rough winds do shake the darling buds of may | open, with starters

[wrathfulkhan]

Characters: Eyebrow Squad Gene, Jackie, Deon, and you!
Date: Throughout May
Location: Keeliai and the rest of the shell
Situation: General May drama and doings for Eyebrow Squad.
Warnings/Rating: None initially, but subject to change.

A. [Gene] Midnight Hotel | May 2 | closed to Tony

Gene hadn't taken the disappearance of the new influx of Foreigners well. But he'd taken it better than he'd expected; he'd always known, in his heart, that Bianca being back had been too good to be true. And Amelia hadn't returned, either. He'd been seized with a rather unusual and rather unfortunate sensation of missing all his friends who'd come and gone from Keeliai.

And it occurs to him that Tony might be feeling even worse. Howard had been swept away too. Gene hadn't been particularly heartbroken to see him gone - he still isn't too sure where he stands with the man - but he knows Tony's devastated by it. So he's tried to be as supportive as possible. He doesn't like seeing Tony upset.

B. [Gene] Sky Sector | early-mid May | open

Gene's been going around the Sky Sector and helping finalize some of the construction, making himself known among the kedan in the area, checking out the stalls in the artisan area. Sometimes he's putting the finishing touches on the little house he'd built for himself and Tony, and if he's not actively using tools - or secretly using the orange ring to manipulate matter, honing his control of it - he's probably open to talking.

C. [Jackie] Teahouse in the Water Sector | early-mid May | open

When he's not doing Snake stuff, Jackie's become quite fond of hanging out in a little teahouse in the Water Sector. Most of the time he has his Snake badge off, not wanting to intimidate any of the kedan, and just enjoying a quiet cup of tea. Tea had never really been his...well...his cup of tea, back home, but here he was starting to enjoy it.

D. [Deon] Metal Sector | early-mid May | open

Deon, meanwhile, is scouting out any technology he can find, buying up scrap wherever he can find it and writing out code by hand in a cheap notebook. Even if he can't test it, it's at least a decent exercise.

He's been dissuaded from dismantling a console - but he really wants to know how they work. Not worth pissing off the kedan, though; he's heard they don't take well to that.

But it looks like he knows what he's doing, or at least what he's after, either sitting on a bench and going over his handwritten code, the end of a pen in his mouth, or haggling with some kedan over some busted piece of looted Foreigner tech.

E. [Deon] Fire Sector | May 16 | closed to Shay

Deon's tired, and in need of a drink. He doesn't normally drink, but he's interested in seeing more of the kedan culture, and he figures that's worth the price of a beer or the local equivalent. Thus he sits at the bar, drinking an oddly sweet concoction that still has a mildly alcoholic fire to it, occasionally writing in his notebook as more ideas occur to him.


F. [Gene] House Iron Dragon | May 8 | closed to Tony

Tony's been acting weird the past day or so - more cagey than usual. Something's up, but Gene hasn't deduced what yet.

"You okay?" he asks, setting a mug of tea down in front of Tony, some concern in his voice. Still mopey over Howard, perhaps? The grief happens in waves, he knows that well.

G. [Deon] Stark Industries | late April | closed to NPCs

The staff at Stark Industries has been busy of late, but not too busy to finally see Deon for a job interview. He hasn't had one since college, so he's a little apprehensive, and visibly fidgeting.

H. [Deon] Wood Sector | mid-May | closed to China and Shay

Deon should really know better than to cut through gang territory by now. As it is, he's been cornered by some kedan from a smaller gang who are pushing him around and demanding his juulan. For someone so tall, he's a bit shit at defending himself or being at all imposing.

I. [Gene] Sky Sector / Earth Sector | early May 9 | closed to Skul

Once Gene manages to get his heart down from pounding like hell in his head, he grabs his radio and makes a call to Skul, like he'd promised Tony.

"Skul? I know it's late, but I need your help."

---

OOC Note: If you want another starter, please hit me up over at Chatvert and I'll pull something together for you! :>

Comments

[wrathfulkhan]

Great. Now Tony's got that stubborn set to his jaw and Gene knows he won't get out of this one. He doesn't really have the energy to, anyway.

"I'll try. Come on. What do you think you can eat?"

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony makes a dissatisfied "Hmph." That'll have to do for now, though: he can pester Gene more once the food is actually made.

"Dunno. Whatever's around. Everything you make is good." He may not be hungry, per se, but he's not feeling bad enough that he'll turn down Gene's cooking.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene smiles, a little wanly. "Thanks for the compliment." He doesn't have the energy to make anything complex, but something with protein will probably do the both of them some good.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asks. He doesn't want to leave Tony alone, but if he's not feeling up to it, it's not like Gene won't make food. He'll just be worried while he does it.

[highprofilerichkid]

He's just stating the facts, Gene. You're a good cook.

Tony thinks about Gene's question for a couple seconds, assessing how he feels, before deciding, "Yeah, I'll come." He stands, slowly and shakily, but under his own power. Once he's up, though, he reaches out for Gene to steady himself - he's not sure he can make it all the way to the kitchen on his own.

"Okay," he says bravely, "good to go."

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene reaches for Tony in turn, helping to steady him. It's a good sign that Tony's at least able to get up under his own power, even if he can't quite get to walking yet.

"Let's go," Gene says, and leads him to the kitchen.

Once they're there, he pokes around for something easy to make that will still be good. He is actively avoiding the entire concept of a sandwich for reasons of his own.

Or they could just scavenge leftovers. "You think anyone's especially attached to this?" he asks, indicating half of a roasted version of the local chicken analogue.

[highprofilerichkid]

The walk to the kitchen had been a little much: Tony's muscles feel watery and he's lightheaded. Nothing serious, but he's glad to be sitting again.

"Not if there's no label on it," he says, peering around Gene into the fridge. He's been operating on the principle of 'no name = up for grabs' for the past few months, and no one has left him angry notes or tried to poison him so far.

[wrathfulkhan]

"Right. I'll replace it in the morning," Gene says, going for a knife to carve it up and portion it onto plates. He also finds something that resembles a potato salad, and doles that out too.

"You want it hot?" Much like roast Earth-chicken, this stuff is pretty good cold. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.

[highprofilerichkid]

Wow. That's so conscientious of you, Gene. Tony never does that. Though that's probably for the best, since if he did, people would probably think he was trying to poison them.

"Cold's fine." Cold chicken is easy on the stomach - and he thinks food will help the shakiness, so the sooner he eats, the better.

[wrathfulkhan]

It's a wonder you haven't really been killed yet, Tony.

"Okay," Gene says, and slides a plate in front of Tony, along with a fork. "Let me know if that works for you."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony smiles gratefully and stars nibbling at the food. The approximately-chicken tastes approximately like chicken, so no surprises there, but the potato salad is unexpectedly tasty. Once the first few bites have settled and he's sure it's not going to make him sick, he eats with more enthusiasm.

"It's good. What are you gonna have?" Don't think you're getting off the hook, Gene.

[wrathfulkhan]

"Same thing," Gene says, showing him the plate. There's about the same amount on each, but Gene's not optimistic about his ability to clean it off. Eating seems like far too much effort, even if he keeps telling himself he has to or else he'll get sick.

So he eats somewhat mechanically, and at a slower pace than Tony. At least Tony seems to be perking up, though, and the knot of anxiety in his chest begins to ease.

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony nods, satisfied, and diligently returns his attention to his food.

He surprises himself with how quickly he finishes the plate. Determined to eat as much as he can stomach, Tony gets up and loads up with seconds.

He's still experiencing the weird state of feeling neither hungry nor full - he just keeps eating and there keeps being room for it. His body is definitely craving those calories, even if his appetite is AWOL.

Gene, meanwhile, is eating more slowly - but he is eating, so Tony's happy.

"Did you find out who's behind the muggings?" Now that he feels up to holding a conversation, he's curious about what Gene has turned up over the last two days.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene shook his head at the question, looking annoyed. "No. It was a mess of false leads, and I had to let the one potentially fruitful one go because time was running out."

He takes a few more bites of food before he speaks again. "But this isn't over."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Huh." Tony's surprised they had so little luck. So much for the famous skeleton detective.

"Well, you'll find more." Tony hates to admit it, but Gene is pretty perfectly suited to investigating Keeliai's seedy criminal underground. "I mean, we beat Malicant - how hard can some sneaky muggers be?" He gives Gene an encouraging smile. "You got my bracelet back, so now you have plenty of time to figure it out."

[wrathfulkhan]

"It's different," Gene says. "Malicant was central, and even the cultists had that thing as their source. This doesn't seem especially centralized; I didn't even recognize the woman who told us where your gem was. She didn't speak a language either of us understood without the rings, and she didn't understand us."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Hmm," Tony says. Really running the gamut of monosyllabic replies, here. Not that it isn't an important issue worth discussing - he just doesn't have the mental energy for it right now.

"Where did you find the bracelet? Did they try to ditch it in the black market like the others?"

[wrathfulkhan]

"No, it was in a public square, on the ground." That alone had infuriated him almost to the point of blindness; how dare they treat something as precious as Tony's soul so callously?

He flexes his hand, remembering the earlier pain. "It shocked me when I picked it up."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony might find that sentiment touching, if Gene expressed it. For his part, Tony has no emotional investment in where his gem had ended up: he'd just been curious if there was a pattern.

"It did?" Surprised, Tony looks down at the bracelet, inspecting it closely for the first time.

"That's weird. Has anybody else's stolen gem been doing that?" He tilts his wrist so the gem catches the light. "The gem doesn't look damaged. It's not shocking me."

[wrathfulkhan]

"I don't think so. But look," he says, and reaches for Tony's gem. There's a zap like static electricity when he touches it, and Gene draws his hand back.

"...I think it's because I messed up."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony jumps a little when the gem zaps Gene. "Whoah. That's—" There's a beat, and a sly grin replaces the bemusement on Tony's face. hoe don't do it "...shocking." oh my god

He indulges in a brief bout of snickers at his lame joke. Then he reassures Gene, "You didn't mess up. Anyway, the gems aren't sentient." Presumably...? "They can't punish you. It's probably random. Has anyone else touched it?"

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene gives Tony a Look at the pun, but otherwise doesn't address it.

He shakes his head. "Not since I found it. But if that's the case--" He doesn't think it's the case-- "do you think this happened because it was tampered with?"

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony's amusement is undiminished. "We should test it. It can be like one of those trick hand buzzers." Yeah, Tony, that's real mature.

"Didn't some other people's stolen gems start acting strange when they got them back? Whoever's taking them has to be doing experiments on them." As long as the tampering doesn't make him suddenly drop dead, Tony doesn't really care. But he would like to know why the gems are being experimented on. "What do you think they're up to?"

[wrathfulkhan]

That definitely unnerves Gene, and he'd rather not think about people literally experimenting on souls. Especially not Tony's soul. (His own, he didn't care much about. It is impure, after all.)

"I don't know. And I don't want to let them get far enough in whatever they're doing to find out the hard way."

[highprofilerichkid]

"Yeah." The possibilities are sobering, and Tony quietly applies himself to his meal for a while, frowning slightly.

"...Do you think they're trying to get rid of us?"

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene stops cold for a second, and when he looks back up at Tony his eyes are flinty.

"Over my dead body."

His tone is more savage than cold; it makes the statement less a sentiment and more a prophecy, making clear that the only way he's leaving here is on his terms and not without Tony, that he'll cling to Keeliai with bloodied fingernails on broken hands before he'd let anyone, anyone tear them apart.