[StarRail PSL]

[themightybosstone]

[The world was one of a constant, strange, cyclical war.

When the night fell on the highest moon of the furthest month, a Howling Storm took the planet, cut its cities off from each other and the visitors from their homes, When the Storm's first whining, hot wind struck, the imposing gates of the iridescent metal of this world would close, folding up and over, in a wall only Qlipoth could love.

The thud of bodies, the scrape of claws, mandibles and fangs added to the cacophony that the setting of the red sun provoked. It ebbed in the morning, but never enough to be safe. Never enough for the walls to come down.

In defiance, however, in these little hubs of survival, the nightlife was something quite impressive. Loud music played, lights blared, the night market was a roar of throats - the call of sellers and the flirtation of buyers.

All to carry on like a shield wasn't holding back the certain death of nearly everyone in the spaceport.

But you're here, waiting for the tired relief of morning. For the spaceport to open back up in a week.

It should have already ended. It SHOULD have been open yesterday.

But the Storm is longer than it's ever been here...]

Comments

[vitainmorte]

[ There was a certain safety to being trapped in a world beloved by the Preservation; if nothing else, its followers had their walls and fortifications, even if it was often a false sense of security. Independent travelers have the benefit of being able to take off and leave when things broke bad, if nothing else, and so Valencia was in the unique position to do so if needed. Alas, she could not ignore the people, and if this "Storm" insisted on creating such trouble she did have to remain to protect who she could.

... Not that she could leave anyway, just yet. She was not much of a nightlife person but after days of hearing the hustle and bustle of everything below her hotel room the curiosity got the best of her. She was, unfortunately, not immune to hawkers' persuasions, and even aside from a nice little dinner she'd also found herself in possession of some skewered fruit, coated in hard sugar-- a treat entirely foreign to her world but nonetheless familiar enough to be tempting.

Not wanting to be tempted by anything else while she ate, though, she took herself to a quieter (not by much) space to contemplate the shielding curtain above them. Hadn't it been longer than predicted...? ]

[themightybosstone]

[ Honestly? Sett was out looking for a fight, and the world just was NOT obliging him. Half of him - the worst half of him - would love to tear through those walls and fight the whole damn swarm of whatever the stars is out there.

Luckily, if that steel could keep whatever was out there out, it could almost certainly handle keeping him in.

Still, the irritation of knowing his quarry was getting away while he was trapped her needed an outlet.

He really didn't expect to find it in a familiar face.

For a moment, his tail swishes, the Foxian tip poised-

- And a proper introduction to someone who's stabbed you before?

Yeah. It's attempting to steal a bit of that fruit right off the skewer. ]

[themightybosstone]

[It's a little bar off the way of one of the main, raucous streets. It promised dim lighting, cheap beer and noise to rival the main street.

And as you walk by, the tenor of it changes slightly. Both cheers and hollars of reprimand as some heavy, half-stone creature is launched through a window and sails through the crowd. Several people scatter, and a few less fortunate are bowled over as the Graphin skids to a halt, stone grinding against stone.

A giant sized Foxian climbs out the window after it, cracking his neck.]

That it? Come onnnn, lets have another go.

[eggshell]

[There's a guy, drinking something vaguely spicy and likely illegal from a swiped carafe, watching the brawl. He carries the distinct, sickly-sweet smell of the Abundance, condensed into something so pleasant it's almost disgusting.

He's also carrying a briefcase, cuffed to his wrist. It looks very shiny and metallic and secure and Mr. Foxian here will see it up close and personal as Dan Feng strolls into the fray and tries to hit him upside the head with it.]

[vitainmorte]

[ The way she's holding it, it's not really hard to steal a piece if you're not determined to be too stealthy about it; distracted as she is by the sights and sounds and smells she somehow doesn't notice the hulking figure at her back until she feels the tug on her tanghulu and--

-- And there he is. On reflex she drops the fruit skewer (he can certainly catch it if he's quick enough) so she can reach for her gun or her knife but.

But there's people around. Too many people, and they're too obvious, and they're both too out of place with the other species on this planet in general-- and she owes him, after all. So she freezes, awkwardly, with her hand at her waist before forcing herself to relax. ]

-- You again, borisin.

[eggshell]

[When she comes out of her nice little reverie, she'll find that she's not alone. There's a guy standing a ways away, swathed in a giant, oversized white jacket, the lower half of it draped over a tail.

He seems to be clutching a metal briefcase to his chest with one hand - and a stick of the same sweets she's eating in the other. He also seems to have just stopped by the nearest source of light, bent over slightly, having trouble eating the candy: he bites into one, and it falls apart immediately, falling to the ground.]

1/2

[themightybosstone]

[ He's just looking up as the sheen of hard metal flashes and collides with his head with a resounding, RINGING THUD.

Unfortunately, the skull is about the most dense, invulnerable part of Sett's body, and he just pppppppppauses for a long moment, shaking his head to rattle the pain out of his sinuses-

(the skin that parts heals again, a spicier note of the Abundance slithering through the air, the borisin gift and curse making short work of the edges) ]

[themightybosstone]

[ There's some part of instinct that knows Dan Feng's scent for what it is. That might have connected the regal stature of the vidyadhara, the scent of scales so rare in that species, the lack of the tatters of Long about him and screamed danger.

There's all the pieces and some rational part of his brain is sitting there slamming them into place.

Unfortunately, he's never once listened to that part of his brain and isn't intending to start now.

He staggers up, one foot on the chest of the hillock formerly known as a brawler. ]

HEY FISH FACE, WANNA GO TOO?

[vitainmorte]

[ Well there is the reflex to-- help, perhaps. Maybe he's having trouble. She takes a step or two closer.

And then the recognition begins to filter in, because there's no way you keep tabs on the IPC's bounties and not recognize the man who sits at the very top of it, even ridiculously overdressed. So she freezes, and stares, every feather on both pairs of her wings and every hair on her body beginning to lift with alarm because Imbibitor Lunae is right there and-- and what if he intends to do something, here? Are the people in danger? Is his existence in this place heralding a greater force of abominations outside the walls?

Her free hand lowers, to the gun at her hip, while all of these thoughts fly through her mind. ]

[themightybosstone]

[ He DOES catch the skewer.

And flicks one of the tanghulu berries into the air and catches it in his mouth. It crunches between his teeth - they're only slightly fanged. But she's seen how much that's a lie, the crack and rearranging of bone into something far more formidable. ]

Oh. Hey. This aint bad.

[ He's not offering the skewer back, notably. ]

[vitainmorte]

Do you make a habit of stealing other peoples' food?

[ her snack... her neckwings do droop, slightly, but not enough to notice if he's focused on crunching berries. But she still remains reasonably tense, looking up at him. ]

[themightybosstone]

What? It's not a crime. [ KRONCH ]

[vitainmorte]

It literally is a crime. It's thievery. I paid for that.

[themightybosstone]

What? Really?

[vitainmorte]

... Yes. Aside from basic courtesy-- did you not know this?

[themightybosstone]

It's never come up?

[He stares at the snack. Doesn't look like she'll FIGHT for it... Shrugs and tosses it back.]

[vitainmorte]

[ She catches it, with some alarm, looking from it back to him with confusion. ]

... Um?

[themightybosstone]

What? THAT a crime too?

[eggshell]

You impertinent whelp?! Who is the fish face?!

[The script only says some sort of altercation with a Foxian with an 'interesting' scent, a branching divide of 'get arrested or get kidnapped', and the finale being 'get off the fucking planet with the stellaron' within the next four system days.

There was nothing there about how absolutely rude the creature would be. Dan Feng sets the carafe down on the pavement, and runs in, swinging the briefcase again.]

[eggshell]

[He looks up at the slightest rustle of her feathers. His eyes glow like headlights in the shadows, and he opens his mouth.

Or tries to, some of the sugar seems to have stuck his fangs together. This might be a good time to bolt. Or maybe she'll have mercy on him as he makes weird hacking noises as he tries to lick away the stickiness. Look at him! He doesn't even have any sort of weapon or sharp thing visible on him! How cruel!]

[vitainmorte]

No, I just...

[ stares at him a bit longer, brow furrowed. ]

I didn't expect you to give it back.

[vitainmorte]

[ Oh, he's...

...

What is he doing..........

She watches him for a long moment entirely baffled-- maybe this was the wrong guy? -- before slowly trying to back away, and melt into the crowd. She can't exactly try to take him out when there's so many people, and... if he's the wrong person... how embarrassing it would be for her family. Best regroup and monitor him for a time. ]

[themightybosstone]

[Should he be offended at that? Hmm. The tail lashes behind him. Nope, takes too much brain power.

Instead:]

... You gonna eat that or...?

[themightybosstone]

[ Elio has CLEARLY WRONGED HIM.

Because this scripted encounter is the WORST clearly. The hulk of a man just GRINS, black blood already drying on his face.

AND HE DOES NOT DODGE?! He's just going to take it wherever it's aimed.

And a huge, clawed hand is snaps in to grab Dan Feng's FACE. (that little part of his brain screaming danger doesn't even have a CHANCE at this point.) ]

NEED A MIRROR?

[vitainmorte]

[ She looks at the fruit (already half-eaten. thanks to him), before looking away and just handing it to him, her neckwings ruffling and tucking themselves primly behind her ears. ]

Have it.