OPEN LOG; The Masked Man

[pushtheboundaries]

CHARACTERS; Yokai and YOU!
DATE; Throughout the month of April. [Mostly at night.]
LOCATION; All about Keeliai!
SITUATION; A certain old man has terrible coping methods when it comes to dealing with racing thoughts and stress. A certain masked man finds himself exploring Keelai through yellowed eyes, and may or may not be running in to trouble in the meantime.
WARNINGS/RATINGS; Possible violence. Otherwise, nothing past PG-13.

---

See me, the red lines cry. See my role in this story, see that I have a wrong to right; see that I am power and that I will not be denied.

Callaghan hadn't chosen the mask without being ignorant of its meaning; he had, however, chosen it for a multitude of reasons. All symbolism aside, it offered full-face coverage, and hardly blocked his peripheral vision. Secured with the ski mask underneath, it would take (and had taken) a heavy strike to knock off, but since arriving here in Keeliai, he'd made a few further tweaks to ensure that if, for whatever reason, he had to don it again...

To be fair, he hadn't considered donning it for the freedom it offered. Dressing in the outfit again felt inherently good, as did running along the building edges with the microbots enhancing his movements. He did not know parkour, per se, but he didn't need to - not when the microbots were there by his feet to give him the push or pull he needed to cross an alley, not when they could toss him in to the air and his own strength could grab on to a protrusion to haul himself in to another position.

God, but this felt good. It felt right. And as long as he could keep himself out of view, the microbots next to him, and the terrain itself from betraying him...

He just had to be careful, was all. Without nearly as many microbots as he had before, he tried to keep to the shadows. And if that ended up with him overseeing a few gang members or so...?

On one hand, it wasn't any of his business.

On the other, there's something to be said about getting carried away.

((Over the course of the month, rumors will begin to spread regarding a mysterious figure, some mugging incidents [unclear as to what side they were partaking in], and some thefts as well. feel free to put a general time period/area in your first comment, or PM/plurk me and we can do something specific!))

Comments

[makesright]

Thomas is frozen a moment even as the silence settles in. His arms are shaking, but when the air goes still, he slowly lowers them, staring up into the eyes of a red and white mask.

Everything had happened so fast, and Thomas' heart was pounding in his chest, pumping blood and adrenaline through his veins. For a moment his gaze locks on those yellow eyes as he wonders if he's this creature's next target.

His breaths come heavy and slow, but when the stranger takes no action, Thomas slowly becomes more aware of his surroundings. Through the sound of rushing blood in his ears he's gradually aware of that rustling metal noise -- a bizarre curiosity just strange enough to wake his scientific mind and demand an answer first and foremost.

Finally Thomas breaks the stare, turning his attention to the black mass that accompanies the stranger. It's moving, shuffling and rustling like sand in a mixer, and his eyes catch the tiny shimmer of thousands of small surfaces.

Curiosity grips him, drawing him closer to the stranger and his weapon. He steps over the prone form of one of his attackers, reaching for the edge of the shimmering black mass. It's much clearer up close, and now Thomas can identify some kind of shifting internal structure. It's solid in design yet its movement is fluid, stirring his curiosity even more as he wonders just what on Earth he's looking at -- and why it's such a stark contrast to everything else he's encountered today.

He stays his hand for just a moment before putting his fingertips to the edge, grabbing a piece of the mass, and is surprised when it breaks free with very little force. The structure repairs itelf almost immediately, new pieces filling in what they'd lost, and Thomas is left with a tiny machine in his grip.

It wiggles and struggles, desperately trying to rejoin its hive. Thomas rolls it between his fingers, watching in fascination as its ends rotate around its core in movement. Upon further inspection, he finds almost no resistance -- the two ends can move freely along the sphere, unhindered by the limitations of a joint.

"Magnetic bearings," he says. It's mostly to himself, but the discovery delights him so that he says it a little louder than expected. His expression brightens, the trauma moments ago all but forgotten as he sets the tiny machine free. It darts back to the cluster, rejoining its family, and Thomas steps back to marvel at the whole masterpiece in wonder. "That's brilliant!"

His eyes trace up the structure and suddenly his eyes are on the masked man again, and it's like flipping a switch. He sttiffens, suddenly remembering that yes, he'd just been in danger moments ago, hadn't he? Yet he'd gone and stuck his hand right into the stranger's weapon. If he hadn't done something by now, surely he was in no danger.

Thomas relaxes, letting the impressed smile return to his face. "Did you make these?"

[pushtheboundaries]

And the figure stays still.

He could - should - run at this point. The day is 'saved' , so to speak, and the other doesn't seem hurt. Still, he considers; should he direct them to the Hotel? If Tony is, in fact, watching, can he take over? For a moment, Yokai looks up and away, as if he can spot the other...

By the time he looks back down, the other's approached, and is examining the microbots with only so much fear. In fact, there appears to be-interest?

And understanding. Behind the mask, Robert blinks, and makes a palm-down gesture; the microbots pull back, swarming to the area behind his feet. If there's understanding, best not to give too much of a chance for examination, and yet...

"...My concept."

...he can't quite claim them as fully his, but the magnetic bearing servos are, at least, his design.

[makesright]

The stranger makes a gesture, and the mass of robots moves, and Thomas's eyes widen in wonder anew, taking another step back to marvel at the show.

And he just... grins. That responsiveness, that coordination, the brilliance in their simple yet effective design. Thomas looks like a child on Christmas morning. "This is incredible. With technology like this, there's no end to the possibilities. All the good you could do--!"

He pauses, looking down and side-stepping the prone form of one of his would-be attackers, before looking up again with a softened, grateful smile. "Not that this wasn't good, of course -- thank you for saving my life."

And in moments the sparkle is back in his eyes as he sweeps his arms toward the metal mass. "But imagine that kind of speed and precision put to constructive use, pushing the very boundaries of innovation in ways we've never imagined -- Why, you could build cities in a day!"

[pushtheboundaries]

The possibilities are endless, Hiro had said all those months ago. Nonetheless, that was in an entirely different setting than...this. And it causes an undeniable surge of delight to have someone immediately recognize such, even with the change in scenario.

It's not the first time he's saved someone, but it's the first time he's felt a real satisfaction for it. It's as though he can automatically tell that this man is a peer, a kindred mind-

-and that makes it all the more necessary to point him to safe harbor.

Forcing himself to move past the flattery- despite the inner preening that may be occurring- he questions, "Do you know of the Hotel? It's safe there."

[makesright]

And that's enough to ease Thomas back into the reality of the situation. After all, why would there be a midnight vigilante out prowling the streets if it weren't because these very streets were dangerous? Just because he'd been mugged once already didn't prevent someone else from trying it later, after all.

Wonder fading from his expression, he nods. "I do. I'm afraid I don't know the way, but if you could direct me I'm sure I'd be able to find it."

[pushtheboundaries]

"I can." A raise of his hand, and the microbots follow to assist by balancing a flat platform on a pillar, with some slightly raised areas. It soon becomes obvious that it's meant to represent a map, by the way he points and refers to it, and...

...perhaps it's a bit more of showing off. He can't deny that. Fine control can be difficult at times, but if this man had thought it was impressive before....

[makesright]

Tom doesn't say anything in response at first, but his reaction is visible enough in his face. His eyes are as bright as they've been all night, hands almost clasped together in excitement he can barely contain.

"Look at that precision," he breathes, cheeks almost numb from the strength of his smile. "Marvelous."

[pushtheboundaries]

Heh.

"Were you paying attention?" he drawls, amusement creeping in to his voice at the obvious delight of the other. It's almost childish, and makes him seem seven as opposed to- well, Yokai has no idea how old he is, he shouldn't make that sort of assumption. The white hair and bushy beard do suggest he's at least Callaghan's age, if not his elder by a decade or so.

Not that it really matters.

[makesright]

Thomas hears the amusement in his voice, and there's just the smallest hint of pink visible in his face, standing out against his beard when he glances back up at the masked man. He looks away, looking a little sheepish.

"Perhaps I have gotten a bit... carried away. I've just never seen anything quite like this before." He'd been acting like a child in a candy store. Honestly!

Thomas turns his gaze back to the map, trying to decipher the locations. "Yes, I think I see it -- is this the street we're on?" He points to a section on the map, slowly drragging a finger down the metallic surface interlocking machinery had created. He took in the feel of the metal, the buzzing of small processors inside each one as they worked their magic together.

Tom can't help it. That grin stretches across his face once more.

[pushtheboundaries]

"Understandable." There's still the amusement, still the nigh-audible smile, but Yokai doesn't further chide. He only moves his head enough to follow Tom's finger, and then nods, the microbots further raising to emphasize the path.

It's not the quickest, but it is the safest. If for only one reason;

"Stay to the route, and I'll make sure you aren't bothered."

[makesright]

Thomas' eyes widened at that last line, then he steps back and nods.

"Thank you. If there's ever anything I can do for you in return, please. Just ask."

With that he turns, the pauses to get one last glimpse -- still smiling -- at the Masked Man before heading on his way.

[ continued here ]