Open

[lockonstratos]

who: Lockon, Lyle, Lyle’s friends, roommates on the 14th floor, party crashers, anyone really, &c.
what: Catch-all (including Lyle’s birthday shindig)
when: March (mostly)
where: Various places
warnings: None as of yet.


i. Lyle’s birthday bash
(( open to Lyle, his friends, roommates on the 14th floor, party crashers, &c. ))

[ This whole birthday shindig was a last-minute deal, with store-bought snacks and little finger foods for grazing. It wasn’t anything to write home about it, but he was trying to do something nice for this brother. He wondered if it was too much, too soon. They didn’t really know each other as well as siblings should, but Lockon decided once fate threw them together in the communal housing that he was going to try to mend the rift that so many years estranged left.

So, yeah, he was spreading out food in the dining area of their floor: chips, dips, crudités, cheese and charcuterie, some warm foods like chicken wings, meatballs, and something that looked vaguely like sloppy joe mix (with buns just beside it). And a cake, of course. Nothing out of the ordinary, but he hoped Lyle would appreciate the effort.

And, Lockon was looking forward to meeting Lyle’s friends. ]


ii. Out and about
(( open to anyone ))

[ Even in a place like this, people do normal things. They have jobs to get to and friends to visit, things to shop for and lines to stand in (Lockon, by the by, is one of those people who’ll strike up conversation with a total stranger while waiting in the queue, sorry for your luck). It’s weird how normal it is. But then there’s that view in the sky that’s unlike anything he’s seen back home (so sorry if he bumps into you while he’s distracted).

Jogging, that his normal thing. At least it will be now. Early in the mornings and early in the evenings, he’ll run if only to keep his mind off what he left behind and how, even if he ever gets back, he’ll never be able to do or be what he was before losing his eye. Oh, hey, do you jog, too? Don’t mind the friendly Irishman trying to strike up a conversation as you go. ]

(( just sort of a “if you want to bump into (or be bumped into) by this guy while you’re out doing your dailies, here you go” generic prompt ))


iii. Meanwhile, back at communal housing
(( closed to Tieria and back-dated to shortly after Lockon arrived ))

[ Even on alien moons, people have to eat. What started out as a grocery run to pick up a few things he liked that weren’t on hand in the… dormitory – it was more like that than an apartment, really – turned into a much larger excursion. Snacks, yes. A shampoo with a smell he liked. Clothes, shoes, all the things a person newly relocated could need.

By the time he got back to the communal housing, his arms were laden with bags. Out is his good eye he could see the elevator door closing, the arrow pointing up glowing beside it. It would be a while before another one came and the stairs were out of the question with so much stuff. ]

Hey, hold the elevator!


iv. Wildcard
(( something you’re just dying to do with Lockon? Feel free to start it here, or hmu sakurazukamori for plotting ))

Comments

I - At the party

[drunken_tactics]

Closed to Neil

[Sumeragi smiled a bit as she set a glass down next to Neil. It was good to see him again, especially after all that had happened. It took her a few days to absorb the information that Lyle had told her, but she finally came to terms with it.]

Its good to finally see you, Lockon Stratos.

[She then gently taps her drink against his.]

To another year.

Open to the Party

[The one place that Sumeragi is happy at is a bar. Normally she's in front of it and drinking, but she doesn't mind making drinks of different kinds for those of age. Those underage will have to deal with a soda or something else that won't get her in trouble.

Of course she's having a drink or two of her own as she's making them. Where would all the fun be if she didn't join in as well.]

[vedaandme]

[Tieria was paying attention to Sumeragi's intake. He eventually walked over to check on her and see how she was holding up.]

Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Sumeragi?

[drunken_tactics]

[She was actually doing pretty good. She was taking her time with her drinks and appeared to be having a good time.]

I am, Tieria. It's still a shock to see both Lockons, but I'm getting used to it.

[vedaandme]

It is strange to have them both here at the same time. [He agreed. He was trying not to think about it too hard.]

I am glad to see you well, though.

[He knew the last time she had seen him was as a hologram after reclaiming Veda, so he was attempting to be easy going about it with her. Lyle already knew, and Neil... well... that was a whole different issue.]

[lockonstratos]

[ Lockon always had a bit of a soft spot for Sumeragi. Not because hew knew anything about her other than what was relevant to Celestial Being, but because he could see she was hurting. Wasn’t that why most of them joined up to begin with? And, well, he guessed they were pretty close in age (at least when he knew her). They were sort of the grown-ups of the ship.

He grinned and tapped his class in return. ]

I’m not trying to avoid you, Miss Sumeragi. I’ve been getting settled in. I’m glad to see you here.

[drunken_tactics]

I'm still trying to as well. Its good to be among friends.

[She was taking it easy on the drinks. The last thing she needed was to be unable to walk the short distance to her own bed. She wasn't hurting as much as she had been after loosing him.]

[lockonstratos]

Yeah. [ He nodded slowly, thinking more deeply on his agreement than the single word would indicate. ] To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure what to do with myself here. I'm sure we'll figure it out, though.

party crashing! ota

[relieable]

[Osomatsu picks up a few things after work, then heads off to communal housing as fast as his legs can carry him. he works early in the morning, so he makes it to the party a little after 3 PM. well, hopefully there is still a party to get to. Osomatsu doesn't know Neil... er... Lockon very well. but the guy seems like someone who will keep the party going.

actually, Osomatsu's a bit nervous. he had planned to do something with Lyle privately, but now he was going to have to be around more people. and he'd have to meet Lockon. he sucks in a breath, then gets off the elevator. yeah, he can still hear people talking, so the party must still be going.

as far as presents go... he had no idea what to get for either man! he and Lyle may be dating, but there's still a lot that Osomatsu doesn't know about him yet. things like preferences for books, or movies, clothes, or even favorite foods. he did his best, at least, and got some small things, as well as a funny card.

he sets his things off to the side and then starts walking around to see who he knows. he's starving, too, so he'll grab some food]

[vedaandme]

[Who was this??? Tieria watched him for a moment, pretty sure he'd seen this person around before. He didn't forget a face. However, he'd never spoken with him. He walked over.]

Hello.

[relieable]

[Tieria catches Osomatsu just as he's shoving food into his face. wonderful. Osomatsu blinks, turns around, and then quickly swallows his snacks in one large gulp]

Oh, uh, hey! [this guy looks familiar. but he doesn't really know him... maybe he thought Osomatsu was one of his brothers. that happens a lot]

[vedaandme]

[Okay, that reaction indicated that this was not the person Tieria thought it might have been. Another case of very similar looking people. He made a point to pay more attention to the other person next time so he would be able to tell the difference better. Once he found the differences, he'd be able to tell them apart all the time.]

I am Tieria. Are you here for Lyle's birthday?

Excuse you, you're the guest of honour's +1

[lockonstratos]

[ The nice thing about talking to people via video is that Lockon is able to recognize them in person. After talking with Osomatsu and learning that he’s an Important Person™ in Lyle’s life, well, of course he wants to meet him! He’ll even try his best not to bring up embarrassing stories about his slightly younger brother. He’d have to reach into the distant past to find any, which is a little sad.

Lockon makes his way toward the food (not a bad spread for something so last minute, if he does say so) and grins at Osomatsu. ]

Osomatsu, right? I’m Lockon.

[ The eyepatch gives it away, but he has a feeling Osomatsu can spot the differences without it. ]

good

[relieable]

[it definitely is a good party spread! Osomatsu loves snacks. he looks up from where he's filling his plate and smiles at the taller man]

Yeah! [here, let him just put down his plate, then he holds his hand out for a shake. in Japan, he would usually bow to new people, but he's in Riverview, and he's learned that Lyle is Irish. so shaking hands is the way to go, right?] Thanks for letting me come along!

[lockonstratos]

[ Lockon takes the proffered hand with a firm grip and a crisp ‘re gonna sneak off shake. It’s definitely a familiar gesture, one he appreciates. Familiarity is the one thing he finds himself looking for in this place. ]

Thanks for being here.

[ He leans a little, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ]

Sorry if I interfered with any plans you might have had. I promise I’ll cover if you sneak off with Lyle.

I. Birthday Party - OPEN TO ALL

[luckyescape]

[Freya hasn't ever spoken to Lyle and she barely knew Lockon but she lives on the 14th floor and found it curious that there is suddenly a lot of people gathered there. She slips through the crowd and into the bed room to stash her backpack beneath her bed before returning to the party and, more importantly, free food.

She's dressed in a pair of black pants and a maroon tank top that reads 'I licked it. So it's mine.' across the front. The tattoo on her right forearm is visible as well as the tree tattooed to her left shoulder blade.

She keeps a look out for both Lockon and Lyle. She has some questions about a space elevator and she isn't going to relent until she has her answers. While she's looking for the pair of brothers she hoovers by the food. Despite being in her late twenties, Freya is only five feet tall. Given her small stature, she decides that it's fine to stand directly in front of the wings and meatballs. She isn't technically in the way if people can see over her.

Freya doesn't stop eating until she sees something or someone who peaks her interest. Food is very distracting.]

[lockonstratos]

[ Well, well, well, if that wasn’t a family face. They’ve only talked a little, first through that friending app, then on the network, but Lockon could tell even from those limited interactions this was a person he wanted to know better. He didn’t expect her to be quite so small, though.

He waved as he made his way toward the table. Like her, he’s dressed casually (thank goodness he found time to get some clothes after a arriving in his normal suit): jeans, a plain dark long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up the elbows. And, of course, that tell-tale eyepatch. ]

Hey, thanks for coming. I don’t think we’ve been introduced officially yet.

[luckyescape]

[Freya looks up with a chicken wing pinched between her thumb and forefinger. She waves with the opposite hand and then proceeds to quickly clean the chicken from the bones. She tosses what's left on a small plate in front of her and is licking her fingers by the time that Lockon is within speaking distance.]

Not in person.

[With her fingers cleaned she flashes him a flirty smile.]

I'm Freya. Nice to know you actually exist.

[She releases that she's short and will forever be trapped at this unfortunate height.]

[holds_up_walls]

[Free food is important. Lyle would never knock someone for wanting to sneak into a party for free food. He'd probably do the exact same thing if he had been living somewhere and suddenly there was a party.

Lyle was mingling around the party when he saw the young woman hanging out near the food. So of course he goes over. Yeah, Lyle can definitely see over her because he's just over six foot tall]

Hey, thanks for coming.

[luckyescape]

[Freya is licking her fingers when Lyle appears behind her. She has great spacial awareness but she looks back at him slowly as if she hadn't seen him appear behind her. His face really is the same though minus one eye-patch. What Freya notices the most is that he smells very different, that's interesting.]

Yeah. I mean, I live here so it wasn't far out of my way.

[She turns towards him with a warm grin.]

Guess you're Lyle? Nice ta meet cha. I'm Freya.

ii. on a jog

[bringbackgold]

[ Otabek usually starts his morning runs early enough that he doesn't expect anyone else to be there or start talking to him. He gets up earlier here than he does at home, he's hardly an early riser, and it's harder to do it with his current work, but he finds a way. He's on a quiet run when he sees someone else on his typical path - he shouldn't be surprised. There were plenty of people living in the city, and this was one of the best paths.

The part that does surprise him is that there's someone approaching him, but the surprise only gets greater when the conversation seems to start.

He hesitates to engage. He considers picking up his pace and then getting away, but he doesn't. ]

Ah...Hello?

[ There's confusion in his tone. ]

[lockonstratos]

[ Sorry, Otabek. You’ve had the misfortune of crossing paths with this guy. Other than the eyepatch, he looks normal – but don’t they say that about all the weirdos out there? Luckily, Lockon’s not actually dangerous to the general public. In fact, he’s only slightly lost and in need of some direction. ]

Hi.

[ That Otabek hadn’t ignored him was a good sign. ]

Sorry to bother you, I’m hoping you can help me out. I got a little turned around a while back. I’m still getting familiar with the place.

[ Queue the sheepish grin and an absented minded rub to the back of his neck. ]

[bringbackgold]

[ Otabek glances towards him, and his pace slows down a little when the question is asked. The guy seems harmless, at least right now. But then, most people here seem pretty harmless to him. He nods. ]

Where are you trying to go?

[ It's only fair that he helps, after all. Otabek has been in the city for some time, and he knows his way around very well. So he's good with helping all that he can. ]

I've been here awhile.

iii

[vedaandme]

[That voice... it was Lyle? But, yet... not? He reached out quickly and snagged the door, easily stopping it and pushing it back open. The bags were in the way, so, on immediate impression, it could have been Lyle, but he seemed... shorter? Not by much... maybe only centimeters... and the voice didn't have that distinct burr in his voice that Lyle had from smoking. These were really only things that Tieria could pick up on because of his Innovade senses.]

Fourteen, correct?

[Because, it had to be Lyle... who else could it be? Maybe Lyle hadn't had a cigarette in a while... and was stooped a little from carrying those groceries... right?]

[lockonstratos]

[ Oh. That’s definitely a familiar voice. The wheres and hows of it worked through Lockon’s mind between dashing into the elevator (with a sigh of relief) and shuffling the bags in his arms to get a clearer look at his momentary companion. One curious eye peered over the parcels, the other obscured under unruly hair and the eyepatch he was still getting used to. ]

Tieria…?

[vedaandme]

[Tieria was a little surprised at first that Lyle didn't recognize him-

wait...

Now that the bags were out of the way and he could see the eyepatch and the fact that this particular Dylandy wasn't slightly hunched from the weight of said bags...

Tieria's eyes widened.]

Lockon?