“That’s fair.” He crossed his arm and straightened his posture, trying to look a little more serious. Giving Kaden’s boss the impression that he was pathetic was the last thing he wanted right now. “But considering you people bought something from us… you know we’re smugglers, right?” Normally, he wouldn’t have dared to even breathe a word of that sentence to someone he’d just met, but if they didn’t already know somehow, he imagined they’d have to find out soon.
He noticed that his question was ignored, giving Kaden a sort of suspicious look out of the corner of his eye. Why would he just gloss over it, unless something strange was going on here? Averill wasn’t one to settle for less answers than he asked for. A bit hypocritical, since he was rather secretive himself, but his curiosity always got the best of him. Usually, he’d just take it upon himself to steal get the information, though that wasn’t his first choice here, considering it’d probably cause more trouble than it was worth. Instead, he just spoke his mind, a bit inappropriately, perhaps. “…You didn’t answer my question.”
“Hrm,” he huffed with a sharp breath out his nose. Averill could understand trying to change yourself - he’d been trying since the moment he put that first piece of metal into himself. Even if he could relate to an extent, though, he didn’t want to deal with this guy being an asshole for the sake of reputation. For a moment, he wondered how much trouble he’d get in if he ended up mouthing off to him. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything,” he laughed.
Kaden nods a little as he walks down the hallway, counting the doors on his hands. He was looking for the one with his name on it; Without saying a word to Averill, he had connected to Paradise’s interview schedule, and blocked off a room, calling in an interviewer as well. His boss coming was just because the man wanted his fancy new toy.
“Oh, yes, we know! It’s simply not an issue.”
This was true in a sense. Paradise cared about its settlement, time, and citizens. It didn’t care about some smuggler or ring or anything similar, so long as those three things were left stable. At the mention of his work once again, he looks over his shoulder.
“I’ve told you, we’re a sanctuary. We just keep people safe...”
He opens the door, revealing a wide room with a singular desk inside. Behind it, there were four lights, each a different colour, but they were off at the moment. It seemed like any ordinary office, otherwise, save for those lights. Inside was a tall, scrawny man with a notable metal hub on his back, who was sitting in a chair off to the side, and at the desk was the same little blonde girl from the checkpoint, this time just minus the kevlar vest. Their shirts, much like Kaden’s, said their names under a large-printed number: ‘009 - FRANCIS (III)’ and ‘822 - JULIET’ respectively.
“Tjia, welcome. Take a seat wherever you like.. Juliet will handle your interview, since it was the first officer you met. It can’t speak right now, so this would likely be a simple paper interview... Here. Do keep in mind that information will be shared with the approval board, who verify information in real time. The approval board will not be meeting with you personally so they remain impartial.” Kaden sweeps his arm to the side, switching from his casual demeanour to his professional one without missing a beat. From his pocket, he digs out a pen, a simple flt tip, handing it over. It had a stylised peacock design to it, in lavish yellows, with the word “Citrine” printed on it. He then steps aside towards Francis, handing over the box.
At the desk, Juliet sort of motions him over, pushing out a small form with the standard questions. She offers out a little smile, sitting back down. Some fields had been pre-filled, in some pristine, almost robotic handwriting.
Full Name:
Aliases/Nicknames: Tjia
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Current Place of Residence:
Please describe the nature of your employment:
Please select the nature of your presence in 12th Landing
( Full Resident ) ( Temporary Resident )
( Short-Term Visit ) ( Long-Term Visit )
( Returning Resident ) ( Returning Employee )
IF the answer to the previous question was a RESIDENT, select the appropriate circumstances:
( Ixalen / Eolen Refugee ) ( 2988 Refugee ) ( Other Refugee )
( Severe Health Issue ) ( Mild Health Issue ) ( Permanent Hospitalisation )
( Familial ) ( Civil )
( Trainee Applicant )
( Other : ____________________________ )
IF the answer to the previous question was a VISIT, select the nature of the visit.
( Tourism ) ( Other : Individual request - No extenuating circumstances )
( Severe Health Issue ) ( Mild Health Issue )
( Familial Visit ) ( Civil Visit )
Ward: 771 CITRINE - KADEN
Contact Point: 822 CITRINE - JULIET
The named Ward will be held responsible for all activity by the applicant. The named Ward is also responsible for the care and health of the applicant. This includes but is not limited to: Food, shelter, water, hospice care, neonatal care, transportation, and medication.
In the event that the named Ward is either A) a trainee, B) a Group-2 resident, or C) a suspended agent, the Ward must be within 50 feet of the applicant at all times.
In the event that the named Ward is either D) an active agent, F) a Protected or Group-1 resident, or F) a Cardinal, the Ward must establish a direct line of contact between itself and the applicant, and must maintain hourly contact.
If the applicant is found to be violating Paradise law, the named Ward is to be held accountable alongside the applicant. The applicant will immediately be ejected from Paradise with all protections revoked, or given penalty dependent on the crime committed. The named Ward will receive penalty based upon the crime committed and previous record, up to and including termination of employment..
“Hm.” He nods, then follows behind Francis, before looking up at him with confusion when the trainee moves in front of him. He looks toward the other trainee… ‘Kaden’ from what the text on his shirt said.
“Uh… other than remembering little to nothing about what happened before I woke up, I’m doing fine.”
Kaden couldn’t help a deep frown as he pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I see..Look, you really shouldn’t be here... but.” He looks towards Francis, his shoulders slumped as he realised three equally risky options. Either help with the duo and risk his own position, ignore them and risk his own position, or report Francis and have the demon thrown in containment... But he felt uncomfortable with all three.
Francis sort of puts his arms in front of Zeno, as if defending him. “Do you know the code to get into the library? Once I’m in there, then I can see what I can find, and I can send him back, and it’ll all be fine.” Whatever this place was, it certainly wasn’t anywhere for the sweet trainee to be. “.. I’m sure he wants to go home just as much as we want him too... Right?” The green trainee looked visibly frightened, shaking as he kept his body in between the two. He felt afraid that Kaden would tell their superiors about the child, and that both would end up worse.
He shrugs. “Guess so.” He taps a finger on his arm again, before looking up when he hears ‘lightning’. “Lightning, huh?” He cut himself off before he could continue talking, though, once he saw one of the books floating. He raised an eyebrow. “Huh…” He looks back at Francis, then after a moment, he quietly says “Thanks.”.
He does take notice of the scars after he says this, though, and he looks a bit confused. Were those from the lightning?
“Mhm..” Francis lifts his other hand, a small ball of electricity forming, but the sparks jumped to his skin, and he yelps out as the ball disappears, looking clearly disappointed in himself. “Still learning, though...”
He drops the book as he hears the door open, before he quikly goes to stand in front of the mamodo to help obscure him from view. The being that stepped in was a bit taller than Francis, with brown hair and bright yellow eyes. His shirt was similar to Francis’, but with yellow sleeves instead of green, and the text “771 - KADEN” printed on it.
Kaden looks visibly shocked when he sees Francis, though not noticing the child just yet. “I.. 009, I wasn’t expecting you to be in here.. Is everything okay?” He sounded concerned for the other, before stepping forward. It was just as Francis was about to speak that he noticed Zeno, despite Francis’ efforts to hide. He looks somewhat scared, eyes wide as he disappointedly looks towards his friend. “... Why are you like this.. You know you can’t bring people here...” The yellow trainee looks back to the demon. “Are you alright?”
“Nobody important -” he started, noticeably perturbed. “That’s not - that doesn’t make okay to just ‘experiment’ on whoever.” His mouth twisted into a scowl. “What the hell kinda work do y’all even do here?” Averill’s speech quirks tended to become more prominent when he was irritated or upset, something he wasn’t exactly fond of.
He watched the exchange with a tight-lipped smile, not exactly enjoying being so out of the loop. Maybe he’d pester Diederik to make a translator for him later; it probably wouldn’t be much of a challenge for him, he figured. His smile widened slightly and he gave a small wave in response to the alien.
Honestly, Averill was starting to wish they’d sent Eliza on this delivery instead. Eliza wouldn’t let something slide if she thought it was wrong, Eliza wouldn’t let somebody treat her like an outsider, Eliza wouldn’t stand around like some fucking tool, she’d just exude confidence and show them all her cool tricks, Eliza, Eliza, Eliza… He grimaced and dug his fingers into his palms; were it not for his gloves, his nails certainly would have drawn blood.
“It’s… fine.” He sighed. “I’m just a suspicious person, y’know?” He cracked a crooked smile, but it didn’t have much heart to it. Yes, it was something he was used to, but somehow this felt… worse. As if he was teenage Elizabeth Hoa Ing Averill Tjia again, watching everyone mock him and glare at him and then act like he was too stupid to notice. Nowdays when he seemed suspicious, it was usually because of the powerful people he worked for, because of the alter-ego he used to antagonize his foes.
“Oh. Great.” Admittedly, Averill was not feeling particularly enthused to meet Kaden’s boss, though he was awfully curious. “Uh, what’s he like?”
If only Averill knew that when Kaden said “nobody important”, he meant himself. After all, he could just be rebuilt, his memory transferred, and it’s almost like nothing ever happened. He may have started as human, but so many implants, prosthetics, and chips, and after being rebuilt after each incident that his human body couldn’t handle, he was more metal than man.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, Tjia. If it helps, I don’t find you too suspicious, but its just policy to give everyone a security check before they go in. Sometimes our own employees have to, if they’ve been gone for too long.”
He opted to ignore the question about his work and Paradise’s purpose. After all, Paradise is a good place, and it does wonderful work, and treats it’s employees so well for how hard they work...... Kaden believed that, anyway. He stays in the doorway, looking back to him with that confident, calm expression. He believed everything would be fine, that he would get Averill that security card, and allow the other to wander around the metro area. Now if only he knew to shut up.
“He’s.. a bit brash, I won’t lie, and he’s not the friendliest person here... Don’t take anything he says to heart, though, alright? He used to be quite the coward, so I think he acts tougher to make up for it... Don’t tell him I said that, please.”
Phi frowned. She kinda wanted to take that headset, not for any reason except that it looked cool. Even in this weird land, she could have accessorized, and made some good first impressions.
“It’s Phi. P - H - I. If you want a last name, it’s spelled K - L - I - M. Adult female, extra small. If there’s any teenaged guy shirts in there, that’d work too.”
She peeked over at all the gadgetry in his possession - a bit miffed that he wasn’t even sharing that cool gun with her, especially with all the killer robots outside. Still. Best to stay calm and be nice to her one ticket out of here.
If she attempted to just take it, she would find that it would stubbornly refuse to come off, and that Francis would have immediately begun crying. The teen was toiling away, tracing out the letters on a suitably sized shirt. He looks back towards her for a moment, before changing the colour on the device’s screen to blue. With a hot glow, it shines a light on the front of the shirt, with it reading “291 - PHI”. That ‘ID’ burns into the fabric in a brilliant azure colour.
“There, uhm.. Here, put this one on.”
He holds out the shirt towards her, shaking still. He was scrawny and definitely somebody who wouldn’t last a day in the field of his work, so he was given menial, useless tasks. He goes to the window shortly afterwords, looking disheartened as he looks at the machines patrolling the streets, as though the city was still alive and thriving.
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He tilts his head slightly as Francis’s eyes change color, and he mutters “What…?” under his breath. When Francis’s eyes turn back to their original color, Zeno notices the expression on his face and tenses up slightly.
Then he hears Francis saying what he is, and he raises an eyebrow. He down at himself. “…I don’t really know what magic I have either.”
“It’s just a step forward, I guess, so at least you know a little more.”
Francis puts his hands together, looking towards the door. What was taking his friend so long. He opts to sit at the desk, turning the chair to face the child.
“I can’t really tell what kind of magic you have, so.. I dunno how you would make it work or do anything, but it’s probably not a good idea to do it in this room anyway. I uh.. Personally, I’m psychic, and I’m trying to learn lightning too, but...”
He looks over his hands, examining the scars that the lightning had left him with before. He was never going to be adept with it, but why bother with that when you could do this. With ease, Francis was able to lift one of the books on the desk, his eyes glowing once again. While he could use his power without the giveaway, it took a lot more effort to hide it, and telekinetic-lifting a book wasn’t demanding enough to warrant it.
“I’ve only really met like.. two.. before, but one of them almost cost me my job... So, I’ll still help you, though, okay?”
He leans back against the wall, crossing his arms as Francis explains the emptiness. ‘That sounds stupid,’ he thinks, tapping a finger on his arm and looking around. When Francis says he knows what Zeno is, though, his expression lights up a bit. “Wait, what?”
Francis sort of taps his fingers together, before looking the child over again. He blinks his eyes, both turning a bright teal-green. His ability wasn’t anything he thought twice of, just something he usually did, allowing him to see magical energy. Just as he thought, Zeno’s appearance in his second sight lined up with those of other mamodo he had met. Blinking again, his eyes go back to normal, but he looks a little less than amused.
“Uhm.. You’re called a ‘mamodo’ apparently.. or a demon, or whatever. I’ve met a few of you before though, you just look really similar.”
He traces his fingers along his face, mimicking the lines under Zeno’s eyes.
“That, uh.. I can tell you have some kind of magic or something. I dunno what though.”
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* What part of ‘THE CAKE IS TOO HOT TO DECORATE BECAUSE THE DAMN HEAT WILL MELT THE ICING!’ Do you not understand!?
* What’s the secret to making the perfect swirl? It looks just like ice cream!
* Swiss…Italian….French….American-Who cares buttercream is buttercream! It’s all the same right? What’s the difference? It’s all the same!
* You need to sift the icing sugar like you would with flour, if you don’t it’ll be lumpy.
* I recommend the paste / gel food colouring to the liquid ones. The liquid will just make it runny plus it’s easier to make the colours you want with only a small amount! The paste one works well with fondant too!
* Can you teach me how to pipe a rose? Mine-Well lets just say they don’t look rose like.
* That two toned buttercream is beautiful! How do you get it like that?
Pie:
* How do you get the crust so flaky!?
* Don’t handle the dough so much!
* That’s….Way too much flour.
* What do you mean ‘rest’ the dough? I’m the one doing all the work-Why does dough need to rest-Heck it’s dough for crying out loud! How do you rest dough?!
* (Staring down at burnt pie crust) ….You didn’t cover it with aluminum foil did you?
* I believe the recipe said ‘bake til golden brown.’ not ‘bake til it looks like it’s been on a trip to the sun.’
* What do you think I should make? Apple pie or cherry pie?
* I prefer lemon meringue myself.
* Am I rolling this right?
* That is some fancy pie decorating, how long did it take ya?
* What do ya think? Plaid design or flowers?
Cake / Cookies:
* The reason the layers are uneven is because you didn’t cut the tops off the layers before putting the second layer on.
* You sure you put jam in this? I can’t taste the jam…A Victorian sponge without is like-A crime committed during the day!-Or a coffee cake with the coffee!
* Uh…I think you over filled the cupcake cases…You sure those aren’t gonna over fill in the oven?
* So bad news: The cupcakes rose too high, good news is we now have muffins!
* The cake will be easier to carve if ya chill it for a while.
* Told ya those cookies would spread if ya didn’t put ‘em in the fridge.
* How do you make the perfect royal icing?….Mines either too stiff or too runny.
Zeno continues following behind Francis. He notices the looks that a few of the others give him. He narrows his eyes slightly, growling a bit as he continues on. He looks… confused again, once they enter the dormroom. Once again, he looks a bit irritated by the emptiness.
Francis was about to open his mouth to speak, but seeing the demon’s sour expression, he quickly opted not to. He stood by the desk, just as he had done in his own room. Finally, he takes a breath, shrugging.
“I know these rooms aren’t much.. Uhm.. They don’t really give kids good rooms, or even the grown-ups really. We’re always too busy to actually have a room, it’d just be wasted space.”
He coughs, trying to decide on something relevant to actually talk about, instead of prattling on. He usually was struck if he spoke too much near other agents, especially about irrelevant things.
“Hrm,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “I was even planning on being nice and warning the poor sucker who’s about to get that thing stuck in his head, y’know. The instructions won’t do it justice, and neither will that weird video Diederik made.” He figured someone here must some knowledge of phasing and the principles involved, since they were able to catch the corporation’s intradimensional signals.
On the other hand, Kaden seemed to know nothing of base world, suggesting that they weren’t able to transcend all the layers separating this reality from his home. Even if he was just a middleman, he figured someone would at least tell him a little. Either way, it wasn’t particularly likely they’d developed substantial phaser devices, as this reality didn’t seem to be part of an overlayed system, the typical catalyst for such developments.
Averill cringed inwardly at the mention of an interview - he’d assumed the security check would be more physical than verbal. Not that he wanted to get patted down or anything uncomfortable, but he did not have a way with words. A vague memory of when Jingyi gave him his job and his first assignment popped into his head - he’d been so nervous that he felt as if he might implode, and she just shook his hand and gave him his uniform with that thin, unwavering smile of her’s. “Interview, huh? I thought maybe you’d just put me in big metal tube that analyzes my psyche or something,” he joked in an attempt to cover any nervousness.
He raised an eyebrow and made a face at the sight of all the agents and aliens, but said nothing. He was already on such a high level of “what the fuck” that questioning the mass presence of aliens didn’t even make his to-do list. Aside from what he’d already been told, he essentially dismissed it as an alternate reality thing. Best not to get too caught up in it… but when was he ever not caught up in something?
“Alright.” Averill played with the drawstring on his jacket as he followed Kaden to the door.
“Ah, don’t worry, nobody important will be stuck with it.” Kaden knew that, if III did decide to experiment with it, he would likely be the subject. He always was. And if something went wrong? Oh well, he could be scrapped and rebuilt, as usual. Everything had been accounted for. Now, Paradise’s own phasing technology did allow them to cross barriers, but why would Kaden tell him that? It wasn’t relevant, and he didn’t need to know anyway.
“No no no, they usually just keep things simple... Besides, the mind is a complicated little thing, we have too much else to do than make something to analyse it.” He moves his hands towards the Ixalen, a hand grasping his tail and moving it off the doorknob. “Now, modifyi- Excuse me?” His sentence was cut short by the alien swatting his hand away. “I really need to get through this door-” Mamba makes a distinct look of confusion; he didn’t understand English as Kaden spoke it. His hand is swatted back again. Kaden thinks for a moment, looking at Averill with a clear expression of annoyance. “One moment.”
“Mamba, quixohua ta izoni is notequi. Stay tlapiaya, ya, auh..”
( Mamba, getting through this door is important. You stay guarding it, and... )
With a small nod of understanding, Mamba grabs his hand again, then looks to Averill, back to the agent before him.
“Niuh who?” The alien flicks his eyes towards the visitor with some caution. “Campa Three tepantli, anca... Stay sure, niuh?”
( Who’s that? ... Three is inside, so... Are you still sure? )
Kaden pulls his hand back, firm as he stands his ground. “Niuh is Tjia. Quiyahuac Tjia, anca xime tlatlatoznequi. Quimo Tjia cantiuh Centrado.”
( This is Tjia. They’re from outside, so I’m getting them an interview. Since they’re lost, they’re going to Centrado. )
With that, Mamba smiles a bit, and nods, offering Averill a small wave. “Ooh. Ta-ra, Tjia, stay lucky, ya?” He then moves off to the side, no longer swatting at Kaden when he reaches for the door.
Almost in a show of confidence, Kaden makes a show of getting the door open, holding it for the other. He looks between the two, shrugging slightly. “I do apologise for it. Mamba must have been assigned as security today. Hah.. It probably looked suspicious to him, so he gave us a hassle about it.. Either way, come along, just through here. You’ll get to meet my boss apparently as well.”
He looked up at Francis, then at the door, hopping off of the seat and following Francis out of the door. “Yeah. Other than my name, everything’s just… blank.”
Nodding, Francis walks through the hallways, ushering the child to follow close. He sort of kept in front of him, trying to keep him hidden from the others in the hallway. There were no non-human entities there now, just other agents talking among themselves. A few do make looks of confusion or disgust as they see Zeno, though. There’s some muttering: “Did the trainee bring somebody in again?” - “Didn’t it learn it’s lesson last time?” - “It’s going to get in trouble if anyone in charge sees the kid...” - “What do I care?”
Finally he made it to the end of the hall, unlocking a door with his handprint as before. Inside, it was.. just another small dormroom, empty by the looks of it.
“We just gotta wait here for a bit.. Uhm.. The person who lives in here would be able to help us, it knows basically everything I think.” What Francis didn’t know is that his friend knew everything within Paradise’s database, but as the demon wasn’t in it, it would just be another dead end.
“That makes sense. Maybe something is up with him? I don’t know. Hey since he’s not eating that… can I eat it after I finish this delicious spaghetti?” Well he is a demon and they often have large appetites. “Oh and maybe you can get me some pistachio ice cream sometime or mochi. Don’t give me anything mango related. I’m allergic to mangos.”
“Of course, dear...” Tonaz frowns a little as she thinks about what to do, sliding the plate towards him. It wasn’t particularly spicy. Her voice didn’t chipper up, and she kept her hands clasped together, tight. “I’ll go to the store when I can... I don’t know when that would be.”
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