step one ❚ a flight on clipped wings ( video )

[steelettos]

( the only reason you're seeing this feed is because lenalee has accidentally fallen on the device. she hasn't got a clue that it's been turned on and that it's currently filming the scenario before her -

which is a family room of sorts with the npc owners of said family room standing all around her, a mixed expression of surprise, disbelief and wtf-are-you-doing-here on their faces. above them, a great hole in their ceiling, much thanks to her activating her boots midair. not that it helped, but at least it missed light fixture. )

A, ah - ( nervous chuckle from the person who's lying on top of a ruined center table, whose usually prim uniform is now covered in dust and debris. ) - I'm terribly sorry to barge in. I usually use the door and I, I promise I'm not a thief -

( hastily said, with hands raised even.

she looks around, giving the device a glimpse of her briefly panic-stricken face, then turns back to the house owners. ) - But may please I borrow your phone?

Comments

[steelettos]

( she freezes at 'human experimentation'. bad memories ugh. )

T, then shouldn't we find a way out? I'm sure there's someone in this city who might know something.

[mortemscintilla]

[ The cold opportunist in him notices the way she freezes. On instinct, he files it away. He has no reason to harm or exploit this girl -- not until he's gauged the full extent of her usefulness, anyway. For now, there's only the faint stirrings of curiosity. He hides it, as always, under an exterior of benign concern. ]

There've been attempts to escape. Recently there was an uprising to overthrow the Deities -- the, um, head-honchos here. It seems successful, but I'm still a little unsure. You can't just 'drive away' a Deity, right?

[steelettos]

I shouldn't think so, if they're called Deities. They're supposed to be divine beings after all.

( she considers it carefully. ) Was the uprising an ongoing event for a while now?

[mortemscintilla]

I'm not sure how 'divine' they were. But they certainly were powerful.

[ He purses his lips, mulling it over. ] I can't say for sure. It seemed to be happening behind the scenes for a while. But last month, things really got crazy.

[steelettos]

Perhaps they were beginning to weaken.

( or possibly, these people were simply too powerful to begin with. that worries her. )

.. Though I can't imagine why or how that would be. Do you know more about these deities?

[mortemscintilla]

I only know they were mean, fickle, and prone to creepy mood-swings. Their system was set up like a bureaucracy. And you could make trades with them.

[ He softens his tone into a semblance of kindness, ]

Still, that's not relevant right now. You should focus on settling in, Miss. At least while you're here. Would you like directions to the Welcome Center?

[steelettos]

Trades ... Like what?

( she's curious now!! because if she can make a trade - if it means getting at least a chance to contact her brother or anyone -

lenalee suddenly frowns. )

Settle? Am I going to be here for a long time?

[mortemscintilla]

Big or little things. Valuable items from home, in exchange for something personal -- like your eyesight. Or wishing someone back to life, after they've died in the City. In exchange for your memories. [ As if he can map her thoughts out, he adds, gently, ] But you can't contact anyone from home. Or return there yourself. That was never part of the trades.

[ She frowns, and he pitches his voice to soothe, ]

No one knows how long they'll stay here. But while you are here, you'll feel better somewhere comfortable. Right?

[steelettos]

That sounds - ( so much like the earl, wow. she laughs and shakes her head, mirthless. ) - Ah, then I don't think I have any reason to trade.

( mulling over his words. settling in, whether or not simply finding a place to rest in, feels like allowing herself to be trapped here though. )

.. That's true, I guess.

[mortemscintilla]

[ He makes a note of that laugh, and files the curious detail away. She seems hesitant, and he can't blame her. Even now, he resists falling into the City's familiar rhythms and routines. It feels too much like defeat. Like he's swallowed a big bottleful of Stockholm Syndrome and allowed it to blunt his edge, his will to fight. ]

[ To her, he says only. ]

You'll get a fresh perspective once your head's clearer. [ U R K ] On that note... [ A sheepish smile, ] I should've introduced myself before launching into an explanation about the City. I'm Li Shenshung. It's nice to meet you.

[steelettos]

( a blink. what does he mean by that, she wonders but does not ask. she supposes it might be because she's new but then ...

another headshake then a smile. )

I'm Lenalee Lee. Are you Chinese?

1/2

[mortemscintilla]

[ Nothing dubious meant at all. 'Li' -- or least his persona -- is just a foetid athlete's foot of awkward. ]

[ (..............And supremely bad metaphors.) ]

A pleasure Miss Lee. Or, um -- would you prefer Lenalee?

[mortemscintilla]

[ At the question, he inclines his head, his smile broadening, a tiny crinkle at the corners of his eyes. ]

I am. But I was in Tokyo for university before the City, um... abducted me. [ Not a complete lie. He was in Tokyo, operating under the alias of an exchange student. But his purpose for the trip hardly classified as academic. ]

[steelettos]

Lenalee is fine. It's strange for me when someone calls me Miss Lee.

( it's like the inspector calling her.

her smile does get bigger at his next response. it's a pleasant surprise, meeting others like this. especially since most of her chinese acquaintances are also people from the order. )

Are you from the mainland?

[mortemscintilla]

Lenalee it is, then. But only if you call me Li.

[ He's past the point of potential homesickness, or delight at meeting fellow countrymen. He's spent a majority of his time in South America, in warzones along Brazil and Paraguay. It was those experiences -- Heaven's War -- that shaped his personality. But he understands the benefits of a common ground. With a good-natured smile, he says, ]

I've only spent a few years there. Shanghai, specifically. But most of my childhood, I lived in Hong Kong. A few summers in Macau, too. [ Truth? Fiction? Maybe it's a little bit of both. (Or maybe it's whatever you want to hear.) ]

[steelettos]

( it's going to be weird, calling someone li. like her name. )

Mm, it's a deal.

( she listens intently since while she has gone back and forth from the asian to the european headquarters, it's still - different for her. )

I've only been there a few times - and mostly for business. You must have traveled a lot then.

[mortemscintilla]

[ (If it's any consolation, Li isn't his real name. Then again, neither is it Hei.) ]

A little bit. Most of it was for [ espionage and wetwork ] studies. How about you? You mentioned business. [ There's a good-natured tilt to his smile. ] Are you an up-and-coming entrepreneur?

[steelettos]

( gotta love secret identities. everything's a secret. )

Ah - no, not at all. ( she laughs and shakes her head. ) I'm what you would consider a traveling priest. Or nun. Whichever you want to call it.

[mortemscintilla]

[ (Welcome to Hei's life. One big secret, surrounded by a bunch of subsidiary lies and secrets. Beautiful deceptions shooting in all directions.) ]

A nun? [ He sounds understandably shocked. ] B-But you seem so young. I-I mean -- [ He still holds the stereotype that nuns are middle-aged matrons with somber smiles and penguin-esque habits. Clearing his throat, he asks, ] What order do you belong to? Are you a bhikkhuni? [ Because if you are, you're hair's fabulously long. ]

[steelettos]

( lmfao here we have hei, stereotyping nuns. she laughs, amused. )

I was raised in the Church, that's why. I guess when you've lived much of life there, you end up staying there for the rest of it.

( WRONG. it's only because she can't - escape. )

Ah - it's a bit complicated, the order I belong to. ( since technically, they "don't exist". ) But I guess you could we're directly under the Vatican's wing.

[mortemscintilla]

[ He can't help it. You don't meet any nuns in the killing trade! :< ]

Directly under the Vatican's wing, huh? That sounds really important. [ Secret organizations ftw!!! Teasingly, he asks, ] You're not one of those assassin priests or warlock nuns like from the video games, are you?

[steelettos]

The Order itself, perhaps. ( she refrains herself from saying but not the people.

and then she laughs again at his question, somehow feeling more and more - trapped, in a sense. aha aha ahaaa. )

Nothing that amazing. It's still against the Church's edicts to harm another human being.

[mortemscintilla]

[ He notes that uncomfortable little laugh, but resists the instinct to prod further. (Or the instinct to ask: What about those who aren't human beings?) Instead, ]

Well... the City's not exactly the most religious or ecumenical place. But it does have a pretty Cathedral. Maybe you can visit it when you get the chance.

[steelettos]

Ah - ( she's not the religious type either. but then, if it's a viable source of info ... ) - I didn't even know there's one here. But thank you, I will.

[mortemscintilla]

Neither did I. I sort of stumbled upon in during [ early reconnaissance ] a walk. It's ... a peaceful place.

[ Past circumstances (war -- death -- betrayal) have cultivated a fondness for monastic settings in Hei. ]