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.
"They give this magic glow. Like, not the cheap glow in the dark things they have in the comic stores down the street but a really magical one. Something otherworldly rather than some cheap parlour trick. That's the thing that separates them, at least from what I've seen."
Vice explained, and as he did so there was this small gleam in his eyes that showed the honesty and excitement in his words. He really liked them, that much was sure. For what it was worth though, that was still up for debate. "…Really?" That answer didn't exactly fit with the girl's voice and stature but shadows were shadows which meant that this could always be a lie or the repressed emotions of something. Still, it wasn't something he'd take at face value right now. There's bound to be something behind collecting these things. What it was though, that Vice couldn't consider. Or maybe he was just thinking too hard on all of it. Masking the trouble in his head, the biker just gave the girl a brief grin before turning his head to get rid of some of the kinks on it.
"That said, I honestly didn't think this would ever happen. You have a name? It's hard referring to you as 'that shadow' and, well, you're obviously a step up from the black gunk that I see everywhere."
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 2, 2014 21:54:48 GMT -5
Reika nodded. She hadn't seen anything like that, but she had some understanding of what he was talking about. Even though she was only a few months old her species gave her some idea of how magic works. Some. It was still really weird sometimes.
"Oh, so you're looking for magic marbles," she nodded as though she finally understood again. "I don't see many magic things. Normally they're heavily guarded by--" she paused for a moment as if something finally clicked in her head, then she took a step back. "Well, I might be able to find something. I'll still trade if you find something good. I'm not that interested in magic stuff. I don't get how any of it works at all, so I'd probably just blow myself up anyway.
"Really, really," she tilted her head. "What else would you do with them? They're pretty, really pretty, so I like looking at them." Reika just nodded at his next question. "Even the 'black gunk' have names, they're just...less unique. I am Amaranth!" she leaned forward again. "I assume things like you have names too then? I never met a thing like you."
And fuck, Vice realised too late that he probably shared too much information about the Modules to the shadow if the pause in her speech meant something. Well, too late for that. "I'm sure they have names but it's not like they can speak up to tell me." The young man shrugged before burning the name down to memory. "Amaranth…? That's a pretty nice name." Well, it was, even if it was the name of some flower thing that was mentioned in passing in one or another chemistry class he had either in Highschool or University.
"And yes, things like me do have names too. Mine seems to be a bit more uncommon than others. I go by 'Vice', or that's what those of my kind refer to me as. Otherwise, I'm just your normal, everyday, flesh bag that does flesh bag stuff. And I'm sure not a lot of your kind gets the chance to talk to their food, or maybe that's just bad manners for them. It'll explain why I never get to talk with any of them."
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 2, 2014 22:20:33 GMT -5
She thought about his comment about shadows for a moment. While she was pretty sure he was joking there was no harm in taking it completely seriously. It would help her image.
"No, I think they're just stupid. I go near them very often either, they don't make for the best company." She tilted her head again. "People call you Vice? Did you do something really bad or something, or do you just get people around you to do really bad things, or do you just need better friends?" she paused. "Or is there another definition of the word that I don't know about?"
A snort threatened to escape Vice but sheer control and the want to not get mauled completely helped curb that reaction into something more controlled like an exhale through the nose. It wasn’t as condescending, but it did show some kind of agreement to the presented description.
“I may have done something really bad.” Vice beat up people for the hell of it on a pretty consistent (read weekly) basis. “And people do bad stuff when I’m around too.” He was part of a club that promoted beating each other up. Last he checked, that was a pretty bad thing in terms of social norms.
“And I’m sure I need better friends. Throwing a nickname like this on me? I have no clue how it stuck.” And this time, Vice chuckled. “I guess it’s the same for shadows huh? We could use some better company.” Shaking his head and patting the back of his pants, Vice made sure that he still had his guard up just in case something happened but being so paranoid was getting harder and harder the more he stayed in this amiable atmosphere.
“Have you checked the entire building already? This room seems pretty thoroughly inspected already.”
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 2, 2014 23:03:03 GMT -5
Reika folded her arms and nodded. "Yeah...They're pretty annoying to be around. They just kind of wiggle and growl..."
She wasn't quite sure what to make of his description of himself. She tilted her head again and stared at him. While she knew he beat up shadows a lot she still couldn't really blame him for it, so what was making him think those things? Well, he was probably just playing along with the derpy little shadow that could actually talk, so there probably wasn't much point in thinking too hard about it. Probably.
"Oh, so you are a scary person," she nodded seeming oddly okay with this. "I guess that makes sense then. It sounds like you still want better friends though. You should ditch 'em. I thought there were only shadows here, so I never bothered to look around
"No," she shook her head. "I was just looking for shinies and people normally keep their shinies in certain rooms, so I just look for those rooms. Searching everywhere takes too long. It's too much work too."
Hearing another shadow badmouth another shadow almost brought a laugh out of Vice. Thinking about it though, the biker mused that people and shadows weren't really all that different. Some were smart, some weren't. Civility and cordiality was also a thing, and the whole dislike for one another was pretty much present as well. It also probably helped that the thing he was talking to didn't look all that otherworldly as compared to some of the other shadows he had to kill. So maybe that helped with the whole relating their kinds to each other.
He, however, did not have any agreements on showing off this particularly sentient shadow to the rest of the Users in a 'friendly' light. It wasn't the bias talking, he just didn't want a rogue factor into the equation messing things up when they've yet to even set up any sort of foundation to begin with.
"And eh, already ditched 'em. Or rather, they couldn't keep up. Not my fault if anything. This name's pretty much the only reminder I have left of them and I guess I grew attached to it too." Shaking his head, a few laughable memories coming in at the mentioning of his nickname's history, Vice tilted his head to the side as he gave the room another sweep of his eyes.
"Well, either way this room's pretty empty as it is. Mostly cause I find all this interesting, want me to go with you the next house? Gonna need to learn a few tricks for a possible transaction in the future, after all."
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 4, 2014 23:52:48 GMT -5
Reika was starting to wonder what happened between this human and his friends. Or former friends rather. He didn't strike her as the type that want to keep many people around him, and his statements made it sound like he got new friends often. That was interesting in its own right. Lonely people tended to have more tasty emotions. Well, even if she was plotting a little bit it wasn't like the stupid shadow she was pretending to be would. She just nodded to herself as she had been doing and once again took his statement literally.
"Oh, so you're a very fast person. You seemed pretty fast when you were running here, so it makes sense." She shook her head at his next question. "Or well, you can come when I'm ready to leave, but I still have to search this box."
She pointed to the jewelry box she had been rifling through. Reika paused for a moment and started digging through it again. Eventually, she found a ring with a scratch in the gem. She pulled it out and presented it to Vice. She still didn't step closer because he did just say he was a scary guy, rather her arms got longer. The ring was a simple silver band with an imitation diamond inside.
"See, these boxes have fake shinies. They're like shinies except not as shiny. I think people put them with their real shinies to confuse thieves," she nodded sagely. "So, I have to look carefully. I bet those fake shinies are trapped somehow. I don't know why anyone would keep them otherwise."
"Not fast enough. But it's better than what most could do." The male shrugged, slightly amused at the chance to actually brag about his skill in that department. Still, it was considered a turtle's pace as compared to having a full stack of Sukukajas on him. Now that, in all honesty, was an experience he wanted to have all the time. Not even adrenaline could make him feel as alive as it does. "Oh and it's not a problem, take your time with the box. Gotta make sure everything's well and good yes?" The male agreed, and took his 'relaxed' stance agains the wall again when the shadow in front of him wanted to show something.
And then her arms grew longer and that was freaky. Cool, useful, and overly practical but freaky nonetheless. Tentatively, the biker would reach out to take the fake ring. He inspected it a bit, not really knowing what to look for, but ideas were already forming in his mind. "I know these types. And if you give them to me, I know a guy who could probably make a profit of them. If you don't need or want them anyway. Selling fake stuff to the right people with the right skills can still bring you some funds for collecting those shinies of yours."
Reika retracted her arm and let him hang onto the ring. She was a little surprised he wanted to keep it. Sure, you could get a bit of cash for fake diamonds, but not very much. Well, if he wanted them there was no reason not to give them to him. Who knows, it might give her a bit more goodwill.
"You're not afraid of the traps?" she blinked. "But what if they like..." she furrowed her brow and thought for awhile, "I don't know ate all the other shinies? What if they had a shiny eating virus that only activated after they left the box? That would be so sad..." She looked rather confused too. "What's a funds? I get shinies because they're shiny, are funds shiny?"
"Fake shinies are just lumps of plastic, and there's nothing special about them so don't worry about it. Trust me on that." It was almost cute to how derpirific that reply had been. It was also almost cute enough that Vice just wanted to pat the shadow on the head for such a ridiculous sounding worry about how the shinies could be taken away from her.
"Funds is just another term I use for stuff that I get after selling things. So if I'm lucky, these fake gems could turn into real ones. Which means that I can trade more to you when you do find those special glowing marbles. It's a win-win for the both of us, yes?"
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 6, 2014 14:52:50 GMT -5
Reika rubbed her chin and furrowed her brow. While in reality she knew exactly what he was talking about, the character she was pretending to be probably wouldn't. After all, she was just a stupid shadow that had never left the shadowlands before, how the hell would someone like that know anything about human society? It looked like she was thinking really hard too.
"Okay, so you turn fake shinies into funds and then back into shinies..." she paused and then grinned ear to ear. "That's really cool! Can you turn other things into shinies then too? There's all kinds of random junk sitting around here, or do you need fake shinies because the alchemy wouldn't work right otherwise?" She nodded at his offer. "I'll see if I can find any. I don't fight much, so I dunno if I'll be able to do it, but maybe there'll be some hiding where other shadows haven't found it yet."
Ignore the paranoia for the time being and just see what's happening right now. It wasn't a practice that Vice often used but it seemed to have been the main precursor of him having a slightly better time in terms of conversation. Sure, the next they meet all of these talks about deals and such would probably mean nothing and that they'd be fighting. Still, this was a darn welcome change of pace.
"Unfortunately, I can't turn everything into shinies. The junk needs some kind of quality for it to be used, but I'm not limited to just using fake shinies." Yeah, with how many people were too damn preoccupied with scavenging nowadays, they'd probably pay a good price for spare parts. He could probably use that as a means of extra income too if it came to it.
"I'll you to that then." With a nod and a smile, Vice then shook his head towards the jewellery box that had carried one of the 'fake shinies' that the girl had given him. "That said, have you finished your search here?"
Post by Reika Hanae on Apr 8, 2014 12:17:37 GMT -5
It took her a moment to look through the last bit of jewelry in this box, but there wasn't that much in it. Most of it was obviously fake whether it was due to scratches or the cloudiness of the 'gems.' Reika wondered where he was turning these things in though, as well as any other junk he could find. She hadn't found that many places in town that would take such cheap accessories, and she was almost certain that no one would take most of the broken down junk that was out here. Maybe in some rare cases where it was somehow preserved, but that wouldn't get him much due to lack of materials. Perhaps she should try following him sometime. At least in the city he wouldn't be able to sense where she was, and she could keep some serious distance due to a high tech camera with a powerful zoom feature. She was curious, and she wanted to make a bit more cash herself.
"Yep!" she nodded. "The rest of the things in this box are fake shinies. You can have them," she handed over the box. "I normally just go through the windows, but they can be kind of far away and hard to jump to. Are you good at jumping? The closest window to the next house is probably in a different room. I'll need to get ready though, just give me a sec."
Reika focused for a moment and a bright green light surrounded her. It was much brighter than any normal buff, though otherwise it looked like a combination of Sukukaja and Power Charge or Mind Charge due to the brightness. The buff didn't affect the human though, only Reika herself. She then moved towards the entry way where Vice was at a breakneck speed. It would have been easy to miss her coming towards him at all, though she was very careful not to run into him.
"Over here!" she paused for a moment and motioned for him to follow.
She disappeared into another room in almost an instant despite the room being two doors down. As expected, there was a window there that was near a window on the next house, at least by her standards. There was still a side yard between them, so it would be difficult for any normal human to make the jump. Reika was curious to see if this human could pull it off. The window on the other house was at least destroyed, so it's not like he'd have to pull off any odd maneuvers to get it open if he could make it. Reika waited for him to enter the room before making the jump herself. It was pretty effortless at her current agility. Once there, she looked through the broken window towards the window she just jumped out of as if waiting for the human to do the same thing. This character probably thought it was normal for anyone to be able to make such a jump, so she tried to project that.
The box of jewels that found themselves on Vice's hands were soon ignored as the bright light that emanated from right in front of him was practically blinding. The biker had to cover his face a bit while the scene did its course. It didn't last long but the red bullet that moved past him sure was something else. Turning on his heel to try and catch up to it, Vice was admittedly surprised to find the Shadow already on the room that apparently held her route to the next building. Shaking his head, reminding himself that this was an enemy as he pocketed some of the more realistic looking jewellery, Vice was gonna admit to himself that it would be an obstacle trying to hit something that fast.
Following her as best as he could, Vice finally entered the room only to see the thing leap towards the other side. The young man counted the seconds it took her to reach the adjacent building before following up to see how long said distance was. Walking towards the ledge, the biker was pretty damn sure that he wasn't going to be able to make that jump under normal circumstances. He'd either have to go to the next floor to get enough air time or to find an open space below his destination to land in. Looking up, the biker was disappointed to see that there was no available window but thanked the stars that there was an open veranda below. Gauging the distance, and seeing if there was a climbable route upwards, Vice nodded to himself as he cracked his fingers and made some distance.
A dash, and Vice was flying through the air. As predicted, Vice didn't make the jump at the window but it sure as hell was enough for him to get to the open veranda. Landing with a roll, Vice had to take a moment to assess the damage on his legs. Fortunately nothing was broken but it sure as hell was something else landing a floor below. Returning to the veranda, the biker made quick work of the planned route and up the window. Throwing himself into the building, Vice flashed a grin over at the shadow. He may not have been able to make the jump, but he still got there. Goes to show how advantagoues being adaptable was and all.