Re: [SWN] Valetel Epsilon IC
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:49 pm
"Hm... let's see..." Creed says, looking around.
The Realm of Ganoltir: Strife, Exploration, and Prosperity
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"Hm... let's see..." Creed says, looking around.
Spotting the teenagers as they approach the warehouse, Hikaru lowers his head and tightens the drawstrings on his hood, not eager to have his breakfast ruined. He takes notice of Cass acting as a body block and smirks. Guess he's less of a dumbass than I first thought.
He scans the market, looking for whatever option appeals to him the most. "Hopefully something, anything, good."
Looking at the different stalls you see one serving an assortment of Grilled Cheese, another serving what looks like tacos and burritos of some description, one serving crepes with fruit, and another serving several noodle dishes.
Tess watches as Cass helps hide Hikaru from potential fans, and holds back some laughter. The two are becoming friends, how sweet. They were fighting like an old married couple yesterday.
Once inside, she notes the relatively empty seating area and sighs. Well so much for not standing out. I thought this place would be more popular. Eyeing the options she decides that noodles sound the best, and heads on over to the stall to see what they have.
"I could go for a grilled cheese," Cass says, licking his dry lips. "Anyone else wanna come with?"
Finding the offering acceptable, Tess waits in the line and wears her typical passive smirk-smile. When she finally gets to the friend, she says, "hello," in a friendly voice, more cheerful-sounding than her typical tone. "Could I get one bowl with the meat? Also, what are your spice options?"
Hikaru raises an eyebrow at the selection and shrugs. I guess I shouldn't have expected a five-star array of options in a place like this. Craving something sweet and hoping to indulge after the day he had yesterday, he eyes the crepe stand. A few extra minutes jogging later is worth it. "Pass," the pop star says to Cass. "I've got my eyes on something sweeter than my debut album's lyrics." Fuck, that was bad. Why did I say that?
He shakes his head, making his way towards the crepe stall, savoring in the sweet smells as he approaches.
Fuck yeah, Hikaru thinks, his mouth already watering as he glances over the menu. Stepping up to the counter, he says, "I'll take one, please and thank you," while flashing a friendly smile. He pulls out his compad, ready to transfer over the credits. "And could I get a little extra chocolate sauce if it's not too much trouble?" I work hard. I deserve a treat.
Hikaru is taken somewhat by surprise as the man operating the stall winks at him. His face slightly reddens as he watches the crepe be prepared, almost looking at the man more than his food. Was he just flirting with me? Maybe I'm just seeing things. He grins widely as the fresh crepe is handed to him, complete with extra chocolate sauce. "Tha-," he starts to say before realizing the man had winked again.
Nope, not seeing things. But he's gonna need a lot more than some extra chocolate sauce and a couple of winks to get with this. He feigns clearing his throat. "Thanks, I will. And thanks for the extra chocolate," the teen sensation says with a smirk.
Creed slips over to the grilled cheese vendor quickly, not really giving Cass a response. "I'd uh, like two please." He asked the vendor.
"Spicy please," Tess responds once given the options. If the son preparing the orders glances over, she will give him a smile and a wink.
"Just one for me," Cass says with an upward tick of his head. He slips out his compad and swipes a finger to pay for the order.
"Two sammies and you jumped me in line?" he says, turning to Creed with a teasing smile. "Damn. You must be a morning person. You can have my hot sauce if you want it, shit burns my stomach out like it's some fad cleanse."
"Thanks a bunch," Tess says to the pair, as she sends the credits over. Turning back to the seating area, she eyes any tables that aren't completely empty and moves to sit at a nearby table. It is much too empty for us to sit together, but we could always sit at tables near one another and not stand out.
Hikaru notices the others, food in hand, but then glances at the barren dining area. He sighs, grabbing a handful of napkins from the stand. I'll stand out like a sore thumb if I'm not careful. He finds a table that's not too empty near Tess and takes a seat, admiring his crepe. His stomach growls again and he can't hold back. He digs into the thin but fluffy crepe, savoring the sweetness of the cream and chocolate.
The fresh berries fill his mouth with a punch of fruity flavor as they burst with each bite. Fuck, this is good. Totally worth a longer jog today. He wipes his chocolaty mouth and grins. Good choice, Hikaru. Good choice.
Cass tosses the hot sauce to Creed, stepping off to go find a table.
Guess we're playing it safe, Cass realizes, taking a seat not far from the others. Lotta shit to do. I hope they eat fast.
He opens the packaging and the wafting, steamy goodness makes his stomach churn. Oh, baby. I don't even give a shit if it's fake cheese. Taking a big bite, he relishes the sandwich with a sigh, chewing.
One hand on his sandwich as he demolishes it, he uses the other to slide out his compad and send a brief text.
Creed takes his sandwiches and finds a seat. He opens the sandwiches one at a time and after taking it in for but a moment, just sort of gulps them both down. He didn't really enjoy eating, but he did it anyway. While he was finishing his sandwiches, he checks the message that came in. "Aah." He mumbled. After finishing his food, he discards the wrappings in the garbage bin and leaves the building to get some fresh air and clear his thoughts.
Tess just finishes blowing on her noodles to cool them down as the text comes through. She glances at it, considers responding, but figures she'd rather finish her food first. She then slowly eats the spicy noodles, savoring the kick that serves to wake her up a bit more. Falafel is good, but this is so much better, she thinks, as she makes her way through the dish. Once most of the way through her meal, she finally picks up her compad and responds to the text.
Hikaru ignores his compad on the first buzz, too preoccupied with the utter delight of a crepe he has. He savors in each passing bite as the cream and chocolate coats the fruit, further enhancing the flavors. He quietly groans as it buzzes again two minutes later. Wiping his hands, he checks the device and sighs. Can't a guy not be rushed for once? God, I need a vacation. A real one. Not just some publicity visit. He shakes his head, composing a short text.
Finishing off the last bit of the noodles, Tess picks up her phone to read the most recent message. If we are going to be walking around more then I could use some new clothes. This suit isn't exactly cold-friendly. She quickly sends off a text before taking her bowl over to the trash.
Cass pounds the rest of his sandwich, enjoying every bite. Damn, should have gotten a drink. Mouth's drier than vacuum. He peers down at his compad, reading the messages as he chews.
He finishes his sandwich, tosses the wrapper in a recycler, and heads outside to look for Creed and wait for the others.
Tess reads the message but thinks little of it, assuming by meds he merely means emergency first aid for their future space travel. She tosses her bowl in the trash before heading outside as well, passing Cass and walking a short ways down the road. Once a few dozen feet away she pulls out her compad again and sends another text.
You all meet up at the location Tess specified about five or ten minutes later, once everyone is done with their food, and has completed the short walk from the food market.
A glance at the locale on your compad shows a pharmacy on a corner another ten minutes walk or so away, heading further towards the centre of the city. On the same block are a couple of clothing stores as well as a grocery store and some other shops and a couple of fast food joints. The area appearing to serve as a local hub for a nearby residential neighbourhood similar to the one Schaberg's apartment was in.
Hikaru notes the stores a short walk away from their location. "Looks like we've got a few clothing places right by the pharmacy. We can swing in them after, I guess," he says, taking note of the route on his compad. Pharmacy might have hair dye... he ponders to himself, wondering if he should start a new chapter of his image while he's got the chance.
Cass licks his lips anxiously as they meet up, selecting the pharmacy's location and getting a walking route to it. He peers around, making sure nobody else is too closeby. Being on the streets used to feel like I was anonymous. Protected, even. Now with the Diktat here, and the League on our tail, it feels like a ticking bomb.
"The thing about the meds," he says, uncomfortably. "I got into some bad habits some time back. Fucked my spleen up pretty bad." The junkie slips the small tube from his pocket, showing it to them. Inside, a handful of tablets remain.
"I have to take these every day for the rest of my life," Cass explains. "I just wanted to make sure you know in case of... in case it becomes a problem, I guess. Sounds like we may be together for some time." He slides the tube back in his pocket. "Pharmacy should have them, but if not then I know somebody who will."
He feels relief from the honesty, but he knows it's a half-measure. Still not going to bring up the whole, running-away-from-whistleblowing-on-a-pedo-sex-ring problem though. Another time.
Creed looks between Cass and the others as he says this. "Well, if it helps you to live I'd say that's p... pretty important, r-right?" He says though it sounds more like a question. "Maybe... Maybe Cass and I get his meds, then H-H-Hikaru and Tess can go c-clothes shopping." He tries to keep his voice down during this so only the group can hear, not that most people walking by would be paying too much attention.
"Yeah, that can work. Saves us time, too." Cass turns to Hikaru. "You, um, cool to pick out a few street outfits for me? I... As long as it's nothing too flashy, at least. I can text you my sizes." He pauses a moment longer, uncomfortable at asking the man for a favor. "Look, I'd be grateful is all. I'd pay you back the moment we regroup."
Tess listens as Cass explains his predicament, and she frowns. Wow, that is rough. Here I thought my problems were bad, and he's only some small pills away from death. He must be stressed at all times. At the mention of clothing, and hoping to lift the man's spirits a bit, she butts in to his conversation with Hikaru.
"We'll get you something nice, don't you worry," she says with a grin and a smirk. "You'll be the most stylish drug dealer in all of Idarete." Turning to Creed, she adds, "did you want some new duds too? Or you sticking with that?" she asks, looking him up and down only slightly judgmentally.
Creed gulps at the mention of new clothes. "I... my mom picked..." He let himself trail off for a moment. "Y-yeah, I'd like some 'new duds'." He says, almost forcing that last bit as if trying to fit in. "I-I sh-should look into dressing a little nicer."
Hikaru smirks devilishly as Cass's request echoes through his mind. He really does need me, huh. He leans against Tess, saying, "We'll pick you out the hottest threads we can find. Something perfect for a burnout starting anew."
He looks towards Creed, giving him a quick onceover. Guess his mom still thinks it's 3170. "Don't worry, we'll help you find something a little more modern." With the conversations about appearance now, the pop star looks at Tess. "You think I should dye my hair a new color? Or let the natural color out? Been thinking about reinventing myself a bit."
"Yeah," Cass says with a sigh of relief. "Thanks. We'll meet up soon. Creed? Let's hit the farmacia." He begins to lead the way. If they don't have the drugs, I'll have to get back in with Mick. I got scooped by the Diktat crackdown, but here's hoping he hasn't.
"Go for it," Tess says, turning to Hikaru as he mentions dying his hair. "What color were you thinking? What about a nice blue? Or you could even do two-tone?" She asks, still a bit more excitedly than her usual demeanor. It almost feels like we aren't on the run. This is nice.
Hikaru laughs at the first suggestion and smirks. "The agency tried blue on me years ago. I looked like one of those antiques, what're they called..." He pauses for a moment, glancing around in thought. "Ah, right, troll dolls! I was the spitting image of one of those, just with styled hair." He laughs weakly, furrowing his brow. "I was thinking something more natural might be better, draw less attention that way."
"Plus," he shrugs. "I dunno, it seems more mature, authentic. What do you think?"
Creed walks off after Cass, following him to the pharmacy. Is this what it's like?... having friends? Creed thinks to himself, not wanting to bother Cass with questions.
"Ha," Tess laughs, as Hikaru mentions his past hairdo. I would love to see that, but he's right. It would stand out a lot. "If going for a natural look, can't hurt to go blond," she says with a smirk. "We can pretend to be siblings. Not like we don't already act like it sometimes," she adds, ruffling his hair as she tends to do.
"Hm," Cass grunts. "This markup is bullshit." He hesitates a moment, before punching the 3 and 0 buttons then ENTER. "Whatever, not like I have much a choice anyways."
"Perfect," Tess says, entering the shop to find that they do sell warmer clothing as she'd hoped. She grabs a few items, including insulated pants, a belt, a pair of gloves, a beanie, and an outer coat, all dark in color, and heads to the changing room to try them on. When she steps out she eyes herself in front of a floor length mirror before turning to Hikaru. "Well? How do I look?"
"Blond..." Hikaru echoes as they step into the store. Mature and genuine, still a little innocent, but also fun. It's perfect. As Tess picks out some clothes, the pop star makes a beeline for the hair dye section, examining the selection closely. Platinum blonde, ashen blonde, sandy blonde. He groans, wishing his manager were here to help him decide. Shaking his head, he opts for a caramel dirty blonde of sorts.
He stands outside Tess's dressing room for a moment, waiting for her to finish changing. Once she emerges, he gives her a playful clap. "Ready to hit the slopes," he says with an impish smirk. "But also classy as fuck. God, I don't know how you can make even the bargain bin look good." Then again, if she can, why couldn't I?
"Thank you, thank you," Tess responds, giving an exaggerated bow, as if she'd just finished a performance. "Anyone can do it, really. Step 1: find colors that complement each other, or at least match. Step 2: make sure everything is a snug fit, and not too loose or too tight. And of course, the all important step 3: be gorgeous," she says, before letting out a laugh.
"I like it," she adds once the laughter subsides. Stepping over to the men's clothes racks, she digs through the meager options before passing a set of clothes over to Hikaru. "Here, try this outfit on for Cass. More just for the look than the sizing. I think it will look 'street but stylish' as he requested."
Creed would look around the pharmacy. He would wait patiently for Cass to return, and as he waited he would quietly mumble to himself.
Cass stashes the tubes in his pocket, leaving the pharmacy once again and waiting closeby. "They'll be longer than us. If they take too long I'll text them."
He sighs, taking a cursory look down the street and back. "So," the junkie says, turning back to his companion. "What's your story? I've seen you working for the bossman as his pilot, but before today, never elsewhere. You sure you're cool to just ditch town?"
"Huh," Hikaru says, nodding along to Tess's fashion tips. "Usually just have a stylist do this for me, but I guess I'm on my own for now. Step three's a given though." He grins and winks at his friend.
Hikaru stares blankly at what Tess picks out and shrugs. "Definitely his sort of style. Let's see how it looks." He ducks into a changing room, quickly stripping out of his existing clothes and donning the new set. He looks in the mirror and grimaces. Fuck, I cannot pull off this look. He waddles out of the changing room, the atypical pants making it difficult for him to walk. "God, could these pants be any baggier? Good thing this is for Cass and not me. He can manage." He does a little spin for Tess, showing off every angle of the outfit.
Tess can't help but to chuckle as her friend models the bulky attire. "Yeah, you definitely cannot pull that off. You're too baby-faced to look like some gutter rat. If you went into the streets like that, they'd assume you're an undercover cop," she adds with a grin.
"Should suit his style, though. Hopefully he likes it." She pauses, before adding. "I honestly don't know what Creed would want. Maybe something plain, but clean? Or maybe more professional?" she asks with a shrug.
Hikaru makes an exaggerated-angry pout, lightly punching Tess in the arm. "Hey, I'm not baby-faced! I've got a youthful visage!" He shakes his head and smirks, quickly ducking back into the changing room to get his normal clothes back on. I'd rather not spend any longer in those.
He offers a shrug as the discussion turns towards Creed's style. "I guess? Clean and plain, at least. I dunno if he's got the right attitude for the professional look. He'd look out of place as soon as he opened his mouth." He walks over to the rack, looking at the options. "Maybe something like this?" he says, pulling out a simple shirt and jacket combo. He pulls out another jacket, looking towards Tess for her thoughts.
"That first one looks nice. Get in there, my lovely model!" She says in an exaggerated tone, motioning with her arms to the changing room. "Let's see if it goes as well in person."
