[failedprince]

"Gotta love that feeling of missing something you need. Something vitally important to your existence, but not knowing where it went or even what it is you're looking for."

[firstgreatmagician]

The card disappears and Lyney wonders briefly just how bad his luck is to have run repeatedly into other magicians and con artists. But he keeps his expression cool and instead turns up his charm.

"First you steal this magician's cards and now you steal his disappearing tricks? Are you perhaps after my heart next? What more will you take?" He produces a holly flower with ease, holding it out to the nameless man with a smile. "Perhaps a gift?"

[failedprince]

The charm isn't really doing a whole lot for Dirk one way or the other, but at least it's entertaining enough to keep him there for the moment. He snorts derisively at the accusation of theft of a disappearing trick. "Hardly. I can almost guarantee what I did is not something you have ever done." Even if this guy is an actual magician and not simply a rather ambitious street performer, the tech involved in Dirk's own 'trick' is uncommon enough for him to be confident in making that statement.

He stares, apparently blankly, at the proferred plant for a moment before reaching out to take it. In reality, he was looking it up with the assistance of his shades, which begat the lag in response time. "I seem to be taking your winter holiday decorations. My place could use some sprucing up anyway."

[hydrofloraison]

@failedprince

♟ "Can you do that again?" It had been mere coincidence that Asa had walked past a young man swinging a katana around. Was he practicing? Goofing off? She couldn't really tell. But there was a wooden katana strapped to her own hip. Whenever she had to fight in the past, it had been her comfort tool.

Her interest wasn't in him but his movements. "I was given this katana but I'm not very good at wielding it. I just wanted to see... how you moved." So she could replicate it later.

[failedprince]

The movements pause at the sound of the voice. Dirk's posture becomes as still as a statue, with his blade pulled back and poised for a sharp forward thrust. Without otherwise breaking the pose, he turns his head enough to see the bokken the girl was talking about. He himself ever so vaguely remembers the days when he didn't know how to wield his weapon. Watching videos is essentially how he learned. Someone watching him in real life is a reasonable equivalent.

Finally, he breaks the stance, dropping his arm down by his side with the tip of his katana facing the ground to turn and face her completely. He has no sheath, never has, but that should sufficiently communicate his lack of threat. "Sure. You're welcome to watch, and I'd be happy to walk you through some things as well."

[mercurywitch]

☆ "Are you pawsitive about that?" She was evidently growing too powerful thanks to bad internet joke sites. "I'm stronger and my senses are better but I'm a lot more restless... I just can't seem to sit still no matter how hard I try."

[failedprince]

He chuckles softly, just under his breath enough to be deniable, though he would not do so if called on the reaction. "Man, where do I get the inverse of that upgrade? Although I suppose I would only want the energy part." His head cocks thoughtfully. "Then again, I wouldn't get nearly as much done. Never mind. Request rescinded." Reverie broken, he addresses her directly again. "Want to go for a run?" he offers amiably.

[guidingcall]

There's a few moments where Johnny just awkwardly stares at the other man, trying to debate whether or not he should approach. Lucky for them, socializing beats out anxiety, and he steps forward.

"Hey, sorry, you probably get this a lot, but," He laughs nervously, and rubs the side of his head, "Your glasses are really cool."

@failedprince liked for a starter!

[failedprince]

The staring was noticed almost immediately. However, he had waited for the person staring at him to decide on their next course of action without prompting. Things tended to be more interesting that way, or so Heisenberg proposed, and Dirk was inclined to agree. While he is already affecting the outcome via observation, at least he can minimize the effect.

Entertainingly, the outcome of the waiting is not really what he had expected, though he should have. The compliment elicits a light chuckle from the fellow. "I didn't used to. But it seems to be happening a lot more lately. I must be passing by the right kinds of strangers these days." Johnny is welcome to take that as he likes.

[mercurywitch]

☆ "So I've been turned into a wolf... girl...? I guess you could say things are looking pretty..."

"Ruff!" You know those bad joke websites that literally no one except corny dads use? Well Suletta had been studying them prior to the city changing.

[failedprince]

"Are they? I think you might be barking up the wrong tree. Wolf features seem like they would be an upgrade. But that's just my opinion." Dirk is amused by her comment, as evidenced by his own comment in return, though his expression, as usual appears neutral.

[indomitableblackdragon]

"So I have to ask, where can I get a pair of glasses like that?"

It was a pretty honest question all things considered. Maybe the way she stopped them right in the middle of the street could have used a little work but it was an important question. Wasn't everyday someone had such a stylish pair of shades out in the city.

"I mean I'll say it outright they look really cool. And all I got are some pretty big ones but they aren't nearly as practical as yours!"

@failedprince | s.c.

[failedprince]

"Ah, I can see you're someone with taste." Usually Dirk gets razzed about his totally rad shades, but once in a while someone actually likes them. That definitely warrants a pause, with an answer to follow.

"It's quite simple, really," he begins, sounding completely serious, which he is now and will continue to be throughout the rest of the explanation. "First, you appear from amidst the glob of slime that resulted from the summoning of your past self though time. Then, you get strapped to a meteor with your very best friend in the whole wide, soon to be extremely wet because a batshit alien empress decided to give climate changes a swift kick start in the pants world. Said meteor will plop down in the aforementioned world until you find the tower apartment left for you by your descendant from the past. Climb up the tower and start foraging around until you locate the shades. And probably also something to eat, because the coolest feral baby in the world really works up an appetite. Later on, when you're old enough, you'll augment the shades into hands free tech for maximum efficiency."

[eldritchtechno]

"I really need to fix up my shop after this."

[failedprince]

"If you need any help, feel free to hit me up. I'd be happy to lend as many hands as I can find laying around."

[vulkashunaranger-deactivated202]

The robotic creature seems to be picking up small core liike objects. The change of scenery had been disorienting to it at first, but after finding a scrapyard, it had taken to going there occasionally to look for any materials it recognized.

At first, it was oblivious to its audience, but when he spoke, it briefly changed into a large cube shape, as a form of self protection, clearly startled. It stayed that way for a minute or more, until it realized it wasn't being attacked. Then it unfolded itself back into its regular shape.

"Kalu???" It asked.

[failedprince]

The objects the robot is perusing seem to all have a similar theme. Whatever it is looking for, it clearly has an idea in mind. That tells Dirk a bit as well, though why it is looking for them is still a little outside of his paygrade at this current juncture. Although not above it.

Suddenly changing into a cube is a new one on him, and Dirk is rather startled by that. His startle takes the form of staring at the cube, which is a lot less apparently startled than the robot. After a brief internal debate, he is just about to poke the cube in an effort to see what it would do when it uncubes.

"Nifty trick. I'll have to remember to try that next time all else fails." He is pleasantly amused by the events currently transpiring. "I'm forced to admit I don't know what kalu is. Or what it means, assuming the universal translation field is failing to put the word through its paces. This place is spottier than Swiss cheese, so that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. At any rate. Care to try that again?"

[failedprince]

@vulkashunaranger

Dirk is used to other scavengers in the scrapyard with him. Sure, he could easily afford to buy things new here, but it's taking things that used to do something and making them work again, or do something entirely new, that really appeals to him. He also has little interest in economics; that's the other Strider. So he may not actually know much of his personal wealth. That's a topic for another day, perhaps.

Today, he is mainly concerned with the new, highly unusual face in the heap with the foragers. Face might be a bit of a generous notion, but he is feeling a bit philanthropic under the circumstances. Meandering over to the robot, he peers at it. It is very clearly searching for something. Self-repairing? Fixing a friend? Building another bot? All good questions. None of them are going to be answered if he just stands there with his head tilted like a stuck bird though.

"Finding what you're lookin' for, lil dude?" he ventures in an effort to sate his his burning curiosity. Expecting a response might be a bit assumptive, but his bots always answered. Why not this one too?

[windmadepoet]

"Well... if he's been here about the same time as me, I don't have to worry about my safety when I run into him. He doesn't like my pranks, and gets quite... crabby. He's such an old man, it's no fun!" Venti continues to talk, mostly to himself. He brings his attention back to Dirk, and smiles. "His name is... uh, shoot. What does he go by again??? Zhongli? He looks like a boring man in a brown overcoat with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and kind of yellow brown eyes. Oh, and he probably has a little trinket like mine around his waist, though it'll be more squarish and geometrical in shape. That's his geo Vision. Of course, it's probably useless now. Buuuuuut who knows."

Taking off his hat, Venti bows genuinely at Dirk. "Nice to meet you Strider! When I recount your tales, I'll make sure to mention how helpful and patient you've been, despite looking rather irritated at my newcomer questions. I imagine you've had your fair share of answering ones of the like. How might I thank you?"

[failedprince]

"I see," said the visually impaired man. Purely metaphorical blindness of course, since his vision is now and will likely remain impeccable. Or perhaps Venti is underestimating the willingness of his compatriot to use means other than whatever power is likely being alluded to. "Old men can be rather a lot of fun if you give them the chance. At any rate, if I have seen your brown man, I haven't made particular note of it." He might now though, if only to pass along a warning to (maybe) Zhongli.

The amused chuckle the bow elicits isn't entirely false. The bow was pretty entertaining. "Charmed, I'm sure. Despite my face. For the record, it usually looks like this. My default expression is called resting bitch face in some circles, but I just call it my face." He offers a shrug in response to the question. "No thanks needed. Or wanted, before you try that angle. I'm the man on the street, not a 1-900 number."

[windmadepoet]

"It's been a while since I've seen him. I don't know if he still uses his dragon form, or if he even can hold a form like that here." Venti muses quietly, mostly to himself. However, all thoughts of his sort of family is thrown out the window upon the rhyme being given to him. He giggles, clapping his hands in delight.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! If I had a pence to share, I would offer one as thanks for speaking my language! Few speak back to me in song or rhyme. Not that I mind, I do have a job to keep as a bard, so the less people are taking up that space, the more chances I have of getting paid, you know?" He giggles again, beaming joyfully, as if Dirk had done some great deed for him. "Ah I can't remember if I introduced myself, fellow poofy pants wearer! The name is Venti! What might I call the name when I recount your tale upon getting back to Teyvat?"

[failedprince]

He is less distracted by his own rhyme, so he starts with the family talk. “Couldn't say much about either of those things. I have no way of knowing if some rando uses a power. And without knowing how long it's been since he got here, I don't know how much of an option it'd be for him. But hey, good luck with the search anyway.”

Dirk shrugs. “Don't need the money. I do just fine without pence that's worthless without a curio shop anyway. I'm sure you'll find people that appreciate your talent. And your coin.” His head cocks, deciding how much to offer Venti at this current juncture. “Well now you have. Alright, Venti. If you need something to call me in the tales I'm certain you'll recount whether it matters or not, call me Strider.”

[thelittleststarr]

The sound of another stranger's voice approaching is enough to cause the cat to cower further away, and enough to cause Queenie to startle. She looks over her shoulder, looking up at the man who approaches her, shaking her head.

"No..." She sniffles, quickly wiping at her eyes to wipe away any tears threatening to fall. "But I was so close to gettin' it to come to me. I wanted to pet 'em..."

[failedprince]

That poor kitty, who was having a less than stellar time already, seems to be having an even worse one now that he has shown up. It might be more insulting if that didn't happen often enough not to bother him. Granted, it's usually people, but the principle is the same.

At any rate, all might not be lost. “Hey, I bet I can make that happen for you. I've got a trick or two up my sleeve that ought to soothe scaredy cat's frazzled nerves enough to let you get a few scritches in.”

Slowly and carefully, he lifts a hand, fingers gently pointing in the direction of her potential feline friend. A pale ray of magenta streaks out from his fingertips, targeting the cat. It carries with it an air of calm. The message that there is nothing to fear, nothing to feel bad about at all. Dirk hasn't done it much on non-humans, but his ability to calm emotions in others is something he has been working on in general. In theory, it should work well enough to allow her to approach and pet the cat.

[windmadepoet]

"There's one person in particular I would love to attack with the false arrows, see? He's sort of like a big brother to me, and he's fun to play with."

The tone shift from casual to slightl demanding has Venti raising both of his hands in a placating gesture. To show his sincerity, Venti spoke in a quick poetic manner.

"Please know I meant no offense, and you have no need to be on the defense, For I am but a bard who asks about art, not war. So do you know any other tales to share, or maybe a song to share in the air?"

[failedprince]

“Ah.” He gets it now. It's less he needs someone he recognizes and more that Venti is looking for someone in particular. “I'm sure I don't know this pseudo-sibling of yours. But maybe if you describe him, I might be able to tell you if I've seen him around.” Dirk sees a lot more people than he bothers to interact with, so it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility.

He doesn't feel like telling either his life story or any further stories about Spirale in detail right now. His reply is less a song and more like a recitation that happens to rhyme, but it gets the job done. “You seem keen on digging, so I'll make it plain. And give you my answer with the following simple refrain: No.”

[windmadepoet]

Venti... has to try not to look too interested when he hears that Dirk doesn't have any living friends. He couldn't help the pull he felt towards people who had lost loved ones or been betrayed. He smiled softly nodding in understanding. "They did give me a toy archery set! I haven't seen anyone I recognize enough to want to use it.But I can't wait to have fun with it! I'll have to use it to practice. Say, do yyou like music or play an instrment? Or perhaps poetr?"

[failedprince]

And still, the feeling of a little too much interest does come off Venti. It's not his fault Dirk can pick up on things like that these days. It also doesn't appear to bother him yet. It may in the future, but we shall see. "I fail to see why you need someone you recognize in order to use it, but you do you, bro."

That question is quite the non sequiter, enough so that it gets a quirked eyebrow and an honest answer. "I rap. Why does that matter." It's not a question so much as a demand for the reason his musical and or poetic acuities matter.

[windmadepoet]

"I didn't exactly understand all that," He had. Venti always knew and understood more than he ever let on. "But we're being held here by the will of others, who like to do use this planet as a means of altering the victims? Do I have this right so far? But we can get our stuff back somehow. Phew! I miss my bow." And his shapeshifting. How was he going to prank people if he couldn't borrow their shape?? Not that he was going to tell this man that. "Everything here is so high tech! It's like being in Fontaine! You've been here for years, though? Hm. I don't know if that's good or bad, but that's more for you to decide, isn't it? I'm sure you would like your friends to be around, but perhaps you've made some?"

[failedprince]

Dirk hadn't necessarily expected him to understand everything that was said just now. It was a lot and mostly out of context. But as an overview, it sufficed. Questions can come now. Or later. Or never. Whatever suits the audience. "I'm not one hundred percent sure this is even an entire planet, but otherwise, yes. That sums up that particular set of salient points. Did they give you a toy archery set then?" If someone has a weapon they miss, the pattern indicates that what the powers that be replaced.

"No idea what or where Fontaine is other than not here and not where I came from, so I'll take your word for it." Honestly, he doesn't know if his extended presence here is good or bad either. It just is. Story of his life."My friends are dead. Or gone. Save one." Imagine having friends. Couldn't be him.

[windmadepoet]

"I think it's a fun outfit! You should give it a twirl to watch the cape swish!" Just to prove his point, Venti twirled in a circle, the split in the back of his cape looking like a pair of wings as they moved.

"So! Care to tell me a tale of this place? Or your tale? Or would you prefer to hear a tale completely new? I'm sure you have something to share to a fellow world traveler!" Although the young man in front of him seemed reluctant to engage in conversation, and rather seemed to detest his outfit, Venti loved to talk and listen to people.

[failedprince]

Dirk just stares at him, unimpressed. He didn't acquire this outfit yesterday. Any twirling that might have occurred to him has already been done. Despite not being as annoyed by this interaction as he might seem, this isn't the right person to bring out the fun in him.

"I'm not a world traveler, and I'm not interested in sharing my life story with some rando who shops at the same store as my divine costume designer." But he isn't entirely opposed to the notion of conversation, so he takes the opening of the remaining question.

"This place is some interdimensional holding cell. It pulls people in from all over the multiverse for hat I have come to assume is science and personal amusement. Their amusement more than ours. They lock up your shit when you first arrive, so you have to keep playing along with their games and tests while they observe the results if you want it back. I don't know the exact criteria or how they decide what you've earned, and I feel like it has changed in the years I've been here. They're pretty open about what they're doing when they run the games and tests, so as much as this makes me sound like a conspiracy nut, I'm only extrapolating a little of what I just told you. They possess either powerful magic, or this is an incredibly sophisticated simulation. Sometimes both, if I'm being honest. The VR alone proves at least the latter. Trust me, if you stick around, you'll see some pretty wild stuff. Participation is generally optional with the aforementioned stuff, but you'll almost certainly still see at least a little of it."