Does anybody know a way that a body could get away?

[glacius]

Who: Glacius and you! Open and closed starters for all your needs, so come on in!
What: June catch-all log for Glacius for the purpose of pursuing existing CR or establishing new relations.
Where: Various locations in the city, specified in the starters.
When: The beginning of June.
Warnings: N/A, will update as the need arises.


Shopping District - OPEN

Glacius is on a mission today, one that happens to be bringing him towards the center of the city--a more frequently populated area where he rarely travels due to his reclusive nature. He doesn't like drawing attention to himself--even for a non-human, he's particularly exotic-- but he knows he can't remain on the fringes of society forever, despite his fear that people might jump to assumptions around him. Still, if the sight of a massive ice alien walking down the streets isn't enough to turn the heads of Hadriel's more "normal" inhabitants, the fact that he's dragging the heavy carcass of some unfortunate cave-dwelling monster in the street behind him as he moves towards the shopping district probably isn't helping.

He doesn't yet understand how the shops work. No one had been around when he'd visited them to try and find supplies to care for the fireflies when they filled the cavern, so he had taken supplies from them since there had been no other option... but that felt odd to the alien. He didn't want to be a thief and he didn't want to steal, and he'd heard that people in the city often traded for the meat and pelts of monsters in the cave, so he planned to return later with something that he could use to trade for what he took. That explains the massive body he's dragging with him now; it's much larger than him, burly and powerfully built and covered in thick shaggy fur, and yet there doesn't appear to be a spot of damage on Glacius for his efforts.

He's aware that the sight of one massive creature dragging the dead body of another might draw attention at best or be cause for alarm or fearful self-defense at worst, so he's trying to get his done as quickly as possible. Hopefully if someone does come up to him, it will be either to trade, to point him in the right direction, or maybe just to explain why this attempt might be slightly misguided.

Park - CLOSED to Cecily

Sometimes when Glacius has time to himself he comes to the park. It's big enough that he can usually find space to himself, the sound of running water is peaceful--if not slightly strange to a being that hails from a world where most of the water is frozen--and the shade of the large trees is nice and cool. Usually it's the perfect place for him to go when he wants to get away from the city, but doesn't want to be quite as far out or at as much risk as he might be if he was sticking to the system of caves.

... Usually. Lately this place has come to host some dark, troubling memories: it's the place where his will was subverted by Rage and he was turned against an innocent woman. Even now, he still remembers the pain on her face as he attacked her clear as day, and the upwelling of guilt and remorse is still strong enough that the peaceful alien feels as though he might choke on it. He shouldn't be here... but he so desperately makes things right, and so there's a part of him that hopes he might find Cecily back here one day. So he visits the park regularly and simply sits on that bench, forcing himself to endure the memories as he waits.

He hasn't seen her since, but he doesn't know what else to do. In fact, he's not even sure what he will do if she comes across him. She hadn't seemed particularly angry at him right after the attack, but he'd be surprised if she hadn't grown to scorn him in the time that had passed. Makers knew he was certainly horrified and upset enough with himself, and the spikes that protrude from his hip are still showing signs of the damage that he enraged husband had dealt to him when it was his turn to be targeted. Whatever she deems necessary, the alien has already decided--even if it comes down to punishment, to recompense. That is the cost for inciting harm upon an innocent.

Spires- CLOSED to Nick

After receiving a message from Nick Valentine in his inbox--which was Glacius' first time learning of that function of the device, in fact--the two had conversed, and the synth had managed to do something that no one else in the city of Hadriel had: he'd gotten the location of the ice alien's current living space. For all this time, Glacius has still been keeping close to the caves due to his wariness of the human inhabitants of Hadriel, and his need for space and privacy. Rage's games in which the city's inhabitants had been reduced to assassins and targets had only exacerbated this, and the guilt he was suffering since has also made showing his face around the city feel less and less appealing.

Nick was at least understanding, and had managed to coax the alien into trying to find a more suitable living space. Glacius knew that his stay in the caves could last, it probably shouldn't; it was just a temporary location he'd picked out when he didn't realize just how long he'd be trapped in Hadriel. It was a patch job over something that needed more thorough work; it was uncivilized, unbecoming. It was also unsafe--even with his considerable combat prowess, the sheer amount of monsters in the winding tunnels was no small threat, and knowing he could get attacked at any time forced him to keep one eye open, making it hard to get decent rest.

So the synth had agreed to help him find a new place to reside, somewhere that struck a good balance for the alien--somewhere a little more comfortable and easily accessible without being too close to the more populated areas of the city, allowing his sense of privacy to stay intact. If Glacius could get more explanation on how things worked in the city in the process, that would be a bonus. He's waiting by the bridge over the southeast region of the river that leads to one of the beaten roads, green eyes scanning his surroundings for Nick.

Comments

let's go shoppiiing

[circumitus]

Today, Glacius isn't the only one on a mission. And as it turns out, hunting for a specific monster in a monster-filled cave is a lot harder than Rey had initially given herself credit for.

Rather than heading straight home to the new house that she now shares with Nick, however, she makes a detour to the shipping district. Why?

Because she's covered in fucking blood, that's why.

The last thing she wants to do is to return home to find her roommate there to ask her questions. The next to the last thing she wants is to have to tell him why she's been out in the tunnels on her own, hunting the last of the giant bats. That would result in having to explain that she had made an arrangement with one of their captors (or 'gods', if you want to call them that), which would lead into why she made such an agreement to start with.

So when she sees Glacius hauling a carcass down the streets of the shopping district, she barely bats an eyelash at the scene and keeps walking, blood dripping off her clothes and strands of hair. It's normal. This is fine. Everything is fine.

One bat down. Two more to go.

Good fucking god.

yiss my frand

[glacius]

Glacius has no idea of the arrangement that has been made with Hope--so when he sees Rey walking up to him, drenched in blood as she is, the ice alien's first though is that she has been grievously injured again. His head snaps around and his eyes widen, and then with a squawk he's dropping his corpse and bounding over to her.

"What happened to you?!" he exclaims, flicking his eyes up and down her body. Wait, she doesn't look the least bit perturbed by her situation, and he can't see any rebars jutting out of her... "Are.. are you alright? I do hope this isn't all yours..." Meaning the blood, of course, though he's not sure if he'd prefer it to have come from anyone else, either.

[circumitus]

Other than a few scratches here and there, any evidence of bodily injuries aren't shown on the surface. Of course, it's also difficult to tell under all that blood.

Rey just blinks when Glacius makes his way over, glancing down at her bloodied arms before her eyes veer up at the alien.

"Most of it isn't." Her mouth twists into an uncomfortable expression. "Just need to find some clean clothes. Can't go home like this."

It would also be bad news bears if she turned up tracking a red trail into the house, wouldn't it?

[glacius]

Alright, she definitely does not seem to be in any pain or distress; the alien relaxes a little. One of the nice things about conversing with him is that he is extremely hard to seriously rattle, and he often settles back into his usual cool-headed demeanor fairly easily. "Could you not just wash off in your own home?"

Being an alien being from an alien culture, he doesn't understand the concept of carpeting, or the hell that can ensure when trying to clean liberal bloodstains from him. Rey's remark is also causing a slight misconception in his mind: do humans--he knows now that she is not technically human but she still seems to adhere to a lot of their culture--not wash their cloths and fabrics? Do they simple discard them when they get dirty? That sounds... wasteful. He squints.

[circumitus]

More blood trickles down the sides of her arms into thick rivers. She pauses and huffs at Glacius' query.

"Am not living alone anymore. Don't want to alarm my roommate, considering that this is being done for him."

For the most part, she's kept that part of her reasoning a secret, not wanting to wrap anyone else up in the fact that, yes, she had made such an agreement with Hope for the sake of someone else. Someone who may or may not be very happy to know this if he ever finds out.

But Glacius is different. He's capable, and could be useful. Perhaps even agreeable.

Her brows knit when she peers up at him through some blood in her face. "Supposed to kill the remaining bats in the cave. It's proving to be a little more difficult than initially planned."

[glacius]

That gets the alien to tilt his head. "Why does your roommate need you to kill the remaining bats?"

[circumitus]

Suppose she could've worded that a little differently, couldn't she?

Rey turns and heads towards one of the shops, housing a variety of clothes. If Glacius wants his answer, she assumes he'll follow.

"Technically, he doesn't. Hope does." She shrugs. "The details aren't important. What's important is that, in order to get what we need, the bats have to go. Got one down. Two more to go."

[glacius]

The alien's mandibles click slightly. "So you're... doing an errand for the gods?" Really not sure how he feels about that, nor does he know how he feels about wiping out a species. If he knew these were monstrous bats that would have happily prayed upon any of the more hapless inhabitants of the subterranean city, he might not seem so reluctant... but the vague manner with which Rey speaks isn't helping him. Now he knows how people feel when dealing with him and his often elusive answers!

[circumitus]

Extinction does sound extreme, if the creatures hadn't come in the same way everyone else has. From what Rey understands, none of them are native to this world and don't belong here, anyway. But then, neither do they.

Rey's shoulders slump as she skims through the scant selection available in the store. "Well, when you put it that way... sort of."

It was either this or attempt to 'inspire hope' in two people, and hell if Rey has any confidence in accomplishing that. Killing is what she's good at.

"In return, am getting something of about equal value. So it's less of an errand and more of a mutual bargain."

recognizing typos after the tag has been sent the life the story

[glacius]

"I think I understand... so you and your roommate need supplies, and Hope is having you go kill bats in exchange for what you need. Why help the 'god' at all? There are a great many stores, and I have just slain a creature that should be more than enough to afford a purchase or two," Glacius responds, nodding his head towards the body he'd been dragging behind him. "Surely together you and I can find what we need without dancing to the whims of our captors."

pff story of my life too. it's coo', bro!

[circumitus]

In most cases, Glacius would have a compelling point. Rey could easily salvage and make do with the materials found in the city itself. If it's one thing she's also good for, it's finding ways to survive by being resourceful.

"Wouldn't be doing this if these were things that could be supplied within the city itself." She picks out a green-colored garment and sighs. No use in prancing around the subject, is there? "It's Nick, all right? It's for Nick. Not sure if you've noticed, but this city doesn't have an abundance of the necessary parts a synth needs for proper maintenance. The 'gods' can barely comprehend how human anatomy works, let alone those of us that are non-human."

As Glacius can no doubt relate to.

Lastly, she cants her head towards the creature that the alien has been dragging around. "Also, that's not how currency and trade here works. Just so you know."

[glacius]

Ah. Suddenly things make much more sense; Nick has never been anything but helpful to the both of them--particularly to Rey, when she was badly injured--and he remembers the synth saying that they were living close to each other. Given that the two are obviously close, he's not surprised to hear that she's the one he's relying on to get parts... but moreover if Nick is in need of assistance, lending a helping hand is the least Glacius can do. The synth had helped him out a good deal in his own way, just by being open-minded about the alien and being someone he could talk to.

So he's about to agree to come aid the woman when she calls attention back to his own mission. The alien blinks and looks down, confused. "Is it not? I have heard from a number of people that those who live in this city often trade for meat or pelts. Would the shops not take it, as well?"

[circumitus]

Rey shrugs, putting down the article of clothing she was holding and inspects another piece. It's hard finding anything to her liking in this place.

"Probably, but it's not that common. When looking for anything in the shops, it's more or less 'first come, first serve'. Seeing that there are no shopkeepers to stop you if you try to make off with something."

She jerks her head at their not-so-populated surroundings.

"Though, suppose some people would be willing to trade for meat that isn't provided by any questionable source." She pauses, biting her lower lip. "Especially after the last time, when the food had been tampered with."

[glacius]

"I don't believe I was here for that," Glacius responds--though it could be possible that he simply overlooked it while hunting for himself, he doesn't recall hearing about any widespread poisoning. It does reinforce his desire to keep providing for himself, however. "Anyways, I must admit that I... do not entirely understand how all of this works, then. If there are no shopkeepers and people are free to take whatever they want, what keeps the more greedy individuals from simply clearing these establishments out?"

[circumitus]

"Consider yourself lucky that you weren't."

Rey didn't have much trouble, considering she had more than enough food stocked up to last her some time, in addition to a few others. There is something validating about the thought that she had been right not to trust the gods not to meddle with their food supply.

Glacius does have a point about people's greed, though. She shrugs. "Think the supplies replenish themselves, or however the hell Hope makes it all. Don't really understand it, either, and have tried not to put too much thought into it."

It just makes her head hurt otherwise.

[glacius]

"So nothing keeps people from taking more than what they need. Hope simply manages the supplies, refilling everything when they begin to run low. That is..." he was about to say remarkably convenient, but then there is the issue of whether or not supplies from the gods can be trusted. "...Well, I suppose it's about one of the only ways it's going to work if there's no regulation. I suppose I'll have to do something else with this creature, then."

[circumitus]

"You could always eat it yourself," Rey suggests, assuming that it would be something that Glacius can eat. "Or trade the meat with someone else. There are a few of us around here who don't trust the food that the gods provide."

It should come as no surprise that she happens to be one of them, except for the fact that she'd recently made a deal with a god that she's had no liking for.

Finally she has found something that is worth taking, picking a shirt out of the selection and holding it in her bloodied arms. There is something comical about having a casual conversation about trading and food while one of them is caked in blood.

Oh well. No use in changing if she's just going to get herself dirty all over again.

[glacius]

"Either would work," Glacius acknowledges--it would be no problem for him to absorb what he needs from the corpse, or use his innate abilities to freeze it so he could eat it later--perhaps if the gods decide to tamper with their food supply again. Trading is also an option, though he's not really sure what he would trade for; he was very resourceful, self-reliant being capable of meeting most of his needs on his own. What it would do would be to help his standing in the community, help prove that he was a reliable and thoughtful being, not just another monster...

Well, he'll have to decide later. Right now Rey has a job to do, and it doesn't seem wise to delay. "Shall we get to work? I can deposit this creature by the caves and seal it in a block of ice, then deal with it later. Getting your friend the parts he needs should probably be our priority."

[circumitus]

As thrilled as Rey is to be having this conversation about food and trade, the subject matter Glacius just brings up is more pertinent. And while she shouldn't find herself surprised with how willing he is to get to the task, she actually is.

"So you'll help?" She blinks. Rey is a capable enough fighter on her own, but when hunting in those caves by herself, searching for a specific creature...

Well, even she has her limits.

[glacius]

"I will," the alien nods, hefting the limb of the carcass so that he can drag it with him until they get to the caves and he can deal with it as described; he figures no one would appreciate him leaving a massive bloody carcass in the street to rot and stink up the place. "So, is there anything else I need to know about this endeavor? What are these creatures that we are fighting like? We should probably get all of the details out of the way now so that no nasty surprises spring up in the middle of a struggle."

[circumitus]

Once she's finished perusing and has what she needs, Rey starts to head out of the shop as well. She casts Glacius a sidelong look, grateful now to have such help in this case.

"What we're looking for specifically are the ahools, the giant bat-like creatures..." She pauses to consider the fact that Glacius maybe not have ever even seen a bat in his world before. Rey bites her lower lip as she walks. "They're winged animals. Usually hang out on the ceiling of caves and such. The ones back home are much smaller, but here they're bigger than a person. First day here, was almost picked up and carried off by one. Or, well... it tried."

Suppose the ahool wasn't expecting its 'prey' to weigh a solid three hundred pounds, though.

[glacius]

The brief explanation is certainly helpful; though Glacius has in fact seen bats before--his hunt for the assassin that stole his technology had him skulking his way through an elaborate cave system--he did not know what they were called. Now that he has an idea of what they're going to be facing, he can begin to plan how to deal with it. The fact that these "ahools" are big enough to try and cart off a person is a bit alarming, but the ice alien is not particularly worried; he doubts they're strong enough to lift him, and even if they do try to sink their talons into him he can always liquidize out of their grip.

"Well, given your close scrape with one of them I am glad you are alright. So these beasts--they prefer to attack from the air, by the sounds of things? I can keep them from doing that by intercepting their trajectories with hail. While I pin their movement down, you should be able to deal with them as you see fit, yes?"

[circumitus]

Glacius' tactic is sound enough. Rey nods in agreement.

"That... could work. Part of the problem was luring them down from the ceiling in the first place." In fact, she's most certain that this will work now. "Am more and more glad that you agreed to this. Thank you."

It isn't much of a smile, but the corner of her lip twitches into something that's sort of like one.

[glacius]

"Oh--ah, it is no problem," Glacius responds, surprised by the thanks and the slightest smile he can see tugging gently at her lip. An equally tentative smile teases at his features, pulling his pronounced cheekbones up the tiniest bit. "To be honest, I wasn't originally sure how I felt about being invited to wipe out the last of a species... but if they pose a threat to the inhabitants of this city, and if it will help Nick recover, then I am willing to assist. It will be a good way to keep my skills sharp, too."

That being said, he gestures for Rey to start walking, and once she's on her way he falls into stride besides her. The shops are at a fairly central point in Hadriel, so they have a bit of a ways to go; the ice alien casts another glance to her, unsure if making the walk in silence would be awkward, of if the woman is one of those people who prefers it.

[circumitus]

"If it makes you feel any better, they're not technically the 'last' of their kind. They come from other worlds, the same as us."

Which sort of justifies what they're doing a little more. Though, by that logic, suppose one could just as well argue that they deserve the same treatment. What right do the creatures have to perish while they still live?

For one thing, it isn't like they have much of a say in the matter, with Hope bringing them back after they die.

Moral quandaries aside, Rey shrugs. She slips her hands into her pockets as she continues towards the way into the tunnels. "Also, if you could... Would rather you not say anything to Nick about this."