modmachine: (Default)
Hᴇx - ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴅ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ ([personal profile] modmachine) wrote in [community profile] cityofhex2016-11-16 10:32 pm

WEEK 02

With Halloween past, the weekend of November 5-6 brings the beginnings of holiday trappings, as businesses begin to put up lights and other decorations for Monday. Residential areas, too, begin to pick up on the trend; throughout the whole month there will be a slow but steady increase in front lawn decorations.

Interestingly, though some are close parallels to the Christmas decorations that those from Earth will be familiar with, many aren't quite right. Locals, if asked, talk about something called the Day of Lights as much as they do Christmas or any other holiday; it's easy to find out that the amber-yellow and blue lights common in shops are for this holiday, and that it takes place on the last night of autumn, before the solstice. Snowflakes and candles are the most common motifs.

Changelings seem especially into the Day of Lights, and it is a near-assurance that they will be picking up blue candles for it as the month goes on.

Weather forecast: In a word: dreary. Small showers through Monday and Tuesday grow into full rain throughout Wednesday, continuing on Thursday and as a light misting on Friday. The weekend looks clear of rain, but is still chilly and cloudy. There is still no frost, though it's expected by the end of the month; gardeners are moving potted plants inside and putting cover over the more fragile ones for winter.

Moon phase: The moon reaches a first quarter on Monday the seventh, and continues to grow throughout the week.

Employment Opportunity: Those who are of adult age in the city can get work collecting holiday donations for charity, or, for those more inclined to physical labor, a park in the residential district is putting up lights for a holiday attraction. Additionally, plenty of shops are hiring for the upcoming retail season.

Free lunch?: Though there doesn't seem to be an equivalent to Thanksgiving in Hex, food banks are brimming with holiday spirit right now, and in addition to their usual offerings, many are handing out warm lunches to those in need, usually soup or hot sandwiches, sometimes pizza. While those at any given food bank will side-eye someone who tries to come in more than once, it's easily possible to make a circuit of them and get quite a bit of food, especially if you're familiar with the bus system.

Photo finish: Hajime gets a mild of small publicity for his candid photos of celebrations throughout the city, and on Friday will get a call about a potential contract for photos of decorations throughout December. He also gets sent an email about a campus-sponsored holiday fashion show at the end of the month - something Ryoji will hear about mostly via various rumours among the students.

Fueling the Art: At a coffee shop on the fringes of the campus, an Art Student can be found most every morning, sipping a latte and working on sketches. The Coffeeshop Manager, a man in his late thirties with a pair of small sunglasses perched on his cheeks in spite of the grey weather, occasionally offers her tips. Those with a keen eye will notice that walls made of gears are a common motif in the art that hangs around the shop.

The Ides of Fall: Out on the Island The Summer Queen is called before her Autumn peer and taken to task for her unauthorized gathering. She leaves his court fuming quietly to herself, and later in the week Makoto will receive a message - "Watch the falling leaves, but don't go chasing them." Several others of the Summer Court get the same message.

Sweet Loot: On the morning of the tenth, Kitty will find a locket and a note in with her stashed clothes. The locket is full of orange glitter that seems to stick to the inside, and the outside is worked with leaves. The note simply says TREAT in letters that are all distinctly different. When Kitty uses a finger to apply the glitter to something, it leaves glowing orange marks that only she can see, unless someone else sees her apply them or she intentionally shows them to someone.

Richter and Corwin, meanwhile, will each find a piece of candy hanging from their doorknobs the same morning, tied on with a ribbon that trails glitter on any surface it touches. The candy is wrapped in clear plastic, and has a strange flavor neither will be able to place.

Right on Schedule: The trains in Hex are going nowhere fast, but they do seem to have changed routes, frequently passing alongside an area of the wall that they used to avoid. New Arrivals, as well as Hajime and anyone else who can see Infrastructure, will note strangely runed plates of metal under this section of track - plates which seem to be directly attached to the Wall via cables. Every time a train passes over them, the plates spark with bright green, though nothing about the train itself seems to change.

Through the Grapevine: Though Network Zero is usually considered a Hunter organization, plenty of supernaturals also make use of it to keep their eyes out for threats - and their eyes on each other. One or two of Hajime's photos of the changeling gathering is making the rounds, with the odd horned skulls in the bonfire circled in Photoshop, but perhaps more relevantly, there's a couple photos of Malin from a distance that have fallen into the grasp of a current meme ("Is this bat ok?") and three photos of men doing construction work on a building in the Sixth that seems innocuous until it's pointed out that most of the men are completely identical.
movingon: (The truth is rarely pure and never simpl)

II

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-18 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Malin is wandering these days, for the most part, hidden beneath scarf, coat and boots. Step by step, circling forth and back from the hills in the early evening into the city - usually the Sixth or Downtown, hoping to come across easy prey that she can feed on unseen and unheard, and most of all, unphotographed - and then back out for the day.

Tonight, she got lucky, happening upon a victim of a mugging, a few stabbing wounds making blood seep through the fabric at the guy's back. He can't have been dead for long, if he even is... She cast about and, spotting nobody, leans down to feel his pulse and push him over onto his back.
crazycatvampire: (calm)

[personal profile] crazycatvampire 2016-11-18 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good, then I won't worry," Corwin answers, satisfied. He's not about to put metal into the food. Humans can't eat that! He may still be learning, but he at least knows that much. "Let me know if you're still hungry after you finish that bowl, all right? Growing children need more to eat."
crazycatvampire: (calm)

[personal profile] crazycatvampire 2016-11-18 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Definitely not a normal owl, then. Corwin smiles, relaxing, showing no teeth just in case, and inclines his head to her. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Corwin. That's two animals who aren't what they seem in as many weeks. I wonder if Hex is getting more magical." And, since he's pretty sure she can't actually answer, "Do you know any other animals who aren't what they seem, friend owl? I am looking for a fox."
runs: (cat: ttly cat behaviour)

[personal profile] runs 2016-11-18 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)


Toxic guy, why are you so cool. Or well, at least offering her more food.

"Really?"

She'll most definitely come for seconds, then. Shapeshifters just have a much more active metabolism than metahumans or animals.
movingon: (owl)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-18 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh for-

She uses one wing to bat him in the face when he reveals what he thinks to have been that mysterious second animal. Really?

But that's probably not a very conclusive way of telling him that he's looking at that fox right now. She'll have to lead him to a space here they can talk, probably. Hm.
dangerouslyinlove: (Ryoji [wut])

[personal profile] dangerouslyinlove 2016-11-18 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately for her, Ryoji was in fact out and about looking for various... things. What they are is unimportant. Don't worry about it.

It's not the most uncommon thing, to run across a murder in this city, and Ryoji usually will do some kind of improvised last-rite when he comes across them. (It happens more than you would think.) But this time there's... someone else still there. Wait. It's that--

"Um." Yeah, gonna go ahead and draw attention to himself. He doesn't think there's much he can do for the dying man, but he might be able to figure out what's going on.
movingon: (The truth is rarely pure and never simpl)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-18 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
...Fuck. Think on your feet, Malin, think on your feet. She used to be good at this.

Back when she regularly dealt with people. Dodging situations. Talking her way out of pesky questions. "Internal bleeding. He needs to be taken to a hospital, but I doubt that he will make it." Maybe she can pretend to carry him somewhere - even if he dies, fresh bodies still hold good blood. It's just awkward.

And then she looks up and... double curses. Isn't that the guy whom she met directly after waking up a few nights back?
transient_specter: (Default)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
"... Hmph." He hunches his shoulders a bit, not liking how he's being stared at. She can't see past his Mask, can she? ... No, that'd be impossible. "A lot of people will stare at people for a lot of reasons. I don't really care if they don't like me."
transient_specter: (hey woah no don't kick me)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
He sighs and takes a few steps more towards her before sitting down and glancing around. No one's nearby... good. He switches into canine, doing his best to keep his words simple. "If you don't want to go there, I won't force you. I just want you to be safe."
chalicejoker: (That Shirt Why)

[personal profile] chalicejoker 2016-11-19 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
He suspects nothing. He's just going into nature photographer mode, adjusting the zoom on his camera, and trying to get a few nice shots without spooking the owl.
runs: (duh)

[personal profile] runs 2016-11-19 07:45 am (UTC)(link)
"That's like saying that you like getting into trouble just because someone is having a bad day, is bored or wants to brag to his friends about being able to bully others."

She shrugs, though, and grabs the next hot dog, taking a bite before dropping her hands under the table to get some more glitter on her fingertip to draw with.
dangerouslyinlove: (Ryoji [Huh?])

[personal profile] dangerouslyinlove 2016-11-19 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"But it kind of looks like he was stabbed." Not kid of, it definitely looks like he was stabbed. But Ryoji is... polite, especially when he's starting to get a better idea of what he's facing. "I mean, hospitals are a good idea anyway. I can call the ambulance."
movingon: (The truth is rarely pure and never simpl)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-19 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"I presume he was. At least four times, going by the holes in his back."

She's not even quite listening to what she's saying, trying to decide if it is worth the discussion to try and keep him from calling the ambulance. The guy might have lost some blood, but he's still mostly full, and the ambulance would take him away, after all. Slinking away before anyone can ask questions won't be a problem, she's had quite a long time to perfect that skill.
movingon: (fox)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-19 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
She blinks in surprise and her head comes up just a bit. Did he just - he did.

But she can hear a heartbeat in him, and he doesn't smell dead ...he doesn't smell very human, either, now that she gathers enough of her thought processes to analyze those things. He smells like dog, a lot more than someone who just owns one.

She does know that there are other supernaturals than vampires and werewolves, but she's never encountered one (and noticed - they all seem to have their own kind of Masquerade) or heard much about them, only that they are out there. Mages, and... more.

So whatever this guy is, he's probably one of those others. She's not sure if it makes him more or less trustworthy, but at least she can try and keep up pretending to be a fox while still talking to him. Keep your words simple, Malin ...at least that part shouldn't be hard. She couldn't string together complicated thoughts right now if she wanted to.

"Forest or trees are safe."
transient_specter: (okay that hurts)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"One of the parks, then." He can handle that, and reaches out to the fox. "I'll have to pick you up. Is that okay?" While he can endure a bite, he doesn't exactly want to. Besides, that would be a pretty awkward thing to have to answer for at the clinic. It's not like there's many secrets in a Freehold.

He does his best to stay calm, but he does want to get the fox out of here quickly. He doesn't want to risk anyone seeing him with it.
transient_specter: (hey woah no don't kick me)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"... Trouble finds me anyway." He's been told he looks like that sort of person before. And besides, he seems to have had not great luck other than running into the Freehold. Maybe he used all of his up in Arcadia and the Hedge.

But it doesn't matter. He'll survive. He has to. There's no other options other than death or the one option he know he can't take.
runs: (considering all that)

[personal profile] runs 2016-11-19 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"Then you should work on hiding better." Trouble finding you generally isn't good. You finding trouble, fine, but if it finds you she's observed one time too often that the one being found is insufficiently prepared. Or couldn't be prepared enough. Which, really, is fine if you are the trouble but not so much if you aren't.

She'll pull her hands back up after shutting the locket and pocketing it again, resting her left in her lap, and reach out for the figure of the saint that is currently facing away from Makoto, brushing her index finger over its face a few times until all the glitter has been transferred form her finger to the plastic surface. Only then does she drop her hand and pushes at the napkin it is placed on again as she did before, slowly turning the figure to face Makoto.

He saw her doing the thing, but the surface that is covered now shouldn't have been visible to him. She tilts her head to the side, regarding him curiously to see if it will show to at least this one other person now.
movingon: (fox)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-19 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
She wants to say no, but ...honestly, with how unsteady she is on her legs right now, it might be her safest bet for getting anywhere.

"If you're careful."
transient_specter: (look i'm brooding)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
He huffs, not bothering to answer her comment, as he works on the green beans. They're kind of disgusting, but he's not going to turn down food. He does watch her as she pokes the saint in the face, and tilts his head slightly when she turns it to face him. Some kind of glowing paint?

"You're going to get in trouble if you paint over their figures."
transient_specter: (super suspicious of you now)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
He nods, and scoops an arm under her belly and another around her back legs, holding her gently as he gets up. He heads towards the central district, and glances down at the fox. ... It's cold, and he can't feel a heartbeat.

He needs to help canines, but... "What are you?" It's not a normal fox. Some kind of Hedge beast? Something sent to spy on them? His grip tightens slightly.
runs: (I grew up down here)

[personal profile] runs 2016-11-19 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
So he can see it. That's... annoying. Does that mean she'll have to show people that she's painting things with this just so they see it?

Well, okay, it probably has its uses, if she wants to mark things in a way that only she will see, but those are practical.

"They'll not notice, probably." Which is disappointing. "Plus it looks better like this."
movingon: (fox)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-19 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
She tenses in turn, ready to fight. Curses. She should have figured that he might notice something if he got too close. She's never again going to drink from a drunk guy who smells that badly. Or from anyone who is drunk, probably, at least for a few days. If she gets out of this. At least he didn't seem particularly strong. But who even knows.

"I'm drunk."

It's a correct way of answering his question, even if it probably isn't what he wanted to know. But it's what stood at the end of her not-so-quick train of thought.
movingon: (owl)

[personal profile] movingon 2016-11-19 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
...She hacks away at the corpse for a moment longer before raising her head, turning it to look around as if she just noticed something off. Perhaps she can find out more about the person who just-

Wait. She's seen that guy before. Isn't that the half-bug?
transient_specter: (okay that hurts)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's kind of obvious. But whatever." He's not a judge of art. It doesn't really matter to him if she gets in trouble. If it was Kanon, sure, he'd care, but this is someone he doesn't know.

He chews on one of his string beans again, making a face but managing to choke it down. It's not meat, which is what he really wants more of, but he'll deal with it. He does poke the saint figure to turn it around to face her again.
transient_specter: (hey woah no don't kick me)

[personal profile] transient_specter 2016-11-19 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"I can tell. But you have no heartbeat." The Others have no heartbeats, right? He's fairly sure he doesn't remember his Master having one. But he was never cold like this... then again, he'd heard that the Others are all very different. Maybe some are and some aren't.

He moves faster, hugging the creature close to his jacket, less for protecting it and more to make sure it can't get away. "You're no normal fox."

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