maskormenacelogs | i am a man of many hats

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i am a man of many hats

WHO: Han Solo and you, you lucky dog. also, residents of Heropa #018.
WHERE: Heropa for the first prompt, but the option for going to other cities is there too.
WHEN: after the swear-in ceremony
WHAT: you know that explosion at the swear-in? guess who was near that explosion? guess who is now feeling much friendlier than usual? yep. it's Han.
WARNINGS: nothing yet, will update if needed.

[closed to heropa #18 residents]

[Han has not dropped by his assigned housing much more beyond the bare minimum for sleep, having busied himself with figuring out what to do now that he's stuck here in this world. If anyone managed to catch him fresh from sleep, they'd have probably gotten a short grumble before he started his day with something snatched thoughtlessly from the fridge, and you'd be forgiven for thinking he's something of an antisocial character.

This makes today a bit odd, because for some reason? He went and made toast. Slightly burnt toast, but still. This is already odd enough in itself, because Han's not one for making toast for other people he barely even knows, but he's actually stuck around for breakfast, for whoever decides to step inside after him.]

Hey. [A little nod, and a friendly smile.] Didn't know what anyone wanted here, so I figured toast was a safe bet.

[That's nice? But also, something is off here. And it isn't just the lingering stench.]

[open]

[And this weird friendly feeling extends to his job. For some reason Han's feeling generous today, kind and even slightly more considerate than he usually is, which is strange enough even without the smell of the perfume still hanging around him. And there's still perfume hanging around him, clinging to his clothes and now to the upholstery of his taxi.

Also strange—besides the occasional engine breakdown, which still draws Han's ire so at least that's still normal—is the fact that half the time he seems to end up taking a route that ends up with the car stuck in traffic, or in front of a dead end, or broken down on the side of the road while Han gives the engine a good once-over while muttering darkly under his breath and smacking something hard.

But that's long after the ride starts. Here's what happens at the start of it, assuming the engine started on the first try:]

So I'm curious. Why don't you tell me something about where we're going? [Part of this is Han wanting to gather information, especially if the destination seems an important place. Part of this is just Han filling the time with small talk, which is partly the perfume's fault.]

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[ Normally, the Doctor uses public transportation. It's quick and easy, gets him where he needs to go, and he can bother people on the bus. But the problem today is that he needs to get a large aquarium from the pet store to Heropa #11 (the hermit crabs are getting an upgrade!) and really, that's just asking for trouble on the bus.

Logically, the solution is to call a cab.

So, as Han gets the engine going, the Doctor tries to carefully put a very large and very glass aquarium in the backseat with him. ]

We're headed to my house, [ he explains as he looks at the aquarium. There's no way to buckle this in, is there? ] Or, at least, the house the government shoved me in but I've lived there long enough to call it my house, don't you think?

[Han cranes his neck, blinks at the aquarium that the Doctor is trying to very carefully maneuver into the backseat. Ordinarily, he'd tell the guy to take his giant unwieldy aquarium elsewhere, because there's just no way Han would've been able to transport that without exposing the illegal modifications done to the taxi (through no fault of his own, by the way, he will maintain that anything his ability does is not actually his fault), but right now?

Well. Han's feeling nice today. Something to do with the perfume, maybe.

He huffs out a breath.]

Yeah, and how long have you been there? [Asked out of genuine curiosity. Then he adds:] Hey, lemme help you with that.

[ Illegal, shmellegal. Who cares if something's illegal, the Doctor's done plenty of illegal things back in his time! Still, he takes the help, as the Doctor shifts around so that Han can take one end of the aquarium. ]

I've been here...oh, I'd say a year and a bit? I think I arrived mid 2015 but honestly, it's a bit hard to keep track of these things.

It's a long time to stay on one planet. [Long and deadly, in Han's experience, but then again, Han's experience involves running with a Rebellion fighting a war against an enemy with more resources at its disposal.

He clambers out of the driver's seat to help with the aquarium.] Here, lift that seat up a little, I've got a place--

[That place just happens to be a secret compartment that is blessedly clear, at the moment, of anything that would've landed Han in deep trouble. Even with the compartment, though, it's probably going to be a tight squeeze.]

What's this thing for, anyway?

Trust me, if I could leave, I'd have left by now.

[ the Doctor takes Han's comment about how it's a long time to stay on one planet in stride. Because really? It is a long time to stay on a planet! The Doctor's the sort who jets from planet to planet on a weekly basis, being stuck somewhere for a year is ridiculously long.

Thankfully, they manage to wedge the aquarium in the compartment fairly well, though the Doctor knows that he's going to be a bit smushed in the back seat. ]

It's a crabitat! [ said with a griiiiin. ] I've got these hermit crabs and their old aquarium has a nasty crack in it, so I'm buying this one so the crabs can have somewhere new to live!

[Any other day, Han would leave it at that, maybe with a comment about not being one for pets. But today's different enough that he actually looks interested, and taps his fingers lightly on the glass.]

Nice crabitat. How'd you get these hermit crabs, then? [This is the kind of information that wouldn't really do Han any good in the long run, and thus the kind that he should probably not be asking after, but hey. The guy seems like he likes talking about his crabs, and Han's feeling nice today, he'll indulge.]

A friend of mine thought she had two lady hermit crabs, one of them wasn't a lady. [ At least 'surprise, your lady hermit crab is actually a dude' is much more manageable than 'surprise, your lady hamster is actually a dude.' The friend who had the hermit crabs, Ripley, has been Ported out for a while, but her legacy lives on. ]

They're named Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras--the Three Tenors of hermit crabs!

[ he's such a proud crab dad. ]

[That gets a chuckle out of him.] That's one way to find out. Hell of a way, too.

[The Three Tenors, however, just gets a blank look instead. Han's from space, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras are not quite as popular in the galaxy's criminal underbelly as they probably should be. Some people just have no taste at all.]

The—what, again?

Three Tenors! It's an Earth thing, they're singers obviously and they've got wonderful voices.

[ It's explained in a very matter-of-fact tone: there's no judging from the Doctor's end. Because man, poor Han. This guy's probably from some sort of awful world that doesn't have the Three Tenors or doesn't have opera to begin with. The Porter brings in all sorts, it seems. ]

I think a couple of them have already passed at this time in this timeline but I'm not entirely sure. Death's one of those linear things that I keep mucking up.

The porter.

[ Maeve answers idly. She's been largely immune to this perfume. Mostly because she's a robot. But it doesn't mean she can't smell it. Her eyes drift from the old timey pocket watch in her hands to his face in the rear view mirror. ]

Are you trying to go for a new scent, darling? It smells a bit floral in here.

[Han huffs out a breath, shakes his head.]

Nah, I'm not one for floral scents myself. [The engine, like always, fails to start on the first try. Han curses, tries again, and the thing finally comes to life. The Millennium Falcon-shaped charm hanging from the rear view mirror sways wildly, as Han pulls away from the curb.] It's just—you hear about what happened at the swear-in?

I heard there was an explosion of sorts. And people have been making posts on the network about it. But I wasn't in attendance.

[ She had enough of these people and being out in the open during the whole blackout. ]

I'm guessing this is the remnants of it?

[ Maeve eyes the dangling charm for a moment before lifting her gaze toward his reflection once more. ]

Yeah, there was a gazebo where they were selling perfume. Something exploded and, well.

[He shrugs.]

You guess right, sweetheart. Now everyone who was there smells like this. [He says this in a casual drawl, like the smell doesn't bother him that much. It does, actually.] It's a lot longer-lasting than I would've expected, I'll give it that.

Well normally one takes a bath after that sort of thing.

[ Does he bathe? He looks more like he rugged sort who could take cleanliness or leave it. She's definitely seen his type many a time back home. In some ways, it's a bit comforting. More comforting than the way their cab sounds at the moment.... ]

You could try that. Just a bit of friendly advice. And you could even find someone else to join you. Do each other a favor and wash that potent scent off your backs.

Normally it washes off after a bath or two. [Or. Three.

Sure, Han's a rugged, dashing sort of person, or so he will claim. But living in close quarters with a Wookiee can often make one consider at least the idea of getting a bath at the soonest opportunity, if only to not suffocate themselves with the combined stench.

At least the perfume's a little bit nicer than Wookiee.]

Trust me, I did try. How else would I know? [A huff.] 'Sides, I can't really think of anyone I'd ask to join me in the 'fresher. [Besides Leia, but Leia is not here, so.]

Alright, alright. I'll take you at your word.

[ And whether she believes him is up for debate. After all, maybe she would be more inclined if she knew what a wookie was! She draws her shall a bit tighter around her shoulders. ]

It's the next part of what you said that's the less credible half. I don't care how new you are to this world -- surely you must have met someone by now you could potentially see yourself in the fresher alongside. It cannot have escaped your notice that we all are incredibly attractive people. It's as though that is the standard that gets us into this world.

Fine, I can't think of anyone here, anyway.

[Busted, caught, etc. But his eyes do dart to the rear view mirror again, and there's real surprise there, because frankly, he hadn't noticed.]

It kinda did, actually. [To his credit, it's sheepishly admitted.] I had too many things on my mind to pay attention to who I'd want to be in the 'fresher with. Hypothetically speaking. [Like just being recently freed from two months stuck in a block of carbonite and adjusting to being stuck on one world, anyway.] Why, you offering?

[And now he's right back to being sarcastic.]

[ Maeve gives him a look that's half sass and half teasing. ]

Not unless you plan to be the one to pay me for the ride rather than the other way around.

[ She's a business woman through and through. But her expression sobers to ask a more serious question, genuinely curious. ]

What sorts of things did you have on your mind?

[ here's the thing about barry allen: he'll eat anything and everything. ]

[ he stumbles into the kitchen of heropa 18 and finds himself a little surprised to be greeted by someone in it. he's made sure to flash in and out when no one's around (which usually means odd hours in the morning) and devoured most of what was in the fridge before zipping out to the store to pack the fridge back to full capacity before anyone realises he'd accidentally ate their yoghurt. ]

[ he looks to the aforementioned toast and feels his stomach begin to grumble softly. ]

You can never go wrong with burnt toast. [ he smiles. ] I'm Barry. [ his brows pull together as his voice pitches just slightly in his attempt to piece everything together. ] Are you new here?

[Usually, Han wouldn't be around at this time in the morning, having long since gone, but today he's feeling nice and friendly. Unusually so, in fact. He'll examine this later when he's had more caf (coffee), he decides, and for now nods, stealing a slice of slightly burnt toast for himself. He made a lot of toast, it's only fair if he keeps some.]

Han, and yeah. [He takes a bite of his toast, chews, swallows.] Just got back from the swear-in, but I got here a few days ago. Haven't had the chance to meet anyone else living here. [And here he gestures to Barry with his toast and says:] How about you?

I've been here a few weeks. [ and already those few weeks have felt like a whole stretch of time. from all the heroing to the chasing to the sitting on his ass and relaxing, barry's had a lot of time to let the days stretch onward. there hasn't been an outbreak of particularly bad metas no one here can't fend off, so he's sort of been on a vacation. ]

[ in a really weird way. ]

[ the swear-in reminds him of an incident that would've called for the flash, if it happened in central city. not quite knowing what had happened there leaves him feeling a little ... well, he's not going to think on it. instead, he remains as warm as he had been when he walked in. ]

Were you there when the gazebo collapsed? It seemed like it was a pretty eventful ceremony. Ending with a bit of a bang.

The Helix Station? [Revan offers his driver a pleasant, if not somewhat wistful smile.] Suppose you could say it's as close to home as I've got. I've been absent for a while and I want to make sure nobodies burnt it to the ground yet.

[LOOKING AT YOU DOOKU.

Though it was more likely the government would be responsible for any "damage" done to the facility, be it physically or intellectually.]

What, you can leave?

[That's a surprise, all Han's heard is how difficult it is to even get off of this planet. But he starts the car after a small amount of swearing at the engine in one or two languages Revan might find familiar (start, you blasted karking piece of--), and pulls away from the curb.

He's never been to the Helix Station before, but he's got a route already mapped out in his head. He takes a left turn, says:] And how long were you gone, anyway?

Mm, not by choice.

[To his credit, Revan sits by patiently waiting for Han to manage his business. Jedi like patience, you might say... In fact if it was going to take any longer he was moments away from offering to fix it for him.

But the familiar jargon does draw a curious, and somewhat alarmed look. Was it just a coincidence that someone used the same slang from his universe?]

...About a year. I think. Winking in and out of existence can be a bit disorienting. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

Edited 2017-02-19 02:33 (UTC)

[Han's too busy paying attention to the road to pay attention to Revan's alarmed expression. If this is what having superpowers is like, no thanks, it's making Han's life much harder than it needs to be.]

Han. [He doesn't say Han Solo. Even now, with his guard lowered significantly by the perfume still hanging around, the old habit of distrust of strangers, drilled into him by three years or so of looking over his shoulder for Jabba's bounty hunters, rears its head.] You got one?

Of course. [He smirks, leaving just long enough of a playful pause to shed doubt on if he was going to answer or not.] Revan.

Arni’soyacho ni ma’allesh, secura Han.

[Roughly translated from Ryl, the language of the Twi'leks, and the language of at least one of Han's chosen curses: "Formally: Thank you for the safe trip, skilled Han." It was both polite, but also a bit of teasing remark to have used the formal version of thank you. Especially with the hiccups in the trip thus far.

But Revan's smile did match his intention for mirth rather than insult.]

[Han's Ryl is rusty, and barely existent besides Han's cursing and some other phrases, but he knows what it sounds like when he hears it. He looks at Revan through the rear view mirror once more, clearly surprised.]

You're gonna have to tell me what that means, your Ryl's a lot better than mine. [If it is Ryl, and Han suspects it is.] You're, what, the second person I've met from my galaxy?

[Which raises his guard all the more, despite Han acting somewhat casual, because he's never heard of this Revan. He can only wonder if he's with the Rebellion or the Empire or, hell, a bounty hunter, and hope he won't link a friendly taxi driver with known rebel Han Solo right now.]

And you're about my third, not including myself of course.

[Revan smiles, giving the reflection of Han's eyes a slight bow. Pleased not only to be right, but because there was just something satisfying knowing there were more people from his universe. Somehow it made him feel less alone. Even if he really had no connection to most of the people coming through.]

I was just thanking you for your courtesy. You seem to have... [He gives the taxi a quick glance around, which looks conspicuously like an eye roll.] ...adapted, to your new surroundings.

"The Van Don't Gogh Art Shoppe? It's where I work. The name's kind of a silly pun. It doesn't do it justice. It's like an art gallery inside, with the art displayed for everyone to see. It's simply wonderful."

[Abigail smiles as she talks. It's normally against her nature to open to a stranger. Her father had trained her to be the opposite, to get others to open up without revealing anything about herself. But she's feeling more relaxed and friendly since the perfume struck. She's even loving her job more, helping people make their living spaces beautiful seems more important now.]

"At least I think it's like an art gallery. I haven't been to many real galleries. I had been planning a trip to Europe back home, where I was going to see galleries, and cathedrals, and castles. All the classic things, you know? But then my plans changed."

[She wouldn't go into the details of why her plans changed; she wouldn't even let herself think about it. She didn't want to be dark and depressing these days.]

"I guess I was kind of lucky that they gave me a job working with art. I get to see creativity every day. What about you? Did they give you this taxi job? Do you like it?"

That's a terrible pun.

[Just because the perfume's making him much friendlier towards other people doesn't mean he's that friendly towards bad puns. But instead of zoning out like he usually would, he looks at the girl through the rear view mirror, actually interested in what she's got to say about her job.]

If it's got art and people standing around talking about art, it's probably an art gallery. [Han, how would you know, you've never even set foot in a gallery before.] And hey, at least you're working in one now, didn't even need to go on vacation.

[He huffs out a breath.]

Yeah, they gave me the job. [They've got a sense of irony, he'll give them that much.] Some days are better than others.

"Yeah, that's true, and I could even go on vacation if I wanted to. The freedom we have here is amazing. We can go outside and we can even porter to the different towns."

[It's amazing and not as scary as it once was. For once, her mind is not filled with the possibility that every stranger could be dangerous, a potential killer like her father or Hannibal, or an authority wanting to lock her away. Riding in the taxi was proof of that. Short of jumping out of the cab, there was no easy way out if something went wrong and yet she didn't feel nervous at all.]

"I guess that's the way most things are. Sometimes you're the pigeon, sometimes you're the statue."

It was the type of expression Hannibal would have hated, but she'd also lost most of the fear that he would show up and be disappointed or worse.

"You probably get to know your way around Heropa pretty well."

Easier to do that if you registered. [There's a slightly bitter note to that tone. Han's not a fan of this government, but the benefits of being registered had outweighed the benefits of staying unsettled, in his view. And Han's a pragmatic person, years of smuggling hammered that in.

But at least his job seems to be going pretty well today. Besides the usual engine malfunctions, anyway.]

And which one are you now?

[Because frankly, Han would probably prefer to be the pigeon.]

I've been doing nothing but knowing Heropa pretty well over the past few days. [There's a hint of pride in that tone, like he enjoys knowing the places he visits. The better, you see, to figure out the best routes for smuggling.] I'm kinda hoping to get to know the other cities better.

"I'm registered. I figure they're probably keeping track of us anyway, why not make it official and get the benefits."

[Abigail's done that for a long time. She played by her father's rules and then Hannibal's. She's used to doing whatever she's supposed to. She smirks at his question]

Am I the pigeon or the statue? Neither, at the moment. It's been a good day I guess."

[And that was usually a rare thing in her mind. Things always went wrong, people were always victims of something. She'd been more optimistic lately though.]

"Oh, yeah? Have you got a favourite spot in Heropa already? Or a list of places to stay away from?

[Even with the rose-tinted glasses, she knew certain things should be avoided.]

The other cities are nice. I haven't been to them in a while, but when I was new I checked them all out.

Edited 2017-02-21 03:09 (UTC)

Good for you.

[At least one of them is having a good day so far. Han's not exactly a fan of his power right now, considering how often it screws with the taxi.]

Mostly, dark alleys and dead ends. [This is more for Abigail's benefit than an actual list, because Han is absolutely going to walk into a dark alley anyway, he's confident enough in his swing.] I'll get back to you on the favorite spot, I ain't got one just yet.

[His gaze darts to her face in the mirror.] How nice? [Casual, with all the interest of a tourist who wants to hear about the attractions of each town.]

"Yeah, bad things can happen in the alleys around here."

[There's a hint of bitterness creeping into her thoughts, due to memories of the hallucination, or whatever it was, she'd experienced in an alley. That hadn't been in Heropa though, and she forces the memory to the back of her mind.]

"They're each nice in their own way. Cape Canaveral is right on the coast. De Chima has great shopping and all kinds of deals for imports. Nonah has good people, very nice to out of towners."

[The kind of people that made good victims, if she were still with her father. That's another thought that goes to the back of her mind.]

"Maurtia Falls is very pretty and has good food."

De Chima, huh? [He's been to De Chima before, gotten a hot toddy off a bartender there.] I've been there once, didn't go shopping. I did go to a bar there, serves a hell of a drink.

[Cape Canaveral, De Chima, Nonah, Maurtia Falls. Han quietly files those away as the car turns around a corner. So far so good, he hopes it doesn't break down on once he gets to a stoplight. That's happened at least twice today.]

I'm guessing Cape Canaveral just has great views and not much else? [He poses this as a question—he wants to be proven wrong, at least on this much.]

"I haven't been to many bars. I figure they wouldn't serve me a drink."

[She is only 18, most of her drinking experience is limited to having had wine with Hannibal at dinner. On rough days, she might try to sneak a drink somewhere, but she was always very cautious not to do anything that would attract attention. She doesn't want to get in trouble with the law here.]

"Cape Canaveral has some good parks, places to see sea life, the space centre and a couple of museums. Boat rides and fishing too."

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heropa #18!!

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