(open)

[driverslicense]

Characters: Chase AND YOU
Date: anywhen Jan 30 - Feb 2
Location: Breakwater Wing + out and about
Situation: discovering his Talent + this is what rank 5 commerce has wrought
Warnings/Rating: n/a


A. Destruction
[He'd returned to the room he'd been assigned last night, and so it is that he gets up bright and early, ready for the day, swinging his legs out of bed without any need to throw off a blanket because he didn't sleep with one, and heads out.]

[Opening doors...it's a fact of life. But not once in his life has Chase pulled on a doorknob to have the doorknob get pulled without the door. He's left standing with a doorknob in his hand, door still firmly closed, while pieces of metal fall to the floor and roll by his feet.]

[Hope no one wanted to exit or enter Breakwater Wing today.]
 

B. Commerce
[Chase doesn't interact with the proper residents of Aifaran often; the daily lives of the people who belong here simply doesn't concern him most of the time. But today he's accosted by a man. Wearing shades. Indoors.]

[Who takes one look at Chase's purple leather outfit and, upon declaring Chase the perfect man for the job, has dragged him outside, across the street, and stuck him out in front of a store with a sign.]

Hip & Trendy Clothes
They're hip! And trendy!
[The sign is made of only moderately stiff cardboard and glitter paste. The store may or may not be a front for something. And Chase looks entirely deadpan to be there.]

Comments

[powertotearer]

[Wow, that doesn't put Eiji on the spot at all.]

I--I do! Just...

[Eventually, he just sighs and goes with it, like he's been doing the whole time.]

Just lead the way.

[driverslicense]

[Chase gives Eiji a bit of a look, because he at least knows better than to take that at face value when Eiji was just protesting not even a second ago.]

I am asking. I won't make you.

[He seen police force more corrupt than what he's seen of the Sentry. And the residents of Aifaran seem to regard the Dreamfolk as odd. It should be fine, regardless.]

You have not spoken to the Sentry before?

[powertotearer]

No, I'll help.

[He's in this far, right? He can't just leave Chase on his own.

He shakes his head.]

No, I'm really new here. I've basically only been shown where to stay. I really don't know much about...well, anything yet.

[driverslicense]

You have my thanks.

[With that said, he turns to exit.]

[Getting involved in this after only having just arrived does seem a little sudden, though.] You seem to be adjusting well.

[There was a lot of figurative shouting on the Lae network when Chase had first arrived. The strongest reaction that Chase had, though, was to the mark.]

You have a mark on your body?

[powertotearer]

You're welcome.

[Adjusting well? Well, comparitively speaking, when Eiji's mostly been pretty distracted...]

Uh, I guess? I kind of had some other things to worry about, but so far, it looks like they're under control, so I guess I don't have to worry about it too much...

[But on the comment of a mark, Eiji instinctively looks to his left hand before realizing what Chase is talking about and moving his hand closer to his back.]

Oh, that tattoo or whatever it is? Yeah, it's not in a place where I saw it right away. It's kind of weird, though.

[driverslicense]

[Sounds like the "other things" are likely things that Eiji brought from his home, if he can tell that they're under control.] That is good.

[Or maybe he manifested his Talent really early. Chase had a bit of trouble with it, himself.]

It is weird. [But Chase happened to be looking over, so he catches the glance.] You have a different mark?

[powertotearer]

Huh?

[Was Eiji being too obviously suspicious? Answer: Duh.]

No, nothing wrong! Just that one mark. So, what does it mean?

[driverslicense]

[Chase gives him a bit of an disbelieving glance, but doesn't say anything immediately, emerging back into the shop proper and picking up the sign again.]

I don't know. Supposedly it's connected to our souls.

[He glances back at Eiji. Arm, or back? ...Whichever the case—]

Which one do you have?

[powertotearer]

Oh? Um...

[It's his back. It's definitely his back, just on the left side, because he is lifting his shirt to show off this mark.]

It's, uh, kind of hard for me to see it.

[Why no, he really has no shame.]

[driverslicense]

[Chase stops and turns to take a look, peering at the mark just as shamelessly.]

A different one than mine.

[But he's nearly exited the store, and through the door he can see a member of the Sentry, so—] We'll continue this in a moment.

[...As it turns out, talking to the Sentry doesn't take long. She doesn't question Chase's story, only giving him and his sign a brief glance-over before she thanks him and moves away, presumably to do whatever it is the Sentry does with information regarding suspicious activity. (Possibly she already knew about it. But it's no longer his problem.)]

[Chase gives Eiji a nod in thanks as he turns back to him.] I have been relieved of my job.

[And then goes right back into continuing their conversation.] Does it hurt? The mark.

[powertotearer]

[Well, that was nice and easy. Eiji wasn't really sure what he'd be able to do if the Sentry didn't believe Chase.]

Uh, no...should it?

[The mark hasn't given Eiji any trouble--not that he's noticed, anyway. But what if he's not feeling anything because he's losing another sense?]

[driverslicense]

[He tilts his head, slightly puzzled at Eiji's response.] If it doesn't, then that is fine.

[No one else seemed to have it hurt, but one of them was Padparadscha, and Padparadscha chips rocks by touching them... And though Chase feels pain, he's not human, either.]

I haven't discovered why some marks are different. [Of course, it's not like he's done a thorough investigation, either. But despite the marks themselves being different, it seems that all the Dreamfolk have one.]

Does that worry you?

[powertotearer]

No--no, it's fine!

[Wow, he is really bad at this. Maybe he can try making himself seem a little less obviously suspicious.]

It's just...I have a few sensory issues right now. Nothing major, just...I kind of want to know if it's getting worse or not.

[Not that he can really do anything about it, so he's trying not to worry about it.]

But if everything's doing what, well, what I guess it's supposed to be, then good.

[driverslicense]

You are not fine. [If Eiji is having sensory issues, that is the definition of "not fine."]

[But there's nothing he can do but believe Eiji when he says it isn't anything major, for now. ]

I do not know what it is that the mark is supposed to do. That's the problem. [Well—not quite. He knows part of what the mark is probably meant to do, based on what someone who's experienced a past iteration has said. But that's not proof.]

Nothing has changed in you?

[powertotearer]

[That question is just general enough that Eiji can't completely look Chase in the eye as he answers.]

Not that I know of, no.

[driverslicense]

[Chase may not be that good at socializing, but he knows suspicious when he sees it.]

...Show me your arm.

[powertotearer]

[Eiji does. It's perfectly normal. There is nothing unusual about it at all.

For now.]

See? I'm fine.

[driverslicense]

[He looks at the arm, then back to Eiji’s face. You win this round, good sir...]

It is something that comes and goes, then.

[...But Chase can still get a shot in.]

[Either way, Chase returns the sign to the shop and then starts heading away.]

You were walking this way before you started talking to me. Where were you going?

[powertotearer]

[Eiji averts his gaze. He is neither confirming nor denying that.]

Actually, I was kind of just walking around, getting a feel for the city. That way, I don't end up getting lost.

[driverslicense]

[Chase recognizes a guilty conscience when he sees it, but people can only be helped if they want to be helped. Kiriko had asked him to help Go, and Go had resisted every step of the way.]

That is...a good idea. The Dreaming Bridge has been helpful. [Which is...what it's for, but he knows there must be people who don't trust it.]

[He crosses his arms.] How much progress have you made?

[powertotearer]

I'm not really sure."

Eiji scratches his head, trying to think through his mental map of the city.

"I started toward the center, but I don't think I'm anywhere near any of the coasts. I know this place is big, but I didn't realize it would be this big."

[driverslicense]

Why wouldn't it be big?

...I have not made a mental map, myself. [Pretty much offering himself to go with Eiji. He has just ditched his job, after all.]

[powertotearer]

Well, I mean, it depends where you go. In some countries, a big city is a lot smaller than what another country would think.

[He scratches his head. He suspects he's doing a terrible job explaining this.]

Have you ever traveled before? Outside of your hometown?

[driverslicense]

I haven't. [He does understand what Eiji's getting at, anyway.]

So you thought it was a smaller "big city."

[But there was still no reason to think that the place wouldn't be big, generally speaking, in Chase's view, but he also didn't have any preconceptions of Aifaran.]

...You have seen the barrier? [That covers the entire archipelago, that is. He'd observed it when he was talking to someone who'd been made very aware of it; maybe that accounts for the place seeming small.]

[powertotearer]

Kind of? I'm originally from the Tokyo area, but I used to travel a lot. I grew up thinking that, for example, Singapore was really big--since it was a city that made up its own country. But when I visited for myself, I saw that it was a lot smaller than the city I was used to. If that makes sense.

But that was in terms of people. I think...I don't know if it's just because I'm still new and kind of overwhelmed, but it feels like there's more space.

[Eiji shakes his head.]

That's a lot farther than I've managed to make, so far.