[Open] Clear Your Throat and Face The World

[setmatch]

WHO: David Klein and You!
WHERE: Around Maurita Falls
WHEN: First half of June
WHAT: David getting on his feet in this strange new world and reeling from his losses.
WARNINGS: None, will update as needed.




Mondays is for Drinking to the Seldom Seen Kid || Maurita Falls, Public Library

Fuck.
When was the last time he'd had a hangover like this?

His temples are pounding, and he has to keep pinching his nose to stave off a headache. He's admittedly glad for the sunglasses he's wearing, even indoors, for hiding his red eyes and general irritability. Of course, when he's combined that with a cane, well...

"Excuse me," He might tap a stranger on the shoulder, or call to them, clearly a little turned around.
"Can you direct me to the law and legal section?" He's got some studying to do.


Stand and Deliver || Alleyway of Maurita Falls

You would think someone who's lived in New York as long as he has would know better than to take alleyway shortcuts at night. You would think that David would have the wherewithall not to be taken by surprise. But his head is metaphorically in his books, trying to distract himself with the grindstone. And that is how the man gets the jump on him.

It's a sharp poke of the muzzle of a gun at the small of his back, a voice growling from behind him hands up. Just wants the money. No funny business.

Honestly? He hopes someone else intercedes, would prefer to keep his abilities under wraps.
But if no one interferes? Well. A son of a chaos god always has a few tricks up his sleeves.


[ OOC: I'll match writing style- action spam or prose!
If neither of these work for you, hit me up at peachkoala and we'll parse something out! ]

Comments

[ Closed to Chilton ]

[setmatch]

[ Needless to say, his conversation with Chauncy? Did not go well.

And now with shattered confidence, shattered beliefs, he makes his way to a bar to drink and forget. It's been a goddamned long time since he's gotten drunk, but he needs it. That and a cigarette.

A double shot of mid-shelf whiskey, and he downs it in a flash. Someone sits next to him, and he only spots the all-too-familiar profile out of the corner of his right eye. ]

Fuck's sake, Mr. Anderson, you made your opinion of me well know-

[ No. Not Chauncy. They have the same face, but there are slight differences. A scar on his left cheek. A different suit. A different demeanor. ]

... My apologies. You remind me of someone else.

[slightlyoffchilt]

Tread carefully with that. [Warned Chilton, the lip of his own whiskey glass already between his teeth and tilted towards his throat. He had wandered over for a refill, and now he afforded a hard glance at this stranger, out from the corner of his eye -- a vaguely familiar stranger. From somewhere. Port outs always screwed with his concept of time, and compartmentalizing the Before and After took a moment of mental gymnastics.

Before -- had to be before. On the Network. Asking for Chauncy Anderson, yes, Chilton remembered. Someone Chauncy was acquainted with, and therefore the mistaken identity was a reasonable one; fortunate for the both of them, as Chilton was already conflicted over recent developments with Herr Starr. His next tantrum was in the wings, waiting to debut.

He sighed, lowering his drink to the table.]

But you catch on quick. [A compliment! It really was.] Doctor Frederick Chilton, a pleasure. Is this your usual city, or did they stick you somewhere else?

[setmatch]

David Klein, ADA. [ The title is a knee jerk reaction, and he has to clear his throat, ordering another drink as he does so. ] Or at least I was in my home dimension. Suppose I am too fresh here to be practicing law.

[ He downs the second glass the moment he gets it, clearly in no mood to be sober. The woman that he regarded as his sister is dead, and he has no way back to her. The love of his life has spurned him. All the power he had at his fingertips, gone, yanked away in moments. He doesn’t even have his dagger to show for it, having left it in the possession of Mr. Anderson. ]

A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Chilton. At the moment I am stationed here. I plan on moving accommodations as soon as possible.

[ Because fuck fate for having decided he and Chauncy should live as neighbors. He’d rather put another hole in his chest than keep breaking his heart by catching glances of him in the neighborhood. ]

You? Your usual city?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Maurtia Falls is, yes. My home, the location of my hospital. [His throne, his empire, and once more rightfully regained from a certain usurper.] I do not live in government-provided housing, however, having long ago attained my own. It is much less complicated that way.

[And easier for his slew of kidnappers to stake him out. Chilton caught the attention of the bartender, arranging for his second drink. A second glance at Klein.]

You should probably consider doing the same, once you establish yourself in a firm. Or what have you. [David Klein, ADA. Lawyers were far from Chilton's favorite thing, but he wasn't prepared to kick a clearly downed man.]

[setmatch]

[ There’s a pause at that, a quirk of the brow. His hands curl slightly around the glass as he remembers the strange man, Herr Starr, who had usurped a certain Doctor Chilton and promised ECT. To ones genitals.
His face sours slightly, and he orders his third drink. This one, he will sip slowly. ]

It’s been some time since I was a defense attorney. The majority of my work has been in prosecution. Setting up my own practice would involve having actual clients. And, given the recent hostile takeover of what appears to be your hospital, well- you are quite open to medical malpractice lawsuits with a man like that in your staff.

[ He doesn’t parse words, doesn’t soften the blow. Merely stares Chilton down with dark, near-black eyes. Purposely trying to unsettle him. ]

library

[halfblaked]

David, but not that David, was also in the library. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but the section he was in wasn't that far from David's actual aim. He looked up from the book, a brief moment where his eyes were sharp and stunned that he was even touched, before the softened, and he smiled. Caught off guard, clearly.

He knew this man -- or at least his face. Good thing David Blake, PhD was a completely innocuous and unassuming as a whole. Slightly balding, pale hair, pale eyes, pale skin. He looked like he needed a good holiday away, but here he was, at the library in an old leather jacket and slacks, and he looked right at home, a large stack of books already masterfully clutched in his hands. Definitely the bookish type.

"Hm?" he asked, his voice soft. "The legal section? You're not far. 340s, if I remember right. You're in the two-hundreds, at the moment," he held up a book from his hand, out of the stack, and waved it in front of him, the Author was Armour, something myths something Egypt. He put it back in his stack. "Ancient Religions and Mythology. Probably the least likely thing you'll be interested in."

[setmatch]

The man before him is bookish. Pale haired and eyed in a way that reminds him of something washed out, not entirely there. A harried professor or overworked law clerk, really. Slowly, David pulls his sunglasses off, wincing at the overhead fluorescent lighting.

He's about to thank the man, go about his way, but he pauses when he sees the mythology book. He's curious- so curious- about what this universe has to say about his 'family'. Those who came before him.
"Actually, I'm quite fascinated by ancient myths. You could say I have something of a personal interest."

He smiles as he gestures to the cane he always carries with him, the Was head an ostentatious display of his own connections. Or, in this case, interests. He'd rather try not to advertise his demigod status outside the Network, wary of perhaps spooking the 'Natives' with his abilities.

"I'd love to discuss it with you."

[halfblaked]

David took a few moments, his eyes looked from the cane, to the man. He took a moment, staring more at the cane than his face, as if in thought, trying to parse it out. Interesting choice of words, wasn't it? The ever-paranoid, he took a moment, regardless, to look it over, his eyes scanned it slowly, before he looked back up at him, a half-smile on his face.

"Personal interest?" he asked, and pointed at the cane. "That's... rather unusual, isn't it? Somewhat unusual, indecipherable," he leaned down, slightly, almost lost to the analysis. He tipped his head to the side, as if he were thinking, before he straightened and brushed at his shoulder, slightly. "Sorry, sorry! I suppose I should introduce myself," he laughed, a touch sheepish.

"Doctor David Blake, Professor of Pantheon Studies and Theology," he held out a hand. "Is that what I think it is? It's...curious."

[setmatch]

It had been a joke. A gift given to him by Miss Sinclair after the "accident" that had left him nearly unable to use his left leg. The was sceptre was supposed to be held by gods, kings, and priests- none of which he was. But he had taken it for it's other meaning- control. Holding divine power over the Chaos that his father reigned

"It's a replica. A gift from a colleague of mine. She always liked to poke fun at my... personal interests in the Egyptian pantheon."

But he takes his hand, gives it a firm shake. Smiles, so coyly, as he does so.
"David Klein, former ADA of New York. A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Blake."

[halfblaked]

David shook his hand, his own handshake much weaker. He was a professor, after all. Nobody assuming. "ADA? Well now, that's a pleasure. No wonder you have such an interest in law," he smiled at him in return.

"An ADA with a personal interest in the Egyptian Pantheon?" he paused, and pulled out his book, again. "That must be really something. Hobbyist?" he asked, and gestured to the tables behind him, where there was a much larger, much more impressive stack of books. He had, perhaps, been here for several hours, if the several empty cups of coffee were anything to go by.

"If you'd like to talk of it, I'm over here. I...may have a bit of a vested interest in Pantheons myself," and he had the gall to look a little sheepish. "Made a rather embarrassing career out of it, too. I could probably help, if you have questions."

alleyway!

[ct_7567]

[ Rex is not, technically speaking, the sort of cop that goes around making actual arrests to dangerous criminals. He's still considered to be a rookie by his bosses and he's treated accordingly, having been given mostly small, insignificant jobs. He's issued an awful lot of tickets and he's checked in on a few break-ins that were all alarm malfunctions but that's been the extent of it.

When he spots David being mugged in the alleyway, he's walking back home in his uniform and it's not as though he's going to do nothing. With all the authority of someone who's done this a million times before - despite the fact that it's his first time doing so - he unholsters his gun and barks, ] Place your weapon on the ground and put your hands in the air!

[ The would-be mugger spins around, pointing his weapon at Rex instead. That's not the desired outcome but, Rex reasons, it's preferable to the weapon being pointed at a civilian. ]

[setmatch]

[ A voice shouts from the street, an apparent good Samaritan. Once the mugger turns his attention away, that's when David moves to strike. No need to start a shootout. Not with- the Samaritan turning out to be a police officer.

Lucky him!

A dangerous look in his eye all the same, he keeps his voice low enough only to affect the man before him. Dangerous. Soft. Pressing against the folds of his psyche, twisting his cognition as he manipulates him as easily as he would a toy. ]

Drop your weapon.

[ It's an order, and almost instantly, the mugger does. David quickly kicks it away before he has time to scrabble after it, leaving him open for the officer to arrest him. ]

[ct_7567]

[ Rex pauses when the weapon's suddenly dropped, momentarily stunned by the mugger's abrupt change of heart. It's the likes of which he's seen before, but not without a Jedi around.

Still, he's got a duty to do and he's not so stupid that he'll wait more than necessary; within moments he's got the man against the wall and cuffed before he gives him a quick pat-down, makes sure that he doesn't have any other weaponry on him. Once he's satisfied that everything's safe, he rattles off exactly what he's supposed to - if David's familiar, he'll know that it's straight out of the textbook - before turning to David. ]

Are you all right, sir?

[setmatch]

[ Textbook arrest. Honestly, Rex, if he was a prosecutor in this city he'd be proud about how open and shut it was. Doing everything by the book made things easier- and now, David knows, he'll have to come in for a statement.

Hopefully the cop shop coffee was better in this dimension than at home.]

I'm fine. I've had worse before.

[ David smiles, easy, holding up a hand to show that he's unharmed. ]

I guess I'll be coming in to make a statement and ID?

[ct_7567]

[ Rex blinks at David, surprised again; most that he's met have been openly belligerent at best. Few have volunteered to come to the station for any reason. ]

You're familiar with how this works, then. Thank you for your cooperation.

[ Rex quietly radios the situation in and, shortly thereafter, two cop cars arrive: one for David and one for his would-be mugger. Rex rides in the same car as David, at which point David may hear a conversation that Rex would rather not be having which mostly involves goading Rex over the fact that this wasn't his job, intentionally getting his name wrong ("it's Rex, sir") and what appears to be, on its face, the recognizable hazing of a rookie gone a little too far, propriety having long since gone out the window. This is Maurtia Falls after all; cops that want to follow the law to the letter don't tend to last very long in this city. For his part, Rex responds with about as much personality as wallpaper paste, professionally riding it out until they arrive at the station and David is thankfully left in Rex's care to issue a statement.

It's easier for him to pretend none of that had just happened. His superiors leave something to be desired here. ]

Please, follow me.

[baetiful]

Welcome to Baelish's library, David. Baelish had rebuilt this place and knew it like the back of his hand because he personally chose to stock the shelves and personally chose to get his hands on rare, valuable, and unique books. Of course, it also does have all that a typical library would offer. A proper section to study law...something Baelish had gravitated toward learning because how else would he learn how best to skirt around it and accomplish things?

He smiles in greeting at the poor, disheveled man. "That would be upstairs. I can lead the way if you wish." Gesturing David to follow him, Petyr moves toward the elaborate, spiral staircase. "Reading for leisure? Or studying for an exam?" He's met enough lawyers here to know about the bar exam. Unfortunately, all of those lawyers had also since ported out...

[setmatch]

"Studying. I was a lawyer in my home dimension. I'd like to pass the bar here and get back to practicing." Mind you, he does think it's time for a career change. From prosecutor to defense attorney. Focus on imports...

He takes off his sunglasses, sliding them into the pocket inside his jacket. For a moment, he misses the familiar weight of his ceremonial dagger- it makes him feel almost naked, to be left without it. Vulnerable.

"Thank you for leading the way, Mister...?"

[baetiful]

"Baelish." He replies and then adds on almost like an afterthought: "Mayor Baelish, if you want to get technical." And he's sure the man does want to get technical. He's a lawyer. He cares about the details. And beyond the details, well, it is beneficial to be on friendly terms with an imPort mayor when one first arrives in this world. Especially when it comes to setting up a practice within the city.

"I do admire your diligence. To only just arrive and be dedicating yourself to pursuing your former career in this world -- not many have your same drive. If you are in need of an office after you pass your exam, feel free to leave me your contact information and I can get you set up with something appropriate and most of all reasonably priced."

[setmatch]

"A pleasure to meet you, your honor." It's true, David is a stickler for details. And to be so lucky as to meet the Mayor of this strange city he's landed in- good fortune. Good luck. To have his ear- especially as he speaks to his drive and diligence, setting him up with something appropriate- is a pull too good to resist.

So he smiles. Offers his hand.

"I would be absolutely thrilled to pass on my information once I pass my exam. I'd certainly be interested in seeing if there are any associations of interest in this city- you wouldn't happen to know if someone's already set up an imPort Lawyers' association, do you?"

[baetiful]

Taking his hand, Baelish offers a firm shake and a smile. It's the beginning of a mutually beneficial alliance, he can tell.

The hand draws back as he starts to ascend the decorative spiral staircase leading to the upper level of books. "To my knowledge, no. Not yet. But I believe the number of lawyers has always been a bit sparse with only one or two existing at any one time. At the moment, you are only the second one with motivations toward such a career here. The first being a man by the name of Foggy Nelson?"

Baelish doesn't know of Chauncy Anderson as of yet.

Library

[lastofthebog]

Galla can often be found pacing through the aisles of books, and she's no stranger to being interrupted by imPorts and natives alike while she browses. Although they usually aren't relying on sunglasses to hide a night of poor choices.

"You've nearly found it," she explains, gesturing towards the aisles to the right. "It's quite an extensive collection. Is there a specific topic you're looking for?"

[setmatch]

"Yes, I'm looking for any books related to imPort laws. I'm studying for the Bar." Slowly, he takes off his sunglasses, pocketing them before pressing fingers to his temple.
"Any other recommendations would be appreciated."

[lastofthebog]

"A lawyer, then?" She tips her head curiously, watching him with a much keener interest than before. "I'm afraid imPort law is rather...odd. We are both restricted beyond what the natives are, and given leniency beyond them in other areas. Not much of it makes much sense, but..." She trails off and steps past him to frown at one of the shelves of books, finally tapping a series of them with her fingertips.

"I believe these are a good place to begin. They lay out some of the law and history without much bias either way."

[setmatch]

"I am. Unofficially until I retake the bar here. But I have about 20 years of experience under my belt." He answers her with a smile, listening with avid interest to her talking about imPort law.

It's true, they are restricted in a way. The tattoo on his wrist, the Government monitoring their intake protocols, watching their movements, requiring them to be registered or at least attempting to keep track of them.
And yet- and yet there seemed to be few repercussions in the law. Two *months* for murder. Minors being left to fend for themselves or called to fight other imPorts when it suited the government.

"I would be interested to hear your bias, however. I've always found first hand experience to be a better teacher than anything in the textbooks." He smiles as he takes the first of the series from the shelf.

[lastofthebog]

"My bias is rather strong, if I am being perfectly honest," she says. She has her reasons for it, of course. Reasons that she's sure he'll come to see in time, whether or not he agrees with it. But she may as well be honest about the nature of her stance on the issue.

"I would prefer to see nearly all of the restrictions placed on us abolished entirely. One or two, I can understand. The natives have a world free of powers such as our own, and they are afraid. The rest, however..." She trails off with a shake of her head.