Into the Dark

[+ZincAboutIt]

Corette grinned into the wind as she ran, sprinting down a narrow street, breath coming easy. Breath. It filled her lungs as she tapped her Cadmium, an almost ludicrous amount, allowing her to dash through the Third Quadrant at top speed with ease. She could have sung, if she wanted to. As it was, this wasn't the time for singing. Corette didn't bother checking her pocket watch - she knew she was late. That didn't stop her from grinning, though, not when she was so close to her goal. The caverns, a whole new world to explore. Her blue eyes glittered, and she reached within herself to begin burning Bronze. 

The Alleycity Excavation office thumped into existence a few blocks ahead, almost deafening to her Seeker's senses. At least a dozen separate Investiture signatures beat against her awareness, all in counterpoint. A cacophony - or a symphony? Whatever it was, it was waiting for Corette. It called to her, rippling out like a summons, dancing through her bones. She matched her stride to the beats, feeling her dark hair whipping past her ears. A few men selling apples on the corner shouted as she vaulted one of their boxes, and she felt a peal of laughter ring out from her mouth. The wind caught it, and snatched it away. Corette didn't care - she had breath aplenty to spare. She rounded the last block and skidded to a stop some ten yards from the ACE office, slowly easing up on her tapping until she had let it go completely. Corette strode up to the front doors, running a hand through her dark sheaf of shoulder-length hair to get rid of any snarls, and adjusted her pack. 

She saw a few people milling around a large meeting room, and she ducked in, concentrating on her Bronze now. It let her pick up several unique signatures, all of which she filed away carefully. There, a Radiant, though Corette hardly needed Bronze to recognize one of the Ghostblood Triarchy. She was speaking to another young woman who looked close to Corette's own age; Corette guessed she was an Epic, or something thereabouts, judging by the erratic beat coming off the woman. A ragged-looking girl stood a bit to the side, her own pulses odd - some mix of Radiant power, in a stuttering beat that generally indicated...

Corette cocked her head at the girl, then smiled, glancing around the room at the rest of the assembled group, cataloging what she could. There, the soft, rain-stick whisper of a Sandmaster's powers, and just at the edge of sensation, the inverted bum-bah, bum-bah of a Feruchemist. The boy in the corner, she guessed, watching him eye Althea with badly-concealed anxiety. An enemy? No, Corette realized. An underling. 

She wandered over to an empty chair and swiped a questionnaire off the seat, digging in her pack to find a pen. They all seemed to be waiting for something, even the ACE officer in the olive and orange uniform. Corette shrugged off the prickling anxiety that came at the prospect of interacting with so many strangers, and took a deep breath. Breath. She still had plenty in her reserves, hours spent weak and shaking, feeling like a vice wrapped itself around her lungs, tightening. Hours, days of weakness, all stored up in her bracers. All for times like this, times when she'd need to run, to climb, to dive. She ran a finger around the slender torque of Cadmium that circled her neck and loitered at the edge of the Ghostblood woman's conversation, listening with both ears and Bronze. 

[+Sorana]

11 hours ago, kenod said:

"Ah, nice to meet you," Karin replied. "I already filled it in," she added. She paused for a second, breathing in. She still forgot about that sometimes, one of the downsides about spending time in a place where breathing is considered a sign of being a poor scientist.

Althea nodded, then made a vague gesture with her hands and took a form. She wrote 'Althea Tenira' on the sheet of paper and then added 'Ghostbloods'. She left the power section empty and handed it over to ACE. If they knew who she was, she could save herself the trouble of filling out the rest.

"How have you been these last months?"

She inquired and noted the Underling walking into the room, who had built the EMP. With a quick gesture of her hand she sent Brashen over to keep an eye on him, then turned her attention back to Karin. Brashen stayed with her, but at least moved, so that he could see the Underling. She didn't react to him staying, they had to talk about that privately.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Sorana

[That Violin Guy]

13 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

Sarah shrugged. "I dunno. You seem pretty nice, and you have that cool fabrial. You'd probably be a good friend."

I wonder what she wants, Fasi thought as she looked back at Sarah. She started walking over. "Sounds good to me," she said. "Whats your story?" @Rushu42

Edited September 17, 2019 by Oduim's Chmapion

[+ElephantEarwax]

Adren walks into the building and up to the front desk. Having come wearing a hard at and sturdy leather boots he appeared eager to get to work.

"Where do I sign up?"

@ZincAboutIt

Edited September 17, 2019 by ElephantEarwax

[Voidus]

Whisper carefully slid a questionnaire from the pile, making sure not to disturb the rest of the pile. Timidly she carried it back to where she'd been standing earlier before realising that returning to the same place might make her eavesdropping a little obvious. She was still trying to catch a glimpse of Aylitha in between feigned glances around the room, but she didn't seem to have noticed Whisper. Had she not seen through the Lightweaving? Whisper had imagined that such a thing would be easy for her.

Someone else is watching. She realized, unsure what specifically had tipped her off but trusting her senses.

She moved away to a seat nearby, looking over the form she'd picked up, but her attention was still on the other occupants of the room. She'd felt a brief gaze directed towards herself, and then the same gaze shifting to Althea. But who had it been?

Idly she filled in the form, sticking mostly to the truth other than her name and age which she listed as 'Wes, 17'. Best not to stretch her age too far, she was already short for a 17 year old. She also wasn't entirely sure herself how old she was, so it wasn't any more of a lie than any other number she could put there.

Althea makes sense, she's well known. But who would be watching me? Did someone tail me earlier? Watch me change?

She put her tongue to the roof of her mouth, forcing air through to produce a whistle that would be just outside of normal hearing range. She caught sight of a few figures wincing, tineyes most likely. Best to keep an eye on them.

A small series of coughs racked her body, her throat irritated by constricting tightly enough to produce that whistle. But it passed shortly after, and it gave her an excuse to look up again, reaching forward to grab a nearby tissue and scanning the room again.

[kenod]

4 hours ago, Sorana said:

Althea nodded, then made a vague gesture with her hands and took a form. She wrote 'Althea Tenira' on the sheet of paper and then added 'Ghostbloods'. She left the power section empty and handed it over to ACE. If they knew who she was, she could save herself the trouble of filling out the rest.

"How have you been these last months?"

She inquired and noted the Underling walking into the room, who had built the EMP. With a quick gesture of her hand she sent Brashen over to keep an eye on him, then turned her attention back to Karin. Brashen stayed with her, but at least moved, so that he could see the Underling. She didn't react to him staying, they had to talk about that privately.

"Um, same as always, I guess?" Karin answered automatically. At the same time she took a closer look at Althea. Her phrasing made it sound as if she knew her, but she was quite sure that she had never met her. Her initial guess was that she knew her from before she had lost her memories. She suppressed a shudder at that thought. Still, that couldn't be right. She talked about months, not years. so did she just mistake her for someone else? That would be strange as well, her appearance was rather unique after all.

She shook her head. Trying to think it out wouldn't work anyway. Only one option left. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice, "have we met before? You sound as if you know me?"

[+Sorana]

24 minutes ago, kenod said:

"Um, same as always, I guess?" Karin answered automatically. At the same time she took a closer look at Althea. Her phrasing made it sound as if she knew her, but she was quite sure that she had never met her. Her initial guess was that she knew her from before she had lost her memories. She suppressed a shudder at that thought. Still, that couldn't be right. She talked about months, not years. so did she just mistake her for someone else? That would be strange as well, her appearance was rather unique after all.

She shook her head. Trying to think it out wouldn't work anyway. Only one option left. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice, "have we met before? You sound as if you know me?"

Althea noticed Wes take a sheet as well, lean to a wall next close enough to listen. Another woman (=Corette) stepped into the room, noticed her and then stayed around as well. Listening. All of them listening. As if she was going to talk about anything sensitive here. Still she memorized their faces, suspected that they were the real players here, contrasting those chatting away easily. In her experience you had to be aware of the quiet ones, they tended you kill you faster, than a loud boisterous person did. But then, there were exeptions as there were with every rule.

She gently felt inside her bracelet again, but made sure not to use any investiture at the moment. Maybe there were some around that didn't know yet, although she doubted that part. Most of them would know. She had easily painted a huge red target on back, by doing nothing, but stepping into the room. And somehow the thought amused her. If it came down to it, she was hard to kill. Easy to defeat, but hard to kill.

Returning most of her attention to Karin she considered her reply. Adress the fight against Lord Ajax Sqaud, or leave it? If Karin really didn't know who she was, then Aylitha was someone else, although she doubted that she would forget this face. Yes Karin looked different - but it was nothing some make up couldn't do. Still she didn't want to blow her cover right here and now, it was something you simply didn't do. Not even to someone of a different guild.

"It was never my intention to intrude, I apologize if I have."

She replied instead, her voice level and polite.

"I was asking about the last months, given that many in this city were affected in one way of the other by the war. Lord Ajax monsters, as well as his robots and officers destroyed a lot, despite the fact that were fought almost immediatly."

Carefully she slightly stressed robots and officers, and finally fought. She made sure that it was more a stressing with her mimic, less with her voice as to lead the two listening awry.  If they were good they might still notice, but she saw no reason to make it easy for them. Just a tiny hint that Karin might notice, take as a sign that she remembered, or if she really misstook her, most likely wouldn't even understand.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Sorana

[I think I am here.]

There seemed to be something Wes needed to do. Scanning the room he saw a table with some questionnaires on them, and saw how people from around the room grabbed and filled them out. Keeping to the sides of the room as much as possible in order to avoid attention to himself, Wes quickly snatched a questionnaire from the top of the pile. Then he snatched another, in case he wanted to make an origami swan later.

From the same desk he grabbed a pencil, and then looked around the room to where he could sit and fill it out. There were few places, it seemed, that wouldn’t bring someone’s eyes upon him, inevitably leading to a conversation. A small set of coughs took Wes out of his thoughts and he looked to a girl scanning the room quietly. He hadn’t even noticed she was there.

Another introvert! Wes thought and quietly stepped towards the girl, sitting down on the chair next to her. Quiet people needed to stick together. Maybe nobody would bother them that way.

“Hi,” he said quietly and did a little wave, before scribbling his details down on his first questionnaire.

Wes, Cerrobend Ferring

@Voidus

Edited September 17, 2019 by I think I am here.

[kenod]

1 hour ago, Sorana said:

Returning most of her attention to Karin she considered her reply. Adress the fight against Lord Ajax Sqaud, or leave it? If Karin really didn't know who she was, then Aylitha was someone else, although she doubted that she would forget this face. Yes Karin looked different - but it was nothing some make up couldn't do. Still she didn't want to blow her cover right here and now, it was something you simply didn't do. Not even to someone of a different guild.

"It was never my intention to intrude, I apologize if I have."

She replied instead, her voice level and polite.

"I was asking about the last months, given that many in this city were affected in one way of the other by the war. Lord Ajax monsters, as well as his robots and officers destroyed a lot, despite the fact that were fought almost immediatly."

Carefully she slightly stressed robots and officers, and finally fought. She made sure that it was more a stressing with her mimic, less with her voice as to lead the two listening awry.  If they were good they might still notice, but she saw no reason to make it easy for them. Just a tiny hint that Karin might notice, take as a sign that she remembered, or if she really misstook her, most likely wouldn't even understand.

The Plasmacore incident? Karin thought. That's what she's supposed to remember me from? She was quite certain she had never been near that mess, but still, the topic seemed a lot safer, so...

"Um, it didn't affect me that much, I guess," she answered, trying to relax in her chair. "I was in the alleys when it all happened. I actually got told to stay there, though back then I had no clue what was actually going on." Too late she noticed she just said she was a DA member. Not that it mattered much of course, since she had already put it on the form, but still.

Trying to cover up the pause she started talking again. "I actually only heard about what happened a week after the fact," she added with a quick laugh, "but then, nobody tells bio-science anything, let alone someone low-ranked like me. Still, it meant that I didn't get any trouble during the thing, which was nice, I suppose, and since then I've mostly kept to the alleys, which allowed me to avoid any trouble during the rebuilding as well." She trailed off, looking at Althea expectantly, hoping she would say where she thought she had seen her, or maybe tell her more about what actually happened.

[Rushu42]

7 hours ago, Oduim's Chmapion said:

I wonder what she wants, Fasi thought as she looked back at Sarah. She started walking over. "Sounds good to me," she said. "Whats your story?"

"It's not much of one," she replied. "I was out with an expedition on Scadrial, trying to expand our maps, when they saw this big storm coming. They turned back. I didn't. I kept going for a bit, and finally wriggled into this crack in a cliff to shelter. The next thing I knew, I was here." 

[+Sorana]

55 minutes ago, kenod said:

Trying to cover up the pause she started talking again. "I actually only heard about what happened a week after the fact," she added with a quick laugh, "but then, nobody tells bio-science anything, let alone someone low-ranked like me. Still, it meant that I didn't get any trouble during the thing, which was nice, I suppose, and since then I've mostly kept to the alleys, which allowed me to avoid any trouble during the rebuilding as well." She trailed off, looking at Althea expectantly, hoping she would say where she thought she had seen her, or maybe tell her more about what actually happened.

So maybe she was really wrong. Althea put the mystery aside for the moment. You never knew and while she prided herself for a good memory, she couldn't exclude a mistake on her part.

"You didn't miss much."

She replied and her eyes narrowed slightly at the memory, the only sign how painful these hours had been for her, how much the memory.

"Ajax came with his monsters, first flooded the city with smaller ones, making an organized and controlled evacuation of the citizens almost impossible. Then he send his officers with their squads, all Investiture-Users, powerful compared to the average level. And many were maschines, or combinations between living material and parts of a robot. Then he showed up himself and was disposed of within a minute. Maybe two, I didn't check a watch to meassure."

She recounted quickly, concentrated on the large phases of the Invasion. Then she fell silent, her thoughts returning to Karin's words about herself.

"Bio-Science?" She asked finally and carefully worded her next question, gave in to the temptation to maybe start a discussion. "May I ask what field you are researching?"

She doubted they would ever talk details, doubted that she had a chance to understand in depth what Karin did. Bio-science never had been something she studied intensively and there was the issue of belonging to different guilds as well. But still she had spend so many years studying, only to end up some kind of politician. To talk about something else would be nice for a chance and a 'no' from Karin would hurt neither of them.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Sorana

[kenod]

25 minutes ago, Sorana said:

So maybe she was really wrong. Althea put the mystery aside for the moment. You never knew and while she prided herself for a good memory, she couldn't exclude a mistake on her part.

"You didn't miss much."

She replied and her eyes narrowed slightly at the memory, the only sign how painful these hours had been for her, how much the memory.

"Ajax came with his monsters, first flooded the city with smaller ones, making an organized and controlled evacuation of the citizens almost impossible. Then he send his officers with their squads, all Investiture-Users, powerful compared to the average level. And many were maschines, or combinations between living material and parts of a robot. Then he showed up himself and was disposed of within a minute. Maybe two, I didn't check a watch to meassure."

She fell silent, her thoughts returning to Karin's words about herself.

"Bio-Science?" She asked finally and carefully worded her next question, gave in to the temptation to maybe start a discussion. "May I ask what field you are researching?"

She doubted they would ever talk details, doubted that she had a chance to understand in depth what Karin did. Bio-science never had been something she studied intensively and there was the issue of belonging to different guilds as well. But still she had spend so many years studying, only to end up some kind of politician. To talk about something else would be nice for a chance and a 'no' from Karin would hurt neither of them.

"Ah, alright," Karin said, looking thoughtful. "I heard rumors the Stranger actually fought him. I guess that if that really happened that 'Ajax' must have been fairly powerful to last close to a minute." She smiled. "Of course," she added, "he could also have just been playing around. I mean, the crater outside town is supposed to have been created by one of the department heads, so..."

She shrugged and turned to look at the ceiling, staring at it. "What field I study, huh?" She said, sounding thoughtful. "I'm new, so I'm currently just sticking to the basics, human genetics and biology. I'm mainly working on fully understanding how the different cells interact and how the different organelles work. So beginner stuff, in essence. Compared to the other scientists, at least. From what I remember the subjects and theories I'm currently studying would be considered cutting edge on Earth. Compared to the other researchers though... Well, let's just say they're quite a way beyond me."

[That Violin Guy]

1 hour ago, Rushu42 said:

"It's not much of one," she replied. "I was out with an expedition on Scadrial, trying to expand our maps, when they saw this big storm coming. They turned back. I didn't. I kept going for a bit, and finally wriggled into this crack in a cliff to shelter. The next thing I knew, I was here." 

"Scadrial, really?" Fasi said awed. "Are you an allomancer?"

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, kenod said:

She shrugged and turned to look at the ceiling, staring at it. "What field I study, huh?" She said, sounding thoughtful. "I'm new, so I'm currently just sticking to the basics, human genetics and biology. I'm mainly working on fully understanding how the different cells interact and how the different organelles work. So beginner stuff, in essence. Compared to the other scientists, at least. From what I remember the subjects and theories I'm currently studying would be considered cutting edge on Earth. Compared to the other researchers though... Well, let's just say they're quite a way beyond me."

Althea leaned back as well. Genetics. Fascinating topic, but a long way from those she knew something about.

"I haven't been to Earth in a while. They sometimes struck me as narrowminded, especially when it comes to Investiture, although that most likey results from the fact that most living on Earth rarely get in touch with it. But then it also depends when and where you go. Earth is a special case in that regard."

She looked through the room, to all those talking, looking for a job. It was always interesting to see what kind of people followed a call like that. And she liked to observe people, how they acted, what they yearned for. If you knew someones dreams, you know how to play them.

"Most of them look for something, maybe chase a dream, or look for an adventure. I wonder how many will be disappointed in the end, and how many happy beyond words. It's interesting to see how they'll act when faced with difficulties."

Edited September 17, 2019 by Sorana

[kenod]

2 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Althea leaned back as well. Genetics. Fascinating topic, but a long way from those she knew something about.

"I haven't been to Earth in a while. They sometimes struck me as narrowminded, especially when it comes to Investiture, although that most likey results from the fact that most living on Earth rarely get in touch with it. But then it also depends when and where you go. Earth is a special case in that regard."

She looked through the room, to all those talking, looking for a job. It was always interesting to see what kind of people followed a call like that. And she liked to observe people, how they acted, what they yearned for. If you knew someones dreams, you know how to play them.

"Most of them look for something, maybe chase a dream, or look for an adventure. I wonder how many will be disappointed in the end, and how many happy beyond words. It's interesting to see how they'll act when faced with difficulties."

Karin smiled. "Getting rather philosophical there," she quipped. "Of course, there's also option three, wishing you'd never been stupid enough to sign on in the first place. For some reason I've got a feeling that one is going to be more likely." She laughed when she said that, trying to make it sound like a joke. "Still," she continued, "I like caves, so that will be fun at least, so as long as we don't run headlong into a horror movie I'm alright with it. And if we do... Well, let's just say living in the alleys tends to raise your standards for what's scary."

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, kenod said:

Karin smiled. "Getting rather philosophical there," she quipped. "Of course, there's also option three, wishing you'd never been stupid enough to sign on in the first place. For some reason I've got a feeling that one is going to be more likely." She laughed when she said that, trying to make it sound like a joke. "Still," she continued, "I like caves, so that will be fun at least, so as long as we don't run headlong into a horror movie I'm alright with it. And if we do... Well, let's just say living in the alleys tends to raise your standards for what's scary."

"We'll see, I think."

Althea's eyes softened slightly in what was a smile for her, barely noticeable. Max would have noticed, he had gotten awful good at reading her masks during the last years.

"But I agree. After the invasion, at least I would be glad if this was no horror movie, no hidded ploy to take over the city. Nothing more, but an expedition into some long forgotten caverns."

That it was unlikely they both knew, and so she didn't adress it loudly. No need to spill words for something obvious. She enjoyed the conversation. It was light and easy, surprisingly far away from politics. It was nice to do nothing but to converse for a while.

"I suppose living in the alleys tends to raise a lot of standards. Not only when it comes to scary things. Not that I can really judge that part."

[xinoehp512]

21 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Farren gave the front of his jacket a little tug and stepped backwards, simultaneously satisfied and slightly overwhelmed at the sudden influx of people. He was careful to keep his expression neutral, pleasant, and restrained - just as Director Stancel expected of him. He nodded to the white-haired woman, recognizing her as a member of the Ghostblook Triarchy, and gestured inside the meeting room. 

Great, he thought, we open the applications for two minutes and already some Guild head comes in to muddy the waters. He said none of this, of course, moving on to the young woman - more a girl, really - with the light brown hair and somewhat threadbare appearance. Farren took in the nasty scar running down her neck, sparing a moment to wonder at its origin, when another newcomer shoved one of the ACE recruitment posters into his face.

"Hey," she said brusquely, "I'm here for the job interview?" 

Farren stepped back a bit and gave the woman a polite smile. He was about to respond when another voice, seemingly coming from nowhere, timidly asked "Hey, is this for the tunnel job?"

It was only through sheer force of will that Farren kept himself from jumping two feet into the air. He swallowed a yelp, smoothed his hair, and frowned.

Time for some crowd control. He propped the door open and moved to the front of the group of new arrivals, then clapped his hands twice to get everyone's attention.

"Welcome!" He called loudly, then waited a moment for everyone to still before continuing in a slightly softer, though still clear, voice. "Welcome, everyone, and thank you for arriving so promptly. This is, indeed, the ACE applicant meeting. First, let me take this opportunity to thank you all for responding to our call. The discovery of the subterranean cavern network has been a most unprecedented surprise to us all, and we are grateful for all the talented individuals who have come forward to aid us in exploring them. My superior, and the appointed Expedition Leader Director Deborah Stancel, will be along shortly to give more information regarding the mission."

"Please feel free to help yourself to something to eat or drink, and take a seat wherever you like. We are expecting a few more arrivals, so I will refrain from explaining too much and risk needless repetition. Suffice it to say that the cavern network below Alleycity is an immensely complex and potentially dangerous labyrinth of tunnels, caves, and crevasses. Before we can even attempt to continue with our initial project to construct the Alleycity Subway Network, we first need to understand how and where these tunnels lead."

"While we wait for any stragglers to arrive, please take this time to fill out the questionnaire located on each seat. I have extra copies if needed. This is a simple survey of your relevant skills, Investiture, any Guild affiliations, age, and anything else you feel we should know. Pens are available on my desk here, though I will ask that you all bring them back."

Farren smiled at the group, then glanced at the back door. Director Stancel would be waiting there, watching him. He suppressed a shiver, rolling his shoulders a bit, and waited to see if anyone had more questions.

@Sorana @Lord Furret @Voidus @kenod @Rushu42 @Oduim's Chmapion @xinoehp512

 

Quote

Uhhhm...

I'm having trouble writing this scene, to be honest.  I'll just put what Nekorb would have wrote.

Investiture: Immune to all forms of Investiture

Age: 23

Guild affiliations: None

 

[+ZincAboutIt]

Farren checked his watch again. Ten twenty-two. He glanced at the back door, then stood, tapping his tongue against the back of his teeth. The tall man before him had brought his own hard hat. Well, that was a surprise, but Farren was never one to discourage safety gear.

"Just this way, sir," he said, gesturing for the man to follow him. He needed to collect the questionnaires anyway. If he knew Director Stancel at all, she'd walk through those doors at precisely ten thirty. Farren handed the man a questionnaire and a pen with a polite smile, then began to circulate the room. @ElephantEarwax

Quote

I'll be posting the main explanation of the plot in the next few hours to give some people a bit more time to introduce a character. Just to reiterate, you can have a character join the expedition a bit later, or you can have your character/s follow the main expedition at a distance, explore in your own small groups, whatever you like. But if you want to get your character in here before the main speech, now is the time to do it!

 

[kenod]

43 minutes ago, Sorana said:

"We'll see, I think."

Althea's eyes softened slightly in what was a smile for her, barely noticeable. Max would have noticed, he had gotten awful good at reading her masks during the last years.

"But I agree. After the invasion, at least I would be glad if this was no horror movie, no hidded ploy to take over the city. Nothing more, but an expedition into some long forgotten caverns."

That it was unlikely they both knew, and so she didn't adress it loudly. No need to spill words for something obvious. She enjoyed the conversation. It was light and easy, surprisingly far away from politics. It was nice to do nothing but to converse for a while.

"I suppose living in the alleys tends to raise a lot of standards. Not only when it comes to scary things. Not that I can really judge that part."

"I guess so," Karin answered with a laugh. "On the plus side, the food is good, and the accommodations are nice too. One of the benefits of an infinite dimension made up out of buildings is really cheap real-estate. Of course, the downside is that you really don't want to know what's in the food, since it's often some type of experiment, though generally one specifically engineered for taste, and you need to watch out what food you get, since some of it's meant for different lifeforms, at which point you stop worrying about allergies and start worrying about digestibility and heavy metal poisoning."

She sat back up again, grinning. "Still," she said, "I have to admit it's nice to talk to someone normal again. And on that note, do you have any interesting tidbits about yourself?"

[Voidus]

Someone sat down next to Whisper as she finally managed to catch another bit of conversation. Something about Aylitha being new? Sticking to the basics? Whisper didn't follow her research too closely, didn't even have clearance to know half of it in all likelihood, but she knew it was far from basic. Was this someone simply imitating Aylitha after all? Aware of her appearance and department but not her position?

Unlikely. They don't leave the Alleys enough for someone to spot them, and if that was it why the differences in appearance?

"Hi." The figure that had sat down next to her said, waving slightly.

She nodded mutely back. Sparking extroverted people insisting on conversing just because they happened to be near to someone else. Hopefully if he saw her staying silent he'd lose interest, but she couldn't let her gaze wander too obviously while he was watching her.

[+Sorana]

46 minutes ago, kenod said:

She sat back up again, grinning. "Still," she said, "I have to admit it's nice to talk to someone normal again. And on that note, do you have any interesting tidbits about yourself?"

Althea tilted her head to the side, looked at Karin for a moment. Normal. She had just called her normal. Most likely she was, if you took into account whatever lived in the alleys, but for her normal was a compliment. Like flowers or a precious gift. Most of her life she had been a lot of things, but rarely normal.

"I agree. I am greatly enjoying our conversation."

She made sure to change her tone slightly, show Karin that she meant it. Her face remained more or less impassive, she wouldn't let her mask drop in this environment. If it bothered Karin, she hadn't signaled it so far. Here and now, this conversation was a welcome change from her daily-life. And Karin was right. I was oddly normal. Nothing had exploded yet, nobody was trying to kill anybody. Almost peaceful. It wouldn't last, never did, but for now it was a nice mood that hung over the meeting.

"It depends on what you know about me. Tidbits you know, hardly count as interesting. But as we're speaking about food, a good chocolate cake usually is my doom."

For a moment she considered to leave it at that, but then she decided to add something else. They had been talking about easy, harmless things, and she was willing to share some more information that wasn't really secret.

"Everything else, like I said, it depends. Anything that interests you?"

[kenod]

1 hour ago, Sorana said:

Althea tilted her head to the side, looked at Karin for a moment. Normal. She had just called her normal. Most likely she was, if you took into account whatever lived in the alleys, but for her normal was a compliment. Like flowers or a precious gift. Most of her life she had been a lot of things, but rarely normal.

"I agree. I am greatly enjoying our conversation."

She made sure to change her tone slightly, show Karin that she meant it. Her face remained more or less impassive, she wouldn't let her mask drop in this environment. If it bothered Karin, she hadn't signaled it so far. Here and now, this conversation was a welcome change from her daily-life. And Karin was right. I was oddly normal. Nothing had exploded yet, nobody was trying to kill anybody. Almost peaceful. It wouldn't last, never did, but for now it was a nice mood that hung over the meeting.

"It depends on what you know about me. Tidbits you know, hardly count as interesting. But as we're speaking about food, a good chocolate cake usually is my doom."

For a moment she considered to leave it at that, but then she decided to add something else. They had been talking about easy, harmless things, and she was willing to share some more information that wasn't really secret.

"Everything else, like I said, it depends. Anything that interests you?"

"I don't really know," Karin answered. "I mean, the only things I know about you are your name and that you have a habit of getting philosophical." She tilted her head, thinking. Guild? Could work, maybe too personal, and not that important. Age? Good way to get into trouble. Albinism? Not really important. Suddenly they got an idea.

"Do you have any interesting abilities or skills?" She asked. Immediately after she asked it she realized her mistake. Asking about Althea's abilities would likely also cause her to ask about her abilities. Well, it was too late to do anything about that. Besides, there was a good chance she'd find out anyway later on.

[Rushu42]

7 hours ago, Oduim's Chmapion said:

"Scadrial, really?" Fasi said awed. "Are you an allomancer?"

Sarah grinned. "I am, actually. A Bendalloy misting. Want me to show you?"

Edited September 17, 2019 by Rushu42

[That Violin Guy]

16 minutes ago, Rushu42 said:

Sarah grinned. "I am, actually. A Cadmium misting. Want me to show you?"

"Yes please, I would very much enjoy that." Fasi said with a smile.

[Rushu42]

2 minutes ago, Oduim's Chmapion said:

"Yes please, I would very much enjoy that." Fasi said with a smile.

Sarah began burning her metal, and a speed bubble sprang up around them, engulfing their two chairs. Outside, time abruptly slowed. People paused in the middle of their sentences, mouths open. An apple that had rolled from a table seemed to freeze in midair, and the motion of the door swinging open was suddenly barely noticeable. "Cool, right?" She asked.