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 Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 11:54 am
The search for someone familiar continued and while he first spotted Kai (because it was near impossible to miss the man) he also spotted he was with a woman. And because Terry didn't trust himself enough to play wingman and it was clear as day Kai didn't need one, the Life trainee decided to put approaching Kai as Plan B.
You don't need anyone but me, sweetness, Aggy said, sounding like she was pouting.
Terry didn't bother correcting his weapon. But he did spot the Professor, that is Melvin and recalled how the man had offered to help him out and explain things when Terry first popped out of the pod. And so Plan A's first step was clear: Talk to Melvin.
"Melvin," he said politely as he approached the senior Life.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 2:08 pm
Melvin was debating where exactly he needed to go, deciding he should probably talk to America about a course for the Runic Specialization when Terry, the recently hatched podling, came up to him. It was good to see him here where he no doubt needed the education and to start meeting other hunters, but also with the luxury of it not seeming to be heavily combat focused. It was the perfect time actually for him to wake up.
"Oh, Hello Terry. Glad you could make it to came. How are you holding up?" He asked. Unlike before where he had been dressed in a sweater and his jacket, he was instead wearing a open zip-up hoodie and a heavy-metal t-shirt of a corpse eating it's own intestines. Along with this he was wearing some jeans and some boots as camp had made him think there would be hiking involved. It was always good to have a pair of boots just in case.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:45 am
The small smile on Terry's face widened just slightly more at the sight of Melvin's T-shirt, giving the man an aura of an intellectual with a sense of humor. Yes, Terry definitely wanted to stay on Melvin's good side. "I'm faring well," he said. "A little confused about what is expected of us. Of me particularly, given that I was only recently woken for duty." He was glad to have sidestepped the whole I missed the briefing completely and know absolutely nothing admission.
"Are there many more like me?" He asked, hoping that maybe he could find some little group he could join and mimic. Or for Melvin to be willing to act as mentor-figure until Terry properly found his feet.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:59 am
"Oh, well right now our duties are to escort any Halloween citizens that might be wandering around back to their side of the world, to escort humans away from that side, fix up the place since it's still kind of a dump for not being used much, and to patrol if we see anything suspicious. There are going to be some courses too to help new people out get familiar with some skills." He informed him, adjusting his glasses on his nose for a moment before checking his Spectre watch.
"There are new people being woken up all the time. I can't pick them all out though and they don't seem to be in any one cabin. We kinda want people to socialize with all ranks so no one is in one place. I'd talk around. If we were still wearing our coats, I'd say the newbies are usually the guys with the simplest coats because that's the one the quartermaster gives you guys and full hunters have their ranks in the colors and hem-work of their coat. More colors and more details means higher up." He pointed out.
"How about we go on a patrol. Just say Reaper instead of Hunter and you can ask away. Hopefully make all this a little less intense for you."
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 9:33 am
"Reaper? As in the Grimm reaper?" Terry had yet to learn about the more detailed classifications of Halloween denizens.
Type of Halloween citizen, not all of them are cranky grim-faces, Aggy supplied, though she didn't go into too much depth.
"I would like to patrol, thank you. I'll find someone to room with afterwards." He didn't want to impose. Not yet at least. "Do the coats serve as some form of special armor? Each division having a unique skill-set?" And now he was trying to equate things as job or character classes. And maybe if he ever got comfortable enough, he might ask whether the women in Deus ended up wearing skimpier clothing the higher their rank went up.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 9:42 am
"No. They are just ways to see who is a Hunter and who isn't, as Reapers tend to look like us most times. They look human and wield weapons but are not human. That's why we can fake being them while we are here at this camp. You do have a shield you cannot see that is like a coating over your body that your weapon gives you and gets strong as you grow in rank. It protects you for when you get hit with weapons so instead of turning into a kabob, it just knocks off you though you will still feel the pain and feel worn out by taking too many hits. It's why hunters, like me, can heal your shield. A broken shield means you have no protection and hurt just like a human would in the field and that means a blow from someone can kill you or leave you injured for life." He pointed out as they headed into the woods.
"Each division has a set of focuses in what they do. Sun usually focuses on combat. Moons focus on healing and defense. Life works in the Infirmary and also look into research. Death is more information and surveillance. Break these down into different aspects. Like I'm in Life, but while I heal on the battlefield, I work in the Runic department. Another Lifer I know works as a doctor in the Infirmary. I knew another Lifer who worked in how plant life and fear interacted. if there is no department in your division focusing on a certain thing, you can go to your Lead, the main person in charge of your division, and ask them for clearance to make that your focus." He tried to paint a prettier picture even if the Leads were a lot to deal with most of the time.
"For this point on, call me Leva. Don't use your real name while we are Reapers. What should I call you?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 10:16 am
"You mean you're not the Lead in Life?" Terry sounded surprised by this, stopping in his tracks. "I just thought you were. You sounded so knowledgeable."
Maybe you should go for that! Terry the Life Lead, hmmm, doesn't that have a nice ring to it?
Terry mentally shushed at his weapon before adding "N-not that there is anything wrong with not being the Lead. Only one can be the lead after all." He considered the divisions and what his options were and decided to mull on this further after the whole camp business.
The topic of code-names came up and with a nod, Terry said "Noted, Leva." He thought of his own and with a sheepish smile, he admitted "I've always wanted to be a Tom."
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 1:08 pm
"Hah! Me? I'm too far down the totem pole for that. I'd have to kill someone to get that job." Actually, he probably would have to kill a few dozen, and he didn't feel like he was lying on that part. Aside from a few leads like Allan, he wondered what they had done in the dark to get to where they were.
"Alright Tom. Well, us Reapers all have a lead and they are very strong. Since I've been here, it's never been up for grabs. You really have to show yourself for something if you even want to get close to that job. It eludes me to how. As for how I know things, I've just been here long enough and I spend time reading things in the library. You'll pick up on a lot as you live here." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 1:15 pm
And there of course was the needle that popped Terry's dreams of one day being the Lead. Admittedly it was more of Aggy's dream and even then it was less a balloon and more a bubble.
"You mean for real kill or just figurative kill?" Terry had already crossed out Lead as a goal in his new life but he'd watched enough shows and read enough to know that your fellow man (or woman) could be even more terrifying. "Sounds like Life is a safe division to be in."
But that's booooooooooooring, how can anyone appreciate you if you're always safe? Aggy whined.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 2:48 pm
Melvin just looked over and shrugged. "Who knows."
"There are no safe divisions. Everyone gets thrown into the fire. The safest thing is to stick together, help others, and maybe know a few people who will notice if you aren't around when s**t hits the fan so they can drag your butt back home." He said, stretching out his arms to cracks his shoulders.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:00 pm
"I see," Terry said in an even tone. Although he could objectively understand the whole secrecy and potential danger inherent in being a Hunter, or "Reaper," he hadn't quite fully internalized it. So he did the next best thing which was ask more questions to get better understanding. Melvin was proving invaluable to the newly awakened trainee, "What does the Runic department do? Is it exclusive to Life or is it a sub-department shared by the other divisions?"
Perhaps later, after Terry had properly and fully digested and understood the information and his current situation, he would try to get to know Melvin beyond the Professor-Mentor Terry currently saw him as.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:08 pm
"Well, nothing works on the ...uh..camp on it's own. You can't just bring a lamp from off the island or a computer or even a power-drill and expect it to work. Due to the nature of the island and the Fear in the air, it messes with those systems. They first need to be runiced in order to work, and that's where our department takes over and modifies all the equipment to make it usable. It is solely a division in Life, but that doesn't mean it affects everyone on the island. It's just the actual sitting down and modifying it that goes to us. I even do it on the side for Hunters who need their personal items runiced - of course we all charge." He said with a smile. Had to make money somehow.
"I'm one of the few Runic Masters on the island." He said rather proudly.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:15 pm
The more Melvin explained, the greater Terry's admiration grew to the point Agata was getting a tad jealous over it. Careful, you might start wanting to not just be like but to be him.
Terry ignored her but he couldn't ignore the intense disapproval she was radiating in his consciousness.
"Do we make a profit as Reapers?" he asked, "And what other things can be mastered at "camp"?" being in Life was certainly becoming more and more appealing to him.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2017 6:08 pm
"Everyone gets wages and gets paid each month. You also get leave time to go outside and just buy stuff and enjoy some time as someone else. Again, no real names." He said, walking down the path and listening to the distant sounds of birds. It was nice to hear wildlife again.
"If you get a specialization, you can make money on the side or you can start some sort of business. I know a friend of mine has a bar and takes care of that." He said. "I make mine from what I specialize in on the side. People come to me and I get their stuff running." He didn't want to talk too much about specific hunter things in case they were heard so he hoped Terry understood he made money from runicing.
"There are other opportunities to do work for cash that will be posted once in a while. "
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:07 am
Terry made sure to file away that particular piece of information. It would be one more excuse for him to go see the man once the trainee had adjusted to life on Deus. "Interesting. If I didn't know better, I would think I'm still asleep and dreaming about a life from some urban fantasy novel." He tried to keep his tone neutral, though judging by Melvin's choice of shirt Terry could have risked externalizing his excitement over this possibility.
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