summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last | open, with starters

[wrathfulkhan]

Characters: Eyebrow Squad Gene, Jackie, Deon, and you!
Date: Throughout September 15 days late with Starbucks
Location: Keeliai and the rest of the shell
Situation: September interactions for Eyebrow Squad.
Warnings/Rating: None initially, but subject to change.

A. [Gene] House Iron Dragon | September 15 | closed to Pepper
So this has been a long time coming, and things have come to the point where Pepper and Gene need to - gasp! - talk their problems out. Gene's sensed this coming for a while. He's made tea, and is sitting at the table, waiting for Pepper.

B. [Jackie] Dove's Place | early September | closed to Dove
Jackie is in an unusually good mood today. Yunxu seems to be ignoring him for now, so he's not sure what to do with himself...aside from hang with his Snake brothers. He's still itching for something more than gang life, and talking to Dove usually seems to make him chill out; while he is in a good mood, there's some anxiety lingering about him for sure.

C. [Deon] China's Place | early September | closed to China
Deon's been avoiding China ever since Erskine had accused him of being a spy. Confrontation is not his style. But learning sigils from her had been fascinating, and he'd been wavering between continuing his studies while keeping his head low, and telling her exactly where she could go shove her information requests. Perhaps if Deon had been taken a week or two before, he might have gone with the former; now, he's more inclined to opt for the latter. But he'll hear her out. She deserves a fair shake.

He takes a deep breath, and knocks.

D. [Gene] Fire Sector | throughout September | open
Gene is keeping a weather eye on the Chihuelans as they make their way through the city. And not a particularly kindly one, either. In fact, it could be read as a downright stink-eye, if they ever took notice of him.

E. [Jackie] Sky Sector | throughout September | open
Jackie can be found in the Sky Sector this month, slumming it with his Snake buddies, gambling in alleyways and generally being a hooligan and a layabout.

F. [Deon] Metal Sector | throughout September | open
Of course, Deon isn't Deon if he's not working on some ridiculous project or other. He's going around the Metal Sector in his off-time, picking up bits and pieces to tinker with. He might even find something worthwhile.

G. [Deon] Deon's Room | early September | closed to Tom
Deon's been sitting in his room all day, working on cracking the security of the laptop that he'd come upon in the market. It's been a side project more than anything - current events had kept him busy - but he's still interested in breaking in. It's not his laptop, but it's Tetravaal, so that makes it a little something of home.

H. [Gene] House Iron Dragon | early September | closed to Tony
Mail wasn't something the occupants of House Iron Dragon were accustomed to getting, so the pair of letters shoved under the door while Gene and Tony were out were a surprise.

"What, is Pepper leaving us notes now?" Gene asks, stooping to pick them up - and stops when he sees the name scrawled on one envelope, in what's unmistakably his handwriting.

铁木真.

I. [Deon] the Morrigan | early September | closed to Shay
Deon has gotten to know the former Assassin's ship (not a boat) passably well, and he knows it's here he can go to find Shay when he needs him. He knocks gently on the cabin door. "Shay?"

Comments

[makesright]

Thomas noticed the note, too — he reached up, pointing it out. "What's this for? An appointment you missed?"

[craftlife]

"No, ah," Deon said, reaching for the note and pulling it out to show Thomas properly. "This is the letter I got, apparently from myself, I mean, it's in my handwriting. I just don't want to be involved with who this letter's telling me to talk to."

[makesright]

"Could be a lot of people," he muses, smiling and raising an eyebrow. "Anyobe I know?"

[craftlife]

"Maybe," Deon says, and hesitates. "Do you know Vincent Moore?"

[makesright]

"Can't say that I do. At least I didn't xatch his name if I did." He strokes his beard in thought. "An old friend?"

[craftlife]

Deon almost laughs.

"An old colleague," he clarifies. "We're not on the best of terms."

That is a really nice way to say 'he tried to kill me'.

[makesright]

Thomas laughs enough for the both of them. It's sudden and hearty, and Thomas has to step back to give himself room to hold his stomach and shake his head.

"Sounds all too familiar. I've got an old colleague like that."

[craftlife]

"I sincerely hope you don't," Deon says with a rueful grin.

"But I think this laptop may have been his."

[makesright]

"Remind me sometime to tell you about Albert Wily," Thomas notes, looking a bit wistful for a moment. "My old colleague. I must admit, I'm not sure there's much your old colleague Vincent could to to match what that man put me through."

He leans on the table again, eyeing the note once more. "Especially if any version of you believes you could talk to him. Perhaps if you give it a shot, we could crack this laptop."

[craftlife]

"Are we both cursed to have colleagues who try to kill us?" Deon asks, going for it.

"But...maybe I can talk to him. I don't know why I'd ever want to," he mutters.

[makesright]

"...Kill you." Thomas stroked his beard in thought. "That does put a damper on one's relationship, yes. Albert merely stole and weaponized my inventions, and tried to frame me for a global takeover."

It was a bad week.

"But perhaps it's worth it, if your... well, the you that wrote this note is so insistent on it. You could tell yourself anything, and it was that. I think it's worth a shot, don't you?"

[craftlife]

"I suppose," Deon says, and scratches his head. "I really hope that it doesn't come back to bite me."

What had made Vincent so violent and terrible to him?