Crazy Kiwi
The view of the Ngadi Resort, as they rounded the last corner, was the perfect cap for an exceptional ride. From the outside the resort looked astounding, surrounded by beautiful white snow that looked like it had been smoothed by hand.
"That's why we didn't use the portal," said Kris into her microphone. The others nodded agreement.
They slowed and followed the signs into the underground parking area. It was mostly empty and quite large, so they spent a couple of minutes chasing each other around the open area like little children and then parked their bikes near Gwion's. They locked their helmets to their bikes and plugged the bikes into the wall sockets to recharge.
A nearby portal led them to the lobby where they were warmly greeted by a tall vaguely-Japanese-looking young man. They signed themselves in to ensure they at least had rooms reserved and headed towards the lounge.
Lounge/Bar
Kris stared at the bartender. "It's an abominable snowman!"Wolfe shook his head. "Go easy on the 'abominable', eh, it's a contraction of the original Hindustani word 'Aboma Nu'a'ma'io', which means 'The Hairy One with the Big Feet'."
Teri, who had heard Stan Freberg's original Abominable Snowman Interview on Wolfe's MP 3 player, snorted loudly. "I can see it lost something in the translation, there," she quoted.
They looked around at the diversity of people already in the room and spotted Gwion sitting at the bar.
"Well, are we gonna stand 'round 'ere like one o'clock 'alf struck or are we gonna get our arses over to the bar and get a drink?"
"You've swayed me with your eloquence, you smooth-tongued hussy," said Wolfe, "let's head to the bar."
They sashayed over to the bar and leaned up against it. Presently the yeti towered over them and asked them for their order in a gentle voice.
"Do you know how to make a 'Quick Fuck'?" Wolfe asked.
"Kiwi?"
"Yes, I am, but I'll have the Aussie version, thanks - in a Martini glass, please." If the yeti knew enough to ask, he obviously knew both recipes.
"I'll have one, too," said Kris.
"Make that three, please," said Teri, intrigued as to what a "Quick Fuck" was. She'd tried many a suggestively-named cocktail in the past but she hadn't heard of this one.
The enormous bartender deftly placed three stemmed inverted-conical cocktail glasses on the bar top, knowing that many people referred to them incorrectly as "Martini glasses'', and poured into each a shot of Kahlua, then to each he added a shot of Midori, the green translucent liquid forming a layer over the dark coffee liqueur. Finally, he poured a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream into each over the back of a spoon so that it formed a thin layer on top.
Oh, yes, thought Teri, this looks good.
Wolfe picked up his drink and raised it. "Sláinte!"
The other two picked up their glasses and they all clinked the rims together.
"Or as they say in my country," said Teri, "up your bottom."
Wolfe took a sip of the drink and swallowed, then breathed in deeply to inhale the aromatic vapours. The drink left a warm trace down his throat and into his stomach while the vapours did the same to his lungs. He exhaled gently, as if he were smoking the drink. Oh, fuck, yes. That was the real deal! It was pretty hard to imagine the day getting any better, short of being dragged off to the sauna and laid by a sex-goddess - and he didn't really expect that to happen.
edited 3rd Apr '15 10:08:53 PM by Wolf1066
[Lobby >> Lounge/Bar]
Two college-age Japanese girls stepped into the Lobby from the interdimensional door. The first, Maroko, was about 165cm/5'5" tall, with long, purple hair in a ponytail, down to her waist, and matching eyes. She was wearing a white blouse, with a dark blue sweater, black pants, and black shoes. She also had on a small backpack purse, and a purple scarf.
The second, Nanami, was slightly shorter, about 158cm/5'2", with shoulder-length bright yellow hair, and matching eyes as well. She was wearing a white T-shirt which had a picture of a robot on it with the word 'Baymax', as well as a black skirt, dark gray leggings, and at least slightly fashionable shoes. She also was carrying a medium-sized purse, and no apparent winter wear whatsoever.
"Yay! This looks like the right place!" Nanami said, as they looked around.
"Yes - it does match the description," Maroko said, picking up and looking at a travel brochure about the Mountain Resort.
"Okay! What do you want to see or do first?" Nanami said.
"It looks like they have plenty of nice outdoor activities," Maroko said, "although we should probably wait for our luggage to arrive first."
"Oooh, what about that blue interdimensional gateway door on the map?" Nanami said.
"I guess we could look at it, just try not to get into too much trouble," Maroko said.
. . .
They both walked into the dining lounge, and Nanami walked up to the group of Izeri, Qal, and Ila, waiting for a good opportunity to say something.
Maroko instead walked up to the bar, sitting down, but not ordering anything.
"So, is the plan to all get drunk before noon here?" she said to nobody in particular, looking around at all the drinks being served. She can be next to anyone who wants to talk to her. :)
Just to note: supernatural abilities will not work on Maroko, and may have strange effects on Nanami (for example: telepathy, mind-reading, etc.)
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Crazy Kiwi
A young woman with long purple hair came up to the bar. "So, is the plan to all get drunk before noon here?"
Gwion canted his head to look at her and decided against the old "it's five o'clock somewhere" joke. "It's not my plan. Why? Is it yours?"
He extended his hand. "Gwion."
edited 4th Apr '15 3:48:57 PM by Wolf1066
[Bar]
"Not particularly, I don't drink much," Maroko said to Gwion, "and I'm Maroko, nice to meet you." She shook his hand somewhat lightly, more out of a lack of practice than anything else.
"So..." she said, looking Gwion over, "what's your story? Here on break too?" I want to ask him about his appearance, but that'd probably be rude so soon after we've met, she thought.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Crazy Kiwi
"Pleased to meet you, Maroko. I'm also not much of a drinker, I don't like the limitations of being drunk." Her hair is probably dyed, he thought, and the eyes could be coloured novelty contacts - or anything given what he'd seen in the Capital. He recalled a Personal Protection Specialist he had occasionally worked with in Hamilton - Chinese but with blue-dyed hair and bright blue contact lenses. And blue clothes, blue cigarette case and lighter - actually, it was a wonder she hadn't dyed her skin blue as well.
"I'm on holiday - from my last holiday - which somehow managed to include a brawl that nearly escalated into a Nuclear Holocaust. I've heard that that can't happen here and I'm completely cool with that. I gather from 'too' that you're also on a holiday."
edited 4th Apr '15 4:41:31 PM by Wolf1066
[Bar]
"Yes, I'm here on break from school," Maroko said, "and I have also heard that this place is violence-free, thankfully."
"So, how did you get mixed up in something like that?" she said, "that sounds pretty... dangerous." Not that many of the things I do are any less so, though, she thought.
"And what kind of holiday has nuclear holocausts?" she said. Hopefully that was not something he was actually looking for! she thought.
Note that her hair and eyes actually are 'natural' but it would likely be impossible to tell at any reasonable social distance.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Crazy Kiwi
Ah, school, he thought. She did have that academic "school girl" air about her.
"So, how did you get mixed up in something like that?" she said, "that sounds pretty... dangerous ... And what kind of holiday has nuclear holocausts?"
Gwion shrugged. "The same way I usually get mixed up in shit like that - wandering into the wrong place at the wrong time - though usually I get paid for that kind of crap. As to nuclear holocausts, no kind of holiday has them. Not in my book, anyway. Hell, not even the nastier aspects of some of my jobs have involved them. Thankfully it was averted at the last minute but for a horrible moment there, I thought I was going to get caught up in a nightmare beyond anything I've ever encountered - it actually made the events of the previous day seem like a bloody walk in the park, smelling roses."
He lit a cigarette and was amused to see that the smoke he expelled travelled no more than about thirty centimetres before being whisked swiftly upwards. The smoke drifted leisurely upwards from his cigarette for about the same distance before being likewise whisked away. The AC in this place is outta this world, he thought.
"So, school," he said. "High School or Varsity. I'm sorry, but I'm too used to variable aging to be able to guess your age."
and I'm also at a loss - in New Zealand, "college" is cognate with "High School" so "college age" is 12-18, and I'm aware that elsewhere it may mean "University" suggesting 18+
edited 4th Apr '15 6:46:46 PM by Wolf1066
[Lounge / Bar] (Qal, Izeri)
Qal and Izeri spoke at once: an emphatic "yes!" from Qal that drowned out Izeri's "...no."
Qal heard it, though, and looked to Izeri. "C'mon," she said, "you've been complaining you haven't had any decent inspiration."
The same thing that had gotten Izeri to this strange world in the first place. She had little to lose, given that they could both handle themselves. Besides, a little stress and danger in life helped prevent stagnation. So Izeri said, "you might be on to something." She looked over at Ila, crossed her arms, and said, "one condition, though. Please let it be somewhere warm." She glanced wryly out the window, then back at Ila.
[Lounge / Bar] (Isaac)
Having overheard the nearby Maroko, Isaac said, "ain't my plan." He raised his own glass of soda, then, gesturing with it towards Camilla, added, "and apparently ain't hers either." He'd noticed how cold her flesh was, and combined it with her pale skin to guess she was, if not a vampire, something akin to it. A brief flash of a comprehending expression was the only sign he gave of his epiphany, however. Answering Camille's concerns, she said, "yeah, the whole no-cost thing. Lotta theories about that. My guess?"
He lowered his voice, conspiratorially. "Only thing post-scarcity civs lack is entertainment. Can't literally manufacture fun, 'less you're talking, like, soma or somethin'." He waved a hand dismissively at the thought. "Supply and demand kicks in; us type zeroes must be amusing as fuck to folks who've forgotten how shit looks when you gotta grow your own food in dirt." He sighed. "I'd feel like I oughta be pissed, but again, supply and demand; they're paying well for the show."
edited 4th Apr '15 7:43:52 PM by KillerClowns
[LOBBY->LOUNGE]
Once they entered, the girl wasted no time in getting her coat off, revealing that her hair was tied into a ponytail that flared out, even from the base. Under her coat, she wore a red jacket which she left unzipped, revealing a white t-shirt. Her snow-boots she left on, as did her companion.
Her strangest feature, however, were her bracelets. The one on her left was an icy-blue color, with angular patterns resembling snowflakes. Contrasting heavily, the one on her right hand had a color of burnt orange, with flowing, fiery designs.
The heavier-looking bald man was a touch slower in disrobing his parka. Underneath, he wore a leather jacket that matched the color of his parka almost flawlessly. His leather jacket he also left unzipped, showing the dark grey, ridged sweater underneath. Quickly, he stuffed his parka under his armpit.
By now, the dark-haired girl was at the counter, about to make her request. "Two bedrooms. Names are Lara Ryken, and Rick Flier."
Rick, hearing Lara as he walked by on his way to the lounge, shook his head. "She means to say 'please'." And continued into the lounge.
"... Well yeah." Lara added quickly.
In the lounge, Rick quickly surveyed the room. People of all types were inside.
Eventually, his eye caught sight on someone at the bar. The man seemed to have a hand of silvery metal. He had heard someone of the description, but he had to be sure.
Rick walked over to a different part of the bar and leaned over the counter to get a look at his face. Sure enough, one of the eyes was blood-red. Rick cracked a satisfied smile at his fortune. Casually, the jacketed man made his way to the red-eyed man's part of the part of the bar.
However, Rick had the sense to stay behind him a distance, and wait for an opening in the conversation he was having with a young woman.
No, Lara did not get married overnight. I changed her last name to make it more sharp-sounding.
edited 4th Apr '15 8:12:23 PM by TroPartner
[Bar]
"Um... neither?" Maroko said, "I'm studying physics at Hoshimira University." What exactly does he mean by varsity - like a sports team? she thought, and I'm not sure I should take the age comment as good or bad... Oops, I meant University - both Maroko and Nanami are 18 and in their first year.
"Sounds like you have a pretty dangerous job," she said, "so... what exactly do you do normally, if you don't mind talking about it?" I want to ask him if he's a mercenary, but that would probably be rude too.
"And, I'm not sure I want to ask about the rest of the details of that event," Maroko said, "as crazy as my school is, it's usually not that... violent."
[Lounge / Bar]
"Sure, where would you like to go?" Ila said to Izeri and Qal.
"Ooo! Ooo! Can this take us to the Arcade of Time?" Nanami said to Ila, interjecting into the conversation.
"Yes, I believe it is sufficiently close by," Ila said, looking at Nanami suspiciously. There's something... odd about her, she thought.
"I would think it's plenty warm, or there was that other Resort we went to a while back, that place was like Hawaii," Nanami said, "oh wait - I should probably let you two decide, I've been to both places already, after all. I guess it depends upon what kind of inspiration you're looking for?"
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
[Lounge / Bar]
Izeri looked at Ila, briefly puzzled, then thoughtful. "Ah," she said, "but that's the thing. You don't know what inspiration you're looking for until you find it!" She knew herself too well; she was looking for something new and unfamiliar, but she'd be drawn to the familiar if she wasn't careful to take opportunities to leave her comfort zone.
"So," Qal said, "what's a 'Hawaii'?" She liked the way the name felt on her tongue. "But yeah, what she said. Mostly. I'm more a people person, though, some place too remote would be boring. So Arcade of Time, if I gotta be the one to pick."
"...by the way," Izeri added, speaking to Ira, then thought better of it. "...actually, nevermind."
edited 4th Apr '15 9:24:16 PM by KillerClowns
[Lounge / Bar <~> Arcade of Time (PartnerPort)]
"That's what I would pick too, so uh... make it so!" Nanami said cheerfully.
"Very well," Ila said, smiling a bit from the group's antics. She pressed a variety of buttons and twirled many of the knobs on the control panel, as the screen showed 'Connecting...'
A moment later, the screen read, 'Active: Arcade of Time'.
Ila gently opened the blue door, but instead of solid rock, a vast room could be seen through the portal. In the immediate front was a counter, surrounding on four sides a young man in the center. In all directions away from this center desk, and extending off into an infinite horizon as far as the eye could see, was row after row of arcade machines of all types, shapes, and sizes.
"Cool! Thanks!" Nanami said, walking through the portal door, "this place is the best! We were here just last month, and they've got every arcade machine ever, and they're all free!"
"Yes, that's correct," the man in the center said, "we're always open, and we have every arcade game that has ever been made anywhere in space or time, on infinite free play." The man himself was thoroughly unremarkable in appearance, with messy brown hair, wearing a blue shirt/black pants uniform, and with a nametag that said 'Eric'.
If Izeri and Qal were to step through the door to follow Nanami, they might also notice that from the other side, it could be seen that the PartnerPort door back to the resort was the middle of three doors suspended on the floor, with no obvious wall support - simply more games around and behind them. The left door said 'Parking', and the right 'Subway', both closed. In addition, next to the right door was a medium-sized vending machine.
Basically, the arcade has every game that has ever been created, including fictional games, alternate versions, everything. Conveniently, whatever you want to play (or the arcade thinks you'll like) will be right around the corner from wherever you are, and people can play copies of the same game next to each other, no problem. This means that generally everyone will stay close to the door back to the resort, and the front desk, even though one could theoretically walk for an infinite distance in any direction. Also, they are using 'arcade' pretty loosely, so they have everything from DDR to Pinball to Billiards.
edited 4th Apr '15 10:22:14 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Crazy Kiwi
Bar
Gwion grinned. "Where I come from, 'University' and 'Varsity' are one and the same. Two people divided by a common language, eh? "He took a sip of his gin and lemonade. "I don't normally do any one thing. Whatever's going and legit – security work, personal protection, taxi driving - or bus or private aircraft - and courier work, mostly. I've got a few regulars - one day I might be doing crowd control at a Cataclysm or Dynamo concert, another I might be working for Elite Couriers if one of their team members is hospitalised or killed, or I might be helping Black Knight Security - or Discreet or MV, for that matter, I'll work for any of them. Other times it'll be casual pick-up work. I don't like to be tied down to a particular place or job."
"If things go well, even security work and personal protection aren't violent, and even when they don't go well, they're seldom as bad as my last holiday. I'll spare you the details. Can I get you a drink?"
He was mindful that there was a heavy-set bald man in a leather jacket hovering nearby, expectantly. He turned to look at him. "Can I help you, mate?"
edited 5th Apr '15 2:12:25 AM by Wolf1066
Professional Recluse
[Lobby]
Wulf was engrossed in the snow outside like a, puppy. She smiled at the thought. In spite of how she loved her work she admitted a break didn't seem like an unpleasant prospect. She still felt a bit out of place but like the first time she found her new home it would fade.
"Oh!" she exclaimed remembering something comrade Rikael had told her. She tried to get Wulf's attention but to no avail.
"I am going to bar Wulf, there was something Rikael told me of back in Capital, a drink she called "hot chocolate."
"I'll be about in a minute, planning my ski route. Wulf responded wincing visibly at the name.
Several other's were already at the bar, mostly about a man of patchwork. She found a seat a comfortable distance away and locked eyes with the tender. What she assumed was a thick coat was revealed as a yeti, she had heard stories of them but never up close. A faint note of pride struck her as she only barely flinched, the strangeness of the world was starting to affect her less.
"I have heard of a drink they say is served when it is cold outside, hot chocolate I think?" she asked. "Oh, and does it have pea-nuts in it?" she remembered to ask.
edited 5th Apr '15 3:10:24 AM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Crazy Kiwi
Bar - Wolfe
A woman stepped up to the bar beside Wolfe. She was tall – close to six feet, he estimated - brown haired and looked to be around thirty. She was dressed in combat boots, black cargo pants and greatcoat and was wearing a greyish fur hat of a style that Wolfe generally associated with Russian headgear."I have heard of a drink they say is served when it is cold outside, hot chocolate I think? Oh, and does it have pea-nuts in it?" Her accent sounded Russian.
Wolfe had worked with a Russian bloke for a while, many years ago. Now, if he could only remember... Ah, yes, there it was.
He turned to the woman and said, as carefully as possible and hoping he was pronouncing it correctly, "Здравствуйте!"
Teri looked at him with concern and said, "Gesundheit!" Kris snorted.
which then begs the question: since the Resort has autotranslation in effect, would Katya know that Wolfe had actually addressed her in Russian or would she just assume that he had addressed her in his own language and it was automatically translated?
edited 5th Apr '15 4:18:32 AM by Wolf1066
Lounge/Bar
If Isaac had noticed anything odd, and Camille was fairly certain he did, he didn't feel the need to comment on it. She was thankful for this, as she still couldn't think of a good excuse for not having a normal body temperature apart from the truth. On the other hand, she wondered if she'd even need an excuse; he didn't seem like the sort of person to care much about it. He certainly didn't seem to care about the Abominable Snowman.
She only gave the woman who asked about getting drunk a brief glance and nothing more. She didn't feel the need to address her directly as Isaac did a good enough job of that. That being said, she did find her rather attractive, and within her (apparent) age range to boot. Camille made a mental note to try and talk to her later before turning her attention back to Isaac.
Her soda arrived while Isaac explained his theory about the place, and she sipped it while pondering over it herself. "So basically, you're saying that instead of money they're content to watch us for entertainment?" She shrugged. "Sounds plausible enough, and better than what I was thinking. My guess was that it was some kind of trap and that they were going to experiment on the guests or something." She then glanced at the bartender, who as far as she could tell was not very abominable despite being the Abominable Snowman. "Though they seem a little too sincere for something like that."
edited 5th Apr '15 10:08:39 AM by Yomegami
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Lounge/Bar]
Isaac nodded appreciatively and said, "smart. I'd do the same if I didn't have company records to tell me they're legit. Even then, we let some other suckers do the first round of explorations. Let them take the whole gambling with their lives and sanity thing, then bought the info off of 'em later." He grinned, raising his glass before taking a thoughtful sip. "Man, I love being rich. Most of them born that way really don't appreciate it enough." He chuckled. "No offense meant, of course, though if you weren't born with cash to spare, you hide it pretty well." If his theory was correct, the wealth, earned or otherwise, could be taken for granted.
@Sonzai, sorry to keep you waiting, was reminded I had to get ready for an Easter thing. Should have post before EOD for Izeri and Qal.
edited 5th Apr '15 1:29:45 PM by KillerClowns
A forest somewhere afar
"Now remember Tali dear, be sure to tell the Goddess you are available for any job. I'm sure there will be something for you to do." said an old woman to a young girl in front of her. She wore dark blue robes and was floating a bit off the ground using large bug-like fairy wings. The small girl who was about the size of a five year old child had long green hair tied in long pigtails with white flowers and stared up at the old woman with forest green eyes. "Yes grammy." she replied with a nod, holding a piece of paper in her hands.
"And remember to be polite and respectful of everyone who works there and the customers. And don't you worry, everyone there is quite nice." the old woman added. "Yes grammy." the child said, her small fairy wings fluttering a bit in happiness as she smiled. "Good, now run along. Oh wait, need to make sure you are dressed for the mountains." the old fairy exclaimed and flew inside a little cottage nearby and came back with a fleece green coat and some fuzzy white boots. The fairy girl put the coat over her green and white dress and slipped the boots on her feet which were covered by white stockings. She was also given white fleece mittens. "There, that should keep you warm. Have fun my dear. I'm sure you'll love it at the Resort." With a hug and a wave, Tali flew off.
Resort/Lobby
The little fairy girl flew and found herself in an elegant looking lobby. "Wow.." she gasped as she looked around in wonder and her eyes met the man who greeted her with a smile and was near some maps and brochures. Taking a map she fluttered around, looking for someone to talk to. Not having luck she went back to the man. "Excuse me sir, but I was wondering if the resort could need an assistant. I could fold towels or-or maybe sweep or...or maybe take care of the skis?" the little girl asked with a pleading look.
Bar
Xia drank the last bit of her martini, occasionally glancing around at everyone at the bar. She had no idea it was going to be this busy and noticed most everyone had someone to talk to. But then she heard something that caught her ears. "I love being rich!" she had heard a man's voice say somewhere around the bar. Her eyes lit up at this and she decided to find a seat closer by.
He appeared to be talking to someone already so Xia ordered some water and gazed at the man once and awhile so it wouldn't look like she was staring. To maybe catch his attention she said to the bartender, "You know, it is rather kind of the owner to allow people to stay here for free. It's a rather extravagant place. Rich people don't have to worry about spending any money and it still feels like luxury." Her voice was melodic and alluring, her hand playing around with her glass of water as her other held her head up with her elbow on the bar.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
PAINKILLER
[Lounge (David) -> Guest Room (Mariana)]
Before they knew it, more people filed into the lounge/bar area. David merely watched the all sorts of people arriving, but Mariana began to focus on her backpack. As her partner saw it, he asked, "So, do you want to go put the stuff in the room?"
"Yeah." She looked up, but away from the people. She whispered, "David, you said it wouldn't be too crowded."
"I think it's because we're right next to the lobby. I'm sure this is all the people here," He assured. He handed over the suitcase. "Here, go take it up to a room. Get one for a double bed." He smiled a bit at that.
Mariana stuck her tongue out. She swung the backpack over her shoulder, and took the suitcase.
David watched her go, then considered running to the bar to get a drink. It did seem a bit crowded, though. He shrugged. Might as well go.
"Hello bartender. Give me uh some," He saw that the yeti bartender had quite the showcase of liquors behind him. David then decided, "Surprise me."
Meanwhile, the person at the reception desk told her to choose a room. Mariana felt fine until she got at the teleporter. She sighed, and stepped onto it. In a flash, she was in a hallway, and a bit sick to her stomach. She went to the nearest room and got inside.
It's getting late for me to further elaborate, so I just handwaved Mariana getting into the room. David can talk to people now.
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Lounge/Bar
At least the people running this place were friendly according to Isaac, but Camille really questioned the morality of how he and his company figured that out. Other than a brief eyebrow raise, however, she kept her thoughts to herself. Trying to call it out just sounded like an argument waiting to happen that she would almost certainly lose.
Instead she addressed the latter part of that statement. "Well, I was born into wealth, but...." She frowned and sighed. "...things happened and I wound up losing it. I've actually been homeless for a long while." She shook her head, before deciding to leave it at that and taking another sip of her soda.
She glanced at the pink-haired woman when she started speaking to the bartender. Camille was fairly certain that she had been overhearing their conversation and now wanted to catch their attention (or possibly just Isaac's); given what she was saying and how she was saying it, it definitely wasn't just a desire to converse with the bartender.
Why she hadn't simply inserted herself into their conversation was beyond Camille, but honestly she didn't care. She wasn't making herself look any better.
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Arcade of Time]
Izeri took several hesitant steps forward, astounded and a bit disconcerted by the sheer... the lights, the noise, the countless beckoning machines. She studied the machines for a time; for the moment, they were old ones, bright lights on dark backgrounds. Simple, primitive, and yet... she tapped her chin. "Such vivid distractions," she said, but not quite disdainfully. More thoughtfully.
"I love a good distraction," Qal said, studying a Pac-man machine thoughtfully. She was intelligent enough to fairly quickly grasp more or less what it was about from the instructions on the machine and watching the attract mode — eat everything with the yellow bitey thingy, avoid ghosts unless they were blue. Still, she paused, looking over at Nanami to see what she did.
[Lounge/Bar]
Isaac nodded. He wasn't exactly deeply sympathetic; from the looks of things, she was doing far better than many people, homeless or otherwise, could hope for. Then again, his conscience kicked in, reminding him that he didn't know her story, and was in no place to judge. So best not to write a story in his head that could be bullshit. "Well," he said, "I'm sorry to hear that. No lectures outta me: you seem like too nice a girl to deserve whatever happened." Or maybe she'd just learned some humility with poverty. Same difference; either way, pretty decent for old money.
She seemed to want to change the subject, though, and there was the pink-haired woman trying to get his attention. "Anyhow, word of advice if you looking to keep your money," Isaac then said, briefly flashing Camille a trollish grin that Xia wouldn't catch. "Stay away from crazy white women whose ears perk up when they hear someone mention they got cash to spare."
edited 5th Apr '15 7:30:07 PM by KillerClowns
[BAR]
While waiting for his turn, Rick took the time to fish out a smartphone from his jacket-pocket. Going to his notes, he quickly refreshed himself.
Red eye on the right, metal hand on the left, dark tan, dark hair and middle-aged.
He was distracted from his review by the man's voice. "Can I help you, mate?"
Rick looked up from his device to answer. The red-eyed man had turned to him, allowing Rick to get an even closer look at his face. Indeed, he looked middle-aged.
"Yeah. Or actually, I can help you." He answered warmly. Rick walked up to the red-eyed man and leaned on the counter.
"Your name wouldn't happen to be 'Gwion', would it?"
By now, Lara had entered the lounge, with keys already in her pocket. She imitated her companion by also stuffing her coat under her armpit.
She looked around the room, looking for Rick. Eventually, she found him talking to someone at the bar. The man he was talking to looked vaguely familiar. Then, a bell went off inside her head, and she sighed. She was not in the mood to be talking with that idiot again.
Crazy Kiwi
Gwion was puzzled. In what way could this man help him? And why?
At least it was theoretically safe here, so if it was a deceptive ruse on behalf of an unknown hostile party, it wasn't likely to amount to anything.
He took another sip of his drink. "Yes. My name's Gwion."
[Bar]
"Nope, no peanuts at all," Mark said, handing Katya a hot chocolate.
Then, for David, he poured a blue drink, in a conical glass. It tasted a bit like blueberries and grapefruit, with a hint of misty air - and plenty of alcohol, although very smooth. Certainly not a drink from Earth of the present day. "Here you go," he said.
And to Xia, he said, "Santi is quite generous, for sure. I think she just enjoys giving back to the multiverse as its own reward."
[Bar]
"I suppose," Maroko said to Gwion, "I'm mostly studied United States English." Although, shouldn't the translation mechanism here have worked anyways? she thought.
"And it certainly sounds like you have plenty of skills," she said, "that's a lot of different jobs." I don't think I've heard of a single one of those organizations, she thought, either he's from a very different place, or walks with a very different crowd. Probably both.
"I guess I could have a soda or something..." she said.
Then, noticing the others approaching, she looked them over, but only thought, this looks like the kind of crowd he's probably around most times.
[Lobby]
"Well..." Takumi said to Tali. We don't really need anyone, but she's so cute it's impossible to say no! he thought.
"Sure, we could always use more help," he said, "if you want, I could give you an orientation. Another me will meet you at the equipment rental building outside." Takumi won't leave the desk, but if Tali goes to the equipment building, I'll write who meets her there. Or she can ask more questions here.
[Arcade of Time]
"This one's pretty good - I didn't have a chance to beat it last time I was here," Nanami said, walking to a machine a few down from Pac-Man, which said 'Space Invaders: Infinity Gene'.
"Feel free to play anything you want!" she said, starting a new game, "and if you see Sainia - don't worry, she's quite friendly. She just likes to say hi to newcomers."
edited 5th Apr '15 11:11:38 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
[Bar]
"I'm Mark," Mark said to Kyle and Zak, pointing to a small white name tag almost indistinguishable from his fur. "And since I'm a mountain spirit, I'm not sure I'm quite what they're looking for," he said, smiling a bit.
[Lounge / Bar]
"Hi, I'm Ila Locera, a pleasure to meet you," Ila said to Izeri and Qal, greeting them with a bow. "And this is the PartnerPort Interdimensional Gateway Demo. It is a doorway to other interdimensional locations, based on a new partnership network that has been recently established." Ila motioned to the door and control panel.
"I'm demonstrating its functionality, and availability for installation in other locations," she said, "would you like to try it out?" The screen next to the door lit up, and said 'Ready!'.
edited 3rd Apr '15 9:17:17 PM by Sonzai
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.