Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 8:07:08 GMT -5
There is an odd looking shop situated in one of the more piddly areas of Zaun, where pollution lingered in the air for longer and oddly shaped mechanical beings made it an effort to spew their smoke out in large proportions. Heavy cogs and various colored gears of different rust gradients made up the name of the rickety establishment;
THE CLOCKWORK CASTLE
The individual letters were held up by pipes that looked incredibly unsafe, with the Castle's 'E' keeling backwards. The roof itself was made up of brown sheets of metal – whether that was their original shade would never be known. Grey tiles patched what may have been holes, caused by acidic air or by pranksters. The whole store wasn’t very large, though one could spy a glimmer of a house at the back. Assuming one could see through the smog, anyway. The front of the shop had a door that didn’t really want to close properly, and large windows covered by shades hanging at an odd angle. In all honesty, it looked very run down and rather sketch.
However, the interior was a different matter. The relatively clean wooden walls matched the not so clean floor, and hanging on them were clocks of every size, shape and color. The merchandise was unique. There was bluebird that flew off its perch to sing the time before returning to its rightful home. A crafted Ursine’s paw holding a clock which struck harmless sparks of lightning at every hour caused the claws to glow an electric glow also made its appearance. The sounds were quiet but apparent, the tick tock of each clock creating a unique harmony. Even the hymn of a thousand cherubs could be heard somewhere in the melody.
The glass tables scattered around the shop held pocket watches in bronze and in silver in their (fake) velvet cushions. Even small trinkets like necklaces and lockets could be seen, though those were rare. Prices are quite high for people who can afford it, but a little haggling goes a long way. However, if one were to ask for a customized clock or perhaps something… more, they need only ask the quirky looking female in the mask. You can usually find her behind the pockmarked counter, punching buttons on a till that doesn't work as she watches you with keen eyes.
”If you’ve a specific need, speak quick and quiet. When in Zaun, do as a Zaunite does. I can repair your clocks, your pocket watches, your jewellery and I can make modifications if it so suits my skills. But I am no mind reader, so do not ask wistfully but firmly and with a price. Oh, and please don’t touch the merchandise unless you're buying.”
NOTES! basically, erika will fix up your watches or clocks. if you want something small like a needle inserted for some odd reason or another, ask for it. or just anything else you can think of. she can't afford silver bullets though, so you'll have to provide those yourself. c:
The door burst open, a little girl having collided into it. She coughed, her eyes barely open and heavily watering. What was once a pink dress with an intricate gold embroider seemed now much more... dull. The vibrant colors had turned to an awkward shade of maroon and the gold seemed to have rusted before her very eyes. The little cloth shoes she had worn, too, suffered greatly as they seemed to have barely held together from her trek. Toxic puddles and more greedily devouring the weak material.
This wasn't what she had expected at all! The world wasn't like this? She had been so excited getting off the ship, but what was wrong with this place? What was she even breathing? This city state was worse than walking through the many obliterated villages that lit-
Her train of thought dropped off with a little meep- Her foot had caught on... something as she fell forward. Her hands barely had any time to respond as she fell flat on her face. Her hands sprawled forward. She remained still on the ground, the faintest sound of a light sob as she just laid there- having accepted her fate.
Fuck her dreams. Ionia was sounding really good right now.
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 18:38:07 GMT -5
Erika was busy tinkering with a watch which had been dropped off two days ago. There was a piece of paper inside it's face, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was for. The owner of the wristwatch wanted her to insert some sort of pen into the nob, but did not state why. It was not in her business to ask, of course, but it was still curious. Especially the piece of lined paper.
The sudden, violent tinkling of the bell caught her attention and her poor door was all but blown apart as something crashed its way into her store. Her pistol was immediately whipped out, and she ducked with the barrel barely pointing out. "I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" Her voice was further muffled by the many, many, many inches of hard mahogany plus her surgical mask and it came out as a "Fragalmerfherkkdiht!" But when no large hand came down to grab her by the scruff of her neck, and when no gun shots were fired at the counter, Erika peeped over the top.
Her ears perked up at the sound of something soft and she scrambled over to peer down. Something was lying on her floor, pressing its nose into goodness knows how many dirty shoes. It was clothed in a dress that looked quite exotic, albeit incredibly messy and was that blood? Erika squinted her eyes, the smog from outside floating through the open door was clouding her already poor sense of sight. It had brown hair, and high shoes. From the embroidery alone, she knew the girl (?) was a foreigner.
Then the faintest convulsion started and Erika's eyebrow shot up. "Are you... okay?" She picked up one of her cogs and tossed it down at the female, watching the wheel plink off the top of her head. Then another one. Then another. Plink plink plinkplonk. "Get off my floor!"
The girl sniffled, hands twitching softly as something made contact with her head. Was this death? Is this how it feels to die? Death sucked.
Wait.
No.
Was she still alive? Another plink. Nope. Definitely dead. Dead in a ditch. The words registered in her head and she responded.
"I can't."
She remained still for what felt like forever. Wenjing was convinced that something on the floor had decided that it really wanted to eat her face and was very much in the process of doing so. She wouldn't be surprised from all the other... stuff she's seen so far. Was it really necessary to show her his wares? That was disgusting. Then again, she also didn't think that anyone particularly enjoyed the company of someone that looked like they bathed daily in a vat of crushed yellow fruit. All pruney and well. Yellow.
"I'm dead."
She said matter-of-factly. Talking was a bad idea, her tongue having made contact with something salty. Disgusting. Oh god it was disgusting. She winced, yet her body remained still nevertheless. Maybe it was the floor monster's digestive fluids.
Doesn't matter. Already dead.
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 18:50:16 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 18:59:37 GMT -5
Erika rolled her eyes, deciding not to waste anymore cogs on that silly little creature. What was it even doing? Muttering something against that floor, she was going to contract some disease or something. She probably already had it, in fact. "Stop that," she said, walking around the corner of her safe counter carefully, her pistol pointed at the thing. Dead bodies wasn't a rare sight to see in Zaun, but it would be poor business if someone just came in and saw this mutated pink sea slug, they wouldn't want to come visit again.
She nudged the girl with her foot, quickly recoiling again. Then again. Once deciding that the girl posed no thread in this state, she placed her gun on the desk and grabbed pinkie's arms, hauling her up to get a good look at her face. Erika noted with mild surprise that she was, in fact, incredibly light and that if she threw the female onto the streets, she would be blown away by the smog. "You look awful." She said matter-of-factly. "As much as you love my floor, I don't think the feeling is returned."
Smudges of dirt could be seen on said floor where the stranger had scuffed her shoes and face onto the surface. This wasn't the first time someone had deliberately done so, but she doubted the girl would like to get acquainted with the ground for much longer. "Please stand up properly." Erika said, trying to balance the girl against the counter and failing miserably. "I don't have time for your stupid games!"
Wenjing wiggled softly. Hee. Wiggle wiggle. At least she could wiggle. Her mother always hated it whens he wiggled about. Something about a slug. But now she could wiggle all she wanted. She was dead, after all. Do what she wanted 'cos dead people are freee~
She felt something against her ribcage. Lightly prodding at her. Aughgh! The floor really was eating her. She mumbled softly, whispering delicately to the floor; as if it were a small child.
"I don't taste vewwyy goood so dunnomsmeanymooarrr"
Ooooh. She was flying. This was great. You trade little nudges here and there for the ability to fly. She'd always wanted to fly. There were birds in Ionia. They knew how to fly. There were no birds here. They probably all died. She was dead too. This was nice. Now she could fly with all the Zaunite birds.
"No, I'm a bird."
Wait. There were other dead people here? That was strange.
"Nooee.. t'was eating my face."
She flopped up against the other girl. Man. Flying wasn't quite it was made out to be. It was all weird and.. kind of soft. It was as if she didn't have any bones at all! Oh god that kind of hurt actually. There were hard things where dead people went. It kinda.. felt strange similar to a.. counter? Her mind slowly put two and two together. One might even have been able to see a lightbulb blink into existence above her head as Wenjing squeaked. Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. My god. She wasn't dead! This was great! She was still alive! And... and... she found herself face to face with OH GOD ITS A MONSTUHR. She flailed, trying to back away from the masked terror as she pressed back into the counter.
"Ohmygod there's something eating your face too!"
She breathed... calming down a little. Man. Now she kinda wanted to go back to dying.
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 19:20:33 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 19:26:59 GMT -5
Erika had seen many a crazy person in her life, but at least all of them were an understandable kind of crazy. This girl appeared to think she was both dead and a bird... and flying. The three normally didn't mix together if one was also considered a human-esque slug. All of a sudden, the girl's hazy eyes lit up and she all but shoved the Zaunite away. Erika stepped back hurriedly, swiping her pistol as the female began to perform some sort of ritualistic dance that involved attempting to break one's spine against a counter and slapping anything that came near you.
"Exasperation?" She replied. She knew the girl was probably a little more than weirded out by the mask currently residing on her mouth and bridge of her nose, but she wasn't going to take it off just to ease her mind. "Look, you broke my door and frankly, if you aren't going to buy anything then get out." Erika wasn't too good with the whole harsh tone of voice schtick, but she was doing her best to make her polluted eyes flash the best they could. It ended up looking like a lopsided twitch of the eyelid.
"And stop doing that!" She added, grabbing hold of the other female's wrists and pinning them down to the slug human's sides. "I don't know where you're from, but you seriously need to consider psychiatric help. Thankfully, Zaun has plenty of those!" She didn't mention that the 'mental institutes' were also called 'civilian homes'. That is, almost everyone in this city would have been diagnosed with something. Must be in the air.
THE MONSTER HAD A.... Had... a... She really wasn't sure what the monster had within its hands. What was that even. That doesn't make any sense. She had never seen anything like that before. Then again, she was also in Zaun and she handn't ever seen most of everything here. Buy things? Exasperation? What was this thing talking about. If she were in this thing's shoe's then she would be LOADS more worried about the thing devouring half her face. She eeped and put her hands to her own. Good. Her face was still there. Maybe there was something here that ate faces. She gasped. Her's was next.
She strained against the woman, fighting a losing battle as her hands inched towards her sides; her muscles tired from all the walking and running. She did a lot of running. From beggars, from sewers, from monsters, from... everything. God this place sucked.
The last of the woman's words registered in her mind as she brightened up.
"I'm from Ionia"
She smiled, beaming rather happily... until she realized that she was mere moments away from touching the infestation on the woman's face; trying to inch away as best she could away from the other person.
"I.. I don't need psychiatric help. You need psychiatric help! Everyone here needs psychiatric help! I need help but not help of the psychiatric variety! Everyone has been absolutely insane and... and please please, PLEASE just do something about that.. thing on your face!"
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply after her little outburst and looking away as the white puffy thing drew nearer and nearer. This was it. She was going to lose her face. To the faceeater. Huh. psychiatric really was quite a funny word. But first things first. Faceeaters needed to be dealt with.
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 19:38:57 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 20:18:24 GMT -5
"Ionia?"
The repetition echoed through her ears like a dull drum. The place her mother had gone, that had encouraged her insanity. Her head jerked impulsively to the little door at the back of the store that lead to the house. Where her mother was currently sitting with her head between her palms as she scratched at the skin and talked to the husband that no longer existed. She exhaled sharply. This thing was from Ionia. This pitiful disgrace. Erika didn't understand it, and to show that she didn't, she shook the girl once or twice.
"Don't lie to me," she said, gritting her teeth. "We're all mad here, but that doesn't quite matter. Because if you aren't like us, then you're the insane one." The girl looked so helpless and dirty. It was rather infuriating on about fifteen levels. She narrowed her eyes, "The thing on my face is a mask. If you had one too, you wouldn't have been eating the dirt on my floor, and you certainly wouldn't have inhaled that nasty air they call oxygen outside." For some odd reason, she felt her anger boiling. Annoyance at this stupid girl's antics and the fact that she had the nerve to imply that Ionia birthed such incredibly dull creatures.
Brown eyes were shielded away, and she brought her hand up to wrench at the girl's chin, twisting her face to look back into her own. "You don't like monsters, do you?" Erika's eyes blazed, dancing with a sadistic humor that many Zaunites seemed to possess at some point in their life. "We have monsters of all shapes and sizes and it's a good thing you flew into this shop." She laughed and pulled away, leaving the girl to either fall on the ground or stand on her own, her pistol twirling in her hand. "I've heard there's a store next to me that specializes in electric chairs. They might help you!"
Her eyes blinked back open; slightly damp orbs staring back into the Zaunite's as her face was forcefully turned. Wenjing's hands went to the counter, straining against it lightly to reduce the pain in her back as red eyes glared at into her deep chestnut colored spheres. She shook her head. She did not like monsters, neither the imaginary kind nor the demons that she had heard wandering this world. Not the Noxian deathmachines nor the strange creatures she had seen today.
She brightened ever so slightly as the woman mentioned that her luck had turned, apparently, for the first time since she stepped foot off the ship. She fell forward slightly, finding the strength to support her own weight. Wenjing winced lightly as she ran a hand along her back. Blood rushed through the tired muscles with greater force as the pressure was relieved. The woman's laugh didn't seem to match her words. She didn't quite understand at all...
"Electric chairs?"
Wenjing pondered for a moment, giving up almost in the same instant. That didn't seem to make much sense. Why would anyone want electricity in a chair? Silly. That's what it was.
"Why would I need an electric chair?"
She pursed her lips, deep in thought yet again. The cogs in her mind turned slowly. She followed her question with yet another, taking a step closer towards the person with the silly object in her hands.
"I want a mask too! Where can I get a mask? Hmn. Wait...."
She peered suspiciously at the woman.
"How do you keep all the nasty smog out of your eyes? I could never see at all out there!"
She clapped her hands together excitedly, the sadism lost on her as she beamed.
"I saw someone with goggles outside! Does that place have goggles too? I don't need any chairs though. I wouldn't know where to put them!"
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 20:58:18 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 21:04:46 GMT -5
It was official. She was talking to an inane idiot. Perhaps she had wandered out of a Zaunite or Noxian prison, though that doesn't explain the clothes. However torn and ragged they were, they still looked like they'd be nice on the right person. "Yes. When you sit in the chair, it sends jolts of electricity through you. It's a torture device, but I guess some people like it once they get the right settings." Erika hadn't actually been in the store, she'd only seen strange looking lights flickering and the tell-tale bzzt when something was turned on. So it may not be an electric chair store, but a place that sold kitchen appliances.
She shook her head furiously, "I don't have a spare. Find one yourself." The strange girl was suddenly incredibly close with an equally strange look held in her gaze. "I don't," Erika responded flatly to the inquiry. "Just squint and hope what you see isn't what you think it is." Every single second she spent talking to this incompetent creature was money trickling away from the pocketwatch she could be working on. The customer may come back at any moment!
"Goggles?" Erika repeated, somewhat confused. "Uh. Yes, that place has goggles. Go over there and find out." She waved her hand towards the doorway, which no longer had a proper door and walked back towards the counter to pick up the watch that had clattered to the floor during her little panic attack. Hopefully it wasn't broken beyond repair (funny joke).
She followed the wave of the woman's hand, her eyes meeting the opening to the shop.
"Okay! Thanks, mask lady!"
She hadn't bothered looking back when she delivered the words. She only just now looked back to find the woman retreating back to her counter. The action had been delayed; distracted by the various items in the shop. She smiled, happy that she made a friend. She bowed her head, bending at the waist, before looking back around the store. Geez. Things looked quite different this time around!
Then again it might have been because her eyes had been given some time to rest, or because she wasn't face down on the ground. That was unfortunate. She stuck out her tongue. That was still there too! She glanced about the shop, slowing down her speed as her eyes took in the various trinkets; the mechanized toys. Wenjing didn't really know what these things were, nor what they did; but that didn't particularly matter to her.
It took her some time to reach the entrance, but reach it she did. She turned, glancing back towards the woman.
"I think your door is broken!"
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 21:15:05 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 14, 2013 21:27:40 GMT -5
Her eye twitched. Mask lady!? Did she look that old?
Then it suddenly hit her. Her door was broken. The thing that stopped the smog and gas from floating in. The thing that's supposed to keep the windy drafts out. That thing. It was broken. In a flash, Erika had quickly run around her counter - because jumping over it would be too cool for her - and grabbed hold of the pink creature. "No thanks to you!" She growled, dragging her back inside the shop. The Zaunite stood in front of the supposed Ionian, eyeing her critically. In Zaun, people didn't pay back debts with money. It was either kill or be killed, and if this girl somehow got a hold of an electric chair, Erika would find herself outmatched.
"You're going to have to pay for that door. I could probably fix it up, but it's time I got a new one anyway." Erika rolled her eyes, "It sounds like you're lost, so I don't think anyone is looking for you. You're going to work for me until you pay off the debt. Oh, and you're going to have to scrub the floors too." She didn't care much for the ground, however. It was mostly the fact that she no longer had a door.
She turned the girl around and shoved her towards the storage closet, which also happened to be where the bathroom was. "There's... cleaning stuff in there. Get to it."
She raised an eyebrow as she watched the masked lady scurry around the counter and rush over to her; the woman's hands closing around her arm. She smiled, though still a little unsure of what was going on. She was about to greet the woman when she too made the connection.
"Ah-"
A drop of cold sweat. She had broken the woman's door. Her hand reached for her pouch, the realization that she had spent the majority of her money already settled in as the strange woman spoke. She found herself slowly being shoved back inside.
"Ah... How... How much would that be? The door...?"
She was not new to cleaning, but repairing doors weren't exactly her forte. In fact, she wasn't too good at cleaning either, but she had done it to make ends meet before. She forced a stop, sneaking out of the woman's grasp and confronting her directly.
"I'll.. I'll clean the floors but I don't know how to make doors! And.. And I was planning on leaving as soon as possible!"
She sighed, letting her dejection show through as she mumbled. She just wanted to go home. She patted down her skirt, a visible puff of dust released from the garment.
"And I need to go to the electric chair store to get a mask!"
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2013 22:12:10 GMT -5 by Wen Jing
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 15, 2013 18:16:11 GMT -5
Erika grumbled. The door itself wasn't the problem - it was also the potential loss of customers. People didn't immediately trust shops with open doors, and worst yet, merchandise could be stolen much easier. No doubt she'd have to sleep in the shop itself, unless she wanted to hoist up an uncut metal sheet during the night. This pink girl just made everything more difficult - as if life wasn't difficult. Though she doubted her mother would even realize her own daughter's absence, she still liked to sleep in a warm bed. Or mattress, but close enough. Erika didn't really want to turn to her brother for financial aid either. He'd already sent some gold to repair the broken roof earlier this month, and around the same time, money to fix a hole in the floor made by someone who was rather angry.
"Eh?" Her new employee had slipped from her hands and she was now face to face with the brown haired, brown eyed female, her face still smudged with dirt from goodness knows where. "You don't need to make the door, you silly faucet." Erika rubbed her finger against the other girl's nose, almost intent on burning the skin with the friction. "You aren't leaving until you pay for the cost of the door and the repercussions. Anything else you break will be added onto your debt card."
Erika began to shovel the female towards the storage door again, "There are masks inside the closet," she grumbled. Those were her spares, in case one got too greasy or too smeared with blood or oil or whatever. She didn't exactly like to tell people about it - that implied that she had to take the mask off in the first place to replace it. "They're all clean, so don't complain about buying a new one." Her nose suddenly wrinkled up, as if a repugnant smell had suddenly hit her olfactory senses. She was so used to the air of Zaun, and the fact that the mask covered most of it... nevertheless, her close proximity to the girl gave her a slight whiff of something incredibly unpleasant.
"... I think you need to clean yourself before you clean anything of mine." She changed the direction in which she was steering the girl. "There's a hose out the back if you want to wash yourself down."
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