#railheist ; 01

[pdq-88bsecuritron]

@railheist liked for a starter!

In lieu of anything better to do, Yes Man has spent the days since arriving here mapping out the area. He'd explored his own Ward thoroughly, and had begun to venture into the others, returning to the hole in the center of town and continuing straight forward into Fibonacci.

It'd take a lot of work to explore every path through the city on his own, and as he enters the Ward, he distantly wishes he had more than just one Securitron shell to explore with– he hadn't even had the chance to enjoy having a whole army to control! But such matters would have to wait until he got back to Vegas, he figures. Especially since he's come across a much more immediate problem: the edge of a canyon.

Yes Man peers down into the canyon, the Ward's namesake becoming much clearer to him now that he can see the canyon's spiral from above. There's life down below, but Yes Man can't see a way to actually get there, at least not from where he's standing. He glances around, hoping to find a new path, and instead catches sight of a human walking along the side of the canyon.

"Oh– Excuse me!" He calls, moving to catch up with her. "Hello! I'm trying to get to the bottom of the canyon, and you seem like you know your way around here! You wouldn't happen to know a better path down, would you? Completely fine if you don't, of course! I just figured I'd ask!"

[aforerime]

@railheist

The frozen rabbit husks dully clattered with the frigid wind. Uraume turned, welcoming the whispering wind; their vibrant, magenta eyes fell upon the western adorned woman withstanding the arctic chill. Unbated by the freezing temperatures, Uraume scanned her attire, unimpressed by her laxity towards the weather.

"Death falls upon deaf ears in this world," they muttered, words stolen by the wind. "You need to eat a cooked meal if you are going to keep all your limbs." They rose the rabbit husks, "Obey my demands and you will be rewarded rabbit soup." They turned away, "Do not fret, my demands are less than normal." Unsurprisingly, winter weather puts them in a good mood.

[starlightdive]

@railheist

"It's not... alive, is it?" Lilli pokes at the potted cactus, squinting. Doesn't seem to be moving... no eyes... probably not a cactuar... probably.

"Well. I know it's alive, it's a plant. But they don't stand up, or walk around, right?" The dragoon puts a hand on her hip, glancing back at the other woman beside her at the market.

"Some of the ones back home tend to get a little prickly if you disturb them."

[bitemedotmp3]

It's not a sobering thought. Uzi doesn't have the right word for it, because it's just not something she's thought about before. It's something she's compartmentalized ever since she got here; Copper 9 was a post-human world, with their only echoes being frozen skeletons and all the consumer goods they left behind. The remaining drones just picked up the pieces and went on with their new lives, created in man's image. No gods, no masters, no horses, just drones.

And now in Spirale, she's one of the only robots around. This is normal here. She's the weird one. Well, she's always been weird, but- Whatever.

"This is all I really came here to do, so..." Uzi blinks and checks her internal clock; it's always sunset here in the Circuit, but she needs to make sure that she isn't as risk of burning to death in the midday sun once she gets back to the mainland.

"Prob'ly just gonna go home," she says, shrugging. "In a couple hours, anyways. Gotta wait for the sun to go down a bit further, so don't let me hold you up."

The sunset makes her feel toasty, but nothing she can't handle. And the salty sea air is fine in small doses as long as she keeps up her maintenance, which she does.

But before she does, she turns back to Maria. "Hey Maria, are..."

Are there robots in your world?

No, she already knows the answer to that.

"Nevermind. Just lemme know when you find a player you wanna fix. Later."

Maria frowns. It's hard for her to think of a world without any humans or wildlife. It must be just as hard for Uzi to be the only drone on an island full of humans.

But seeing how well Mister Blue takes to the kid turns Maria's frown upside down. She's glad she gave her the chance to meet a real live animal, and she could do a whole lot worse than Mister Blue.

"Not a problem," she says. "I took the bullet train over to the City of Glass, then we walked the rest of the way. Might grab a bite to eat, then we're heading back."

"How about you, kid? Where are you headed?"

She hopes she's got a roof over her head. Since it seems like she's not from this island, it's likely that she has one, right?

[ciphertone-a]

@railheist sent ; "Why does everything have to be a competition to you?"

"BECAUSE MOST THINGS IN LIFE ARE A COMPETITION, SISTER, AND IF YOU AREN'T PLAYING YOU'RE GETTING PLAYED. NOW, PERSONALLY, I KNOW WHERE I WANNA BE ON THAT SCALE - IT'S WHERE YOU WANNA BE THAT'S UP FOR DEBATE HERE!"

[camelliacried]

       ❝   I'm glad they've organized something like this,  ❞ ⠀  SHE  remarks with a smile, mulling over the list of myriad activities. Tsubaki's been here for more years than she cares to count, and the incidents that have plagued the island were numerous; giving back is the least anyone can do, be it the Stars or the ones brought here by mysterious means.      ❝   To say it's long overdue would be an understatement. Do you know what you'll be volunteering for ?    ❞ ⠀

@railheist : to warm a heart.

[refliction]

@railheist sent in ; "He's not ugly! … Okay, maybe he is a little bit ugly."

He squints more intently at the man they'd pointed out across the way, judgement clear in his gaze. Sure, he certainly isn't the worst looking man he's ever seen, but that hardly means anything. Not looking hideous isn't the same as looking good.

"A little bit ugly is an understatement - do you think anyone's taught him about the importance of a good blush? It doesn't look like it, if you ask me. Which you did."

[hcrpyiia]

"Oh, i believe they call that a childhood animal. Is that right?" It's nice to have something from when you were a child and for it to be gifted by someone? In Maria's case, it would probably feel like her Gran was with her through Mister Blue, huh?

"Just like you learning to ride Miater Blue, I had to learn to get used to my wings and fly. I can't tell you how many times I've crashed in my lifetime."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal," she says. She imagines what her life would be like as a delivery woman, taking packages from town to town with the wind on her back. What a life that would be!

"I've had him since I was a kid. My Gran taught me how to ride him. We used to practice out in the plains until we could keep up with the trains," she says.

"How about you? Does flying come natural, or did you have somebody teach you?" she asks. It makes her wonder how angels learn to fly, and if it's something similar with Yumine.

[passionrat]

@railheist 🐀 SOUPS UP

🐀 Seeing Jane helping give out the free soup might have betrayed the image she presented herself with a lot of the time. She was a fake criminal that only played the part to conduct operations. She wasn't actually a bad person. Plus she could shuttle around three bowls of soup at a time: two in her hands, and one on her tail if she curled it to work like a bowl holder.

It was the one in her tail that she ended up offering to a woman in a cowboy hat by pushing her own tail towards her. "Oh? Not a lot of pretty women in cowboy hats around these parts~! You can take that bowl if you're looking for soup, but if you're looking to help, well... You could also take that bowl of soup." Potato and bacon. Yum!

[grnkle]

@railheist liked for a winterfes starter. SNOWMANNING THE FORT.

Stan's still not sure how open he is to this whole " colored snow " thing. Usually yellow snow isn't a good thing , and now there's a whole freakin' rainbow of it in front of him. Still , he figures he should at least try getting into the spirit of things. Which means slowly but surely making a very , very busted looking Snow - Stan.

He backs away from it slightly , rubbing the back of his neck. There it stands in all of it's half - built glory , complete with glasses made of sticks that are slowly starting to slide down it's face. ❛ Ah , who am I kidding ? I'm not built for this crap. ❜ He leans over slightly to get a peak at the snow creation next to his , hoping to make himself feel a little better , or at the very least , not alone in his mediocre snowman making abilities.

❛ Is it just me , or is this snow not up to standard ? I mean , I just can't get it to look right. . . Actually , on second thought , I'm not sure if I want you to answer that or not. ❜

[renatusest]

Listening to the other woman speak, Cheryl was not so subtly reminded that this city truly was inhabited by people of all different walks of life (and, worlds for that matter). The woman reminded her of a Western film she had seen once with her father; more specifically, she appeared as if she could have stepped right out of it. The blue horse, however, was a bit more special...

"Yeah," Cheryl finally lets out a small laugh, unable to ignore how amusing this whole situation is. "Well, I don't think we have to worry about them going stale."

"Your horse looks like he can eat plenty of anything."

Horses could eat anything, right? Or, maybe she was confusing him with a goat. Either way, Cheryl kept the thought to herself.

"Oh... what's hardtack, by the way?"

Maria nods in agreement with the teen. "Yep. Nothin' better than freshly baked goods. We've been makin' and bakin' bread for way longer than any of these fancy-pants gadgets have been around."

"Remember, if you're goin' out on the trail, you wanna make your own bread, like hardtack. This stuff..."

She holds up the last bite of her cookie.

"It tastes good enough and all, but I'd be surprised if it lasts more than a couple days."

Mister Blue sniffs the cookies in his owner's other hand. Seems like the cookies won't have to wait that long to get eaten...

Maria notices him, then feeds him the rest of the girl's cookie to keep him satisfied.

[pedaltothemegalodon]

A brief pained look overcomes their face when she trails off. Where that sentence was going is obvious, and Shiver hates how likely it feels.

A moment later, any pain has dropped from their face. The place it was before now is masked by a layer of well-practiced indifference.

"I-if you could...that would be the best way to get to the bottom of this. Or at least compare why your phone might be showing her and mine wouldn't."

Maria leans over to get a better look at the screen. She rests a hand on her chin in contemplation.

"What's that mean, when somebody's not on the list? They changed their name, or...?"

Maria trails off.

"I... guess I could take a look at my own phone. If ya want me to check and all," she says.

[feistyvampire]

At the end of the day that’s really not an unreasonable request from the amount of times he’d heard of vampires taking advantage of people— and the fact that if he himself didn’t get a proper blood supply there was always a chance of him temporarily losing himself to his hunger. Hopefully it would never come to that.

“Yeah, that’s. Definitely fair.” He thinks so anyway. But if anything like that happened he could also be sure she’d probably never trust him again, if he had to guess.

“No, I’m a vampire— didn’t really think about the possibility that demons might drink blood. Never met one that did far as I know.” Although, he wasn’t all that well acquainted with more then a couple of demons, at most. He’d never really thought to ask if they did!

“You’re not like some sort of vampire or demon hunter are you?” Might be best not to mention anything about Ambrose specifically, he’s realizing.

It’s one thing if he gets himself into danger but putting someone else’s life in danger is not something he wants to chance! But he also can’t jump to conclusions from such a short conversation.

Considering that he just wiped the blood off his mouth, and no one's running around the corner to scream bloody murder, Maria accepts his side of the story, although reluctantly, with a pair of crossed arms.

"Alright. Well, if I hear tales of you takin' more than you should, or takin' without askin', or somethin' like that... then you and me are gonna have words."

"Till then, though, I guess I don't really got much of a problem with you," she admits. "Are you part demon or a vampire or something? I've only dealt with the former."

[sableveins]

The look cast Crona’s way makes them shrink back a bit. She wasn’t trying to make them doubt themselves, was she? It didn’t seem like it from her tone, but the idea they may be wrong flashed briefly in their head.

“B-before I showed up here…back home…the moon had a face. The sun did, too. Sometimes they would even laugh- deep laughs, but really faint, since they’re so big and far away…”

"They don't have what now?" She gives them a look.

"Kid, I don't know if you meant the moon or the people, but I'm pretty sure the moon's not supposed to have a face. Aside from the metaphorical one..."

[astrallithid]

Even though he knows that none of this is real- at least not the boy he used to be and the woman with the blue hair, Balduran wanted to be able to cherish the moment of seeing who he was- before he had to live up to his legend. For as impulsive as the boy was, he was free. When had he been chained down by the world? ❝ I don't think I needed to be in your past for this to happen. It may be that we have traveled into this clearing together, so a mix of memories have manifested. ❞

❝ It can help put things in perspective, you know, looking to see who were were- how far we've come. We all begin somewhere. ❞

The boy, meanwhile, seemed rather confused by the pistol. "... A bow and arrow would do the same thing, right?" He doesn't have a bow, and he certainly doesn't have arrows, and Balduran can't help but laugh. His younger self seemed rather ruffled by it, but lacking experience, he wouldn't land many hits- if any.

❝ You know, we aren't shapeshifters. I know you've heard stories of them. Your father was an adventurer at heart, wasn't he. Algernon of the Grey Harbor- and you want to be like him. ❞

Truly, the look on the boy's face is priceless. He doesn't put the dagger away, but as the moments pass, his fear seems to melt into curiosity and awe. "How do you know that?"

They both know the answer, and finally- finally!- the boy puts the dagger away, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"You're me, but from the future! Can you tell me about it? Do I find Anchorome?" For a moment, the young Balduran lets his attention turn to the blue-haired Maria- "I'll bet she's you from the future, too! Aren't you curious about what your life becomes?"

A doorway into the past?

"Yeah, I guess so... but I sure don't remember you being there."

When the kid reaches for a knife, the older Maria stands at guard, though it looks like she doesn't need to disarm him right now. Not that she's sure if she can or should...

The younger Maria puts a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Hang on, kid. I appreciate the effort, but before you get too close..."

"You could also keep your distance, and hit 'em with one of these."

She waves at the pistol on her belt holster.

"Don't you do that," Maria chides her younger self. "You shoot me, you're cuttin' off your own future!"

This must've been back in her rail heisting days. Some babysitter she was, clearly...

[guidingstarmira]

Late? Mira looks towards the window when she's catching Maria looking as well, seeing it was indeed getting darker than it had been when she'd first followed Maria to her place. Yes, sleep, she did not require such a thing.

"I will not impose on you for such a thing, I do not require sleep so I'd just be idling in your house as you did, which I know can make one uncomfortable. I also can make my way back by myself if it's too much of an issue, I remember where it is located."

"Heh. Yeah, that oughta explain it. Folks who look at the glass half empty..."

Maria can say she understands the sentiment, though she'd rather not be negative just for its own sake.

She looks out the window again. If the stars are out, that means it's already night. While "Soul Tenders" may not need to get their sleep, humans and horses definitely do.

"Hey, Mira. It's gettin' late. You want me to walk you back to your new place? Or you can grab a bed here, there's a couple extra rooms. Either way, you know where to find me."