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 Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:35 am
The Scene was no place for young boys- especially ones who had lived a life as sheltered as Faylen. Still, the young German had found himself there, amongst the strange fare, bright lights, and loud music.
Though he had been exploring more and more of the City as of late- he'd been all around Middling, to Border East again and Harbor South- he'd never been to the Scene. It was just one of those areas he generally avoided. That, and Downers (he didn't need to be knifed, thank you very much- it was bad enough living there for the stints he did, way back when). He dodged places like Commerce Corridors and Uppers for practical Game-related reasons- he'd stick out too much and he doubted he'd pass as easily as just some meandering Scene kid. Granted, with Uppers, a contributing factor was that he didn't much care for Uppers kids. They were bullies and just plain stuck-up.
As for the Scene...as far as he was concerned, Good Little Boys did not go to Bad Places like that. Mother had made that much clear. She always spoke so low of the district, saying it was a seething hive of immorality and best avoided. 'They should firebomb the whole place. The City would be best off without them and theirs'. He didn't quite think the place should be burned but... he was convinced it was generally not a good place to be.
He was was only there because he had gotten turned around while out walking- again- and had been drawn in to the lights and noise by boyish curiosity. It occurred to the boy that given the rate he had no clue where he ended up on trips, he should likely invest in a city map before he wound up in a bad part of Downers. Getting mugged and stabbed did not win you the Game.
Faylen found a bench and sunk to it, rubbing his hip- that was the downside to his new freedom to explore. Before, he had never journeyed more than a few blocks to the bus stop or to the store. But now, all this travel, all this wandering...it was making the ill-healed joint ache more than normal. Most of the time, he said little of when he was following older Players around. He couldn't seem weak or a burden- not only was it rude to drag people down (he was already slow and a little uncoordinated as it was), but he couldn't seem like an easy target.
He glanced around, drawing his legs up onto the bench. How...did one get out of this place? It was confusing and disorienting here; it was as though he was Alice down the rabbit hole, lost in a neon Wonderland where he wasn't sure what was up and what was down and where home was. He'd only been wandering around for a little bit, but he'd already had more unsavory offers in a fifteen-minute span than a twelve-year-old should have ever have.
A guy with brightly-colored hair (that had to be the pinkest pink he'd ever seen!) ambled by, pausing to deposit a glow-necklace onto the boy's head, calling after him to stop looking so glum and just enjoy the Scene.
He sat there with the glow-band on his head, unsure of what to do. For now, though, he was going to wait for his leg to stop hurting. Then...well, maybe then he'd try to figure out how to get back to the normal part of town because quite frankly, this place was steadily crossing the line from 'weird' to 'scary'.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:00 am
He'd made the papers, and that was how Fish knew this was a big deal. First the Graffers had picked it up - they looked out for their own, and after running Dwayne's obituary, of course they were going to do a follow up story on how the whole thing happened. The Graffers overlapped the couriers, and they had started wearing seafoam green buttons on their bags and reprinted the article in their unionized weekly. From the couriers, the story made its way over to the editors at Pride Parade where they spun the whole thing out to be some sort of vast, anti-gay government conspiracy. (This made Fish laugh, as bad as he felt about the whole thing.)
And now the Scene's main paper was bugging him for an interview - one he did not particularly want to give just yet. There was a time and a place for everything, and he had some affairs on his own end to take care of. For one thing, he was still working up the courage to go and see his parents.
He was doggedly making his way through the crowd, trying to keep his head down. At first he'd been able to revel in anonymity, but then someone got ahold of a picture of him and from there it was all over. He wore hoodies as much as he could and was thankful that the weather was starting to get cooler, but he still had to keep people from looking at him long enough to recognize the scales.
Just wait, intoned Poseidon, as Fish swerved to avoid a bike messenger who really shouldn't have been on the sidewalk. The most faithful will remake themselves in your image.
"I sincerely doubt that scales are the season's next biggest trend," replied Fish with a sigh. Of course, that was before he saw the kid on the bench.
Maybe scales were the season's next biggest trend.
Wait, thought Fish. That didn't make any sense. This kid was too young for gene mods. That meant he was probably a player.
Keeping his hood up, Fish slid onto the bench beside the boy. Patron saint of newbies, here we go.
"Lost?" he asked.
It had been a long time since he'd seen anyone involved in the Game.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:01 am
Faylen tensed up and scooted down a bit as the other one sat near him. He was getting better at not being so twitchy, but it was a work in progress; he was just a naturally nervous little boy. Especially with people he didn't know. And especially in a place like this.
He furrowed his brows and studied the other for a bit before answering. Tonight, when someone had posed that question to him, it was never followed by anything particularly appropriate or helpful. As he looked the hooded figure over, he felt that familiar twinge in his belly he got when he was near a Player. Fay leaned forward a little, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse under the other's hood, trying to see if he could discern whether he was picking up on a godling's aura or if it was just anxiety.
Once he decided he couldn't see much thanks to the shadows the hood cast, he sunk back, dangling his good leg over the edge of the bench and swinging it back and forth. "Um...I just got turned around a little bit." he answered at last.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:44 am
"They're virtually the same thing," replied Fish, who had heard that one before. However, it was becoming increasingly clear that the kid found his disguise kind of sketchy. He lowered his hood momentarily, just long enough to give the boy a brief glimpse of tan skin, blonde hair, and blue scales.
And then he pulled his hood back up and looked around. It didn't seem like anyone had noticed him.
"I'm trying to walk unnoticed among the mortals," he joked, and looked the kid over again. Definitely a player. He'd been out of the loop too long.
"Anyway," he said. For his first player encounter since that whole disaster had gone down, he was glad it was a younger one he had never meant. He wouldn't have to tell them what had happened, and maybe they wouldn't pick up a paper and read about it. "How'd you wind up down here? You're a bit young for it."
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:43 pm
His eyes widened as the other flipped his hood down long enough to flash his own set of facial scales. Habitually, Faylen reached up to brush his own. Another Player? He...could be a 'modder but coupled with that indicative twinge and reference to the Game, he was banking on another Player. Was it really so important to hide your appearance even here? In such a place, he thought he'd at least have less to worry about regarding being targeted due to his traits.
"Is it really a vorry? Even here?" he said, referring to godly attributes.
Granted...even in Middling, he hadn't bothered much with covering his scales, partly due to difficulty. The best idea he'd had was to use concealer foundation pilfered from Mother's to try and cover his scales. It made him look like he had a bad skin condition but at least the scales had been less noticeable then. But...he'd run out fast. So it was back to pretending they were part of a costume. He was lucky to have not run into trouble. Though for a good stint, he'd also had Mr. Writ's poncho to use as a makeshift hoodie to hide things...
He sighed and slowed the swinging of his good leg, keeping the other still tucked up safely. "Um, vell...I haf been looking at more of zhe City. Before zhe Game...I did not get around much but now... vell, I haf nothing beter to do anyvays. No summer studies...I do not even know if I vill be going back to school this fall. Probably not." he sighed. He'd miss school, to be honest. Not so much the bullying, but the learning. The teachers- oh, most of the time they were so nice to him! He pulled the glow-necklace off his head and fidgeted with it as he continued. "I just...I vas walking around Middling and sort of vound up here. It is a strange place. Do many other players stay here? You vould zhink it vould be easier to hide..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:38 pm
"They," said Fish, and hesitated. Did other players hang out here? Certainly he'd seen Quinn and even Writ around these parts often enough, but he was pretty sure Quinn lived in Middling and Writ had a dumpster somewhere else. "I'm not sure," he confessed. "It's sort of my territory."
He'd never dared voiced it out loud like that before, but he almost felt like the Scene would go to war for him if he asked nicely enough. Though their actual reaction to him was untested - he'd done his best to remain anonymous since the story broke.
He knew he couldn't keep it up forever, though. If he waited too long to show himself, he'd lose his sway. He still meant to go see his parents before the story made it to Harbor, but part of him was afraid to.
"It's not a 'worry,'" he assured the boy. "You won't get a second look. It's just..."
He grimaced.
"I'm me. Long story."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:34 pm
"Oh." he said. Mr. Quinn would probably have liked it here, though. He'd fit in well, with his bright colors and generally loud personality. He'd have to ask him if he had even been to the Scene next time he saw him. He was sort of busy with work and all lately...but Faylen was used to subsisting on his own, as long as there was money left pinned to the fridge to buy food and stuff.
He did crinkled his nose a bit at the notion of 'territory', though. it reminded him too much of the gangs and thugs when he had lived in Downers. They'd always claim alleys and blocks and threaten anyone who came too near. 'This is our turf' they'd say, 'and you need to pay a toll to get through'. That usually meant surrendering his lunch money or, failing that, his sneakers or jacket. He'd much rather get beaten up in such cases; Mother was much more scary than any bully when he came home missing articles of clothing.
"Zhe whole place? Or just a piece? It seems greedy to take all of it." he stated nonchalantly. Though he didn't mean it to offend, he still averted eye contact. Generally, if he was saying anything that could even possibly considered offensive, he tended to look down. Hell, even when he spoke to someone he didn't know, he looked away. Eye contact made the boy nervous.
He nodded slowly, not sure he understood the 'I'm me' be. Maybe it had to do with not having English as a first language. Figures of speech and certain phrasings had the tendency to go over his head at times. Still, he nodded along as though he did understand, not wanting to come off as ignorant.
"It is difficult to be a godling, even here, zhen." he tried, after thinking on the statement a little more.
He undid the necklace from it's loop formation, stretching it into a flexible rod-shape again. He swung it around, smiling a bit at the pink after-image it left. He looked to the bigger godling again, not sure what to say. He wasn't very smooth when it came to talking to people.
"Um so...who is your god? Are zhey a snake too?" he attempted, clumsily trying to spark discussion. He didn't even think such a topic might not be one Players may not want to discuss. No notion of territory, followers...heck, the boy didn't even know it was possible to die during the Game. There was a lot he was naive to. "Mine's Ayida. She is a snake-lady." As if his scales didn't hint at that.
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:23 am
Fish shook his head. "It's difficult everywhere," he replied. "But no harder here than anywhere else."
He stared straight ahead, watching the glow-stick weave patterns in the air, and wondered what it was with people and not teaching their children English, but didn't say anything about it. He knew better than that, and the kid was a Newbie. With Persy in hiding, there were no easy answers. But it wouldn't be fair to just give them to the kid. Better to find out how much he knew.
"Poseidon," he replied, because it was common courtesy to trade equal information. "He isn't a snake."
He looked out into the crowd. "Well, not the land," he sighed. "The people. It's my territory and these are my people."
People, he had gathered, were more important than the places they lived in.
"How'd you wind up all the way down here? Where are you from?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:44 pm
He supposed it was difficult being what they were no matter where you went in the city. Blockades, people wary of 'mutants', bullies... the more he thought about it, the more hard it seemed. And the more he missed his normal life. His lip trembled a little and he drew both his legs up onto the bench now, abandoning his glow-stick twirling the hug his knees up to his chest. He had gotten over the homesickness and the weirdness of things for the most part, but every so often he had his moments. He was just an eleven-year-old boy who'd only been doing this 'godling' thing for a month or so. He swallowed and held back tears, willing himself not to break down in front of a stranger.
'Shh, it's okay, child. Just breathe and focus on the now.'
Even such simple words made him feel better, and he moved along the conversation as the other man spoke. "Is he a sea-fish, zhen? Oh, I...I zhink ve may haf mentioned him in class at school. He vas...Greek, right? He vas a vater-type god too." Just like his goddess. But...water was what this world needed, he wagered as he thought of the desert around the City. Then, "Oh! Mr. mercury's god is Greek too, ja." he said suddenly, nodding as he thought of the shorter godling that had helped him so early on.
He glanced to the crowd to, slowly nodding, even if he didn't understand much more now than he had before. "It still seems greedy." he mumbled. How could you 'own' people anyways? The boy had a ways to go...
"Border E--" He caught himself and stopped. He didn't live in Border East anymore. After what happened with Mr. Writ, he probably shouldn't go near there for some time. He couldn't risk running into Mother again... "Middling." he said simply, looking down at the pavement. "I...vas looking around Middling and got turned around and I saw zhe lights and vas curious...and..." He shrugged. That was pretty much it. It sucked him in like quicksand and now he was lost among the neon maze and strange folks. He supposed that in the end, greedy or not, the other boy could have this place.
"Oh, I'm Faylen!" he said. Seems he was always forgetting to introduce himself. He'd have to work on his manners when he got back home.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:59 pm
"I'm Fish," replied Fish, who didn't know anyone named Mercury and wondered if this was something he ought to be concerned about. Certainly he'd been out of the loop since the fourth, working on gathering intel around the scene and such, but... He had never considered gaining power over a zone as greedy. Maybe he just wasn't doing a very good job of explaining it.
"You'll understand when you're older," he told the kid - Faylen? - and left it at that.
A moment later, he thought better of it. After all, he would have liked someone to explain the growth thing to him before it had happened.
He scooted closer to the boy so they wouldn't have to speak as loudly and risk being overheard. "How much do you know?" he asked urgently. "About why the other players are older than you?"
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