ZincAboutIt

@Rushu42

Lita watched Lena's fingertip move in its slow orbit around the rim of her wine glass, then took a sip from her own. She gave the other woman a knowing smile. The last half-year had been one long, twisting labyrinth of sneaking and skulking, of deception and listening at keyholes. Six months in that tiny room with the chair, wringing answers from raw throats, listening to that sharp, wet sound of metal through flesh.The pain in her side from her spike had long-since faded, but she had other scars now, newer ones that were harder to see. Dark truths that spooled out into her mind during the night when she tried to sleep. The price of such knowledge. Compared to that, this was an easy paradise. These occasional meetings with Lena bobbed like lanterns in a sea of night. Quick, casual. Fun. Lita deserved to have a little fun, now and again. She dipped a hand into her pocket and withdrew a slender ring of grey metal, setting it on the table with a light 'click.' "Unsealed Tinmind," Lita said, pushing the ring towards Lena, matching the woman's gaze. "There's enough stored in there for two days of enhanced tactile sensation." Her mouth quirked up at one corner. "Or a few hours, if you're very greedy." She lifted her fingers off the ring and took another sip of port. "If that's unsatisfactory, I'm sure we can work something out. There's any number of fascinating things in the Alleys, after all." Lita dipped her chin, allowing herself a dark little smile. "Do we have a deal?" @Sorana

Lita flicked green eyes at the barmaid, taking in what little clothing she had on, and her general enthusiasm. She dismissed the woman as any kind of threat, then gave her a practiced smile. "My friend here was kind enough to order me something already," she said smoothly. "But if there's anything you can do for me, I'll be sure to let you know." Lita turned her attention back to Lena and raised her glass before taking a small sip. It was cheap, somehow both bitter and cloyingly sweet, though at least it wasn't a Callingfale. She'd sooner have drunk embalming fluid. "Business first, I think," Lita said, swirling the port in a vain attempt to aerate some measure of quality into it. Her eyes traced the now-familiar lines of Lena's face, the slender curve of her neck, and the more generous curve of the rest of her. It had been about a month since they'd last met, but somehow Lena always managed to look the same: utterly blase, and slightly amused. Like the whole of the world was some private joke played out just for her. "Any interesting news on the street these days? Last I heard you're still at the Forge, helping all those poor unfortunates rebuild their shanties. Such a generous heart you have, Lena. Where do you find the time to meet with someone like myself?" @Sorana

Lita stepped out of the shadows of a narrow alley and smoothed the front of her shirt, tucking a stray lock of auburn hair up under her flat cap. She strode out into the street, taking a moment to survey the squat, whitewashed brick building before her. Someone had scrawled "The Bleeding Spike" above the doors in sloppy red paint. Lita felt her mouth twist into a wry smirk. Appropriate, she thought. She could hear voices within the tavern even from out on the street, Tin letting the sounds slice cleanly through brick as though she were standing inside already. There were four voices she didn't know, and one that she did. Lita felt her smirk slide into a grin, and she began burning Pewter. The metal flared to life within her, even a bare trickle blazing like a torch next to her wisp of Tin. The Push and the Pull, twining together. Laurelai would have said something scholarly in this situation, something about equal and opposite physical Investitures. Lita just called it what it was. Power. Still grinning, she walked forward and pulled open the ironwood doors. They would have been heavy for her six months ago. Now, it was like dragging back a curtain. Lita surveyed the tavern with a practiced eye, cataloging the weapons, the bar, and the rather scantily-clad servers. Well, everything has a price in this city. Lita stepped up next to Lena, who was leaning against the bar and holding a tiny vial between two fingers. A glass already sat next to her, waiting. Lita could smell the port - cheap, but then, what else would she expect from a place like this? She turned her attention to Lena, feeling the edge of her smile drag upwards in a tiny, wicked hook. "Now, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Is it business today, or pleasure?" @Sorana

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

I think this would be a better place to discuss @Ark1002's proposed OP character, @AonEne and @Grey Knight. Mostly I'm also posting this because I have a few qualms as well. Barring the mental illness thing (and I agree, you could simply give him a form of mental instability that causes delusions rather than a specific named disorder), my main problem here is that you effectively want to RP Kelsier, plus Electrum Feruchemy. I just don't know if that will make sense, and also it's just a little close to RPing a canon character for my taste.

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.

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

Farren started, looking up from the small desk perched in the corner of the office meeting room. He checked his own watch, then jumped up, striding across the room to tug the door open. "Welcome," he said, pulling himself up to his full height - which wasn't terribly much, but it was better than slouching. Silently he cursed his inability to grow a beard. "Please, do come in." Farren swept his arm across the meeting room, which was arranged simply with rows of chairs, some small raised tables, and a large spread of food and drink. "You'll find everything here is safe to eat, and made in house. No offense to any... shall we say more adventurous palates, of course. But any and all food is just food. No spikes. ACE is a guild neutral organization. My name is Farren Tashav, I'm Leader Deborah Stancel's assistant. She will arrive shortly. Please, feel free to ask me any questions." @Lord Furret

>> Welcome to the A.C.E. Records Database. Please enter qualifications. --------- Deb Stancel closed her laptop and rubbed at her temples, squinting into the bottom of her cup and wrinkling her nose at the light dusting of coffee grinds sitting there. She glanced at her watch - a real watch, none of those absurd fabrial devices some Rosharans swore by - and sighed. Half-past nine. With one final glance at her watch, Deb rose from her desk and tugged at the end of her uniform jacket. It was a deep olive green with orange trim, and it matched her pants. Indeed, it matched nearly everything in her cramped little office, as was fitting. This was Alleycity Excavation, and those were Alleycity Excavation's colors. If she was lucky, she'd find a few more competent souls to pad ACE's ranks today, and a few more orange and green coveralls would get churned out for them. No such thing as luck, she reminded herself, smoothing her hair as she rounded the desk and headed for the door. She needn't have bothered; her hair was already as smooth as a sheet of ice, her bun a perfect ring of blonde. A place for everything, and everything in its place. That was how things got done - that was efficiency. And if Deborah Stancel was one thing, she was efficient. She slid a clipboard and pencil off the end of her desk before turning the knob on her door and walking out into the hallway. People scurried this way and that, accountants, engineers, pencil-pushers. They bobbed their heads to her as she passed them, and she returned each nod with one of her own. Smaller, of course, but still. Decorum was to be rewarded. Everything in its place. As she neared the large meeting room at the end of the hall, she spied Farren, one of her assistants. He gave her a deep nod, then straightened up to look her in the eyes. "Ma'am," he said briskly, awaiting her reply. The corner of her mouth quirked up just a bit. "Good morning Farren. Has anyone arrived yet?" "Not yet, Ma'am," Farren said. "Though, it is only nine thirty. The recruitment ad specified a ten o'clock start time." "Nine thirty-six, to be precise," Deb corrected. "It is always important to be precise, Farren. Still," she said, catching him before he could apologize, "you are right. Arriving too early is inefficient. Let us wait then, and see who has answered our call." Farren looked at her, a question in his eyes, though he did not voice it aloud. Deb sniffed a little. "Speak, then. I can practically hear you thinking." Her assistant blushed a bit, but did as he was told. "Waiting, well, it just seems a bit... dramatic for you, Ma'am." Deb raised an eyebrow at Farren, almost cracking a true smile at the young man. "Contrary to popular opinion, Farren, I am human. Allow me this one failing." Farren blushed deeper and cleared his throat. "Perhaps I should go in and, um, wait for you then, Ma'am. Let the applicants know what to expect. If... if, um, that's alright with you, of course." Deb jerked her chin at the door. "Best not to keep them waiting then," she said, and watched as the young man slipped gratefully into the meeting room. She would have laughed, but then, it was not the time for laughter. Not here, not now. Not with what was at stake. Whatever is down there, we'll need all our wits about us. All the wits we can get. Laughter was for later. For now, she waited.

Post woo @AonEne

Now I'm imagining DA Denizens dressing up in full Dickensian costume using Alleytravel to randomly carol outside of peoples' houses... Alright, forget my plot idea, the Alleyverse Carol Book requires my full attention

Every year, all the good little Denizens hang their lab coats on the outsides of their doors in the hopes that the Dark Yuleman leaves something extra special* in their pockets for them to find the next morning. *disclaimer applies

I've had three separate people come up to me over the years and begin speaking Romanian to me. Upon learning that I do not speak Romanian and indeed am not Romanian at all (to the best of my knowledge) these people always express genuine surprise and tell me I "simply must be." Again, as far as I can tell, I have exactly zero Romanian heritage and I don't even look particularly Romanian by my cursory Google searches

Ash and Aon go well together, are Cosmere-themed, but are also easy to say and allow the kittens to show their personality without being overlayed with a book character.

Also worth noting: Someone should probably herd the gigantic hemalurgic greatshell back into its home dimension. Or not

I imagine it's probably normal, as the Era is about to turn over, plots of this Era are winding down or closed altogether, and people are planning their next moves.

In college, a professor once threw out this little gem during a lecture: "You must cite your sources. You can't just declare a thing and have it be true. For example: You there! *points to student* Your mother is a horse!"

It’s refreshing to met someone older than myself around here! At 27 I find myself on the upper end of the typical age but there’s plenty of older folk lurking about here, welcome!