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Post by Swart on Apr 2, 2006 12:12:40 GMT 12
Swart, resplendent in his long black trenchcoat and shiny silver ornaments, crouched on the roof of a gutted van. His dark brown hair fell messily around his face, but he didn’t seem bothered by this – he could see perfectly fine through it. He was Swart Alleyne, and he found things – all sorts of things. For the Vampires, he hunted out weapons and tools. For the Wildcats he hunted out the hideouts where loners and outcasts lived. He scouted out the sewers for the Wharf Rats, and just plain old avoided the highly excitable leader of the Cigarettes.
Sometimes having a good – or rather, a bad – reputation is all you need to get what you want, when and where you want it. Everybody knew about Swart ‘Wings’ Alleyne, about his tendency to be moody; about his habit of pulling the ‘good-cop, bad-cop’ move, only without the good cop. He could gloom for a golden Olympic medal, and drag up a bronze for bluntness without even trying. He wasn’t a happy bunny – in fact, most of the time he was quite the contrary.
Today, however, was an exception. In fact, he seemed almost jovial. The battered black schoolbag over one shoulder was bulging with pointy objects. Wrapped in plastic bags and ripped cloth, a collection of new speakers, a sharp looking keyboard, a couple of memory chips, a DVD drive, and best of all – blank, writable CDs. Pixie would have an end to her storage problems for a while at least, and Swart’d be able to some background-checks using her computer.
Swart would normally have worked for money. But what use was money now? He wasn’t going to work for free, so now he worked for stored up ‘IOU’, information, food, and occasionally for assorted items he couldn’t find; like lighters as most of those had been raided by the Cigarettes’ Master.
Swart dropped gracefully from the van began pulling himself onto one of the roofs – or what was left of them – of the nearby buildings. He preferred to travel up there, where he could see people coming. It was faster, too, usually, as he could cut right through blocks of buildings. — Swart paused in front of the building that was Pixie’s HQ. The metallic whir-whir-click of the camera annoyed him, but he was quite sure he was safe from whatever machine-guns or whatever pixie was defending herself with. She knew him. She was as paranoid as hell, and screwed-crazy to boot, but she wouldn’t shoot him for not putting his hands up like she usually expected people to do, right? She knew just where his weapons were, not just the ones she could see.
Hell, there was an antique rifle hanging over his back, and a large hunting knife at his side, just the handle showing from under his flaring black coat. The weapons she couldn’t see were six knives about ten centimeters long, three up each sleeve. But she knew they were there. [/size] [/right]
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 3, 2006 4:23:18 GMT 12
A metallic giggle sounded from the speaker next to the camera. "You're not expecting me to open the door, are you? You know the rules. Hands up, Swart dear." Pixie's pout was almost visible.
Inside the building, at the laptop, Pixie shifted the camera around, fixing its eye on Swart. His schoolbag was full – good, he had been working tonight. Doing something useful. Pixie giggled again, spinning the chair from side to side. "I'm waitiiiing..."
[Brain dead.]
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Post by Swart on Apr 3, 2006 15:33:21 GMT 12
Swart smiled disarmingly and put up his hands, their palms facing up. His emerald eyes flicked to the camera he had previously ignored and he fixed it with a dark glare that would have had a normal human flinching away from him. He had that effect on most people, actually, without even having to give them the evil eye.
“Protocol sucks,” Swart said, shrugging his shoulders uncaringly. His rifle bumped against his back, the heavy wooden handle lined up against his spine and the tip of the muzzle pointing up over his shoulder. His tongue flicked out of his mouth and wet his lips, snake-like. “Open the fething door.”
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 3, 2006 21:09:22 GMT 12
"That's it..." Pixie seemed oblivious to the remarks and his glare. It was a wonder the girl even acknowledged Swart's presence; doing more than that was rather improbable. He could glare for all the world - the girl would hardly blink.
The nondescript door clicked open, outlined by the blue light inside.
On her quarters, Pixie had already forgotten the newcomer and his bag. She was tipping frantically on her laptop, golden curls of hair dancing over the purple ribbon. Her eyes seemed slightly unfocused, never straying beyond the computer screen and the keyboard. She was humming to herself, fragments of old melodies strung together carelessly.
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Post by Swart on Apr 5, 2006 16:09:57 GMT 12
Swart made a noncommittal growling sound deep in his chest and swept into the room. He dumped his bag on a lump object he didn’t take the time to process the identity of – it could have been a chair, a chest, or an expensive piece of equipment. Not that it mattered much to him – if it broke, he’d find a new one – never free of charge, of course. He swung his rifle from his shoulder and it followed the bag as he moved past toward Pixie.
Her garnish pink and purple clothing contrasted sharply with his dark, fairly worn dress – but then, it contrasted painfully with the entire environment. It looked like a warground out there – and she went around dressed like a colorblind hippy. Depressing. Most of the population now inhabiting New York wore black (Presumably because there was no darker color yet invented), but that was partly because it was more practical than brighter colors.
Rifle now missing, Swart looked only somewhat less threatening – he still retained his aura of ‘don’t mess with me, knuck-head’ vibes. Pixie was probably oblivious to this as she’d been to his glare, but she wouldn’t notice if the city above sudden sprang back to life if it didn’t suit her. She belonged in a nice little room with some comfy white padding on the walls.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 5, 2006 20:43:27 GMT 12
Something seemed to ring in Pixie's head. In sudden moves, the girl stopped typing, lowered the laptop lid [flap?] and whirled her chair around to face Swart, glaring at him. She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Her childish expression matched her clothing – it was amazing, the contrast between her appearance, mind and expertise. A computer genius, behind that crazed face? No way. But then, no one in New Pork was completely sane. How could they, living in that haunted city?
"You're late. That's not polite, you know? You made me wait for hours! I don't like it."
[As if he cared. Gods, one day little Pixie will take revenge over all New Pork...]
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Post by Swart on Apr 14, 2006 19:19:25 GMT 12
Swart treated Pixie to a mocking, if surprising, smile that only served to extenuate the severity of his expression. He didn’t even have the courtesy to shrug in a pseudo-apology. Instead, he went into a pose of mock fear, as if the idea of her wrath was terrifying to him. It might have been, but then, arrogance is bliss. Give Swart a gun and some bullets and he’ll tell you he could hold back the next world war.
“Let me break it to you simple,” Swart ploughed on regardless of his appearance of fear at offending her. “I’m just not polite.” He smiled again and prodded his bag with the toe of his boot, nudging towards Pixie. The room was darker now, without the cold blue glow of the laptop screen, but the darkness was a welcoming sort, one that hid nothing and only made the space seem smaller. To Swart, anyway.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 18, 2006 10:39:23 GMT 12
She frowned. The girl might not be a genius at reading emotions or dealing with people, but even Pixie knew when she was being mocked - at least sometimes. Rising from her chair, she made her way to Swart, glaring at him with those intense green eyes. Then she noticed the bag.
"Oohh, you've brought me gifts!" Pixie let out a shrill scream of childish delight, clapping her hands in quick succession. Her eyes were those of a kid in front of a candy store, bursting with expectation. Swart was out of her mind now; Pixie had no interest for anything save the bag's contents. With rapacious moves, she lunged for the schoolbag, grabbing it with a determination that betrayed her half crazed look. As the kid at the store would do, she unzipped the bag open and was still for a long instant, staring at the components without even touching them, a beatific look crossing her pale face. The mother of the candy kid nudges him and points to the grandma who bought him such delicacies, and the child runs to hug her; so did Pixie, after putting down the sack with infinite care, lung at Swart and hug him.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
[She freaks me out xD Spooky girl.]
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Post by Swart on Apr 18, 2006 16:59:13 GMT 12
Swart blinked as he suddenly found himself being hugged. Nobody touched him – the only time he came into contact with someone was when one of them was being beaten, or in a fight. This was a completely new feeling, and not one he was comfortable with. And, worst of all, she seemed to think the bag was full of gifts. Was she crazy? Well, yes, she was, but that wasn’t what he meant. Making a strangulated sound in the back of his throat, Swart began attempting to peel Pixie away from himself.
“Uhm, kid? Now would be a good time to let me go.” Meaning, ‘get off me before I [ accidentally stab you.’
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 18, 2006 17:13:51 GMT 12
Pixie drew back from Swart with a deeply puzzled look on her face. Was she not trying to look grateful? Was it not enough? That's what her mum had taught her, to thank the people who did something for her. Definitely, the city was full to the brim with insane kids. Not even Swart had escaped. Not even him, whom Pixie trusted to be sane. "Oh well", she muttered, shrugging to herself and shaking her golden curls of hair. "They're all mad, that's just it." Ignoring Swart as quickly as she had acknowledged him, Pixie started to her chair again, extending an arm to pick the schoolbag from the floor as she walked.
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Post by Swart on Apr 18, 2006 18:14:37 GMT 12
[brb]
Swart stepped backwards, reaching down to pick up his rifle. He cocked it, in case Pixie tried something like that again. He watched as the insane girl picked up his bag. He’d have to negotiate a price for the stuff, and maybe for the back, too. It didn’t look like he was going to get it back. The problem was, he had to gauge Pixie’s reaction to the goods to find out what he could ask for everything. He had no idea what it was worth - computers were not something he knew how to use. He definitely couldn’t take one apart and tell you how much each part would cost.
“You intend to pay for that?” Swart asked, his voice mild but commanding.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 18, 2006 20:40:11 GMT 12
The girl sat down on the chair, slowly emptying the bag and sorting the contents on the table. Her expression had suffered a deep change; nothing was visible of her insane personality, replaced by a cold focus on what she was doing. The alteration was so abrupt you could feel the moment it occurred, like a shrill scream hanging in the air after it is gone. "You can put that down. You know the rules, and you can hardly expect me to hurt you", she said coldly, without taking her eyes from the parts in front of her. "And of course I'm paying you, Swart. We have a deal." Pixie's voice was calm and certain, but her eyes glowed with pleasure, mostly at the memory chips and blank CDs. She turned in the chair, facing Swart with her head cocked to one side and her gloved hands drumming on the arms of the seat. "So. State your price, Wings."
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Post by Swart on Apr 20, 2006 20:07:37 GMT 12
“How much is it worth?” Swart phrased it as a rhetorical question. He knew at least that the CDs were worth something, as Daisuke had offered a lot for an earlier batch, but he wasn’t sure how much. How many hours internet could he get for it? How much did he need? Enough to do some research, and some access to her filebase to check what she had on the clans.
He put his gun down again, loath to part with it again, twice in less than ten minutes. If she tried something again, he’d resort to his knives. More painful for her, more hassle for him, but just as effective. Nobody. Touches. Swart. Not like that – least of all like that.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on Apr 20, 2006 21:31:54 GMT 12
She smiled. It was halfway between her usual crazed smile and a candid expression. Wheeling the chair around and away from the desk, she pointed to the computer with her left hand, as much an inviting gesture as Pixie would do. "Have fun. I hope you like the birds." She said that with a truly friendly tone. Swart was the closest to a companion the girl had, and his behavior didn't affect her a bit. Only a few things would get past her insanity and touch the depths of her mind, enclosed on her electronic world. Swart wanted to be a hard-ass-son-of-a-bi.tch? Fine with her, if he didn't disturb her little world.
Pixie rose from the chair, collecting the new equipment. Carrying it with great care, she walked to the end wall, staring at her collection. Swart was forgotten once more.
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
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Post by Seraphim on Jun 24, 2006 16:19:54 GMT 12
Swart watched Pixie warily as she came past him, but for the most he was watching the computer. Starge, temperamental things; worse than women. At least you could talk sense to a woman – she might listen, where a computer didn’t. Might being the operative word – in his experience, women were stubborn as mules and much more confusing. It was that they were occasionally fun to be around and that you needed them that there were still any around, he thought.
Swart slid into the computer chair, glaring at the screen as though he mistrusted it. He knew it was on, but that was for a large part all he knew. He considered wading blinding into the depths of cyberworld for a while, but then made the probably wise choice not too. He coughed.
“Uh, little help here?”
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Mina Crow
Administrator
Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on Jun 24, 2006 16:50:10 GMT 12
Pixie took her time setting the new pieces of hardware exactly as she would have them; shifting a wire here, cleaning up a speck of dust there. Most of her equipment was useless due to lack of power; the failing sun caused her to dwell on battery usage, and that was not enough to support most of her top equipment, to Pixie's deep dismay. Nonetheless, she still took care of it like one would do toward a child, or even more. Therefore, absorbed as she was on the settling and resettling of her collection, Swart's words startled the girl. Somehow she had completely abstracted herself from his presence.
"Oh. Sure", she said lightly, still a bit shaken. Walking toward Swart again, Pixie mumbled half-heartedly, "You people should know how not to scare someone..."
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Seraphim
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King of Castle Smoke
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Post by Seraphim on Jun 24, 2006 17:05:29 GMT 12
Swart shrugged, alternating his glares between Pixie and the Computer. Maybe it stole souls? That would explain why Pixie was so besotted with the thing when there was an infinite amount of more interesting things she could do. In New Pork, everything was legal. You could buy damnation on a street corner, in a manor of speaking. Now, Enlightenment. That was hard to come by – even Swart couldn’t find that here.
“What would I do if I wanted to see what the tribes were doing?” Swart asked, not thinking. He realized later he sounded a right idiot – but he was, when it came to computers. And it was hard to look a true fool beside Pixie; she was so inside-out upside-down crazy you couldn’t see when she ended and insanity took over.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
Posts: 686
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Post by Mina Crow on Jun 24, 2006 22:52:05 GMT 12
"Curiosity killed the cat, Wings dear..." tutted Pixie, casting Swart a sidelong glance. It bore both mischief and unhidden mirth at his question. He might be a perfectly capable hunter, yet he couldn't browse a computer for his life. Yes - for Pixie, that was a laughable matter. Flicking a stubborn golden curl away from her face, adjusting the purple headband she wore, the girl reached for the laptop mouse and clicked open a few windows. A number of clicks on the keyboard and shifting through the open windows led them to a display of various images; an aerial view of Castle Smoke's Plaza, a blurred vision of a street on the Wharf, a shot down into Rhymes Square and a panoramic view of the northern part of Central Park, along with many others.
"See", Pixie started to explain, exemplifying each action, if a tad too quickly, "you can navigate them with the mouse or the navigational - that's the arrow ones - buttons. Zoom in, zoom out, turn right and left... on the menus, right top corner."
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