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 Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:58 pm
At home, one of the only things that could distract Luke from sulking was the sword. After being offered lessons in the art as a child, the boy would eagerly await his tutor's arrival and the sparring sessions that would accompany. But it was a frivolity, and he had not been able to afford carting around frivolities - especially when that frivolity was live steel and the place he was carting it was a public ferry. Reluctant as he had been to leave it behind, he had considered it a symbolic split from his former life and had accepted it.
Luke had retained no intent of taking up his sword again, as much as he enjoyed it. However, his dangerous encounter with the chick from Team Rocket had sparked a different thought: He needed a means of defense, especially with Mieu as inexperienced in battle as he was. This clearly was not a haphazard excuse to shop for blades because he missed the practice.
The mall, on its outdoors sign, boasted something about having everything one could ever want all contained within the same walls, had drawn Luke through its doors. Seemed like a reasonable enough place to start to him. The trouble, then, was that it was so huge, leaving the redheaded boy little option but to explore it in its entirety. Fortunately, there were some cool-looking boxes that seemed to function in the place of stairs to make the venture less taxing on his shoes.
"Hey, hold it!" The palm of his hand slammed against the side of the door as it began to slide shut, and, feeling rather triumphant with his small feat, Luke entered the small chamber of the elevator. Ugh, it was an awfully small room to share with someone else, but whatever... He leaned against the handrail opposite the elevator's occupant and turned his disaffected gaze to a side.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:00 pm
Company.
Just what he needed.
Frost resisted the urge to slam the 'close door' button by a very narrow margin; that would be extremely rude. As the red-haired young man dived into the lift he stepped smartly backwards so that he was leaning against the handrail as far away from the stranger as possible. Egh. He didn't like touching the rail; countless dirty hands touched it every day. He knew that a bit of contact with dirt and grime was necessary for a strong immune system, but that didn't mean he had to like it...
The young man just turned his head to the side. While Frost was glad not to have his personal space invaded, he had presumed the boy would want to press one of the buttons on the lift. "Which floor would you like to go to?" he asked as the doors closed and the lift began to move. "I am going up two floors, to the third floor." The boy would tell him where he was going, he would press the button, and nobody would enter anybody else's space. Good...
The lift was making a faintly worrying groaning noise. He knew very well that lifts had so many back up safety measures that the chances of it plunging down the shaft all of a sudden were slim to none, but it was still a concerning sound. Even though they weren't going to plummet to their deaths, something was clearly beginning to go awry. Looking up at the lift ceiling, even though he knew it wouldn't provide any answers, Frost pursed his lips slightly. This was not good.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:40 pm
"What? Uh... Me too." He spared a wary glance at the man as he spoke, not really sure of what he meant, so it seemed a fine tactic to just agree and see what happened. He shuffled slightly, readjusting his posture. He honestly didn't really know where he was going, but if he didn't have to climb the stairs to get there, it sounded like a good idea to him.
The mechanics of the elevator groaned, drawing a similar gaze from Luke as it did from his company. The boy, however, was oblivious to the workings of the machine, and his stare was more curious than concerned. Odd that it made such sounds... Perhaps it wasn't as high-end a place as the exterior would have its customers believe that it couldn't even equip itself with quieter technology.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:47 pm
"Very well then." Frost spared the redhead a brief glance before returning his attention to the ceiling. Just as he did so the lift gave a louder groan and then a distinct clunk. With that, and a jolt that made Frost grasp the handrail in surprise, the lift stopped. Grimacing at surging pain from his damaged ribs - he shouldn't have moved so suddenly - Frost cast around the lift. Naturally there was no hint from the inside of the metal box as to what had happened outside, but instinct made him look all the same.
Once he had confirmed that there were no convenient flashing signs to tell him what had gone wrong Frost sighed slightly and wrapped an arm around his throbbing ribs. Looking over at the boy he was now trapped with for an indeterminate amount of time, the pale-eyed man said a single word that summed up his feelings about the situation; "Drat."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:01 am
With a final decisive thud, the cart suddenly lurched. A momentary expression of abject panic washed over his features before it was quickly quelled into one of terrible irritation. "What the hell?!" He turned his anger on the only other sentient presence in the proximity. "Can't this stupid thing move any more smoothly? Jeez!" He withdrew slightly when he noticed the man's glare, and eyebrow raised as he awaited a response or an explanation or... something other than just staring at him. And then a word, a single word. "What? This not supposed to happen?" He folded his arms and turned his head to a side as he asked, hoping that a snide outward appearance would cover up any indications of ignorance. It wasn't his fault he didn't know what was going on.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:08 am
"Umm... No. Not exactly." Frost blinked in bemusement, totally unprepared for that response. Didn't the boy know how lifts worked?... Well he was wearing slightly peculiar clothes, maybe he wasn't from around here... Or from around anywhere that has lifts. Well, that was beside the point, the point right now was to educate him. "The lift has stopped between floors," the pale eyed man went on in neutral tones, "we're stuck. Mmh. Well I shall give it a few moments in case it manages to un-jam itself, and then I suppose I shall have to press the assistance button and hope that somebody outside the lift can come and fix it."
Stuck with a stranger. This was supposed to be a pleasant day in the city, just wandering around a bit to stretch his legs, enjoying a day off. He had not intended to spend any of it in close quarters with people he didn't know. He really hope the lift started working again in short order.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:56 am
Now there was a proper explanation, given in terms he could understand. And how much effort had that taken him? Why couldn't more people be so forthcoming?
Well, whatever... It was hard to be irritated when he had received just the response he was hoping for, so he resigned his indignant disposition and took up one of nonchalance. "Mm... Okay." The guy seemed to know what he was doing, so Luke chose not to question it too much. Overall he couldn't complain too much; there were any number of people he could be stuck with that would make the situation thousands of times worse. Like that frigid chick from the sandwich shop. Or... Well, mostly just her. Whatever.
"This happen often?" That the guy had a clear idea of how to react to the circumstances implied as much.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:25 am
"No it does not happen often," Frost responded, setting aside bemusement as to why the boy didn't know himself. He should not assume that the rest of the world knew everything he knew, even simple things. It was his inability to understand the perspective of others that held him back in social situations... well, that was one of the things that held him back anyway. "It has only happened to me once before," he went on, feeling he might as well give more information while they were here, "and I have used lifts fairly frequently my whole life, i.e. three and a half decades though I do usually prefer to use the stairs so I suppose I have not used them as much as some my age... The chances of the lift falling back down the shaft are almost nil by the way, so you needn't concern yourself with that. Worst case scenario is the lift being very firmly stuck and us eventually having to climb up the shaft."
Oh dear. That was not a good prospect actually; it would be dirty, and his ribs would not be at all pleased. He was past the stage where he would do himself much real damage, however, so at least he could safely ignore the pain. It might not be fun, but it certainly wasn't important.
Mmh. Well, it certainly didn't look as though the lift was going anywhere. Sighing slightly Frost pressed the button marked with a bell, which he presumed to be the button to let somebody know something was wrong with the lift, and waited for a response from the little speaker beside it.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:07 am
"Ugh. Just my lucky day, huh..." Luke heaved a sigh as he listened, his thoughts wandering through his memories of the past few days. He had been criticized by some chick over a sandwich, forced into the company of a weirdo who couldn't keep his name straight, and dragged around and threatened by a girl who said she was with Team Rocket. And now he was stuck in a box with a guy who was still talking. He was beginning to think that Rosie was a bit of an outlier in a city full of unpleasant company.
"What do you mean, climb? I thought the point of this stupid thing was to save effort," he complained, planting a firm kick against the wall in annoyance. What an awful day...
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:18 am
"They are supposed to save effort," Frost responded, treating the still silent speaker to a look of mil annoyance, "but when they break down... Whilst 'give it a kick' does sometimes fix things, in this case I think you are wasting your effort," he said as the boy booted the side of the lift; that it was a display of temper didn't even occur to him. "Mmmh. Anyway. Hopefully it is a simple malfunction that can be repaired in short order. Climbing up a lift shaft would not do my suit or your coat any good at all." He liked this suit. He did not want oil, grease, dust, and other miscellaneous dirt all over it.
After what felt like an age, but he knew in reality had been less than two minutes, the speaker crackled into life. "Hello? Can you hear me okay? We've got a jam in the pulleys, mechanics are heading off to work out it right now. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, is everyone alright up there?"
"I am somehow put out," Frost replied calmly, "but I am sure I shall survive." Having spoken his piece he turned to the other occupant of the stationary lift and raised a questioning eyebrow; he hoped the boy wasn't claustrophobic or anything.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:47 am
Out of sheer spite, Luke gave the wall another kick and folded his arms with a huff. So what if it didn't do any good? At least it felt like he was doing something productive, be it inspiring the stupid box to start moving again or punishing it for its insubordination.
He grimaced at the thought of climbing through what was certainly something dark and dirty and grimy and filthy and... No, that wouldn't get along well with his favorite white jacket at all. Ugh. All he wanted was to get a sword, and look at the mess he was caught up in now. Arceus forbid anything be so simple.
Luke frowned at his company's response, ducking forward a half a step to add his own thoughts, "'Work on' nothing! Tell them to fix it now! Jeez..." 'Work on' implied time, waiting, and patience that the boy was not willing to give. While he wasn't claustrophobic, he was extremely impatient - it stood to be decided which was the more debilitating of the two.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:53 am
"Uuuh, we'll get it fixed as soon as we can sir. Sorry again sir!"
As the suddenly nervous voice from the speaker faded away Frost sighed slightly and shook his head; the boy obviously knew nothing at all about anything, where could he possibly be from? "Lifts do not run on magic," he informed his companion, "there are a lot of cables and pulleys involved. It is not a case of just fixing; they must diagnose the problem first, and then they must decide the best way to tackle it. Humans are notoriously inefficient, so they will probably waste some time on that decision alone. Mmh. Once they reach it they must make any necessary repairs, and then we must hope that things work again. In any case, with all of those stages it could be hours before we start moving again."
Hours. Blast. He shouldn't have left his book in the car. All he had with him was a tiny notepad and pencil, suited for jotting down a sudden stroke of inspiration but nothing more than that. Maybe he should let Skiron out for company.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:31 pm
This was... kind of strange, though not at all unwelcome. Receiving an explanation without having asked for it - and in a tone that was calm without being condescending no less - was a new experience for Luke as far as his expectations of Kodo went. He listened with a quiet attentiveness, catching himself before he started to look too interested, until the closing words. "Hours?!" His exclamation was followed by an exasperated groan, "Ugh, I don't have that kind of time to just stand here!"
Well, that was a lie, and he knew it. He had no prior engagements and no responsibilities. But just standing in a box, for hours, with some guy he didn't know (even if that guy did seem okay by Luke's standards) was just... boring. Deeply and innately boring. With a sigh that suggested he was already beginning the feel the effects of that boredom, Luke leaned his back against the wall and fixed a glare on the empty air.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:38 pm
"I suppose we ought to find a way to pass the time," Frost said after a few moment of silence, pondering whether or not to sit down. The floor was dirty, but he might be here quite some time... Maybe later. "Easiest if we have common ground, or one of us has interest the the other's interests," the pale-skinned man went on, absent-mindedly tugging his already cuffs straighter still. "Pokemon is a good starting point," he went on once he was satisfied, "do you have any, or if not at least a passing curiosity about them? I know that non-trainers are something subjected to ridicule, as though they are not quite normal. Like people who choose not to have children, but that's an entirely different debate."
What was it people liked about babies and young children? They were noisy, rude, smelly, crass. They picked their noses and screamed in public. They put their hands into just about anything, and then touched you, and their parents thought you ought to be charmed by their interest. Well, that or screamed that you were some kind of pervert and hauled their precious little one away from you, even though it was the child that had disgustingly groped you and not the other way around. Disgusting.
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:54 pm
Somewhat warily, he turned his attention to the man as he spoke, unconsciously directing his gaze to the luxury ball at his hip, haphazardly and unintentionally concealed by the folds of his coat, at the mention of pokemon. "Yeah, I've got one," he said, adjusting himself so that the ball on his belt was in plain sight. "A Flareon. Dunno if you could call me a trainer, though. I don't really do battles." The mention of children in the same context as pokemon hearkened back to part of his conversation with Izaya. Ugh, he really hoped this guy wasn't one of those weirdos who thought pokemon were like babies or something...
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