Operation: Roll Out

[initiates]

Date & Time: January 31st - February 4th, Present Day Exsilium Time
Location: Neo Las Vegas, in what formerly was called Turkey.
Characters: All Transports!
Summary: Transports have been sent to Neo Las Vegas to gather information on the origin point of the United Earth and the UE AI. Conference sabotage and the rest is expected and invited!
Warnings: Gambling and alcoholic beverages quite likely! Please PM the mod account for anything else.

By day, the landscape isn't desert, precisely, so much as it is dry. Winter's settled in and found in the biting chill of the wind when it finds you standing on the street. Hovercars and taxis thrum down the cobblestone streets, cavorting and honking like a noisy crowd of inelegant, overweight geese. Men walk by on stilts half in make-up, on their way back to their stage for the next night. Walks of shame are taken proudly in this district, one of the few approved and sanctioned vacation zones in the United Earth.

Evidence of law enforcement can be found all around, but they seem altogether too pleased to be there too. Talk with any one of them about crime rates, and they're liable to laugh at the idea. Those who come to gamble know the house is rigged to win. It's not about making or breaking the bank -- people whose funds dip too low are politely escorted back to their rooms and given a set of normal playing cards -- but it is about enjoyment.

Of the flesh too, and it'd be difficult to find anyone working in Neo Las Vegas who suffers from modesty, or anyone visiting who seems unwilling to politely ask visitors and staff if they'd like to keep them company for the night. In fact, Transports may find themselves needing to turn down multiple such requests! The refusal is always taken well. These are people looking to have a good time, and that's all.

No chance taken, nothing gained, right?

At night, the city really comes alive, the lights in all the hotels and casinos turning the Neo Las Vegas Strip into a carnival of sensation. Drinks and recreational drugs are freely passed around, men and women engage in a variety of sexual and other hedonistic excesses without regret, and the beautiful interiors and ostentatious or playful exteriors of the buildings hide and reveal a rich tapestry of events, delectables, and desires waiting to be fulfilled.

Neo Las Vegas is a fun place, and it is a safe place, and it is Where the Conferences For Our Future Are Made. Playtime is on, gang.

Comments

[lucency]

What? No! No - [ belle laughs, takes a bite of the hot dog to confirm it herself. if she can, through the mass amounts of condiments on it. ] Pork, I think.

Would you like one?

[hornedomen]

[He was about to ask why the name was a hot dog and not a hot pork. Then food happened.]

Yes, I'm starving! Where'd you get it?

[lucency]

[ this is an answer she doesn't know - she just had pancakes for the first time a few months ago; hot dogs are another area entirely.

but she grins, crouching down a little bit and pointing behind her. the food cart's still in the distance. ]

Just over there. Come on!

[hornedomen]

[His eyes lit up when he saw it. Finally, there was some food. He had not eaten since he arrived here.]

Okay.

[Just as soon as he started in the direction of the cart, he abruptly stopped. There were still cars passing by. Without thinking about it, he reached for Belle's hand. His expression made it difficult to determine if he did it out of fear for his own safety or hers.]

[lucency]

[ regardless, she's more than happy to take his hand, giving it a squeeze out of some kind of instinct, whether it be maternal or simply caring, and soon enough, they're crossing the street. let's get some hot dogs! ]

What - um. What do you want on it?

[hornedomen]

[As they crossed the street, Ico constantly looked alert for any cars. After they were on the other side, he relaxed enough to let go of her hand. The cart looked so close now. He hurried ahead.]

I can choose? What do they have? What did you put on yours?

[lucency]

[ she lets go of his hand and watches him as he excitedly makes his way to the cart. it's all good; she shares his enthusiasm for food, okay, and she laughs. ]

They have all sorts! Mine has - [ a pause as she looks down at her half-eaten snack. it has everything good, is what. ] Cheese, ketchup, and relish, I think.

[hornedomen]

[He looked at the selection and his mouth dropped. It all looked good, as was usual whenever he got hungry like this. Belle's choices sounded good so he pointed those out and he added onions and that yellow sauce.

Once he paid for it and had the food in his hands, he turned it in his hands. Could he really just eat this with his hands? If Belle did, he supposed it would not be rude. He opened his mouth wide as he tried to eat it without spilling anything. It was proving to be very difficult.

It was delicious! If he did not have his mouth full, he would have said so. Instead, he just hummed happily.]

[lucency]

[ it's a sandwich! of course he can just eat it with his hands! she watches him with a tilted head as she finishes her own off, and momentarily disappears for a moment as she gathers up a couple of napkins. and then, of course, she hands them to him. ]

Here. These might help.

[hornedomen]

[Just in time, too, he was about to wipe the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. He took a few and he used that to wipe his mouth.]

Thank you. [He finally spoke.] This is really good. Why do they call these hot dogs if it's not made out of dogs?

[lucency]

[ her eyebrows knit together in thought, and if there's ever been a time that belle wishes she'd read more about the history of food instead of eating it, it's right now. ]

I - I don't know; I'd never had one before today.

[hornedomen]

Really? Well, I guess it doesn't matter.

[Now that he had some food, he noticed just how hungry he was. He ate the rest quickly, while still trying to keep clean.]

It's not a lot, is it? I'm still hungry, what about you, Belle?

[lucency]

Hm?

[ she's in the middle of her last bite, and she glances at him, covering her mouth as she talks to him. because it's polite. ]

I guess. A little! Do you want another? Or, I'm sure we could find something else.

[hornedomen]

[He wiped his hands and mouth on the napkins. When he finished, he held a hand out to Belle, offering to take hers as well so he could dispose of them.]

If they have hot dogs here, they must have lots of other different stuff, right? What else do they have that tastes good?

[lucency]

[ she laughs at his question, mostly because honestly? it reminds her of herself. it's great. but she hands him her napkin with a quick thank you and thinks it over. ]

Have you ever had a pretzel?

[hornedomen]

Pretzel?

[Even the name was strange. He shook his head.] I never heard of it before, too. Is it good? What's it taste like?

[lucency]

It's very good. [ she motions for him to follow her, keeps her eye out for a pretzel vendor, wherever one may be. ] It's - bread, more or less. Salted, if you want, and then you can dip it in cheese.

[ but seriously what could be better. ]

[hornedomen]

So it's salty bread? What makes it different from just regular bread then?

[It did not sound delicious, but Belle seemed to like it. He followed her, curious to see how pretzels would taste.]

[lucency]

Well - the way it's made. I don't have the recipe myself, but - you'll see.

[ pretzel stand spotted! this is so important. ]

[hornedomen]

[He approached the pretzel stand. Once he saw the pretzels, he was beginning to see what made them different from bread.]

Oh, they're all curled up! And there's lots of different things on them, too. Which one do you like the most?

[lucency]

Personally, I like them plain, with some salt and cheese. [ she smiles, rocks forward on the balls of her feet and smiles. ] But, you can have whatever you'd like.

[hornedomen]

[He hummed thoughtfully. There were many choices here. Why stop at just one? He ordered a plain one and one with a sugar glaze. He was rather hungry.

He bit into the plain one first. At his age, he was still too young to appreciate such a subtle taste. It was not bad, but it tasted like any other bread to him. Next, he ate the glazed one.]

I like this one more, it's sweet. [He did seem fond of sweet foods.]

[lucency]

[ what a good kid. belle approves - because she can approve of anything that involves good food, honestly. she grins. ] Good.

[hornedomen]

Aren't you going to get one, Belle?

[He did not mind sharing, but he already took a bite out of both of them.] Would you like some of mine? I can break off the part I didn't eat.

[lucency]

I - ah - I think I've had enough, for the time being.

[ it's all good! she can't eat from every kiosk, okay. ]