Open - Fiddlesticks and Grasshopper catchall

[spikelet]

Who: A-Qing and YOU
Where: See prompts
When: Fiddlesticks Day 17 onwards
What: 1. first morning, sneaking back into 1-E | 2. mix and mingle, out and about | 3. sticky fingers and bad decisions | 4. what if she just lived in the cinema | 5. wildcard
Notes: If you prefer prose/action, switch to the format you want and I'll match. She will never be in a carriage or space by herself. If you want to amend a prompt or do it differently, i.e. confronting her for stealing after the fact, go for it.
Warnings: Threads may include discussions violence or death, these will be marked.


1. New Game+, Day 17 Morning, closed to 1-E
Unaware of the effect that should have had her in her bunk by now, just minutes after the morning alarm, A-Qing slides open the door to her room as quietly as possible. Her breathing is light and fast, confusion and exertion taking their toll. Having discarded and defaced her uniform, relieved that someone had at least pointed out to her that the little scraps of white fabric sewn into the seams had her name on, she'd had to grab a damp towel from the laundry and wrap it around herself. They'll get over it, she decides.

She hopes they're all still asleep, she has no idea what time it is, or why she woke up in a bag, clothes covered in dried blood but her own body completely clean and unmarred. She just wants to crawl into bed and never come out. But first, new clothes. If she can just unzip this bag with fingers starting to shake.

2. Safety in Numbers, OTA
For all of his threats, she knows that guy isn't an idiot. He wouldn't go after her in broad daylight - trainlight, whatever - so that means that as much as she wants to just hole up in her room and never come out, she should be safe to move about. And should, because now her mission to have him dealt with is back on.

Carefully, though, only going from one carriage to another when she can slip in with someone else, but exploration has begun. Without a cane to tap as a prop to make people move out of the way, she braces herself and starts casting her hand about in front of her, fingers flitting from surfaces, edges of tables and tracing along walls; she's sure she'll have to bump into a few people who don't notice... But without knowing who's on his side, she can't risk losing the element of surprise. Even if it's just someone who knows she's faking it, because he's told them - that's vital information.

Every so often, she spots someone she 'knows', and asks the nearest person, "Excuse me, I'm looking for...". Either loud enough to get their attention, or at the least to get herself steered in the right direction.

3. Bad Habits and Misplaced Retribution, OTA
Stealing is wrong. A nice tenet, for people who have anything. They've given her a bag of clothing, of soap, paper and writing implements and a ticket that she's told has her name and location on it. And, apparently, three 'points', that can be used like coins to buy anything she wants from the 'vending machine'. But while she doesn't know the prices of things, she does know that, for example, a live rabbit is thirty points, and can work backwards from there. Enough to have a solid idea that her three points won't buy her anything important.

So she looks over shoulders and from around corners at people using the ICPs or the vending machines. She's studied her own ticket enough to know which words on the 'roster' are the name or 'cabin', so by process of elimination, the points value is either of the numbers on either side of the 'cabin'.

Looking for the biggest number, she realises with disappointment that she's going to have to risk it, because most people only have one big number and one small. A few people have both numbers high, but they're mostly in Red, same as that guy, and look severe or busy, the worst kind of person to steal from. While she'd love to, maybe just to punish them for not figuring out that guy's deal or for being his friend, she won't risk it. Regretfully, she aims for someone younger, and hopes that the number on the right is points.

A bump, a stammered apology, and she goes for their ticket with a short lifetime of skill.

[OOC: Conditions for being stolen from: 1. your character has a large number of points, at least in the triple digits, and 2. their ticket is accessible, i.e. she's seen them take it out and then put it away somewhere she can pick it from. She will NOT steal from anyone wearing red. If she is successful, she will buy a 3p snack from the vending machine and then reverse pickpocket the ticket back onto their person. ]

4. [Merry Little Voidtrain theme on haunting repeat], OTA
It takes her some time, but eventually she follows a group of other passengers into an open, dark room full of seating. A large, intricate production is unfolding on a screen at one side. Entranced, she sits among them, curls up with her knees tucked up into her hoodie. Rests her chin on her folded arms, and, ironically, takes in the 'movie' without seeing it.

Sat next to any of a certain smaller selection of people, she might allow herself to follow the screen, vision fixed on the colours and movement of another world, a story told in breathtaking detail, like it's happening right in front of her.

Either way, she'll end up invested, breath catching at suspenseful moments, protesting out loud when a villain seems to be getting away or a character she likes is being mistreated... She's not a quiet viewer, and doesn't know or care to change that.

5. Wildcard
[ Choose your own adventure! ]

Comments

1

[onehandsomeslickninja]

"Uh."

You ever had one of those mornings where just after you wake up, you find a kid wrapped in a towel right there? Definitely a new experience for Edge, and after a moment of sleepy processing, he slapped his hand over his eyes quickly before he could see something that would have been very inappropriate for him to see.

"What's -- are you okay?"

Whatever's going on didn't seem good in the slightest.

[spikelet]

She wasn't a fool; from the moment she'd realised she was going to be sharing a room with three adult men, she had several contingencies in place. Even if two of those contingencies were 'stabbing them in their sleep with a pencil' or 'biting', the rest were rather less violent.

Such as this one, where she jumped at his voice, and pulled the towel back around her from where she'd been trying to decide whether she should just climb back onto the bunk and change under the blankets.

"I'm fine!" Her voice was high, and her tongue felt heavy in her mouth; she swallowed around it. "I... I wanted to wash before anyone else got up." There, that was a good reason to have been up early, right?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Well, at the moment Edge was apparently committed to being as inoffensive as possible. True, he'd been around people who wore less -- heck, the towel covered more than a lot of swimsuits had back on the beach -- but still, this was a disaster!

Wait. "...How did you get out, get bathed, and get back before I even got up?" The timing there seemed a bit off.

3!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's not as protective of her ticket as she is her Manual; it can often be found in her hoodie pocket when she's not on missions.

She's also distracted, both by Kitty's Network post and the ensuing conversation, and what appears to be an attempt at conversation with an ICP unit itself in the Speech, trying to coax more information about the heart-data out of it or the train, whichever gives first. The answer is neither.

The point is, her ticket is partly visible, accessible, and she's not looking in A-Qing's direction. Score!

[spikelet]

A-Qing, on the other hand, is doing her level best to ignore the conversations she keeps hearing when she passes an ICP. As she passes by Nita, she doesn't even need to bump into her, simply turning away and sliding the ticket out and into the baggy sleeve of her spare hoodie is enough.

She doesn't leave the carriage - there are vending machines everywhere, after all, and she doesn't want to have to track her down to return the ticket. She just heads for the machine next to the far external doors, at her previous careful pace.

[unfavorableinstigation]

To her incredible embarrassment, it takes Nita several minutes to fully return to herself enough to realize her ticket is missing.

Looking about, it isn't on the floor... Worrying, but not the worst thing that's happened to her on the train, so Nita sets about investigating where it's gone to.

She ends up checking the wrong direction first, but she does find the right shop vendor eventually.

"... Excuse me?"

Her eyes are narrowed, but for the most part she's just staring at A-Qing. Not having seen the teen's face, it's going to take Nita a minute to realize just who she's staring at.

[myblueskies]

"Oh it's okay miss! Are you okay?"

Romeo doesn't stumble too hard when she jostles into him but he does draw closer to check she's alright.

His ticket as usual is in his hoodie pocket where he had put it after checking how many points he had now. He is thinking of maybe buying some books for Elfnein since for some reason he has a lot more points than she does and that's not fair!

/)_(\ wow ty i feel terrible

[spikelet]

She'd feel worse about stealing from a little kid if, as far as she could tell from his excitable discussion a few cars down about buying books, he wasn't absolutely rolling in money. She had no idea how much books were, but she figured they'd probably be at least as expensive as a rabbit. He was her best bet for proving which of the sections on the roster indicated points.

And besides, if she needs to hide out in her room, she's going to need some food.

So she uses the moment as he pulls closer to pat him down, stammering apologies, and assurances she's okay. She's experimented with her own ticket, and knows how to jerk the ticket free of the pocket and into her sleeve in a smooth motion. Much easier than coins, really.

"I'm really sorry," she adds, for good measure.

you should

[myblueskies]

"It's okay miss!" He grinned at her, as she brushed him off. It was very kind of her. "You don't got to apologise!"

Accidents happened after all!

2

[bloomingdespite]

Wester has extensive experience with assisting blind people from back home... even if Shizuka really didn't need their assistance more often than not, and was mostly mildly bemused when either they or Anzu bashfully offered.

Regardless, as soon as Wester spots A-Qing, they immediately know she needs help. "Woah, are you okay?" they ask as they move to support her. "Did you lose your cane somewhere? It looks like you need it." Likewise, they are well-acquainted with what it looks like when a blind person loses their cane and has to make do without it—although recently, Shizuka could rely on Aleister or one of the others to help her whenever that happened.

[spikelet]

She pulls to a stop like a horse bridling, and tilts her head just so at the questions. Their help is accepted, and she leans a little into them, thoughts racing. Huh, so this person knows that much? She's gonna have to be careful-- but not too careful. They seem good-natured, after all.

She considers what she's seen of them, how they've presented themselves, and goes with a gentler smile.

"No, it didn't come with me. I can just about manage without it, though..."

[bloomingdespite]

Wester vigorously shakes their head. Oh no no no. They've heard enough of this kind of talk from Shizuka to know exactly how bullshit it is. "Oh, c'mon. Don't be so bashful about it; I know how difficult it is to get around an unfamiliar place if nobody's hand to guide you. C'mon, let's see if we can find something that'll work. I know it's a bit unwieldy, but maybe a lacrosse stick from the gym car will do in a pinch until we can find something a bit more permanent and less bulky?"

4! Because Merry Little Voidtrain incites me to tag.

[iamnotgod]

Webmind has, for the most part, been preoccupied with the investigation of what happened to A-Qing.

But that does not mean he is only focusing on that; limited as he is here, he cannot do all the solving himself.

And then there's the matter of, well, making sure non-hostiles are near A-Qing at all times. Being in the cinema simplifies matters, complicates others... but she is sitting, and paying attention, and-

"Are you enjoying this show?"

Quite possibly happy.

"This is certainly one of the more action-packed episodes."

The surplus of sound-effects didn't hurt when it came to A-Qing and her suspected blindness, for one.

[spikelet]

"It's easy to follow," she replies, apparently cheerful. In her hands is a small cube of chewy candy, which she's steadily gouging tiny pieces out of to eat. "But it's really cliche."

[iamnotgod]

"All cliche has a grain of truth to it, as the saying goes," Webmind says, for the most part ignoring the candy.

"Though I have also heard it said that, in order to break the rules of conventional fiction, you must first learn what they are."

Making it suitable fare - as long as not presented by itself! - for children, at least according to Webmind.

1.

[yukibunny]

Yukito was usually a deep sleeper. But being in a different place, in a strange bed with strange people around him... Without Touya... He just couldn't seem to settle as well as he should. He did, at some point, drift off. When that was he had no idea, but it wasn't a deep enough sleep that the sound of someone entering the room didn't wake him.

He opened his eyes to see A-Qing. Slowly he levered himself up on an elbow but he didn't leave his bed.

"... A-Qing?" He called to her, softly so as not to startle or wake up their roommates. "Is everything alright?"

[spikelet]

She wavered, but the concern in his voice had her start to shake even more violently than before. Half-formed plans of running to someone, like those names on the leaflet, flew from her head as she remembered the fear that he'd hurt someone like Yukito, someone who'd been nice to her.

"I--" she whispered, managing a step further into the room before her legs crumpled underneath her. "No..."

[yukibunny]

The blanket was thrown back and Yukito was on the move the moment he saw her falter. He didn't call out, still mindful of the others trying to sleep, and almost he wasn't quick enough to catch her. But catch her he did. He was on his knees, the girl gathered up into his arms.

"What happened...?" He asked of her quietly, the concern, the worry thick in his voice. Yukito wasn't sure if he should have been calling for help or not. Had she woken from a nightmare? Had someone said something to her? And why in the world was she wearing just a towel...?

4

[goingthroughaphase]

Getting caught up in a murder mystery on her first official day on the train was really the last thing Kitty had wanted to do that day, so after all that had happened she decided to take some time to relax. Eventually she'd found herself in the cinema car, and was content to watch the children's show with a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

It's hard not to notice the other girl's enthusiastic responses to the show, but she's more amused than anything else. "Hey, maybe try keeping it down a bit?" she suggested softly.

[spikelet]

"Why?" Is her response, after she's paused to determine that, yes, the other girl is talking to her. "It's stupid that they're just believing that guy. Kheli's meant to be smart."

[goingthroughaphase]

"Well, it's fine to react to the story. I just meant keeping it down so you don't disturb other people who are watching," she replies, a slight gesture of her hand indicating the rest of the audience nearby.

4

[xue_yang]

Xue Yang has been very well behaved. He has stayed away from her and tried to not draw any attention to what went on between them. But he can only do that for so long before certain things are inevitable. And apparently encountering her at the theater is that inevitable moment.

Without a word, he sits down in the seat next to her and just sits there until she decides to notice. He knows she can see so there is no point in letting that game linger on.

hey bro how've u been-- OH WOW NEVER MIND

[spikelet]

If anything, a-Qing was impressed at both herself and him for having managed it this long. The train was big, but it was big in the way a single lane market street was big. A hassle to navigate, and even worse to try and avoid someone in. Perhaps she's let herself relax in the interim. Not completely, or even halfway, but when no one confronted her about it, and then Lan Wangji had explained how events had unfolded in the future... It had been much easier to stomp it down as a bad dream, or a tribulation, even.

And then that stupid broadcast had happened, and he'd ended up unconscious, and she'd thought, good. In-between the anger and the fear, that is.

And then he'd stayed unconscious, and she'd realised why. Watching the aftermath of someone's soul getting ripped to shreds was different from wishing it on someone, it turned out. Watching someone inflict punishment wasn't as satisfying when it was inexplicable, and terrifying. She'd remembered the little boy from the story, and the cart, and she'd been torn between fear of what he'd choose as payback and... what, outrage? She has no idea.

She has no idea what had happened, and it sucks.

Fuck it, she thinks instead, and sprawls more deeply in her chair. Her hands disappear into the voluminous sleeves of the hoodie she stole from master Lan, which hides how hard she's clenching her nails against her palms. She also starts to just outright watch the movie, because at this angle, he's totally blocking the view of her face from the aisle.

"You missed the start," she says, which, okay, is kind of unnecessary for a film called Bees on a Train where there are clearly already a lot of bees on-screen. Some people are screaming, maybe? It's hard to tell over the buzzing.

Wildcard

[bloomingdespite]

[Sometimes, when you want to be totally alone, there's no better place than a car that is completely and mind-numbingly boring. Such as the rock garden car. Which is where Wester is currently sitting, staring dejectedly out the windows and sighing.

And then somebody comes in and they hunch down, freezing, hoping that said somebody doesn't spot them.... not realizing it's A-Qing, possibly the person they want to see the least on the entire train other than their friends. And Xue Yang. And Tony, okay, there are a lot of people ahead of A-Qing on that list, so sue them.]

[spikelet]

[Being left alone on this train? Good luck. She's trying that, but... Well. Here she is, squinting at a familiar shape ducking away from her behind some rocks.

Ugh. She... should probably thank them. If they announce themselves, anyway.]

Anyone in here?