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Author Topic: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]  (Read 1609 times)

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Offline Rhi-Rhi

Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« on: September 19, 2014, 10:15:09 pm »
It was a dull day at work.

But then again, most days were dull, when it consisted of asking, over and over, "Paper or plastic?"

It was unbelievable the sorts of reactions such a simple question could receive! It was amazing how much wrath it could induce!

"Plastic?! It's people like you that are the reason our environment's the way it is, all that plastic clogging up our dumps and poisoning the earth!" Just doing my job, dude.

"Paper? Tree murderer!" It's not even real paper! It's synthetic! Jeez!

"Uh, no. I bring my own bags, of course!" Complete with thrusting the bags into his face. Yeah, I could totally see them where they were FOLDED UP IN YOUR PURSE!

"Double bag them, you idiot! They always break when you don't!" Because I'm TOTALLY PSYCHIC--oh wait! I wouldn't be working in a fucking grocery store if I was!

By the time Kestrel's shift ended, he was, as every other day he worked, hating humanity just a little more.

Wings all ruffled and shoulders tense, he clocked out, then grabbed his things from the break room. He didn't bother to change out of his uniform yet; he'd do it when he got home, after he'd showered away his loathing. He shopped for a few things he needed, directed customers toward coworkers when they saw his uniform and asked questions (never mind that he was carrying a little grocery basket!), and once he checked out, he was good to go. With his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, packed full of groceries of his own (yeah, he brought his own bag, and he didn't rub it in peoples' faces, either!), he headed out the door to begin his short walk home.

He didn't live that far away, just a few blocks, and maybe he was more tired than he thought from a long nine-to-five shift, but when he turned a corner to head down his street, he slammed right into another body that was coming the opposite way.

Rather small for a guy, and lighter than he looked, Kestrel went down with a yelp. His messenger back popped open, and cans of soda and soup went rolling all over the sidewalk. "Goddammit! Wouldja watch where yer--"

He cut off, staring, and his jaw dropped. And he instantly wished he could take the words back, because the person he'd bumped into was a girl, and she was, to put it lightly, smokin' hot.

"Oh."
« Last Edit: September 19, 2014, 10:27:56 pm by Rhi-Rhi »
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Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2014, 10:33:14 am »
Sunny couldn't help a twinge of exasperation as she hurried down the street, wondering at her, for once, abysmal luck in being delayed by Fancy, who was even worse than her name suggested, on her way out of yet another publicity stunt. She had no idea what she'd done today, and could only hope that her smile hadn't been as vapid as it had felt. If this was the best option available, and her luck never really failed her, then what was the worst? It didn't bear thinking about.

She'd got a lead out of it though, having noticed the unmistakable marks of psionic drugs on one of the others there and surreptitiously (well, she tried) placed a tracker on him. She really needed to find the source of this stuff - it made people feel more powerful for a while, but it always ended up with them, and the people who'd been near them when it all went wrong, dead. Sunny couldn't help wondering uncharitably if they did it to avoid Fancy.

The negativity was already slipping off her though, as she acknowledged that, well, at least she had gotten away with her sanity intact. Her manager had let her go early to avoid the other popstar too, so she'd had time to pick up her Axe stuff. Maybe she'd just use her fame to get into wherever it was, then destroy any bugs, change in the toilets, and just bust them like that? Who needed subtlety when they were above suspicion? She looked down at her side of the tracker, a wristband with a display, then-  Sunny rocked backwards slightly on her heels, automatically finding her balance again as something barreled into her and started berating her. Maybe someone, then.

She looked down at the young man in shock for a moment, startled to find a random stranger annoyed at her, and wondered if the wings were real or not. If they were, then she was jealous. If they weren't, she wanted them. Whether he was human or not he had really bad timing, but she guessed she should've been paying more attention, rather than upsetting someone's afternoon.

"I'm sorry; I'm sure it was an accident all round." Sunny smiled at him, deliberately laying on the charm, then crouched to collect some of the cans that were rolling around on the street. The idea was not to be noticed, but honestly, it was an insult to have someone thinking of her so negatively. She generated positivity in her career, helped people, and didn't upset people. Even if he was at least equally culpable. Not to mention rude. Maybe she should consider being less nice, unless he found his manners. At least he used his own bag for his groceries.

She could almost feel his surprise when he actually looked up at her, and her smile grew more cheery. This would undoubtedly all blow over, they'd have a friendly conversation, and she could continue her investigation. Stopping to chat never hurt anyone, right?
« Last Edit: September 20, 2014, 10:38:48 am by Rising »

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2014, 10:49:26 am »
Ohgodsohgodsohgods.

She smiled at him, and it seemed to brighten up her already sunny features. Kestrel found himself gawking, and quickly shut his mouth. Heat rose to his cheeks, a combination of mortification and attraction--but mostly mortification because oh gods he'd totally been an ass!

"No no! It's alright! I shoulda been lookin' where I was going, and I shouldn't have snapped, and--fuck. Sorry. Weren't yer fault, it's just--long day," he finished lamely as he sat up on his knees. He rolled his shoulders and fluffed his feathers, adjusting how his wings laid along his back, and scrubbed a hand through his messy hair.

He grabbed some of the cans and shoved them back in his bag, and collected the ones the girl had gathered. Reaching for the last can--a dented can of cola--he paused, and held it out to her like a peace offering. "Er...want one?"
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Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2014, 11:12:12 am »
Sunny was now outright grinning, her mood entirely restored - not to mention her vanity. He'd apologised, he'd just had a bad day, so no problem. A strand of hair fell into her eyes, so she pulled it all over one shoulder as she stood up. A can of coke? Did she really want caffeine before going out as Axe? Well, yes.

"Thanks!" The can was dented, but oh well, that was half her own fault. Maybe she could angle it so the inevitable foam went all over him... That would probably be a bit mean, he already seemed embarrassed.

Sunny reached out to take the can, looking around her for somewhere to sit and noting the complete lack of benches. Oh well, the floor was good enough. She took a step towards a wall, then flopped casually down on the ground again and leaned against it, carefully letting the gas escape the coke before opening it fully. She beamed over at the flustered man in the middle of the street, wondering if maybe she should've worn something less- sparkly. And more modest. Shiny silver catsuits encrusted with blue crystals were just a bit on the ostentatious side, and she didn't want to make him feel awkward. Okay, so it was a little late for that.

"Hey, what's your name? I'm Sunny! And how'd you get those wings, they're awesome!" And on the messy side, thanks to his nervous ticks - he'd never survive in show business. She paused mentally. Blatantly, she'd been spending too much time with Fancy. Her smile slipped a little.


Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2014, 04:36:36 pm »
"How'd I...get them?" Kestrel blinked owlishly at the question, and then barked a laugh, fluffing out his feathers as he did. Did she think they were fake?

"Heh! Guess you could say I got them from my mom! I was born with them," he said, and demonstrated by turning his back to her so she could see where they connected to his shoulders. He couldn't wear normal shirts; all of his had the backs cut out, with criss-crossing ties at his neck and beneath the wings that held the shirt together and kept it from falling off of him. With his back exposed, it was easy to see that the wings were attached, and not only that, but they were growing from his flesh.

And just in case there was any doubt they were real, he flexed them and snapped them open to their full, twelve-foot span, lifting them above his head and fanning the feathers out. Demonstration over, he folded them again so they laid along his back, the tips of his flight-feathers barely dusting the ground.

"Pain in the ass, is what they are," he said, turning back to face her and smiling wryly. "Before ya ask, mostly, they just sit there lookin' pretty, and get in the way of everything. I can't fly with them. Or at least, I haven't figured out how, so..."

He realized he was rambling. Oh gods. She hadn't even asked all that and he was just blurting it all out--because he was used to people asking, and because that body-tight suit of hers was distracting. And he hadn't even answered the question she'd actually asked! Clearing his throat, Kestrel took a soda for himself and moved onto the sidewalk, closer to the girl, when he realized he was still standing in the street. Since she'd parked herself against the wall, looked like she wanted to socialize?

He was cool with that.

"Anyway! My name's Kestrel. What's yers?" he asked as he cracked the soda open.

And forgot that it had been freshly shaken.

With a hiss it exploded, spraying soda foam all over him, and all over her.
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Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2014, 01:09:24 pm »
Epic! Even though it meant that she couldn't get any of her own, she was glad they were real. Sunny grinned ecstatically as her companion spread his wings to their fullest extent, slightly awed and entirely thrilled by the sight. They were somehow much bigger than she had previously assumed. It was slightly disappointing that he couldn't fly with them (yet!), and she thought that she could get an inkling of how difficult they were to live with just by looking at them, but actual, flesh-and-blood, natural wings more than made up for her terrible day.

She was slightly put off when he stopped abruptly, wondering if maybe he'd said more than he'd meant to - it wasn't as if she was going to take him to Thanatos Inc. to be examined. She thought wings were brilliant; but even if she were that villainous she doubted they'd be interested. A second later he cleared his throat awkwardly, and her slightly lagging smile returned full force. It was just her fashion sense coming back to haunt her again, not that she would change it for the world. He was the one standing in the middle of the street with wings. Which were brilliant, but still, she was hardly the one who stood out.

Sunny giggled (no other word for it, even if it did offend her vigilante pride...) as he remembered her question, and was relieved to finally have a name for him. He had officially been upgraded from 'that winged guy' to Kestrel. Even if he'd forgotten her name. How did he manage to be so obviously interested and yet so oblivious? He'd probably just misheard, or maybe he'd been distracted. People didn't generally concentrate that much on random encounters on the street, so- her hand flicked towards her axe hilt on automatic as a shock of cool foam hit her hair and face, some of it trailing down her neck, yet more staining her clothing. She disguised it by reaching to her foam-spattered hair, her smile slightly stiff as she was torn between being indignant and- well. She burst out laughing.

She slipped into a looser sprawl as her laughter shook through her, just managing to contain it before she looked up at Kestrel with eyes so sparkly they belonged at a disco, and, finding that he'd been equally caught in the foam explosion, slipped back into helpless laughter.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2014, 06:27:30 pm »
Indeed, Kestrel had forgotten her name. Distracted by her as she was, and drowning in his own awkwardness, it had gone in one ear and out the other--and he would no doubt be even more embarrassed when he realized it!

But for now, he was mortified for an entirely different reason.

"OHMYGODS! I'm so sorry!" he blurted, face red and eyes wide with horror, because just when he thought he couldn't make a bigger ass of himself, surprise, Kestrel, you're a super ass! Stooping to set his dripping can down on the sidewalk, he pat down his pockets and rifled through his bag to see if he had anything to wipe the soda off with--old napkins, an extra shirt, anything!--but found nothing. Great! Just great! He sank his face into his hand with a groan.

"Shiiiit. I'm really, really sorry, I wasn't--I wasn't thinkin'! I forgot this, y'know...got shook up, uh...god."

At least she was laughing! That was good, he supposed! Maybe.
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Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2014, 10:12:25 am »
Sunny tried to suppress her laughter when she saw how horrified Kestrel looked, trying to look generally nice instead of insensitively amused. Really, it was only funny if they were both laughing, she should try to make him feel better. He looked a little like a tomato like this. Despite herself, she continued to grin as she watched him root through his stuff - looking for napkins maybe? This in mind, she opened her own bag, spilling golden fabric and white armour everywhere as she tried to stop her axe falling out. The costume was one thing, but that would not be fun to explain. It didn't really bother her to be covered in soda, although having it in her hair made her cringe, so she was sure to bring out a brush before finally grabbing for a pack of wipes that, scarily, she was fairly sure her dad had packed for her. Since when did he see her superheroine stuff? She dearly hoped the bag had been empty at the time. Oh wait, hadn't Kestrel just apologised?

"It's fine - it isn't like I haven't got spare clothes or anything." She smiled in his direction, then winced as he covered his face. "I mean it - I'm not like Fancy to be going at every little slight. You've already made my day just by having real wings!" She laughed lightly as she tossed the pack of wipes in his direction. "Here, my dad thinks of everything. Everyone has times when they don't think things through - one time, I thought it would be an awesome idea to set off stink bombs in my twin's room to distract her from her inability to sing. We slept in the same room, so you can guess how that turned out! We snapped at each other for days, but at least it worked as a distraction." The memory made her beam even more, her face practically radiant. "I'm Sunny, by the way. Don't worry, I still remember your name." The bird reference made it easier, she'd admit, but she never really forgot names anyway. Hopefully her smile would show that she was just teasing, not genuinely upset.

It wasn't as though she expected everyone to be perfect - it was her job to try to be as perfect as possible, and even she and her colleagues frequently failed miserably. She guessed that forgetting a new acquaintance's name before spilling your drink all over them did rank as a pretty massive fail though. Still, life was funnier when it was far from perfect. Unlike hair. Putting her helmet on was going to be awful if she couldn't find a shower first. Wait, forget about her hair - she could only imagine how annoying wings were to clean. Did he have to have special stuff for it or something?


Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2014, 12:26:07 pm »
Kestrel looked up just in time to see the pack coming at him, and he made a reflexive grab, fumbled them, and finally caught them without finesse. Some of the horror left his face as she reassured him, told him his wings made everything better, and he took a deep breath. Well, as long as she was okay with it, he supposed that made it better, but damn. Leave it to him to make one hell of a first impression!

"Heh, thanks," he said, and tore open the pack. He started to wipe himself clean, though there was only so much a pack of wipes could do. He'd definitely be needing another bath tonight, and his wings...ugh. He didn't even want to think about that. Such a pain.

Grinning at her story, and intrigued that she had a twin, Kestrel was finally starting to relax when she introduced herself--and joked that she still remembered his name.

Oh.

"...Oh, gods. You already told me yer name, didn't ya?" With a laugh, Kestrel pressed the wipe to his face to hide yet another blush. And to get some of the sticky soda off. "Sorry. Man. I'm failin' all over the place today! It's just--yeah. Like I said, long day. Though, heh, can't say I've ever failed to stink bomb proportions..." he added, forcing a little grin. Her good humor about the situation was keeping the mortification at bay--and it was surprising him, too! After so many fails in a row, he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd told him to get lost!

He passed one of the wipes over his neck and down his shirt, where some of the soda had dripped down his chest. His eyes flicked to her bag and all the fancy-looking fabric poking out, and the...was that armor? He blinked. "You into LARP?"
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Re: Paper or plastic? [Rising!]
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2014, 02:12:57 pm »
LARP? She was almost certain she’d heard Kareya mention that at some point, but she’d no real idea what it meant. Maybe something to do with dress up? It had come up in costume design in passing once as well, but then why would Kareya be interested? Ah, it didn’t matter, she’d just ask.

“I don’t even know what that is! Why, are into that kind of thing? Whatever that kind of thing is.”

Most people manage self-depreciating smiles; Sunny managed a simultaneously cheerful and self-depreciating grin.
She noticed that his humour seemed a bit artificial, and concern crept into her still-smiling eyes. It just wouldn’t do if she was upsetting him. In the interest of cheering him up a bit, she let her grin blossom yet further, into near radiance – she thought it made her cheeks look rather plump, but smiling at people made them smile back.

“What was so wrong with your day? I was stuck with the most artificial, pernickety person you could imagine, all day long, possibly in front of the camera – I can’t even remember.”

She rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly.

“Life, huh? S'been good meeting you though!"
« Last Edit: November 29, 2014, 05:11:22 am by Rising »

 

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