— open log

[persists]

WHO: ciri and u
WHERE: all over
WHEN: doesn't matter
WHAT: being dumb
NOTES OR WARNINGS: self harm, technically...



one — the club scene
[ There's something she's learned from Dandelion and his associates quite some time ago — loose lips are more useful than you'd imagine. A bit ... vulgar, but when information is so important, finding those willing to offer it was crucial.

Ciri knows best — how drunkards and sloshes spill their hearts out to a pretty girl. She gets an outfit with a hood, one masking the ugly scar ripping up the side of her face. With the limited freedom she has, she hopes to interweave in the kinetic crowd of the club she finds herself in.

It's raw, it's gritty — the sound of high-pitched electronica nothing more than a foreign sound to the woman. She must admit, even when she traveled to other worlds... she still finds the change fascinating. It's no simple string or drum. It's faster than that, more precise and quickened. Ciri likes it.

For now, she plans to take things easy — hang outside among some of the lingerers who instead rev engines of their hoverbikes, showing off the latest equipment and hardware installed. The music spills out to them as people pass by, let in by bouncers. Ciri'll head in too eventually, but...

Luckily, she asked you to tag along. ]

They're beautiful. [ She says in a slight trance, sighing at the craftsmanship of the vehicles. ] The silver, the iridescent glimmer to its paint — they practically sparkle like stars...

---

two — the safehouse scene
[ A few bad hangovers later, Ciri is back in the safehouse kitchen with little to no privacy. It's not as if she cared at this point — she has a place to sleep, bathe, and come back to. It's something.

Ciri's keeping to herself, seemingly deep in thought as she stands over the sink of the kitchen. She had just cut something up for lunch — but as she holds the blade to her palm, it seems... there's something off.

With a quick slice, anyone can hear Ciri wince and recoil, immediately grasping at the fresh cut wound that drips blood down the drain. ]

Come on — come on. Glow —

[ She's mumbling to herself while bleeding, nbd. ]

---

three — the house-hunting scene
Yeah?! This place rivals a pig pen — to hell with you too! No one in rags can afford the riches you demand!

[ A dramatic kick sends a trashcan bumbling down a flight of stairs, followed closely by the totally not suspicious Ciri. It seems that the girl was looking at possible housing — places to rest her head, but even unsavory places have their price. Prices she can't afford. A few hotheaded comments and she makes an enemy with a possible landlord, but Ciri is too prideful to be here now.

Whether she asked to meet up or your paths cross, it's hard to ignore the trashcan rolling down the street. ]

Comments

three

[secondnature]

[Was Keith asked to meet her here? Yes.

Is he late, and suddenly utterly regretting this fact? Yes.

Is Keith the kind of person to ever be on time? Not when it comes to stuff like this. He matured with his mom, got his act together and became more disciplined, but some things aren't quite there yet. Besides, he hadn't expected Ciri to go in without him, but it seems like she not only did that, but finished the meeting already.

He's looking down at the kicked trashcan as it comes to a stop at his feet at the bottom of the landing, and then ... up. At her.]

What did you do? This was one of the only places we could afford!

[persists]

[ There are quite a few people in her life that she can sum her short temper with. Often, she'd rather work things out and move along — but she can't. She's trapped into this city and maybe it rattles her nerves more than she'd like.

Things happened quickly, okay. Mainly the half-witted landlord wanted to get things over with and drop the hefty fees associated with moving in. Ones that weren't on the ad.

And, with Keith to be the levelhead? This is what happens.

She stops mid-stomp, arms crossed defensively. ]

Right, until the move-in fee, tax advance charge, mid-month associated influx, and the skyline view of the back alley — he tried to tax me worse than a damn bridges-watchman!

[ Pout. ]

Was I to smile and bide time until you arrived?

[secondnature]

It's not a tax. It's a move-in cost.

[Keith is assuming that tax means something else for Ciri, especially in contrast to what it means for him. They'll have to have a long talk about how to google modern-day economy at some point.

That said: all of it sounds like it might be too much for them right now. This place sounded ideal because they wouldn't have to cover all of that right away, and they could go month to month, just in case they decided to go a different way.

Now it sounds like they ... have to find another place that way. They may even need to take up the lease.]

The view won't work. I want to see the outside. We'll find something else. Together.

[persists]

It's horseshit is what it is.

[ Ciri barks, trying not to get too upset. She could rarely afford an inn, but there were always places to go in Velen — exchange of room and board for monster hunting one of the most common. One day they will explain how intricate the world has gotten with fees and charges, okay.

Everything on "paper" seemed vague, but promising. Even combined, so long as they scrape by, Ciri believes a space outside of Morningstar was crucial.

Her shoulders loosen a bit, eyes downcast. ]

The view was garbage. [ She reiterates. ] There's a few in this area — they're in the taller buildings, too. We have a little while until our meeting... Walk with me?

[ Around, not even to the appointment yet — just to clear her head. ]

[secondnature]

Let's go. [Without a single ounce of attitude. Keith does stop to pick up the garbage can and set it upright. He could have never guessed that he'd be the well-behaved half of any duo, and yet, here they are, trying to find an apartment together while he inwardly plots out how to talk to landlords.

That's the thing he doesn't get. Like, he gets it on a more literal level, but he's never done it before.

He turns to guide her out with a wave of his hand, and starts walking as he talks.]

I never had to find a place like this before. [He agrees with the need to have something outside of Morningstar. That's primarily because Keith desperately needs privacy. He likes alone time, and it's been hard to get since he woke up on that bus.] When I got kicked out of school back home, I just went to live in the house I shared with my dad. [And before that, he was too young.]

I think it'll be fine. We can talk about how much these guys are jerks when we aren't in a room with them.

[Assuming they can keep their combined temperamental natures in check. Good luck.]

1 for the $$$$$

[cyberlife]

(connor's been in a club once. it was weird, emotional, and he's pretty sure he had glitter stuck to his hands and the grip of his firearm. thankfully it rained hard that day and any trace of it slipped down the throats of thirsty gutters. captain fowler would've popped a blood vessel in his eye if the lieutenant rolled in with a sparkling android and, man, you really can't just explain that one away.

this time he can, though, having been invited along by his new friend ciri.

in the effort of full transparency, he really, really wanted to refuse. the urge to keep her safe in a new city, however, got bumped up on his priority list when she started to walk away without him. so one "ciri, wait!" later and here they both are, gawking at hoverbikes while the bouncers in the foreground screen guests spattered in neon paint. connor, puzzled, tilts his head at it, taking his chin in hand.)

Yeah, this kind of technology is impressive. I wonder what's keeping them off of the ground? It doesn't look like aerodynamics... another reactive force, or something fundamental? Electrostatic, maybe... (by the grace of god he trails off when he glances over at her, catching her look of wonderment — which consequently makes him feel better about tagging along.)

You seemed preoccupied with that car we hot-wired, too. Are you interested in purchasing something like it for yourself?

[persists]

[ Ciri's in it for the people-watching. Playing the fly-on-the-wall was easy now when ashen hair and scars were the norm. She didn't feel like some freak, wondering if Geralt felt this way every second of his life. She blends in nicely and that much gets her anxious to survey their surroundings. To get out of the damn safehouse and find some information.

For now, Ciri was lucky enough to drag someone along — someone as helpful and good-natured as Connor. He would have been dead by now if he was in Velen, such kindness and meekness rarely saw good ends. ]

It's magic. Pure and simple. [ Ciri says with confidence. Isn't that all technology is? Someone's bottled magic. ] More-so than I've ever seen.

[ These ones were slick — personal. Not gaudy and large like the actual flying cars she's seen in her life.

As Connor questions, she sheepishly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. ]

I doubt I can spare such coin for a toy. [ She's forward about it, at least. ] Maybe one day our friends will be kind enough to give us access to own one.

[cyberlife]

(wow, she's really enjoying herself.)

Something to save up for, then, if we're here longer than anticipated? (he asks, eyebrows quirking.) You might be able to try something like it out in the virtual reality bars in the city. See if you'd really consider it an option.

(connor doesn't smile back, but it looks like he could and that's what's matters when you're overly earnest with trouble letting go. "fun" escapes him, he hasn't considered it an option for himself yet, even after a month of restricted freedoms, all work and no play.

there is something he's curious about though:)

You think of them as friends, now?

[persists]

Fingers crossed we aren't. [ An awkward pause. ] As lovely as the company has been.

[ Was she serious? Even if she was a bit more standoffish than a normal teenager or young woman, she has had no problem interacting. She smiles a bit awkwardly at the mention of the bars but it's not her scene. Pubs can get messy and —

oh, he's talking about friends. ]

I'm not sure what to call them. Employers?

[cyberlife]

I did like friends, but that might be wishful thinking on my part. I'm still uncertain. (his loyalties will remain with the individual, not the group — that rings true for several distinct cases in his life.

loyal to hank, loyal to markus, loyal to gaby. who knows who or what is next?)

Are you making friends with the other trafficking victims we've met? (if there's a better way to put that HE DOESN'T KNOW OF IT.)

two.

[retravel]

[ Listen, there's a lot of trouble in New Amsterdam, sure, but Ciri often seems to be injured, when Fitz finds her. He's passively minding his own business when he hears her, a sharp sound that peters off into muttering.

He slips beside her shortly, eyes a little too wide as he takes in the blood. Did she...slip? She seems oddly focused, in his rapid assessment. ]

Hey — Hey, Ciri, are you alright?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8Lq2ELagQ but ciri

[persists]

[ It wasn't until a sudden call of her name that she jolts out of her trance. A heavy flinch of her body and she's dripping all over the floor — oops. ]

I'm fine, fine!

[ She repeats, except immediately trying to hold her bleeding palm in the sink again. ]

It's not as crazy as it looks, I promise you.

LAUGH CRIES

[retravel]

[ He swivels to find something of use and grabs at a clean tea towel, holding it out expectantly while she does her whole Sink Thing. Not as crazy as it looks makes something click. A self-inflicted wound in the bloody kitchen. (pun not intended, wow) That doesn't track with intent to harm herself, but — ]

[ softly. ] What are you doing, then? [ if it's not something crazy. ]

dies tw: period talk? i guess?

[persists]

I wasn't going to wait for that time of the month to test something.

[ I'M SO SORRY, GOD!!! ]

We've all suffered loss since arriving, but we've all gained something too... My blood — during the traversing to the safehouse, we were attacked and — My blood did something miraculous. I'm not sure what it did, but it helped heal someone. I needed to see if I could repeat the effect.

hey quick q: wtf

[retravel]

[ what. the. hell.

still holding out the cloth, he opens his mouth, gaping in lieu of a reply — until she clarifies. ]

So... [ he sounds resigned. ] You're trying to heal yourself with your own blood.

[ sure, yeah, deeply unsanitary, but why not. there have been inhumans with healing powers before, even if none were linked to blood. jesus christ. ]

Doesn't seem to be going swimmingly.

two

[timemachine]

[Akane hasn't quite moved out yet, even if she hasn't been in the safehouse as much as she had before. A clear sign she's trying to move on, graduate from the safehouse scene much like everyone else. She's about to leave again before she hits the kitchen and...

...uh. Yeah, she doesn't quite expect to see Ciri literally cutting herself. And it's definitely not in a way she feels she should be concerned.]

Is your blood supposed to glow or something?

[She doesn't quite get it but she feigns concern for the other girl.]

[persists]

[ Ciri was far less brooding or emotional than one would think over such a thing. She seems focused, determined and tense as she flexes her fingers into a fist. She doesn't gaze up until Akane's voice hits her ears, causing her digits to relax again. ]

...Something like that.

[ She says with a sigh. ]

Only since I awoke here with the lot of you all. I think.

[timemachine]

[It takes a few seconds for Akane to get what Ciri means, but then she realizes it. Some new ability that they should have never had. Akane's own abilities no longer available to her, even if she never once considered them magic. Yes, and ability to jump timelines, but it wasn't magic.]

Do you think we all got some magical ability?

[Even if she's still really confused about her own.]

[persists]

[ Ciri takes a moment to try and gather her words carefully. If she was to admit how foolish she was, she knows she'd earn judging glares. All some weird experiment for the sake of knowing? Ciri keeps her hand certainly posed over the sink, ensuring nothing dripped. ]

It's possible. I wouldn't rule it out. Many of us felt odd when we awoke — many of us missing things dear to us.

[timemachine]

Yeah, we were missing some things, huh? Even the abilities we had.

[It's so weird for her to not be able to access the Morphgenetic Field. To take the risks she normally does and if she messes up, then goes to another reality forsaking the timeline she was in. Maybe not the best way to live a life, but she's become much more self-centered after her 'death' nine years ago.

But she slowly approaches Ciri, obviously not put off by her bleeding hand.]

It's all weird. Like we were some experiments.

[In her case, an experiment again.]

three

[trample]

[ It's been dark all day. Whether that was from the skyscrapers tearing the light out of the sky or from the haze that perpetually lingered in the air, Eren wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he didn't like it. The lack of an open sky was claustrophobic. He wondered how anyone could ever want to live in a place like this.

Then he remembered who he was dealing with. ]

You do that to every trashcan you see? [ He's stood not very far away from the staircase she just walked down. His arms are crossed, and he's a hell of a lot cleaner-looking than the last time they talked face to face. He's even wearing something akin to a uniform. ] I could arrest you for that. Criminal mischief.

[persists]

[ The dramatic display wasn't an impersonation of Dandelion, shocking enough. There was no artistry or candor — it was aggression. A sudden fierceness that Yennefer had instilled in the girl even now. Ciri does bounce back quickly, trying to keep herself from letting her frustrations speak with her words. ]

Just about — better that than people. [ Sarcasm drips out, though. And wow, he sure did clean up. There's a perk of her brow at the difference in the man. His words were ...even more lively? ] You shave and wash once, and here you are thinking you can play enforcer. Tsk, tsk.

[trample]

Some of us are just more fit than others.

[ He doesn't mince words. In his eyes, at least, she's never seen like the type to strictly follow the law. In many ways, neither was he. But it was the only work he could see himself doing short of joining the military. And he didn't have much reason to enlist - just yet. ]

Looks like you're having some trouble. What with? If you don't mind telling.

[persists]

So you've some experience playing guard, then?

[ She tries to definitely get a feel for that, if he's going to be a passive aggressive prick over it. ]

People — always looking to pinch their coin the tightest. Trying to find prices for a place to stay and they want mountains of income for molehills. Its — ugh! It's absurd!

[trample]

You could say that.

[ There wasn't any point going in depth about his past now that it no longer mattered. The only things that mattered now was how they were going to move forward.

In her case, it seemed like she was trying to find herself a home. It wasn't what he would be putting all his effort into, but it was respectable. ]

Most things in life are. You just have to keep trying. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking that fits your budget.

[ Is that him attempting to be helpful? Who knows. His tone of voice makes it sound like anything but. ]