open | no sunrise finds us where sunset left us

[jintetsu]

who: Jintetsu, OPEN
what: Jintetsu runs errands and takes names, and he's all out of names.
when: middle to late September, after this but before this
where: all over town! but notably: hardware store, clothing store, restaurants, and a gate to the Abandoned City.
format: starters are prose, but brackets more than welcome!
warnings: none

0. state of mind (closed)

So not too long ago, less than a week into his stay in Quarantine, Jintetsu got into a fight with a 12-year-old girl on a murderous rampage, and he lost. Actually, he's lucky to be alive. The irony isn't lost on him - he only stepped in to try and save Lola's life, and instead she wound up saving his. Probably. We'll finish that thread.

It's... kind of an embarrassment. Or rather, the latest in a string of embarrassments. Ever since he got here, he can't seem to do anything without making a fool of himself. He's threatened a bunch of refugees, he can barely work the technology, he manages to get lost practically every time he steps outside, and now he's nearly gotten himself eviscerated by a child. She had weird powers, sure, but what does that matter? It's still humiliating.

He should be able to handle this. He's Jintetsu of Steel, after all. But he can't get it out of his head - that sensation, her claws sliding cleanly through the steel of his left arm like it was paper. No impact vibration, hardly any sound. A slight difference in the angle, and she'd have taken his hand clean off.

He hadn't been prepared. He was careless.

"... You still beating yourself up over that?" says Haganemaru's voice, quiet in the dark. They're back at the common house, commandeering one of the beds in the unused half of the room, as usual. Jintetsu opens his eye, but says nothing, of course.

"She wasn't a normal kid, Jintetsu. You couldn't have known this would happen."

Doesn't matter. Everybody around here's got some weird power or other, seems like. For gauging a fight, his normal instincts are useless.

"Well, you could have stayed out of it," Haganemaru adds after a moment, his tone mildly admonishing. "Just saying."

But they both know he really couldn't have. In the moment, that's not how Jintetsu's mind works. All he can do going forward is learn from his mistakes, and try not to repeat them.

1. hardware store (ota)

At any rate, the situation's left him with some errands to run. First up: repairs.

His metal arm is in pretty sorry shape. There's two deep parallel gashes across the outer side, where Laura's claws gouged clear to the bone. She definitely hit something in the inner workings, too. His third and fourth fingers on that hand are locked awkwardly at full extension, and while the others still have most of their range of motion, moving them too fast makes something inside grind and shift in a way that sets his teeth on edge. The structural integrity overall is questionable at best. Normally that arm can stand up to some pretty solid hits, but now he's worried that even banging it on a table or something could render it dead weight. If he gets in another fight, he could lose it altogether.

But... he has no idea how to fix it himself. That's way outside his wheelhouse. And he doesn't know where to start looking for someone who can. In theory this would be a great thing to ask the message board, but the phone they gave him won't turn on anymore.

So a stopgap it is. He tried binding it tightly with some cloth at first, but that turned out to do nothing. What would you do with a real broken arm, though? Splint it. He asked someone about wood, and that got him as far as a hardware store; trickier is finding something that'll work as a splint, since most of the wood they have is like 8 feet long. But here's something that might work even better - rebar.

He spends some time holding the pins up against the damaged arm, trying to decide which will work best. This one's too long, that one's too short - the thinner ones ought to be fine, right? Meanwhile, Haganemaru tsks distastefully at them. "Don't they have anything less rusty? Gross."

Well, he's a sword. Of course he'd think that.

2. clothing store (ota)

Next on the list is a cloak, since the one he brought from home is now ribbons.

Fashion and luck aren't kind to him here, though. He's tried several stores, but only found a handful, all of them either uselessly thin or unacceptably gaudy. Also, they're all in the women's section, for some reason?

"This is such a farce," Haganemaru grumbles under his breath as Jintetsu thumbs through a rack. "Do people actually wear these? Look - that one's nothing but holes." It's a crocheted shawl with tassels ending in colorful beads. Decorative, but not comfortable, warm, or quiet. "Sheesh... how hard is it to find one normal piece of cloth?"

Jintetsu, completely deadpan, takes the shawl off the hanger and slings it over his shoulders. As expected, it looks fucking ridiculous, but it serves its intended purpose - to annoy Haganemaru. "O-oi, what are you doing?! Put it back, it's terrible."

Boy, sure glad no one is around to catch them goofing like this.

3. restaurants (ota)

Another problem he keeps running into: food. In particular, he's had terrible luck finding anyplace that serves something normal. The first place that even had rice put all sorts of weird spices in it, and like - he did still eat it, he paid for it, after all, but - he didn't like it.

He's trying a variety of places, at least, but he's got a pattern. He sits alone, as far in the corner as he can manage, facing away from other diners, leaving his hat on - but flipping up his mask to eat. It's the only time he has to remove it, but it doesn't mean he has to show his face.

Of course, he can't always get that furthest table, and some people are willing to approach someone even when all their body language says "leave me alone," yeah?

4. the gate (ota)

Jintetsu's finally found the way out.

The fence itself he found a while ago, and he quickly learned not to touch the lasers. Only later on did he overhear that there was a gate, but the city's still sort of a maze to him, and even with directions it took him a while to make his way over here. But he's found it, and now the Abandoned City lies open before him.

The question is, should he go?

His injuries are doing better; if that were the only issue, he'd be well enough to travel. But his mechanical arm is still held together by rebar and plumbing clamps, and he won't be in full fighting shape until he can get it repaired. Plus, he's heard there are monsters out there, and he can't even stand up to the ones in here. He could be signing his own death warrant.

But... it's so tempting. Jintetsu didn't even like cities in his own world, and those were serene compared to Riverview. There's so many more people, so much noise. Music everywhere, unlike anything he'd heard before this, but no one playing it. Videos, and phones, and cars, and trams, and heavy machinery, and barriers made of light, and aliens, and people...

And out there is silence. Until now, he never realized just how much he missed it.

5. wildcard

(Got another idea? Hit me up at caturday or via PM!)

Comments

2. Clothing Store

[tevinteraltus]

[There really is nothing quite as distracting as a fine trip for new fashion. The season was changing, slowly here in the Quarantine, and it was as good an excuse as any to go shopping. Now, at this point, Dorian has become rather skilled at identifying new arrivals to the Quarantine, at least those who, like himself once upon a time, were unaccustomed to the nature and variety it had to offer. This one, for instance, clearly had no experience with any sort of fashion outside of...whatever it was he was looking for. A cowl, perhaps? He watches Juntetsu for a moment before striding over, a slightly amused smirk touching his lips.]

Now, then, there is nothing wrong with that shawl. The greens rather compliment your eyes, even.

[jintetsu]

[Jintetsu jumps like a flashbang just went off. Oh no, busted! Who could have seen this coming. He quickly turns away from Dorian, but yanks the shawl off a little faster than he meant to, and the delicate yarn snags on the rebar strapped to his left arm, and the whole thing gets tangled up there, and... yeah there is no possible recovery here.

Well, this is a solid contender for the stupidest thing he's ever been witnessed doing. Can he just die right now? Can you just kill him? Thanks.

... He doesn't say that, but that's partly because Haganemaru (aka. his voice) is trying not to laugh. (Serves you right!)]

[tevinteraltus]

[Dorian may be a teaser, and he may give people a hard time about their style of clothing, their taste in wine, et cetera, but he's not a monster and he can see the man is having a difficult time, what with that strange, robotic arm and all. He still smiles, out of sympathy if nothing else, and moves closer.]

Don't struggle. I'll only make it worse. Now stand still while I unsnare you.

[jintetsu]

[Jintetsu hesitates, then heaves a sigh and holds out his arm to the mustachioed gentleman. Better just to get it over with.

The arm's seen better days. Something metal squeaks in protest as he moves it, and though the actual damage site is hidden under a bandage at the moment, the improvised rebar brace would suggest he thinks it's pretty severe.]

... Sorry for the inconvenience.

[tevinteraltus]

I daresay you've inconvenienced the proprietor of this establishment far more than myself.

[And he makes a motion for Jintetsu to be still while he unwinds the thing.]

If you're looking for someone to repair that, there are engineers about. Now what is it you were looking for?

[jintetsu]

[Ah - so "engineer" is the word for it? Given that his arm's based on karakuri, specifically, he's... sort of been on the lookout for dollmakers. No wonder nothing's turned up. Of course, he'll admit this to no one.

He keeps still while Dorian works on it. The tangle isn't as bad as it looks, so it's probably possible to get it off in one piece, albeit not without some rust stains. Oops. Yeah, he's probably gonna have to pay for that, damn it.]

Just a travel cloak. My old one got ruined a few days back.

[tevinteraltus]

Ah. [There was a time, after all, that Dorian would also be interested in a cloak for travel, but that was a year ago and he has since adapted.]

What if I were to tell you there exist several clothing options that afford you ease of movement as well as protection from the elements, and far better than a cloak?

[jintetsu]

[... Wait, does this guy work here? Because this sounds like a sales pitch.]

I think a cloak'll work fine...

[tevinteraltus]

Suit yourself, though they are rather hard to come by here. They've gone out of fashion, you see.

[no, he does not, but he was openly and willingly embraced the fashion of the Quarantine.]

You may be able to find a seamstress to fashion one for you, but it may be a tad costly for a new arrival.

3. Restaurants

[yakyuuman]

[ Jyushimatsu only planned to give himself a quick meal in the restaurant and then go for an evening baseball practice. His idea of "quick meal" is an abudant 3/4s of the the restaurant's menu. He's about to sit down and call the waitress to make an order when his round eyes catch sight of an unusual figure.

The ex-NEET doesn't often bother reading into people's body language, or... read into people at all unless they're friends or family and the situation calls for it. He sees this guy in eastern attire wearing a big hat inside the restaurant and the first thing that comes to his mind is how he'd drop any other plan for the day just so he can have a chat with them.

He drags a chair to the stranger's table and sets it across him, then flops down and gives out a wide smile that splits his face in half. ]

Hey there! Feeling lonely today?

yes perfect

[jintetsu]

[The second Jintetsu notices someone approaching, the mask goes right back onto his face, and his one eye fixes Jyushimatsu with a glare that's only slightly less confused than irritated. Um, excuse you??? What made this guy think he wanted company?

He doesn't even say anything, just goes for the silent intimidation approach. It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off for him.]

[yakyuuman]

[ Wow, that glare is so fierce! Jyushimatsu just... leans forward, his smile not shrinking a single inch. To think he expected the evening to be totally boring... he sure got some of his luck back! ]

That's a cool mask you're wearing! [ His sleeve flaps forward, gesturing towards the stranger's masked face. ] Are you a cosplayer? Is that a cosplay?

[jintetsu]

[Damn it, why does that keep backfiring?! There's something seriously wrong with you people.]

The hell are you talking about? "Cosplay"?

[yakyuuman]

Cosplay! Are you telling me that's not a cosplay? Uwah! What year are you from?

[ He's not intimidated in the least... this is getting better and better. ]

[jintetsu]

[What year? Did he hear that right? He can't have heard that right.]

How should I know?! Quit asking such weird questions!

[yakyuuman]

Ehhh? You don't know? That's weirder than asking that question! Usually people know which year they're from!

[ He points at himself, beaming. ]

For example, I'm from the year 2018! Almost everything here is in tune with my time!

[jintetsu]

[Okay in fairness, a drifter like him doesn't have a pressing need to keep track of minutia like "what year it is," and they can change the era whenever they feel like it anyway, so who cares? (Plus his canon doesn't say for sure and is peppered with anachronisms, so. The World May Never Know.)

But yeah he did say year. What...]

Oi, you don't "come from" a time the way you come from a place. That's not how it works.

[He is... not as certain of this as he sounds, though. They've seen a lot of impossible things lately...]

4 - The Gate

[mutant_messiah]

[After a few moments of watching Jintetsu from afar, Cable comes to stand alongside him.]

Thinking about goin out there?

[jintetsu]

[Hearing footsteps nearby, Jintetsu reins in his thoughts and turns to see who's there. But he's not expecting someone so huge. Even by his own time's standards, Jintetsu's not a big guy, so Cable towers head and shoulders over him. But before he can raise his hat for a better look at his face -

- that's a metal arm.

For a moment, he can't even believe it. The design is nothing like that of his own arm (which is still beneath his new cloak for now), but it's definitely artificial. This world's technology is even capable of that?

He's so busy staring at it, he barely even registers being asked a question. Fortunately, Haganemaru's there to pick up the slack.]

Just thinking, for now.

[mutant_messiah]

[Oh Jin, it's so much more than artificial...and not even from around here! He could blow your mind with what he's seen thus far in his life.]

Just thinking, hm? Well I'm with the Perimeter Guard, so if you're thinking more now than later, I was about to venture out there.

[jintetsu]

[Recovering from the surprise, Jintetsu tips his hat back to get a better look at the guy. He's certainly... unique-looking. Is his eye glowing? That's kind of unsettling.

He has to think about the offer for a second. On the one hand, he really does want to go. It may be dangerous, but he wouldn't be by himself, and on appearances alone this guy's likely strong enough to take care of whatever trouble they might run into. But on the other hand, he'd rather not rely on other people for something like that, especially ones he's just met.

But he really wants to go. And... ideally, he'd like to find out more about that arm, so it's not a purely irrational thing. What a dilemma. After a moment's thought, he replies.]

... I'd like to, but I'm still getting over some injuries. I wouldn't want to slow you down.

[mutant_messiah]

[Cable actually smirks at that.]

Stay close and you won't. [It's said simply because it is exactly that. He's gonna head on out now Jin, so follow or don't. Up to you.]

[jintetsu]

[Ohp! All of a sudden it's decision time. Jintetsu hesitates a moment, but then decides fuck it and follows. He jogs the first few steps to catch up, before settling in a little ways behind Cable. The pace is brisk, but he can match it; he's not that bad off, at least.]

How far out are you going?

[mutant_messiah]

Alone? Far as I want. With you?

[He looks to Jintetsu, his eye glowing a softer, different shade. Totally just scanned him several different ways at once.]

Not as far. How'd you get hurt?

[jintetsu]

[For a second, Jintetsu's reluctant to say. Powers or no powers, he did get badly and decisively trounced by a little girl, and it's kind of humiliating. But then again, rumors have wings, even in a city this big. He's heard folks talking about her all over, and with this guy being on the guard...]

... I'm guessing you've heard about the girl with claws. She crossed my path trying to kill someone, and I tried to stop her.

Didn't go so well.