exsiliumlogs | Gather 'round people, wherever you roam

Entry tags:

Gather 'round people, wherever you roam

Date & Time: Mid December onward
Location: New Exsilium
Characters: Victor Sullivan and YOU
Summary: Catching up, Christmas stuff, hanging around, whatever
Warnings: none at the moment.

A. Near His Shitty Ice-Shack

[Home sweet home it was not. Sully set up base near the shores of the Thames, in an abandoned little shack probably originally set up for ice-fishing. Over time he's managed to snag some creature comforts for it, starting with a generator and a heater and working his way up.

Strangers may find him hauling furniture or wood, trying to build an outhouse, or just walking to and from, either from an excursion to the nearest town or a trip to transporter. A friendly stranger might offer to help. A less friendly stranger might laugh their asses off as he tries to dig through the packed snow.]

B. In Town

Well, that could have gone better.

[Pawn shops were never where the big money was, but he didn't have a lot of options. With barely any cash to his name and a variety of sundry goods for trade it was that or nothing. It wasn't like he had any contact here, not a fence to be found.

Still, he was hoping for a little better than this. A lifetime of figuring out exchange rates meant that he knew exactly how little he'd really gotten out of the bargain. Certainly not a fortune. But hell, a bird in the hand. Which meant that he was ready to hit the town.

Blending in with the locals might not be too hard. If someone didn't spot him first.]

C. Other??

[Whatever suits your fancy!]

((OOC- If we've discussed doing something special before, you can either throw up a starter or let me know if you want me to make one!))

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Secret's always been safe with me.

[A promise she's glad of, and proves as much when the hug's broken and he earns himself a friendly pat on the bum in parting. Christ. Professional coin-bender right there.]

So long as you keep mine, of course.

Edited 2014-01-17 11:49 (UTC)

[In his defense he takes it without even the slightest jump. There was no such thing as unwanted physical contact.]

Well, I certainly won't be telling Cutter about that.

[He smooths his coat back down, standing moire steadily. And the grin hasn't gone anywhere yet.]

Just as you know, this eliminates any chance of you saying you washed your hands of this venture. I'll keep you updated. Consider yourself a shadow investor for the time being.

[ She can't help but laugh a bit at the finger gun; amused by the silliness of it, but not judgemental in the slightest. ]

Then y'got a keen eye and good judgement!

[ Things were probably going to be a whole lot easier for him then, as Apollo was pretty well immediately on board for this little operation. There have certainly been past situations in which she's been totally useless when she had promised to help, but Sully's plan had the advantage of alcohol, payment and piracy involved; which meant he had himself a redheaded partner in crime already.

With a delighted expression on her face, Apollo switches her drink to her left hand so she can grasp his with her right, and gives him a strong, solid handshake. ]

Deal! Always lookin' for excitin' new things to do 'round here anyway.

[Sully grinned. He guessed he'd see about that. Then he returns the handshake, equally firm, and just like that they're in business.]

That so? Well, I'll see what else we can't do to entertain you.

[Business done. Time for flirting. He signaled the barkeep for another drink and shifted his seat until he was facing her a little more. He didn't think he needed to lay on the charm really, but it was habit. Besides, it was fun.]

So, what's it like being a pirate? As exciting as it seems in the movies?

Mm, I can think of a couple things we can try already.

[ He doesn't necessarily need to lay on a whole lot of charm, no, but it definitely helps. Apollo loves flirting and flattery, it's just as much fun and habitual for her as it is for him, and it's not hard to see that her grin gets a little wider anytime he says or does something she likes. ]

Dunno, how excitin' is it in the movies? [ That kind of thing is still relatively new to her, so she hasn't exactly seen a whole lot of movies yet. ] Fuckin' eventful life either way, though! Stealin' things, shootin' things, drinkin' things, all kinds of things, really. Never known any other kinda way to live, don't fuckin' care to change it up now.

Sounds a lot like the movies. You've got, oh, a daring and bold pirate. Some damsels maybe. A bit of swinging down off the cross beams with a sword in your teeth. [He can see her doing that last one. The wings might help.]

Of course, the movies don't give a damn about proper sailing. Only about the danger.

[He wasn't honestly big on movies either way. Oh sure, there were a few classics, but it required a lot of sitting and waiting and hell if there weren't more interesting things to do.]

Oh? And how's a girl like you end up a pirate, anyway? I bet that's a story.

Ooh, shadow investor. Like the sound of that, actually. [Suits her, she thinks.] just keep me updated on your progress, will you?

Hey, I've got to answer to my investors.

[Well, for now. If it all went tits-up he'd probably keep that to himself.]

I take it you've got somewhere to be?

[ Well, that's an interesting take on pirates. She hadn't watched anything to do with pirates (or, well, anything to do with much else for that matter) for much the same reason: it involved too much sitting around when there were more interesting things to do. An abundance of energy meant Apollo didn't sit still for very long. ]

The danger's the fun part though! Fuck, even I don't get that worked up about the sailing. Always been in charge of weaponry, when I had a crew. [ A pause as she drinks away, as though she's been drinking water this entire time and not knocking back multiple glasses of whisky. ] Let the others fuck around with the ship herself, y'know? I'll just make sure nobody important fuckin' dies.

[ She just shrugs and laughs a bit at the question. ] Gramps was one of the greatest adventurers of his time, apparently, and he raised us so... dunno, guess there ain't a story. Just kinda always surrounded by piracy.

How 'bout you, then? You a sailor, or doya just go 'round settin' up shady bars?

Easy Sully, I'm not exactly rolling in gold over here. I'm lucky to even have a couch. If you want a drink, you're gonna have to bribe the neighbors.

[His smile broadens when Sully makes use of his couch. Its oddly nice to provide for him for a change.]

Piece of shit huh? Well, make yourself comfortable. I'm not entertaining anyone this week.

[Or...you know, ever. But then he mentions Chloe, which seems to get his attention enough to pause. Trying to figure out where everyone stands?]

What'd she say?

Aw now darlin', don't be like that! Your ship's your girl.

[More importantly, your ship was your defense against the ocean and damn if you didn't need that. The ocean was a fucking bastard.]

Nobody important, eh? [He shoots her a sideways grin as he takes another drink. He was willing to bet she was pragmatic about that sort of thing.

Pirate family, huh? That was something you don't hear everyday. Well, it made sense, modern day pirates certainly made it a family affair. Still, it was hard to imagine you could appreciate how nuts being a pirate was when you grew up in the thick of it.]

Us? You got some brothers and sisters then?

[Then he laughed, shrugging easily] Nothing as exciting as your story. I was a Navy man. Did my years, found something better to do. Treasure hunting, mostly, if you catch my meaning.

[He meant he was a thief, con-man, and occasional mercenary. A bad man, if you will.]

Never had a bar before. Always wanted one though, figured this place gives me a damn good opportunity. Not much point in treasure-hunting. And who said anything about shady? I'm insulted.

[He certainly didn't look insulted.]

Sounds like you need to get your priorities in order, kid.

[He'd certainly prioritized drinks over couches. At this exact moment he was prioritizing drinks over pretty much anything else.]

Yeah it's a real goddamn charmer. And you're not supposed to brag about not getting laid, Nate. You'll make me cry.

[That was an easier question to answer than others. Still, he shifted uncomfortably on the couch, looped his arms up over the back to cover it up.]

She said you guys went through a rough patch, but you eventually made up. And that you showed up here at about the worst possible time.

[Gunshot and halfway through a hunt. Betrayed and as far as he could figure alone. Not really a place anyone wanted to be. Certainly not a place he wanted Nate to be. Shoulda thought about that in the first place.]

Been a while since I've been part of a proper crew, but yeah, keepin' the ship and her crew battle ready was my job. Master Gunner was my title. Normally you only get one on board, but the Nimirum had two 'cause Cap'n couldn't choose between me an' my twin sister. [ Pirate families aren't entirely common in her world either, but literally as far back as she can remember, it's always been her, Artemis, and their grandfather. ] Found another sister along the way too. We ain't blood related, but she might as well be.

[ It's been a while since she's talked much about her family here, but she doesn't mind. In any case, she's quickly distracted from her own history when he mentions that being in the Navy is a part of his. ]

Oh, good. Can't say I've ever gotten along with a Navy man before. [ A pause, that she strategically fills with some drinking and a shrug. ] Least not when he knows I'm a pirate, anyway. Good career change though, treasure huntin's a beautiful thing. [ Oh yeah, that grin of hers alone is indication enough that she catches his meaning.

His claim to being insulted gets a short little laugh out of her. ] Aw, sorry sugar. [ She's not sorry. ] It's just that most bars that host illegal fights and get supplies from pirates tend to be on the shady side, is all.

[He nodded. Made sense, she didn't seem like the patient sort. Guns suited her fine.]

Twins? You mean there's two of you floating around? Your world sure got lucky. [God, he loved twins. The concept of them, at least. In practice it could get a little messy.]

Ah well, probably never met a Navy man like me before. [His relationship with the Navy was complicated, to say the least. It should be the straight-laced world he tried to escape from, but really it was, hell, what took him to where he was now. He didn't throw the damn dog tags away, after all.] And yeah, I like it. It's never boring.

[Not strictly true, but it was the romantic way to phrase it. And it was a lot less predictable than a lot of other professions.]

I see where you're coming from, but you know, the rich are the biggest crooks of all. I'm thinking high-class debauchery.

[Or at least, middle range. Nothing too dark, else you'd make chump-change.]

There was. Just one now. [ The implication of that is pretty clear, and although she's come to terms with losing her sister by this stage in her life, she's well aware that 'my twin sister is dead' isn't exactly a topic that fits the mood here. So she's worded that answer carefully and, after knocking back what's left of her drink, is quick to give him a smile and move on. ]

Probably not! [ It's not hard to tell he's interested her enough to grow on her already, not with that amused, delighted expression of hers. ] Guess that's the fuckin' wonder of a multicultural world like this, huh?

[ Another drink is set down in front of her then, the bartender at this point not even needing any cues from Apollo to know she wants another. ]

'Course they are, how d'you think they got rich in the first place? So is that what you're goin' for, then? High class debauchery?

Oh.

[But she clearly doesn't want his sympathies, not with a smooth redirect like that. Instead he takes another drink, and lets her turn the conversation.]

So they say. Here's to multiculturalism. [He raises his glass, a clear invitation to another toast. He'd polish it off with another drink.

He shifted at that, shrugged a little and glanced off. Concrete plans were still incoming.]

Mmm, sort of. Thinking something in the middle. Something nice enough but not too-stuffy. Place to unwind. No bugs or anything, although I guess you don't really have to worry about that here.

[ She's not typically one for throwing around toasts and whatnot herself, but she'll happily clink her glass against his when he proposes one. ]

What a fuckin' world, yeah? [ And with that, wow her glass sure does go from full to empty in a matter of seconds. ]

Aw, sounds cute. [ Not exactly the right word for it, but she seems to think it's fitting enough. That or the whisky's making her care less about proper word choice at this point. ] It'd be nice to have a place like that. I mean sure you can unwind where ever the fuck you want if you just don't give a shit, but havin' somethin'... cozier than this set up here, [ Vague hand gesture to indicate she's referring to the bar they're in. ] that'd be fuckin' golden. Definitely a project I'm happy to helpya out with, too!

[ Rinth can handle bodies better than people, though. Bodies can be handled if they end up with bodies. Still, she keeps quiet and listens. As for the guy, well, all he saw was another human, not unlike himself, if a little strange.

If he knew what she really was, this conversation would involve a lot more screaming.

Still, he isn't an idiot. He recognizes the look Sully is shooting him and between him and Rinth, he seems slightly less murderous. ]

I... guess so. I'm just worried about an influx of 'em, you know? There's been a whole lot of new people 'round lately who seem inclined to bring stuff in, too.

[ So he says.

Rinth just keeps on looming ominously. ]

What a fuckin' world. [And down the hatch. He'd had enough by now that the bitterness didn't bite anymore. It was all fun from here.]

Cute? [Not exactly what he was going for. But he could work with it. He'd word with cute before.]

I thought it'd be nice to have a place the transports can relax a bit. And spend a bit of cash while they're at it. If we can wrangle a few locals in that'd be great, too.

[Time for a shift. He leaned in closer to her again, set his hand on her upper back, conscious all the time of her invisible wings. Hell, did those things make other activities difficult? Ah well, there were always work arounds.]

But enough business, we're here for pleasure, remember?

And that seems like the sort of thing you worry about when an influx does come in. It's not like these birds are going to keep for weeks. And your customers are still willing to pay.

[He looked back over to the homicidal cat, careful not to aim his eyes too-high.]

And I'm sure this guy understands that you're a businessman. So maybe the two of you can meet in the middle.

[And not cause a goddamn scene in the middle of the street. Hell, he didn't sign up for this. But if the transports were outed things would go to hell fast. Sully knew that'd be just as bad for him as anyone else.]

Come on, boys

Or... y'know, some other word. Maybe a bit of cute would be cute, though.

[ There, some whisky inspired logic for him. Still though, other than that she's doing pretty alright. Definitely alright enough to start in on another drink, which is exactly what she's doing the second another glass is placed on the counter in front of her. ]

Good setup. [ The comment is idle anyway, but her mind is immediately taken away from business as soon as his hand is on her back. She's noticeably reactive to touch, it seems, since just that motion alone gets her to instantly shift a bit by turning her shoulders more towards him, and leaning in closer herself. Even if his hand moves low enough to brush invisible feathers she won't mind - Apollo loves her wings, she hates having to hide them, and they definitely don't make any other activities difficult, as far as she's concerned. ]

Mm, right, let's get back to that then, yeah?

I'm sure you've already got the local bar cleaned out, dontcha Sully?

[He doesn't bother giving Sully an answer to that second footnote. The state of his lays was sorry indeed, but that didn't mean he had to acknowledge it. He's got way too much on his mind aside from that anyway.

Sully's answer gives him a nice segway. Nate forces himself to grin, despite not feeling it.]

Well, she's not wrong. Showing up at the worst possible time is a running theme these days.

Well-- no. [It's not a hesitant response, just a thoughtful one. Wasn't planning on sticking around, wasn't planning on him wanting her to.] But I thought you had a hole that needed digging.

I was thinking cute outfits for the barmaids. Little skirts, maybe something Bavarian themed.

[The way he's smiling it's hard to tell if he's joking or not. He's not, as it turns out.

The bartender puts another in front of him, and he shoots the guy a look that's all amusement. Apparently he didn't have any rules about giving more booze to the drunks. Not that Sully was drunk, but if he was the guy behind the counter he would have assumed that Apollo was. God bless pirate angels.

He nursed his drink lazily now, enjoying it as much as he could. No point in rushing at this point.]

Good. You havin' a good time? If you're bored it looks like there's a pool table or something near enough to it over there. Or darts, I bet you're a real pro. Of course, we could also just get out of here...

[It's trailed off casually enough. He didn't have any real preference at this point. The night was young and he was pretty sure he knew how it was going to end.]

[ She has no idea what 'Bavarian' means but apparently it involves short skirts, so her response is just a little noise of approval as her mouth is otherwise occupied with slowly but steadily drinking from yet another new glass. Apollo isn't to a point where she'd call herself drunk, although she'd definitely admit to feeling that familiar buzz that makes life so much better. She had been drinking even before Sully had arrived, after all, so by now that isn't too surprising anyway. ]

Not bored, but you're right about me bein' pro at darts. [ Being an excellent aim when it came to pistols and knives translated well into being excellent at throwing darts too. ] Think you'd be any match for me? Besides, I'm thinkin' you could do with a few more drinks anyway.

[ She isn't about to rush him, but apparently trying to get some more booze in him isn't off the table. A good time outside the bar isn't either, which she'll confirm by leaning into his space as she slides off of her stool, placing her fingers very briefly on his thigh, and speaking in a lower voice for a moment, her words clearly intended just for him: ] Then yeah, sugar, we'll get outta here.

[ And then she's removing herself from his personal bubble and smiling almost deviously over the rim of her glass. ] Let's fuck around here a bit more while we still got booze around, yeah?

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Gather 'round people, wherever you roam

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