|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:46 pm
Work hadn’t been that bad today, the clients had been easy enough to work with, most had ideas of what they wanted and made things easy for him. Kioshi hadn’t had any clients with outrageous wants, or clients who were clueless, it was a day he wished he could have over and over again. As he stepped out of the studio he started down the street towards the parking lot he kept his car in, people who worked in the local shops didn’t pay for a parking spot, but he was just dropping by there to drop his things off before he went to powering up and grabbing some energy.
He had a quota to make and was a bit behind, he’d had a very long session last night that had kept him past the usual closing time, so tonight he was planning to make up for things and getting his quota for the week finished tonight so tomorrow night he didn’t have to go out. The weather tomorrow night was supposed to be a nightmare, the shop was even considering being closed tomorrow, his boss would be keeping track of the weather tomorrow morning and deciding what to do as things progressed.
If he had the day off he was considering finding a way to Kai’s home and spending it with him somehow, he didn’t care for spending the day alone at home with Omen while they were both snowed in. If need be he could even see about teleporting over with Omen and some of the cat's things so he could spend the day at Kai’s as well. But that all depended on what happened in the morning.
Reaching his car he unlocked it and tossed his things inside before closing the door and locking back up. A short walk, ignoring the feeling of being watched, he supposed it was just one of the usual winter bits of magic, as he turned into an alleyway in order to head down the narrow split between two buildings. Once he was far enough away from anyone seeing him he planned to power up and start on things. The weather had better hold till he was done with things tonight, he did not feel like driving in the snow.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:47 pm
Another night and she’d been out looking for more knights and senshi, those civilian starseeds in her subspace were a dime a dozen and she’d poured out enough on Chrysocolla’s desk by now that it probably looked like she’d be able to start a shop selling the things. Of course, she kept that little knight’s one all pretty and wire-wrapped on her nightstand as a trophy next to the medal she had from so long ago. Little things that proved she was worth something to her Eternal that she reported to.
Slinking through the alleys one after another, she decided to take it a bit easier and just drain as she went, only slowly down a bit here and there as she felt the little orb forming in her hand. It wasn’t as satisfying as pulling starseeds but she’d done enough damage in the area that she couldn’t be terribly sure that she wouldn’t be interrupted again by some shitty order senshi or knight.
She could hear someone walking down the alleyway nearby, around the corner from where she stood but she couldn’t feel anything just yet so it must be another civilian. Easing back and behind the dumpster, she waited a bit to see what might happen. Maybe she would drain them a bit, maybe do a bit more, it all depended on what kind of person walked around the corner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:48 pm
Of course not being powered he couldn’t sense the one who waited in the alleyway for him, he had no idea he was being watched as he headed as deep into the alleyway as he could. Kioshi didn’t care much for being spotted by people passing the alleyway who might look, he wouldn’t risk it, as he slipped a hand into his pocket where he kept his henshin pen.
Sinking into the warm clothing he wore, enjoying the warmth it offered, he hoped his uniform wouldn’t be too cold. Assuming he ran into no order, and didn’t go hunting them tonight, he’d likely keep the frost turned off tonight. He didn’t need the air around him even colder than it already was.
Jumping, and hissing, as a rat ran across his path, running into someplace where it likely would keep warm, he shook his head. “Filthy.” This place needed cleaning…it was a mess here and it stunk to high heaven.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:48 pm
Peeking out, she recognized that voice. It was the tattoo artist that did the work on her thigh. Part of her wanted to say hi but they wouldn’t recognize her like this right? Even her tattoo they’d done probably wouldn’t look right to them, at least that’s what she thought she’d read about how stuff worked.
What she didn’t notice at first was the rat running over her foot and she scrambled a bit and tried to hide back behind the dumpster as bags started to shift and fall. ******** ******** ********. Hopefully, they wouldn’t come along and try finding her but just in case… she started draining them, just a little bit to maybe keep them from getting too curious. They’d been pretty nice to her so she wasn’t going to go her usual route with things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:48 pm
Only he didn’t notice the drain, it wasn’t a lot or all at once, but he did notice the noise and in an instant his hand was out of his pocket and he was powering up rather quickly. If it was a senshi or a knight he’d handle it quickly, and he figured it was someone involved in this whole magical mess which he’d been yanked into.
But he didn’t feel order he felt chaos close by - oh so close. Well, that curled his lips as he stood there, hair trailing down his back and down to the ground below. Normally he didn’t care, he really didn’t, but this time he lifted the long hair off the ground and held it up. He was not letting some bugs or rats get into his hair…or whatever else might be on the ground. “******** disgusting place.” He was really not pleased with this, and he had no issue in saying it aloud.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:49 pm
Like that, she felt a chaos order and popped out from behind the dumpster. “Oh s**t! I’m so ******** sorry!” Immediately stopping with the draining she ran over with the small orb and went to hand it to them. “Oh my god I didn’t know you were uh… magic and s**t.” Worry on her face about royally messing up by draining someone higher rank than her on top of it being her tattoo artist.
“Ah are you ok? s**t s**t s**t sorry.”
Smacking her forehead a bit with her free hand as she stood there in front of the corrupt, she hadn’t really cared that the alley was less than clean. It was always like this anyway, even when snow covered all the garbage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:49 pm
Turning around to face them, facing the owner of the signature, he found himself staring for a moment surprised he nodded his head slowly. “You were doing your job, you do not need to apologize for what you didn’t know. Duty is to be taken seriously.” And she had been fulfilling her duty and her quota, she hadn’t known so why should he be upset? Pushing the orb back to her, she had earned it, he chuckled.
“I will be fine and I will regain what energy you took. Keep it.” And he grabbed her hand, lowering it away from her forehead.
“Will you please stop abusing yourself. If anyone should be abused, and perhaps killed, it is those who serve order - not yourself.” He stated calmly, cooly, as he stared at her. He was happy to talk about his dislike for order and what he thought should happen to them - all of them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:50 pm
Pausing and blinking she sent the orb away into her subspace as they grabbed her hand. She flinched a bit at first, still not really one for being touched by guys even if they were on the same side but then again this was her tattoo artist. She was really glad she hadn’t gone her usual route with her magic and starseeding the poor guy.
“That’s pretty chill of you, to be honest. I think I can vibe with that. So uh… hrm…” Looking between them and then the tattoo on her thigh which was free and open to be seen thanks to how her uniform was.
“Well I really don’t want to mess up, I wanna get a promotion maybe one day so I can get something I want to do done. I mean gotta do something extra to try and get the rest of my bingo board for starseeds filled out. Those holier-than-thou order assholes always interrupting me yanno? Why don’t they mind their own business when a girl is just doin' her job and making a bit of extra cash, it’s not like the guys I hit are around anymore after to make any complaints.” Pouting a bit as she pulled her hand back carefully and crossed her arms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:51 pm
“Why would I waste my time throwing out all sorts of meaningless words? It’s a waste of my time and breath, not to mention your time.” And he disliked wasting his time and other peoples time, it wasn’t something he could afford to do considering his job. It carried over as well. It didn’t help to waste his time, it meant less got done, and he had things to do in his life.
“Looking to get to eternal? I’m certain you’ll get there. If nothing else you seem dedicated to the cause and fulfilling the quota.” Which sometimes was hard for him, due to work and how much time that could consume. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, risk his civilian job as he needed the money in order to make his bills and survive. He was also saving up money, by teaching Japanese to people online, so he could get a better place of his own. If he was lucky, and things continued to go well with Kai, maybe he’d move the other in with him once he got a better place.
“Mmm, it seems you dislike order as much as I do. I like that. I was going to gather energy, meet my quota, care to join me? I’m certain if any knight or senshi turns up we can handle them.” Easily, he was sure of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:51 pm
“Guess that’s true, you never really seemed like one who was talkative to be honest anyway.” But then again they’d been focusing on doing her tattoo so it would make sense not to talk and mess up a line or thing like that. It was supposed to keep it from hurting as much but it really hadn’t hurt at all when she was getting it done so it was what it was.
“Well they’ve been good to me so I wanna keep on the up and up and make sure everything keeps vibing along in the right direction. Plus I like cleaning up the city a bit too yanno. Every fall there’s a fresh batch to clean up from the bars so it’s like open season for me.”
It always worked out the best right when the out-of-state college kids came in because it was harder for them to be connected to what she was doing when it really came down to it since most of them didn’t have connections or family here.
“Oh def I can do that. I just got to pick off a fresh senshi the other night, poor ******** idiot fell right into my hands. He even begged at the end, how gross.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:51 pm
For a moment he considered asking how she knew him but he took a moment to look her over instead. That was when he saw it and he knew. “I see, of course you would know then. But no, I am not a talkative person, I don’t like to waste my energy on most people. I do my job and nothing more or less.” Which meant if he had to coddle someone, in order to finish his work, he would but he would only do what he absolutely needed to and not a bit more.
“I can understand that though I don’t kill people, some of them could be future clients of mine, but they are the easiest to drain of energy.” He would take whatever he could and if they were going to make it really easy then he was more than happy to go for it. It just meant he could gather more energy in a shorter period of time.
“They begged for you to kill them? How amusing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:52 pm
Sounded a bit too serious for her tastes but she could get behind it because she’d seen his work at least at this normal gig. “Yeah I kinda take it chill at my other gig, they call me a cryptid since it’s like graveyard shift and pretty rare when I go in. I think it’s pretty fun, though if they really knew my coworker probably would laugh at how on they nose they were with the nickname.”
Walking ahead she started looking around for some more people to drain or starseed. She really preferred the latter but she’d play nice tonight to try and make a good impression. “I wouldn’t call them people to be honest but I figure a lot of them do go for impulse tattoos so maybe I’ll keep a bit further from ya just so you don’t lose any business? Wouldn’t want to cause ya any trouble when I’ve been thinking of my next piece.”
Smiling and spinning back around to face them as she walked backward, she knew these alleys pretty well and there was at least one body in the dumpster coming up behind her from her walk earlier. “Nah, he was all like panicky not knowing why my hand was in their chest trying to hit on me and the was like please oh no don’t do thissss, sack of s**t. Got the only thing that was good out of them and left them in the trash where they belong.” Pulling out the starseed from her subspace for a moment, it was a pale blue and then just as quickly as she showed it off, she sent it back away so it couldn’t go anywhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:52 pm
“Some of them might not qualify as people, depending on the sort of person they are, but anyone willing to pay me I’ll take.” So long as they didn’t make his job harder than it needed to be. He was not at all interested in the stress some caused…but for the money, for the right amount of it, he would tolerate what he had to. It not only meant money but he got another thing to add to his portfolio and post online, to get more business, it was whatever he could get.
“Oh? Another piece, what are you thinking this time?” Honestly wondering what she might want now, she had a piece he’d had to put a lot of work into, and he was wondering if she’d give him a similar piece that he’d have to research like the last. He liked some challenge but he didn’t like drama and insanity. He liked people to know what they wanted, not people who hadn’t a clue.
“Impressive, and well deserved. As much as I should allow them the chance to change sides, as I did, I don’t have the time or energy for it. They aren’t worth the effort for me…I’ll leave that to others, if they want to use their time on such then it’s fine with me.” But he had other things to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:53 pm
“Well if you agree with me on that then everything works out all hunky dory.” Walking along, she siphoned off a bit from the few drunks passed out in the alley. They were close enough to the bars that the stragglers had made their homes here for the night to sleep it off. Bad for them but good for her when it really came down to it.
“I was thinking… another fae maybe or something a bit skeletal. Either on my other thigh or arm, yanno somewhere it can be seen when I’m out and about like this. I’m still deciding on the exact bits of it but I’ve saved a lot of cash up for it again like last time. I can let ya know once I have it figured out.” She still had their number so she’d just hit them up when she was ready, probably after it warmed up a bit.
“Oh yeah, I know all about that. I’ve got a few strings out to bring someone around, it’s gonna be pretty fun I think. The girl’s got a good vibe for the stuff. Got to teach a baby agent how to pull some starseeds too, was pretty fun even if they didn’t like my friend.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:53 pm
He was really not surprised she was thinking of another fae, or something skeletal, it seemed rather fitting for her. Though why fae? It seemed an odd topic especially for someone as seemingly dark, goth perhaps, as this corrupt at his side. But depending on the type of fae he supposed there was something which would fit her personality. People didn’t tend to think of dark themes when they thought of fae but, from what he’d researched, it seemed it could be workable it just depended on what they person went with.
“Once you figure it out let me know, no appointment needed, let me know and I’ll start researching it like last time. I’ll need some time, fae aren’t my usual thing, but I don’t mind the challenge. We can work on placement, if you want, after I present sketches to you and you settle on you. You can let that tell you where it should go.” Because it would need to flow with whatever part of the body it went, and whatever she picked for a sketch would tell her where it would best fit her.
“So you are looking to turn someone to our side? Assuming you are do the right thing, like Wolframite did for me, have them box up things which will be important to them. Wolframite took boxes from me with information, health records, hints to who I was at the time. It helped in reclaiming a job and finding my way. If they forget their civilian life, like I did, it will be hard for them to rebuild everything and keeping things for them will help.” It would not only make it easier but also make sure they didn’t fall through cracks or wind up hating the change they’d made. If someone was going to do this, which he didn’t care for himself, he would make sure it was done right by the person who would be changing sides.
“I had boxed up portfolios, health records, passport, birth certificate, photos of myself and my parents. School year books and other things so I could grasp who I had been. It wasn't perfect, it only gave hints, but it was enough to help.” It was enough that he hadn’t gone long without a job, and he knew where to look for a job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
