has happened to: there are others not from this world who have experienced the same, with no recollection of how they came here. Like you, they have few answers about what's happened to them. Maybe this knowledge brings you a growing sense of futility, or perhaps it inspires a deeper determination in you. But even as you begin to think on what to do next, life has to go on.
All of the new arrivals will be given a fake ID and a background that will lend them access to entry-level jobs. It may be overwhelming, but their fellow Displaced have found their footing enough to be able to help the newcomers. Two Morningstar agents will be around to take care of world integration and IDs – the rest will fall to the Displaced who arrived before. It would take at least a month's wages to put down a deposit on even the smallest apartment in the city, so everyone has a grace period before they have to leave the safehouse – and then some, depending on the kindness of who's running the show.
Morningstar's veteran agents will also make their purpose clear if asked: they are a group dedicated to fighting corruption and righting the wrongs of this world, though they're in the process of rebuilding the organization's branch in New Amsterdam from scratch, and they know that the people in charge of those efforts wouldn't mind a little help. It will be made expressly clear that this entire arrangement to get the Displaced situated in the world is meant to be kept a secret, and that especially includes Morningstar's assistance. Letting the world know about their involvement could cause big problems.
> EXPLORE THE CHANGES
Despite the lack of answers about why you're here, your fellow Displaced will be able to give you a rundown of the changes they've recognized in each other. Anyone who had powers before will find them gone. Anyone who was once an AI or in a completely artificial body will find that their current body is now fully human. Those with cybernetics will find that they've remained mostly untouched, though any primitive ones may be replaced with temporary ones that are improvements on the previous models.
◉ NEW ABILITIES. In the place of any powers that were lost, there is now a new power. These abilities are unique to each of the Displaced and seem to update over a certain period of time, with the changes appearing thanks to critical emotional events. One thing that's apparent is that the power seems to be linked to the Displaced individual's personality or life before this one, shaped according to who they happen to be. When this power appears, their chest glows with a blue light that shines from their sternum, and it can be triggered by anything: natural inclination or a moment of great stress. If someone's out in public when this happens, they might want to duck under cover lest the blue glow from their chest and the unusual power's appearance draws unwanted attention.
◉ EMPATHY BOND. No matter the circumstances or the conditions, every skin-to-skin touch of the Displaced triggers this empathy bond. Whether they touch hands, brush cheeks, or knock into one another on accident, they'll be met with the emotions of the person they've touched. Every instance of skin-to-skin contact will trigger an immediate empathic bond, letting you feel the other person's emotions and vise versa. While there's nothing that can be done to completely prevent this, someone can either decide to hold on and continue sharing that level of emotional intimacy, or let go and end the shockingly vulnerable exchange. If someone is particularly tactile but not fond of sharing their emotions, they might want to invest in a fashionable pair of gloves.
◉ MEMORY SHARE. Through a recent event, the Displaced unlocked the ability to share memories similarly to how they can share emotions. While unknown at first, the Displaced soon learned that they could share a memory with each other the same way they could share emotions. All they need to do is focus on a memory and touch the skin of their fellow Displaced, and then they could pass this experience along. These memories are shared through the eyes of the giver, granting the receiver a unique insight into the thoughts, feelings, and sensations during a specific moment in their life.
◉ DREAM SHARING. Once one, two, or five Displaced fall asleep, they may be able to find each other in their dreams. These dreams lead to the dreamers themselves feeling lucid and somewhat in control of their surroundings—though the control itself is ultimately dependent on the dreamer and how well they come around to understanding what's going on. Dream logic applies with the flow of time, but no one is able to spend their entire lives there. Lost powers are still gone for any of the Displaced, but they can use their dreams to practice any new ability that they've received. Memory shares and empathy bonds are just as possible within these shared dream states—if anyone doubts that another Displaced is really there, they can test the empathy bond to see if it activates.
◉ POWER SHARES AND UNIONS. The Displaced can share something of themselves with another Displaced by offering them an object that comes out of their chest. This object is meant to be symbolic of the person it comes from and significant to them in some way. When someone else takes hold of this object, they will get a sense of the owner's essence, along with temporary access to their in-game ability. Only when they give the item back do they give up the power in question. In addition, the Displaced are able to act in unison and create a fusion of their powers, making it so they can fight someone else with them at once. This ability is there from day one, but the power's ability will only ever present at its current stage.
> THE NETWORK
When the Displaced first showed up, Morningstar set up a private network for all of the Displaced to use in order to communicate. Most of the veteran Displaced are old hands at using the implant now, and will be happy to provide any necessary information on how to utilize this new tool and understand its application in daily life.
Early on, every newcomer receives access to the encrypted network, only available to you and the others like you, making contact between you easy and safe. Familiarize yourself with this network and dig in. Perhaps you're hoping to find some bigger answers, ask about the current nail polish trends in New Amsterdam, or want to play a game of "hot or not" among the Displaced.
◉ IDENTIFICATION. Everyone who gets set up with an ID gets access to Morningstar's network. In order to ensure that none of the Displaced stand out like sore thumbs, Morningstar's agents El and Gaby ensure that everyone has a name that makes it so they fit in among society. All usernames are thusly formed as firstname.lastname, with some room for creativity (Ziggy Stardust had a brief cameo, after all).
◉ PRIVATE COMMUNICATION. There are private, one-on-one modes of communication available as well, though without the security of Morningstar's encryptions, they're much less safe. You can make calls, send texts, make videos, and even interact with others in a VR simulation—however, it's made very clear that the government has a means of tracking this communication. Big brother is always watching.
The day of April 26th is known to all United Nations citizens: it's Resolution Day. To everyone around the world, it's the day when the last known AI lifeforms were completely eradicated in 2101. While some might say that it's the day that the UN claimed victory over the AI, to people the world over it's the day that humanity managed to keep themselves from being wiped out. Little will be said in detail about the holiday itself, but a remedial bit of research will cover the six-year-long Xelkoven War between humans and AI. The war itself was started when the home security unit AI Elysian killed 50 households full of people, and the war itself was named after the largest artificial intelligence distributor at the time: Xelkov. Ultimately, a billion humans died in the war, and there was the very real risk that the rest of humanity could have followed if they hadn't devised a method to put down the AI for good.
The citywide celebration of Resolution Day starts early and finishes very late, so whether you choose to join in the fun, learn more about the history of the festival, or take advantage of the revelry for other, more nefarious goals, you'll have plenty of time.
As the festival sprawls wildly throughout the streets of New Amsterdam, it gives even the most desolate parts of the city new life with bright lights, noise, and plenty of food. Most businesses are closed for the day, but not all of them—if you've gotten yourself a restaurant, street cleaning, or corporate PR job, you might find yourself stuck on a double shift. Better snatch what small moments of enjoyment you can!
> ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES
Anything you'd think would be at a festival in the year 2512 is definitely at this festival. Food, games, dancing, alcohol, free stuff? It's all there for your enjoyment. While the city streets will be full of people, this isn't a bad day to try networking. Want to get a new job or find a way to pry some information out of someone when they're least likely to remember you? Try to butter them up—or use the powers you've been granted to get your way. If anything goes badly, at least you can slip back into the crowd.
◉ GAMES. Care to play a game? All attendees can play for free. Some games —like the hoverblade racing, the augmented reality fightboxes, and the street-wide bouts of laser tag—require a partner or a competitor, so you better hope someone's willing to do you a solid or bring out your competitive side. For anyone who's interested in something a little less hands-on, all of the city's biggest VR arcades will have setups with all the latest games. Hoping to get noticed for your gaming talent? This might not be the day to try to stand out, but anyone's down to try.
◉ FOOD TRUCKS. It's time to try the delicacies of New Amsterdam. Hundreds of food trucks have turned out today in droves with high hopes that they'll come away turning a profit. Down for some Mexi-German fusion? Or perhaps you're hoping that pad thai still tastes the same with grasshoppers? Share your food – or give away whatever you don't like. Food trucks are the hub of activity, and the busiest ones might be worth the time, but you'll be standing in line for a while.
◉ NETWORKING. There are other opportunities with the city being flooded with festival-goers. Whether someone is on a mission to try to test the current sentiments toward Morningstar or simply wants to charm some corporate execs, this might be the time to get it done. Whatever your cover story is, make it good. Whether you claim you're hoping to pitch an idea for some new tech or are more interested in seducing – or squeezing – some information out of them, following them into the next bar or karaoke booth may give you the perfect chance. But you might want a lookout to watch your back, a co-conspirator to keep them plied with drinks, or maybe you'll need a voice of reason to stop you from squeezing too hard. Discretion is the name of the game. Everyone can agree upon that.
> HISTORY LESSONS
Aside from your typical booths of free samples, charitable causes, volunteer applications, and white chocolate-covered beetles, you'll find an opportunity to learn about Resolution Day’s history. There are various stands available where—thanks to the augmented reality application of your neural implant—you can view videos about the origins of the festival and the reasons for celebrating. If you haven't done your initial search yourself, you'll be able to buff up on it here.
◉ VR SIMULATIONS. If you'd like to feel like a hero, the UNA are running several virtual reality simulations where you can be taken to the battlefield to fight alongside fellow soldiers, working to bring the outwardly robotic AI to submission. The virtual reality simulation interacts with your neural implant to give you the most realistic experience possible. If you don't ground yourself enough, you'll be certain that the sights, sounds, and smells around you are real as you march in formation toward the brutality waiting up ahead. Feel free to team up with a partner on a side mission, or maybe try to keep someone from plugging in for what could be a traumatic experience. Eerie, heart-wrenching music plays when you die, but is promptly followed by the image of several corporate logos reminding you that they sponsored this day and this event.
◉ SYMPATHIZERS. If you're uncomfortable with the concept of eradicating all AI, no one will understand why. AI sympathizers are not present among the native population. Everyone in this world has been raised with the understanding that AI only wanted to destroy humanity, and that everyone is lucky to be alive in spite of it. They have a deeply ingrained fear, and anyone claiming to formerly be an AI or android won't receive a very friendly response.
Traveling down from the hectic main city streets reveals a different side from the gloss and promise of New Amsterdam. Economic disparity runs rampant throughout the city, and many people are pushed to desperation, looking to find other ways to make ends meet. In the darker shadows, many illegal activities thrive, out of view of the authorities—or perhaps known and supported by corrupt individuals. Maybe you're out exploring, completing a task for Morningstar, or working a job in the place you excel. Whatever brought you to the rougher parts of town, you may want to watch your step, or else find the city eating you as it has so many others.
> ORGANIZED CRIME
Organized crime still has a strong foothold in the world, with gangs and more established families working with drugs, weapons, property, and black market cybernetics, to name a few. These organizations are sprawling units that regularly recruit new members into their ranks, so long as they can prove themselves by passing the intensive hazing. While there are two main mob entities in New Amsterdam—the Riverstone Mob and the Petrov Family—there are a handful of gangs that otherwise roam the streets. Some are loosely sponsored by the mob, while others are fledgling groups trying to gain clout. More than anything, these groups know they don't have the power of the corporations or government, and do everything to seize more power when they can.
◉ JOINING UP. Catching the eye of the mob is difficult, but not impossible. Getting into the larger gangs is less difficult, but they're still wary of anyone who doesn't know the ins and outs of how to duck surveillance, traffic drugs and supplies, and intimidate people without catching flack from the NAPD. The best way to start getting attention is through their clubs, casinos, and illegal gambling dens. Getting inside isn't always easy: it might take a few weeks of legwork to get an invite, but someone could try to strongarm their way inside or use some chicanery to make it a smoother endeavor.
◉ ESCAPE PLAN. Whether you went in to cause trouble or accidentally caused it by breathing the wrong way, it's good to have an escape plan in place. Does that mean fighting all the goons available? Maybe. What about stealing a hover bike and getting away? The good news is that hover bikes can fit where hover cars can't.If you've got the skills, you'll be able to weave through the chaos of the city and make a clean getaway. Just don't let the chase run for too long, or you'll have law enforcement on your ass as well.
> FIGHT CLUB
No matter the occasion outside, New Amsterdam's fight club events are held every evening. The bouncers at the door don't have too many scruples on who they let inside. All they care about is whether someone has the money to pay the cover charge.
The interior of the fight club reveals the sophistication of a business that's used to uprooting itself regularly. All the fights take place in a large cage in the center, and you remain on your feet while you enjoy the show. There is a special VIP section if you've been lucky enough to receive an invite or bribe your way in – just keep in mind that these invites are scarce, and you will have to have done something spectacular to earn the attention from someone high up the food chain. Regardless of where you end up, there is one rule: what happens in the fight club stays in the fight club. This tenant is law, and everyone's heard stories of the different (and sometimes extreme) lengths that have been taken to maintain it.
◉ FIGHT. It's time to sign up and test your chops against other fighters. Many of the fighters boast illegal cybernetic enhancements, so it would be a really good idea to have someone on hand who knows some first aid. Fights can either happen in duos or in one-on-ones depending on the signups for the evening.
◉ RINGSIDE CHAT. You might just want to enjoy the show, or use the opportunity to grill the bartenders for information. Just be careful not to make a fool of yourself. Asking too many questions might catch the wrong kind of attention – the kind that might find you being thrown into the ring, whether you wanted to be there or not. For all the blood spilled, these fight clubs thrive on discretion, so whatever you do, try to keep it quiet.
Life in New Amsterdam was once all festivals and people avoiding association with organized crime. Life in New Amsterdam these days is full of drama, citywide disturbances, and everything else that might be expected of an action film in progress. While there aren't many answers for what's happened to the Displaced, there is enough chaos going around that it seems like it may be connected to their arrivals.
The worst part is that New Amsterdam seems to struggle. Rather than being an anonymous backdrop to those action films, New Amsterdam is a bustling city full of life that never asked to be at the heart of this. When trouble hits, most repairs and restorations focus on helping those with money, while others are left forgotten living in tents and hoping for a helping hand. Recent circumstances have called for improvements in this area—there is more charitable work than ever before in New Amsterdam—but it's still a trying time.
Where the Displaced stand in all of this varies, but it's hard to ignore a city in trouble.
◉ DISPLACED VERSUS DISPLACED. Whether it's by manipulation of an outside force or through inhaling weird monster gas, sometimes the Displaced are at odds with one another. When some of these few heroes are fighting, it means that the city can be left in even greater danger. Other times, the Displaced might not be able to control themselves. Feeling a sudden surge of vengeance and hoping to follow through on it? That monster gas might be the cause. Want to finish out a nasty deal to get something back important? The monster gas won't be an excuse, but maybe someone can pretend it was. Life as a Displaced is wild sometimes.
◉ THE UNITED NATIONS ARMY. In fact, it's so wild that sometimes they come up against the extremely dangerous soldiers of the UNA. These soldiers are the military arm of the United Nations government. They aren't the average soldier, however. Dressed in thick black armor that acts as an exoskeleton for their bodies, they are basically invulnerable to any and all attacks. When fighting as a unit, they work perfectly in unison, making it so that they can quickly move to deny almost any and all attacks. They're also extremely resistant to any mental or emotional compulsion or manipulation, making them hard nuts to crack. Ready for a bossfight? They're the soldiers for it.
◉ MONSTERS. As for unconventional threats, there are the monsters. These creatures first turned up in giant form when the first batch of Displaced arrived, stomping all over New Amsterdam. The less unique version of the monsters are around 400m high, have lizard-like features, and tend to show up by tearing down a portion of New Amsterdam's city wall. And that's the less unique version. More unique monsters vary in size and make, seeming to be an amalgamation of a number of different creatures. Half-snake, half-dog? Seems odd, but it happens. The one consistent feature of all these monsters is they all have golden irises. Suffice to say that running into these creatures could be a problem.
Feel free to branch out and explore! Visit a doctor about some advanced cybernetics. Sneak through the city checkpoints and set out into the wilderness. Try to hop on a train bound for one of the world's five spaceports to see one of the colonies—though bear in mind the cost and difficulty of one of these joy rides. Experiment with some insect based versions of your favorite recipes. Perhaps you'd prefer to engage in some illegal street racing, spend some time getting used to the technology, or try to become a social media celebrity. Use the SETTING for inspiration and choose your own adventure!
Re: Abilities
Useless, you say? What is it they gave you?
[ Trevor squints; the little lights keep him from clearly seeing the stranger above him in the dark, as well, which is not ideal for any scenario. He raises a hand, surrounded by the fluffy of twinkles, and makes a come closer gesture. ]
Come down so I can see you properly, will you? These bloody sparkles are in my eyes.
no subject
[ Anger is a general state of being for Sharkface, but the fact that his ability - the thing these people cut into him for - has thus far refused to show any combat applications is worrying at him like a bruise. If they were going to give him something, why not the ability to summon fire without using his rig? Or to heal himself after taking a hit, that'd be fucking great. Something, anything, to compensate for his lack of armor.
No. He gets to draw on walls without touching them. That's fucking perfect.
He gives the man a once over, then shrugs and swings down. It's a risk, sure, but everything here is. He's managed to get his hands on a few knives since getting spat out here, so he's not completely unarmed, but no guns yet. Have to work a little harder to get those. And he's not a close quarters expert, not like the sergeant or Crow, but he can hold his own if it comes to that.
Part of him - the part that doesn't care so much about tactics - hopes that it does. Violence is clarifying in a way few things are. But they're probably going to talk first. He'll have to try and act like a sane person for a while.
The light off the guy's ability - whatever the fuck it is - casts weird, dancing shadows across the alley. Sharkface pushes his hood back, revealing his scars and fucked up eye. Whatever, right? If it starts a fight, it starts a fight. ]
It just happen?
no subject
[ He swats at some lights that have come too close to his face as Sharkface hops down, so that he can see more clearly when the other man pushes back his hood.
There's absolutely no reaction to the scarring apparent in Trevor's expression. None. He can see the glint of the stranger's teeth and they're human, no fangs, so... whatever, really. His own scars are rather impressive, it's simply that his face only has the one. It looks like this fellow got caught in a fire or something, nothing to comment on. He's rude and tactless but only when it serves a purpose. This? He just lets go as if it's perfectly normal. The fellow is well enough to hop down from a decent height, that's all that matters. Thus far he isn't reading as a threat, though there's clear tension thrumming through him.
That's alright. Whatever someone throws at him, Trevor can handle. ]
Indeed, I was wishing for a torch and... well. These appeared. It's light, yes, but I don't appear to be able to control the-- oh get away!
[ Seriously, they're not even helpful if they're right in his eyes! Pfffft. ]
no subject
[ It’s old school, sure, but a classic for a reason. Shock and awe. Knock an enemy right off their game. And maybe, if it gets bright enough, it might burn enough to cause some damage.
Maybe. Fucking maybe. Sharkface is a little jealous, but mostly pissed; at the situation, at himself for somehow falling into it. Mostly at the Freelancers, who probably think he’s done for.
Oh, he’ll track them down. He’ll find them. Did it once, he can do it again.
Sharkface tips his head to the side, still grinning. ]
Huh. Well, you’ve got one now.
[ The complete lack of reaction to his face is interesting. But this guy holds himself like a fighter, deceptively casual. Probably seen some shit. ]
no subject
[ If Trevor sounds a bit frustrated, you'll have to forgive him. He scrubs his swatting hand over his face, then rakes uneven hair back from it. This requiring explanations for everything is tiresome, that's all, and part of why he's avoided speaking to people much since he first arrived. It's just so tedious for both parties, his asking the clarification constantly, and though he'd never admit it he knows his social skills aren't up to par in the first place. Irritation never helped that. ]
Everyone here puts words together so strangely. I assume you mean to create a single bright flash to blind an opponent? Yes, that would be useful if they weren't so... dainty.
no subject
[ Sharkface cants an eyebrow. He knows vaguely that some people exist outside his sphere and don’t understand the words, let alone the skills required to survive it in, but it’s been so goddamn long since he’s met one that he isn’t quite sure how to react. Everyone in his orbit has been a soldier for at least a decade, and a specific kind of soldier at that. Even in prison everybody has spoken the same language. ]
I’m guessing you don’t have those.
no subject
I'm unfamiliar with that term, as well. I'm beginning to think I should have one of you future folks write me a dictionary so I can hold a conversation without pausing every other sentence for definitions.
no subject
Some of 'em would probably do it. There's fuck all to do around here.
[ That'll change, he has a feeling. It'll get hard and violent because life always does. This is just the lull, the beginning. ]
Grenade. Little ball stuffed with explosives. You throw it, it blows. Shrapnel everywhere.
[ It's said somewhat abruptly. Look, that's one less thing for the stranger to be confused about. ]
no subject
...I'd apologize, except this is absolutely not my fault. Stuffed with what now, that causes a weather anomaly?
no subject
Damn. So, that's a thing that's happening. Sharkface runs a hand through his hair, trying to think of a better way to explain. ]
Gunpowder. It's a.....fuck. Science and shit.
[ How the fuck does he explain gunpowder? It's all chemicals and chain reactions, stuff Sharkface himself barely understands. He never needed to know the why when he could just skip straight to the outcome and move on from there. ]
It blows up when you give it a spark. Boom. Lots of fire.
[ And of course he sounds like a fucking idiot when he says it. Sharkface never claimed to be the smart one, but he doesn't like sounding so completely out of his depth. ]
no subject
Ah, black powder. Chemicals, I know a bit of how that science works. It's not so common in my region, and I suppose we don't have these "grenades" yet.
[ He hesitates, then, since the stranger had been staring at him like he was insane: ]
Thank you for humoring my misinterpretation. What year is it you're from, anyway?
no subject
[ He's a little hazy about the exact dates. Time passed on the Tartarus, sure, but he hadn't counted the days. It hadn't seemed important. ]
no subject
That's rather far ahead. It was last the winter of 1476, for me. This is all a bit much to comprehend.
no subject
Well fuck me. That's something else.
[ Did people even have running water and shit back then? He can't remember. History was one of his worst classes in high school, second only to math. It hadn't seemed important then. All those details about long dead people, treaties and laws that supposedly shaped the world but never quite managed to make it better. They didn't have guns back then, that's for sure.
This must seem like a bad trip, Sharkface thinks. Overwhelming and strange. ]
I'm not good at explaining stuff, but....fuck. That's a long time.
[ He grimaces, running a hand through his hair. It's ragged and short again, and he hates what it represents, that someone cut into him and he can't know for sure what was done. ]
I can try. If there's stuff you want to know.
no subject
And the stranger's offering to help him catch up on over a millennia, that's something too. Trevor smiles slightly, a genuine one for the first time since he's been here. ]
That would be much appreciated, sir. Trevor Belmont, last son of the House of Belmont. [ He extends a hand to shake, assuming they still do that in the future. Some people here have. ] What am I to call you?
no subject
The offered hand gives him pause. Sharkface twitches, waiting a beat too long before taking Trevor's hand gingerly. He doesn't like touching people these days, and especially not out of armor, but right now he's pretending to be normal and acting like a psychopath isn't going to make that any easier.
Suck it up. Stand up straight and don't lose your shit, and it'll be fine. ]
Ephemera.
[ No house, whatever that means. It's only half a lie, anyway. The name still feels wrong, on a fundamental level, but it's the one he's been giving out and thus he's stuck with it. There's nothing left to do but commit.
Trevor's hands are callused and strong. Unsurprising. Sharkface's are peppered with burns and little scars, and black rings tattooed around his fingers. Most of them have been broken and set more than once.
It's strange to touch another person after so long, and not mean them any harm by it. And for a moment that's all there is, that strangeness and weird, quasi-uncomfortable intimacy of touch. It's been years, literal years, since he's touched another person outside of a fight. It feels like a trick, like something that can't possibly last.
Then it goes strange. There's a sudden flush of fondness and surprise at how the moment is going, a stranger showing small kindness to another, and an underlay of deeper frustration, the feeling of being trapped and not knowing where the attack will come from but knowing it will come, because of course it will. And none of it belongs to him. It belongs to Trevor, this man with the scarred face and easy manor, who Sharkface stupidly let his guard down to.
Sharkface jerks back, going into stance without thinking about it. There's a knife in his hand and his good eye is wide and furious. ]
Don't.
no subject
The warning he'd been given about contact initiating a bond rushes back and he snatches his hand away too, but not before the other man obviously got something from him as well. Something that seems to have identified him as a threat, though he has no idea what that could be. Either way, Ephemera has a blade.
Trevor isn't worried, exactly, but holds up both hands innocently. His voice is low and apologetic, because this is his fault. Hopefully it was just a shock. ]
Easy there. It slipped my mind, that's all. Obviously it slipped both of ours -- won't happen again, I assure you. My word is my bond.
no subject
Breathe. Straighten up and don't go stabbing people for nothing. Because it was nothing. A tactical error. Stupid, very fucking stupid, but not worth killing someone over.
Besides, Trevor's not lunging for him. Isn't doing anything but standing there, hands up like a peace offering.
Sharkface grits his teeth so hard his jaw aches, scars pulled taunt across his face, and lowers the knife. Sheathes it in the same motion, hating himself. Stupid to lose control like that. It won't happen again. He won't let it. ]
No, it fucking won't.
no subject
Thank you for not stabbing me, I just got this coat.
[ Keep it light, casual, like this happens to him all the time.
-- actually, it sort of does.
It's just that people don't usually back down so really, extra points for Ephemera. Something set him off and he didn't run with it like the idiots Trevor was used to running into in the taverns. And this question is probably a mistake, but why not at this point? ]
Might I ask where you acquired a blade? I'd feel better with one, myself.
no subject
Bought them.
[ Spent most of his money on weapons instead of food. Maybe he'll be hungry for a while, but it's worse to go around unarmed. This will have to do until he can get his hands on a pistol. He'll probably have to steal that and he's not stupid enough to run off trying that one without getting the lay of the land first. ]
Junk shop three blocks north.
[ His voice is low and hard. But he doesn't lie, doesn't bullshit. ]
no subject
[ Trevor rocks back on his heels, considering the whole "money" conundrum. It's necessary, of course, but he's been struggling to come up with a job he could do in this place. There is surprisingly very little call for vampire hunters, despite there being monsters running amok now and again. He tried to speak to a guardsman but they apparently don't employ the displaced without "credentials." He does not have those. ]
What are you doing for coin? I'm afraid my skills are rather limited.
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[ He's been asking around about warehouse jobs, trying to see if he might pull some security gigs, but thus far he hasn't found anything worth the effort. Soldiering was the first and only job he ever had, and the thought of trying something completely new is frustrating. The documents Morningstar provided are a start, but don't provide the credentials for him to ply his real skills. He can fly, he can fight, and he can work with thieves, and only one of those is immediately applicable. Fighting for an audience is a start, and the pay is decent if he manages not to get too badly injured.
And if he does it well enough, he might catch the attention of the right sort of people. He's been a thief before. He's killed people for money before. So long as it gets him a step closer to the Freelancers, he'll see it through. ]
Pay's good, if you don't mind getting bloody.
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Fight club is fighting people, yes? I don't like the idea of injuring someone if I don't have to.
[ Spoken like someone who's had to many times, and is confident in his skills. ]
I'm really more of a monster hunter, but they wouldn't have me in an official capacity.
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[ Sharkface eyes Trevor up and down, considering. It's been a long time since he's had qualms about hurting other people, though he understands the sentiment in a vague sense. He knew a few soldiers back in the day who only wanted to fight the Covenant and had trouble stomaching the thought of shooting another human. Not many of them lasted, once they got a real good look at the atrocities regular old humans got up to on their own. ]
I'm not the one to ask. I'm just doing what I know. Been a soldier too long to do anything else. What sort of monsters?
[ The last part is tacked on abruptly. Gather as much intelligence as possible. ]
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What sort of monsters? He grins. ]
All sorts. Vampires, demons, all the forces of darkness that cross my path. Back home I was battling the night horde, forces forged from death by dark magics to massacre humanity. Abominations, but unlike the creatures I've seen here.
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