001 ➛ audio

[squanderlust]

If this magic works the way it was described, somebody should be able to hear me right now. [though the voice of the young lady that's coming through sounds incredibly skeptical about this entire endeavor.] If you can, and you can actually understand me, I want you to tell me whether 8,000 "creds" is a lot of money around here, and what I can do to get it. I can't believe your merchants don't take something as simple as gold for war supplies.

[there's ambient noise for a while, and some confused sounds from somebody who has obviously never seen, much less used, an omni-tool before. eventually she groans in exasperation.]

My sword's been stolen from me and you expect me to do repairs to survive. This is entirely unacceptable.

Comments

[squanderlust]

Of course I have! I'm not an archer, but I've swung an axe or two. What kind of one-trick pony do you take me for?

[neverknocks]

[ oh god no severa you are too cute york is trying so hard not to laugh ]

Hey, hey, I bet you've got lots of weapon experience. From your world. But take a look around you, kiddo. This isn't exactly home, is it? Now, you know what a crossbow looks like. It's a complicated little gadget, right? Well, a gun's about a hundred times more complicated, and while any dumbass can point and shoot, if you don't wanna wind up hurtin' yourself, you might want a few lessons.

[squanderlust]

I already told you, I'm fine. [cute? no, this is a mighty huff she's throwing, darn it.] You might not be able to see, but I still have all my limbs! Even my fingers! I'm more than capable of figuring out dangerous weaponry on my own. They don't even have any sharp edges. How dangerous could they really be?

[neverknocks]

[ shhhh it's okay severa york has a soft spot for huffy teens

she doesn't really sound condescending, or skeptical, just kind of amused. ]

You wanna see?

[squanderlust]

[is this some kind of joke to whoever this person is? severa crosses her arms over her chest, fully aware that she can't be seen; it's the principle of the thing.]

You know what? Yes. I think I do!

[neverknocks]

[ IRRESPONSIBLE SPACE AUNT EX-SPECIAL AGENT TIME ]

Yeah? All right, then. You know where the markets are? There's a bar there called The Quad. Meet me outside, and I'll show you a thing or two about guns.

[ She sends the coordinates to Severa just in case she can figure out how to use them to find the place. ]

I'm York, by the way.

[squanderlust]

[the coordinates pop up, but Severa has absolutely zero idea what to do with them. probably as expected. she makes a quiet noise when she reads them.]

You can call me Severa. [it's a reluctant admission.] I'll go there now. Should I just approach every woman in the area? How will I recognize you?

[neverknocks]

Oh, I'm hard to miss. I've only got one eye. I'll see you there, Severa.

[ She closes the audio connection with that, and when Severa arrives at the Quad, York will be waiting, decked out in infiltrator armor and with a swath of gauze over her left eye. The gauze covers up the worst of it, but if you look close enough, it's not hard to see the burned skin creeping out from beneath the edges. She's got a pistol holstered at her hip, leaning against an outside wall with her arms crossed. ]

[squanderlust]

[meanwhile Severa still looks as she normally does, which is to say entirely out of place. as though it weren't bad enough that she barely knows which way she's going and obviously has no idea how to behave around here. at least York is easy enough to spot. small favors.]

Is that much armor really necessary for a simple demonstration?

[neverknocks]

[ Hey, there she is. She looks like a nice enough kid, even if she does look like she's been sucking on a lemon. Reminds York a little of somebody else she knows.

She glances down at her armor and shrugs loosely. ]

Not really. But it was already on. You just happened to catch me while I was out.

[ She unholsters her pistol, holding it easily in one hand, and nods at Severa, leading her in the direction of an alleyway. Nothing wrong with using a dumpster for target practice once in a while. ]

So, you know anything about how one of these things works, kiddo?

[squanderlust]

[the answer is "not remotely", but she can't just say that. and out where, exactly? is York a mercenary? hm. that's not an awful idea. maybe she should ask about that later.]

I know enough to know that it's a weapon and it's probably dangerous.

[it's a good thing that York seems trustworthy, at least, because being led down an alleyway with a strange person holding a stranger weapon is no situation for a weaponless soldier to be in.]

But I still don't see how.

[neverknocks]

Well, you're gonna wanna keep your eyes open and your ears covered, then. It's gonna get a little loud.

[ They're at a respectable distance from the dumpster and any people who might happen by. York takes a couple of steps ahead of Severa, disengages the safety, and with apparent ease, lifts the pistol and fires a few shots into the dumpster. They ring out loud, the bullets burying themselves in the already much-dented metal, and with years of military training and special ops experience, she makes it look easy. York glances back at Severa with a grin. ]

So was that what you were expecting?

[squanderlust]

[it only takes one round for Severa to practically jump, and the others make damn sure she's not going to stop paying attention anytime soon. it's amazing that something so small could be so loud or, apparently, pack such a punch—before she answers, she does take a very pointed look at the dumpster, just to be sure.]

Gods! That sounds terrible!

[she's a little louder than she wants to be, but her ears are still ringing, too. worse yet is how used to this sort of thing everyone in the area seems to be. yeah, she can tell how this would beat a sword in a fight.]

You use those regularly?

[neverknocks]

[ Okay York does feel a little bad. The poor kid looks like she had the soul spooked out of her. But hey, she'd insisted with that skepticism. Maybe now she'll keep her eyes a little wider open around here. York doesn't really want to see her wind up as a smear in some back alley. Call her sentimental.

York looks back at Severa and gives her a lopsided grin, reloading her pistol. ]

Every day, used to be. Everybody around here uses guns. I told you, there's a lot more to 'em than you can see at first glance. But if you learn how to use 'em right and you practice, the noise isn't so bad after a while.

[squanderlust]

Gods...

[she is kind of shell shocked—well, literally, if she knew the phrase—so she'll need to take a moment more to collect her thoughts. she tests the ringing by putting her hands over her ears a few times; once it hits an acceptable level and she feels comfortable talking, she does so.]

Is that really the only proper way to defend yourself around here?

[wouldn't be the end of the world if it were. she could always learn. she just needs to get over what seems to be an initial fear of something that deadly.]

[neverknocks]

[ York holsters her pistol, because yeah, Severa's definitely seen enough. No need to scare her just for the sake of scaring her. She nods, her smile turning rueful. ]

Pretty much. That and a proper suit of armor. I'm sure what you've got is good for swords and all, but bullets'll tear through that in no time. And since everybody here wears armor with shielding, your sword isn't gonna do you much good. Hate to break it to you, kiddo, but this place isn't exactly the friendliest neighborhood in the galaxy.

[ She looks Severa over, as if sizing her up. She's smaller than York, sure, but the nice thing about guns is that size doesn't always matter. ]

You know how to do anything besides swing that sword around?

[squanderlust]

Of co—

[well, no, not really, she realizes. her other skills also involve bladed weapons. but she taught herself those, and even a tiny little dagger was scary when she first started out. it's just pointing and shooting, and also doing something to protect your ears.]

I can figure out other things. [she looks towards York's holster.] Like that. It really doesn't look hard.

[neverknocks]

[ ohh Severa it's so cute how stubborn you are. York likes that. ]

Hey, I bet after a few lessons, you'll pick it up. But I meant stuff besides weapons and fighting, kiddo. Being able to defend yourself is just step one here. If you wanna survive, you're gonna have to find a way to make money here. You got any skills outside of combat? I mean anything.

[squanderlust]

Anything? [huh. well, there is one thing, but it definitely won't do her any good around here. might as well say it; what could happen?]

My father taught me how to pick locks, but I haven't seen a single lock around here that even resembles what I'm used to.

[neverknocks]

[ York's eyebrows go up, and she grins. Well, hey. She certainly doesn't seem like the lockpicking type, but today is full of surprises. ]

Your dad sounds like my kinda guy. Y'know, I could teach you about that, too. If you wanted.

[squanderlust]

[hm. it has always been a useful skill. she plasters a contemplative look on her face, touching a finger to her chin, but really she's already made her decision.]

Very well. I'll let you show me how these new locks work.

[neverknocks]

[ York's smile only broadens into a lopsided grin, showing teeth. ]

Hey, eager to learn, and cute to boot. I'd be happy to teach you, kiddo. I mean, so long's you've got the patience. I know my stuff, but I get the feeling this is all pretty new to you.

[squanderlust]

Learning to pick locks was easy. [no, it wasn't.] They're all basically the same, aren't they? These are just more... glowing and orange. [which should be a big hint that they're very different. but Severa doesn't care. she looks up at York cockily.] I think I can handle it. I'm already getting the hang of things here.

[neverknocks]

[ SHE LIKES YOUR GUTS, SEVERA

even if you're totally talking out your ass ]

Yeah, you are. I like you, Severa. I'm gonna send you the location of my place, you come on by when you're ready for a few lessons. I'll get you set up with a gun and a few lessons, and... [ She looks Severa over one more time, grinning a little ruefully. ] Guess I'll have to start teachin' you about computers.

[squanderlust]

Computers. [the word sounds weird, but she figures it's got to be something like her omni-tool, which she really only knows the name of at this point.]

All right, fine. I'll let you teach me about some of these things. There's no sense letting my skills go to waste. [she matches York's earlier smile, the one with less rue in it, and holds herself back from mumbling something about how scary technology is.]

But I don't think I have time right now. I have to meet with someone named Starscream about lodging. At least York is a normal name.