[OPEN] Fatality Is Like Ghosts In The Snow

[speakveryclearly]

Date & Time: December 8th onward
Location: Snowsilium
Characters: Kanaya Maryam and you
Summary: A day in the undeath: meandering through the snowy landscape hunting for prey; work at the seamstress's house where she wrangled residence for herself, Mami, and Alice; evening gun lessons in the Mekakushi Dan mansion; and night shift in the Transporter facility.
Warnings: Noon prompt has potential vampirism; closed McGill-Brown prompt will lead to discussion of war, death, and such intersections as erasure phenomena


[Closed to Mami and Alice]
She "gets up" early to "help make breakfast", a convenient reason to never take meals in front of her mistress. Though Kanaya derives a little pleasure from doing chores for the woman that has accommodated herself as well as her two friends, the hologram she has on practically twenty-four/seven is not one of them. Here her short black hair "is cut" more conventionally, her skin is a less sparkly sort of pale, and her teeth are supposed to be flat. She practices expressions in the mirror for a few minutes a day, to make sure that the physical presence of her fangs doesn't interfere too much with the purely visual illusion. Then she turns away and places her empty plate on the countertop, ready to engage in conversation with her coworkers.

[Open: Outdoors]
By noon she's gone out "for lunch". It's an opportunity to explore, the only one she really has during the day... though sometimes as she glares at snow hares or penguins with blood thirst in her eyes, it seems like she wishes her excuse were true. Maybe if she went far enough into the forest nobody would notice. God, though, does she hate the cold. At least she has a practical black coat from Christmas last year. Soon she'll have to go shopping - her midday socializations are a little tainted with this anxiety, whom to give gifts and whom to ignore.

[Closed to Saul, Steph, Ahiru, and Dick]
On the 10th of December she has a destination in mind. A quick phone call has verified for her the location of Saul Goodman's current sanctuary. She knocks on the door and a dusting of snow falls off her black gloves. Who'll answer? Who else will be there? She doubts, upon thinking, that Saul lives alone...

[Open: Clotheshop]
And in the afternoon? She's back to work, of course. The future sewing machine is a different model from what she bought with her first paycheck in Exsilium, and she's never seen a future loom in person at all. The smile on her face as she works behind these machines is a decent approximation of happiness, less artificial than when she's selling clothes from behind the counter.

[Closed to Mekakushi Dan]
When she "goes out for dinner", her dining establishment of choice is the Mekakushi Dan's mansion, and she's glad for it because this is the only place where she keeps the hologram off long-term. In their common area she takes up as much space as she likes on the couch, wearing a T-shirt and loose skirt, and dismantles firearms blindfolded. "This is how Kano should learn," she insists with a good-natured imperiousness, "aren't you part of the blindfold brigade anyway." Part of the pretense is to delay the progression to outdoor practice, when her holographic facade will have to go back up.

[Open: Transporter Central Building]
Only at night, sneaking out of the shop when she's supposed to (need) be asleep, can she log her hours of temporal programming. Inside the complex, too, she retains her supernatural appearance if only for increased recognizability. The terminal where she works is separate from her tablet; both devices see a lot of use, though, as this is the place natives are least likely to look over her shoulder.

Comments

Open: Outdoors

[inhumanity]

Christopher is out strolling, wrapped up warm against the weather. When he spots Kanaya, he pops up with a cheerful grin.

"Haha, I told Vino he'd been watching too many movies. It's good to see you again, friend! Have you found any interesting flavours of human to try? There could be some interesting and delicious genetic mutations to enjoy, but Nature herself is capable of such infinite delight and variety already."

They meet omg

[speakveryclearly]

At first her face is twisted in distaste and confusion - who is Vino? And why is he friends with this asshole? Then she forces a smile which Christopher will recognize as the sort exposing all her teeth as sharp like knives even if they seem completely flat with the hologram.

"Not particularly! Their winter diet isn't exactly hearty, you know. Does Earth liquor have the concept of a pale lager?"

DUN DUN DUN

[inhumanity]

He certainly knows what is really there.

As for himself, Christopher has stopped trying to fit in. Why should he bother? The main mission he needed to accomplish is done. And while his features are certainly unusual, even eccentric, that doesn't matter. He has never needed to rely on humans, and he won't here. So he smiles back at her, serene rather than baring his teeth, with a mouth of fangs.

"Is that what they taste like? We'll have to take you back in time to spring to have a more nutritious diet. It would just be awful if you were weakened by bad stock." He nods along as he says it. It is hard to judge his seriousness.

WOULD HE INVITE HER TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY BECAUSE I MIGHT SEND HER THERE...

[speakveryclearly]

"Too bad the next mission I'm running is in the same season as this one," she grumbles without resorting to outright sour skepticism. "At least it's in India, though, which I have reason to understand is an overall warmer climate."

She looks at him with a weak version of that intensity only vampires can manage, thinking back to his reasons for selection as a veteran (and she does have to ask him about dear sweet precious Merrill): A thirst for missions. "We might finally make some conclusive progress on chemical weaponry. I'm not sure what we're going to do after that's completed."

WHY NOT let me send the invite it's going to be awful

[inhumanity]

"Oh, are you going to stop the building of the Taj Mahal and therefore destroy a central source of tourist income? What a genius way to cut at their defence budget!"

A nonsensical answer from a nonsensical man. He doesn't mind the way she looks at him, though. In a strange way, he enjoys it. Christopher doesn't fear predators or monsters. Just people who have eyes that vivisect and mouths that don't explain. So he is completely relaxed, even cheerful as he chats with Kanaya.

Outdoors

[redheadcarrier]

Here's Asuka, out in the snow and looking somewhere between miserable nad impressed by all o the snow. It's the first time she's been exposed to it to any length of time and despite the many coats she seems to have layered herself with, she looks a bit cold. When she spots Kanaya, she simply falls in to next to her with a wave, "Hey, Maryam-"

There's a pause as she glances around at the expanse of snow around them.

"The locals aren't giving you a hard time, are they?"

[speakveryclearly]

She shakes her head, not a heavy gesture; being around Asuka is easy. "No, they've been pretty nice, though I'm getting a little tired of this holographic façade." She doesn't bother to reiterate the question; if Asuka has been getting flak for her own appearance somehow, it'll be for an insecurity Kanaya would prefer not to provoke. "This clothesmaker lets me work for room and board. Where are you living?"

[redheadcarrier]

"I'm still with Sheryl and Kallen. We're pretty normal, I guess, so no one's really bothered us too much."

As much as Asuka hates describing herself as normal, it's kind of a relief not to have to deal with people treating her like some weirdo outsider.

"I need to find a job, though."

Asuka pulls a fave. Lame.

[speakveryclearly]

"That would probably make things easier. I really miss the days when we had a salary."

Especially since Christmas was around the corner. "I should ask Stephanie Brown to set you up. She's the only employed member in a household of four right now."

"mcgill-brown" did you really

[controlledvariable]

The answer to the first question is easy enough: Steph is the one who pulls open the door, having checked the camera feed she's set up (Bats). She's got a few hours between one job and the next, so she's at home for a little while, at least.

"Kanaya, hey. I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the place," Her smile is easy and warm, as she opens the door wider and steps back to let Kanaya in; Saul gave her a heads up about the potential visit, so she's not surprised.

I did and I'm not even sorry

[speakveryclearly]

Kanaya comes in gracefully and doesn't linger on the threshold. "No, it's not too hard finding your way around here once you get accustomed to it." Still, Kanaya was glad she hadn't been on the scouting mission and could now look for a place to hang her coat - for one thing, the physical presence of her horns underneath the hologram meant she couldn't wear a hat, and she was even a little paranoid about the two spots on her head where apparently no snowflakes had fallen, to the outside observer. The crystalline precipitation might be pretty, but it was inconvenient and came with an aching cold. Maybe she would sit down under a blanket soon too...

"So you've been renting this, then? It shows." Her own accommodations might have been cozy in a way, but she hadn't chosen them. "How many people are sharing the cost?"

how did this happen to me etc

[controlledvariable]

There's a coat rack, but Steph still holds out a hand in an offer to take Kanaya's coat for her, even though it'll end up in the same place no matter which of them does it. It's just polite.

"There's four of us, but I'm pretty much the breadwinner," She isn't gonna make Ahiru get a job, Saul's focusing on DITR stuff, and while Dick does put in a little money towards rent, Steph is loathe to accept it.

When a human man and woman love each other very much

[speakveryclearly]

Ah, that helps; Kanaya lets Steph make the gesture, giving herself time to finally find a seat.

"What have you been doing to earn a salary like that? There are three of us living over the clothes maker's shop and we all have to work there." She's more impressed and curious than skeptical.

Mekakushi Dan!!

[reassures]

Nill is seated on one of the cozier chairs in the room, her own jacket and shoes discarded somewhere near the entrance. She has on a simple outfit, a blouse cut low in the back to make room for her wings without alterations, and a pair of jeans, prepared for whenever they go outside next. She has her own guns set to the side, out of the way for the moment, and she idly toys with a flip-knife while she watches Kanaya take the guns apart by memory and instinct alone.

They're good things to know, and Kano should probably be taught how to do that eventually, but it's not hard to tell that Kanaya's stalling. Even so, Nill indicates nothing to the contrary. She likes the idea of staying inside for a few extra minutes more as well - her wings get very cramped under that jacket after a few hours.

[speakveryclearly]

There is only so much she can do this way, even working with both her own evolving jade-and-onyx weapon and the plainer Armory pistol actually intended for Kano, blanks or bullets or neither, and she can feel more knowledgeable eyes on her. This is only the second time she's tried to teach someone, and a year of experience is less than some other transports have. "That's enough of that, I guess." Eventually with her right thumb Kanaya pushes the blindfold up onto her forehead, revealing the unholy saffron yellow headlamps she has the nerve to call "Eyes" once more.

...with which she can see Nill! That makes sense - she's a brigade member and had responded to the post with concern about firearm safety. What a convenient obstructionist... er, educational opportunity. Kanaya leans away from Kano to move across the couch closer to Nill (so she can view her tablet should it be shown to her, though not type over it; she's learned that the hard way) and ask: "What are Nill's thoughts on the subject?"

[reassures]

A small smile appears on Nill's face when Kanaya takes off the blindfold enough to look at her, a greeting of sorts. Her tablet is tucked into a pocket on her jeans, and she reaches for it - but her fingers stop before she ever pulls it out, and instead she places her hands palm down beside her on the couch. She had to get more used to trusting people-- it was something she was well aware of, and Kanaya was in the house frequently enough that she might as well live there, to some extent. And really... Nill was tired of hiding everything and lying to everyone.

"I think," The voice that could be considered her own chimes in, soft and careful; trying not to startle Kanaya too badly. "A smaller gun might be better to begin with. It would have less kickback until he's more used to handling one."

She doesn't say it to Kanaya alone, instead extending it to everyone in the room, much like a voice would. There's nothing too intrusive about it, not really.

[speakveryclearly]

Kanaya's face morphs from confusion into a smile typical of someone recognizing music. I didn't know she could do that! The ability makes sense from Nill, though, and she tries not to let shock delay her too much.

"Recoil can be awful, Nill's right. And clip size is less of a concern here when there isn't any particular need for the units of ammunition to remain embedded in their targets."

Breakfast!

[muskets]

Mami has the courtesy and the intellect to wait until it's safe to speak candidly, even as her own plate of food sits mostly untouched on the counter. Despite Kanaya's words to the contrary before, it still felt impolite to eat in front of her; she'd break herself of the habit soon enough, she was sure, but for now it was simply easier to talk to fill the time during meals.

"It's going to take a while to get used to your disguise, I think." There was no bite or insult behind the remark - it was simply an observation.

facesquish

[speakveryclearly]

"I wish I didn't have to wear it, but the method could be a lot less inconvenient than this," she remarks less bitterly than she would around someone to whom she didn't feel capable of showing her true self. She's just glad Mami doesn't share her plight. "How long do you think this situation will last? Will we see Spring?" The word gets a special emphasis thanks to how long she thought the flowery season was called Sprung.

what are you two doing

[bittertears]

"A necessary inconvenience, at least for the time being." Alice remarked, used to having to see her troll friend endure such a disguise. "There's no telling how long this will last, honestly." Predictably, Alice was less enthusiastic, preferring to keep herself grounded in reality, laughable as others would've found the gesture to be.

"Though at this point, I'd welcome any change."

i held this up for literally two weeks i'm sorry, please fire me =(

[muskets]

"It could certainly be worse." Mami cast a glance over to Alice, a soft smile on her face, and she straightened comfortably in her seat. "But it's always nice to meet new faces." Her voice was just as soft as before, but she seemed absolutely earnest, even as she finally brought her own cup to her lips. "But with any luck, we'll be able to push forward sooner rather than later. I don't think there are many of us who enjoy lingering needlessly."

Open: Outdoors

[hotdate]

And Heath is hanging around outside his new home, as always completely oblivious to the cold, casually rolling some snow into a ball. There's a 70% chance he is making a snowman, but he would deny that to the ends of the Earth. He brightens as he sees Kanaya walk past, abandoning his task to jog over to her, falling into step beside her.

"Hey, Girl, how're you doing? Need something to warm you up?"

[speakveryclearly]

Her face lights up when she sees him; sadly, thanks to her disguise, the visual result is figurative, not literal. She stops at the sidewalk and takes in the snowy scene along with the building nearby.

"I sure could use that! I'm on lunch break from work right now, you know that means I have nothing to do... What are you doing out here? Is this where you live?"

[hotdate]

Heath glances at the building behind him and nods.

"Yeah, me and Lee are living here. Until, y'know, everything gets fixed anyway," he flashes her a grin. "Well, I can fix that for you! What would you like to do? Name it and we'll totally do it."

[speakveryclearly]

"Oh, I don't know Lee, perhaps you should introduce me sometime." She has to go 'hmmmmmm' at his offer. "I don't know... The boss will want me back in rather less time than we would have for a movie. Is there even still a theatre, here? Watching film via tablet gets very old."