Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 10, 2014 14:05:43 GMT -5
Seiji was in good mood as he walked through the mall. Takeda had sent him there to a fabric store to get some supplies for some kind of project he was doing. It was some artistic thing he figured, or maybe his brother was going to use the supplies to build some off the wall needle launcher. Considering they'd already rigged a sword to run an electric current, that didn't seem quite as off the wall as the average observer would imagine. Hands in his pockets, he navigated the crowds in the mall, blending in and trying to get to his destination without a hassle. His stomach growled and he wanted to grab a bite to eat at the food court before going back home. Making friends with the junk lady and bringing her knick-knacks gave him money to live just a little bit more luxuriously than he was used to after months of borderline poverty.
Finally finding the store on one of those funny 'you are here' maps near a kiosk selling cute cell phone straps, he began walking with a vague feeling that he was going in the right direction. Still in his school uniform, he stood out like a sore thumb in the crowds of fellow students going about their business in the mall. Eventually, he found the store. With his hands in his pockets and his elbow sticking out, he accidentally bumped into a passing stranger. Turning and looking at the other person, he muttered a sincere yet emotionless "Sorry." His eyes drifted down to the bag. Probably to save face and not have his brief moment in the spotlight of the other boy's life end awkwardly he asked, "Buying some supplies for a project as well?"
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 10, 2014 23:09:35 GMT -5
The moment he stepped out of the store was the moment someone bumped into him on the street. Tenchi ended up dropping the couple of bags he had been carrying with him but fortunately none of the bags had any breakables inside nor did they scatter about the floor to display the contents. He almost completely ignored the offender until he questioned him. It didn’t matter that the boy was in the fabric store and mentioned he was buying supplies from such a store. The connection didn’t really process through Tenchi’s mind and instead he snapped, like he does with most things.
”What? You got a problem or sumthin’?! If y’do why don’t ya say to my face!” His voice was quite to raise at him as he snatched the bags off the ground. He stepped around the boy, but didn’t get too far before he whirled around and pointed a finger at him, ”And ‘nother thing. Next time watch where y’goin’, jackass! Open y’eyes and y’wouldn’t frickin’ ram into people. Common courtesy.” Yep, he was irritated. He automatically assumed that the boy was already thinking awful things about him the moment he mentioned the shopping supplies. It wasn’t his god damn business what he was getting either or if it was for him.
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 11, 2014 19:15:15 GMT -5
As he heard the other boy snap at him, Seiji stood his ground even as he found himself a little taken aback by his attitude. It was...unusual. Sure most people would get angry if someone bumped into them, but they wouldn't quite go as far as the other boy. Trying to word what he said next carefully, Seiji said, "I don't have a problem with you. If I did, I'd already have slapped you with a glove and demanded satisfaction." ...and of course, his response was both unfitting for the person he was talking to and slightly strange. Reaching down and picking up the supplies, he offered them to the other boy as a sort of peace offering.
"Like I said, I'm sorry...got kinda lost in thought there. It happens more often than it should." Seiji was unsure why he was giving insights into himself to complete strangers. But hey, what was the worst thing that could happen? It's not like the other boy would go completely bonkers and try to assault him in the middle of a crowded mall, right?
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 11, 2014 19:40:42 GMT -5
He would have slapped him with a glove and demanded satisfaction? What the hell? Who did that kind of thing? Tenchi just stared at the boy in front of him and wondered if he were some sort of alien of some sort. He mindlessly took the offered supplies that the boy had picked up for him and stuffed them in the bag.
He apologized again for getting lost in thought and Tenchi thumbed his nose as he sniffed, ”Whatever. Who the hell slaps people with gloves anyway? Be a man, jus’ throw a fist in there if they piss y’off.” Seriously, the idea of being slapped in the face with a glove was just weird. Hell, he’s not ever sure it would piss him off more than just confuse him to no end as a result. ”Cuz odds are, if y’waste the time smackin’ them in the face with a glove, before y’could demand satisfaction… or whatever, y’likely woulda been punched in the face anyway.” Why the hell was he giving this boy fighting advice anyway? Ugh…
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 11, 2014 22:52:45 GMT -5
Massaging his nose lightly as the other boy thumped it, Seiji had to say that the other person was just making him more interested by the moment. Seiji was unable to express himself in conventional ways most of the time and this guy wore his emotions like medals on his chest. Whereas Seiji's honesty was one of neutrality, his first impression of this guy was that he probably got too worked up over things to outright lie. He found something admirable in that. Or maybe he was overthinking being bored and listening to someone take the off the wall comments that so often spewed from his mouth seriously. It was a welcome change of pace from being found strange (like Alisa or Jonathon) or being ignored (like Takeda).
"It's a very old and practiced English art, my friend. I guess that's not how things work here in Mosaic City. Being at a crossroad of the world, the response to being slapped with a glove is a butt-whooping. You do seem to know what you're talking about though, have you been in a lot of a fights?" He'd known this person for all of two minutes and he was already asking the prodding questions like a late night pundit in the middle of a doorway. It was classic Seiji.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 11, 2014 23:41:08 GMT -5
Tenchi stared, rather stupidly, at the boy as he explained what slapping a glove across the face meant. Apparently the English were stupid. Why waste the time to warn a person you were going to whoop their ass when you could just.. slap them in the face with a tire iron instead. If both paths lead to the same result then why add the extra step? It just seemed like a waste of time, energy, and took away the element of surprise if it was needed. Tenchi would never understand other cultures apparently.
You do seem to know what you're talking about though, have you been in a lot of a fights?"
Tenchi felt his eyes narrow in suspicion at the last comment, ”Y’sayin I look like some punk on the streets that goes ‘round pickin’ fights with everyone or sumthin?” He questioned dangerously teetering on another fit of anger. He let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair for a moment as he forced himself to calm down, surprisingly, ”Yeah… been in a fight or two” or ten or twenty or a lot… he finished mentally.
”Y’look like the type that never had to get in a fight.” Tenchi smirked, ”Guess that means y’never tried to see how effective that glove slapping is.”
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 12, 2014 14:16:14 GMT -5
Oh no, he'd seemed to have struck a nerve with the comment about knowing how to fight. "Nah. For all I know, you've just read 'The Art of War'. A big part of it is bring pragmatic, which we silly english-folk seem to forget." It'd be obvious to prettymuch anyone that Seiji wasn't actually English. His accent was a strange mockery of a full-blooded American accent with a slight hint of the Japanese dialect spoken around the military base on which he was raised.
The remark about having never gotten into a fight though, it was one that made Seiji blink. Technically speaking, the other boy was right. Fistfights weren't really his style and he'd probably end up losing if he ever got into one. He'd been fighting the shadows around the city for a while though and that had to count for something, not that he was going to spill his guts about the outer circle to a random person that he was enjoying the presence of. "Not unless you count Kendo, no. And that's a whole other complicated thing. Wait...why're we even talking about this? It was a throwaway phrase." There was something approaching jest in his voice. Hopefully the other boy would pick up on it, for better or worse.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 12, 2014 23:15:43 GMT -5
Yeah…. No, he hadn’t read the book. In fact, anything that was written down on paper for the sake of educating the observer tracing their gaze across lines of letters most likely was never picked up by Tenchi. The last thing he had read was the warning label on a bottle of pain medication while he was sitting on the toilet. Not that the two had a connection—he had been bored and the bottle was left out so to pass the time he had simply read what the side effects were. He found it oddly… stupid that the side effects tended to be far worse than what the medicine was treating in the first place.
’ Wait...why're we even talking about this?’ Was the response Tenchi received when he pointed out the boy didn’t look like he could even fight to begin with.
”Uh… cuz I was stating how slapping a glove across the face to someone y’about to beat the piss outta is a complete waste of time.” Tenchi supplied rather usefully. Yes, he remembered why they were talking about it because having been told that if the boy was going to hand out an ‘ass whopping’ he would have slapped him across the face with a glove first and that had been one of the strangest things that Tenchi has ever heard.
”Kay… well… whatever. S’not important anyway.” He threw the bags over his shoulder and waved his hand in a fashion that displayed his desire for the boy to step to the side so he can just continue on like he had planned on doing in the first place.
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 13, 2014 9:43:30 GMT -5
While he didn't mind the idea of leaving the conversation behind and getting on with his day, Seiji would soon find he had actual need of the other boy. The clerk was behind the counter spinning game to a pretty girl with fabric in her hands that clearly just wanted to check out. There was no one else in the store that could help him and a list filled to the brim with items he didn't really understand. There were certain kinds of dye, specific needles, and fabrics weaved in a certain way that were required for whatever his brother had in mind.
Uncertain that the other boy would help, he spoke up despite the dismissive wave. "Well look, I'd love to let us part ways like this, but I need to ask a favor. I, uhm, don't have the slightest idea of what I should be looking for. I know it's kind of a bother, but could I ask you to help me figure out where to find the stuff on this list? I'll buy you lunch or something, I'm hungry anyway and I heard the food court here is to die for." His sales pitch could probably use some work and the boy would probably say no, but it was worth a shot considering his lack of knowledge on the subject.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 13, 2014 15:29:37 GMT -5
”What? Y’came lookin’ for shit and not knowin’ what that shit is?” Who the hell shopped like that? Wouldn’t a normal person ask what various items are on a shopping list or know what they are looking for in the first place? ”Whatever, what did y’need?” When the boy held up a list of various items, Tenchi snatched it out of his hands and glanced it over. As his eyes moved down the list, one eyebrow slowly rose in curiosity, ”Crap.. crap… that brand sucks… oh that’s prolly good… the hell you buyin’ that for… that’s a useless tool.” He gave commentary as he went through the list.
When he was finished he held up the list and looked to the boy once more, ”Th’hell is this for? This amount of crap y’gonna want to grab a basket or sumthin’. This item here, hem glue, shit is gonna fall off the first moment y’wash whatever ya use it on. Learn a proper hem, don’t take shortcuts, if y’gonna make sumthin’ make it right. Much like getting’ in a fight. Skip the slappin’, get down to business. If y’can’t bring yourself to do it, then y’shouldn’t be botherin’.”
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 13, 2014 19:58:22 GMT -5
Despite the gruff manner in which he responded, Seiji was finding insights into the other boy's character by the way he handled things. There was a really underhanded kindness to his words. He didn't even hesitate to help Seiji and that said something in a city like Mosaic where everyone seemed to be out for themselves. It was safe for him to assume that there was a lot more to this guy than an average street thug. Following him throughout the store, he stayed mostly quiet, allowing Tenchi to take the lead in their conversation as he criticized some of the items, helped him improve with others, and actually showed a lot of depth.
Pulling the clerk away from the girl proved to be a challenge, so while Seiji patiently waited for him to finish flirting with the disinterested girl, he looked at Tenchi and said with a surprising amount of sincerity, "You're pretty awesome, you know that?" He smiled and let that sink in before finally adding, "My name's Seiji Dalton by the way. If you're wondering why I have a Japanese first name and an English last, well, you're the first person to question that."
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 13, 2014 20:23:31 GMT -5
Tenchi had been in the store enough times to know his way around the store. He was tossing things into a basket and giving commentary about just about everything that was written on the list. He complained about certain items like he had with the hem glue and threw crap that was unnecessary away and replaced with better things.
”Awesome? This ain’t nothin’. Jus’ gotta actually look up this crap so y’know. Common sense.” Well the stuff was common sense for him because he knew what he was talking about. He naturally assumed the stuff he knew regarding these things was a common knowledge for everyone else.
When he introduced himself and and proceeded to say that he’d be the first to ask about his name, Tenchi just gave him a strange look, ”…Tenchi and uh… not really. ‘sume y’got a parent that’s English an’ one that’s Japanese or sumthin.” That’s what logic would tell him at least.
The clerk was still busy flirting with the chick and Tenchi had given the two a good twenty seconds to wrap things up before he decided to intervene. His methods of getting things done were a bit barbaric to some eyes but he went through with it...
”Hey girl.”
”Yes?” She looked moderately annoyed at having been pulled away from the clerk.
”Do y’know what size shoe I wear?”
”No…”
”Thirteen.”
”Why are you telling me this?”
”Because I want ya to imagine what it would feel like for me to shove my foot up y’ass if y’don’t get the hell outta the store. This ain’t a damn datin’ pool.” The girl looked a cross between frightened and angry before giving the clerk one last look and running off. ”An’ you!” He pointed at the clerk, ”I have ‘nother foot to lose if y’ain’t snappy with ringin’ this crap up.”
Post by Seiji Dalton on Jan 13, 2014 21:16:00 GMT -5
Watching Tenchi go proved to be very humorous for Seiji. His solutions for problems were usually done in roundabout ways, but Tenchi seemed to meet things head on and apply his fists directly to the problem's forehead. People like that were a rarity considering everyone seemed to either have something to hide or didn't believe in Occam's razor. If Tenchi turned right after running the girl off, he'd see a big stupid grin plastered into Seiji's face. Of course, seeing as he'd just met Seiji, he'd have no idea how rare a sight it was to see him grinning like a small child that had just been given a good treat.
"You do know what they say about men with big feet I hope, lady." Seiji couldn't resist playing up a slightly more perverted side than the one he normally showed others. The clerk gave him a look that showed he was equally fearful and weirded out.
"What do they say about men with big feet?" He asked as he finished bringing up the total. Takeda's arts and crafts projects had set Seiji back a pretty penny, good thing his brother gave him the money.
Without even breaking a smile now that his face was back to its blank state, he replied simply, "Big socks." As he walked back outside, assuming that Tenchi would follow him with his own bags in tow. "So, since we're friends now, lemme treat you to lunch like I promised. What kind of food d'you like?"
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Post by Tenchi Lui on Jan 14, 2014 19:08:47 GMT -5
Tenchi also was curious about what people said about big feet because he didn't know either. When the answer came about big socks, Tenchi's immediate reaction was to think 'Well duh...'[/i] to himself before the clerk rung up all the purchases. When everything was rung up and paid for, Tenchi was set and ready to leave; as he forgot about the mention of being bought lunch or dinner or whatever it had been. So when the food was mentioned again and asked what kind of food he liked to eat, Tenchi was at a loss momentarily. Did he want to get stuck with the boy anymore or go home? Did he want a free meal out of all of the work, or did he want to eat something he had to pay for? In reality, actually helping the guy shop for supplies hadn't been the worst thing Tenchi was stuck doing. He didn't mind hanging around the shop more than he needed to since it was a place that actually held his interest and aside from being bumped into by the guy, the shorter male hadn't been all that annoying or overbearing.
"Uh... Beef bowls. They're cheap an' easy thing to come by." He shifted his weight from one leg to the other as, "But uh, tha's 'cause I don't ever go outta my way to get anythin' different. So... I dun care."