Strange New World

Strange New World
Date of Scene:	18 December 2012
Location:	Traverse Town - Outskirts
Synopsis:	A star dies in the evening sky and a strange new faces arrives in Traverse Town.
Cast of Characters:	Will Sherman, Sable, Elysiana Glyphanos, Rhyme, Lavi

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Lavi has posed:
As always, in this town of endless nights, the stars shine brightly in the blue-black pastels of the sky. Countless tiny pinpoints of light twinkle, each one a unique world filled with sights and smells that can be found no where else, people of diverse and complex cultures who, in normal circumstances, would never cross paths or even know of the existence of their fellows.

The map of the heavens had once been thought eternal and unchanging, as constant as the universe itself - but that has never really been true. For those who knew the signs, could interpret the shimmering dance of lights and follow their paths through the cosmos, a single horrifying truth was apparent. Worlds were dying. Stars faded and passed into the darkness with no more than a hazy final twinkle to mark their demise.

Tonight another star died.

A sound like the crash of thunder echoed in her mind as the demons surged over their final lines, their beady yellow eyes hungry and searching. She struggled, throwing everything that she had at them in a final desperate blast of energy. And her world went black.

Lavi sat up suddenly as air rushed into her lungs, her senses alert and keyed as if some silent alarm in her mind had been tripped. However, instead of the blasted wastes of the White Wall crawling with foul monsters and rampaging beasts or the shattered spires of the Crystal Towers, their illustrious walls disintegrating into powdered glass as they fell, her gaze fell upon peaceful fields of waving grass and a windy dusty path.

Instinctively, the giantess let her eyes follow its curving yellowed trail up to the horizon where strange antiquated buildings sat in a heap, clustered together as if clutching each other for support and warmth. This was not the architecture of her homeland. Just... where was she? What had happened to her world? How long had she been gone?

A million thoughts assailed her consciousness at once and in the blink of an eye she sorted them and processed the data - or lack thereof in this case. Idly wondering would get her no where. Pushing to her feet, Lavi performed a quick systems check of her armor, data runes flashing onto her eyes from the computer feeds in her gorget. A few moments later she was met with a soft beep and the report of systems green. Grunting softly at the small blessing, the woman took off towards the town, marching with purpose towards the edge of the settlement.

She would find some answers, that much she promised herself.

Elysiana Glyphanos has posed:
Standing at the edge of Traverse Town, the young woman watched the stars. Her fingers gripped the pole as she leaned upon it. "Home's gone." she spoke softly, her eyes fixed skyward as she tapped the pole rhythmically. She walked back towards the town's center. Food, warmth safety, all could be bought for a price. She moved like other inhabitants of the town, sometimes lost in ones thoughts, and sometimes... fully aware of their surroundings.

Will Sherman has posed:
Hobo Lad, was spending his time recovering from his ordeals in the Realm of darkness, trapped with Riku in the World's heart...his journey was a strange one...revealing many truths about his own and Riku's nature. However, his trip would only begin now...Manhattan was fallen, lost to the darkness. The memories still fresh in his mind, though for him it was months...to the others, a week had passed.

And, he stands, luck bringing him here tonight. For once, he let himself move like a leaf in the wind, allowing fate and fortune to bring him where he needed to be. However, staring up at the night today... The death of a world, Will knew the signs, another light being snuffed out, perhaps forever. Slowly, he lowers his head, a tear running down it as he remembers his own home. Bittersweet memories...hundreds of years of them, deciding to all come forward at once.

He sniffs once, and instead starts to walk back towards the to-

A person, no...a giant. Will looked towards them, seeing the movement of the figure, and focused his sight on them. Following the strings that they had, he did not seek them out...for they were always pressed upon his sight.

"...Hm." he says, waiting along the path of the Giant.

Rhyme has posed:
There was a wonderful part about Traverse Town, the endless night, the cool breezes and the beautiful stars. There were so many stars, and the swaths of color across the virgin night sky, unmarred by a world of bright lights and bad air and such. Nothing like Shibuya.

Rhyme had hidden from her friends for a while, the itching on her body haven given way to strange marks that she had to hide. She didn't know what they meant... Well, a part of her did, but she didn't want to believe it. So she hid out, on rooftops and on the outskirts of town. But then there was a rumble, and a strange and huge figure that appeared. Sitting up, and dusting the dirt and grass off of her sweater, she looks up, and blinks.

Hoooooly heck what is that?

Hopping to her feet, Rhyme just sort of stares at Lavi, looking up at the giantess in a sort of awe.

Lavi has posed:
Lavi takes note of the bustle of the populace as she makes her way down the winding road, her genetically enhanced vision as sharp as a hunting hawk. Lights click on and off, flickering at rates faster than most eyes can see as they feed information directly from the on-board computer systems into her retinas, data scrolling in short bursts of runic symbols that told her everything she needed to know at a glace.

Lifeforms: Human. Affiliations unknown.
Weapons: Primitive blades and bludgeons. Threat minimal.
Atmosphere: Cool. Dry. Untainted.

That last rune gave her pause, her massive armored boots coming to a stop in the dirt as she seemingly stared at nothing, the mystical symbols visible to only her. Untainted. How long had it been since she'd seen that word. Over one hundred and forty years, back when she was still learning the ways of war and survival.The answer came unbidden to her mind, images and sounds floating through her memories as easily as data summoned from a computer bank. She could never forget anything even if she wanted to; one of the blessings of her unique condition.

Slowly, Lavi closed her eyes and inhaled the air deeply into her massive lungs, the smell unspoiled by poisons or radiation nor carrying the chemical tang of purification or recycling. It was quiet arguably the most wonderful sensation she'd ever experienced in her two centuries of life. Now she knew for certain that she was no longer home.

Letting the breath out softly, Lavi continued her trek towards the small settlement. Her wide blue eyes easily caught the small forms that rose up to greet her and she gave both of the youngsters a genuine warm smile as she approached. She was used to these sorts of reacts by now. Even in the learned halls of science in Astoria, the very men and woman who had a hand in her creation were prone to staring in wonder at her unnaturally perfect form.

Buried underneath layers of protective magi-tek plating, it was still very apparent that Lavi's gigantic stature had not come at the cost of elegance or beauty. She looked the picture of Olympian human perfection in shape and form, her attributes merely magnified roughly twice over compared to the norm. With graceful ease, she bent down and put one knee in the dirt of the road, bringing her face closer to head level for Rhyme and Will.

"Good evening," she offered, using the standard dialect of the peasant farmers in her home world. These people looked to be impoverished if their attire were any indication, though in this alien land, nothing was for certain.

Elysiana Glyphanos has posed:
Elysiana Glyphanos blinks the words, were overher head. She looked around for a moment unsure what had spoken. But she noticed Lavi and simply starred. She may be a princess, but one didn't see someone -- that-- tall ever ain her homeland. She approached. "Evening my lady." is all she manages trying not be rude. but the woman bending over seemed- at least to Elysiana a bit of a strange sight.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will looks upwards towards the giant lady.

To his eyes, he can see the strings of her fate. There was power, in those strings...power that he was not quit-...no it was familiar. Similar...but not the same as someone he once knew. His eyes widened for a bit, shaking his head for a moment...it was like he was reading her like a book, saw something, and then stopped reading. There was also...something else. A sort of...manufactured sense to her strings...it was not as bad as those from the computer worlds, but it was pretty similar.

Odd..

"Hi. I am Will Sherman, King of the Hobos." he says, waving his hands out for a moment. "Welcome to Traverse Town, home of refugees from many worlds...but most recently Manhattan." He says, calmly, trying to hide his own sadness. He does not quite stare at her with awe...it was odd, it was almost like she was just like anyone else to him. An equal, not a superior, and he continues to speak.

He doesn't know Elysiana, but Rhyme was...something familiar to him. He wasn't sure if he got her name or not...a lot happened during that time in his life...

"You look a little lost, but I think I know what's wrong. I can see it...the many flaying strings that hang around you."

Rhyme has posed:
The giantess kneeling down and speaking to Rhyme is... Odd. Even kneeling down, the small girl is still looking up at the giantess. Blinking a few times, she sort of tilts her head, smiling up at the giant lady as Will introduces herself. There is a pause, before she opens her mouth.

"Oh, and I'm Rhyme. Just Rhyme. Did you come from someplace else, too?" She listens to Will. "Someplace... Gone? We all are. I think. Places threatened or taken by the Darkness. Like Shibuya, for me. Or other places." She gives a big smile.

"But it's nice to have you. Welcome to Traverse Town!"

She sort of shiftyeyes and holds her arms a bit, rubbing them gently and looking away. Was Will cheating glances at her?

Elysiana Glyphanos has posed:
Elysiana Glyphanos smiles. With Rhyme's introduction, she steps forward. "Well Lady Rhyme, you said it, best." she said quickly though her voice is pleasant. "Elysiana Glyphanos, Princess of the holy Kingdom of Caelavia."

Lavi has posed:
The massive armored titan nodded to each of them in turn, returning their introductions with a gesture of carefully measured respect indicative of one used to dealing with formalities and etiquette. Silently she filed away all of the information that was provided in that short exchange, verbal and non.

The name of the town and its purpose was interesting but ultimately mundane, however the revelation that this was a crossroad of multiple worlds was rather surprising. That he talked of it so casually even more so. None of the magisters or archons had ever mentioned such a thing and no record of other worlds was kept in the archives. Had there been such an alternative to braving the dangers of the wastelands, she would have jumped on it immediately.

Her gaze was drawn mostly to the young man before her, the one who had dubbed himself Will. She rather doubted he was a king of anything, having no idea what a 'hobo' was, but chose to keep that to herself. There was something about the way that he was looking at her that gave her pause, however. For a long moment Lavi stared into his eyes, her own penetrating gaze searching out some clue to this mystery but finding nothing that might immediately provide answers. The pull to unleash her powers a little and find out exactly what he was about was tempting but she thought better of it - best not to reveal her nature so quickly.

Finally, she nodded to all of them at once. "A pleasure to meet you all." Her voice was gentle and feminine but deeper than most, carrying with it a natural edge of wisdom and authority. When she spoke people /wanted/ to listen.

"As for myself... please call me Lavi. Yes, I think that will suffice for now. You say I am lost? I can scarce find reason to disagree with you, young one. But tell me..."

She looked at him again, genuinely curious. "What do you see?"

Will Sherman has posed:
"A fallen star, and a stranger appearing with no idea where she is," he says, "Let me guess...creatures of shadow appeared, attacking people, and when they did more of them appeared. Eventually, the world grew dark...pieces of it started to fall, until...you woke up here. I can guess this is more or less right, it's not an uncommon story here." he says.

"For what I see...I see flaying strings, relationships and friendships taken, because of the Heartless. I also see artificialness, and a power that is well controlled." he does not mention at how familiar it was...no that was a personal story.

He looks back at Rhyme, that strange look does not pass her...he remembers her now, her name. It is both depressing, but also curious at the same time...he is also in a better frame of mind to understand.

"Nice to meet you Lavi, besides being King of the Hobos, I work for the Twilight Detective Agency...we're...displaced right now ourselves, but we are still taking cases. Missing persons, crimes, lost things...we're your detectives."

He pauses, and extends his hand, "Nice to meetcha."

Rhyme has posed:
Rhyme continues sort of kicking the ground and idly fidgiting, listening to Will and Lavi converse. The giant woman sort of bugs her for some reason. "It's very nice to meet you too." She smiles back, giving her best happy face to the giantess before catching more weird looks from Will.

She ignores them.

"The heartless are horrible. It's not that they just kill people, that would be bad enough. But they don't stop, and they devour whole worlds." She sighs.

"But there is a small silver lining to all of this! We get to meet new people, new friends, and we're fighting back." She offers, a bit of confidence in her voice. "Well, they do. Something's wrong with me..." She sighs, before putting on a brave face once more.

Lavi has posed:
"So it's really gone then..." Lavi's eyes drifted closed wearily as the strength seemed to abandon her, her armored shoulders slumping forward. She knew the term Heartless for that is what the Council had named the creatures that had so thoroughly destroyed their world. How this matched up to the title other worlds had given them was something that she did not know and the implications that information so crucial at this had been withheld from her was infuriating.

In a flash of motion so fast that it was almost imperceptible to human eyes, the giant's fist balled up and slammed into the road between her feet. Her strength was astonishing, anger pouring into the strike as it shattered the very earth itself, creating an impact crater that sent hundreds of hairline fractures spider-webbing out in a circular pattern that measured a dozen feet across.

"Damnit! I..." She inhaled sharply, pulling her clenched fingers from the dirt. Losing control would not accomplish anything. Worse, with her strength and powers, she could devastate this entire town if things got out of hand. Mentally she focused and found her center, truth and order the watchwords from which all other things in her mind flowed.

"Forgive me," she rumbled, pushing back to her full height in one smooth motion. Lavi smiled knowingly at the girl, reaching out to place her massive hand gently on her shoulder assuming she hasn't fled for the hills at the unsightly outburst. "It seems I am not the only one who has lost things here. Your courage and optimism is infectious, little Rhyme."

She looked back to Will. "You speak of things that no one should know as if you know they are already true. I must confess, you have me at a loss. Only the magisters of my world could read the currents of fate as you seem to and even then only with great difficulty." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded him through a new perspective.

"Most curious."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will jumps a bit, that was...pretty scary. He looks at her for a moment, but then she regains herself.

"Yeah..." he says, to her, "We all here have lost our homes. But...it is not lost yet. Well, I mean, it is and it isn't. There is still a glimmer of hope left, but I'll not say here in the open, but I can in a more private setting sometime." he says. "Right now...you look tired, hungry, and in need of a break." he quips.

And he looks at Rhyme, she looks in need of a hug, "I know...Rhyme, I know. Your curious, but...I think you can still help. You gota find what only you can do, and do it as hard as you can. Even if it's simply being you. This place...really does need more cheerfulness." he nods.

Then she looks at him directly, and asks those questions, "I can see it, as I am seeing you. I am told you all do not see what I do, but I have sense my first memories." he comments, "It is not...quite what you think it is either, and I can't shut it off." he comments, and shrugs. "There are a great many things about me that are mysterious, strange, and outright frightening. We all have our own secrets...but for now, King of the Hobos, and it shall be my title, lady." he says, with a lopsided grin.

"It's a better mask than any."

Rhyme has posed:
Omigosh omigosh omigosh what happened.

There was a blur and then an EXPLOSION and omigosh.

Rhyme FREAKS THE HECK OUT. Holy heck the huge lady just EXPLODED THE EVERYTHING OH MY GOSH SHE'S MAD.

As the cracks spider along the ground, Rhyme skids back in a crouch, hunched over with her fingers splayed like claws. There is a snarl on her lips, and her eyes are wild. Her beanie seems to also have lifted a bit over her head, two pointy... things under the black woven threads.

And then she catches herself. She slowly relaxes her fingers, forcing herself to smile before tugging down her beanie, looking a bit spooked, but forcing herself to calm down.

She's patted on the shoulder, and that helps. "S-sorry. I really... feel... funny..." She mutters, holding her head, before looking up, between Levi and Will. "I'm fine. I'll be fine! What was that? Yeah, that's... That's a really good idea."

Lavi has posed:
Very little escapes the notice of the giant warrior, her senses keyed up and perpetually monitoring on a level beyond what most people could even imagine. The momentary loss of control, the quick glimpse into a facet that Rhyme herself may not be aware of, is caught in the corner of Lavi's eyes even as she turns her thoughts towards controlling her own power. Whatever that was, it did not look agreeable.

Peering down, her gaze drifts between the two of them, quietly weighing the import of the things she was learning here. Very quickly this mixture of worlds and realities was becoming a headache. If the very first two people whom she encountered were so unique and bizarre, what unfathomable secrets and mysteries did the days ahead hold?

It had been a long time since she had felt both frightened and excited at once, not since the days of her first campaigns to cleanse the radioactive wastes of the mutated remnants of life. This was new and that made it unexplored territory.

A single soft beep drew her attention to a small glowing readout, her eyes flicking sideways to register the information in nanoseconds. Her heart rate was irregular. Was the prospect of delving into the unknown really so rousing? As if being alerted to the fleeting sense of giddiness caused it to lose its power, the sensation faded and she smoothed out the bio-rhythms in her body with a swift mental command. She wasn't a magister. Only time would tell the future.

Returning her attention to the two children, Lavi retracts her gauntlet and beams an approving smile at them. "Yes, I do believe I could do with some rest... the past few weeks have been quite..." She searched for the right word. Fear was something that she didn't quit experience as other did any more. Certainly it was there but her mastery over it was such that it did not touch her the same way, much like one without nerves could tell they were being struck but would not feel the pain.

"Overwhelming." Yes, that was appropriate. The Heartless were a foe unlike any other she had ever faced and in a world where every living thing was at odds with each other, that was quite the statement. "Perhaps you can show this stranger where she might acquire some food and lodging."

Will Sherman has posed:
"I can...imagine." Will says, weary a bit himself. "Well, Food and lodging are...harder to acquire. The Hotel is booked, the homes are all lived in...there are the refugee camps around town here, if you go that way, or this way, you can reach them. As for food..." he ponders...

"Well, I GUESS, I can get Celina to do something about that." he grins, "You can't possibly eat more than I do. I mean, even with being a giant." he grins at her, "Though I fear we can not house you...uh. Size and everything." he considers, "Oh, and money. Well, Munny, if you had money, or currency or whatever, it's gold munny now. Punch heartless and it drops out. I have no idea how this works, and I don't really question it." Will says, "But it at least gives us something to trade."

He looks at Rhyme, and nods at her, "You can come too. You look like you could use a mea1. Or several." he says to her, teasingly.

Rhyme has posed:
Rhyme shakes her head. "I'm fine. Really! I'm fine. Not hungry. Just ate! I like eating. And I'm fine." She smiles, forcing herself to relax, to calm down, and not really listening to the others. "I'm sure there's a big enough place, inside, there's always room in traverse town. The Space-Port has big warehouses and you sort of look like a space ship so you'll fit right in. It'll be great!" She offers, thinking about helping, thinking about anything else.

"But if you want to pay for food for me, I'm always hungry! Eating lots is the key to growing up big and strong and not being a stick. That's what my dad always says! ... Said."

She slumps her shoulders. "There's totally something wrong with me, isn't there? You keep looking at me funny." She sighs, giving a weak smile. "Just don't worry about it. I don't!" She offers, cheerily, before turning and heading down te road to Traverse Town. "Come on! Food's awaiting!"

Lavi has posed:
A hearty chuckle escapes Lavi's lips at the boy's declaration. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that sounds like a challenge." She claps him on the back and begins to trod down the path after the girl, regarding her from behind with a quiet stare.

It was quite easy to see the sadness and unease that pervaded her thoughts, probably even for people without her insight. She used positive words and hollow cheer to deflect the pain but such techniques would never solve anything. One cannot run from their fears and regrets forever. The giantess opens her mouth to articulate this exact sentiment to Rhyme but thinks better of it at the last moment. Perhaps now is not the best time.

Instead, she nods and follows, taking in the scenery as they traveled. House made of wood and plaster were quite an usual sight for Lavi. Anything meant to be habitable in Astoria had to practically be a fortress. Burrowing pack scavengers, tenacious poisonous plant life, and cunning night predators were only a tiny fraction of the dangers they faced.

After a little while she turns her thoughts towards the mention of currency, idly rubbing at her chin. "Hmmm. If I am to provide compensation for goods and services in this world, I will require munny. And you say this material is acquired by destroying the Heartless? Is this a common practice or are there organizations dedicated to it? In Astoria we had the Crystal Knights, common men and women who banded together to push back the dangerous wildlife. Perhaps I can find work of this sort..."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will scratches the back of his head at Rhyme... "No maybe your right about that." he says to her, "And to be fair, I look at everyone funny. I'm not exactly normal either, ya know? Nobody is really normal, we just think we want to be, but really? Normal is boring. Gota be unique!" he says, flashing her a grin. He knows what she is feeling though...he's thought about it enough himself lately.

"Well, there are a few. Lots of organizations have popped up, some predating the situation...others new. I dunno...I think you might fit into VALKYRI. I know it's guild leader, might be a good match." he says, with a consideration. Oh that was going to be interesting...

"Dangerous Wildlife? Well, there is that a bit here...not HERE, but in other places monsters exist. Manhattan didn't have that..." Well, if you count the rats and the sewer gators. "The heartless come and go almost everywhere, though. You look like you're the warrior type. So you shouldn't have any shortage of work."

Rhyme has posed:
Rhyme leads the group towards Traverse Town, not getting a straight answer from anyone. Oh well. Maybe she's not got wicket tattoos across her arms and back and legs. Maybe they're just part of her imagination? She doubts that.

But that's enough emo introspection. "Wildlife? Aside from heartless, no. Oh, and the Noise. They're sort of the same thing, but from my world. Anyway, there's also /people/ who aren't nice, but really... No. Where did you live that the wildlife was so terrible? Where did you live that..." She trails off. "I'm sure it was still a nice place, with its own merits."

"Will, right? What... what happened to Manhattan? I heard things... I'm really sorry."

Lavi has posed:
Lavi laughs again, her mirth at an outsider's uninformed point of view unable to be contained. "No, little one, I doubt there would be many who could find something of value in land from which I hailed. At least, not until recently when we began to reclaim the land from the foul mutation that had gripped it."

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, seemingly still able to walk without bumping into things even as she does this. "Try to imagine a place where every living thing on the planet is twisted and corrupted by a single horrible mistake. Plants are almost universally poisonous to the touch and deadly to eat, some even becoming sentient and networking via pheromones to lay traps for men. Insects that can burrow through metal and flesh like it were paper travel in monumental clouds, stripping the landscape bare as regularly as the seasons. And the animals..."

She pauses and shakes her head sadly. "I cannot even begin to describe the variety of horrors that I have put down in my two hundred years of fighting. Wolves with multiple heads and teeth as long as my arm. Badgers and rodents that spit acid and fire quills of lethal neuro-toxin as deadly as any bullet. Bears covered in draconian scales that breathed thunder and shattered walls with their roars. This list goes on."

Will Sherman has posed:
"Huh." Will says, "Kinda sounds like some of the words in the world of ruin...though not QUITE as complete." he considers...and looks back towards Rhyme. He pauses, looking down and trying to fight down sadness.

"It fell. The heartless took it, thanks to the Shadow Lords...and...other things. I was at the world's heart...and...a lot of things happened. I was also trapped where the worlds go when they die..." He swallows.

"It is possibly the only thing worse than what you describe, Lavi. The world was dead...I mean...dead. Barren, only the heartless remained. Things that were in the world you knew...were...twisted...distorted. Often broken. The ground was black, cavernous in places, pits everywhere..."

"...Sorry, I have to go..." he says, suddenly, turning away. Which turns into a run.

Rhyme has posed:
HEY SO, TIME TO MAKE BIG PLAYS QUESTIONS
How do we do that, Rhyme?
YOU ASK WILL ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO MANHATTAN!

The smartest girl asking the smartest questions, Rhyme turns to look at Will. And frowns. "Oh man... I think I..." She hangs her head. "Oops." She murmurs, before all the DEPRESSING THINGS they were talking about try to get to her. They try. She looks like a big storm cloud just started raining right on top of her. Then she jumps up and down, claps her hands on her face a few times, and then stands up straight. "Nope. Anyway, that's really horrible, but everything will turn out okay. It will. It has to. Come on, let's go get some food!"

Lavi has posed:
Lavi watches the exchange play out between the two children, her brow furrowing as Rhyme strikes a nerve. Slick move, ace. As Will takes off she follows him with her eyes in silence, contemplating his suggestion that a world devoid of life might be worse than the nightmarish hell which she grew up in. Somehow, she /really/ doubts it. But that will clearly have to be a conversation for another time.

Left with only one dining companion, the massive woman stares at the girl in actually stunned amazement at her ability to shrug off unhappiness and horror like they were casual annoyances. The denial was strong in this one. Still, that was no reason to abandon her to her own devices. Besides, Lavi has no money. While she could go weeks without food if need be or scavenge something from the wilderness that wasn't her preference.

As they travel the general populace cannot help but stare and mumble in their wake. It's not every day you see a ten foot tall giant wrapped in armor that probably weighed a few tons armed with swords bigger than the average man. She was a titan from the legends of old given flesh and walking among them. Lavi couldn't hold their curiosity or awe against them, merely nodding occasionally when a random person met her gaze and trying her best to not look super threatening.

Sable has posed:
Twilight.

The FLASH of a camera.

A youth wanders down the street, an abstracted look on his face as he moves through the crowded Traverse Town streets. Occasionally he stops to look around. He bumps into people occasionally in his abstraction. He does so again as he comes into view of Lavi and Rhyme. "Ah!" he trips on the edge of a table, barking his shin and then his elbows. The camera goes skittering across the floor. "Hey! Damnit, come back here." he says to the errant inanimate object.

The teenager gets back to his feet woozily, scrambling to retrieve it with a definite scowl of annoyance.

Rhyme has posed:
Leading a Giantess through a city is kind of a thing. As Rhyme leads her through the city, black sworls and tattoos all along her revealed legs, she looks left to right. People in awe of the giantess. "So, what do you eat? Do you like any sorts of food? Pizza, noodles, or..." She pauses. "Oh... Right. Well, you'll probably eat a lot, but that's totally okay! Let's see, we'll get like four pizzas and that should be..."

Who the HECK is that?

There is a confused pause as Rhyme almost bumps into someone, bee-lining for a pizza place just down the road while leading the BIGGEST MAMMAJAMMA IN TRAVERSE around with her Spehss Mehreen armor and swords.

"Um... Hello? Are you okay?" She calls, before walking over to place her hand on Sable's shoulders. "Are you... Drunk?"

Lavi has posed:
Rather enjoying the amusing surge of onlookers and gawkers, Lavi does her best to wave and nod at the people like some politician in a parade through town. Despite the fact that her deeds had been known far and wide throughout every corner of her world, an inevitability when you lived long enough for someone's grandparents to be passing down stories about you, and this mild buzz of surprise and curiosity was actually far less overwhelming than the fanfare that typically greeted her arrival in one of the main trading hubs or farming communities. It was kind of refreshing to be able to actually take the time to walk around.

"Do not worry about me, I can stomach just about anything you might imagine including a great many things that I am sure would make you lose your appetite." She smiles down at her, even though Rhyme can't see it from her position in the front. The streets were starting to get crowded and narrow now thanks to the huge amount of refugees and their assorted paraphernalia littering the place. She had to step carefully to avoid crushing something or someone with each heavy boot-fall but somehow the massive giant managed this with catlike grace, hardly slowing down at all to accommodate this new obstacle.

The sudden crash and clatter of the camera draws her attention and Lavi slides to a halt beside Rhyme, towering over the young man as she regarded him with cool intensity. Choosing to stay out of the conversation for the moment, the titan watched as the scenario unfolded before her, taking mental note of how these otherworlders interacted with each other.

Sable has posed:
Sable brushes the hands off his shoulder. "No! I am not--" he cuts himself off, waving the whole question away. He looks around for his camera, continuing to scowl thunderously and grumble to himself something about trying TOO hard. He shifts his weight off the offending shoe that was bumps and he looks up, and up for a bit at said MammaJamma.

He blinks several times, raising his eyebrows. He offers Rhyme a chagrined smile. "I'm fine. Just a little distracted. Have you-- aha!" he picks his way through the crowd until he snatches the camera before it disappears 'mysteriously'. He looks at it, checking it for damage before sliding it into a back pocket. "I'm-- guessing you're new here. Well. I guess pretty much everyone is new here." The teenager smiles with even more chagrin.

"Sable Owens. Hearts Intertwined." He shrugs a little. "Well. As of today. I have to keep-- doing" he shakes his head. "I'm sorry. This is just weird. You look like something out of a sci-fi movie. Give me a moment."

Sable takes two steps back. "Alright. That's better." Sable grins. "Hey, do you mind if I take a picture? I've been going around. Might as well see something of what people are doing here on my off hours."

Rhyme has posed:
Rhyme has already gotten over the giantess behind her, and instead stares at Sable curiously. "You're not drunk? Why are you puttering around the town bumping into everything. If it looks like a drunk, and it talks like a drunk, it's probably a drunk." She offers, putting her hands on her hips.

"Wait how did you put a camera into your back pocket? Cameras are big and back pockets are..." She pauses. "Wait, right. Never mind. This isn't Shibuya. Pants don't always make sense any more. And I'm not new here. But she is! We're going to get pizza. Her name is Lavi. She's a super awesome strong person from a really terrible world and can /crack the earth/ it's super amazing..." She gives a bit of a worried frown. "Oh, um..." Turning, she looks at Lavi.

"Could you make sure to not break things? People... Don't like that around here. Though you probably knew that and I'm just being crazy. Just... Keep it in mind, okay?" She offers, smiling brightly, forcing herself to just be happy. There was nothing wrong, with this, with her, with life. Nothing at all.

"One picture, then we'll go grab pizza, and I can show you to the spaceport, where places are big enough for you to bed down, I bet."

Lavi has posed:
The giantess looks smug but acquiescent, as if enjoying some private joke while rubbing the back of her neck with a bemused grin on her face. "Of course. I was simply overwhelmed by the realization that everything I have ever known and loved and all that I had striven to achieve over the last two hundred years has been reduced to naught but wind-swept dust by an apparently cosmic scourge of living darkness which seems to be quite the epidemic if this community of refugees is any indication. You'll have to forgive me for the momentary slip."

Witty retort delivered, Lavi turned to the young reporter and gave him an amused look. "You wish to capture my image? Very well, I am not opposed to the commemoration of my first arrival in a new world. Perhaps one day in the distant future I shall look fondly back upon this moment as the beginning of a new life." She glances around and takes a deep breath, still simply enjoying the fact that she can breathe without the acrid burn of pollutants singeing her throat.

"Let us look to the positive. There are decidedly fewer things trying to kill me here, at least." Moving down to one knee so that her body is less ridiculously out of proportion to that of the scrawny Shibuya girl, Lavi places a hand around Rhyme's shoulder and shuffles her closer so that they are both in the picture. A few moments and a quick flash later and the deed is done, the young man disappearing into the tangle of bodies like a phantom.

Rhyme has posed:
Rhyme is shuffled closer for the picture, which is made all the more awkward by the words that are said before. She forces a smile - something that is rather easy for the small Japanese girl, even standing next to a giantess - and then that smile withers. "I'm sorry." She mutters, after all is said and done.

"I try to look at the bright side of things. You have to, to live. I'm sure your life has been terrible, and your world was a hard place to live, but you still are alive. I'm still... Here."

She gives a faint smile. "And that counts for something, right?" With that, she leads on to the pizza place, making a ludicrous order of pies.