Let's live it up

[maskormods]

WHO: YOU.
WHERE: De Chima, VA.
WHEN: Saturday August 9th.
WHAT: Registration in motion... among other things.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; please let us know if this should be edited.

" The new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook -- it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security. But I tell you the new frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. "
( from jfk's speech "the new frontier," 7/15/1960. )

While known for being surprisingly quiet compared to other bustling cities like Nonah, De Chima is loud and packed this weekend with news of the Swearing-In Ceremony being held at one of its lavish halls this evening. Spreading like wildfire, people from nearby cities show up at the hall in attendance, many there for the publicity or for the opportunity to meet an imPort themselves. There's no shortage of non-locals in the hall and one may even begin to wonder if just how many non-locals outnumber the De Chima residents who are attending the ceremony.

The hall is brimming with excitement, with members of City Hall having joined the party (but the Mayor had other business to attend to, sorry!) to public figures who've decided to make an appearance much to the surprise of the media who are present (as usual) at these events. Reggie Pressley, Swaggy-Swag McSwag, Bartolomeo Zoccarato, and London Marriott can be found around the hall, some being interviewed by the local media, getting their photographs taken, or giving out autographs to those who ask. Marriott in particular will be poking around imPorts for juicy gossip and other information. Other public figures who have made an appearance tonight are local businessmen and women from the city itself, scouting imPorts in the hopes some will take an interest in their work. While many are looking for imPorts to work in computer, research, and medical fields, there are many entry level jobs in data entry, paying slightly more than minimum wage. These business folk will be around till the end of the event, handing out their cards to anyone who takes an interest.

If anyone is paying close attention to the De Chima locals who are attending, or if they had been out exploring the city earlier, they will have noticed something... peculiar about many of them. Silky smooth hair, unblemished skin that almost radiates, straight, white teeth, perfect eyebrows, noses, jawlines... you name it. These people are good looking and they know it, but more importantly, you can be, too! There are various doctors in the hall, make beelines for identifiable imPorts, and they apparently haven't established what boundaries are. If they can, they will grab a hold of an imPort's arm, shoulder, or boldly go for the hips and babble about their appearances, offering their cards and pointing out any flaws (or perfections that can be improved) the imPort has. "I can help you with that," they'll say about crooked noses, scars, wrinkles, anyone with a little extra weight, etc. A few may forget they're here on business and flirt with the adult imPorts, taken in by good looks (or other appealing features). One particular doctor, Dr. Nic, a man with buoyant personality, will be trying to pass around as many of his business cards as he can.

There are long tables set up overflowing with all kinds of food and drink. Alcohol is served at a bar where ID is a must, so sorry to anyone under twenty-one! There's a space in the middle of the main room of the hall for dancing, where Swaggy-Swag McSwag will domineer unless someone wants to challenge him to a dance-off.

In one corner of the hall, a small crowd has gathered to watch local businessmen exhibit their latest invention: a roomba with musical capabilities! At the top of the room is a slot to fit portable music players and it has wi-fi capabilities, allowing it to connect to someone's music folder from their computers. Like many roombas of the current time, it displays low level intelligence, able to repeat a couple of basic phrases. It also purrs at some point, which results in the crowd glancing at one another with perplexed expressions.

Unsurprisingly, or perhaps surprisingly to imPorts, is stricter than usual tonight. Before entering the hall, security checks everyone's belongings at the door. Jackets are scanned, purses are checked, sometimes pockets are asked to be emptied. Security will ask this of everyone, so don't pick a fight at the door unless you want to be escorted off the premise! Inside the hall, there's a security guard or two at every doorway and roaming up and down the other hallways.

The event begins at 5PM and ends around midnight, but imPorts are free to linger. De Chima is also known for its rainy weather and today is no exception, unfortunately. It pours outside and will continue even late into the night, so imPorts better take care not to wet their nicely done hair or clothes!

( Please state your character's official status -- REGISTERED or UNSETTLED -- in the subject header of your thread. Please also read and state your character's official status at THIS post, considering not every character will post a starter thread!

Additionally, NPCs will not be NPC'd by a mod, but players are welcome to utilize them as they wish, provided it's within reasonable bounds. (Don't shank anyone!))

Comments

( D )

[corviform]

[ De Chima and Nonah are cities Gil hasn't explored yet, so despite having Registered long ago, he takes the time to travel over. He manages to avoid being identified as an imPort in long sleeves, but a few of the doctors point out his nose ("It looks a bit crooked. I can fix that...") and he finds himself with a handful of their business cards after some time.

How annoying. His nose isn't that bad! He sulks quietly to himself, suddenly itching for a cigarette to calm his nerves. He doesn't fare well at big parties like this.

Due to the rain, he doesn't stray too far from the building, not wanting to drench himself. As he slips a cigarette to his lips, he finally notices Clementine and he stops everything he's doing. ]

Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.

[ He's not going to smoke when there's a kid hovering about. ]

Re: ( D )

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Poor guy - his nose didn't look that bad! Or bad at all really. Not that Clem was actually noticing the crookedness or lacktherof in his nose. She hadn't heard his approach, lost in her thoughts, possibly wondering if she'd done the right thing with 'registering' and everything. Wondering about her friends back home that were still alive.

Still, when he spoke, she eyed him suspicious for a good few minutes, before responding. ]

.. it's okay. I get that alot.

[ She is just a kid and easily overlooked, apparently~! ]

[corviform]

[ He is fairly tall in comparison to her, but he realizes how impolite his phrasing was and he quickly pulls the cigarette from his mouth, waving his hand from side-to-side as if to placate any hard feelings. ]

Rather... I wasn't paying attention.

[ Which is mostly true. There's a flash of silver as he pulls out a cigarette case from his pocket, flipping it open to place the unlit cigarette back inside. ]

It's damp out here. You should head back inside before you catch a cold.

[ohmydarlinme]

I know. I meant.. people tend to not notice me because I'm small.

[ No harm no foul. She made no attempt to go back inside though, because there are crazy people inside, and it was crowded. And she kept getting headaches in there. Out here, her head was clearer. ]

.. I don't want to go back in there. It's noisy. [ And full of strangers and strange people. ]

[corviform]

[ He wonders if he's stumbled upon something troubling. Kids like free food, don't they? Not to mention there's a whole table full of desserts and other treats she can stuff herself to her heart's content with. He ends up glancing between the hall's interior to Clementine, struggling to find the right words to say. ]

Are you alone?

[ Maybe her parents are inside. ]

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Sure she likes free food! Especially fresh free food. But the headache she'd had trumped free food - though she had had time enough to grab a handful of crackers and a piece of chicken before having to retreat.

The question presented to her sets her on edge, and she glanced at him again. She'd love to say that yes, she has an ARMY just watching her if anyone tries any shenanigans! ... no, she's a terrible liar. ]

Yes.

[ And her with no weapons. She edged back a step. ]

Why?

[corviform]

[ Gil catches that reaction and suddenly feels on edge himself despite the fact she's a small, young girl. He raises his hand again in mock surrender, swallowing lightly with apprehension as she backs away from him as if he's some sort of creep.

He doesn't look that suspicious does he? Is it the nose? ]

I wanted to make sure you weren't lost. [ He responds quickly. ] I'm not going to hurt you.

[ohmydarlinme]

[ He should! He SHOULD feel on edge! She's taken down grown men his size! RAR RAR! --er, well he does look kinda suspicious. It's not the nose though, fear not. ]

I am lost. I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be with Luke and Sarah, and Jane.

[ Except she got pulled here somehow and they want her to be a hero - or something? Frankly a lot of it flew over her head. Still she looked at him more carefully. It's the ones that say they -aren't- going to hurt you, that end up hurting you. .. and sometimes it wasn't the case too. ]

[corviform]

[ She may be young, but he completely sympathizes with her confusion when two years ago, he was there himself, and again when Lachesis spirited them from a dying world to this one. It's an overwhelming amount to take in, especially if this world differs from hers. ]

You're an imPort.

[ He breathes quietly and then steps forward, but at a cautious pace as to not alarm her.

Calming down kids is not his forte, but here he is anyway, giving it his best. ]

It's alright. You're not lost. What's your name?

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Such a good guy! Wait, why is he approaching. She watched carefully, giving him two steps before backing off herself. Did he have something against imPorts? Did he think because she was a kid she was an easy mark? ]

Clementine. . . what's yours..?

[corviform]

Gilbert.

[ He stills, keeping his arm raised and lifting the other one so his fingers can curl around the edge of the sleeve and tug down, revealing the glow of a tattoo beneath. It reads REGISTERED. ]

I'm an imPort as well.

[ He doesn't feel he's making any progress, so he decidedly takes a step back from Clementine to maintain a distance that's comforting for her. ]

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Seeing that he was in the same boat as her made her relax a little. A tiny bit. ]

Did you just arrive, too?

[corviform]

I've been here for some time.

[ The sheet of rain suddenly pelts down harder and there's a strong gust of wind that blows through. He motions for Clementine to come inside. ]

Come on, I don't think this rain is stopping anytime soon.

[ohmydarlinme]

[ He might be right. Clementine shivered slightly, deciding it was better to go inside with someone who was at least a little questionable (she could run into the crowd if necessary), than stand outside, for a while at least. ]

Okay.

[ She'll let him go in first though. ]

[corviform]

[ Noting her apprehension, Gil does step inside first, still providing her enough room to slip inside, but keep away from him if she feels the need. ]

Maybe we should find someone else...?

[ Perhaps a woman would be better suited for this. ]

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Once inside, her attention was more on the crowd than on him, finding that to be a bigger threat than just one person. When he made the suggestion though, she glanced at him curiously. ]

... For what?

[ He's doing fine - she's just prickly around strangers at first. ]

[corviform]

Maybe there's someone you know here.

[ Or knows her, but he'll keep that out of the picture for now. It might overwhelm her to know her memories can be altered. ]

And I don't think I'm helping you feel better...

[ohmydarlinme]

There won't be anyone I know here. [ She sounds pretty sure of that at least? And yes, if she knew her memories could be altered, that would freak her out even more. ]

Everyone's already gone.

[corviform]

[ The finality of her words is worrisome. Gil can't help a mild frown before he glances over at the main hall where people continue to mingle loudly. He jabs a thumb in their general direction when he looks back at Clementine. ]

Sometimes your friends or family get ported in around the same time. Not always, [ he adds, not to bring this girl's hopes up too high only for it come crashing down ] but it's possible.

[ohmydarlinme]

[ For some reason that seems even more upsetting. ]

It's okay. The only ones I would want to see... wouldn't want to see me anyway. They're probably better off ...

[ Er.. dead. ]

[corviform]

I'm sure that's not true.

[ She is too young for that kind of thinking. ]

Are you sure you don't want to look? I... can stay with you, I suppose.

[ohmydarlinme]

.. [ She isn't as convinced, honestly. And compared to back home, they were better off dead than zombiefied. ... provided they were lucky enough to get killed rather than bitten. ]

I guess.. but I don't think they'll be here. [ She didn't really want to be alone anyway - and even if he had been suspicious, he's at least someone to talk to. ]

[corviform]

[ Her response gets a small sigh from him and his head hangs low for a moment as he deliberates on what to do next. He would feel awful leaving a nervous young girl like her alone in such a crowded hall. He wants to know why she's come here in the first place then. Is she looking for something in particular? ]

Are... you hungry?

[ohmydarlinme]

[ Ahaha, is she hungry. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't, and her stomach would make her the liar if she said she wasn't. ]

A little.

[ See, There goes that tummy growl telling her she's a liar for saying she's a LITTLE hungry. ]

[corviform]

[ That's going to get a long stare from him.

After a moment of awkward silence. ]

... There's an entire buffet for you to choose from.