Ichigo [Action/Video]

[theonewithsixeyes]

[That wasn't right. When Allen became aware of the first vague sensations of consciousness nipping at him, his eyes snapped open, and clarity returned to him. This wasn't right at all. His eyes focused, and the first thing he saw was the roof of a cavern. The first thing he heard, the sloshing of water. He could take account of his other senses as well, but by this point it wouldn't tell him anything he wanted to. Instead, he took account of his own body- made sure everything was still working- and then used one hand to push himself up from the bed of the cocoon, catching the box that was sitting on his chest in the other in a smooth, reactive motion that could have been mistaken for unconscious.

A bed- no, a cocoon? As he pried himself from it and stepped into the water filling the Bay, finding himself up to his heels in it, a whole host of questions crossed his mind, many with answers he didn't like. But he supposed he should get more information before he pursued THOSE lines of thought any further, or else they could lead down dark roads. Best not to jump to conclusions... even if that's what he really wanted to do right now.

He finally turned his attention to the box and pried it open, tucking the lid under the same arm holding the box while he examined the contents. He plucked out the walkie-talkie first, and took a moment to examine it- thoroughly, the hand holding it bursting open into a mass of metallic tendrils, each ended with a different device to prod and hook and pick apart the device- there was even an Ammeter in there somewhere. Ultimately; Rudimentary but functional, he concluded on the device, his hand folding back into it's original shape- and taking the walkie-talkie with it, absorbing it into his body. He knew how it worked in detail now, replicating it's functions wouldn't be an issue.

He briefly glanced over the gold necklace, studded with a large red jewel and numerous other smaller ones, and then chose to pick out the pamphlet. Huh. They wanted him to know they brought him here?

It didn't take long to flip through it. How kind of them to provide the walkie-talkie! He took a second look at the necklace though, now that he knew it's purpose as a transport vessel and an identifier- and took a moment to wrap it around his wrist like a bracelet, snapping it shut and letting it hang there. Then last of all, he took the money and stuffed it into his coat's pocket, mumbling, "Thanks for room and board, I guess." Then he chucked the box and it's lid back to the cocoon, and at last, made his way out of the Bay.


Upon stumbling across the magazine rack, he cocked an eyebrow. "Sure stands out, but I guess that's the point."

As Weiss' message played out to full, he dug through the magazines at the rack, giving them cursory glances. Safer than home, huh? He could believe it. But that didn't mean it was more exciting that way. The message ended and he put the magazines back, taking in his surroundings, and considered making his way to Nova City. But first, he figured he'd put the video capabilities of that walkie-talkie to the test by posing a question to the greater populace who'd already arrived, raising an empty hand and allowing a camera lens to form on it's palm- HD Video, here we come! He'd already recorded the frequency it was broadcasting on, so the rest came neatly.]

[Video]

Getting into the Christmas spirit, everyone? [He laughs to himself, but you can tell from his face he's not in the best place mentally. A little red under the eyes.]

So, can anyone give me a read on how outdated Ms. Schnee's little info relay out here is? You know, if anyone's gotten any closer on how to get home or not. Just need to know if I'm here for the short-term or the long haul, you know?

[He briefly is out of focus, giving anyone viewing a view of a boot attached to a leg- after all, the camera is in his hand, as opposed to being carried by it. Not that the viewer would know. Then it shifts focus to his face again.]

Nice place you've got here.

Comments

[theonewithsixeyes]

[He closes his hand around the lens in his hand briefly, concealing it- though notably not cutting off the actual transmission, meaning there was audio for anyone listening. As the little dog came his way, he smiled and crouched down to pet it, cooing things like 'Hey there!' and ultimately making cute-voiced commentary toward the dog. Then Gale arrived, and he looked up at the man.]

Yeah, you could say that. But I imagine that's normal around these parts, what with the whole 'getting kidnapped from one's own world'.

[orlokbutterfly]

[He takes a couple steps closer but still stops a reasonable distance away. Mostly he's just keeping an eye on Gunner, as the little puppy keeps hopping up and licking at Allen's hand. Gale lazily points towards the Bay entrance.]

It's normal after waking up in there, certainly. I'm surprised so many people take 'waking up in a pod and being told they were kidnapped to another world' so well.

[Not to say he didn't take it well, of course. Surely not. He was totally cool about it.]

[theonewithsixeyes]

I'll be honest, I'm not. [Allen laughs, taking a moment to pet the dog again. He's smiling, but there's definitely something behind that smile.]

I just... figured freaking out and screaming my lungs out and raising hell wouldn't solve anything. I've got a lot of people back home I'm missing right now. I've... got kids, even. I'm sitting here wondering if they're all okay. Wondering if something hasn't happened to the ones I love the same that's happened to me. And I miss them all and I'm worried to death.

But tearing this place up won't do anything for them. As hard as it is, I should probably keep a level head, until I can find the way home.

[orlokbutterfly]

'least you're takin' it better than others then. [He nods towards Weiss' hologram.] That was broken recently because someone lost their head.

[He does understand Allen's fears to an extent, though someone would be hard pressed to notice that since his eyes were covered by that mask. He shrugs and folds his arms over his chest.]

If you can put any stock in what that Weiss girl told me when I got here, then you won't have to worry about anyone at home. Something about alternate timelines or whatever, some kind of gibberish, but general consensus is that our home worlds and inhabitants are fine. Nothin's gonna happen without you if that's what you're worried about.

[Of course, Gale himself is still constantly fearing for Lala, but there's not much he can do about it.]

[theonewithsixeyes]

Well, not all of us can be so calm.

At least if that's the case though, I'm at least a little relieved. I've seen a lot of weird things at home, so I wouldn't be too surprised... but I still miss them.

[He finally stood up, looking to Gale, and taking full note of the man's suit. There was definitely something going on there- a direct-to-pilot interface, judging from the wires in his neck.] I'm Allen, new guy on the block. Nice to meet you.

[orlokbutterfly]

[He shrugged again.]

Who knows, maybe you'll get a familiar face here eventually. People seem to run into people they know from home sometimes. I haven't had that luxury myself, but at the same time I don't think I want to.

[He hesitated before reached up and took off his mask.]

Name's Gale Reinhardt. Pleasure. [He nods down towards the puppy, who barks again.] He's Gunner.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Heyyy there buddy. Nice to meet you too, Gunner. [Allen bends over to pet the puppy, smiling at it. Then he rises up and puts his hands on his hips.] So, what do you do around these parts?

[As he was saying this, he took the moment to examine the mask. It was solid, no clear cut eyeholes- some kind of visor? Mechanical, maybe? Best not to pry, though.]

[orlokbutterfly]

[Gunner gave another yap as he sat down between the two and constantly turned his head between Allen and Gale. Gale looked down at him with a slight smirk before he looked back to Allen.]

Bounty hunting, primarily. It's one of the only good sources of excitement I can get around here. Rest of my time either goes to night clubs, arcades or slogging through work for Nova City's major technological firm.

[The latter pays though, so he can't complain too loudly.]

[theonewithsixeyes]

Even in the supposedly 'peaceful' Genessia there's still troublemakers that warrant bounties, huh? That'd be too perfect, if there was no violence. Well, that makes it a little more like home at least.

Nova City's the one to the North, right? What's it like over there? Enjoying your time there?

[orlokbutterfly]

It's relatively peaceful, but you'd be surprised at how many murders seem to happen in certain areas. I've counted at least three different murder incidents in Attleton alone since I got here. One of which I had a hand in bringing in the culprit.

[He looks off in the direction of Nova City's archway.]

Yeah, it's that way. It's alright. I'm glad it's reasonably close to the technology at home, but- [He huffs and rolls his eyes.] I'm a little sick of not havin' access to a jet here.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Well, you can't stop people from being people. Violence and conflict will thrive where there is freedom, so it's inevitable. Good on you doing your part to stop it though.

...A jet? So you're a pilot, huh? Though I don't know how much good a jet would do you around here. Kinda big and unwieldy. Unless you plan on peppering your bounties with anti-tank rounds?

[orlokbutterfly]

I'm only in it for the money and the thrill. [And partially to protect civilians because he does have morals.]

I'm perfectly fine with just havin' one to fly again. I'm gettin' pretty sick of being on the ground all the time. But gunning down my targets with a well placed air strike would be fun.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Well, I've known my fair share of people who were only motivated by money as well. It's not all bad to look out for number one either.

[He cocks an eyebrow.] Define 'well placed'. I get flying for kicks, but try to keep it out of inhabited zones, huh? ...Well, I'll see if I can't do anything about that for you later once I'm settled in.

[orlokbutterfly]

You're makin' it sound like I'd go out of my way to terrorize people. I've got more class than that. [That's something a Cardinal would do. That's not his jam.] Besides, you never know when you'd need some well placed machine gun fire while out on the job.

[He pauses a moment and then raises an eyebrow.] What would you be able to do about it? One guy can't put a jet together, let alone an alterna.

[theonewithsixeyes]

I'm just saying, the bigger the gun, the more scared people will be. There's a time and a place for everything.

You say that like this world isn't filled with strange and unusual inhabitants with strange and unusual abilities. You don't know what someone with the right abilities could do when they put their mind to it. [He's smirking at this point. In fact, with enough time, he COULD do it. He didn't know what an alterna was, but an earth-style fighter... would be simple.]

[orlokbutterfly]

[Allen had a point about the whole 'scaring the hell out of people with big guns' thing, but Gale only shrugged it off. Wouldn't stop him from ever using one if he ever got it again.]

You're lookin' awfully confident. Alright genius, just where do you think you'd get the materials for it? I doubt this place is gonna have the materials just lyin' around for it. I doubt even Nova City would.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Would you believe me if I told you if I could handle that myself? Well, mostly. [As he says this, he raises a hand, which then turns a chrome silver as flesh turns to metal, and then metal expands, the hand tripling in size and the fingers ending in sharp claw tips akin to fully fledged swords. Then his hand returned to normal.] Even if it's scrap, or raw material, so long as I can ingest it, I can use it.

[orlokbutterfly]

[Immediately Gale is taken aback, cringing as he takes a step back, even Gunner hopping up to his feet and letting out a tiny bark. Gale's eye twitched. He's seen crazy shit, but he never saw anything like that.]

What the hell are you?!

[Funny. It's usually Gale that gets that question.]

[theonewithsixeyes]

Whoa, wasn't expecting that strong of a reaction. [Allen laughs a bit, waving his hands defensively.] Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Figured this kind of thing would be normal around here but I guess not.

I'm a shapeshifter. I can rearrange any part of my body and mass on a molecular scale, and anything I ingest, I can add to my mass, which means more stuff I can use. It would take a while, but I could probably build a jet. I'd be making the parts out of my own body, after all.

[orlokbutterfly]

[He winced but slowly relaxed, but he was still pretty on edge. Who wouldn't be after just seeing a guy just turn his hand into swords.]

I've seen messed up things because of the Cardinals, but I've never seen that.

[He didn't realize there'd be things naturally crazier than what those four and Zykalis would do.]

While my interest is peaked, this makes that jet idea sound strangely... organic. And 'organic' isn't a word I associate with alternas.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Technically, I'm an android. [He then tapped a finger to his own head.] It's all mechanical up here. I can look like this, give off the appearance of a human, but at my core I'm still a machine. Though I guess my disguise is good enough if you couldn't tell.

[orlokbutterfly]

A shapeshifting android? How does that even work?

[Though he has to be silently thankful for the fact Zykalis wasn't here. It'd be guaranteed that he'd want his hands on Allen for 'research'.]

Y'know what, I don't think I want to know. I'm the last person that should be asking how people 'work'.

[theonewithsixeyes]

Suit yourself. [He shrugs one shoulder.] But just saying, once I get my bearings and get my feet properly grounded and the like, a jet's totally within possibility.

[orlokbutterfly]

[Gale narrows an eye.]

And what about the engines and instruments? There's no way even you could do that single handedly.

[theonewithsixeyes]

We DO have jets where I come from you know. In fact, we have far more advanced things where I come from. I've taken a peek at more than a few blueprints, I'd be able to do it. Quickly? Not likely. Producing these kinds of materials efficiently and functionally isn't cheap. But I'd be able to do it.