[Open | Some people just can't sit still]

[getting_better]

Who: Bishop + You
When: February
Where: Aefenglom
What: Exploring, info gathering, maybe making fronds?
Warnings: None, will update

I. Day Time

A. Early Morning - Sound of Body, sound of Mind

[The early morning fog just started to dissipate when he set out and the morning sun had yet to crest over the horizon, but it's presence was felt as everything was coated in the indigo film of dawn. He woke up at the same time and goes through the same morning routine, a quick shower and a hearty breakfast followed by rigorous exercise, even being in another world isn't another excuse to neglect his training.

There was more to this than just staying fit, one crucial for his survival. His limits have changed and for the first time in a very, very long time, he felt...human. Gone were was the demonic speed and strength he had and so was the magic he was accustomed to but he couldn't let this stop him, he has to adapt. First up is a jog through the city with random bursts that lead into free running, sometimes heading up and across rooftops, or through series of obstacles and tight spaces. It's amusing if you're up at that hour and happen to be watching, perhaps you may even want to come along. If you can keep up that is.]

B. Morning - Sword and Spirit as one

[The second is to sharpen his mind and what better way to do that than with his sword. It's brighter now that the sun has come out to play and he's seen fit to practice in a park, going through the various forms his teacher so liberally beat into his body and soul.

The katana cut through the air like a silver star across the night sky, each form getting more and more complex with the motions going from the precise, to the elegant, and then to the inevitable violent end of his imaginary opponent. Are you simply an on looker fascinated by the display, or maybe a swordsman looking for a quick spar? Come and test your mettle.]


C. Noon - Food for the Soul

[By the time he'd cleaned himself up the lunch time rush had just come around and everyone you go seems to be full. Restaurants and cafes are filled wall to wall with humans and monsters. Getting a chair, less on a table, seems like a dream away.]

Kinda like a can of sardines, right?

[Bishop says as he stands next to you patiently waiting for a table.]

Listen, if you don't mind that is, would you like to share a table? Look - [He gestures to the staff.] - it looks like they're prioritizing groups. Might have a better chance of getting a table sooner if we tell 'em we'll share.

[What say you, o new hungry friend?]

II. Afternoon to Night

D. Afternoon - A person's a person, no matter how small

[Walking along the Harbor District one would stand to find many a curious thing. For most it would be the Sly Seadog, some it'd be the factories, but for Bishop it was the orphanages and how they were right next to a factory.]

Working in the factory for chump change, I'm sure.

[He says with a particularly bland tone, as if he lacked interest in the whole matter.]

Owned by someone with a fat wallet that's too scared to lose weight.

[He moved from one orphanage to the other, greeting and entertaining the children who approached him with a smile and story to amaze and amuse. Later, as the last of day coats the sky purple and golden orange, he found himself at the Seadog with a drink sighing or shaking his head in disapproval of something.]

I guess somethings stay the same wherever you go, huh?


E. Evening to Midnight - A human being is only breath and shadow

[While the red light district was amusing and all, and while somethings certainly were more interesting than others, but the weirdness of the whole situation still hasn't quite settled on him so none of the fun stuff that visiting the red light district entails for now. He does however take this time to greet and show his face to the lady workers of the district and some other, rather shady, individuals should you happen to be in the area as well. Shh. He won't tell.

As the night carried on, however, Bishop grew less and less present and seemingly just vanished from the public view. At least that's what it felt like. Throughout the city, should you be walking around in the dead of night, you may just feel someone watching you from somewhere. There's also the sounds of the on goings of the night, the clatter of some fallen object, the creak of the rusty hinges of a door, the echoes of a heavy boot or shoe walking down the street, or maybe even the sound of your own heart beating in your ears.

Look to the shadows friend and stare into the abyss. Who knows? You might just find someone staring back.]


F. Wildcard

[Have an idea you want to thread? Plot with me riaxc]

Comments

morning B

[courtintrigue]

[ Never one to linger in bed long, Morrigan was just finishing a morning walk of her own when she noticed the swordsman practicing in the park. The sword is not her weapon -- she has never truly needed one, magic her most effective tool -- but she is not unaccustomed to seeing warriors and archers train. This stranger's sword is unlike most she has seen and there is something pleasingly graceful in the art and arc of its movement.

She keeps her distance but makes no secret of her observation. It is only after he seems to defeat his invisible foe that she lifts her voice to him. ]

A hard-won victory.

[ Teasing, perhaps, but mild. ]

morrigaaaan <3

[getting_better]

[He lingered in the moment a touch longer, the moment where blade, body, and spirit, were one and the same as he went through the forms in his head. It wasn't until she spoke that the moment was broken and the rest of existence snapped back into his senses.]

Very, if it took all the blade forms to dispatch one foe.

[With a flick of the wrist he sheathes his blade in one smooth motion, the method done reflecting the sword play he demonstrated.]

Were you watching the whole time?

everybody needs a swamp witch in their life

[courtintrigue]

[ She smiles. Small, but a smile nonetheless. ]

No. 'Twas a fight in progress by the time I arrived. One assumes you do not mind the audience.

[ One would expect him to find a less public space if he minded the possibility of being watched, but for the moment she is civil enough to keep that to herself.

She takes a step forward. ]

What do you call this type of blade?

a healthy addition to any lifestyle

[getting_better]

Not at all. I hope at least you enjoyed yourself.

[He hadn't even considered a private space, mostly cause he thought no one would be around. Besides, there was no shame in his sword style or need to keep it secret. People could watch the forms but they were always more for practice and meditation purposes, maybe some guidelines to help build a new form or technique.]

It's a katana. A sword from the far east in my world, a country called Japan. The sword of warriors called Samurai.

c. noon, https://media.giphy.com/media/84ZzhsJZWlE3e/giphy.gif

[coherer]

(wanting to treat himself before an arduous journey to the outpost, jonas finds himself at bishop's current haunt. he checked three places before this one, every one wall to wall with customers, deciding—after being laughed out of the last restaurant for asking how long of a wait he could expect—to settle with the next one down his list.

grumpy from the encounter, jonas folds his arms when addressed and almost snaps at his fellow witch. the offer, however, stays his tongue.)

... uh, seriously? You're okay eating with some random guy? (seems to deflate, wondering if he's stressed for unrelated reasons, giving bishop a guarded once-over.) I guess. Sorry, I mean– you offered, so it's not like you'd mind.

(we're off to a great start here, man.)

[getting_better]

No offence taken. I'm happy to share. Besides-

[He eyes the restaurant with a worried smile, the waitress who met his gaze apologized which he dismissed with a wave.]

- if we don't share, we're never gonna eat. I can tell. This is gonna be roughly a forty to fifty minute wait. That large crowd over yonder-[He nods to a table of at least seven.]-they're too busy chatting rather than eating, and only half of them have orders so they're waiting for everything to arrive. Might as well play it smart, right?

[coherer]

(oh, that gets him squinting at the crowd instead of at bishop, ire directed at them instead.) Jesus, alright. When you put it that way, our hands are pretty tied here.

(guess it's time to get up and put on their best faces.)

So what's the plan? We gonna' schmooze the waitstaff, or have you struck some kinda' deal with the hostess? Honestly, we already look better than half of the dickheads already seated, so just appearing mild-mannered and patient might get us brownie points.

[getting_better]

[The was the question of the hour wasn't it? What do they do to speed things along, without getting caught?]

Hmmm...

[He scanned the restaurant and the staff, the people who they were waiting with, and the receptionist girl who was continuing to take down names and put them on the list. A minute or so later, inspiration struck and he quickly yanks a menu without being noticed.]

Here. Choose your order. I have an idea.

[He says as he hands the menu to Jonas, while he stood up and walked over to the receptionist. He informed her of the change in arrangement, indicated by how they both turned to Jonas for a moment before continuing their talk but Bishop doesn't come back. Instead he asked for directions to the little boy's room and he walked into the restaurant, although if one were to look inside they'd see him talking with some really frazzled members of the waitstaff while pointing to a table at the far back where three people were about to finish. He does this for another few minutes before showing up near the entrance and gesturing for Jonas to come join him.]

Made your choice?

[He hopes so because one of the frazzled waitstaff came up to him, apologizing profusely for some confusion and delay, which Bishop waves off with a smile and a request to hurry things along before the waiter ran off.]

See that table of three in the corner? Their bill is about to arrive. [He holds up a little leather clipboard.] It's this actually. I'm gonna walk over there and hand it to them, and when they leave sit down and look like you've been waiting a long time. Got it?

B. Morning. Let’s let him see a non-exploited child before the afternoon.

[foundfamilies]

[As Bishop works his way through his forms, he soon acquires a fascinated audience of one. While Leslie has been around many skilled fighters, both in her own world and in Aefenglom, her experience at actually seeing them display their skills is limited to a couple of cases in the jungle dream where she was certainly too distracted to pay proper attention. She stops and stares at the flashing blade, unable to entirely follow what he is doing as his forms grow increasingly complex.

When he finishes, she finds herself unable to stop a] Wow! [escaping her lips. If she had any experience with audience etiquette, she would absolutely be clapping. Now that she’s accidentally drawn attention to herself, she might as well voice her thoughts.]

That was amazing! Is that how you practice your swordplay every day? I couldn’t even follow what you were doing!

yes lets!

[getting_better]

[In his mind the world did not exist. To his body, exhaustion did not exist. To his spirit, doubt did not exist. These were only some of the things racing through his mind as he practiced and defeated imaginary foe one after the other. The world did exist to him outside of his mental battlefield even as he ended, until he heard the clapping and excited remarks of a familiar voice snapping him back to reality where she too existed.

He smiled softly at her enthusiasm and put his blade away with a circular flourish before approaching.]

Well, I'm glad you liked it! [He says bowing with a hand on his chest and the sword sheathed at his side.] Yeah, I practice like this everyday. It's important to always keep one's skills sharp.

[He says while going to the side of where he trained to recover a canteen and towel which he used to refresh himself.]

Good morning, Leslie.

[foundfamilies]

Good morning, Mr. Bishop!

[She follows him along as he goes for his towel, staying at a normal conversational distance.]

You must be really strong after practicing like this every day! And whatever that was was really beautiful, too.

[She attempts to immitate one that she remembers seeing, though the combination of not having a sword, not remembering exactly what he did, and not possessing the coordination that even her vague memories would require. She stumbles as she nearly trips over her feet.]

[getting_better]

[He smiles at the compliment and it only continues to grow as she imitates one of the forms.]

Oh! [He immediately goes to catch her as she stumbles.] Be careful, wouldn't want anything to happen to that cute little head of yours.

[He sets her back on her feet, petting her after before opening the canteen and taking a sip of water.]

What brings you around here, Leslie? And so early as well.

C

[kivatteru]

[ ... Well, that's one way to have lunch after a few hours of magic lessons at the Coven. It's his first time in this restaurant as he wanted to try something new, but he didn't expect things to get... crowded here. This must be a rather popular place.

Just as he's about to leave and go somewhere else to eat, he's stopped by a man standing next to him who suggests the idea of taking a table for two.

He looks over to the staff skimming through the patrons, mulls it over, then nods. Nothing wrong with sharing a table for a quicker waiting time, even with a stranger he'd never seen the face of before. ]

I guess that's not a bad idea, mister.

[getting_better]

Call me Bishop, please.

[Mister just makes him feel his age.]

Here, have a seat. [He gestures to the empty stool next to him while they wait. At the same time he gets the attention of the receptionist girl and signals that they'll be sitting together which she gets.]

You think we should place our orders now so we don't have to wait long when we get a table?

[kivatteru]

[ Got it. Having a name from the start makes things much more manageable on a social standpoint. He follows Bishop to the table and sits down. ]

I'm Wataru. [ A slow bow of his head. ] Yeah. Have you decided on what to take already?

[ In the meantime he takes a good look at the available menu. ]

[getting_better]

[Bishop bowed the same way, noting the name and some of his facial features.]

Hmmm...I think I'll take the Shepard's pie with a side of...ah, mushy peas.

[He's getting hungry just thinking about it.]

How about you, Wataru...-kun?

[He says in Japanese, unsure if he'll catch it.]

d

[loverboi]

[ lance is just passing on by, minding his own business up until he hears the guy nearby say something about chump change. he listens in further, taking notice of where the orphanage is positioned in relation to the factory. then, he stops and turns towards bishop and says: ]

Wow. That's pretty deep.

[ listen lance. just because something sounds poetic.... ]

[getting_better]

Hmm?

[He turns towards the source of the voice and smiles, a warmth opposite of the tone he carried just seconds ago.]

Heard that did you?

[He's not going to comment past that. Although it did sound poetic.]

[loverboi]

Uh, yeah. You weren't exactly subtle about it.

[ was he not supposed to hear that? ah, well. ]

It is pretty messed up that they'd put the orphanages right next to a factory, though. Kinda implicates a bunch of things that I'm not really a fan of either.

E

[omnicrafter]

[Irhya being a creature of the night is something that hasn't changed, even with her shift to being a vampire. Keepers are intrinsically nocturnal, and though many keep twilight hours to be able to have some overlap with their diurnal brethren, they often stay up well into the evening. In her case, vampirehood only solidifies her need to stay out of strong sunlight.

Sometimes, she just walks the city aimlessly, with no particular activity or destination in mind. One runs into interesting things that way sometimes. On this particular occasion, however, she notices things. Little things, indications of a playful follower who might be attempting to get a rise out of her.

She pricks her ears forward and glances around with wide, rounded pupils. Her sword is on her back, damn near taller than she is, meaning any fool can see she's well-armed enough to not be worth the trouble of ambushing in an alley or some such.

So, maybe whoever's following her is, in fact, a fool.]

Having fun?

[getting_better]

[Color his curious. A blade that big on a frame like that late into the night like this. Most curious, there must be some strength there and the fact she picked up on him means that strength runs deep.

Very interesting.

He stepped out of the shadows, hands raised for her to see and his katana strapped to his side.]

Depends on what you mean by "fun".

[He stands out in the open under the light of the moon, smiling warmly without looking away from her.]

Good evening.

[omnicrafter]

[Ah, so she was right. She scans him up and down, noting the weapon on him, but not bothering to make a show of being guarded over it.]

Well, you're undoubtedly either looking for trouble or looking for a good time, I'd imagine. Possibly both at once. Am I close?

[She shrugs, honestly a little intrigued herself. What kind of overconfident fool would try to mug someone so obviously able to defend herself? Which leaves a set of (marginally) less troublesome options.]

d. afternoon

[amurder]

[It's a rarity indeed for Salieri to find himself in a place such as a the Sly Seadog, and rarer still for him to consider staying for a drink or two. But these days he has less responsibility to occupy himself with- and thus he prowls about.

On this late afternoon he finds himself hearing the mumbling of a young man while nursing his own drink- although it's not alcohol he's partaking in just yet. One furred ear leans towards the sound.]

'Stay the same'? [The tall Chimera echoes from where he sits on a table across from the young man, hardly inconspicuous.] Do you mean the sordid sea shack, or the mystic land on which we stand?

[getting_better]

[He looked up from his mug of ale as Salieri responded, the look on his face noting that he was unaware he was thinking out loud.]

O-Oh no, I was, uh - [He cleared his throat, and sat upright. Didn't seem polite to slouch when being spoken to.] - I was...observing the area earlier. Came by the factories and the orphanages.

[He sighs and shook his head.]

I found it all, distasteful. Having kids work in the factories like that. That's what I was, uhh, referring to. [A beat.] Although I guess a bar like this is also pretty timeless. [He manages a weak smile to go with his wit, though it's clear Bishop's thoughts are towards the children.]

[amurder]

[Ah.

Salieri's sentiments are similar in regards to the children... but as of late he's often wondered if anything he- or they- could do to brighten the lives of the orphanages. The holidays were pleasant enough, he supposes.

He watches the honesty in the man's expression- perhaps with a bit too much scrutiny for someone he just spoke to. Don't mind his frown, Bishop... his face is just like that.] Hn.

This city usually does ingrain itself into you, one way or another.

[Whether by giving you a new perspective or new limbs.]

Do such injustices exist back in your home? You seem all too familiar with it.