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Thread: Mallside 10

  1. - Top - End - #91
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    "The hell are you talking about, the boss has one attack!" Cassidy's laughing, but there isn't anything mean behind it. "But hey, two and a half million isn't that bad for your first go. These games are harder than they look, yeah?"

  2. - Top - End - #92
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    Yeah whatever.
    I guess that's her conceding the point? She scoops up her spear from the ground and looks around trying to spot anyone more interesting. Nah, guess not. Hey how long were you gonna be playing this dumb game anyway? Wanna get out of here? She asks, looking Cassidy right in the eyes, one of her eyebrows quirked.
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  3. - Top - End - #93
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    "You got pretty into that dumb game, you know." That grin still hasn't left Cassidy's face, but it grows a little confused when the woman asks her to leave. "I mean, I was gonna hit the skeeball, but what the hell, I got nothing planned for today. Why not?"

  4. - Top - End - #94
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    She grins widely. Nice. I'm Violet. She says, finally introducing herself. You got somewhere nearby? She shifts her satchel further up on her shoulder and starts walking towards an exit.
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  5. - Top - End - #95
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    "Cassidy." She sticks her hands in her trouser pockets as she walks beside Violet. "I mean, yeah, but it ain't much. I don't exactly rake in the money, so I'm squatting where I can."

  6. - Top - End - #96
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    Works for me. Violet says, tilting the spear over her shoulder. I need to find somewhere to crash. And somewhere to fence all this junk. She says, hefting her satchel. Violet stealing is a crime!
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  7. - Top - End - #97
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Neon Coliseum

    "There's plenty of places that'll fence for ya, the police barely have a handle on it." Cassidy don't encourage her!

    She'll lead Violet to the house where she is currently crashing.

  8. - Top - End - #98
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    MagMart

    Blegh. Better hug her again, just to be safe. It doesn’t sound like she got all of that emotional gunk out of her system with the first hug, after all. Yikes, we figured she would’ve found someone to help her raise Rein’s kid, but apparently not. Hope the bastard of a cat at least set her up with a trust fund or child support payments or something. He almost undoubtedly didn’t, though. Rotten scumbag animal...

    “Caelynn? I need you to do me a favor,” Magtok insists, pulling back with his hands still resting on the (80-something?) catgirl mom’s arms, and staring intently down at those tired violet eyes, to make it clear this is serious business right now.

    “I need you to, don’t question it, don’t argue, just repeat after me three times: ‘Magtok is a manipulative asshat. I’m an emotional wreck right now and not thinking clearly. I should think carefully about everything I do and say, especially around him.’ Three times.” As odd and bizarre as this might sound, his severe tone suggests she really isn’t going to be able to just laugh off this bit of eccentricity and continue on. This nonsense is a prerequisite if she wants to continue this conversation at all.
    Unfortunately for Magtok, twenty years is a looooong time for emotional gunk to build up over, and there's a lot that Caelynn still needs to get out of her system. This second hug lasts just a hairs-breadth longer than before if Magtok waits for her to part first. If not, the end of her embrace is a little more reluctant and lingering. Pulling apart from the cyborg she stares back at him with newfound worry and a small spark of curiosity. What was it? Had she done something wrong? Is it something important, some debt he feels she owes him? That's the gist of what thoughts flow through Caelynn's mind before Magtok continues, the feline quickly grasping the serious tone of the situation.

    ...And as swiftly as Magtok explains the favor, the fretful gaze shifts to mild befuddlement. But even so, the catgirl doesn't protest. Nodding, she repeats after him; her voice wavers a little at first, but only for a short while.
    'Magtok is a manipulative asshat. I’m an emotional wreck right now and not thinking clearly. I should think carefully about everything I do and say, especially around him.
    Magtok is a manipulative asshat. I’m an emotional wreck right now and not thinking clearly. I should think carefully about everything I do and say, especially around him.
    Magtok is a manipulative asshat. I’m an emotional wreck right now and not thinking clearly. I should think carefully about everything I do and say, especially around him."
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

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  9. - Top - End - #99
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    MagMart

    A hand runs through Caelynn's hair after she's finished the mantra, fingers brushing against her ear, before turning her head to accommodate the lips of the cyborg moving forward to press against her own. Unlike the hugs, he pulls away quickly here, not giving Caelynn more than a moment to realize what's going on before the moment is over. "Good girl," he whispers, even though our most generous of estimates still put her age at least five years past his own. Twenty years ago, he was clearly the older of the two, but now, not so much. Nexus time is funny like that. He pulls back and returns to his shopping hovercart, finally tossing in that pack of gum he was looking at a few minutes ago.

    "Okay, give me ten minutes to finish up what I'm doing here, and then I'm taking you out for dinner. Remember what I said, and don't get attached. We're two very broken people with a lot of stress and issues to work through right now, and the worst thing we could do is try to rekindle a romance that was inherently dysfunctional and manipulative and never going to work. It's just dinner. Just dinner, okay?" Uh huh. Yeah, sure. Who are you trying to convince here, Magtok? Caelynn, or yourself? If you know what a terrible idea this really is, why are you so determined to run headlong into it?
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2018-09-06 at 01:08 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  10. - Top - End - #100
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    MagMart

    A hand runs through Caelynn's hair after she's finished the mantra, fingers brushing against her ear, before turning her head to accommodate the lips of the cyborg moving forward to press against her own. Unlike the hugs, he pulls away quickly here, not giving Caelynn more than a moment to realize what's going on before the moment is over. "Good girl," he whispers, even though our most generous of estimates still put her age at least five years past his own. Twenty years ago, he was clearly the older of the two, but now, not so much. Nexus time is funny like that. He pulls back and returns to his shopping hovercart, finally tossing in that pack of gum he was looking at a few minutes ago.

    "Okay, give me ten minutes to finish up what I'm doing here, and then I'm taking you out for dinner. Remember what I said, and don't get attached. We're two very broken people with a lot of stress and issues to work through right now, and the worst thing we could do is try to rekindle a romance that was inherently dysfunctional and manipulative and never going to work. It's just dinner. Just dinner, okay?" Uh huh. Yeah, sure. Who are you trying to convince here, Magtok? Caelynn, or yourself? If you know what a terrible idea this really is, why are you so determined to run headlong into it?
    [MagMart]

    Caelynn flinches almost imperceptibly as Magtok reaches outwards, but doesn’t attempt to retreat or draw away from his touch. The only responses she manages to make are a soft gasp and a faint blush before he presses on, his own lips pressing lightly against her own and parting before it can fully register. An almost uncharacteristically girlish blush floods the older woman’s countenance as the cyborg draws back, still too stunned by the unanticipated show of affection.

    The following statement and cautionary comments earn a simple nod from the catgirl; not a completely stunned and unresponsive one, she was definitely cognizant, definitely taking in what Magtok had said, but the stunning effect his advance had made still lingered. ”O-of course, I’ll... I’ll try not to let it become anything else.” of course, that statement holds as much water as Magtok’s own. Caelynn couldn’t deny that she still had more than lingering affections and hopes to rekindle them into something built on a true foundation rather than lovestruck admiration and stroked egos... and unwilling to recognize that even now, any relationship they formed would be unavoidably shaped by their own feelings of nostalgia, of what they had before.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

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  11. - Top - End - #101
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "Intimidation is too, mmm, overt. I'm trying to avoid drawing too much attention to myself these days. Did you perhaps feel any particular draw towards a store on your way here? A feeling like you were just being driven in a certain direction, perhaps? It's, mmm, subtle, but I've no idea how it'd work on one such as yourself. It'd take a strong mind with a certain degree of awareness to disregard the effects. But as you can see-" Affy gestures around him, "It'd be very obvious if someone like that showed up." Affy pauses to give irony its chance to make a fool of him.

    Nothing?

    No?

    Good.

    "And I, for my part, would be very keen to learn more about what you are. I've a lot to catch up on these days, but my history with the Nexus is extensive. And I've never encountered anyone quite like you. What really counts as my body these days is sort of open to interpretation, I guess. You could consider this a body. You could consider the network of cables running through Inside to be my body. You could consider- well, no, that last one's a secret." He lets out a quiet chuckle.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  12. - Top - End - #102
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    MagMart => Mallside Parking Lot

    "I'm serious. Don't be fooled by all of this...this show of self-awareness and guilt stuff," Magtok insists, gesturing towards himself with a circular motion, trying to make it clear that lies and deception and trickery are all that he is. "I'm really not much better; I've just acknowledged what I've done wrong before. I think I've already lied to you twice today. Not about any of the Alexis stuff-"that bumps us up to at least three lies now"-I mean the other things I said."

    One of the few things he wasn't lying about was needing ten minutes to finish up his business in MagMart, however. An orange-robed MagClone appears to teleport the shopping hovercart's contents once, and then again when our Magtok refills it. I think he's called 'Ned' or something. Magtok said 'Needs Food' once or twice, but he was probably just talking about groceries. 'Ned' gets into something of a tense standoff with Magtok when he thrusts a box of contraceptives towards him and Magtok refuses to accept the 'gift,' but a few mumbled words between the two pass, and Ned eventually relents, saying he'll leave the box in the car, and murmuring something that starts with 'lib-.' A library, maybe? Liberace? Is it liberalism? Is Magtok getting back into politics? I can sorta see how getting Caelynn pregnant would cause trouble if he were running for mayor, maybe.

    "Alright, I'm done here. Sorry about you had to see all of that. My brother means well, but he's..." He's a Magtok, just like you are. That's more or less what you were thinking, even if you'd never actually admit it, right? A fellow Magtok, with almost all the same baggage that comes with being such a loathsome creature. At least this one seems to actually care about you, though. I can't see any of the other clones ever trying to protect one another. You should think about that, next time the two of you fight over something stupid and petty.

    Anyway, now there's just the matter of getting out of here. Magtok isn't about to have Caelynn walk to the restaurant like some kind of disgusting peasant. The Riftline is full of filthy animals, so that's out, too. He'd like to just snap his fingers and be at their destination, but with the MagCave in its current state, he doesn't have access to his old telewarp technology either. This means we're stuck with walking out to the parking lot, wandering about in search of the pickup truck, and trying to come up with a decent lie explaining why we're driving a stupid pickup truck instead of one of the Magmobiles. Great. You know, she saw through that one lie about the MagMart reopening sale; she's bound to pick up on this one, too. Maybe you should just try telling her the truth. I mean, honesty is the best policy, right? Just tell her your situation isn't going so great, that the MagCave is under repairs, and-

    "...Nope. No, sorry, I can't do this. I can not ****ing do this, I'm done, sorry, goodbye. I'm not-" What?! Magtok, you can't have an emotional breakdown now, we haven't even found the pickup truck yet! What good is running away from Caelynn when you don't even know where to run to? She's only like a couple of meters away, she can still see you! All you're doing is making things more difficult for yourself when she inevitably catches up and asks what the hell is wrong with you right now.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2018-09-07 at 03:49 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  13. - Top - End - #103
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    [MagMart -> Mallside Parking Lot]

    Caelynn watches the two Magtoks interact with each other with unconcealed amusement and mild curiosity; she wasn't entirely sure she'd actually ever seen two of his clones in the same place before, although to be fair it has been a while since she'd last seen any of them at all in the first place. It's fine, I don't see why you would need to apologize for anything." It wasn't anything disconcerting or dramatic, it didn't pull her into any sort of petty squabble or heated fight between the two, so it wasn't like there was that big of a deal to be made out of the whole kerfuffle.

    What does provoke more of a reaction, however, is Magtok's sudden breakdown and flight - or, more accurately, attempted flight; Caelynn attempts to grab onto the collar of his robe, yanking him back. "Look, I don't know what's bothering you so greatly, but could you at least talk to me about it instead of just running away and leaving me with more guilt, self doubt and abandonment? If-If you don't want to actually do this, that's fine. Say it." The catgirl's tone turned a little harder, more firm, and she tried to make eye contact with the cyborg as she made her point. Magtok might have recognized that all those fears of what could be for her daughter were what was so responsible for her state of mind, but had he stopped to consider that perhaps it went both ways, that Caelynn was haunted by a lack of closure as much as uncertainty? The nebulous lack of clarification on just what existed between the two, of just how Magtok felt about her, and the worst case scenarios that she had been left to assume were true all along?
    Last edited by Arkhosia; 2018-09-07 at 04:49 PM.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? Try joining our Discord server!

  14. - Top - End - #104
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Quote Originally Posted by Chaotic Bob View Post
    Strangely, the step back seems to help. The emotions quiet somewhat, enough to feel like she's more in control.
    However tentative that state always is. How very very tentative.
    Stay asleep. Please.

    Take a breath, focus on the matter at hand.
    "But that doesn't answer the question. Why are you doing this, 'helping', at all?"
    Believe it or not, some people actually like to help. I share space with the fey, but I am not exactly one of them. My kind live off of the memories and stories of mortals. One of my personal favorites... here the man launches into a story about a helping forlorn maiden that ends with her being paired off with a mountain spirit and has an amazing amount of manufacturing totemic genitalia in the middle. Once finished with this, he concludes So anyway - corncake?
    Hail to the Lord of Death and Destruction!
    CATNIP FOR THE CAT GOD! YARN FOR THE YARN THRONE! MILK FOR THE MILK BOWL!

  15. - Top - End - #105
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [Coyote House]

    Well that wasn't really where she was expecting this to go.
    "Er...very interesting story?"

    'Lara' glances down at the mention of corn cake, before slowly shaking her head.
    "No...thank you. So you're helping for the sake of the story?"
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  16. - Top - End - #106
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Mallside Parking Lot

    Magtok comes to a halt quickly enough, not wanting to be choked by the front of his own collar if he can avoid it. He takes a deep breath and tries to sort out what he's going to say in response. As always, there's the usual assortment of white lies and mistruths and half-truths parading about in front of him, but for once, he manages to push them all aside, mostly. "What I want is for you to have a fun, happy evening that takes your mind off of Alexis and helps deal with all that stress that's currently tearing you apart, Caelynn. Doing something nice for you like that would make me feel a little less guilty about everything, so at the time, taking you out to dinner sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately for us both, I can't do that without ruining it for you. I'm a compulsive liar and a manipulative bastard. I'm not just throwing the word 'compulsive' around for fun, either. I lie the way normal people breathe, Caelynn. The way fish swim. If I sense even the slightest opening, if I think I know something and you don't, I take that opening and I fill it with lies. I have to actually stop and think about what I'm saying to not lie; it's just instinctual at this point. I mean, for gods' sake, it's been less than twenty minutes and I've lied to you how many times now?" Too many to count. More than one should be able to fit in a conversation of that size.

    "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm trying to be a better person, Caelynn, but I just...I can't. I don't have a better person buried within me. I always told myself I could stop the whole villain thing any time I felt like it, that I could be a genuinely good person if I ever really wanted to, but that was the biggest lie of them all. I want to, but I can't. The selfish scumbag who left you to rot because of some stupid feud with a cat is still here. Leave him here, if you know what's good for you. Leave me," he pleads, already falling into despair because he's certain none of this is going to work. No, if he was brave, if he really cared, if he really wanted her gone and wasn't making some stupidly convoluted trap to win her sympathy and pity, he'd just call her a stupid whore bitch and watch her storm off in tears. It'd hurt them both in the short-term, sure, and it'd be a lot more difficult to say such a thing than what he's saying now, but it'd guarantee that she'd never go near him again. She'd be safer and happier that way. Everyone would be safer and happier if he just never came back to the Nexus.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  17. - Top - End - #107
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [Mallside Parking Lot]

    Whether the trap was made consciously, or if Magtok can add compulsive manipulator to the list of pejoratives and insults he labels himself with, the effect is undeniable. Caelynn falls for it (and him) hook, line and sinker. Tears well up in her eyes as the cyborg concludes his confession, but she doesn't step away from him, doesn't run for the hills like she clearly should. No, instead the stupid cat pulls him into a tight, empathetic and emotional hug. After all, he clearly needs one.

    "You think I don't know what I'm getting into here? I like you, but I'm not lovesick-" Suuuuuure. "Just because I blame myself so much for what happened doesn't mean I don't recognize your own responsibility for... well, that whole mess. But after what I did, I owe you this. I owe you some goddamn comfort. And if you let me down, if you make me hurt... well, I only have myself to blame for ignoring my own common sense and chasing after a pipe dream, don't I?"
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? Try joining our Discord server!

  18. - Top - End - #108
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Mallside Parking Lot

    Magtok isn't about to turn down a free hug. He does need it, even if he knows he doesn't deserve it. Last time he tried to engage someone in a conversation this personal, it ended with him flipping a table at Trog's and holding her at gunpoint until he could back away and out the door. They were supposed to just meet for a drink and catch up on old times or something, and then something Ithuriel said made him feel threatened or manipulated and he just completely snapped. This is a considerable step up from that, I think.

    "I'm also poor now. Technically homeless. Will that scare you off?" He asks, half-kidding, a silly smile trying to pierce the gloom and doom that's been cast over them. Wow, bringing out the big guns now, huh Magtok? There is that 'technically' you sneaked in there hurting your case, however, and the fact that you've still got your arms around her when you ask that. You know, this is the third hug so far, and once again, you're leaving it up to her to decide when to break it off. Maybe you should stop that. This is just a theory, but I think you'd have a much better chance of scaring her off if you didn't let these hugs last for so damn long.

    "The other Magtoks sent me back to the Nexus after our three year or so hiatus with just a pickup truck I've been sleeping in, and Needs, who you met a couple minutes ago." Oh right, 'Ned.' The Magtok with the orange robe and a vague sensation of nausea when you look at him for too long. What's his deal, anyway? Magtoks aren't supposed to use magic, and yet Needs was very clearly vanishing the contents of that shopping hovercart with a hocus, a pocus, and a ph'nglui mglw'nafh cthulhu fhtagn.

    "All we've got is a wallet full of cash, anything we can loot from the MagMarts, and a ruined MagCave full of horrible doom and terror that I've been ordered to fix up and bring back into working condition, even though it's more of an adventurer's dungeon crawl to explore and loot for treasure than an actual home right now." Right around this moment, the end of this sentence, something happens to Magtok, though it's not immediately obvious at the time. He keeps talking, even though he was supposed to just stop there, supposed to keep things mostly positive and make it clear that The Great and Legendary Lord Magtok is more than qualified to handle the difficult tasks ahead of him, because he's just that great and legendary. He chooses instead to explain exactly how overwhelmingly difficult his situation really is, and just...slips. He goes too far He's never been good at knowing when to stop talking, you know.

    "It is impossible, that place is a ****ing deathtrap labyrinth of evil. It's got cyberwolves, laser geese, haywire machinery, you name it. It's even worse than it sounds, because guess what? If I die, my memories don't go to the next Magtok, because there are no functional cloning tanks right now and everything that's happened to me personally, to this Magtok, will be effectively gone forever. The other Magtoks won't return my calls and won't let me abort the mission until the MagCave's working again and I'm jumping at shadows constantly and I don't know how everyone else lives with only one life because I spend every day terrified some old enemy is going to show up and shoot me dead, as a joke, and then get all confused when another Magtok doesn't immediately show up to scold them for it! I already had a close call in a job interview where the guy tried to call my bluff when I held a gun to my head. I'm scared and alone and gods, I'm not even the first Magtok to get thrown at this problem! There was a Magtok; he was sent a year ago to scout things out, and he vanished! I haven't found any signs of him anywhere! I-" Whoa, Magtok, calm the **** down! Take a few deep breaths, and hug the catgirl again if you need to. Breathe in, then out. In, then out. Okay listen, there's trying to make someone feel bad for you to garner sympathy and pity, but that's not what just happened here. You went five miles down the highway past Unconscious Manipulation Town and took the first exit into Nervous Breakdown City. That's twice in a row now. You were on the verge of hyperventilating a moment ago. You used the word 'and' to string something like three or four sentences together without stopping to breathe. Worse yet, you admitted weakness, spoke openly about vulnerability, something you normally hate doing, and made it clear that if Caelynn murdered you in this parking lot right now, nobody would ever know. That's not normal Magtok behavior. I'm starting to think maybe you need a night off even more than she does, cyborg. I think you need at least four more hugs if you plan on getting through your mission without some kind of lethal stress-induced accident. Let's do this stupid date thing, okay?
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2018-09-08 at 05:06 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  19. - Top - End - #109
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [Mallside Parking Lot]

    Admitting his own destitute status doesn't do much to faze Caelynn; it was kinda obvious from the way that he was looting borrowing from the stocks of his own store that perhaps the cyborg wasn't in the most secure of financial positions nowadays... although it was maybe just slightly worse than even the foolish old woman before him had speculated. "Heh, not a chance. I'm not entirely that much better." The remark is punctuated as she timidly separates from Magtok - this time not out of longing or desire, but an unwillingness to cut the hug shorter than he needs. Her response is not quite true, but not entirely false either; Caelynn had done modestly well in these past near-twenty years running a small clinic, but while she wasn't poor by any means, she certainly wasn't anywhere near wealthy.

    Aside from that small remark, Caelynn abstains from interrupting Magtok further. Particularly when his letting out the truth turns to near emotional breakdown. Listening with concern and worry, she nods in understanding, waiting for the cyborg to compose himself before speaking. "That's... certainly more stress and terror than even I've had to deal with. I think you need this even more than I do, frankly." The catgirl steps closer to him, inclining her gaze to better meet his. "If you want, I wouldn't mind lending a hand - it's not like I have much more to do besides fret for my daughter anyways... but that conversation can wait 'til later." Reaching out to take Magtok by the hand. almost as if to lead him onward, Caelynn smiles at him with an almost playful little glimmer in her eyes. "Now, where is that pickup truck I've heard so much about?~"
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

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  20. - Top - End - #110
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Mallside Parking Lot

    "Down t-this way, I think? H-how's The Olympian sound? It's sort of a bar, arcade, and restaurant. Not fancy or anything, but I know the owner; we can maybe cash in a favor. We'll have to take the shuttle up to Skyside to get there, but it's in the slightly-less-awful part of the city, so we should be okay," Magtok explains, wearing a slightly weary, pained smile as he tries to push past his little meltdown from a moment ago.

    "Actually no, that was a lie to make you feel safer. I have no idea what parts of Skyside are less awful; I haven't been there in years. If Felandria can run a business there, it's probably okay, though." Magtok, she's a giantess. What kind of slavers are going to try to pick a fight with someone as huge as she is? It could be smack-dab in the most slaver-infested part of Skyside, and it'd still be relatively safe and profitable.

    "I'll drive you home after, just in case. Or we'll just-oh, there's the truck. Let's get going." He caught himself very nearly about to suggest they share the pickup truck for the night, if there's no safer option. No. We are not doing that. That sounds like poor, homeless people talk, and we are not...well, we are poor and homeless, but we can still aspire to something a little more dignified and classy than that when out on a date with a pretty catgirl. We're not Reinholdt, thank you.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  21. - Top - End - #111
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "My people? A dangerous question." Shazhan sounds amused. "Answering would be a criminal act, thankfully that has been a non-issue for quite some time now. However, I don't make a habit of breaking the law for free but despite our perceived differences we aren't too different." He gestures at some dwarves at a nearby table. "Like you we consist of particles that together form a coherent intelligence. Switch the particles around and you get nothing, but in the right order you get something truly remarkable. The difference being that the energy that make up our bodies do not decay like yours, but the bonds that form this coherence do however." He gestures at the bandages that form his left arm. "This is the most crude method we use to form coherence however, but the advantage is that its much easier for us to reform our coherence if it for some reason would be scattered. It does happen to your people a lot. Far too easy to break those bodies of yours down, which is why choose to form a different kind of coherence, yes?"

  22. - Top - End - #112
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    Mallside Parking Lot

    "Down t-this way, I think? H-how's The Olympian sound? It's sort of a bar, arcade, and restaurant. Not fancy or anything, but I know the owner; we can maybe cash in a favor. We'll have to take the shuttle up to Skyside to get there, but it's in the slightly-less-awful part of the city, so we should be okay," Magtok explains, wearing a slightly weary, pained smile as he tries to push past his little meltdown from a moment ago.

    "Actually no, that was a lie to make you feel safer. I have no idea what parts of Skyside are less awful; I haven't been there in years. If Felandria can run a business there, it's probably okay, though." Magtok, she's a giantess. What kind of slavers are going to try to pick a fight with someone as huge as she is? It could be smack-dab in the most slaver-infested part of Skyside, and it'd still be relatively safe and profitable.

    "I'll drive you home after, just in case. Or we'll just-oh, there's the truck. Let's get going." He caught himself very nearly about to suggest they share the pickup truck for the night, if there's no safer option. No. We are not doing that. That sounds like poor, homeless people talk, and we are not...well, we are poor and homeless, but we can still aspire to something a little more dignified and classy than that when out on a date with a pretty catgirl. We're not Reinholdt, thank you.
    "That sounds positively delightful, no matter what neighborhood it's in." The catgirl squeezes his hand to accentuate the emphasis. Her playful little smile grew momentarily as Magtok rectifies his lie, noting the tiny little show of honesty with approval. "Sounds like a plan. Home is a bit of a strong word at the moment, right now it's just a nice little hotel room in a grey zone of Inside, but as for the future... who knows?" Caelynn responds, moving to the passenger side door. She hadn't planned for her visit to be more than just that, a short couple of days back before leaving again, but after this... well, it's liable to change.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

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  23. - Top - End - #113
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "Your kind are quite secretive then, hmm? Fortunate for me that you're more, mmm, enterprising then. You're quite right, of course. Bodies of flesh are weak and vulnerable and far too much of a liability. I got rid of mine a long time ago. Not many people take the same sort of precautions." Very people take the same number of precautions as Affy, even if they are capable of protecting themselves in similar ways. He's quite thorough about it. "It sounds like "aging" for you comes in the form of the gradual loss of coherence then? Fascinating. Ah, but we're not here to write a book on your kind, are we? I don't mind some more idle conversation if you wish, but I'm happy to get down to business if you'd prefer."
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  24. - Top - End - #114
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    Shazhan nods thoughtfully. "Mmm... I do like the sound of business. Perhaps we should first start with what you are interested in getting for me, I do already have a wish list for myself of objects and people I would to acquire."

  25. - Top - End - #115
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "People?" Affy asks, raising an eyebrow. There's a sly grin to accompany that raised eyebrow though - he's intrigued, not concerned. "I was perhaps, mm, hoping I could provide something new of interest to you that wouldn't necessarily be on your list. But please, list away, I'm curious to see what sort of things capture your attention. We all have our little collections..."
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  26. - Top - End - #116
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    NecromancerGirl

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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [Haemonics]

    Chaos walks into Haemonics, looking like a man on a mission. He walks right up to the counter and waits for somebody to say something to him.

    Chaos is wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, as well as combat boots. He has blond hair cut at his shoulders and black, rectangular glasses. The most strange part about him are his piercing red eyes, which definitely aren't human.

    EDIT: Seeing as happyturtle doesn't post here anymore, Chaos gets some dragon blood and leaves.
    Last edited by CosmicHobbit; 2018-09-16 at 03:17 PM.
    After 2 years of silence, I reappear!

    Place your bets now, how long until I disappear again

  27. - Top - End - #117
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    Nommin’ On Pretzels!

    As promised, Felandria and Reinholdt have arrived at the mall and Felandria has treated Rein to a big soft pretzel with optional dipping sauce from the pretzel kiosk that any mall in the multiverse is legally required to have, lest they get officially downgraded to “shopping center”.

    Mmm, so soft and warm.

    How’s yours?

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
    FelandriaDeadra Blackfyre

  28. - Top - End - #118
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "Ah, let's see then." A holographic wrist computer appear on Shazhan's wrist and he touches a holographic button on it.
    A holographic list appears and as Shazhan moves his finger across the "computer" a number of the items listed become highlighted and enlarged.

    • Wenomir's Sword, "the answer"
    • A set of Cybernetic Eyes from prominent Magtok Clones
    • The Full Skeleton of Reinholdt
    • The Royal Crown of house Sky of Skyside.
    • Kirk Locke's Jade Hand
    • Vax Teplos
    • Ellrin and his collection
    • The teeth of the dragon Nyneve
    • The daemonic essence of Jezebel
    • The Complete Staff "The Daybringer"
    • Ambrosia Ithil
    "A few selected examples, should give you an idea of what I'm on about. Some of these took quite some research to even find out about."

  29. - Top - End - #119
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    "A collector with an eye for the unusual, the valuable, the unique. You have very ambitious tastes. I admire that. Though some of these seem like they come with quite a bit of risk to them - if you ever went after these yourself, your life would likely be in serious jeopardy." Affidavit folds his arms and rests them on the table with a curious smile on his face, "As far as I know, I'm the only person walking around the Nexus in this sort of form. Am I going to find myself on that list of yours?"
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  30. - Top - End - #120
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Mallside 10

    [An Oddly Quiet Food Hall]

    Shazhan chuckles. "Well, of course. Do not worry though, the point of this list, as you so acutely observed, was to show just how ambitious it is. So ambitious in fact that a great deal of the things on it will never come to fruition. While I believe that I made sure that my coherence in never truly in danger there are so many other things that you can lose than your life. Either way, while I am a collector, I am also practical. Simply see it as a list of things that I admire, since isn't that what really drives us? The things that we don't have." The ethereal moves his index finger down slightly and a new name appear on the list,
    Affidavit

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