[Aside from the very basic culture shock, it's fascinating with how different the Down is from the Up. How they restrict an entire group of people based solely on whether or not there's a line on their bodies - and how did that line get there in the first place? Were they tattooed since birth? A lottery system? Questions to be answered...
Though when they approach Stephen's motel, he's only so surprised. Of course there's a difference in luxury - he just wasn't certain how much. As they enter it;]
I wonder if there's something of an 'up' in this place. [Higher class among the low, so to speak.] Surely you could do better than...
[...well. No offense meant, Stephen, but this place is kind of shit.]
[he almost makes a comment about jail's confinement against the relative freedom given to the Submissives, but thinks better of it. Instead, Akande makes a noncommittal noise, instead] And now you have me wondering about the local jails. Especially since authority is a rather common...
[...y'know. Kink. Do you think there are sexy cops, Stephen. Do you think they have booty shorts.
[ stephen grimaces. the visual arises too quickly for comfort. ]
I haven't been in just yet, mostly because I don't doubt I'd be tempted to do something stupid.
[ that's a frank admission. stephen isn't the most aggressively moral person in the world, and might not even be a great guy on the best day, but the idea that there are people in cages waiting for their freedom to be bought doesn't sit right with him. ]
Did you want to see the private quarters as well? They look, in a word, like shit.
[Ah, yes. The people zoo. Akande had gone through that with a rather schooled expression. Not necessarily out of any historical context, but simply because it had been one of the oddest things he had ever seen.]
Time and place.
[For actions. Reactions. Anything and everything, really. Including, apparently, being taken to see Stephen's quarters. He has to admit, he's curious.]
All the more reason to encourage you to form a contract, I imagine. [He tilts his head. Lead on.]
I do imagine myself as someone who looks before leaping. But I've been wrong before.
[ the continued dryness of his tone suggests that it doesn't happen often. at the zoo, he'd had a moment, his hand sparking under his gloves, where he knew without a shadow of a doubt he could—but then there would have been an after, and. he has more to worry about than just himself.
he leads akande to the elevator, which is clean enough but has a corner light out, taps the button. tenth floor. ]
I can't say I'd be impressed if you did otherwise. [Forethought is sovereign, in Akande's book; the more you know, the more you can capitalize in on a weakness. And that goes in many aspects of life.
Tenth floor, there's the room and...Akande blinks at the symbols over the wall. H u h.]
[ stephen pauses, halfway in the small quarters. his hands are in his pockets, his posture lackadaisical. ]
No, those are unique to this suite.
[ on the doorframe and all the windowsills there are sigils in black marker. the air in the room is also significantly less musty than the rest of the building, and the sounds outside muted. ]
Upon arrival one of my first acts was to secure my living quarters in my own way. Seeing as we're in a bad part of town. [ he draws a hand out of his pocket and draws, in the air, a sparking octagram of light, about the size of a dinner charger: a shape that exists in two dimensions, and then three, and maybe more. ] I don't maintain a secret identity, per se, but it's a hell of a thing to put on a Tinder profile.
Akande's eyes widen at the sudden manifestation, clearly not expecting that. He doesn't look alarmed, per se, only taken by surprise - it reminds him of Sombra, almost, but Stephen hasn't the technology to do such a thing that he's seen.]
[ he closes his hand and the picture dissipates cleanly. stephen's expression hasn't changed; he's going to the small, shoddy cabinet to prep some tea, as much for himself as for a guest who presumably won't be running off screaming or whatever. ]
I told you I was no longer a practicing surgeon. Turned in my scalpel awhile ago and trained in the mystic arts instead ...
[ trailing off with a frown at the box in his hand. ]
[Akande is familiar with stories of magic. But the closest thing he knows of it is the Shimada clan's so-called 'dragons' - and yet, hasn't he met an elf here? Hadn't Rosalind discussed universal transport as easily as breathing?]
I have never seen such a thing before.
[He resolves to take it as it comes - and learn more about it, because certainly, stories...may or may not overestimate its power. Stephen has become all the more intriguing, though, as he takes a moment to examine another symbol upon the wall]
In our world I didn't know such things existed either, before about ... eight years ago. [ with the alien invasion, and the avengers appearing in the world to stop it. ] Now there's a whole— [ dismissive hand wave ] —supernatural component to my world, gradually integrating with the urban, the rural, the scientific, the mundane.
[ in what looks like sleight of hand more than any other impressive lightshow, stephen sets the box down and levels his gloved hands over the countertop, which causes two steaming mugs of tea to appear. ]
There are others like me among the newcomers. I'm sure you've already met a few, knowingly or otherwise.
Hm. One who released electricity with just his body. [Others? Well, there's The Elf, but he can't name any other-others offhand. Now, though, he's considering, because this...can alter things.
It's not a bad turn of events. Just a turn, that he needs to adapt to.
He approaches the countertop, there only being so much room to sit down and drink in here. Certainly not like his own quarters, but they are what they are. He's far more intrigued with the 'supernatural' that Stephen has demonstrated.]
And then...was there not that question posed to magic users, the ones capable of traveling?
Mmm, I did see that. There are quite a few of us, it seems.
[ stephen shifts aside smoothly to make room for akande beside him, leaning halfway on the counter and cradling his mug with his hands. he's in gloves today. ]
And yet, for all that my abilities aren't otherwise diminished, I just can't seem to leave. So ... I think one can assume city governance is well apprised of our capabilities.
[That answers that unspoken question. Mentally, though, Akande does mentally reorganize the categories of 'knowledge' in his mind; Stephen is placed that much closer to Rosalind.]
Where I come from, we haven't even touched interdimensional travel. I know of one experiment with time, but- it did not go well for the subject.
[or later, for her]
Let us assume, for now, this city can handle most of what we have at our disposal. Our choices then remain to adapt, or to grow even stronger and overcome.
[ stephen makes a neutral sound, both at the mention of a time experiment and also at the idea that the city knows what he has at his disposal. messing with time is bad, but he does it anyway; he's already been trapped and yet he still thinks there's some trick he hasn't discovered, a secret for striving, seeking, finding—
well. he's an arrogant fuck, too, lest he forget. ]
I dislike this place on principle. Not the sex, but how there seems little logic in how we are separated. [He gestures between the two of them] I do not know much about your abilities, but talents like those should have brought you very far. So why dismiss them and mark you less?
[ his answer is brief, non-descriptive and amused, as his gaze slides sideways to catch akande's smirk. his fingers twitch cursorily at the top of his mug. he's aware, not for the first time, that akande has—presence. even outside of his size, which is ... formidable. akande is the kind of man who's capable of sucking all the air out in a small room; on rare occasions it makes the hair on the back of stephen's neck stand on end for reasons he knows better than to attribute to magic.
besides that, the man has been reasonable, accommodating, no-frills in a way stephen can respect. maybe the city's expectations are weighing more heavily on him than he thought.
even knowing all that, having reasoned with himself, there's no reason for him to say, ] You presume I'm not already worse.
[Pain, huh. Of course, he's very mild when he asks-] Causing or experiencing?
[Because for all he knows, Stephen was meant to cause it - and he's a doctor. A healer. For some, such is outright anathema...which would fall in line with his estimation of Stephen not being in the 'worse' category, unless he's misread the man entirely.
Somehow, he doesn't think he is.
Akande takes a sip of the tea before continuing, ever-so-calmly]
I could see you being a bit of a brat, but those are easily tamed if you know what you're doing.
[He may or may not have said that just to see the reaction]
[ he flits a hand out over the countertop dismissively. ]
Experiencing. Of course. I took an oath ...
[ to do no harm. his voice trails off, though. there's that feeling again, the air all sucked out of the tiny kitchen and the casualness in akande's voice cutting to the quick. he lets out a low startled hiss of laughter instead, unable for the moment to meet his eyes, a brush of heat rising mercury-quick against the back of his neck and lingering. ]
[ the man is a rare smiler. stephen is too. he closes his long fingers over the top of the mug again, feeling the heat from the tea between his knuckles through the glove, matching the heat just beneath the surface of his skin. ]
Mmh. Consider it acknowledged.
[ he's trying, and mostly failing, not to keep smirking. he's also trying to consider just how much of a huge dipshit he is, to make assumptions when so far akande has been accommodating and direct; he's been careful to reflect that in kind.
but stephen has had a warped view of consequences since—well. the beginning of time, perhaps. and akande is, well, a lot. handsome, carved from fine stone, intimidating. stephen is a master of the mystic arts, though. he needn't be intimidated.
besides, he takes rejection a lot better than he used to, so he's not as careful as he should be in saying— ]
[Akande's directness has only been there to serve him. That, and he hasn't the impatience for some of the machinations his peers delight in; he's always been a more upfront sort of person, at least with what he can afford to be.
Besides. It has its own payoffs. He takes another sip of tea, smile lingering; he's clearly amused]
Should I ask if you are in need of being reigned in, Stephen?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
AS DISCUSSED
Though when they approach Stephen's motel, he's only so surprised. Of course there's a difference in luxury - he just wasn't certain how much. As they enter it;]
I wonder if there's something of an 'up' in this place. [Higher class among the low, so to speak.] Surely you could do better than...
[...well. No offense meant, Stephen, but this place is kind of shit.]
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[ you know, the one with the subs. stephen nods towards the common area. ] Lobby space. [ he gestures up. ] Eight people a floor.
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[...y'know. Kink. Do you think there are sexy cops, Stephen. Do you think they have booty shorts.
Don't answer that.]
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I haven't been in just yet, mostly because I don't doubt I'd be tempted to do something stupid.
[ that's a frank admission. stephen isn't the most aggressively moral person in the world, and might not even be a great guy on the best day, but the idea that there are people in cages waiting for their freedom to be bought doesn't sit right with him. ]
Did you want to see the private quarters as well? They look, in a word, like shit.
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Time and place.
[For actions. Reactions. Anything and everything, really. Including, apparently, being taken to see Stephen's quarters. He has to admit, he's curious.]
All the more reason to encourage you to form a contract, I imagine. [He tilts his head. Lead on.]
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[ the continued dryness of his tone suggests that it doesn't happen often. at the zoo, he'd had a moment, his hand sparking under his gloves, where he knew without a shadow of a doubt he could—but then there would have been an after, and. he has more to worry about than just himself.
he leads akande to the elevator, which is clean enough but has a corner light out, taps the button. tenth floor. ]
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Tenth floor, there's the room and...Akande blinks at the symbols over the wall. H u h.]
And these are in...all of the rooms?
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No, those are unique to this suite.
[ on the doorframe and all the windowsills there are sigils in black marker. the air in the room is also significantly less musty than the rest of the building, and the sounds outside muted. ]
Upon arrival one of my first acts was to secure my living quarters in my own way. Seeing as we're in a bad part of town. [ he draws a hand out of his pocket and draws, in the air, a sparking octagram of light, about the size of a dinner charger: a shape that exists in two dimensions, and then three, and maybe more. ] I don't maintain a secret identity, per se, but it's a hell of a thing to put on a Tinder profile.
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Kini.
Akande's eyes widen at the sudden manifestation, clearly not expecting that. He doesn't look alarmed, per se, only taken by surprise - it reminds him of Sombra, almost, but Stephen hasn't the technology to do such a thing that he's seen.]
How...are you doing that?
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I told you I was no longer a practicing surgeon. Turned in my scalpel awhile ago and trained in the mystic arts instead ...
[ trailing off with a frown at the box in his hand. ]
You drink chamomile?
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I have never seen such a thing before.
[He resolves to take it as it comes - and learn more about it, because certainly, stories...may or may not overestimate its power. Stephen has become all the more intriguing, though, as he takes a moment to examine another symbol upon the wall]
If you have it.
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[ in what looks like sleight of hand more than any other impressive lightshow, stephen sets the box down and levels his gloved hands over the countertop, which causes two steaming mugs of tea to appear. ]
There are others like me among the newcomers. I'm sure you've already met a few, knowingly or otherwise.
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It's not a bad turn of events. Just a turn, that he needs to adapt to.
He approaches the countertop, there only being so much room to sit down and drink in here. Certainly not like his own quarters, but they are what they are. He's far more intrigued with the 'supernatural' that Stephen has demonstrated.]
And then...was there not that question posed to magic users, the ones capable of traveling?
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[ stephen shifts aside smoothly to make room for akande beside him, leaning halfway on the counter and cradling his mug with his hands. he's in gloves today. ]
And yet, for all that my abilities aren't otherwise diminished, I just can't seem to leave. So ... I think one can assume city governance is well apprised of our capabilities.
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Where I come from, we haven't even touched interdimensional travel. I know of one experiment with time, but- it did not go well for the subject.
[or later, for her]
Let us assume, for now, this city can handle most of what we have at our disposal. Our choices then remain to adapt, or to grow even stronger and overcome.
[He is...actually looking forwards to this.]
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well. he's an arrogant fuck, too, lest he forget. ]
You sound like you've already made up your mind.
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Put me in my place, maybe. You saw that bracelet.
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[He's been curious for a bit, but hasn't figured out an opportunity to ask]
Regardless, my point stands. [beat, and then, a slight smirk of his own] And I've put worse in their place.
[holy shit is he flirting]
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[ his answer is brief, non-descriptive and amused, as his gaze slides sideways to catch akande's smirk. his fingers twitch cursorily at the top of his mug. he's aware, not for the first time, that akande has—presence. even outside of his size, which is ... formidable. akande is the kind of man who's capable of sucking all the air out in a small room; on rare occasions it makes the hair on the back of stephen's neck stand on end for reasons he knows better than to attribute to magic.
besides that, the man has been reasonable, accommodating, no-frills in a way stephen can respect. maybe the city's expectations are weighing more heavily on him than he thought.
even knowing all that, having reasoned with himself, there's no reason for him to say, ] You presume I'm not already worse.
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[Because for all he knows, Stephen was meant to cause it - and he's a doctor. A healer. For some, such is outright anathema...which would fall in line with his estimation of Stephen not being in the 'worse' category, unless he's misread the man entirely.
Somehow, he doesn't think he is.
Akande takes a sip of the tea before continuing, ever-so-calmly]
I could see you being a bit of a brat, but those are easily tamed if you know what you're doing.
[He may or may not have said that just to see the reaction]
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Experiencing. Of course. I took an oath ...
[ to do no harm. his voice trails off, though. there's that feeling again, the air all sucked out of the tiny kitchen and the casualness in akande's voice cutting to the quick. he lets out a low startled hiss of laughter instead, unable for the moment to meet his eyes, a brush of heat rising mercury-quick against the back of his neck and lingering. ]
Speaking from experience?
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Of course. Your oath.
[beat]
Let us simply acknowledge I enjoy making people behave. [putting them in their place, throwing them off bridges, etc]
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Mmh. Consider it acknowledged.
[ he's trying, and mostly failing, not to keep smirking. he's also trying to consider just how much of a huge dipshit he is, to make assumptions when so far akande has been accommodating and direct; he's been careful to reflect that in kind.
but stephen has had a warped view of consequences since—well. the beginning of time, perhaps. and akande is, well, a lot. handsome, carved from fine stone, intimidating. stephen is a master of the mystic arts, though. he needn't be intimidated.
besides, he takes rejection a lot better than he used to, so he's not as careful as he should be in saying— ]
What if I were to say I'd prefer it demonstrated?
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Besides. It has its own payoffs. He takes another sip of tea, smile lingering; he's clearly amused]
Should I ask if you are in need of being reigned in, Stephen?
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