Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 4:23:03 GMT 12
Mask had found the coin as he travelled through the sewers on his way to the Grid. It could have been silver once, but time out of circulation and on the ground, in a sewer no less, had left it nearly black and so worn that it was only by the general size of it alone that he could identify it has having once been a quarter. He'd rinsed off a generous amount of caked on filth in a tiny puddle as soon as he'd come topside, and now it at least resembled a coin again.
He was practicing 'walking' it over the backs of his fingers; left to right, right to left... It was a calming repetition, and it gave him some out let to his pent up restlessness as he walked along, simultainiously singing an old song and watching for anyone who might pose a threat.
"Kids with guns... Kids with guns... Taking over, They won't be long..."
He had a surprisingly clear voice when he sung, and as he found the proper tune he seemed to forget to watch the volume; his voice rose, no longer just the muttered, tuneless whisper it'd been while he was underground.
"Cause they're turning us into monsters, Turning us into fire, Turning us into monsters, It's all desire..."
The song was Kids with Guns, and he thought it to be delightfully appropriate for his current situation.
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Mina Crow
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Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on May 7, 2006 11:04:42 GMT 12
[Let's pretend Adrift is over. I'm tired of waiting.]
A small girl, with visible Japanese looks and bearing, walked over to Mask from a side street. Having only been a week in New Pork, she still was not comfortable with the twists and turns of the sewers, and so preferred to keep to the surface when without guidance. She bore a small staff, cut to fit her height, with a few feathers dangling from the top. Seagull feathers, that she had collected on the beach. They fit her alias, for this was Kuro, or "Seagull".
"Hush, not so loud", were her greeting words, as she fell on beside Mask, quickening her pace to fit his longer stride, the staff clicking on the ground at her every other step.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 11:20:42 GMT 12
"Hmn. I suppose it would be rather... unpleasant, for me - or us, I suppose - getting knifed simply because my singing carries a little too far." he hummed, sounding just a tad remorseful. He rather liked singing.
"It's Seagull, right?" he asked, glancing down at the small Asian girl beside him. He hadn't interacted with her much since her appearance, and only really knew her by reputation of her incredibly solemn bearings. Other than that, he knew as much as the next Wharf Rat, just her name, and that she’d shown up in a rather unusual fashion.
It felt a little odd to be walking along beside someone nearly two feet shorter than himself, and he found himself enjoying a bit of actual, genuine humor in his ever-present smile.
[crap post, my muse ran away with the spoon, don'tcha know]
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Mina Crow
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Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on May 7, 2006 11:33:26 GMT 12
"Indeed. Yes, Seagull", was Kuro's curt reply, shaking the staff a bit to show off the feathers. The stick would be a hindrance, in the tunnels, if it wasn't so short. As it was, it might turn out to be a useful weapon on close quarters, once she learned to manage it accordingly. "So... Just taking a bit of fresh air?" she asked absently, her astounding blue eyes fixed on the road ahead of them, as the 13 year old focused on keeping up with Mask. Kuro would never be tall, not even among her people, and Mask wasn't exactly the short type. She flicked her black hair off her face, putting it behind her ear with her free hand.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 11:43:39 GMT 12
Mask shrugged, then, realizing Seagull's attentions were on the road and his guesture had most likely gone unnoticed, replied verbally.
"Mhmn. The tunnels are a little cramped for my tastes."
'Cramped' was one way to put it. Most of the tunnels the Wharf Rats used were the large ones made for sewage workers to pass through; some were short as four feet, some as tall as five. It was safe to say that Mask was expecting himself to develope a hump any day now.
"Fresh air, and hoping to find some useful odds and ends. If you dig deep, you tend to find things other people were too lazy to get at. If money were any good these days, I'd have a small fourtune in loose change." he said with a small laugh, tossing up his quarter and catching it in his palm to emphasize his point.
"What brings you up here, m'dear?"
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 7, 2006 11:58:43 GMT 12
Kuro shrugged on her turn. "Better up here than down in the sewers. Air, light, and the sky. That's it." She felt silent again, irritation growing inside her because of her struggle to keep up with Mask. He could slow down a bit, but that seems to be too hard for him. I'll be panting in a few if we keep going like this. A slow jog was easier and less tiring than a quick, forced march - but Kuro wasn't going to let Mask know it was hard to keep up with him. She would have to learn to endure these simple things if she meant to survive the city. "Pity money's useless, right?" she wondered, a smirk passing over her face for a moment. The only thing loose change would have its uses for would be the long since raided auto machines [can't find the right word, stupid non native language]. Even those were empty now, so the so called Mask's fortune was indeed useless.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 12:09:47 GMT 12
Shame, she was just the right size for traversing the sewers. But didn't things always seem to work out like that? If you had something, you didn't want to use it, and if you didn't have something, well... chances were that you got quite envious of those that did.
"Too bad. There are times I wish I wasn't quite so... big, I suppose would be the word for it." he said with a slightly melodramatic sigh as he suddenly stooped to relace his right sneaker. Damn, the laces were almost completely threadbare. That was one more thing to add to his list of top priority items to be on the look out for. Right under food and paper.
"You're welcome to join me, if you wish, in the perusing of a store basment I recently uncovered. The main floor was completely ransacked, of course, but there're still a few odds and ends that survived the looting down below." he offered, knocking the dust off his freshly laced shoe before continuing on (at a slightly more relaxed speed, the poor dear beside him was significantly smaller than himself and wasn't graced with the same reach in the legs).
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Rico Brooks
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I'm cuddly really...aside from all the leather and sharp things..I really am
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Post by Rico Brooks on May 7, 2006 12:11:43 GMT 12
Rico was sat upon the top of a burnt out car watching the two kids trailing up the street towards him, his left leg perched up ontop of the car aswell, his chin resting against the knee, he watched them with his cold blue eyes, spinning his combat knife around in his hand, the tip dug into the blackened roof of the car. The orange paw print on his forehead glimmered like new paint as the sun washed through the gutted buildings.
Rico would normally either attack them or warn them they are trespassing but because he was in neutral territory and so were they...what was the point in starting a useless fight.. plus he was tired and talking was more on his agenda this day.
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 7, 2006 12:23:05 GMT 12
Kuro used the pause to catch her breath, that had been slowly accelerating. Finally. She kept her eyes on the street as Mask spoke, leaning on the staff. There was a figure farther off, on the direction they were heading. "Sure, that's fine with me", she answered, without taking her eyes off the newfound individual. She waited until the boy rose to his feet, then pointed with her staff toward the silhouette. "But I think we'll have something to deal with first. Is that one of ours?" Mask's pace had slowed, and it was rather easier now for Kuro to keep up. She said a silent prayer to the gods; one problem overcame, for now.
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Post by Eagle Eye MacAllister on May 7, 2006 12:23:32 GMT 12
A tousled blonde head stuck out of an alley. Sigurd looked around and made sure no one saw him, then started sneaking across the road. Suddenly, however, one of his knives came loose and fell to the ground with a clatter. He cursed himself and grabbed the knife, sheathed it, and ran. He slipped on a wet piece of road and fell to the ground. He looked sheepishly at the others. "Uh...hi."
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Rico Brooks
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I'm cuddly really...aside from all the leather and sharp things..I really am
Posts: 103
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Post by Rico Brooks on May 7, 2006 12:26:33 GMT 12
Rico's eyes flashed to the new kid who'd fallen flat on thier face and smirked gently, he flipped his knife up in the air, the 15 inch combat knife spiraled through the air, he caught in on the back of his hand, flipped it over and slid in into the leather holster he had attatched to his belt, he hung one arm over his knee and watched the others, he swung the leg hanging over the edge of the car like a cat would its tail.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 12:31:01 GMT 12
Mask swore mentally, although his facade of constant cheer never faltered. The young man Seagull had pointed out had orange on his face, although he couldn't make out the marking over the distance tht separated them.
"No, he's a Wildcat." he said, one hand sliding around to his hip where his favored knife hung, snapping open the sheath. He'd barely drawn it when another stranger crashed into view; another boy, but this one apparently devoid of face paint.
"And," he said brightly, "Neither is he."
Just lovely. Mask hadn't truely expected to explore unhindered, but two interuptances? He couldn't lead Seagull to his hidden find with them around. But at least there was a chance for him to make up the lost oppoutunity.
"Dear," he said softly, his smile never slipping, "The blonde one has no face paint... What do you say we bring a prisoner home with us, hm?"
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Rico Brooks
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I'm cuddly really...aside from all the leather and sharp things..I really am
Posts: 103
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Post by Rico Brooks on May 7, 2006 12:37:11 GMT 12
Rico slipped down from the car rooftop and began to walk towards the others, at 6 foot and built like a brick outhouse he had good reason to be a hunter for his tribe, but today he had no assignments and his time was his own. He raised his hands to show no hostilities and he stepped up to the group, alittle way from them, his blue eyes not missing anything about them, the male holding his knife, the female with her feathered staff and the blundering blonde kid infront of him on the floor.
"...Morning " he said in his clear rough southern english accent. Slightly less cockney than most londoners.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 12:39:11 GMT 12
[Rico, please slow down. It's going to be hard enough keeping a sane posting order with four people :P
Things should probably go Rico, Crow, Eagle Eye, Me, from here on.
Yes, getting left behind in threads is a major peeve of mine ;] ]
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Rico Brooks
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I'm cuddly really...aside from all the leather and sharp things..I really am
Posts: 103
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Post by Rico Brooks on May 7, 2006 12:40:23 GMT 12
( Sorry mate, I'm just keen ! >.o )
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 12:43:08 GMT 12
[Well, if you're that keen, I might be coerced into doing a thread w' Quinn somewhere. :P But lets take this to the Q-Box ]
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 7, 2006 12:46:25 GMT 12
"That would be... interesting", stated Kuro, eyes shifting to the new arrival. "But I fear we will not be the only ones willing to catch him." She adjusted the position of the staff, grabbing it more firmly. The blue facepaint on her cheek seemed to itch, as if to remember her of her loyalties. "And I'm hardly proficient with this", she whispered, barely loud enough for Mask to hear. Is there really any need to spill blood? she wondered. "Mask... Can't we take a side track? If they band together, we might be in trouble." It was not cowardice nor fear, just a simple statement on their situation. From what Kuro had learned, the Wharf Rats' first action on a meeting was talking.
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Post by Eagle Eye MacAllister on May 7, 2006 13:05:54 GMT 12
Siggy gulped and scrambled to his feet. "Madame, monsieurs, please do not h-hurt me!" He cried out with a French accent, looking from one to the others. "Please! I will do a-anything, good monsieurs and madame!" He fell to his knees, loosing his wrist sheaths as he did so. He then pulled out the knives. His leg and arm were hurting, but he coudn't pay attention to that now. He pulled himself up again, with his knives in a defensive position.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 7, 2006 13:12:37 GMT 12
Mask shrugged loosely, his knife in his hand but still folded shut. A warning, rather than a threat.
"Gully-dear, I'd think the Wildcats would rather maim and torture a Tribeless child rather than work together with it, but you do have quite the point." he said softly, "And it seems our blonde friend here doesn't want trouble."
He wasn't in the mood for a scuffle, however nice it would be to knock off a few members of the competition. And, with Seagull -although she created the affect of numbers- he needed to be careful. With her still unsure of her weapon, and he only carrying two small blades besides his own knife, they weren't really in the position to take prisoners and face off against a Wildcat.
"We'd be less inclined towards conflict if we knew your name." he said in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear him, addressing the Wildcat as
[and feel free to delete the occ bits, crow ^^;]
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Rico Brooks
Commoner
I'm cuddly really...aside from all the leather and sharp things..I really am
Posts: 103
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Post by Rico Brooks on May 7, 2006 13:20:24 GMT 12
Rico stopped short of the french kid who'd drawn steel, Rico's face streaked with a iron frown and he slowly slid his massive knife from the holster at his hip. His voice stern and demanding
"...Put away your steel boy, I'm in no mood for a fight.. I want to simply talk... but if you leave me no choice - " he flipped the knife in his hand and took a step back, drawing his hand back he eyed the boy infront of him.
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