Big City Living (Midpoint Mingle)

[midpointmods]

The town of Midpoint: called thus because it is at the exact center of the game arena, a busy little Western town full of strange people, many of whom don’t look remotely human, because this is where all the players gather and live. Midpoint Saloon: called thus because it is the only bar in Midpoint. It’s also the biggest building in town, four stories high, dotted with windows, painted a jaunty yellow and decorated with red and green flowers in all the window boxes.

This is where your veteran teammate points you. Or just stomps off to and hopes you follow.

Downstairs is a bar and tavern, Old West style, right down to the upright piano in one corner and a raucous crowd of locals - largely locals, but with a healthy smattering of unusual or downright alien faces that clearly indicate the presence of other Players - eating, drinking, gambling, and getting into trouble. There’s a broad, bearded man behind the bar, waving cheerfully at you as you enter.

The rest of the night and the next day is yours to do with what you see fit. Explore the town, take a long nap in your new room, try to get to know people... everyone is here for the next twenty-four hours before travel to the mission site, so it’s a good chance to scope out the competition, at the very least.

Comments

Hajime Aikawa | Kamen Rider Blade | New Player

[chalicejoker]

[I - Arrival - OTA]
Problem: Hajime doesn't have the horse most everyone else seems to arrive here with.

Solution: Ryo, his little mantis spirit companion, has the ability to transform into an adorable pony. If Hajime's riding his mount without a saddle or reins (and a posture that suggests more of a familiarity with motorcycles rather than horses) seems impressive, well, that's because Ryo can talk and he's just letting Ryo go wherever Ryo wants to go. Surely nothing at all bizarre might come of this.

[II - Around Town - OTA]
The presence of nonhumans makes Hajime relax slightly, but only just slightly. All that means is that Ryo won't have to hide, but he still suspects a guy who looks like a human with a foot-tall praying mantis on his shoulder is going to get some attention.

Part of this is because the praying mantis on his shoulder is extremely friendly and absolutely delighted at not having to hide himself here. "Hi! Hello! Hi! How are you?" the little mantis calls out in his little childlike voice at, well, pretty much everyone as Hajime sizes up the town. He ignores Hajime's attempts to shush him, and, eventually, Hajime just gives up. Everything is fine, normal, just fine.

[III - OTA]
By the time Hajime and Ryo make it to the saloon, Hajime's...not exactly tired, not in the physical sense, but he's a little stressed out on account of this whole situation. He's very much going to try to look super tough...which he might have managed on his own were it not for the mantis riding atop his head. He has given up trying to stop Ryo from doing that.

But there is one primary concern he's got with a saloon in some kind of stereotypical Western town. "So do fights break out here often?" It's absolutely a normal sort of question to ask someone at the bar you're sliding up next to. Super normal. He is the best at socialization and trying to not look like a weirdo, he's got this.

III.

[unofficial_ambassador]

"What?" Inara turns to the man in surprise. To his credit, it is a line she hasn't heard before. "Why?"

[chalicejoker]

Line? What line? This is an honest question. "Some bars are rowdier than others." He frowns slightly. "And the whole...Western theme. I thought that was supposed to go with it."

[unofficial_ambassador]

Western? It's probably best not to ask.

"I'm sure that's true. Some patrons are rowdier than others as well." She gives the man a contemplative look. Mal had sometimes dealt with negative emotions by picking bar fights so it doesn't really seem out of the question that people kidnapped here might, too. "The bartender doesn't seem like the sort who'd allow it."

[chalicejoker]

Hajime is absolutely hoping a bar fight will break out so he doesn't have to bother with picking one. He glances back towards the bar. "I suppose. Doesn't mean one couldn't break out for a bit before he could do anything."

His giant mantis gives a little mantis sigh. "Make friends, not fights!"

[unofficial_ambassador]

She gives him another, more dubious look. "He's armed, you know."

The mantis might have really scared her at one point in time, but she knows a lot of weird-looking aliens now and most of them are decent enough. "Oh, hello. I didn't see you."

[chalicejoker]

"Won't be the first time I've been shot." Not even the first time he's been shot in the last 24 hours, really.

"Hi!" The mantis, at least, knows how to be polite. "I'm Ryo! This is Hajime! Hajime likes fighting a lot!"

[unofficial_ambassador]

"That's not really something to brag about." Why. Why is everyone like this.

"Ryo, Hajime. Nice to meet you. I'm Inara." She inclines her head in a small bow to acknowledge them. Between herself, this ruffian and an insect child she's clearly got the higher status.

[chalicejoker]

Bragging? Who's bragging? He's just stating an obviously badass fact. At least the bow and the status thing has totally gone over his head. That's for the best.

"Is nice to meet you too!" It is very clear that of the two of them, Ryo's got all the manners. "Have you been here long? We just got here!"

II - Around Town

[cicadashell]

Jiro gives nothing more than a raised eyebrow to the mantis; and only because he's very large. He may have had a bit more of a reaction if his team didn't consist of a racoon alien, whatever Taako is, and a... gremlin, for lack of a better description of Yoda. Or if he'd never had a conversation with a mantis before, which he has.

"Hey."

He's ignoring Hajime for now; Ryo's more interesting.

[chalicejoker]

"Hi! I'm Ryo! What's your name?" Ryo's delighted to be more interesting.

Hajime's trying here. Trying so hard. "What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

"Is fine! We introduce ourselves, then not strangers!" Look, meeting this many new people is great and Ryo doesn't want to stop.

[cicadashell]

"I'm Jiro."

Then he looks at Hajime.

"Yeah, we're not strangers. Chill out."

[chalicejoker]

See? It's fine. "Hi, Jiro!" Ryo says, "Is very nice to meet you! This is Hajime! Don't mind him, is usually grumpy."

Hajime, for his part, just looks irritated with the whole thing.

[cicadashell]

"He looks it. What do you think of this place, Ryo?"

[chalicejoker]

"Is very interesting!" Ryo says brightly. "Kind of like that time we were on Mars!"

Hajime keeps his expression even because yes, their life has been weird.

[cicadashell]

"You went to Mars!?"

Jiro thought his life was pretty weird, but he's apparently one of the more normal participants here. Well, normal in his definition of the word. He finally directs another question at Hajime.

"What planet are you guys from?"

Aliens exist, he now knows, and he'll assume neither of them come from Earth. Fucking weird.

II

[youwillbe]

Well a praying mantis is not that much more unusual than... whatever this small green being is. He smiles. "An enthusiastic one."

He misses his little students.

[chalicejoker]

"Enthusiastic doesn't begin to cover it," Hajime says, but he crouches down so Ryo can get a bit better acquainted with the other short green guy.

"I'm Ryo! This is Hajime! What's your name?" Look, Ryo isn't used to meeting others who are Very Short and not also essentially children and so this is a great day, really.

III

[givemyrightarm]

"Did you not get your fill of that in the jail?" But even as she asks, Irene knows the answer.

[chalicejoker]

"I'm just trying to be prepared." It is a terrible attempt at sounding innocent, but Hajime is trying anyway.

"Very hopeful and optimistic!" Ryo's called it, basically.

[givemyrightarm]

"I see." And Irene also sees right through that excuse. She's reminded of certain warriors who'd been prone to picking quarrels - mostly with each other, in the cases of Noel and Sophia, but still.

And that's about as much as she wants to let herself think about Noel and Sophia right now. That tends to lead to even more unpleasant lines of thought.

[chalicejoker]

"It pays to know a place." Yep. He's definitely just going to keep using the excuse anyway.

[givemyrightarm]

Irene eyes him for a long moment. "People like you never lasted long, in my world."

[chalicejoker]

Hajime shrugs. "And in mine, you could say I'm rather hard to kill."

"Undead," Ryo says seriously. "Not corpse! Just immortal."

[givemyrightarm]

"I didn't say they died."