paixaorpg | We all must do our part [active]

Entry tags:

We all must do our part [active]

Character(s): Mayor Marcus Praetoris and whoever is going to be irksome to him
Content: True to his word, the mayor is out cleaning up the snow.
Setting: Paixao Central Station
Time: Throughout the day, week 37
Warnings: Probably a snarky mayor avoiding conversation. With a swarm of guards lurking if anyone tries to get rough with him to possibly swoop in. IDK, the mayor might let you punch him.

OOC Notes: Multiple people can tag! Separate comment chains for separate instances, please! Tags will prob be slow as my notifs are wonky.

Bundled up in warm clothing and armed with a shovel, Mayor Marcus Praetoris stood working amongst a swarm of other citizens. And by citizens, that of course meant his guards, because it wasn't often that Praetoris was so very out in the open, and neither he nor his guards were going to risk his exposure to the unruly Outsiders without protection.

He worked throughout the day, only taking short breaks to catch his breath, before returning to the train tracks and resuming shoveling the snow off of them.

Approach him if you wish. The other blondes around him will only peer at you, unless of course you do something crazy like try to kill him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It wasn't until one of the Mayor's breaks that the Doctor, who'd been hard at work shoveling away the snow, ventured up to him. He had a mug of hot tea in each of his hands, and offered one to the man with a smile. "Bit chilly out here," he commented, glancing about himself. "It's like living inside a snow globe. Does this happen often?" He could just go pushing in and demand the reason for the way the mayor was treating the citizens, but that would help no one.

Besides, there were at least two sides to every story. Maybe if he spoke civilly to Praetoris, he would learn something.

He stared at the Doctor for a long moment, before taking the offered tea with a quiet word of thanks. He wrapped his hands around the mug and leaned his forearms on the top of his shovel.

"No, this isn't normal. A dusting, maybe. Weather is normally very relaxed. A few terrible thunderstorms here and there, but those are spread out through the years. We're unprepared for weather like this, and there was no explanation."

The Time Lord merely gave a friendly nod in reply to the thanks. It was always better to use kindness first, anyway; it usually got him to his goal more quickly and being nice meant people were generally less willing to try and kill him, which suited him just fine. The Doctor listened to the mayor, nodding now and again to show he was listening.

"Might be a malfunction in the weather regulators - you do have regulators, don't you? - might want to have someone in to look at that." He said, risking a sip to his mug and instantly making a face. "Bit too warm. Give it a minute or two, maybe. I'm the Doctor, by the way."

He looked genuinely perplexed at the suggestion. "I can't say I know what you're talking about," he admitted after another moment.

He took the Doctor's advice, letting the tea cool.

"Pleasure," he replied to the offered introduction, although whether or not that was true had yet to prove itself. One can never be too sure, but like the Doctor, Praetoris would be polite, too. "You, of course, know who I am, else I doubt we would be speaking."

At that, the Doctor's expression almost resembled a pout. "Not it, then?" he asked, more to himself than anything. "Well, I have my good days and my bad days." The cause of it had to be something, but if the mayor didn't know what caused it... well. It was either a malfunction, or it was done on purpose, and the mayor, of all people, didn't know. The Doctor had always thought someone had been pulling the strings of this city, be it the Organization or Maleficent, but this just proved it.

"Of course I know. I've been following city events," he replied, his voice pleasant. "I like to keep up on things."

"Most people do," he said mildly.

He started to sip at his tea, focus split between watching the Doctor and staring off along the large amount of work they still had left. He was sure that the Doctor was here for something... He wasn't foolish enough to believe an Outsider would come up to him for just a chat. No, he knew his appearances in the open were limited, so then most would likely just want to give him a piece of his mind.

Thus, the guards. Guards also helping with the shoveling, but guards nonetheless.

"Oh, do they? Good. That's good," the Doctor replied, beaming. He loved it when people actually cared about current events, it made things easier for them. "Right, so you're probably wondering why I'm here - mm! Good tea. Love a good cup of tea." He sipped happily at his mug, momentarily forgetting why he'd come today, besides helping out.

Of course, then he actually did remember, and he decided to act on it. "Can I just ask why you're having people arrested for leaving when it's very clear you want us to leave every bit as much as we do?"

He sighed and looked towards the Doctor. "No, I don't want any of you here. However, it's proven to be safer this way. Outsiders may be dangerous to my people, but..." There's a mixed flash of hurt and annoyance in his eyes. "Letting you leave have proven to be much worse."

"Some of us don't want to be here, either," pointed out the Doctor, gently. It was pretty clear that Praetoris was only trying to protect his people; the Doctor certainly couldn't fault him for that, even if he disagreed with his actions. "Can I just ask how it's worse? Also, how is our being here dangerous? I might be able to help." He had a few inklings as to the answers to his questions, but hearing it from the mayor would be more useful than speculating.

"Despite what you may think, I wish no ill will to most Outsiders, however..." He shook his head and answered the Doctor's questions with another question. "Tell me, Doctor, what do you think of the clothing law?"

"No, I don't believe you do," reassured the Doctor, sipping at his tea again. "If I did, believe me, I'd be a lot less nice." He chuckled a little, pleasantly, and hummed a bit as he pondered his answer to the mayor. "I don't think it needs to be a law, exactly," he said carefully. "Encouraging it probably would have gotten it a better reception, and asking nicely never hurt anyone. By making it a law, a lot of us outsiders just have something more to resent about our situation." Which meant more trouble for the mayor, in the long run.

He nodded. "Asking 'nicely' is for my people, Doctor. I cannot use the same mindset."

He looked away, his own tea completely forgotten.

"Clothing often expresses one's state of mind. The people of Paixao are kind. They will open their doors and hearts to all, not considering the consequences that may accompany doing so. They die, get replaced, and then it happens again and again. I do not wish to harden the hearts of my people, and so in making it a law, I protect them; I keep the unruly, undesirable, from gracing their presence. And any who abide by the law? Perhaps they grow in character, become safe. It is no solution by any means, but a step closer.

"I have heard tragedy and ruin at the hands of Outsiders. A clown setting fire to a playground, water supply being poisoned, Ceu de Mouraria being demolished, the city leveled. The list goes on.

"Asking nicely does not solve problems." Bitterness began to creep into his voice. "You think because you want something to be done, Doctor, it will be? I don't think so. You people keep coming here, spouting change, spouting about how to fix things, and what? Nothing gets done. More of my people are killed."

He sighed, and lifted his hands to press at his forehead, only to remember the tea. He stared at it, almost surprised. He continued, quieter.

"I'm protecting my people, and maybe, just maybe you all will be protected too if you stop leaving. Things use to be much safer when there were the first restrictions on the gates."

It seemed he had struck a chord. Now he was getting somewhere. The Doctor listened carefully to the Mayor's explanations, remaining silent throughout, though he nodded here and there to show he was listening. There was so much more to the mayor than had ever been shown before, just as suspected - at least two sides to every story, and all that. But his brow furrowed at the mention of some of the harm done to these people. Suddenly, he could understand why the mayor was being so harsh in his recent laws. "All that's happened?" he asked at last, staring at the Mayor in concern, the relatively minor gripe about the clothing forgotten for now. "Sorry, new here. I'm still learning the ropes."

He nodded again, though not in agreement. "I think I'm beginning to understand, Mayor. You've had a lot to deal with in what sounds like a short amount of time." He paused for a moment, sipping his tea, and continued. "Can I just ask, what was going on with the first restrictions, and what were those restrictions, exactly?"

"And more," he replied, sighing again. Of course the Doctor was new. It's always the new ones that cause the loudest of fuss. It isn't that he blamed them for it, but it's been such a headache. Oturo must have had it worse.

"There has been many incidents over the course of the years. Many. I haven't even been mayor for half a year, but I've watched." He shook his heads. "I can't be too sure on the first restrictions. That was in Oturo's time, and we... do not have much from then. I know that people weren't allowed to leave, and they didn't." He turned the cup in his hands. "Though there weren't these other... 'floors', you call them?"

"I'm sorry." The words were soft and gentle, and sad. He hadn't heard anything of the tragedies which had befallen the city before, save for vague, troubled whispers. Carefully, the Doctor laid a gentle hand on the Mayor's shoulder in an attempt to reach out and comfort him. "I really didn't know this was going on before. I'd heard murmurs and some rumors, but nothing like this." He paused, unsure if his gesture would be well-received, but continued on nonetheless. "I'd like to help."

"Right! Floors!" agreed the Time Lord. "I've been to some of them. There's a beach, a forest, and a city near a graveyard. There's also a savannah and... well, I haven't been there yet, but I know there's supposedly a throne room out there, too. It's like different worlds have been pulled here." He had no idea how they were managing to do this, but oh, they were good.

Timon felt ridiculous in his snowshoes but they had proven useful and served their purpose well. By some string of luck and Tinkerbell’s brilliant craftsmanship he had successfully managed to walk on top of the snow opposed to through it as he had before. Why, he could even walk properly donning the shoes unlike the awkward waddling and hopping he had previously partaken in. The walk itself, however, had been long and uncomfortable for him. The meerkat wished he had brought a blanket or lion along with him, something warm to wear or hide in. It was not as though Kovu had used his mane for anything of much use lately anyway. What did he care if Timon borrowed it, or rather burrowed in it, for a short period?

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

Marco. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and stared at the man ahead busy at work. When he had heard the Mayor would be clearing the tracks he never imagined he would actually find Marcus, well, doing just that! Oturo had been impossible to catch, which was why Timon had suspected Marcus to be of little difference. What a pleasant surprise. Oddly happy to see the man, which was certainly a first, Timon decided to approach him.
“Marco!” Timon hollered, the swarm of guards which surrounded hnim having by no means intimidated him. “Didn’t think I’d see you out here. And here I thought you never left the office.”

Oh, lovely. The meerkat.

Praetoris sighed. He kept shoveling.

"I said I would be out here," he replied. "There's a lot of work to be done; I can't simply ask others to do something I myself wouldn't do."

“Now there’s a surprise. And here I thought you were all talk.” He glanced over at Marcus’ bodyguards and frowned. “Oh, you brought your goons along too, huh?” Goons who could not appear to take their eyes off him it seemed. Not that they could be blamed… “What are you lookin’ at?” he snapped at them, as though it had not been obvious. “We’re talkin’ here.” At least, Timon indeed to talk.

Placing both paws on his hips, Timon looked up at Praetoris expectantly. There was no ignoring him now. “You’re not walkin’ your way outta this one. I still got grubs to pick with you.” Because he didn’t pick bones, bones were gross.

He waved his guards to ignore the meerkat and focus on their work. He doubted that the meerkat could do much harm.

"And what 'grubs' would those be?" he asked with a sigh.

Timon rolled his eyes. “Oh, like you don’t know. I mean, you only locked everyone inside the city! You know what that makes us? Prisoners! Actually… That makes us double prisoners. You can’t do that! There’s no way I’m trapped in a city and a castle. I got my rights and I demand an explanation.”

The Master finally had enough with settling with distant lip service from the higher ups and the various other Time Lords and their walking, talking phone boxes. It was a time where he ate snow and got fed up with waiting for anything other than a direct answer. Now that the arrogant bravado of Mayor Praetoris was alive and in person, he could finally collect on some truth on the optimistic side. Otherwise, he thought to settle for flesh.

"Morning," he said as he slunk out of the darkness, the shadows seemingly sticking to the bags beneath his eyes.

Caution prickled across Praetoris. He stopped his movements, his grip tensing on the shovel's handle. He tried to hide his sudden unease, but it was likely that the Master could pick up on it. Praetoris drew himself up and turned, settling into a more manageable caution.

"Good morning."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We all must do our part [active]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ff, spelling fail

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject