Cartesio NPCs (
cartesio) wrote in
cartesianism2018-09-24 09:24 pm
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April 1st - Arrival

Arrival
It feels more like waking up from a very restful night, instead of the jarring feeling of waking up in an unknown bed. That feeling may not last long, though, because you're definitely not looking up at any ceiling you're familiar with.
It's some kind of motel room -- maybe cleaner than you'd expect from such a place. There's a comfortable bed, a trunk with a military uniforn and a gas mask and enough space to stash whatever you get during the next two months, a closet with a familiar outfit or two...no other belongings in this room, and certainly no answers as to why you're here.
There's one thing that may bring more questions than answers: a calendar. Today's date is marked there: April 1st. Happy April Fools day? The entirety of April and most of May is empty, but the week from May 21st to May 25th is filled with one word:
END
The moment you step out of your room with AC you're hit by the warm, sticky air of Cartesio. Today is a rather dry day. You're not the only one who seems to be lost -- other people come out of their rooms. At some point, once you get to the lobby, you find a few things of interest: a guestbook, a rack of maps, and a note pinned to the wood of the counter:
"Meet me at the Lodge in two hours -- The Sergeant"
You now have a place to go to in two hours. In the meanwhile, how about you get accustomed to the motel and the town?
It's some kind of motel room -- maybe cleaner than you'd expect from such a place. There's a comfortable bed, a trunk with a military uniforn and a gas mask and enough space to stash whatever you get during the next two months, a closet with a familiar outfit or two...no other belongings in this room, and certainly no answers as to why you're here.
There's one thing that may bring more questions than answers: a calendar. Today's date is marked there: April 1st. Happy April Fools day? The entirety of April and most of May is empty, but the week from May 21st to May 25th is filled with one word:
The moment you step out of your room with AC you're hit by the warm, sticky air of Cartesio. Today is a rather dry day. You're not the only one who seems to be lost -- other people come out of their rooms. At some point, once you get to the lobby, you find a few things of interest: a guestbook, a rack of maps, and a note pinned to the wood of the counter:
You now have a place to go to in two hours. In the meanwhile, how about you get accustomed to the motel and the town?
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It's a matter of moments to stroll closer, Hawks letting his eyes wander and take in their surroundings.]
Pretty elaborate for one of your "tests," Dabi.
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Don't tell me the number two hero can't handle this much. [ Speaking of alleyways and being out in the open, now that he has Hawk's attention he's going to start walking off (you better follow Hero) to the Junkyard. That's a sufficiently shady enough spot for talking, sure. ]
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[He actually does roll his eyes when he see where Dabi had led them. It's secluded for sure, but not exactly a step up from an abandoned warehouse.
After they find a place far enough inside the junkyard to be private, Hawks opens his wings and flaps lazily, an idle motion just fast enough to stir the hot air and provide a slight breeze.]
So. Shogi, really? If I didn't know not to underestimate you I wouldn't have guessed.
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Aww, I'd be flattered 'cept that's your specialty right? Being so charming and all. Guess that's how you got the number two spot, sweeping everyone off their feet.
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Hawks shifts his wings wider and lifts his arms out a bit towards Dabi--a very open gesture, though that gleam in his eye and his smile are a bit too sharp to be actually trusting.]
Why, if you wanted to be swept off your feet all you had to do was say so, Dabi!
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If it can get me out of here, that might be worth hearing whatever drivel came out of your mouth during. [ But that's not exactly what he means, and he points up. He kind of doubts it would be that easy, but can you just fly away, Hawks? ]
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Hawks steps away from the trash heaps and crouches, his wings flaring wide. He barely stays pauses long enough to get out a "hold that thought" out before he's working his way into the sky.
They air is hot but rather stagnant, so no convenient updrafts to ride. It's surprisingly hard to get high enough to see if there was a neighboring town-- there doesn't seem to be, not in his not-insignificant vision anyway. Even up higher the air is still fighting him, and unless that changed on another day, staying aloft will be a lot of work.
Preliminary assessment done, Hawks angles his wings to spiral down towards where Dabi waits.]
No landmarks, and the flight conditions aren't exactly favorable. Even if I can get out of here, it'd take a lot longer than I'd prefer.
[He'll quirk an eyebrow at Dabi and copy his gesture at the sky] You want a turn?
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His gaze is sharper than it was previously, but his tone still carries that same cool tone as before. ]
Pass. Not one of your fangirls to swoon over something useless. [ In other words, he's not interested in deadends and there's the matter of him not trusting Hawks on top of it. Then again, he apparently trusts him enough to take his word that flying isn't a valid option, but that's more of a confirmation than truly trusting the hero. ]
Besides, doubt you'd really leave the brat behind.
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The repeated comment to ‘his fangirls’ draws an eyeroll out of Hawks. Autographs are one thing, but he doesn’t make it a habit to use his quirk with random fans unless he has to rescue them. Part of him is almost relieved Dabi didn’t want a lift— his aviator jacket and gloves must not be agreeing with this heat. They’re designed to help in the colder, windier conditions high in the air, not this heat. It’s either that, or whatever brought them here is messing with his body more than he’d like. Not happy with that thought, but not trusting Dabi enough to voice it. Maybe another time, if he gets desperate. And they have a deal to fall back on.
Shelving that thought, he pulls his gloves off and shoves them in his jacket pockets before shrugging the jacket off onto the ground. That already feels a bit better, less to hold heat against him. ]
Nah, I wouldn’t leave him behind. A few feathers for one person and I can still fly carrying the other. Or both of you could have some feathers and I just have the supplies we’d need to get out of here, but that can lead to a lot more variables to juggle. Not exactly fun, depending on how long it goes on and if the air stays unfavorable.
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Guess stripping is part of your charm. [ But moving onward while continuing to stare because this is his default expression anyway. ]
Keep goin', you're doing a great job of convincing me that you're on our side, Hawks.
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Hawks winks, but his face immediately fades back into a flatter expression. After another moment, his wings resume an idle wave.]
Very funny, your jokes must be your charm. [A shrug just a touch too aggravated to be the casual he normally goes for.] Not sure what you want me to "keep doing," since I doubt the answer is "strip."
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Good choice there Hawks, 'cause he's not in the mood to play too much either. He does manage a grin at the faux compliment though. ]
Sorry, I'm not Toga. [ ...that's a morsel of information that he wouldn't have offered were it not for the circumstances, and he's immediately irritated at himself for it. ]
What part of villain screams saving that brat? He's already proved himself useless to us.
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Surely as smart as you are, you should know know about "indoctrination." Even Stockholm Syndrome. A little bit of kindness can be twisted pretty easily to more devious means. This [a handwave to encompass everything around them] is obviously not something the League set up, even an angry prejudiced brat could tell that. Help him now, or at least let me make the token effort. He's already trained to trust a "hero" when they offer direction, isn't he? Time will let the rest fall into place.
[If Hawks sounds bitter, it's not something he's forcing too much. There is some bitterness at his own situation from too many years ago now. Different circumstances, but close enough to shoehorn into it.]
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Kid like that will self destruct with or without your help either way. [ ...he would know. ]
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[As much as it pains him to say it...] Yeah, if left unchecked he probably would self destruct. Good thing none of us plan to be here long enough to see it happen. We should get more information later, at whatever that ‘meeting’ is supposed to entail.
[There was a calendar in Hawks’ room with only two months available too. If that’s not something as ominous as he worries, they might just be able to stick it out as well. That would only be a last resort though, no need to be sitting ducks if they can just find a way to leave.]
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Right, right, you've never been to a villain run meeting before. [ Just rubbing it in, all good. ] If it's like the rest, it'll end with at least something or someone embedded in a wall.
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Well, time to put yourself to some use then. Why don’t you lead by example on how two villains conduct a meeting. I’m sure it’ll be educational.
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You encouragin' me to set this whole place on fire, Hawks?
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Are you saying all you’re good for is fire? Here I was thinking you knew how to use your smart mouth, not just run it. Or did you not earn your leadership of the Vanguard?
[Time to really play with fire. Goading Dabi will either hopefully get him to contribute some kind of expertise that isnt just burning things or standing and looking pretty, or get him “fired up” a hell of a lot sooner and aimed at Hawks.
Guess he’ll learn the answer the hard way.]
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As the seconds tick by, it might seem that Hawk's plan isn't going to work at all. Dabi offers neither helpful insight, nor does he move to instigate a conflict. He just stands there, hands in his pockets, posture slightly bent, smirk relaxing into a neutral expression. And that's probably not all too surprising given his usual muted demeanor and how he tends to handle most situations. But like most things in life, there's always a flip side.
Hawks has seen it before during their brief fight over High End—that flame that's flickering one moment and fully ignited the next. Lucky him to see it twice, because even Shouto Todoroki doesn't earn this type of response. Maybe Hawks is special, or maybe he's just way too aggravated over the collected events of the day. Hard to tell. Either way, all the winged hero gets is a second of warning before Dabi is closing the distance between them—his left hand already alight in blue flames.
There's as much instinct as there is experience at play here, though Dabi can already tell that something about his quirk is off—but hopefully that goes both ways. He knows Hawks is fast, but he'll harness both the element of surprise and the wherewithal to play dirty(he'll grab any part of the hero he can) to keep him from flying away. Whether he manages to pin Hawks up against a pile of scrap or not, he'll stop just short of actually setting him on fire, though his left hand remains ablaze. ]
I earned it by getting idiots like you to shut up.
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As the seconds tick by, Hawks feels tension crackle along his back. Even with his relaxed demeanor, Dabi usually would have said something by now, if talk was all that would happen.
When the villain finally surges forward Hawks tries to propel himself backwards, buy enough of a moment to then go up or sideways. The unnatural amount of fatigue from the earlier flight must be getting to him though, because he stumbles over his own discarded jacket and gets pinned in place. He's barely keeping his balance, wings slightly spread but too close to junk heaps to effectively use without risking bringing it all down on them, and has an arm trapped in a vice-like grip. The flames dance in his glasses' reflection--too close to risk shedding feathers. Hawks is fairly well stuck unless he risks more than he might like this early into this weird situation.
Hawks also really isn't sure if this is better or worse than if he hadn't opened his mouth. He can't even call Dabi out on his response being a lie either--he certainly did get Hawks to shut up for several fraught moments, just like he said.]
I guess I'd call that a pretty effective demonstration of putting your words to actions.
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Don't forget your place, birdie. A cage is still a cage, and this time you're trapped with me.
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Thankfully, fried chicken doesn't quite seem to be on the menu just yet.]
The reverse is true then too isn't it? You're stuck with me too. Shouldn't that be a hint to not roast your probable ride out of here?
[Hawks is also probably going to end up covering for Dabi to at least the exploding brat, if not someone else if they have a problem with the "villain" title. Mutualistic relationship, and all.]
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Maybe later. [ The fire may be gone, but until he sees how the hero responds he's not backing off completely. ]
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You can let go now, you know. We can always chat more later after we've seen what this place wants from us.
[They've reached their impasse, had the pissing contest, let's get on with the professional part of the day.]
(no subject)