estoria | (semi closed) everybody's back in town

[midnight, the mysterious person had said. more than enough time for him to invent a few little puzzles that if their prowess with guns was anything like the way they had handled the rocks, they would blaze through without difficulty. but he had to start easy and gradually make it harder, adapting to their strengths and preying on their weaknesses. this was as much information gathering as it was trying to provide a sharpshooter with an acceptable challenge.

and, even though they weren't his weapon of choice, he was curious about the guns themselves in the bargain.

so about a minute to midnight, Chrollo is there, alert for a presence that might come closer than others. until he can sense it and turn in that direction, he's just going to look up at the sky - or well, what would have been the sky. no answers so far. only more questions.]

[ zero brings a sniper rifle they'd... obtained. it's not the best thing they've ever used, but it serves its purpose for the moment.

and of course, a handicap only makes it more of a challenge.

zero moves silently, but they're not unnoticeable to someone who can sense nen. they make no greeting but just walk closer and stand still, waiting for the other to speak first. ]

[taciturn, isn't this one. that was fine, of course, but it left him with a minor hesitation. to jump right into it, or to ask more questions...what to do, what to do. did he need to set up, or would he be fine with the way Chrollo wanted to do things...]

Good to see you again.

[his eyes move to the rifle - wherever it's come from, it looks to be in good shape.]

[ zero cants their head to the side—acknowledgement. there's no further response, however, except for a quick show of the rifle for further inspection if chrollo would like to look. ]

[only briefly. he looks it over - guns aren't his specialty, but there might be time to see and learn something in this place - and then nods, stepping back.]

Will it be a problem if I have my back to you while you try these little challenges?

[ zero eyes him for a moment. is this another test? or an expression of trust?

they're not sure. either way, they're ready to take the challenge. so in response they shake their head, then lifts a hand to gesture for chrollo to prepare whatever he needs to. ]

[it's not so much trust as that he doesn't want Zero seeing what he's doing, guessing at how he's doing it, because his mind's already jumped a few challenges forward in the future. and every bit of mystery was important.

metal spheres, the type to be polished to a shine, are what's in his hand. first one goes up, only for it to seemingly split into two. they're small, but the surface catches light enough for there to be a flash when they go up. two become four, four can become seven. his back remains to the sniper, controlling the movements of his arms so nothing couldn't be blocked by his torso, but he sees how, aided by nen, the spheres fly in trajectories that can use the night to hide the existence of others behind them, and where exactly they fall down.

nothing like magic, everything to do with timing and making them go in unpredictable directions with the right angled toss. it would never have worked in daylight.]

[ there is a part of zero that looks ahead, but not in the same way. they know to lie in wait, to watch, to see patterns and avoidance of patterns, to track a target until it's exhausted and can run no more.

there's fun in that. zero feels only tension now. their focus follows chrollo as much as it follows the actual objects he's tossing up.

strange. but there have been dozens of strange things zero has seen since arriving here, and all they see in them in is a challenge.

zero braces the rifle against their shoulder and sights through the scope. at the same time they activate b0re, following the familiar process of sighting a moving target and keeping half-an-eye on what they can glean from the usage of the ability on chrollo.

(there's something curious about him. almost an aura—which zero can't read, but they can recognize through familiarity with one of the most powerful beings in the universe.)

and yet it's without pause that they pull the trigger and take the first shot, cracking through two in a row, the bullet going through one and straight into the other. zero changes targets, fires again, and again, the flash of light off metal aiding him but the darkness no obstacle to the vision they have through their augmented viewfield.

only bullet casings and shattered spheres hit the ground. zero doesn't lower the rifle until the echoes of gunshots have died down to nothing. ]

[it was a very simple mystery, once it could be solved. no special ability, no book to aid him other than the hint of aura that clings as he uses it to make his throws more precise.

when he runs out of spheres, he lets the echoes fade out before he turns to Zero, the amount of impressed he feels written on his face.]

That wasn't much of a challenge, was it?

[he'll have to do better next time, is what he's implying.]

[ zero looks at him for a moment before displaying a :(. no, it wasn't enough of a challenge. ]

It wasn't too bad. If you'd like to try again—won't be a quarter.

Now that I've seen you in action, I can think of something better. A little more customized to you and what you do.

[or, well, he can give it his best shot. but it's a promise either way that he'll keep trying for a real challenge. it's interesting, having to adapt the line of thinking that automatically supplies challenges built around nen to that of bullets, and that's what will keep him searching. though, there's always one challenge he can pull out if he can't find a better one...]

[ is the challenge murder??

zero nods, acknowledging, and puts their gun down. they will always be ready for more challenges. ]

I'll be ready.

Tell me though - what sort of things did you deal with back home? What did you do? Just so that we don't end with something that's just akin to your day-to-day.

[hopefully the library has some information and ideas...the alien internet undoubtedly will as well.]

Bounty hunting and other challenges sought out.

Assassinations.

Assassinations.

[that really has him interested - hunters were hunters, no matter where they went, he thinks, but an assassin that outed themselves as one was confident indeed, and usually for very good reason. plus, it was always useful to be on speaking terms with one.]

If I ever need a job done, I know where to turn.

[ that's one possible source of employment! zero gives him a :) in acknowledgment. ]

You know where to find me.

[if the appeal of exploring an actual game that took you inside of it wasn't enough to propel him further into ViViD, the idea he'd had at the carnival would have done the trick. but the first weighs more heavily on his mind. the differences between it and Greed Island are notable, but the shared concept of it...it raises a good question. if not some universal force, then how?

the only way to learn is to play. and that Chrollo can do.

it's been a few hours since he started with this game, some sort of exploration based experience with a collection aspect. soothing enough, but he's more in it for the sheer happening of it all. he doesn't bother trying to hide his wonder at the technology this time - it's nigh childlike, the way he wants to examine it all, drink in the time while forgetting to breathe in that metaphorical sense, appreciate the level of detail in the simulation.

but when he picks up the next piece of the set he's supposed to be obtaining, his senses tell him he's not alone, and he turns on his heel to find out who it is and to fix them with a pointed look. if they want the shard he's picked up, they're going to have to make an offer.]

[Chrollo isn't alone, but fortunately, his company isn't too interested in the shard. Actually, Nagare's here for similar reasons—he's more here to "see" than to play. (And, thanks to his powers, he could do so freely, without the need for his wheelchair.) But the fact that he's not the only one here definitely makes for a more interesting game, so he isn't shy to speak up once he's got his attention.

Nagare holds up a hand and gives a curt wave, but despite the gesture, there isn't anything particularly "warm" or friendly about him. It isn't so much that he's unfriendly, but rather— he's no different from the digital environment that surrounds them.]

Sorry for the interruption. I was merely passing through.

[a random encounter? that would be probable with the demeanor around, but despite how digital he seems, he feels living. at least, that's what Chrollo's nen tells him, and the dissonance is striking. curious, and it draws him in.

casually, he pockets the shard. nothing unnecessarily flashy, not yet, but he'll return the wave. unlike Nagare, he's doubtlessly a person, with all the quirks and movement of one.]

Mind if I ask where you're headed? There's no map I've found other than just remembering where I've been before.

I have no particular destination in mind. I am simply here to test my limits in this world.

[If he were a normal person, that would probably just mean something like, "finishing the level with a high score" or "winning in record time" or something like that, but that doesn't seem to be what Nagare means.]

And which limits are you most eager to test?

[he isn't here to play, Chrollo thinks, or he would have mentioned something about the game. which means that his intentions are utterly unknown.]

The extent of my powers. After all, I am only able to play because of them.

[It's an honest answer that he gives, even if it's a strange one.]

I am still unsure of how this system will take to them.

What powers are you talking about, if you don't mind the question? The system seems to fit well with a variety of things I've seen in my brief experience with ViViD - perhaps yours might be close to something I've witnessed when we were in the swamp.

[and it's an instinct flaring up again to try to evaluate the powers. if they're anything interesting...even though he's trying to keep a low profile, his mind is already racing several possibilities ahead.]

[indulgence is the only true reason he can give for why he's bothering to go to this effort for her. indulgence in the way he's interacting with so many in this city, left adrift with echoes in his head and a single purpose that hums just out of hearing through morning and night. indulgence with reasons behind it. to find a way, he'll try on whatever suits him, do what he must, and pass on once usefulness has been spent. this girl is no different. if she wasn't, then the idea of questions would have been left behind in the aftermath of that bizarre carnival.

so there isn't a hesitation of any sort when he messages her on the weekend, a simple note with the address of a spot for them to meet that they could walk to the library from and a See you there. his CereVice is tucked away - opposite pocket from that persistent mask, and he's free to let his mind wander while he waits for her, his back against the building so he doesn't block the sidewalk. there's still so much Chrollo has to do if he's ever to actually make his way anywhere, after all, so much to plan out and for...]

[ Her mind is a cloudless sky.

It's rare; Rapunzel has gotten used to the background noise and radio wave hum of static that marks her days in Cerealia. But today she isn't planning or thinking or anticipating at all. Her anxiety and preoccupation with danger has vanished. Her unquenchable thirst for knowledge, usually so boundless, has been reigned in and temporarily muzzled. There's no buzzing sound to fill up her ears or blinding colours. No wild, heavily saturated recollections of different sensations and textures against her skin that make her cry out or shut her eyes in pain. Adjusting to so much stimuli after a short, glorious lifetime frozen in the amber of her routine has been... hard.

But now she's lighthearted and carefree, dressed in her working dungarees and on the way to their meeting from doing portraits in the entertainment district. In direct contrast with Chrollo, Rapunzel has set aside every scheming, manipulative thought and desire for control over her future. As she approaches the man, unmistakable particularly in broad daylight, she's living entirely in the present. And it's awesome. ]

Uh, Chrollo, hey! You're, like, right on time, aha --

[it never turns off, his mind. even when he sleeps, it's always going, always trying to see something further, trying to solve problems and create advantages and either making that so or letting him be lost in the twists and turns of a book, some other universe where he can linger over the shape of a word or the details that bring out beauty and illustrate a scene. or some combination where words and possibilities color the perception of the world, and- oh, he could hear them if he tries, hear a chorus of voices ask him what now, boss?, the aural equivalent of the ghost of a touch. of course he has an answer. of course he knows what they'll do...

memories don't have a place right here, when his demeanor is controlled to the same calm politeness he'd had at the carnival, and so, hauling himself out of his own mind, the sights and sounds of the colony can blanket it over, keep that door shut for now.

seeing her, he raises a hand in greeting, straightening up from his lean.]

I was in the neighborhood when I sent the text. Just wanted to check the address number so I didn't accidentally send you half a block away.

I wouldn't have minded. [ Which would be the truth on any day. However, it's difficult to maintain her levity and out-of-this-world sense of being uplifted now that she's brought down to earth through conversation. Not that being grounded is a bad thing. There's just so much to notice now. Tone, intonation, appearance...

It's an influx, and it comes abruptly. Pascal can sense her tension and climbs to his usual sentry spot on top of her head. At the same time, Rapunzel reaches easily, gracefully (compulsively) for a strand of hair to hold onto. ] It came at a good time! I can't believe nothing has blown up since the carnival...

[ Seriously. ]

[not a chuckle that it gets out of him, but a mild smile and a quirk of his eyebrow.]

What, did you want something to blow up?

[it's almost a joke. but then again, he's used to people who'd answer "yes" in all seriousness, and then take steps to make it occur. appearance wise she doesn't seem the type, but then again, appearance meant nothing other than the veneer used to cover the truth. she's almost too transparent.]

[ It may surprise him, but her answer is honest. ]

S...ort of. Don't -- get me wrong or anything. I don't want anything to happen to the people here or Cerealia itself, but..

[ It's an odd thought to put a finger on. When she examines it too closely, her thriving in this place of danger and violence, she wonders if maybe her mother wasn't right in the wrong way. If maybe she's a bad person. ]

It's complicated. I... want to be prepared and - fighting makes me feel like I'm in control of things. You need practice to be prepared, right? He-heh.

[a thought out answer. yes, it was surprising, in an amusing way. it gave her control? there were worse reasons to be a fighter, darker and more base reasons, as much as there were supposedly noble ones. but the lens shifted depending on who was looking through and casting judgement. one person's control is another's drive, and...

Chrollo nods before he beckons a little with his hand - keep up - as he starts moving down the street that will take them to the library.]

Do you train at all, to prepare yourself?

Oh! Right. Uh-- [ Rushing to catch up leads to a bit of stumbling. Her eyes are wandering again, roaming ceaselessly and drinking in their surroundings. ] I'm... looking into it. Weiss Schnee has offered to teach me fencing - oh! And Ruby Rose? I heard she's really into weaponry and everything so I'm... going to ask her if - if she'll help me out there. I'm good with a crossbow and sort of good with a shotgun now, but other than that?

Mostly I just... like the way I feel in the middle of a fight. [ The rush! ] I feel alive. Like my life really has begun finally, you know? It's... Strange. I think.

If it's strange, then I'm strange too.

[noticing the way she's taking it all in, he slows his pace minutely so they'll both have more time to experience the world around, letting the bright colors soak into his vision, the way things sound hum around them, the way this colony simply is different from a lot that's come before.]

I feel that too. There's a way that everything is happening all at once and yet my mind knows how to keep pace, that I can think of what to do and I do it without a delay there. You have to be fully...how should I say, awake in a fight, you have to be conscious of where you are, what you do, and that's where that control you mentioned comes in. You know exactly what you're going to do next, and how you can win. And if something unexpected should happen...then you know you can handle it.

Edited 2016-02-08 07:42 (UTC)

[ A sigh issues forth from the trotting wire of energy that is Rapunzel. It is possibly the most melancholic she's sounded since they ran into one another in that alley. ]

But... For me I -- I don't understand why I should like that feeling. Everything else? Day-to-day life and... just-- Mundane activities that I used to do every single day without thinking. It's all become so much harder since I woke up in Cerealia. Everything is either too much or not enough or--

[ It's a moment after her voice disappears into silence that she realises what she's been doing. Not just rambling this time but confessing her sins, weaknesses in an otherwise sunny, resilient constitution. For someone who usually asks questions without answering any herself, this is a complete turn. She hasn't even told Jaune, arguably her closest friend in the world so far after what they've been through together, about these neurotic episodes. Or about the nightmares. ]

Right. Nightmares. All the... fighting. It's giving me nightmares too and yet I - I don't think I want to stop exactly...

[ More like, "and yet" she's spilling secrets like a fountain to this man she's only just met and knows nothing about. Whatever happened to her walls and the layers of emotional security, reinforced with suspicion, that she usually stands behind must have been quick, silent, and final. Because even though part of her doesn't quite trust Chrollo completely yet, she's not inclined to stop speaking. ]

[it's what he does. what one mocking voice might say that people of his type did. opening up a mind like a vault, the pages of a novel, finding out what they needed from him so he could more easily take what he wanted. calculated lies and gentle application of truth. this ease from her, from anyone...it perhaps wasn't natural, but it was there. spun glass thin as paper that shone in the light, secure in the hands of someone who knew how to handle pretty, fragile things.

he turns to her, that calm smile fading, a little concern in his expression. that was how he should respond, yes, with a touch of care there. soft and human.]

If it's giving you fear, that's another reason to train. So you can be stronger than the things that scare you. But Rapunzel...

[a spider crawling up the arm is so light in weight, barely felt.]

I mean, if you ever need to talk about this sort of thing, I'm a pretty good listener. I know we only met the other day, but sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than it is your friends. You're less concerned they'll judge you for it or get too worried about you and instead you can trust they'll listen.

[ She's with him until the end; putting it out there so baldly - stating her necessity, the human necessity, really, for help and kindness - is too much. Her instinct to withdraw kicks into gear, steering her course from one of gentle confession to one where she straightens, laughs falsely (but convincingly enough!), and shakes her head. ]

The only thing I need to talk about are these masks everyone's still carrying around and the library. --Oh! And your occupation. You're an art person too! That is marvelous.

[ Rapunzel will not be the kind of person who places her burdens on others. She's seen what her friends and the others in this colony have been through - heard about it, at any rate. To suffocate them in the sticky, sweet miasma of her internal drama? HAH! Cha right. ]

[another day then. another time when the cracks become wide enough to pry open, so gentle it seems like they're opening on their own. this isn't limited by time, so he can treat the matter with delicacy, choosing the best tool for the job. fine, she wants to talk about other subjects? of course. but she can never, never make the mistake of thinking Chrollo forgot.

when he turns the concern back to something cheerier, he's careful to make it seem like a process. like it was still there, but for her sake he'd go along with it.]

An art person is giving me almost more credit than I deserve. I'm not someone who creates, just appreciates what's there. I'm more like...the audience. While you're someone that actually creates.

How do you know. [ She's only teasing, and lightly, but her eyebrow and upper lip lift in unison. ] I've heard that in this world people can make fake art for greed. Just to make money.

[ A shudder, a spiritual ripple of disturbance, races through her like stallions. ]

Not even painting is safe here. It's awful.

[ Rapunzel looks up. ]

What do you do then? If... you're not an artist, I mean. Why do you do whatever it is you do?

...What is it that you do? Uh -- heh. Sorry for all the questions.

[he shakes his head slightly - the questions are fine, he doesn't mind answering them. it showed healthy interest and gave him more room to invent who he was going to be.]

Back home, you mean? I kind of do a little of everything I can. I still work with acquiring and selling art, but I get contracted to do different sorts of jobs as they come up and need someone to fill a position, and then sometimes me and my friends get together so we can do something for other people. You know, helping those who need it, because we can.

[and he doesn't want to be called good for it. it simply is the thing to do.]

And why? It's simple - I do what I need to so that I can get by, and the rest is because I like it. It's not the grandest or most noble of reasons, but it's what it is.

I think that's plenty noble. I mean - I've only been in this world for a little while? But...

[ A sigh, a shrug, and a soft, carefree laugh: the holy trinity of comfort. Gosh, he's easy to talk to. ]

But I already feel like it could be improved if everyone were doing something they loved. Or something they're good at. Everyone here has so much passion when it comes to a certain thing. Other things, you know, they may hate or whatever, but--

[ another shrug ]

Say what you want about Cerealia, but our citizens definitely have ambition. If we were all working towards goals we actually cared about? Talk about a powerful army. [ HAHAH SPEAKING OF AMBITION. ]

--hey, where are we going, by the way? Are we lost?

[about to remark on passion and ambition, he stops at her question, glancing around them.

and then promptly turns around, expression turning sheepish as he stops at a building three stops behind them.]

Not lost anymore, actually. I got so caught up in the conversation and everything around us that I completely overlooked it...

[for all his genius, sometimes Chrollo can be a complete airhead.]

(semi closed) everybody's back in town

zer0.

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rapunzel.

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