| A laundry list of names | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary: Tabitha sheds enlightenment on some of her duties (the ones that don't include being asked to follow strange purple haired girls around for no clear reason) and discovers that the place she grew up in is a little different than she... remembers it. But the big question of the day isn't the state of Twisted, but whether or not Dante will finally get a beer!   |
Twisted Street reaches out in opposite directions, and if you look hard enough you'll see the dust from the Wastelands raging across it. While some may feel it strange, Twisted Street is well-kempt; the holes in the road freshly paved, the buildings clean and free from graffiti or debris. The wind sweeps softly, dark gray clouds marring an otherwise clear sky. The Integra's Arms Apartments and the Usual Restaurant inhabit the street, while other roads encourage exploration. It seems that a quick five or ten minute stroll will allow you to visit most anywhere in this odd new world. From roof to roof a shadow silently stalks it's prey. ...except there's no prey to be found. Annoyed and tired Tabitha drops down to the main street on all fours before standing and slumping against the wall of the UR. With lowered ears she rolls her eyes upwards and sighs. "This is BOOOOOOOOREIIIIING!! Why can't I be given somethin' easier ta do? I ain't ever gonna find anyone on this damn list!" Dante wanders down the street, as he's prone to do. He looks a little confused, possibly getting used to the way Twisted does its thing. He blinks a bit as he notices he's back...where he started from earlier. Rubbing the side of his head, he sighs. "Great. This place changes and shifts... It must respond to some DESPERATE need to screw up my traveling plans. ... On the flip side, though, booze." He heads in the direction of the UR, his evening plans decided as far as HE'S concerned. Tabitha's ear twitches and shes glances in Dante's direction a moment before taking out a list and scanning it over. After a few seconds she shoves the list back into a pocket of her jacket and waves at the stranger, "OI! YOU! Ya gotta minute?" Dante peers over at this new individual. A young cat-girl waving at him. ... ... Damn it, why are they ALWAYS -THAT- young. He shakes his head a bit and heads over a bit closer to where Tabi's hanging out. He offers a lift of a hand in a sort of return wave. "Yeah, yeah. I got all the time in the world. What can I do for ya, honey?" Tabitha's eye twitches this time. oO(...honey?) Still, though she has a mission to do so quickly she composes herself. "I... um, I'm trying ta find some people. Ever heard of a..." She stops mid-sentance and pulls the list out again, "...well, anyone named Devi, Caliga, O..." The girl strains to read the next line, "Oblivion? Um. Crucks?" She groans, "Ugh, this list is STUPID!" With a slight growl she shoves it back into her pocket and shakes her head, "Nevermind. I'm just gonna give up. Ever since I lost that purple-haired girl th' other day I've been useless. Thanks anyways, guy." Dante blinks a few times, tilting his head a bit. He laughs at her response, shaking his head just a bit more. "Whoa whoa. Hold up, girly. Slow down there. I met Devi my first day here. Haven't seen her since. Don't know those other guys. Why're looking for those people anyway?" Tabitha's ears perk up at his response. "Wait, really?!?!? Do ya know where I can... oh." Yeah he did say he hasn't seen her since didn't he? With a slight shake of her head she explains, "My new boss gave me this cryptic 'Go find them an' treat them with the same loyalty ya do me' crap. 'Cept no one's heard of them. When I asked him what they're supposed ta look like he just laughed at me an' said I'd have ta figure that out on my own..." Dante folds his arms, quirking an eyebrow. "Your boss sounds like an asshole. Using a young girl like you to do a bunch of grunt work like that." He looks Tabi over for just a second, before continuing. "I get this weird feeling from ya, though. You seem like you could take care of yourself. He must know somethin' I don't. ... Well, I dunno what I can do to help, really. I'm new here myself...but, if I see Devs again, I'll let her know you're looking for her. What's your name?" Annoyance washes over the girl the second the word 'young' is used. "I'm not a kid ya know, an' tha name's Tabitha. Asshole or not, Diablo's done a lot to help me an' this city. You should learn ta show a little more respect." Got a bit of an attitude, doesn't she? Dante snorts. "I don't freely hand out respect to folks I haven't even met yet, kiddo." He rotates his shoulder a bit, a few popping noises emitting shortly afterward. He sighs once again, muttering something about old age. He grins back at Tabi. "Cute name though. Can I call ya Tabi? Anyway, I dunno what that guy's done for this place and frankly, I don't care much. I'm sure he's great n' all, but I don't plan on staying. Name's Dante, by the way." Tabitha scoffs, "Ya, you really are new here ain't ya? Good luck with that, 'Dante'." She crosses her arms before continuing, but that attitude is still thick in her voice. "People don't get outta here easily. 'Course ya could just go crawlin' out into th' Wastelands like everyone else did. Ain't gonna get far without a guide, though. You'd be better off just making yourself at home here until s'more of your old world finds it's way here." Her eyes narrow with this next line, as if disgusted at the thought of it, "...they always do." Dante laughs once again. He likes this girl. She's feisty. ... ... WHY are they always so DAMN young, though!? ... Ok, ok. I'm good. "Thanks, Tabi. Appreciate the vote of confidence." He looks a bit curious at her last statement though. "More of my 'old world', ya say? What do ya mean? This happens a lot? So...this place is some kind of nexus, then. Was it always like that?" Her mood softens slightly at the questioning of the past. "Eh... Yeah, I suppose so. People, places... they've been gettin' pulled here since back before th' old Council." With a nod of her head she guestures at the restaurant they're standing in front of. "Old stories say this place was th' first. It's supposed ta be why everyone ends up here sooner or later." The girl shrugs, suddenly deciding the ground is the thing to stare at. "I dunno if I believe the ol' stories anymore myself." Dante looks the UR over, rubbing his chin. "I thought this place had an 'old' feel to it. I thought I was just going senile." He glances back at Tabi, noticing her making eye love to the ground. He smiles a bit, although not as brashly as he usually does. "Stories have a funny way of changing as people add their own flare to the retellin'. Usually some trace of truth to em, though. Were ya born here or didja get pulled in like I did?" Tabitha looks up and stares blankly at the man a second trying to figure him out, but quickly writes it off as normal curiosity. "I-I was born here." For a change she keeps it short. Must be a touchy subject. Dante nods once, looking quizzical for a moment. He glances off into the distance, folding his hands behind his head. He sounds a little sheepish, for him at least. ... Maybe just a little wooly? ... Enough sheep jokes. "It's a...nice place. S'not like I want to leave because I don't like it here...I just still have stuff to do back at home, ya know?" He stops for just a second there, clears his throat...continues. "Sorry I insulted your boss, too. I'm sure he's fine. I'm probably just too sober for my own good." Tabitha blinks at the appology. Funny how hearing someone say they're sorry makes you reevaluate your own actions. "Um, yeah. It's... okay, I guess. Maybe it's my fault for being so defensive." She runs a hand through her hair a moment and looks away, trying to avoid eye contact. "Thanks for talkin' with me. I'm sorry I took up so much of yer time." Dante chuckles, reaching over to pat Tabi on the shoulder lightly, unless she stops him. "No worry. We're all defensive about our homes, family, that kinda shit. Ya don't have to thank me for talking to you, I'm sorry I couldn't help ya more. As for time, got all the time in the world, like I said. Don't know my way around this place yet, after all." Winks. "After all, you said I should be careful if I dunno where I'm going...so I don't plan on wandering any more than I have to. At least until I get used to it here." Tabitha hmm's lightly as she relaxes her arms again, her tail starting to move rhymically on it's own behind her. "There's not a lot ta see with some of the areas of the city shut down. The only important places ya might need ta know about is the UR here, the Integra Arms down the street a bit, an' the parthenon lookin' town hall up th' road. There use'ta be little boxes on the streets called Data Terminals that would tell ya everythin', but for some reason they're all broken." A slightly worried look falls over her features briefly, "They're supposed ta be gettin' fixed but I've never seen anyone workin' on 'em." Dante leans back against a different part of the UR, refolding his arms glancing back over the whole street in a curious manner. "Supposed to be getting fixed, huh? Who controls that sort of thing around here, anyway? City hall...got some kind committee controlling everything around here? That who your boss works for, or manages? Something like that? It just seems...kinda dead around here. I haven't seen too many people really, since I got here...even though there's signs of life everywhere." Tabitha seems confused a moment as she looks up and down the street. "Huh. Come ta think of it that is kinda odd." She stares down the road as she tries to remember when the streets got so empty. "Um, but yeah. Diablo took over th' Council a few years ago and sorta ended it. Now he invites everyone ta come to that hall-thing and discuss issues. He says it's like puttin' everyone on th' council..." Her voice quiets as she trails off, this is gonna start bothering her now. "...Where is everone? The streets are usually busier than this." Now that list in her pocket seems a little more suspicious to her. Dante rubs his chin. "Sounds like socialism to me. Of course, I haven't got a freakin' clue how effective that kinda management is. That school stuff bores the hell outa me." He glances up into the 'sky' as he continues. "So, this place isn't usually this dead, huh? We've got...an influx of random, new people...who your boss wants to find and put you to work for. A bunch of people missing...and some fallen council that's been disbanded in favor of a community government? Whew. A smarter guy than me might think somethin's up. ... Luckily I'm an idiot. I wouldn't even be thinking THIS far ahead if I wasn't so damn sober -.-;" Tabitha's ear twitches at Dante's words. Inwardly she kicks herself for not noticing anything was up before now but somehow her mind doesn't want to dwell on the issue. "Eh, maybe it's just later than it seems like it is an' everyone's at home." She laughs nervously, "I don't normally keep track of what time it is. Besides, Diablo says it's for the good of the people, an' he's not given me a reason ta doubt him yet. It's probably just a thing." Dante hehs, giving her another light pat on the shoulder. "You're loyal. That's respectable, especially in a youngin'. I can see why ya wouldn't want to over-think these things. I hate over-thinking things myself. I was just musin', ya know? I'm thinking the sobriety is definitely a problem...and I find myself in need of alcohol. Care to take a break and join me? ... Well, no booze for you if you're underage. c.c" Tabitha stares at the door of the UR. "I... um. I want to, but I'm not sure I can. I should probably check back first. Maybe if you're still here I can join ya after a bit?" Dante offers a thumbs up with a grin. "Sure. Not a problem. If I'm still conscious anyway, eh?" He's obviously joking around, maybe, possibly? ... "Hey, Tabi...take care of yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If the folks around here got nothing to hide, won't be a problem." He leaves it at that, offering a wave. | |
Enable comment auto-refresher