o1 ⚔ i got no secrets i got no friends

[bangitybang]

Characters: Janus Lefevre & you
Summary: Closed and open threads for Janus, which I'm starting now ALTHOUGH I PRObably can't tag back til next week. An erstwhile murderer goes about their business in a post-apocalyptic world, such as picking people up at the bar and eating cookies. It's fine.
Date(s): August & September 2017
Warnings/Notes: Possibly some sexual stuff, non-graphic references to violence



open { bar;

[in the past few years, janus has learned a thing or two about being a person, doing regular person things, like for example the time-honored tradition of kind of sort of maybe picking someone up at a bar. making friends. contributing through some mystical means to the defense of a refugee city outflung in the reaches beyond the multiversal apocalypse. you know, the usual.

janus is at the citadel tonight. though defense systems and mysterious laboratories may take up much of the building, the lounge still has its cheesy music and dance floor and opulent indoor forest. it's a little weird, but then again, so is janus— a shadw under 6', muscular, dressed all in black, without enough facial expressions, quiet as a shadow until they abruptly appear at one's elbow.]

Allow me to buy you a drink. [a beat. they remember that things in xistentia are in general free-- the booze at this bar, especially.] Or make you one. I'm very exact with measurements. Goldilocks' ideal partner, once she's legal.

[look. a few years ago, they were a lot less smooth than this.]

open { misc! weird stalking;

[it's not that janus is following anyone specifically, they just have a habit of watching people wherever they're at. it's surveillance. it's tactical.

so maybe that ends up being you, going for a cup of coffee in the morning or helping to move produce to a grocery store one afternoon, building a shed for the new crop or teaching or preparing defenses. whatever you're doing, it's the weight of an indiscreet stare that pulls your attention. the young man looks both a million miles away and weirdly intense, like a hawk focusing a teeny tiny field mouse from a mile away.

but if you but look at them, janus stiffens and then looks apologetic, looking away and then back again, unsure if the formality of an apology would make the offense worse or better. murder is a lot easier than this, u no u no]

closed to team oreo (rafa, arthur, era) { teeeeam oreoooo;

Hello, this is Janus

[you remember. the stilted young man from the internet, who boasted a truly incredible ability.]

I have come into possession of Oreo cookies or a reasonable facsimile thereof
Please let me know when you are available and where to meet you, as I would like to share this bounty
:D

[:D]

Comments

[astralera]

Is it correct to assume that game in this context means enthusiastic? [ twelve bless context for helping her decipher weird earth vernacular. ]

I have been camping in the forest since my arrival. I can set it up to be presentable for company if you would like.

[bangitybang]

[it is spectacularly odd for janus to be the one with the weird vernacular, but there's a first time for everything.]

If it wouldn't trouble you too much, I'd be happy to see your camp
Later I will host you in my home

[astralera]

[ time to clean up her tiny clearing then! ]

I can have things ready within twenty minutes. Shall I have my daemon send yours the coordinates?

[bangitybang]

Yes that would be perfect

I will be on my way as soon as I receive them
And I will also bring a campwarming gift

[astralera]

[ coordinates sent! it's some place in the woods an equal distance away from the beach and the city itself. ]

The cookies will be gift enough. There is need to bother yourself.

I shall see you soon.

→ action;

[bangitybang]

[fifteen minutes is all it takes, and then janus is descending through the trees. light as a stray feather riding the breeze. which doesn't rhyme on purpose. their flight is an odd and soundless thing, requiring no wings or humming technology. when janus wants to fly, they fly.

and now they're coming down to earth, landing gently on the needles. they have a bag over one shoulder, a sturdy, utilitarian-looking olive green canvas thing.] Hello, [they call out. there's a sword at their hip. coming bearing arms probably seems a touch aggressive as far as campwarming appearances ago, but the fact of the matter is, the sword is their daemon. their hand is nowhere near it as they step through the trees, looking about.] Hello. My name is Janus. I am looking for a young woman from a world called Hydaelyn.

[astralera]

[ it would be hypocritical of her to find a sheathed sword threatening. not only does she always keep herself armed in some way (currently there is a codex on her hip which doesn't appear all that threatening given that it's a book, not a blade), it is far more common to see someone with a sword in her world than without.

it's the silent arrival that sets her on edge, leaving her mid-cast of a spell before she realizes who it is. Era had expected their arrival, yes. though they hadn't said anything about flight and so had assumed they would arrive on foot. only when Emeraldd rubs itself along the scales of her calf that Era begins to relax once more. ]

I am she. [ a moment's hesitation is all she has before her weapon is shut and placed firmly against her hip once more. ] It is good to meet you, Janus. I am Era Ra of the world Hydaelyn.

[bangitybang]

Era Ra, [janus says, by way of greeting. they don't know much of her customs-- but they're careful not to stare at the horns coming out of the sides of her tiny head as they advance. then they stick out their hand to shake hers, in case she's maybe assimilated that particular salutation as well.] It's a pleasure to meet you. [their eyes skim briefly down, over her legs. the scales.

it's very interesting. they don't know how to ask about it just yet, so they don't.] Did I interrupt you in the middle of something? It felt that way. [maybe it was a gesture, or some subtle break in her attention. janus doesn't know that it'd ben magic she was working with.]

[astralera]

[ Era shakes the proffered hand. While not overly common - at least in her experience - it isn't unheard of in Eorzea, especially among businessmen. She catches the brief glance over her scales and appreciates that their gaze doesn't linger, though it's still enough to make her relieved to be wearing a top that covers most of the scales on her upper body. Just because she is accustomed to it and doesn't take offense to it doesn't mean she isn't still slightly uncomfortable when too much attention is brought to them, even with how proud she is of her Auri heritage.

She shakes her head in answer to Janus' question. ]

I had been awaiting your arrival, though I did not hear you coming.

[bangitybang]

[janus motions up at the sky, which is blue and clear and lovely above them. no sign of apocalypse. you could never tell that countless worlds are ending in fire and pain somewhere else.] I can fly, [they say. they manage to look both a little proud and a touch abashed about it.] It's because I'm connected to a harpy. They're a type of magical being in my world, part bird and part human. Sometimes I can have feathers when I want to, too.

This is a nice glade you've chosen. [janus casts about looking for somewhere to sit. tree stump? ground that looks specified? they aren't picky, and while they're plenty rude at other times, it wouldn't be about anything like this. they're already beginning to shrug their bag down to one shoulder.] Any particular reason?

[astralera]

[ Part-bird and part-human reminds her uncomfortably of Garuda, but she does her best to disassociate the two in her mind. Era is sure that real 'harpies' are not as horrifically insane as the Lady of the Vortex. ]

It sounds convenient. I can only fly with the assistance of a mount. [ Feathers also seem convenient in certain situations - or at least good for insulation if the Ixali of Natalan are any indication ]

It is equidistant from the shoreline and the city.

[ she has a log she spent about ten minutes or so putting the finishing touches on the cushioned leather coverings she placed on the seat-sized grooves she carved into a log. she also has a tiny table beside it; enough for two people to have a cup of tea on if nothing else. her camp is very spartan, lacking even a tent or shelter, but has a fire pit, the aforementioned seating and table, and a nest of moss, straw, and blankets tucked between some tree roots. ]

[bangitybang]

[the first eyes that janus had scanned the camp with had looked only for one thing: the likelihood of threat. no major suspicion, merely old training, pragmatic and without sentiment.

and now--

janus falls silent for a moment. they look at the log, the leather settled over the butt-friendly divots she'd carved in. the diminutive table she set up there, just large enough for— exactly what she wanted.] It's perfect, [they say, after a moment.] And I'm not only referring to your choice of geography, although I like that too. You're good with wood.

[they say this with a straight face. somebody can laugh at both their vernacular someday. janus swings their bag down on the softly-stamped earth and places themself on one of the log seats. out of the bag, they pull out a set of big, boldly colored drawing implements. the set is labeled: liquid chalk, and also, pastel.] This is the campwarming present, [they tell her quite seriously, handing it over.] So that you may produce decoration. It shouldn't harm any of the plants or whatever you want to draw or write on.

[astralera]

[ Era inclines her head in thanks. ] My thanks. I am not a master carpenter, but I have learned enough. My leatherworking skill supplemented the rest.

[ one day she needs to learn all sorts of slang so she can be even more baffled by everything.

for now she will settle on being utterly baffled by what Janus has brought. ] It will write on plants?

[bangitybang]

I think so, [janus says. they push the pack of markers a bit, to settle it firmly in her hand, and then they shift their fingers to open the flap. they take one marker out. it turns out to be the pastel green one, a seafoam shade.] We can give it a try. [they pull the cap off and then turn it around instructively, chugging it at era so that she knows to grasp it.]

Write your friend's name, [the hunter suggests.] Perhaps right here. they point down at the gap of wood on the log between their respective seats.

[and while she's doing that, janus will go ahead and start taking out the oreos. it's a bit wrong-- f.a.t.e.s. doesn't entirely know what she's doing. the cookie package is yellow instead of blue, but the photos on the front and the logo still looks right. in another universe, there'd be some kind of copyright suit.]

[astralera]

[ Era catches it easily, reflexes well honed after years of constant fighting. It's still a considerably strange tool - far different from the quills and ink wells she uses. She gives the suggestion some thought, but eventually shakes her head with a bemused smile. Instead, Era wanders over to the tree the bed rests under and begins writing her Chocobo's name P E K I very slowly and carefully (to make sure her handwriting is neat despite the foreign tool) in her native alphabet across the trunk of it. ]

[bangitybang]

[the shake of her head makes janus smile a little. they have no clear idea why she's as avoidant as she is, and they know that it's not their business unless she wishes to share. instead, they watch with interest as she presses the liquid chalk to the dark bark of the tree, and watches the bright letterforms flow over the surface. the alphabet is unfamiliar, but pretty to look at.]

Are you considered to have pretty handwriting? [they ask, rustling through the oreo bag now.] Writing well is a point of pride for some people in my world, even though technology has supplanted the need somewhat.

[astralera]

[ She hadn't exactly been sure the pen would work on tree bark, so when Peki's name flows out easily above his nest she can't help the grin that pulls at her lips. With that success under her belt, Era moves back to where Janus sits so that she can write 'EMMY' on her daemon's preferred place to curl up. ]

Most of Eorzea is illiterate.

[bangitybang]

[janus watches as the little woman walks about, penning all over the place with her liquid chalk. it puts a smile on their face. they like the idea of being outside, but they also like that she could make that space hers, in a safe way, temporary. nothing that the forest can't reclaim, if it wants to.

in the meantime, they're prying open an oreo. it's not actually that complicated-- they'd cheated a bit, putting them in the refrigerator before coming out here. fingernails and a deft touch, is all it takes. the chocolate halves come apart easily, and then the layer of white icing between.]

Smart and handsome, [they say.] Is that how it is?

[astralera]

[ for lack of anything better to do, Era has begun colouring in the scales on the back of her hand. one in particular is rather itchy; a sign that it will fall out soon enough to be replaced. it is one downside to all the training she does - if a scale is damaged it will inevitably fall out to be replaced by a stronger one, but with the punishment her hands take (especially when she is using her skills in melee combat) it happens far more frequently than it would otherwise.

she is momentarily distracted by watching Janus rip apart one of the strange cookies. then again when he asks his rather confusing question. ]

I... have never been described as being handsome?

[ Her tone is filled with an honest confusion she can't quite hide, and in an attempt to distract herself from it she turns half her attention to tugging out the particularly loose scale. ]

some timey wimey! lmk if this is ok

[bangitybang]

Perhaps you should have been, [janus says, automatically in that moment. they're a little loose with the gender-specific terminology sometimes, in part because they're non-binary themself.] But I was thinking more of your companion, the Ishgardian man from the video. Here, take this--

[that's one of the chocolate biscuit halves. and then they dig out the mugs and the milk, speedily splitting a helping of milk into each.]

Do you want to go with just hcocolate for now? Or do you want to try this too?

[the icing slice is sitting on the tip of their other forefinger like a very diminutive pizza pie ready for preparation.]

wow where did the first part of my comment go

[astralera]

Ah- Yes, Aymeric is both literate and handsome. They are hard facts to deny.

[ and oh- well, alright. now she has a hand filled with a scale and a biscuit. there are worse things in the world, so Era can deal. ]

Are they not meant to be eaten together?

[bangitybang]

With that section of your skin? [janus looks at the scale for a moment, and then they blink sharply, realizing what she's referring to.] Oh, you can, certainly. Eat it together.

[they select another oreo. whole, this time, both chocolate halves and then the white frosting in between. but they pause, before pressing more of it into her hands. she has a lot going on there already.] I could take that from you, [they say, peering at the scale. they pop the half-oreo and its frosting disc in their mouth to empty a hand, pocketing it in their cheek when they explain:] I was trying to show off. Separating an Oreo takes great skill.

[n_n;]

[astralera]

[ beverages may make her hesitate if she hasn't seen them be prepared, but food from strangers has never made her suspicious (even when it probably should). She blinks up at Janus, baffled. ]

You would like my scale?

[ If they would like it she can't find a reason to say no. It'd be weird, but she would just toss it away and it might get picked up regardless. ]

I'm certain those familiar with Oreos would be rightly impressed!

[bangitybang]

[janus would very much like the scale. now that they think of it, it's very interesting. they look at it in her hand for a moment, then smile lopsidedly.] Only if you don't mind, [they tell her. they're a little better about these kinds of things, these days. less with the stealing of other people's body parts, more with the asking and taking with permission.

they stuff a piece of chocolate in their mouth, then start to set up two cups of milk. it's tradition, as much as anything of being a hunter can be.]

If you gave it to me, I'd try to make a talisman out of it. To protect myself with armor like yours.

[astralera]

I'm not sure what protection it would offer but you're free to it.

[ They protect her from glancing blows for the most part, but really don't offer much in the way of protection from anything particularly dangerous. It's an added layer between a blade and her most vulnerable areas though, and given how often she's fighting for her life, well...

They're also very pretty (in her biased opinion) and she's quite proud of them when they aren't icky and ready to fall off.

Era watches Janus pour out the milk, skin tingling uncomfortably. They seem amiable enough and as though they might understand her request, and so Era sees no reason to remain silent on the matter - ]

...Might I ask that you drink from both cups first?