open 🌌 today's crime: soliciting

[chimericalclaw]

Who: Zekarion & YOU
Where: YOUR HOME, Aldrip Post Office, and assorted locations
What: Expiation, say hello to centralized mail services! Also there is an extremely tired man to bother.
Warnings: references to game-induced visions of violence and such, probably.

One day early in February, the people of Aldrip will find a letter delivered to their residence—sitting on their doorstep, on a nearby table or surface, slid under the door, whatever possible to make sure that you get your very first piece of public mail!

Inside is a typewritten letter headed with a letterhead seal proclaiming its origin as the Aldrip Postal Service. The letter describes the marvels of the mail service such as the founder is familiar with them: daily deliveries to and from the convenience of your home, local experts already familiar with recipients' addresses, the versatile nature of physical communication and lack of electricity requirement. Privacy is a promise, and the Aldrip Postal Service will send any and all mail... that isn't an active physical danger to those delivering or receiving it. Not that anyone would try such a thing! :)

The letter also brings up the upcoming Day of Devotion—for those romantically inclined who may want to send surprise or secret packages of flowers or sweets or love letters, anonymity is guaranteed. The delivery people don't even know where they came from without a return address!

The letter concludes with a note that the office is seeking organizational staff, couriers, and trainers to help handle their carrier pigeons to make the mail as efficient as it can be.

If you'd like to officially request your own mail box (it's free!), look into the job offers, or simply take a look at the post office itself, the address in the heading is repeated at the bottom of the letter. The founder only signs ZA at the bottom, so you'll just have to go in person to find out who's sending you mail now.

(Regardless of who it is, they're not responsible for any unwanted chain letters or advertisements received. If someone wants to reach out about your carriage's extended warranty, the mail service will not discriminate.)

⬬ some kind of trouble on the sensory screen | post office

[The brick and stone building, situated right near the middle of the city not far from the inn, has a few entrances, one under a set of arches, another under a covering supported by pillars. A couple of people in blue uniforms stand outside each one, offering informational fliers about what one can expect from the mail service. One of said people is dressed slightly differently, however; a tall man with dark hair wears a blue suit and tie to match the other workers, answering questions and encouraging people to step inside.

If anyone approaches closely enough to be heard with a normal conversational tone, he'll offer a greeting appropriate to the time of day.]

Have you gotten one of our letters yet?

⬬ clutch at plausible deniability | cafe/inn

[He can't spend all his time doing that, though. He's only one man, and he has other endeavors to work on. Endeavors such as trying not to look too exhausted over the coffee he's nursing at the local cafe or inn, or sigh too loudly over it.]

⬬ some kind of drama live on satellite | elsewhere/wildcard

[ooc: interested in something else? plot with me here or at lumieresdedragon!]

Comments

post office

[theskyaccepts]

Uh, yeah, I did.

[He cocks his head.]

So you can just, start a post office?

[chimericalclaw]

Ah, wonderful.

[That will cut down on the explanation a bit, then. Altius smiles pleasantly at the young man, though there's a little pride in it as well.]

I've heard no word of protest from anyone yet. [Well, maybe some of the locals got annoyed at the idea of a Chosen-run mail service, but they quickly "forgot" their issues after meeting him.] I'd think if the powers that be wanted to prevent it, they would have had plenty of opportunity to tell me no in some form or fashion before now.

[But they didn't and now it's here. :)]

[theskyaccepts]

I guess that make sense. I just always thought post offices were always a thing, like grocery stores.

[A child of modern convenience.]

Although, I don't know if I have any mail.

[chimericalclaw]

[Altius has to chuckle at the remark, tilting his head quizzically. This all just got started, of course he doesn't have any mail. Nobody does yet! That was the problem he intended to solve, even if it takes time.]

You might not yet, but that will change.

[Somebody's going to send him something, even if it's just some local trying to rope him into a sale or whatever.]

Everything has to be started by someone. Apparently who- or whatever's responsible for designing this place didn't find it important enough to create a mail service themselves.

[theskyaccepts]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

[It's just, not anything he's had to think about before. Though he is a little skeptical. Most of the time when he ends up with mail, it's rarely lead to anything good.]

Wait...so you just found this place?

[chimericalclaw]

[He raises his eyebrows.] Found? Oh, no. I had it built.

[Finding it would have been fine too, sure, but there's some satisfaction that he actively brought it into being. Or his money did, anyway. That still counts for something!]

I was referring more to the design of this world in general. It's a haphazard sort of city, isn't it?

[Modern electricity and horse carriages...]

[theskyaccepts]

Oh! I...didn't know that you could do that. Either.

[Not that he's really had the need to have anything built.]

But yeah, it really is. It's really weird.

[chimericalclaw]

Have you not heard of other Chosen building their own businesses?

[It's a neutral question; he simply wonders what this young man might have been doing to keep him occupied, is all.]

For as unpleasant as they've been as of late, the locals were surprisingly agreeable to my request. I have to assume it's been the same for the others who've taken advantage of the opportunity.

[theskyaccepts]

I mean, yeah, I have. I just figured they took over pre-existing spaces and stuff.

Not like, built from the ground up.

[Not that he pays a lot of attention to construction or anything.]

But that's good. Maybe that means they're warming up to us again.

[chimericalclaw]

[Ah, he supposes that makes sense. There have been a number of them that the Chosen have taken over, after all, like Plantagenet's new management over the Inn. He nods his understanding.]

We can only hope, hm? But for the time being... I'll continue to offer other Chosen the option of being paid by someone whose opinion of them won't change on a whim.

[Y'know. Just in case. He's glad to use his abilities as a buffer between them.]

So—what part of my letter brought you here, sir?

[theskyaccepts]

Oh, uh, well, mostly I was just curious.

[It is something to change up his routine, if nothing else.]

But, I guess having a mailbox would be kinda cool.

[Not that he would expect any mail.]

[chimericalclaw]

[That can always change, Tsuna, you never know! Get a pen pal! Those are fun. Hm, maybe he'll set up something to encourage that...

Altius gestures towards the door, friendly but not too insistent.]

We'd be glad to set one up. Why don't you come inside and I can get that started for you?

[theskyaccepts]

[A Pen Pal could be fun. He's never had one of those before.]

Oh, uh, sure!

I've never really had a personal mailbox before. Just the one on my house back home.

[Which, you know, you never knew what you were going to find in it. Likely dubious flyers for tutors.]

Is it easy?

[chimericalclaw]

Of course. All you have to do is write down your name and address. We'll take care of the rest.

[So! He turns to head inside, expecting Tsuna to follow.]

There's something to be said about getting mail addressed to you for the first time. Like a rite of passage, perhaps?

[theskyaccepts]

Uh, right.

[He does have to think for a moment to remember his address.]

But yeah, I guess. Though, I hope it's something fun and not like, junk mail or a school notice or something.

[chimericalclaw]

[With something like a scoff:]

Could you imagine a school in this place? [As much as he thinks all these kids should be getting their education, this is ultimately a twisted drawn-out torture prison, so—] There's no telling what the locals would try to teach.

[It would probably be more disturbing for there to be an attempt at a school than the absolute nothing that's here now.]

Perhaps you could get with your friends and make something of it? Just to be sure. [Advertise for him please :) Anyway, he's handing Tsuna the form now. Just fill this out here and here, put your name here...]

[theskyaccepts]

I'd probably be bad at it anyway.

[He's never been very good at school, though his grades have improved. Somewhat.]

I'll mention it to them. It would be fun to send stuff to each other.

[He starts filling out the form with a good deal of focus.]

[chimericalclaw]

I'm sure there's something you'd do well on. It would just be a matter of whether you had the time to find it.

[God knows he didn't do great in primary schooling, if just from a lack of care. For him it ended up being a matter of motivation, and in college he succeeded if just because he felt like he had to excel. In any case...

He waits a few moments patiently; he might have been tempted to keep speaking as the young man took to filling out the information, but that look of focus tells him maybe he shouldn't. It's only after Tsuna puts down his name that he does finally continue:]

What do you do with your time here, by the way? Mr. Sawada.

[theskyaccepts]

Uh, well...

[He's not sure about that. He was kind of an all around loser, who stumbled in to being a good leader. Or maybe that's the wrong word. Dragged kicking and screaming.]

Some of my grades are improving, thanks to my tutor.

[Not that he's thought about that much.]

Tsuna's fine, and well, usually I'm just kinda around. I help out at the apothecary sometimes, and the club building, since I'm in the TWAT club. And sometimes I'm at the arcade.

Just sort of whatever until weird stuff starts happening.

[chimericalclaw]

[If the man actually particularly cared, he might go on to say well, if you have help then I'm even more certain of it, but he's been drained enough by weird stuff that he decides to simply let the subject pass with a faint nod to acknowledge Tsuna's reply.

He does take note of what the young man says he's involved in, however. And... it really is something else hearing that said aloud...

Setting the ridiculous aspect aside, it's interesting information that he notes to follow up on later. For now:]

Do you know the city very well? It sounds like you've had the time to wander about, at least.

[theskyaccepts]

[That is 100% Scott and Tsuna takes no responsibility. Though, maybe it is time for a rebranding?]

Uh, decently enough, I think. I mean, there's some stuff I haven't really explored but I more or less have an idea of where everything is.

And the map's pretty helpful.

[chimericalclaw]

[Tsuna would probably have an easier time convincing Scott of that than Altius would, but the odds aren't great for either of them...]

It's good to be aware of our surroundings, [he replies; he's all but memorized everything of interest, himself, partly out of a desire to spend his free time on something that might be remotely useful. Rather than, you know, letting himself think about... everything. He holds out his hand for the form Tsuna has filled out, adding:]

In that case, could I interest you in an opportunity to use that knowledge?

[theskyaccepts]

Hie? What kind of opportunity?

[He's suspicious. He's learned to be. A lifetime of gullibility that has been forcibly beaten out of him.]

[chimericalclaw]

[We take character development where we can get it, huh. Altius raises his eyebrows briefly, but his answer is mild.]

A delivery position, of course. [Nothing weird! Or, well, weirder than whatever this place throws at them.] Mail isn't going to get where it needs to be without people taking it there, and I'm hoping for it to get quite busy.

[His ambition with the post office isn't... nearly as intense as his ambition is in general, but it's there.]

[theskyaccepts]

Mail delivery, huh?

[He considers it for a few minutes. It seems pretty straightforward.]

So just like, taking mail to houses and stuff like that?