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paixaorpg2006-12-09 04:42 pm
isaacmustdie.livejournal.com) wrote in paixaorpg2006-12-09 04:42 pm
Lost, now what? [complete]
Character(s): Karst, whoever cares (ANYONE???) Akira, Shiki
Content: Karst is lost and annoyed, but in no real danger at the time. In fact, she's slowly losing track of her quest. Enter you.
Setting: Hmmm. Somewhere west of her last post... let's say the I6 area
Time: Late morning
Warnings: None yet.
At first, Karst was mortified at the thought that she'd gotten lost again. But the Southerners living in Paixao were friendly and too stupid to be a real threat, her Psynergy had helped to keep her warm, and as yet there were still no signs of Ivan or any of his companions (though Karst was getting adept enough with the journals that she figured she'd know when they, or more importantly, he arrived). She'd eaten some of her food supply and overnighted a few times in an alley here and there, and in the meantime, she had begun learning the terrain of Paixao in more detail.
Paixao worried her. She knew that Prox had once been a huge and proud city-state in the Golden Age, and to her mind, Paixao seemed to be very similar. But this city was so HUGE. After a while, Karst realized that if she had gotten lost in Mars Lighthouse, then it was perfectly logical she had gotten lost in Paixao-- the city was plenty large enough to hold MULTIPLE Mars Lighthouses within its domes. It was nearly as big as a continent.
She'd learned about the train system, which was definitely knowledge worth prying out of the Paixaoan citizenry-- trains were apparently massive vehicles that could carry people, much faster than walking, along given tracks to the corners of the city. That would no doubt come in handy later when she needed to cross the tremendous city in a hurry. She'd learned that Paixao was a very peaceful city as a whole-- there were some locals who had already forgotten about the attack of the white "Nobody" creatures. She'd of course learned more about the journals and how to use them.
And the more she learned, the more confident she became in her own ability to cope with the city. She barely even noticed it, but the needs for a weapon and for revenge were slowly moving down on her list of priorities, subconsciously being replaced with first the needs of survival, and then the desire for knowledge and understanding of the apparent Golden Age city she'd found herself in...
Content: Karst is lost and annoyed, but in no real danger at the time. In fact, she's slowly losing track of her quest. Enter you.
Setting: Hmmm. Somewhere west of her last post... let's say the I6 area
Time: Late morning
Warnings: None yet.
At first, Karst was mortified at the thought that she'd gotten lost again. But the Southerners living in Paixao were friendly and too stupid to be a real threat, her Psynergy had helped to keep her warm, and as yet there were still no signs of Ivan or any of his companions (though Karst was getting adept enough with the journals that she figured she'd know when they, or more importantly, he arrived). She'd eaten some of her food supply and overnighted a few times in an alley here and there, and in the meantime, she had begun learning the terrain of Paixao in more detail.
Paixao worried her. She knew that Prox had once been a huge and proud city-state in the Golden Age, and to her mind, Paixao seemed to be very similar. But this city was so HUGE. After a while, Karst realized that if she had gotten lost in Mars Lighthouse, then it was perfectly logical she had gotten lost in Paixao-- the city was plenty large enough to hold MULTIPLE Mars Lighthouses within its domes. It was nearly as big as a continent.
She'd learned about the train system, which was definitely knowledge worth prying out of the Paixaoan citizenry-- trains were apparently massive vehicles that could carry people, much faster than walking, along given tracks to the corners of the city. That would no doubt come in handy later when she needed to cross the tremendous city in a hurry. She'd learned that Paixao was a very peaceful city as a whole-- there were some locals who had already forgotten about the attack of the white "Nobody" creatures. She'd of course learned more about the journals and how to use them.
And the more she learned, the more confident she became in her own ability to cope with the city. She barely even noticed it, but the needs for a weapon and for revenge were slowly moving down on her list of priorities, subconsciously being replaced with first the needs of survival, and then the desire for knowledge and understanding of the apparent Golden Age city she'd found herself in...
no subject
The white creatures had finally vanished. It was safe again to walk along the roads, wandering along. It was safe to continue his search.
Akira was very close to abandoning his search for his friend. If he’d been stupid enough to run off to some fairytale city, he could find his way back on his own, too. It would serve Keisuke right to end up unconscious in some alleyway anyway. This place didn’t take tags for currency. It couldn’t be a part of Igura, then. The tournament had rules, and tag-trading was one of them. He’d had to resort to simple stealing and pick-pocketing to get the shining coins that were this city’s money. A man had to eat, after all.
This place wasn’t anything special either, once one got beyond the shiny veneer of the place. The people were vapid and smiled at anything that moved. The buildings were straight out of some child’s feverish fantasy. Akira decided then and there that this would be his last day in this place. Then he’d find his way out and get back to the tournament. It wasn’t worth wandering around non-tournament grounds, losing time and position. Besides, he’d seen the punishers here. Escape was imperative.
The people were of the same blonde-and-blue-eyed stock. Occasionally there were glimpses of normal people, like Cordell (if one could call him normal). But what Akira saw when he glanced up was certainly not normal. He actually had to stop and stare at a woman heading the opposite direction from him. Was she real?? She had really vivid red hair, which would have made her stand out, just from that alone, but there were other details that made him do a double take. Were her shoulders actually scaly? Or spiked? Wow. Akira backed towards a building where he could stare without being in anyone’s way. Was this woman playing dress-up?
He got his answer when he saw her ears. That was either a really great costume, or that woman was some sort of… he didn’t know what, but she looked dangerous. She also seemed to be walking with a purpose. Better not get in her way, then. Akira shook his head and continued on. Maybe she wouldn’t notice how long he’d stared.
no subject
Karst had been aware of a stare for a few minutes now, and finally she looked at the young man who had been watching her. Like most Southerners, he had short, rounded ears and beige skin, and he was studying her with a gaze that indicated he wasn't quite sure what she was (it annoyed her that so many of Weyard's Southerners had forgotten a city even existed in the Northern Reaches). Unlike most Southerners, especially the Southerners of Paixao, his hair was blue-gray, the color of southern skies before a storm. His eyes, while blue, were a deeper, more alert blue than those of Paixao's denizens. He wasn't a local. His clothing proved that he wasn't from Weyard, either.
"Excuse me," Karst said to the stranger. Despite her high-pitched voice, her tone was serious, though her face remained moderately neutral. "Or is it not considered rude to stare at a girl, where you're from?"
no subject
He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to. He slowly turned around and looked back at the woman. He expected her to be angrier than she looked. Her tone was sharper than her expression, which was sort of a relief. Still, with her eyes, Akira hardly wanted her looking at him.
Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the situation as Akira simply stared back at the woman. Even now, he still couldn’t tell if she was just costumed incredibly well, or if she actually was non-human. Either way, she made him really uncomfortable. She might be an intimidating wildcard thrown into the fighting tournament, but it was unlikely. They were few and far between, those who wore the Igura tags. This woman didn’t wear them. No one around him wore them. This was all either the result of a heavily tainted hit of Rain, or he was dreaming.
All these thoughts passed by in mere seconds. Akira reacted more immediately. He cleared his throat and gave a slight smile. “Sorry,” he said, unsure of what else to say. He put his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on the spiked woman. She was so different from the rest that he felt that turning his back on her again would be a big mistake.
no subject
Karst considered a moment. The young man was still unsure of her, and his hesitation was annoying the passersby who had to deviate from their "usual", set-in-stone paths to maneuver around him.
Did she have anything to gain by continuing to menace him? No. Yes. She could talk. It would be nice to talk to someone other than those bland pale faces with blue eyes and blonde hair, who did nothing but smile and nod politely. This person was smiling, too, but it was a wary smile. He was still trying to figure her out.
Finally, she gave a friendly shrug. It would be nice to hear another story, and maybe he could give her a few pointers on navigating the busy streets of Paixao more than, "read the map, you silly girl!"
"Make nothing of it," she said. "So... where are you going?"
no subject
Just a day ago he had decided to leave, not stupid enough to leave without taking quite a bit of valuables from the place before heading on the train that would take him in no real direction at all. He had gotten off at the Central Station after hearing that the area there was known for its metalwork and weapons, curious to be told about what was commonplace in a city like this, as his katana had obviously not been enough to defend himself from those strange creatures. Even if he hadn't seen them around for quite a while, he wanted to take care of himself.
He had not seen Akira in that time, in person or over the journals' network, which didn't really bother him all that much, actually, because he knew the boy was more than capable of taking care of himself. Still, Shiki itched to find him. It was all too convenient to catch a glimpse of that familiarly strange hair color in a sea of blond...
Ah? Was that...? Shiki squinted and paused where he stood (he had been walking through the streets, intending to visit one of the local shops and find a hotel to shelter himself this evening), tilting his head up above the crowd to stare onward. And a smile crossed his face slowly. Akira...
He moved ahead quickly, full of anticipation. "Akira!" he called out sharply. The red-headed girl he spoke with? No concern of his.
no subject
Karst whirled at the strange voice, ready in any event to unleash a barrage of Fire Psynergy on any and all foes that may present themselves, but the newcomer was also of the dark-haired variety-- and he had apparently dismissed her immediately, unlike the other boy, whom the new person seemed to know, apparently.
After a moment of fierce staring at him, Karst took a slow step back, granting the space required for two people to have a conversation, but not far enough to appear uninterested. It was easy enough to figure out she would be an unwanted guest in this talk, so she crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby building to watch them.
no subject
She’d asked him something. So he’d reply. Nothing wrong with being civil. “I’m heading—” he began, but stopped abruptly.
Someone had called his name. It was a voice that he’d heard before. It sent a flow of ice down his back in a freezing river. He was certain this was one of the men he’d seen shortly after entering this city, the man who’d attacked him back in tournament grounds with amazing speed, but had let him go for some reason. At least it wasn’t an enforcer, he thought grimly.
His eyes flicked back and forth between the girl and the owner of the familiar voice, now visibly approaching among the blonds. This wasn’t a scenario anyone would willingly be caught in. Assessing the situation, Akira decided to leave posthaste. The girl he could catch up with somewhere on the other side of never, but this man – Shiki – must be avoided. He didn’t seem like the sort to stop and have a lovely little chat about the weather. In fact, it was more likely he’d be attacked.
It was time to leave. Without a word to the girl, he turned his back and hurried down the street at a run, hoping to disappear among the citizenry. If Shiki wanted him badly enough, he could catch up in the space of a few seconds. Akira threaded his way through the people, pushing his way through when it got tight. Fight or flight? Fighting Shiki wasn’t a possibility. He’d learned from the white creature-attack: it was much better to run and escape and live. It wasn’t cowardice, it was survival. Only someone stupid would stay and confront Shiki.
no subject
The newcomer was someone the person Akira had feared enough to flee outright, and this alone earned him a small degree of respect from the Proxian-- enough that if he wanted to pursue his quarry, she would not be the one to stop him. If all else failed... the Paixaoans who hadn't immediately scoffed at her being lost had told her she was a bit west of Folios Weaponry. Karst wasn't so directionally-challenged she couldn't find west (unless the-- ahem-- stylized sun had been stenciled into the wrong place in the sky overhead). If things went truly wrong and the stranger had hostile intentions, she could probably duck past him and seek out the weapons store.
Probably. Unless he was fast as a Wind Adept. She could the curve of a sword at his waist, the sort of sword the people of Izumo carried, she'd heard. If he was that lightning-fast, that wind-fast, she would have to run like the Eye was after her again to escape harm. Either that, or hope that Paixao had healers...
no subject
Closing in and perhaps even passing Karst if she had not taken off by that time as well, she would find that her existence went ignored as he pushed past the other people carlessly, although the glint of the weapon was enough to draw them away from him and provide a clear path anyway.
"Akira!" he called after him again, "Why do you run from me? I thought you were braver than that!"
no subject
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(OOC: So, should I label this sucker finished?)