up my sleeves

I wasn't sure what the situation up on the Plates was like, as far as work goes.  Most of my clients were working class folk, very modest.  I did have a few work for one of the rich boys, but never would I have worked on private vehicles.  Something about being topside made me feel uneasy.  I could feel judgmental eyes and whispers behind my back any time I made my way up there, even at the behest of a client.

I wasn't sure what the situation up on the Plates was like... at all.

His sigh is heavy, which lends creedance to his mention of being alone with his thoughts earlier.  I know all too well that living can be stressful, so I quietly lend an ear to him in the meantime as he shares.

The work history he shares with me enlightens me as to why he perked up considerably when I mentioned my own line of work.  I knew a bit about trains, but not much.  I never worked on the rails above or anything, and I know that most run with external combustion engines - a bit of a different monster.  Like him, I am sure that I could find my way around, but it wasn't my area of expertise.  Still, I nod along with him.

Didn't expect to find another tradesman out here.  Then again, I never expected to find anyone out here that wasn't strictly in the "food" category.

"So you also fix broken shit," I summarize, a warm smile breaking across my face as I lift my empty handed fist and playfully punch at his arm.  "Always good to meet like-minded people."

The fist unwinds to form an open palm, outreached hand, waiting for a handshake.

"I'm Iara."
""

Iara

Se eu tiver sonhando, não precisa me acordar.

CIAN

Talking about home makes his mind trying to spin away with all those thoughts and his potential troubles for being where he is not supposed to be in the first place. However, before his mind can take a deep dive into itself, the light punch to his arm snaps him out of it and he answers it with a smile.

"Suppose that is how you can summarize it." He nods. Fixing broken things had a good sound to it and he proceeds to take her hand to shake it. "I'm Cian, the graceless dipund from Garanenz" He says with a hint of a grin and chuckles softly, clearly not the least offended by her earlier comment about him.

"So, you hunt out here often? Are there plenty of game, you know... When there's no me scaring everything off?" He looks to her bow again, then to their surroundings. Casting a brief glance to the imposing Plate high above them as well, wondering to himself with one it is and trying to remember a map in his mind.

He seems a bit sorrowful.  That's nothing unusual in these times.  I guess that my attitude, one where I take very little seriously, keeps me feeling lighter than most others.  His handshake is firm and friendly, though, so I suppose I am not bothering him, at the very least.

Cian, the graceless dipund.  I giggle along with him, since he seems to be in good humor at least with me.

"Never been to Garanenz," I admit, looking a bit distant as I try to remember the world map in my head.  "Never been far out of the city, honestly."  I offer up some clarification that's not asked for nor needed.  "What's it like?"  I ask out of plain curiosity.  I imagine it can't be as big of a shithole as here, either way.

He asks me about my hunting habits and I look over my shoulder, back out toward the cracked mud and sparse shrubbery.  "Nah," I say, turning my gaze back to him, even as he looks up at the Plate above.  "This place usually lives up to its name - a slog.  Real muddy, a real pain in the ass to navigate, and fully of things even I'd rather avoid when hunting."  I pause to think about how caked with mud I'd already be if we were here in Drenak.  I would shudder at the thought, but even outside of the Slog, Drenak finds a way of keeping you drenched.

Following his gaze up, I gesture up at the Plate with my chin.  "POINT," I offer to him.  "Home of the all the big families topside."

As if I hadn't taken a pause from the original topic, I continue on talking about the Slog.  "I saw an opportunity to explore this place a bit more without the hassle of wading through mud puddles," I say.  I turn around away from the bank of the river.  "I thought, if not dinner, I might find something that washed up from the river last season."  Whatever saves me lasti, I suppose.
""

Iara

Se eu tiver sonhando, não precisa me acordar.

CIAN

"If it wasn't for the tight border patrols and my inexperience with the wilderness, I would honestly try to cross the border on foot and then get some sort of transport home." He gestures in the general direction of the south. "I'd say it's better than here, but I'm also biased. No Plates above, at least. Come from a town with a lot of trains coming and going in different directions, so it's often busy and noisy. But you sort of get used to it after a while." The Drench isn't exactly calm and quiet either. Just more oppressive and currently very stuffy.

He listens as she tells him about the area and its usually muddy state, just mouthing a quiet "Ah" when she points out the Plate above them and he remembers the map he's seen. His eyes flickers to the next one, DESPOT. A Plate he never wants to return to if he had any say in it. Ignoring the discomfort of the thought tickling at the back of his neck, he quickly focuses his attention back to her when she continues speaking.

"I can only imagine how bad it must be around here during the floods. Only been told stories about it, but I'm sure it's very different to actually experience them." Something he is not looking forward to and he has little hope at this point that the lockdown will suddenly be lifted before the season changes.

He takes a look around at the surrounding area of mud, looking back where the rivers flow out into the lake. "Sure looks like the perfect spot for all sorts of things to wash ashore from the rest of the city. I wonder how many valuables might be at the bottom of the lake too."

I see the interconnected railways in my mind, hear the chugging of a steam engine.  I think that it makes a bit of sense as to why he came to work on trains.  "You'll not hear any protests from me," I say in response to him implying that his home is better than here.  "Kotoll was never paradise to begin with.  Certainly hasn't gotten better."  Besides, can you really compete with anyone's home?  I have very little reference for what life is like outside of the city, but even still, all my best memories are here.  I can still hear my mom cooking in the kitchen, singing folk songs over the hot stove.  I hear the tap of my brother's feet as he walked down the hallway.  I can see my grandma sitting in the rocking chair, mending my clothes.  Even with the world going to hell around us, home is still warm, welcoming, and familiar.

At least, for me it is.

"What did you come for town for originally, then?" I ask, before realizing that I might be prodding a bit much for someone Cian met not five minutes prior.  "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

I nod as he mentions the floods.  My face goes hard, like rough hewn stone.  The floods were rough on all Drenchers, and I was no exception.  Hearing the cracking of buildings, the desperate wails of people being pulled away by the rushing waters... it's not something you forget easily.  "Aye," I agree.  "You'll probably get a front row seat to them if the Arbiter doesn't lift the lock down soon."

I won't say lucky you even sarcastically.

"My thoughts exactly," I say, a smile breaking open on my face as he mentions the valuables.  "Since we're right below POINT, I imagine some expensive stuff might have found its way down here.  If nothing else, there's probably some scrap that could be useful." 
""

Iara

Se eu tiver sonhando, não precisa me acordar.

CIAN

His shoulder rise in a small shrug and the made up story comes as easily as any truth, having been told enough times at this point. "Wasn't even supposed to come here in the first place. Was out doing some work elsewhere in Garanenz when the train home had to suddenly change its route and took a detour to here. Was only to stay a few days before I could take another train home, then suddenly everything shut down because of that supposed bombing." It's at least partially true. He was supposed to only stay a few days and then leave. Only he had travelled to the city on purpose and the regret surrounding that will probably gnaw on him for a long time.

The idea of getting a front row seat for the floods makes him wrinkle his nose a bit in displeasure. "I can hardly wait." He responds sarcastically. "With how nothing seems to go anywhere with solving the issues that lead to the lockdown, I won't get my hopes up that I will be out of here anytime soon." There really had been zero news about anything since the initial announcement.

His eyes drift up towards the Plate above again and he nods slowly. "I imagine even the simplest jewellery and whatnot to them might be worth a fortune down here." He had not interacted or really met many of the nobles at all, but he had seen enough of them during the masquerade festival to be able to paint a decent picture. Their outfits, gem covered masks and other accessories had been something to the extreme in places.

Maybe if I had left Kotoll at all, I'd realize his story made no sense.  Fortunately for him, I have nothing to compare his story against.  I nod along, instantly accepting that trains can randomly change routes without notifying their passengers first.  I have no reason to suspect that he's weaving a tale for me anyway.  After all, I'm not anyone of grave importance here in the city.  I also wouldn't tell the Forcies anything to get someone locked up, but, of course, he doesn't know me well enough for that.

I whistle, ending it with an expression similar to a wince.  "Unlucky timing," I say.  Truly, if he was only in town for a few days and ended up being trapped in the middle of all this, I feel for him.  "My ma used to always tell me that we all have fated paths, though.  Maybe you were meant to be here for some reason."  I look at him, almost as if I am trying to see past him.  I never was able to pick up on the same invisible tethers that my mother could, though.  It was like she could see into the hearts of others and tell their intentions immediately.  She could follow those lines to somewhere out of reach for me.

I hate to think I take more after my father, but it's probably the truth.  At least I didn't get his weak will.

"Yeah," I nod along with his evaluation.  "I haven't heard so much as a peep out of the old man's mouth about it since the original announcement.  Makes you wonder."  If their intention was to squash a rebellion, you would think they wouldn't increase tensions by dramatically worsening the quality of life for Drenchers.

"Have you seen 'em?" I ask, following his eyes up to the Plates as he talks about jewelry.  "The blue bottoms, I mean."  I pause, allowing for an answer one way or the other.  "I haven't been up there in a while, but I think seeing it pisses me off.  Houses bigger than whole neighborhoods down in the Drench.  Gems on everything for no good reason.  Most of 'em don't even have proper jobs."  Really puts into perspective why they are so scared of the concept of equality, I guess.
""

Iara

Se eu tiver sonhando, não precisa me acordar.

CIAN

It probably makes no sense, but so far no one had actually questioned his story. Maybe someone would if he told it to his family, which is why they still get the second story he has whenever they speak over the phone. At this point, he is just so far deep into the lies about the whole situation that it is getting more and more difficult to actually stop and tell the truth instead.

"M'yeah, very unlucky. But not sure yet what my reason for being here would be then. Perhaps I'll know eventually." He responds with a small smile. At least the bruises he had received from the Enforcers are healed up and gone at this point, or he might have needed to explain that part of his bad luck as well if he had still been limping around with a messed up knee and marks on half his face.

Luckily for him, the conversation drifts on to the lack of news from the Arbiter (or anyone really) and the question comes of he has seen the blue bottoms. Cian had been around long enough at this point to have picked up some of the terms used by the locals to understand she means the Platers. "Yeah. I used to rent a room at a motel up on POD during the early part of my stay. Saw some of the townhouses up there... Looked almost too big for someone to live in." He nods along with her before continuing.

"I was actually on that festival they had in the Core during Tanul. Might have been able to buy my own train to go home in with just a couple of those jewelled masquerade masks some of the nobles there had. Some outfits seemed almost a bit too excessive."

While Cian would not say no to having more money himself, especially now when he was living day to day on pocket change more or less, there's a limit to how much luxury he would actually want. His own family are not poor by any means, but could not be considered one of the rich ones either. But they lived comfortably, and that seemed enough for him as well. Getting by without too much trouble.

"Dunno," I wipe my brow as I feel a bit of sweat starting to form on my forehead.  Even in the shadow of the Plates, the heat feels oppressive.  "I never could tell fortunes like ma."  I smile at him genuinely, returning his own small one.  I cannot see the thoughts passing in the back of his mind, which is well.  I have a strong justice complex, and hearing about some guy being beat to shit by Enforcers would probably just serve to piss me off.

"Townhouses... more like mansions," I say matter-of-factly.  Though, I suppose that I don't know what sort of life Cian has been living before being here.  I've seen the places up on POD.  It's nicer still than where I'm from.  Still, I assume the distance between me and Cian is smaller than someone up in POINT.

He mentions the masquerade.  I received the invitation myself, but I didn't accept.  Call me stupid, call me stubborn, call me whatever you like.  I couldn't find it within me to cast aside reality and pretend like everything was well and good.  I couldn't bring myself to don fancy clothes and put on a mask.  I couldn't pretend to be one of them, even if it meant bringing myself more business or fortune.  I don't besmirch anyone who did go, but I have a hard time putting on a show.

"Why didn't you take something, then?" I ask earnestly, almost dumbly, as if he could just take someone's belongings.  Not like they'd miss it.  I'm not above stealing from the rich, if it means that I get to eat dinner and pay rent.  "You a lousy pickpocket?"

Do I have clouded morals?  Maybe, but don't most people?
""

Iara

Se eu tiver sonhando, não precisa me acordar.

CIAN

He nods at her correction, running a hand through his ruffled now slightly sweaty hair to get it out of his face as the movement makes it fall into his eyes. Townhouses. Mansions. He's sure what he would call a villa would be a hut to some of those nobles. He had not gone around too much in the more luxury parts of POD, but the houses had been large enough to be seen from a distance anyway. Walking too close to them had just made him feel watched. Out of place, not fitting in and starting to worry maybe someone was thinking he was up to no good skulking around near their fancy houses.

He tells a bit about the masquerade and her following questions takes him by surprise. He spends a second or two just looking at her a bit taken aback, but then quickly recovers. "Well, their masks weren't exactly in their pockets, so I couldn't pick them then." He responds with an amused smile and a wink. Not straight out denying or confirming if he is a pickpocket at all or not. Truthfully, while he has stolen things in the past more times than he can count, pickpocketing had never been his thing.

"Even if I had gotten the idea to snag one from someone's face, I probably wouldn't have gotten far anyway. The place was packed with Enforcers too. Which... I am not sure was such a good idea really, because according to some, they were the ones starting the whole chaos that ended the festival." He had used up some of his remaining luck managing to get away from the panicked crowd and leave the area before he could have been forced into the trams to the Drench along with a lot of other people that evening.