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 Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 10:07 pm
This will be a Private Roleplay between The Detective Prince [Carter] and Count Kaosu [Kaosu].
Setting: City Junkyard; the Junkyard itself is rather large, if not quite empty. Many citizens can enter with the price of a small fee to pick out and rummage through old parts.
Time: Late Afternoon
Weather: Weather is good, and faintly warm. While morning brought overcast, the skies are clear.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 10:46 pm
Carter had never ideally meant to be so alone. Even as a being that had initially been intended as an emotionless, durable weapon, the orange-haired young Android had wandered far from that original definition. She hadn't stepped out of the quiet safety the Junkyard offered for weeks, and this was, in part, to blame upon her freshly discovered emotions and sense of self preservation. At one time, Carter had thought only one thing; that she was, as a machine, expendable. While it was true that most any superficial injury or damage could be repaired, where as in humans the consequences might have been more severe, Carter had little interest in risking those circumstances. Especially since she simply had nowhere to go, were her condition to grow worse than it was. She'd removed the cartridge from her arm, tucking it away amongst the 'Junk" she had mentally, meticulously categorized in her head. As a machine, she could commit details to memory much faster than any truly living person could. But life had grown boring, uneventful and slow. Carter knew that eventually, she would need to venture out in search of repairs. With body left susceptible to further deterioration in it's damaged state, after all, Carter's functioning days were numbered.
Still, she seemed reasonably happy, in her current lifestyle. It differed greatly from the fragmented memories Carter held of the past. No gunfire, no fight, and certainly no blood. There weren't even orders! If there was anything she missed at all, it had to be the contact - but that would come again, at least she hoped. The world outside of laboratories, outside of missions in large estates or bases, was home to many new noises and experiences. Carter had only ever seen animals as enemies before; vicious German Shepherds sent out as defense, only to have their skulls crushed or to be pummeled with bullets. They didn't do a frightful amount of damage against armor. Yet, now, she saw different breeds, different temperaments. How giddy she'd been when a stray had licked her hand! Given, most in these days would be revolted by the warm touch of an unkept animal's tongue; Carter, however, found it endearing. It was a learning experience, after all.
Today wasn't very different than the day before, Carter had to admit. Humidity wasn't terrible, but the warm weather left her vaguely uncomfortable. The sounds of people busy with their lives clogged the usually desolate air of the Junkyard. Distant cars, dogs barking, sirens and distant cries of children were all amongst these noises. Really, they were so garbled, that Carter couldn't hope to decipher or identify each individually. Her surroundings remained much the same, despite the change in sound. With piles of mechanical and technological waste piled high, containing anything from vehicles to computer parts, Carter was never left without something to search through. The android had replaced a number of her more seriously damaged areas. Once thick fibers and cables, which were left busted and mangled by her previous encounter, had been replaced with old copper and rubber ones. They felt uncomfortable, she had to confess. But this was certainly a better fate than being decommissioned, right? If not for the ever-human fear of being turned off, essentially killed, Carter would have certainly returned to her place of birth. However, that was an impossible option now, and Carter had come to terms with that. This was her home now, however strange it was - and the entirety of it was a learning experience.
Carter's facial features, which seemed to be perfectly unscathed, if not a bit dirty, twisted into an expression of displeasure. She was seeking new parts, although, it seemed doubtful that her search would return fruitful. While Carter had never been seen, or caught by the rarely present owner of the Junkyard, the female remained wary of the piles nearer to the front of the Junkyard. As such, often, Carter researched piles that went with little change over the week. At best, she recovered things like wires, or computer parts that were shot, or partially busted; many of these parts were far too outdated for her, anyways. Carter simply couldn't decide if her constant searches were honestly the result of need, or a desperate bid for entertainment? Otherwise, she would likely be left without a thing to do inside of her carefully chosen prison.
Carter had dressed finely enough. Her attire was simple, and stained at the lower hems, and at the long, loose arms. Luckily, the material was a sturdy deep gray, and the smudges of oils were difficult to make out. Nonetheless, with her constant stepping through mounds of metallic junk, a few small tears had erupted at the ends of the dress. The clothing could be described as.. conservative, and for good reason, too. The high color ended just beneath the strange, transparent collar she wore, while the dress itself ended just below the knees. metallic legs, with their material as flexible as they were, was easy to mistake as boots, and the mask mounted on her skull, flipped upwards, was simply a strange head accessory to both. Colored fingertips were hidden beneath the lengthened sleeves, and in the end, Carter seemed to fit the idea of a strange, but human girl who lived in the Junkyard, anyhow.
She emulated breathing, despite not needing to, and this false behavior picked up as she exerted herself further. The mask she wore wasn't lowered, as usual, and green eyes were pressed into thin slits, blocking out the persistent annoyance of bright rays from the sun; they pestered even androids, it seemed. So focused on her works, and near the top of a pile that topped off at nearly three meters in height, Carter's defenses were relatively low. She'd grown accustomed with the safety and loneliness of the Junkyard, and certainly didn't expect the presence of another anytime soon. With sleeves rolled up, again and again surprisingly nimble fingers dug into the curious piles of techno-garbage over and over, braving the risk that most would see from scratches or cuts, in order to repeatedly pull out small handfuls and look at them, before discarding unwanted thing by throwing them over her shoulder, and towards the bottom of the pile.
It was simply another day in the life of Carter the android.
((Bahh, suckish. D: ))
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 9:26 am
All things considered, Kaosu was having a fairly productive day.
The weather was perfect. Morning had been dark and gloomy, but by noon the skies had completely cleared. As a result, the wastelands were brighter and more welcoming than usual (not that the wastelands ever were very bright or welcoming). The redhead cheerfully traipsed along, pleased with himself. Dave and Red –those ridiculous, determined, fools- had given him quite some trouble last night, hounding him over fourteen miles of the most rugged terrain he could find, but in the end he had lost them at the bottom of a gorge. Now he was free to wander anywhere without the constant nagging fear of stray bullets. For just a while, he could afford to let his guard down. Kaosu preferred to operate this way –alone, uninhibited, carefree. Unlike most people with their busy little lives, he was perfectly content to do nothing with himself. He enjoyed wasting time. He did not mind his utter lack of purpose. The perpetual solitude was calm and relaxing. Or so he told himself.
The landscape was barren and monotonous, and Kaosu absently noted that he had never explored this particular area before. After walking a couple of minutes, he encountered a towering chain link fence. This instantly piqued the vagabond’s curiosity. Someone was trying to keep people out. Was that a challenge? Without a second’s hesitation he scaled the obstacle, dropping gracelessly onto the ground on the other side. He liked to travel in a straight line, and neither laws nor walls could stop him. Interest, on the other hand, could. The junkyard quickly drew into view, stopping the tramp in his tracks. Massive piles of broken machinery... Industrial trash, as far as the eye could see… He had could not remember encountering anything like it.
Like a child unleashed upon a candy store, he descended on the strange place with boundless enthusiasm. His parents would probably cry if they saw him acting so unrefined. He adored discovering new mysteries –it added a scrap of color to his repetitive life. Careful to not cut himself on anything, he picked through a stack of old broken computers. Most of them were nothing more than garbage. He cracked open a particularly old model and was delighted to find most of its parts intact. Expertly, he helped himself to a handful of outdated but still expensive chips, knowing that he could probably swap them somewhere for a room or at least some food. He still could not fathom why all of this buried treasure had collected in heaps in such an awkward location (it was fairly close to the city), but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Scavenging was an art he had perfected, and he was fully prepared to spend the remaining light stripping the dump of anything remotely valuable. Until he heard motion.
Kao’s survival instincts kicked in. Startled, his first action was to draw Robert Lynd’s handgun and wheel to face the source of the sound. His following actions were to catch himself, force himself to calm down, put away his weapon, and scold himself. He really needed to work on that. The noise had probably come from a stray dog or cat. Reminding himself that not every creature in the world was hostile, he cautiously proceeded deeper into the massive enclosure. And then he saw her. Standing on top of a particularly large collection of junk was a humanoid girl. She looked harmless enough, sifting through her mountain peacefully and quietly. Her clothes were unusual, especially her boots and that contraption on her head, but Kao was hardly in the position to criticize. He still had not replaced his torn, blood flicked shirt and probably appeared pretty shabby himself.
The female most likely was doing the same thing he was, and he had no real reason or right to disturb her. Still, Kao figured it would be best to alert her of his presence. If her sense of self preservation was anywhere near his (and to survive outside of civilization, it pretty much had to be) she would be wary of strangers. Especially if they had sneaked up on her. Besides, she might be able to explain what this lot of rubbish was. ”Hello? I was not expecting to run into anyone else out here…” he called out, hoping he would not surprise her too badly.
ooc| Oh hush, yours was better than mine. talk2hand
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 2:22 pm
((-Noms your avatar. >O ))
To say that there was some sort of kinship between them as Junkyard dwellers would likely be an overstep; the both of them were, after all, looking for very different things. Carter did not comprehend the importance of money, at least, to herself. After all, aside from the energy to run, and parts to remain intact, there wasn't much else the Android needed. She couldn't eat, and, as it were, simply displayed no desire to - even as curious a girl as she was. Furthermore, Carter could go without sleep, as her essential brain was a computer, a system that would need a brief downtime, from time to time, to avoid serious complications. Weather, and cold, while minor discomforts, could not make her sick, or bring her to suffer heat stroke, so, there was no need to find an appropriate shelter. Kaosu searched for loot, and seemed to revel in his wasteful days. While Carter, she searched for supplies, and felt disappointed with her quiet life. A machine was created for a purpose, after all; if her purpose was no longer to kill, then what was it? She had to find a new one!
Carter had lowered her defenses, in preference to probing the mountains of discarded machines and relics of anywhere from five, to 50 years passed. While in days of old, the android would have been one to exhibit far more caution, Carter expected little more than a stray dog to come upon her in the Junkyard. If her past experiences with dogs probed true to current, then that simply wasn't an issue. Both Kaosu and Carter had unexpectedly come across another 'living' being. Neither seemed to anticipate someone else in their presence, and so, when Carter and Kaosu 'met', it was all the more surprising. Kaosu made his presence known, politely enough. Carter had been busy with her usual activities, green eyes focused upon the mashed together pieces of foreign objects, of what could have been some grand invention twenty years ago, but was now nothing but junk. It had been so long since she'd heard a voice! Carter only seemed to realize this fact as the masculine notes hit her ears, and she raised quickly. While Kaosu had been relatively ungraceful in his movement over the fence, Carter, as opposite from him as she seemed to be, spun around atop uneasy footing with all the grace of a young doe. Within a second of his inquiry, Kaosu would find the seemingly frail female staring down at him, one small hand peaking from beneath a lengthy dress' arm, touching the wrist on her opposite side.
In truth, she had been ready to slide the sleeve upwards, and offer any potential threat a mouthful of bullets. It seemed to have slipped her mind that no rounds were attached, however. Seeing only a young man, Carter relaxed. If he'd intended to attack her, Carter supposed he would have made his move when she wasn't paying attention. Since when had anyone else been here? Looking far-more like an eccentric young human than an android, Carter canted her head to the side, remaining silent for a brief period of time as she examined his face.. and, well, certainly clothes. She recognized the speckled droplets immediately as what they were.
"I.. could say.. the same."
She paused every few words, lightly testing her voice. What one might expect, a mechanical, monotone melody of words did not come. Rather, Carter sounded quite normal, female, logically. Sure of her own ability to speak, and, seeming to trust in the male's naivety to her 'structure', Carter jumped from the pile, extending long legs beneath the loose folds of the dress, landing at the ground mere inches in front of the pile. For a moment, Carter regretted the movement, watching a cloud of dust puff up from the pressure of her feet meeting the dirt ground. She fretted over the idea of it damaging her any further, as Carter often did, these days. With the logical conclusion soon made that no, her legs were quite fine, however, Carter smoothed out the wrinkled folds of her clothing. Now at an even level with the unnamed man, several more physical qualities became obvious. Carter was a bit shorter than him, and her oddly-designed eyes never left the other's frame.
Was he armed? Should she ask? Did he have a job? With who? What was he doing here? He.. well, he hadn't been lying about not expecting to meet someone, hadn't he? So, that meant this man certainly was not involved with any immediate danger! It didn't show very well, but an overwhelming, giddy sort of sense seized Carter. She could interact! How she hated being so lonesome.
"Why are you here? Nobody ever ventures this far in.. What is your name?"
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:46 pm
Normally, Kaosu would have been wary of any stranger, especially one from the wastelands. The lawless, barren territory was a dangerous place to call home. Cute little towns harbored murderers. Cute little animals fostered disease. Even cute little women could be hostile –who knew what kind of weapons could be hidden up her sleeves? For once, however, the red head’s very active sense of self preservation was not triggered. He was not suspicious or apprehensive at all. Perhaps this was due to his good mood? Oh dear. Defeating Dave and Red repeatedly had not made him overconfident, had it? Pride could be fatal in his world. Then again, this female seemed… different somehow. She gave off a strange vibe that Kao could not quite place.
The tramp opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off when he noticed that even though he was not threatened by her, she seemed calculating and wary. Had he intimidated her in some way? It occurred to him mildly that his appearance might be a touch too rough around the edges for the average scavenger. He sported a handful of very visible, very nasty scars. His clothes were ragged and probably were still flecked with blood. He was even missing an eye. He looked much like the modern “bandits” of the rural world; wretched humans who preyed on travelers depended on slaughter. Heck, he might as well have been one –he did carry a stolen gun.
”Why am I here?” he repeated for his own benefit. That was, in all actuality, a very good question. He had a hard time drafting a logical answer. After all, “why” was not typically a question he concerned himself with. Would this girl understand if he told her the truth? That he simply traveled wherever his feet carried him? That he risked his life daily for nothing more rewarding that endorphins and peace of mind? No, that was too romantic an explanation. Hastily, he invented a more plausible excuse, ”Uh, I was looking for parts to repair my computer and I got lost.” He was a terrible liar, and every inch of his tone betrayed that he had tried to feed her a falsity. He did not even own a house, much less a computer.
”Why are you here, Miss? If you’re lost too, we can look for the exit together,” Kao asked in return, feigning curiosity. He was not one for conversation and did not particularly want to know why such a fragile creature would be sifting through junk alone. He was attempting to the best of his abilities to behave politely. ”And what is that ridiculous thing on your head?” he added flatly. So much for acting nice. There he went again, being needlessly rude. It was almost as though he could not help it. ”Usually when you want to know someone’s name, you give them yours first,” he scolded, pretending to be offended. Stubbornly he crossed his arms.
”Hello. My name is Kaosu. Nice to meet you,” he parroted, as though providing her an example of the proper way to greet someone. ”Who are you?”
ooc| Fail fail fail fail I'm really sorry fail. gonk
What wrong with my avvie?! D<
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 8:38 pm
((It's fine. Kaosu's adorable - as is your avatar. biggrin ))
Kaosu's initial thoughts were true. She had designed to be cute, and, visually, anything but threatening. Her eyes were bright, her fare-skinned face round. Carter looked almost childish in her appearance, and her often awkward, unsure movements seemed to mimic this. No, Carter wasn't awkward in combat, but dealing with the average living being was an entirely different story. Her training with the verbal arts, as opposed to simply pumping holes or slicing large chunks through flesh, was quite underdeveloped. Carter would have to choose her wording carefully. She certainly appeared odd enough, all on her own within a Junkyard; no need to arise any other suspicions, were there? Despite her initial defensive action, Carter seemed relatively at ease, now. She stood calmly, watching the wandering male quietly.
While unknowing of his violent past with the two men, Dave and Red, one could be certain that Carter was far more deadly an opponent than your average cheat with a vendetta. Carter regarded Kauso's various.. marks with some form of curiosity. In her line of work, few had escaped with minor injuries. It was either death, or leaving unscathed, wasn't it? She'd never really seen scars, or a missing eye, for that matter. The petite android found herself tip-toeing forward, growing closer and closer to Kauso as he gave a rather false answer. Whether it was true or not suddenly didn't matter to Carter, as she broke into a short-lived, melancholy fit of giggles. She waved her arms back and forth idly, shaking her head.
"Is your computer that old? I've searched high and low, and only rarely find a piece of working parts that are younger than ten years old."
She informed. Still, supposing Kaosu's real purpose, the age of the technology he scavenged couldn't have managed much. If it was old and worked, it was an antique; if it was relatively new and worked, it was quick cash. Well, one could only suppose. As the male before her referred to being 'lost', however, Carter's cheerful mood seemed to dampen. While not technically lost, Carter certainly felt as if she were in a maze, thrust into a foreign, twisted world.. But the Junkyard? Well, it was the closest thing to familiarity she had! And so, the orange-haired female merely shook her head, before offering a slight gasp of surprise. Fingertips peaked from one of the long sleeves as she reached up to lightly finger the metallic piece - a mask that was currently turned upwards, to leave Carter's humanoid face exposed. Wanting to avoid any serious, truthful answer, Carter merely offered a wry smile in return.
"What are those ridiculous things on your body?"
And with little concern towards the ideals of personal space, Carter darted forward. The small female poked at a visible scar with the tip of a finger, which pressed through the lengthened fabric of her sleeve. While an android, she'd been given a thin layer of what could only be described as a tissue-emulator over much of her white armor. As such, even an indiscreet fingertip was faintly pliable as it pressed to Kaosu's flesh. Her intrusion didn't last long, however, as the rather quirky little female straightened her posture soon enough. Was that really the case? Carter would simply have to take it as fact, having never learned the 'art of introduction' before.
"My name is.. Carter. Yes, Carter - and I live here. It's rude to come into someone else's home, isn't it? That's what they teach you, in.. uhm, school, correct? Well.. you do look far too old to be in school.."
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 10:36 pm
Kaosu eyed the quirky girl quietly, appraising her half-heartedly. She moved awkwardly. Abruptly. Her frame was frail and fragile. Everything about this unusual female made her seem almost… childish. The seasoned vagabond had far too much experience living in the rough to believe that a creature like her, even protected by the chain link fences and surrounded with free salvage, could survive alone. The place was remote. How did she get food? Clean water? In the wastelands, due to the shortage of resources, it was impossible to remain in the same location for very long. Yet, he could not imagine her traveling around unprotected, either. Was someone helping her? Instinctively he glanced around, checking the area for any motion. Upon finding nothing, he scolded himself for being paranoid. No, this woman existed in solitude. And if that was so, he had to consider her formidable, despite her appearance. He could not underestimate her anymore.
Carter was putting on just as much of a show as he was. Maybe that was what he had sensed was off about her? Maybe that was why she swallowed his blatant lie with such ease? ”No, my computer is pretty new. My friend says that I can still use parts from older models of the same brand, though,” he explained. When she began to tiptoe towards him, he simply watched her with a sort of baffled curiosity. The closer she drew, the more comfortable he became. Completely unaccustomed to all forms of company, Kao was very, very attached to his personal space. He almost objected, but he was interested in what she intended to do. ”It sounds like you’ve been searching this place for a long time,” he observed. Judging from her tattered clothes and obvious comfort in her surroundings, he had already gathered that this junkyard was her residence.”What are YOU looking for?”
It suddenly occurred to Kaosu that she might be playing along with his obvious facade simply because she, herself did not want to talk about the truth. He respected that feeling and felt no need to push her further. He could pretend that they were both normal for both of their convenience. No more personal prodding. When she revealed that her strange headgear was a mask, though, he blinked blankly. Frankly, he had seen weirder fashion taste. She proved human enough underneath… but what did she lug around a helmet like that for? Briefly he regretted his decision to not ask questions. Instead, she did. ”Things? On my body?” He had no idea what she was referring to. ”I do believe they call these clothes, he answered flatly.
When she poked him, he winced involuntarily. Usually the only physical contact he had with another being was the connecting of a fist. Her touch surprised him. ”No, really. Do you seriously not know what these are?” he inquired incredulously. Medical science progressed rapidly every day, but many people still preferred natural healing. Scar tissue was not that uncommon. He could not convince himself that she was THAT ignorant. As she admitted ownership to the acre of scraps, he only shrugged, ”I never attended school. But I don’t need an education to know that this place is literally a dump. Stop pulling my leg. You know what a scar is and you definitely don’t live here.” He guessed she probably was being honest, but he needed to pick her for information nonetheless.
ooc| I don't know whether to be flattered or afraid. sweatdrop
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 6:43 am
((It's acceptable to feel both. xD ))
Carter, were she a normal person, certainly couldn't have carved out a living place here. The only food present, without venturing far, seemed to be wandering animals who had made it through the fence; rats, dogs, cats, and so on. There also seemed to be only one source of water, which was the small shack at the Junkyard's front. Certainly, in this sort of area, a normal person could have only lived as a Vagrant - as even Kaosu seemed to do. However, making such an unlivable place 'livable' was not difficult for Carter. She lacked the necessities of modern humans, and contrary to Kaosu's paranoid thoughts, Carter was in the weakest, most delipitated state she'd ever been in, and was far less of a threat than some super-human who had managed to make the rough land work in their favor. Carter herself was at a stable risk of joining the heaps of garbage, if she opted to remain there for too long. A blatant lie - well, while the truth was always, certainly a good thing to know, perhaps if he did not want to share such information, it was acceptable to leave him be?
"Well, yes, you can, but it wouldn't work very well; it would make everything slower. It would be in your best interest to purchase something new."
Carter informed thoughtfully. Kaosu may have been attached to his personal space, as Carter herself often was - but she was far too curious about the workings of "flesh beings" to leave the poor wanderer be. After all, while plenty of text book knowledge about the anatomy of humanoid beings had been given to her, she'd often never felt the touch of warm, living flesh until she was slicing through it, ruining the careful structures some God had created.. or, evolution, whatever your fancy. And it certainly wasn't as if her superior's had trusted Carter to go around groping them, solving her curiosity which, in truth, wasn't at all related to her work. Of course, as Kaosu turned the tables, mentioning, truthfully, that she must have been wandering the Junkyard for a long while, Carter stiffened her back. She looked to him oddly, hesitating a brief moment before answering with a rather simple, partial lie.
"I've got nowhere else to go, and am not in any shape to go wandering around, as some seem to do. I like it here, I may.. fix broken things to pass the time."
Carter never brought up that those things included, and were mainly himself. Why would this man, Kaosu, need to know? When Kaosu referred to his clothing, Carter again gave a small shake of his head. The pale-haired female at least knew what those were - it wasn't as if the humans she had worked around, or even killed, had all been nude. As if to remind him of what she really pondered over, Carter poked at the visible scar once more, jabbing it gently. She knew, vaguely, about scar tissue - but with the presence of modern medicine, surgery, and prosthetics, it wasn't as if it was deemed valuable information to teach Carter. She couldn't recall seeing many of the odd marks before, and it wasn't as if she could have asked anyone in her past. With Kaosu's inquiry, Carter raised her gaze, glaring at the male dangerously before taking a step back.
Obviously, he didn't believe her; but why not? Why would she have to lie? Given, to protect her essential identity - but otherwise, she was truthful! Stomping a small foot as if she were a despondent child.
"I don't know what a scar is, and I do live here! You needn't be so rude!"
Carter protested.
((Limited time - I know it sucks. ;_;
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 7:47 pm
Kaosu hesitated a moment before replying, debating whether or not to persist with his lie. He offhandedly decided that it could not hurt to give her a piece of the truth. “Yes, it is always best to purchase something new,” he started pleasantly. ”But you see, “purchasing” is the problem. Do I look like a guy who is rolling in extra money?” Indeed, the word “broke” had been crucial to his vocabulary for quite some time. He remembered the first occasion he had to tell someone he was broke. He had been extremely young –seventeen. At that age, he still lived off of the wealth he had salvaged from the ruins of his former life: raw pre-crisis cash. He stored in the back of a remote, run down warehouse close to the city. One night, though, a nasty storm had forced him to stay at an inn before he had a chance to return to his ‘secret base’.
By morning the landlord had figured him out for the tramp he was. The tall, heavyset man cornered him right there in the middle of the hotel lobby like a predator cornering his prey. It had been humiliating. Kao, at his age, had genuinely believed he would never live the embarrassing scene down. Once he finally admitted to his questionable financial situation, the stranger had scolded him harshly, wished him good luck, then asked him to leave. Considering how traumatic that incident had been for him, the redhead was surprised how easily the phrase rolled off his tongue these days. It had been very painful for very long. Perhaps his immunity had grown to encompass more than just drugs.
Now it was his turn to listen to Carter’s situation.
“You have nowhere else to go?” Kaosu repeated incredulously, clearly surprised. Curiosity flooded his system. He forgot entirely his decision to not ask uncomfortable questions. “What do you mean? Were you abandoned? How do you survive out here on your own?” His tone way fairly suspicious. “You DO know the capital is not very far off, right? It has a lot of opportunity. You could probably do much better for yourself there than hanging around in a scrapyard like this “fixing” things.” When she abruptly behaved like a child, he was taken aback. The term “abandoned” had been just a random outburst, but her actions brought it to the front of his mind. It would be logical… Her behavior was awkward and immature. She did not appear like someone who could survive completely alone. A sick pit formed in his stomach.
It explained her attitude. It explained her fascination with scars. It explained her docile appearance. It explained even her foot stomping. He hated dealing with other people, especially when it involved social responsibility, but if she really had been dumped in this dump he knew he could not ditch her. She would probably die. “You liar. You know exactly what “scars” are. By mentioning them like that, you just proved it.” He crossed his arms across his chest again, pretending to pout, “I’ll be as rude as I want, thank you very much. If you don’t like it, I’ll just leave.”
ooc| Acceptable, but confusing. gonk
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:48 pm
It seemed neither Carter or Kaosu were entirely truthful. That suited the young android just fine - she was willing to trade off a bit of her own privacy and secrecy for a bit of information. Of course, as Kaosu brought to mention the respective difference between being wealthy and, well, poor, Carter's lack of understanding was evident. Just as she lacked general naivety to the worth of money, she didn't seem to realize that the social classes and money brought a different physical appearance, as well. What made a person rich? Or poor? Well, more importantly, how did you tell, just from their looks? She supposed that a wealthier person might wear jewelery, or a suit.. they probably would have had both eyes, as well. With a ever slight shrug, however, Carter let out a sigh.
"I do not understand. Do you look like a guy rolling in extra money? Well, I'd say no.. you're not rolling, and I don't see any money around - do you?"
The idiom seemed to escape her. While Carter had certainly experienced her own share of problems, never had she faced the humiliation that came without having a substantial amount of money; after all, why should she? While Carter was willing to divulge information, it seemed that Kaosu, in his rather sudden piqued interest, went on to request more and more - at least a little more than Carter was willing to divulge. She wasn't certain if her situation counted as "abandonment". In truth, she had been marked for essential destruction, and had made her escape. No, it was certainly more of a "running away from home" scenario, wasn't it? Carter's thoughts were interrupted as Kaosu's tone changed, and the red-haired male became increasingly, obviously suspicious. Wary, Carter took a small step back, return his suspicious looks with ones of her own.
"I survive, that's.. all that matters, isn't it? The capital's a dangerous place. If I'm here, rather than there, I'm safe. I'll never have to fight another day of my life~."
Carter managed to bring forth a cheery tone with her last statement as she unintentionally revealed a bit of information. Carter couldn't help the child's nature she seemed to hold. Despite being a fairly intelligent being, the android had never had her emotions nurtured, and had certainly never been taught proper manners. Prior, it had been simple programming that drove her to address Superiors as "sirs", and to nod her head like an obedient little doll. Carter, physically, looked old enough to care for herself, at least had she been thrown into any normal situation or setting. Even a man like Kaosu might find it difficult to make a living in such a Junkyard, and his curiosity was not without some merit, and reason.
"Wh.. what? I'm not a liar, I told you! Why won't you believe me?"
The bright tone had faded as the small android offered a whine instead, obviously upset with the male's lack of trust. Up until the discovery of her developed personality and conscience, Carter had always been taken with absolute seriousness; nobody doubted her words, and she, in turn, never doubted theirs. It was personally insulting to hear Kaosu's lack of trust, but reluctantly, the flustered young Carter calmed down as Kaosu threatened to leave. Whether the male would make good on his words was unknown to Carter, who darted forward quickly, snagging on to one of the male's arms, and tugging him towards her Junk pile, as a child would to their parent.
"But.. being rude isn't nice. You can't leave, I haven't spoken with a single person in a long, long time! I told you nobody ever comes out this far, and I never leave, so.. so I never meet anyone!"
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:45 pm
Kaosu stopped dead in his proverbial tracks. While he had only been mildly suspicious before, his mind clicked completely into gear. She was not serious… right? No one could genuinely take his idiom so literally. It was a common expression –no woman her age would be ignorant of it. She had to be joking. She simply was trying to be sarcastic… probably. The sneaking sensation Kao had experienced initially returned in full throttle. Something was off about Carter. His cheerful mood deteriorated, replaced with something a little tenser. ”Ha ha, very funny. You don’t have to rub it in. I’m broke,” he clarified, his tone betraying his change in attitude.
She stepped back from him. The air between them shifted rapidly. His questions had definitely delved too deep. He had made her uncomfortable, too. Nonetheless, he had no sympathy for her. Perhaps his determination to drag her secrets to daylight was a side effect of his recently healed injury? He had not been in the position to be direct, straightforward, or pushy in a very very long time. Even though he knew it would be kinder to drop the subject, he carelessly prodded on, “Fight? In the capital? That makes no sense.The capital is a thousand times safer than the open wilderness… It is organized, it has security.” What had happened to her that she loathed the city so (not that he could blame her, but still)? ”The only people who find trouble there are trouble themselves.”
Normally, at this point, Kao would have raised his guard. However, despite her plethora of awkward behaviors, it was very clear that she was not hostile. She was confusing and contradictory, but… not hostile... In fact, she almost seemed like she did not want him to leave. Odd. The level of desperation in her actions was surprising. She even went so far as to grab him arm and drag him childishly. Maybe she simply just did not have much experience interacting with other people? He hardly could blame her for that. When he first fled from his home and civilization, he had been exactly the same. Whatever the explanation, he did not care. He was not about to tolerate a second violent intrusion of his personal bubble.
And then she spoke. She gave him the last piece of the puzzle. The answer he was looking for. All of her eccentricities were rooted in one fact: she was lonely. Kaosu’s first reaction to this revelation was to scoff. He did perfectly fine in solitude; why couldn’t she? He wanted to ditch the female right then and there before she grew too clingy. At the same time, though, a feeble trace of pity pervaded his system. As much as he liked to pretend he was impervious to emotion, he still could feel empathy. Guilt. His annoying conscience would not allow him to storm off and abandon her to her junk. After a long hesisation, he finally opened his mouth to answer her.
CRASH.
Before he could think of what to say, a mountain of scraps only a few yards away tumbled to the ground. Like a started doe, Kaosu instinctively ducked for cover, pulling Carter along with him to safety behind a junk pile. The next sound was a series of colorful, irate swear words. The tramp sighed heavily. What luck was this? He had run into two strangers in the same ridiculously remote place. Paranoid, he slipped his hand over the weird girl’s mouth, hoping that she would understand to keep silent. If the newcomer turned out to be Dave or Red, she would not give his presence away. She would not ruin his day.
Of course, his fears were entirely unfounded. A short, stubby man rounded the corner, looking hot and lost. He stumbled almost constantly and appeared very flustered. He donned khaki pants, designer clothes, and a naïve expression. Best of all, his back pocket bulged with what could only be a wallet. Who was this fool? A tourist? Maybe he had ventured all the way to the dump out of curiosity –to see how the other half lived. Or was he just stupid enough to honestly believe that the salvage here would be worth his time? Whatever his purpose, he screamed “I’m an easy target, take my money”.
The sight of him gave Kaosu a delightful idea. ”Nobody ever comes out this far, hm?” he began softly, his voice betraying his less than honorable intentions. ”Well, there are three of us now. Why don’t we take advantage of our fortune and play a little ‘game’?" Hopefully she wouldn't ruin this for him.
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