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The entrance to Best Buy was nearly deserted for once, the heavy rain driving away the usual groups of people waiting for a ride or to load their heavy purchases into their vehicles. A lone figure stood outside the store, black umbrella shielding him from the thick droplets falling from the sky, keeping his clothing from becoming soaked. Instead of the usual white dress shirt under his vest, Seth had opted for a black dress shirt with white pinstripes, deciding to try something new for a change. While his left hand supported the umbrella, the right held his cellphone to his ear, his voice speaking at a normal volume, clearly unconcerned with being overheard.
"Yes, I'm aware. So far, the school seems afraid of dealing with us at all. You're going to have to do what you do best, I'm afraid."
A pause was given, while the heavily accented voice spoke on the other end, causing a small smile to form on Seth's face.
"That would be the idea. Might I suggest one of the mouthy students at that party we crashed? I could think of no one better for an example... Very well. Take care."
Flipping the phone closed, Seth dropped it into his pocket, giving little more thought to the matter. After all, the beauty of the Sons of Judas was the fact that he didn't need to run anything, they simply worked together for convenience. Such freedom allowed him to focus on personal matters, rather than looking to further an entire gang's goals. Obtaining a new computer, obviously, fell into the first category. However, waiting for his shopping... comrade, for lack of a better term, had left him plenty of time to mull over exactly what he was getting into.
I really should have asked for something to recognize her by... assuming, of course, that it's actually a female.
The screen name including the word "Rainbow" had been the main reason Seth assumed the person he was meeting was a girl, as few men were comfortable enough with their sexuality to attempt such a thing. Of course, there was still the very real possiblity of it being a male posing as a female, though Seth didn't particularly mind either scenario. Either way, hopefully, he'd get some decent input on what sort of protection he'd need for his new computer, and perhaps, meet someone worth using.
For someone supposedly “1337”, Dagny isn't super-duper-uber pro at programming. She picked up a few things from her 4channer friends since her days in the hospital, but she's more of a script kitty than a hacker... Thus why she got LOL'd at for a while when she told her hacker friends that she h4><'d someone too hard before they helped her out. After all, they test their creations on her all the time (for the lulz) and with each cure came a stronger program or virus for her to distribute (for the lulz). Dagny wrote down what they told her to get that could possibly be found at Best Buy. She figured that since WhiteHorse didn't mention anything about how they were supposed to identify each other once they meet at Best Buy Rare card? That sounds vague enough to be the Blue Eyes White Dragon!, she might as well abuse the crap out of the RAINBOW in her net handle and become a friggin' walking rainbow to help him recognize her. She kept the notes inside her li'l notebook inside her brightly colored Tokidoki bag, her jacket was covered in rainbows and unicorns, and her high rainboots just looked wild. Yep, you can't look at her without thinking about rainbows. With all the bright colors plastering her from head to toe, if someone asked if a unicorn barfed on her on the way to the store, she'd say “Yes” without a second thought. She couldn't resist.
“BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG-BANG~!! BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG-BANG~!! BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG-BANG~!! BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG-BANG!! ~♪”
Dagny practically danced on her way to the store, singing “Bang Install” to herself as the raindrops fell onto the hood of her jacket and the large goggles adorned to her face. She was in her own little world as she splashed around in the puddles and “shot” things with her fingers, imagining who this WhiteHorse may be. An average joe? A dashing rogue? A fat ugly dude with aspergers? A furry? Ah, the wonders of the Internet... Where identities are created as easy as pie. The faux fortuneteller rounded the corner and let out a shriek before diving back around the corner for cover. See, ever since her meeting with Tiao, she's been a bit more paranoid about who she'll bump into next. Of all people she bumped into next, it had to be Seth Calloway. The gang leader with charismatic sparkle powers and enough charm to give vampires a run for their money. Or... Ex-leader?
Oh HELL no. What the--This can't--What is this I don't even--WHAAA...!? Oh god... Geez... Am I seeing things?
She stole a glance to confirm her suspicions.
I crashed his computer? Sweet. No. Not sweet. Every time I destroy something that belongs to someone... Capable, bad things happen. BAD THINGS. HAPPEN. Okay, just stay calm and hope that he's just here for a vacation or a business trip or something. Maybe you crashed someone else's computer. Yeah... The thing about horses and Revelation is probably just a coincidence... Treat this like a friendly stroll through the park or something. He can't recognize you. And he better not 'cause you suck at lying and you're supposed to be dead or missing to a lot of people...
Dagny regained composure and got out from her hiding place to casually walk to the front of the electronics store. She stood near a pole and looked out towards the parking lot, hoping that WhiteHorse was some kind of white supremacy maniac who's into bestiality or something.
Slowly closing his eyes, Seth would listen contently to the sound of water hitting his umbrella. Rainy days were amongst his favourites, as the sound itself was enough to soothe his mind even in the most stressful of circumstances. It would be this relaxed attitude that would keep Seth from reacting immediately to the sound off to his side, his eyes opening and glancing in the general direction of where Dagny had been moments earlier, and upon finding nothing, looking towards the parking lot instead.
It should be three, by now. Whoever it is should be here any minute now.
Letting his right hand drop into his pocket, Seth began to resign himself to what could be a long wait, curious to discover whether he'd been stood up by a random stranger he'd met on the internet. Patient waiting aside, the sound of someone walking closer would be reason enough for Seth to glance in the direction, catching an eyeful of colour that nearly made him step back in surprise. The colourful explosion was enough for Seth's suspicion to arise, and once the woman stopped near a pole, the former gang leader felt confident enough that this was, in fact, the person he had been waiting for.
Either that, or this is the most ridiculous coincidence I've ever seen.
After letting a few moments pass to confirm that the woman wasn't about to leave, Seth began walking towards her, placing a pleasant smile upon his face. First impressions were often the most important, and the gang member had no plans of coming across as anything but friendly. Once he'd gotten close enough, Seth would hold his umbrella further away from his body, letting it shield her from the rain rather than himself, and alerting her to his presence if his footsteps had not already done so.
"Rainbow Jumper, I presume?"
Assuming Dagny confirmed Seth's presumption, he would continue.
"I'm White Horse, the one you 'hacked too hard', as it were. I'm pleased to meet you."
Pulling his right hand out of his pocket, Seth would extend it towards the girl for what would appear to be a handshake. Should she take his hand, however, Seth would bend at the waist, lifting her hand towards his face in order to kiss the back of it gently, before releasing it and standing straight once more, his smile never leaving his lips.
"Seth Calloway, at your service. Is there something you would like me to call you other than 'Rainbow'?"
Dagny chuckled nervously awkwardly in response to Seth's inquiry about her identity, a bit too startled to get the right words out of her mouth. A bit like how some people would give off the “I have absolutely no idea who you are but I'm too polite to tell you that I'm not who you think I am” kind of air. No need; He told her who he was and he was indeed WhiteHorse, not some fat guy with aspergers or a white supremacy maniac into bestiality. Mind. Blown. Her brain turned off for a few moments and all she could hear was the sound of raindrops against Seth's umbrella over her head before she frantically played Mad Libs in her noggin.
“Yes, I am [adjective] to [verb] you too...” Hmm... Uh... “Yes, I am purple to kick you too” ... No, that doesn't sound right... “Yes, I am neurotic to stalk you too”... Oh, soddit...
“Y-Yes, likewise...”
Seth offered a hand for a handshake. The Asian looked at it with hesitation before taking the hand and before she could give the German handshake, a firm hold and a single shake, the ex-gang leader bowed slightly and gently kissed the back of her hand.
When Dagny was Valencia, she wasn't the sort to be treated politely. If anything, she was inclined to believe that most people were likely to treat her rudely upon meeting her unless they wanted something. Years of being bullied and mistreated gave her a cold, tough exterior to whatever mean thing anyone could throw at her, but very rarely was she ever treated like a lady... Particularly since she seldom came across her “guy type” who'd do so. To recall Dagny's initial reaction to Seth's sparkle mode, a mere charming smile, she “wanted to stomp some faces into the pavement out of revulsion” and at the same time, “melt from the inside, not like she'll ever admit it”. A lot has happened since the first encounter with Seth's sparkle and in response to Seth kissing her hand, Dagny's face flushed extremely red. Not only that, but she was resisting the urge to squeal “|<`/4444444444444~<3 KYAAAAAA~” and she wanted to punch babies. If smiles equated to stomping faces into the pavement and kisses on the hand equated to punching babies, may god have mercy on whoever's within 10 miles of her when she's REALLY girlied out.
AAAUUUGGHH!! YOUR SPARKLE IS CYANIDE TO MY MOTHERFUCKING SKIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!! IT BURNS OF PRREEEEEEEETTTTTTYYY!!
Seth released her hand and stood up straight once more with a smile, hardly missing a beat. Dagny's regaining-composure efforts, on the other hand, were further complicated. The contorted grin stuck on Dagny's face meant either “HAAAAAA~~<3” or “DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN”. It was hard to tell with the goggles covering her eyes. Then came the big question—What's your “real” name? She gave Seth a pseudonym last time... No hard feelings if she gives him another one, right? And she wasn't planning on him figuring out who she is anyways...
“U-uh... Ursula Glendenning... Call me... 'Ursa'? 'Cause I like bears?”
DON'T TALK LIKE YOU'RE ALWAYS ASKING A QUESTION, DAMMIT!! UNLESS YOU'RE A VALLEY GIRL!! No... Wait a sec... You're in Southern California now... I think I have an idea...
Dagny loosened up with a sigh and entered the store, hoping that she's changing the subject before Seth thinks she's too crazy to be real. If that even makes sense.
“Aaaannyways, let's, like, find you a new computer! I don't know that much about computers? But my friends do in case you didn't have any specific specifications in mind so they can, like, indirectly help you, y'know? I took a couple notes since they told me only computers built from scratch can withstand their musical viruses. The ones you find in places like Best Buy are fodder? But you might find something that'll survive one of their earlier viruses. That's a good thing! So if that virus hits and wipes out chunks of your computer's memory? You'll still be able to turn your computer back on to keep hearing the catchy tune as it cooks your hard drive!”
I think my frontal lobe went numb.
« Last Edit: Aug 8, 2009 5:24:43 GMT -6 by ๖ۣValencia Tiao »
Whether Ursula's grin was genuine or not, Seth's good mood remained the same. While he usually assumed that his efforts to come across as charming were successful, failure had never stopped him before, such as with Mae-Lim's resistance. In fact, it often inspired him to indulge in such behavior much more often, at the very least in order to find out just how far he could go before getting a negative reaction. Were it not for the goggles, then perhaps Seth may have been able to gauge Dagny's reaction better, among other things, but for the moment, he would simply continue acting as polite as ever, nodding to acknowledge Ursula's apparent nickname.
"Ursa, 'the Cyan Bear', it seems."
Aside from the first word, the rest of Seth's sentence would be spoken quietly, as it was mostly meant for his own benefit. The name fit the pattern he'd gotten used to all those years ago, and he'd found it amusing to try and match those around him into that particular type of role. The only other "Bear" he'd met was a particularly large Native American in San Francisco, one who had seemed rather simple minded and quite frankly, boring. If he had to make a choice, Ursa had definitely proven to be more interesting, thus far.
With Dagny heading towards the store, Seth would quickly follow alongside her, pausing briefly at the entrance to close his umbrella. The way she spoke was surprising, similiar to a particular blonde cheerleader Seth had recruited into his gang before, something he hadn't expected from the person who had more or less destroyed his desktop. Goggles weren't exactly the most popular accessory he could think of either, but then again, Seth had never been much of a fashion buff. Once Ursula finished speaking, Seth would wait for a moment, appearing thoughtful, before replying.
"So basically, you're saying that I shouldn't bother buying something top of the line, since it won't really do me any good, and instead focus on something that could be easily taken apart and upgraded to withstand more. Correct?"
Leaning down slightly in order to hear better, Seth would smile pleasantly once more, waiting patiently until she had finished before making a mostly innocent remark.
"My clothes aren't soaked, I'll dry your goggles for you, if you like. After all, we can't have you unable to find the specifications I need, right?"
...Dagny sighed quietly to herself as if the effort of getting extra oxygen up to her noggin would offset the braincell-killing she was imposing upon herself. It was moments like these that she had a higher appreciation of the camera actors she did stunts for--Acting takes extreme commitment and she can only commit to telling the truth. The Asian anxiously fiddled with her fingers before digging into her bag for her handy dandy notebook. During this time, Seth was leaning towards her, all-smiles, after closing his umbrella. She flinched, brought her hands up to her face, and dropped her notebook. She was clearly startled by Seth's “sudden appearance” and coincidental remark.
WHAT THE HELL?! DOES HE KNOW ALREADY?! WHAT WERE THE ODDS OF THAT QUESTION!? IS THERE SOME SICK GOD OUT THERE WHO IS PUNISHING ME FOR BEING A FAKE FORTUNETELLER—WAIT! Wait... Maybe I'm just being paranoid... Yeah, my goggles are pretty wet and so are my clothes... He's just being polite, is all! Yeah, Seth is just being his gentlemanly self as usual...
“Y-Yeah! That is, like, so thoughtful of you!”
She peered through her fingers as though she was hiding a blush more than hiding her identity, even if she was hiding a small blush... Which was fogging up her goggles. Dagny deftly slid her fingers under her goggles and suddenly removed them like a magician removing a tablecloth without upsetting the tableware. She handed her goggles over to Seth with one hand while the other one rubbed at her closed eyes.
(I wish I had a cool excuse as to why this took so long, but... I don't. I'm sorry. )
Amused by her apparently startled reaction to him coming so close, Seth would continue smiling pleasantly in front of Dagny, not particularly eager to move quite yet. The young man generally enjoyed any reaction he could invoke in people, whether it be positive or negative, and the more unpredictable someone was, the more he found them to be entertaining. Thus far, the combination of speaking like a "prep" and being knowledgeable about technology had proven to be more than just interesting for Seth; instead, he found it fascinating.
"Of course. I would hate to keep a lady waiting."
Gently, Seth would lift the goggles out of Ursa's hand, letting the contact between the two of them last just a half second longer than would be normal, the tips of his fingers lingering for a brief moment before closing around the item. The former gang member would look down at his shirt, searching for the least wet spot, before settling on the area around his chest, rubbing gently against the material in order to keep from scratching up the goggles. As he did so, the dark haired male would look towards his companion, simply curious to see the look on her face, but instead he would see nothing but the rubbing motion. Still intent on playing the gentleman, Seth would lean further down, bending at the knees in order to retrieve Dagny's notebook as well, holding it in his left hand while the goggles lay in his right.
"Ah, let me get this for you, as well..."
Standing up once more, Seth would extend both items towards the Asian at once, leaving a fair amount of space between his hands, waiting patiently for her to take them back from him. The gesture was innocent, Seth having no suspicions as to Ursa's true identity, though if she had been rubbing her eyes the entire time he'd cleaned her goggles as well as picked up her notebook, it would raise a fair degree of suspicion. Regardless, Seth would wait until she took her belongings back before speaking again.
"You're my guide, I leave myself in your hands. What should we look for first, Ursa?"
Aaaaannyyy day now, Seth. Yes, please be a gentleman, and not a clever sneaky dickwad of a jerk who likes teasing and messing with me like a plaything like Vince Crane, by being quick about it...
...And Seth just took his sweet time. 'Cause he can, for someone who wouldn't want to keep a lady waiting. It took him a while before he actually reached for the goggles and a little while longer until he actually removed them from Dagny's hand. She felt inclined to believe they he was doing this to her on purpose and that she should resort to reverse psychology if that was the case. She kept rubbing away at her eyes and nodded when he offered to get the notebook she dropped and hastily reached with her left hand towards Seth's general direction. A common problem that arises when you're “blind” is that you don't always know where things are in the air. It's because of this that she employs the reach of her long arms rather liberally, like this instance where she swept her arm out into the inside of Seth's right arm. Once she got a feel for where that was, she traced the arm down to his hand where her goggles were and promptly removed them and put them on her head, covering her eyes once more. After that was done, she saw where her notebook was and was a bit glad that she got the arm with the goggles first—Flailing at someone twice might be even more suspicious than flailing at them once.
...If that makes any sense. Ain't I weird enough already?!
Dagny adjusted her goggles one more time before reaching for the notebook and flipping through the pages of her notes. In a way, it was all Greek to this script kitty. She was pretty glad that her friends were specific about which computer to get, at least in a get-one-as-close-as-you-can-to-these-specs kind of way, because she didn't know a thing about assembling computers. When she was in San Francisco, she let Malcolm handle all that and now that she thinks about it, he was present when she first met Seth back in the day. Quite a coincidence how similar these two “first meetings” are.
“My friends told me that the best places to get computer parts are, like, online or at places like Fry's Electronics and CompUSA. The most you can get at BestBuy is, like, a case or something? And if we're lucky, some of these parts if they have it?”
Here, she decided against reading off all the numbers and letters that made little sense, but it should be understood that they'll be going off of her notes more than her expertise or lack thereof. Without a second thought, she headed straight to the computer section. Upon their arrival, a BestBuy employee approached and asked if they needed assistance. Before the young man in blue could finish asking, Dagny basically shoved her notes into his face. The employee's face contorted into that of shock and confusion and a tinge of fear as he did a double take at the notes and Dagny. Yeah, he knew how computers worked. But the notes Dagny had? He didn't say anything before snatching her notes out of her hand and running off with them to find a Geek Squad agent, leaving Dagny even more confused than ever. She wondered if her notes had something offensive was unintentionally written in a forbidden cryptic computer junkie code and questioned if what she did was a good idea. She looked to Seth and chuckled confusedly.
That was random.
“Uuuummm... Since they're on it and I really don't know how to put together computers without help, are there other things you'd like to check out at BestBuy?”
Gads, if he doesn't have anything else to look for, what now, foo'!? Waiting around isn't going to help you! Seth isn't stupid and you're REALLY pushing your luck!
“Uhh... I'm tempted to pass the time by playing some games over at the Video Games section since we passed it on the way here?”
You're forgetting something.
“Like, Guitar Hero? Rock Band? DDR?”
And Dagny imagined Seth doing either of those activities. You try and do that without snickering a little.
(I love it. And Dagny totally should have. Seth's a jerk.)
As Ursa felt her way down to her goggles, a slight furrowing of the brow would be the only sign of Seth's confusion, the former gang leader finding the length of time his companion needed to rub her eyes unusual. He couldn't remember hearing about any eye condition that would require such a thorough massage, but then, he wasn't exactly in a medical profession, either. Still, despite his doubts, and the nagging feeling that he was missing something important, Seth would simply continue smiling pleasantly, letting her take both of her possessions before dropping his hands back close to his sides. Her initial questioning would cause Seth to tilt his head slightly to the side, in a quizzical manner
"I suppose this means I should meet your tech-savy friends at some point, then? If only to better protect myself, of course."
Seth, as was typical for him, had other intentions in mind for such a meeting than just the obvious. To be perfectly honest, his computer was hardly of importance to him, as all he used it for was schoolwork, emails, and most importantly; meeting people of interest. To that end, his computer's demise had accomplished its purpose, providing the source of Seth's untouchable good mood today. If everything went as he hoped, he would find some common ground with Ursa and her friends, giving him a foothold to use technology for his amusement as well.
After all, I've been gone for so long, I need to re-establish myself here.
When Dagny began walking away, Seth would follow closely behind her, staying at a comfortable distance away. He had no desire to invade her personal space and make things awkward; rather, his intentions were quite the opposite. However, when the two had found an employee and given him the list, the man's reaction was completely unexpected, causing the dark haired male to raise an eyebrow towards Ursa, who appeared as taken aback as he was.
"I hadn't really planned out anything to do while waiting, but if you have a suggestion...?"
It would turn out she did, and what was brought up would bring an even wider smile to Seth's face, though it was partly out of embarassment. Every game she listed was a typical party game, and while Seth had attended a fair amount of celebrations with them, he'd never really taken it upon himself to get exceptionally good at any of them, more concerned with socializing instead. However, he could still hold his own against casual players.
Maybe.
"I'd love to. How about we make a wager, though? Whoever beats the other at Guitar Hero gets to ask a personal question, and the other has to answer truthfully. Sound fair?"
((OOC: Dadgummit. Messed up the guitars. Dagny's a lefty and Seth's a righty... Plus another detail.))
...And now, we return to reality. Out of the casual games marketed to the masses at Best Buy, Seth chose to play Guitar Hero. He also tied a wager to it too. Dagny's smile twitched subtly. Oh dear... Not this again... Preconditions and whatnot. They usually spell trouble for her because “the devil always wins” whenever she gets into these situations. She didn't know how well he could play, but considering how he was willing to throw an ante into the mix and how talented he is when it comes to... Well, anything, Seth is likely pretty decent. Dagny's arms folded to a thinking position as she stared off into space, deep in thought.
The odds of a “Who are you really?”-ish question coming up if he wins? Hmm... My luck kinda sucks at the moment and Seth isn't stupid, so I say fairly likely... But it's not like he pried at my identity the whole time, so maybe he'll ask a different question... It's not like he said “BE MAI SLAEV” or anything like that either. And who knows? I may... I may even win and I can ask him why the hell he's in San Diego! And probably figure out if I'm missing something in regards to why Tiao is here as well! BINGO. I can get something out of this... Sounds like a plan... Yaaaaayy~~
“Alrighty~ Sounds like fun~”
Dagny was confident in her gaming skills to some extent and felt that she had a chance against beating Seth. She dropped her arms with a gleeful grin and headed to the video games section with a spring in her step. While other people were busy looking through the aisle at other games and trying out the Wii Balance Board, Dagny got to the television set with Guitar Hero hooked up and waited for Seth before anyone else could beat her to it. Of course, other customers were more likely to play Rock Band and maybe DDR, but that's beside the point.
Living in a hospital for a long while gives one plenty of time to practice a bunch of video games to pass the time. It was moments like these that she was glad that her lesbian friends let her borrow their XBOX 360 while she was hospitalized. Since Dagny couldn't really play Guitar Hero the conventional way (she was always in bed, doctors got pissed whenever she put certain things on her chest at times, and she was simply a casual gamer), she picked up a method of playing that would make most people look at her strangely to this day since it's the only way she can play—She plays the guitar behind her head. Her arms can reach that far; The only discomfort acquired from this play-style is a crick in her neck after too many songs. The highest difficulty she can play is Hard on a good day.
Once Seth showed up and the two were ready, she'd enthusiastically scroll through the songs at random and land on Devil Went Down to Georgia. She facepalmed--An action that probably looks really hard to do with how she's positioning her guitar behind her head.
Seth went down to Best Buy He was looking for a soul to steal He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind And he was willin' to make a deal When he came across this young woman With musical |-|4x and playin' them hot--
...For fuck's sakes. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?
The Vietnamese woman would look to Seth through her goggles.
“I tend to play Medium to Hard. You okay with this song? 'Less Talk More Rokk' is also a fun song. If you want, you can, like, pick a different song too~”
Once a song was decided on, the two would begin jamming.
((OOC: LALALA INACCURACIES I KNOW THOSE SONGS ARE IN TOTALLY DIFFERENT LALALALA...))
« Last Edit: Sept 7, 2009 7:07:36 GMT -6 by ๖ۣValencia Tiao »
(Fuck! I could've SWORN I posted to this before I disappeared for so long. Ugh.)
Smiling pleasantly at her apparently good mood, Seth followed Dagny towards the gaming machines, removing the umbrella that hung off his forearm and leaning it against the shelf supporting the television. Adjusting the strap to fit his body more comfortably, Seth would slip the guitar on, taking a moment to glance at his soon-to-be "rival". The sight of her readying to play behind her head would cause him to take on a bemused expression, as it seemed she was about to both beat him and humiliate him at the same time, something he hadn't expected but wasn't afraid to experience.
The more devastating the initial loss, the more sweet the eventual victory would be.
With Ursa scrolling through the songs, Seth would watch with interest, surprised at how far down she was heading; evidently, she was willing to go for some of the more difficult songs, making this bet that much more difficult to win. The one she finally landed on was one Seth had struggled with a few times on hard, and hadn't ever really managed to finish. At the time, it hadn't seemed particularly important, although he was starting to regret his cavalier attitude towards the game in the past. It seemed now was as good as ever a time to try and kill two birds with one stone.
"I'm fine with that song on Hard, if you are. I've always liked it, myself."
Assuming that Dagny agreed, the two would begin playing through the song. At first, Seth would do fine, managing to get through the verses and chorus' fairly easily. The guitar solos, however, were another story. Towards the end, it was clear he was struggling, however, the desire to win and clever timing of star power managed to see him through the songs entirety. For a moment, Seth would clench and unfurl his tired fingers, basking in both the relief that the song was over, as well as the feeling of accomplishment for finally finishing such a difficult song. Having been so focused on his own notes, the Junior hadn't been able to see how well Ursa had fared on her own side. A quick glance at his score revealed it to be slightly over 450k, and as his eyes travelled over to Ursa's side to see how well she had done, his smile would widen in anticipation.
Win or lose, he was sure the question that was asked would bring their conversation to a new level of entertainment.
And so, the Guitar Hero-ing commenced. As said before, Dagny had plenty of time to practice. Her precision was insane during the verses and the choruses and she did pretty well during the Devil's solo. Her maniacal grin made passing customers wonder who exactly was the “devil” in this jam session. But of course, there were quite a few drawbacks on her end to keep her from completely obliterating Seth. She was so dead set on beating Seth that she kept checking his progress, taking her eyes off of her side of the screen to look at how her opponent was doing. Quite a few combos were broken this way. Then there was the whole playing-behind-the-head bit, the only way she knew how to play. The biggest downside was how easily it was to tire and hurt your neck while playing this way and Dagny's constant glances to Seth's side of the screen as well as Seth himself began doing a number on her. Her usage of star power wasn't as careful as Seth's. Then, the brutal part: Johnny's solo. The violent clicking of buttons was the sound of Dagny playing like a fiend as if her life depended on it.
COME ON. YOU TYPE IN FRIGGIN' 1337 WHILE TROLLING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. YOU CAN DO THIS!!
And when the crazy song was finished, Dagny was glad to get the guitar off of her neck and shoulders. She sat on the floor and tried to massage her sore trapezius muscles. She was tempted to suggest making a trip over to the home entertainment center part of Best Buy where they have a TV and huge comfy sofa to crash on, but there were more pressing matters to tend to first. She looked at Seth's score: A little over 450K... Her score... Almost 460K. She smiled a little...
DADGUMMIT MY SCORES WERE MUCH HIGHER IN THE HOSPITAL!
The “RAINBOWJUMPER” contained herself though and decided to be glad that she won at all—She can't win 'em all her way. As much as Dagny wanted to be hyper and prance around Seth in prideful glee and so stark bonkers and hit things with her guitar, the crick in her neck kept her on the floor, smiling like a fool. She would've looked up at Seth through her goggles if her neck didn't feel so stiff.
“Heeee~♪ I win! Yay-ness! That means I get to ask you a personal question and you have to answer truthfully, right? Heeeee... I don't think you're from around here and you don't come off as a tourist, so I wanna ask what business you have in San Diego~?”
That was quick. That question clearly sounded like it was premeditated from the very beginning and so, her karmic beliefs gave her a reality check.
This is your conscience speaking: Don't be a prick... YOU WINNING THAT GAME MIGHT BE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. THERE MUST BE A CATCH. QUICK: LET SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN SO SOMETHING EVEN WORSE DOESN'T HAPPEN!
“Awww~ But you were close! You can, like, ask me a question too if you want, I guess, but after you answer me and I... I might lie! Yeah!”
But... But don't I suck I lying? No—No! Aha! This is like that one riddle with the two doors, one guarded by a liar and the other being guarded by an honest person! Or was the two doors guarded by one person? Or was it two paths... Uhh... I'm losing WAY too many braincells today...
Half-expecting Ursa to perform some sort of victory dance, Seth was somewhat surprised at the girl taking a seat on the ground. Perhaps the playing behind her head hadn't been meant to embarass him after all, though he couldn't imagine why she would play in that manner otherwise. Chalking it up to another odd quirk, the Junior student listened carefully to Dagny's question, a slight narrowing of his eyes the only sign that he hadn't expected that particular topic to be of interest to her.
...Now why would you be asking about that, I wonder?
Pulling the strap over his head, the dark haired boy would lean the guitar-shaped controller against the stand supporting the TV he had been staring at so intently before.
"Of course. That's more than fair, I believe."
In an unhurried fashion, Seth would seat himself off to Dagny's left, facing the opposite way she was in order to see her more clearly. After all, it would be awkward to talk to the top of her head while standing.
"You could call it a long overdue homecoming, I suppose, though it wouldn't be the most significant reason. I'd been living here up until a few years ago, when I was forced to relocate to San Francisco due to... certain circumstances. I'm sure you've heard of some of the events that occured there; riots, bombings, faculty being murdered. If nothing else, at the very least it was exciting."
Seth would pause, letting Ursa reply to such a thing if she so chose, though he would continue on afterwards.
"After the twin bombings of Hircine High and the Paragon Institute, the surviving students were brought to a single school, and I had expected them to lash out in anger over what had happened, but they didn't. The fight had gone completely out of them; their spirits were crushed. It was so... boring. It was becoming increasingly obvious to me that defying the system we have in place doesn't accomplish anything."
Obligated as he was to follow his own rules, everything Seth spoke was the truth, including his doubts as to how successful future rebellion would be. It wasn't something he had ever mentioned to his fellow Sons of Judas members, even the few among them who he trusted completely, but for now, Ursa seemed as good a person as any to bounce his own reflections off of, at least for the moment.
"But at around the same time I had come to that realization, I received a phone call from an old friend who currently goes to a school here in San Diego. The apathy affecting the students in San Francisco hasn't affected the ones here, and it seems the staff are attempting increasingly shocking punishments to keep the students in line. I had to come see it for myself and... perhaps... get involved."
His story finished, Seth would become silent for a few moments, letting Ursa digest the tale in its entirety while he thought of a question to ask in return. There was no shortage of potential inquries, ranging anywhere from the mundane "how did you get so good at Guitar Hero?" to "since when do valley girls know so much about computers?". However, through their entire meeting, one thing had nagged at Seth the most, and it was this topic that he would bring up after his consideration, leaning in slightly closer as he did so.
"I realize you don't have to tell me the truth, however ...why is it that you hide your eyes from me?"
Dagny sat on the floor and massaged her neck, nodding to Seth's explanation whenever she was able to without further injuring herself. Listening to what Seth had to say was very insightful and not only shed light on what was going on, but also told a lot about what Seth thought. Valencia had a couple brief exchanges with Seth back in San Francisco and yet those didn't quite measure up to Seth speaking to Dagny unconditionally... Or at least, less conditionally and troublesome this time. He wasn't tight-lipped about details and there was even a light air of trust as he confided with her. Words weren't being weighed by the pound like in a typical business conversation—He just told the truth the best he could and to Dagny, it was a big deal. His generous, courteous nature to both Valencia and Dagny ensured that as far as karma went, she was indebted to him.
Whoooaaaa... So Seth was originally a Southern Californian... Who knew...
She couldn't help herself. Blame her honor code. Dagny could've gotten a break for once, but instead chose to give back even more than what she planned and she originally planned to lie. Sensing Seth leaning in close again, she leaned away, this time out of habit instead of consciously.
“Hmmm... I'm actually... A fortuneteller going by the name of Dagny. These eyes? They've seen a bunch of things, like the past, present, and future—But mostly the past and it shows. Since I'm a fortuneteller, my clients tend to be forward-minded individuals, so to keep myself from being judged too harshly on what I can or can't do, you can say that... I clean the slate a lot for first impressions, usually starting with my eyes.”
She always was good at bending the truth and she didn't need to bend the truth too much this time. What she said even may've came off as farfetched enough to come off as a lie, leaving the perception of “truth” to Seth to consider. She had to forgo the valley girl speech to keep her wits about her while doing so, of course. She needed such smarts in a critical time like this where people had the highest odds of discovering her identity. Another moment of silence for intellectual digestion. Before long, the BestBuy employee and a pair of Geek Squad agents approached them with a huge box with Dagny's notebook on top. It appeared as though they were intimidated by what was in the box, though not as intimidated as they were of Seth and Dagny for reasons unknown to them. Dagny turned herself around to face them.
[EMPLOYEE]: “All those notes? Everything you want is right in here. EVERYTHING. Yeah, w-we're pretty fast! And you know what? Our prices are fair too! 10% off! No, 30% off! Wait--50%! Hell, 70% OFF. Don't ask, we're j-just that good! Just take this box up front. They'll understand! No questions necessary! NONE. JUST. TAKE. THE BOX. PLEASE.”
“...Did that cube, like, threaten to stab you or--”
[EMPLOYEE]: “--IT'S OKAY! TAKE THE BOX! JUST TAKE IT. DON'T BOTHER WITH PAYING UP FRONT, JUST WALK OUT THE DOOR WITH IT. HAVE A NICE DAY!!”
Dagny was too startled by the employee and his fidgety friends to take the box or even remotely consider that her 4chan hacker friends likely hid a threat in the notes she wrote down and showed them. She even looked at the box a few times to check if the box was indeed a box. The box, sensing this, tried its hardest to look like a menacing space alien summoned from hell, but alas, it was still a box containing a ton of computer parts to assemble.
« Last Edit: Oct 23, 2009 23:50:18 GMT -6 by ๖ۣValencia Tiao »
A fortuneteller named Dagny. This may be the woman of a thousand faces.
Smiling broadly, Seth would say nothing in return. Of course, there was the chance that Ursa was making up yet another name and backstory, but the gang member was inclined to believe her, noting how her speech had changed, the same way he had imagined her earlier mannerisms were an act. Such a skilled actor was rare to come across, and Seth had nothing but respect for someone who could pull it off so convincingly. In fact, he had thoroughly enjoyed the way she had described her eyes, while managing to stay vague. Seth had never been a particularly spiritual man, but if she truly believed her eyes held such things, then who was he to tell her different?
Catching sight of the employees heading their way, the former leader of Revelation pushed himself to his feet. While Seth was used to occasionally inspiring fear in those around him, he had no inkling as to why BestBuy employees would find either him or Dagny frightening. Nothing the man said gave the gang member any idea as to what had caused such behaviour, and after hesitating a moment, Seth would slowly reach out and take the box from him. At first, he was tempted to shake the box, but instantly thought better of it; rarely was technology meant to be shaken without any consequences. Instead, he would look towards his companion, his smile suggesting that he was enjoying this strange behaviour.
"I had no idea we'd purchased a bomb. What've you gotten me into, Ursa.... or Dagny, I suppose. Whichever you prefer."
Adjusting the box slightly, the dark haired junior would grab his umbrella and hook it over his forearm, leaving both hands free to hold his new purchase. Seth resisted the urge to look inside, knowing full well he'd have no idea if anything looked abnormal.
"Shall we?"
Gesturing his head towards the exit, Seth would wait for Ursa to take the lead before following behind her. Just as the employee had suggested, Seth had no intentions of paying up front, and would stride outside out the doors into the rain. While it would seem Dagny had lived up to her promise to help him purchase a new computer, Seth had no intention of having this incident be their only interaction. Instead, he would leave the possibility open.
"...You know, I've always wondered what my fortune holds. What manner of fortune telling do you perform? Taromancy?"
Dagny helped herself up and shrugged with a sheepish grin in response to Seth's suggestion that they bought a bomb. She wouldn't doubt that her friends gave her instructions to construct a bomb (for the lulz—nothing is impossible on the Internet nowadays), but she really hoped that they didn't. She took her notes from the top of the box once it was in Seth's hands and flipped through the pages. All the pages were intact, nothing seemed to be added... There was no way of telling if there were bomb instructions or if the BestBuy employees copied the notes. Without another word, she put her notes back into her bag and the two made their way to the exit.
Well! That was quick and for the most part painless! Mission accomplished~
Then he asked what kind of fortunes she told. This was always a hard question for her to answer no matter how many times she's told people's fortunes. As a firm believer in karma, Dagny used to be friends with fortunetellers in San Francisco and became moderately superstitious as a result. Messing with the higher forces by giving fake fortunes? Bad. Really bad. She can explain how she gives fortunes, but it'll give her a knot in her throat every time she has to. It's a wonder how she still insists on being a fortuneteller. She adjusted her goggles the hood of her jacket before heading into the rain.
“I employ a variety of techniques. The one that requires the fewest tools is me delving into the client's past through my 'gift', figuring out what will happen to them in the future, and offering them the right advice to approach their fate. My clients are better off now.”
Placebo effect...
“Then there's this technique where I'm given... Homework, so to speak. The client gives me information like their blood type, birthday, birth hour, and so on, the more information the better, and I just calculate their fate for them. Astrology, basically. I'm still learning taromancy. Not offering such services until I'm good at it.”
When she finished, she realized something... Why was she leading?
“Uh... I walked here, so I don't really have a car to get to... Where are you parked?”
"Homework, hm? Sounds like an easy way to gather information on someone, especially since they're providing it themselves."
The amusement clear in his voice, Seth would look towards his companion, smiling pleasantly.
"I wouldn't mind, of course. In fact, I'd be flattered if such a beautiful woman took an interest in who I am."
With his umbrella hanging off his arm, the rain would fall on the gang member unhindered, plastering his hair against his face and forcing him to peer out from underneath his bangs. Turning his head to skim over the parking lot, Seth would take a moment to remember the general direction of where his car happened to be parked, experiencing that same momentary lapse of memory many are forced to deal with. As fast as the moment had come, it was gone, and Seth would gesture off to the right somewhat.
"It's just over here, not too far."
As Seth was the one who knew what his car looked like, it was only natural that he would take the lead, blazing the trail towards the vehicle he had inherited from his late father. It was one of the few things he had kept since the man's passing, although he had never truly decided whether it was because of sentimental reasons or not. Regardless, Seth would place the box on top of the car, letting it sit there while he unlocked the driver's side door. Pulling the driver's seat forward in order to rest the computer in the backseat, Seth would look towards Dagny once more, assuming she had followed him up until this point.
"If you'd like, I can give you a lift home, or wherever else you happen to be going. It wouldn't be very proper of me to allow a lady to walk home in the rain."