[There's a new statue, half-covered in briar vines, of a stranger kneeling on the ground. Her eyes are closed, and absolutely still. The fur on her wolf-life tails and ears is so fine, you'd almost swear it was real...
Actually, for anyone watching closely enough, you'll see those ears twitch. Just slightly.
A few locals snap some pictures, and yet the "statue" doesn't move. It seems like she might be waiting for people to clear off before she moves. Good luck sneaking off, Texas.]
ii. sidequests
[Well. This isn't so bad. These strange requests the locals make sound just like the sort of thing she'd be doing back home with Penguin Logistics. Though the lack of comradery, the abscence of anyone she recognizes -- that chews at her heart more than being in an unfamiliar place.
Regardless, she goes about her business. Still, her movements are more stiff than ever, her expression fallen into something brooding and stony. She gives off a nearly menacing aura without meaning to.
Especially the way she walks right up to whoever she sees.]
I'm looking for a cat. [She pulls out a picture that the food cart owner gave her, holding it up to whoever she's cornered.] Have you seen them?
[In all honesty, the cat might be hiding from her distinctly canine scent...]
iii. This is not Aldrip’s Best Friends Race
[How. How does she keep getting talked into these things. Maybe because she feels more adrift than ever, or her features draw the attention of locals, or... she just doesn't bother to say no.
So. Here she is, sitting at the arm wrestling table. She's pretty sure she remembered being roped into something like this at Rhodes Island, once, but she didn't last as long there. Here? Her swordsmanship has given her the muscles to perform admirably.
If she just goes along with this until she's knocked out (can't be that much longer), she'll get some basic rewards. She needs those right now. So it's worth it, right...?
Texas looks up at whoever approaches her next, either contestant or audience.]
...Can I help you?
iv. wildcard [surprise me! arrives 15 minutes late with coffee]
[ Honestly, the whole statue thing is likely convincing enough for most people. Ange at first doesn't even notice that this is actually a person - it's only on her second look that she notices those ears twitching. It's enough to make her stop, giving the statue a puzzled look.. but when she sees the ears twitch again, she realises it's not just her seeing things.
That's definitely not a statue.
It seems that only Ange is realising as much though. The tourists around her are still busy snapping pictures, and the redhead rolls her eyes as she takes a step or two closer to the 'statue.' Close enough so she can drop her voice into a whisper to ask: ]
Need me to get rid of them for you?
[ Why else wouldn't this person just be moving, after all? Maybe they're just too shy to tell them off.
[She hears someone approaching, and tenses slightly. She certainly isn't going to tolerate being touched in the same way she can tolerate the pictures and gawking. But being manhandled...
Instead, the figure approaching whispers to her. Oh, has he disguise slipped? Interesting. Her tail twitches, just a fraction.
When she speaks, her voice is soft and she barely moves her mouth.]
...I want to avoid a scene.
[Maybe shy isn't the right word. She doesn't want the attention, doesn't want to have to explain any of this. She just wants to slink off to a corner to think.
So. She won't complain that much if Ange scares them off...]
Well, as long as you mean 'a scene involving you'..
[ She shrugs. That's something Ange easily can arrange.
In fact, it seems like the girl is already getting on it. She turns her body, angling it so the loud tourists can't fully see what she's doing. They're forced to stare at her back, while only Texas can see what Ange is up to.
Which is holding her hands out in front of her. They start to glow with a golden light, and a moment later golden glowing butterflies come pouring out of it, flying off somewhere in the distance. There's a moment of nothing, but then one of the tourists calls out: ] Look, what kind of animal is that?!
[ They immediately start working themselves up into a tizzy, and it doesn't take too long before the entire group has taken off to go look at whatever exactly it was they were talking about. Ange stays quiet as they take off, and it's only when the last one has followed that group into a hurry that she says: ]
There you go. They're gone. [ She says it so simply, so matter-of-factly.. Like she isn't the one who technically chased them off with magic in the first place. ]
Rhodes Island is a big company with a very multi-national staff. There's a shit ton of people. According to one wiki, there's something like 300 Operators, and that's just counting the playable characters - there's more, and that's not even getting into the fact that there's a horde of NPCs, ambiguous timelines, everything having to do with Babel.
So, it stands to reason that Maria wouldn't immediately be able to clock who Texas is.
And that's not even getting into the fact they're in a Dreamwidth jamjar! Parallel worlds! All sorts of people! The sky is the limit!
-actually, backing up a second. Maria's eating a churro. She just discovered what a churro is, and she's eating it with delight because 10/10 would eat again. She gets cornered. Her ears prick up - she knows this person! Her ears stop pricking up - actually, does she? And it seems rude to go, "Hey, do I know you?" Mistaken identity? Big world? Many people!
But...anyway- focusing on the question.]
No- [Hold on, that came out a little bit muffled due to the churro in her mouth, swallowing the churro she had bitten off...
...okay. Trying that again.] No, but I can help you look? Maybe?
[In all honesty, Texas doesn't keep track of a lot of operators. She knows her girls, she knows who's from Siracusa, and who's dangerous. A friendly enough Kazimirez knight falls into none of those, and so falls into the general box of "decent ally" bundle.
Besides, she hasn't quite figured out this isn't Terra. It's weird as hell, but she figures maybe she's in a weird part of Iberia, or something. That's why nobody has obvious tails or ears, right? Liberi and Aegir are like that.
Anyway. Her ears prick up at the sight of the churro. That looks... quite good. Texas just stares at it for a long moment while Maria contemplates.]
Alright. I'm not really familiar with "cat", but it looks feline... [Weird animals they have here.
She keeps starring at the churro, considering.] Where did you get that?
[See, that's the problem with coming from a setting that covers a geographically huge amount of space, with multiple people. They might not realize they technically are associated with the same company for days, months, years. But, one of them is a Lupo, and the other a Kuranta, and for now that's enough in this strange mostly-tailless, hornless, earless world.
Speaking of. Texas calls a "cat"...unfamiliar and Maria nods, still eating, because yeah...yeah...they've got some weird names for things...yeah...but then?]
Oh, this? [The churro.] They were selling them at a stall that was...
[She half-turns, towards a random road that leads to restaurants, and is about to give Texas some really shitty directions (and Maria knows this) with her mouth opening, before she makes a thoughtful noise. A-]
Hmmm. [Because those would be terrible directions she's about to give.] It might be easier if I showed you? Maybe? [And then her voice drops into a more quiet tone.] Honestly, you're the first normal-looking person I've seen a while, so I really hope you don't mind...I'm sure these people are normal, it's just- you know?
[Not to mention the timeline nonsense going on, it's hard to know when they even could have met. But still, there's familiarity in just someone so clearly from one's own world.
Texas debates. She should find that "cat", but she'd got a feeling it doesn't want to be found. And she's getting hungry. And she always starts to get a bit antsy without something in her mouth. Maybe Maria will be nice and treat her?]
Sure. Let's go.
[Her tail swishes as they walk. She probably could have managed with those directions (Penguin Logistics always find their way), but this is easier.]
Mmm. No, I understand. I thought maybe they just didn't... [Have traits? Obvious traits?] ...But I've been getting stares.
[Which is weird. She's just a lupo, and to anyone who doesn't know, she's nothing that extraordinary. Her fur is well taken car of, thank you, but a black tail isn't anything special. So all those looks...
It makes her antsy. There's only one other reason she's gotten those looks, before.]
[Her voice drops into a low whisper as she leans in, because on one hand? On one hand Maria doesn't want to be- uh. Culturally insensitive? Is that the word for what's going on here? It's close enough. She doesn't want to be rude.
On the other hand, some things need to be gossiped about-]
A little boy asked me if my tail was real, and when I said it was he wanted to touch it.
[????? She can't be the only one who finds that weird.]
I didn't know what to say, and he took my silence as a yes and gave it a good yank. He was stronger than he looked! [Which isn't to say...strong, so much as when you're expecting a tug and you get a pull, it's a little surprising.]
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expiationlogs2024-04-14 10:44 pm
texas | arknights | tdm
ii. sidequests
iii. This is not Aldrip’s Best Friends Race
iv. wildcard
[surprise me!
arrives 15 minutes late with coffee]i
That's definitely not a statue.
It seems that only Ange is realising as much though. The tourists around her are still busy snapping pictures, and the redhead rolls her eyes as she takes a step or two closer to the 'statue.' Close enough so she can drop her voice into a whisper to ask: ]
Need me to get rid of them for you?
[ Why else wouldn't this person just be moving, after all? Maybe they're just too shy to tell them off.
Ange sure isn't, though. ]
no subject
Instead, the figure approaching whispers to her. Oh, has he disguise slipped? Interesting. Her tail twitches, just a fraction.
When she speaks, her voice is soft and she barely moves her mouth.]
...I want to avoid a scene.
[Maybe shy isn't the right word. She doesn't want the attention, doesn't want to have to explain any of this. She just wants to slink off to a corner to think.
So. She won't complain that much if Ange scares them off...]
no subject
[ She shrugs. That's something Ange easily can arrange.
In fact, it seems like the girl is already getting on it. She turns her body, angling it so the loud tourists can't fully see what she's doing. They're forced to stare at her back, while only Texas can see what Ange is up to.
Which is holding her hands out in front of her. They start to glow with a golden light, and a moment later golden glowing butterflies come pouring out of it, flying off somewhere in the distance. There's a moment of nothing, but then one of the tourists calls out: ] Look, what kind of animal is that?!
[ They immediately start working themselves up into a tizzy, and it doesn't take too long before the entire group has taken off to go look at whatever exactly it was they were talking about. Ange stays quiet as they take off, and it's only when the last one has followed that group into a hurry that she says: ]
There you go. They're gone. [ She says it so simply, so matter-of-factly.. Like she isn't the one who technically chased them off with magic in the first place. ]
ii
Rhodes Island is a big company with a very multi-national staff. There's a shit ton of people. According to one wiki, there's something like 300 Operators, and that's just counting the playable characters - there's more, and that's not even getting into the fact that there's a horde of NPCs, ambiguous timelines, everything having to do with Babel.
So, it stands to reason that Maria wouldn't immediately be able to clock who Texas is.
And that's not even getting into the fact they're in a Dreamwidth jamjar! Parallel worlds! All sorts of people! The sky is the limit!
-actually, backing up a second. Maria's eating a churro. She just discovered what a churro is, and she's eating it with delight because 10/10 would eat again. She gets cornered. Her ears prick up - she knows this person! Her ears stop pricking up - actually, does she? And it seems rude to go, "Hey, do I know you?" Mistaken identity? Big world? Many people!
But...anyway- focusing on the question.]
No- [Hold on, that came out a little bit muffled due to the churro in her mouth, swallowing the churro she had bitten off...
...okay. Trying that again.] No, but I can help you look? Maybe?
no subject
Besides, she hasn't quite figured out this isn't Terra. It's weird as hell, but she figures maybe she's in a weird part of Iberia, or something. That's why nobody has obvious tails or ears, right? Liberi and Aegir are like that.
Anyway. Her ears prick up at the sight of the churro. That looks... quite good. Texas just stares at it for a long moment while Maria contemplates.]
Alright. I'm not really familiar with "cat", but it looks feline... [Weird animals they have here.
She keeps starring at the churro, considering.] Where did you get that?
no subject
Speaking of. Texas calls a "cat"...unfamiliar and Maria nods, still eating, because yeah...yeah...they've got some weird names for things...yeah...but then?]
Oh, this? [The churro.] They were selling them at a stall that was...
[She half-turns, towards a random road that leads to restaurants, and is about to give Texas some really shitty directions (and Maria knows this) with her mouth opening, before she makes a thoughtful noise. A-]
Hmmm. [Because those would be terrible directions she's about to give.] It might be easier if I showed you? Maybe? [And then her voice drops into a more quiet tone.] Honestly, you're the first normal-looking person I've seen a while, so I really hope you don't mind...I'm sure these people are normal, it's just- you know?
no subject
Texas debates. She should find that "cat", but she'd got a feeling it doesn't want to be found. And she's getting hungry. And she always starts to get a bit antsy without something in her mouth. Maybe Maria will be nice and treat her?]
Sure. Let's go.
[Her tail swishes as they walk. She probably could have managed with those directions (Penguin Logistics always find their way), but this is easier.]
Mmm. No, I understand. I thought maybe they just didn't... [Have traits? Obvious traits?] ...But I've been getting stares.
[Which is weird. She's just a lupo, and to anyone who doesn't know, she's nothing that extraordinary. Her fur is well taken car of, thank you, but a black tail isn't anything special. So all those looks...
It makes her antsy. There's only one other reason she's gotten those looks, before.]
no subject
[Her voice drops into a low whisper as she leans in, because on one hand? On one hand Maria doesn't want to be- uh. Culturally insensitive? Is that the word for what's going on here? It's close enough. She doesn't want to be rude.
On the other hand, some things need to be gossiped about-]
A little boy asked me if my tail was real, and when I said it was he wanted to touch it.
[????? She can't be the only one who finds that weird.]
I didn't know what to say, and he took my silence as a yes and gave it a good yank. He was stronger than he looked! [Which isn't to say...strong, so much as when you're expecting a tug and you get a pull, it's a little surprising.]