Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 23, 2014 9:07:46 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 looked like it had been kicked in before being patched up by mismatched pieces of woof, 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:
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 23, 2014 23:58:28 GMT -5
August 23rd, 23CLE
Today was not a happy day for Zac. He'd been given a prototype suit to wear around by his parents due to him expressing his unwillingness to constantly be what he thought they would relate to as 'naked'. They sympathized and built the suit and he got to work right away with it, unluckily for the gelatinous hero it tore the second he walked out the door. His parents instead suggested he just start small and go for an accessory to wear like a watch, his mother suggested a place on the other side of town that was run by 'a nice girl' and insisted he see if she would be able to make him something fit for him.
The place stuck out like a sore thumb and he knew had reached his destination, though as he approached the door he found he was much too large to fit through it... so he shrunk himself down and made his way inside though he bumped his antennae as he did so. He casually walked up to the counter and gave the girl behind it a grin.
Hopefully she knew who he was and didn't react like the typical person who wasn't used to him with the whole routine of "Oh no it's a monster! Please someone heeeeelp!" he thought, because then he'd have to deal with someone barging in who may or may not know him and then everything goes downhill and he ends up explaining to Girard he didn't want any trouble.
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 24, 2014 0:27:41 GMT -5
Erika's hand had met with her face quite a few times already today, and again her fingers slapped against her cheek in an odd tune as she brought a wrench straight down onto a silver machine. A cog immediately sprung out, bouncing and rolling on the table before falling to the ground just in front of her workbench. The machine was smoking slightly, and Erika knew she had crushed it. At least the cog was out. The stupid thing was giving her far too much trouble and she could always fix the toaster.
Sighing as if she had just been told to change the light bulb, Erika hauled her stiff body out of the broken chair, rubbing her back and stretching before lightly walking down the three steps, around the block of wood that was her table and bent down to pick up the wayward cog.
Zaun had a lot of strange beings. Men with no legs, men with more-than-necessary legs. Women with filed teeth and not-really-women with three eyes. But never in Erika's life had she seen a man made entirely out of what looked to be green jelly. So she did the only thing a sane person would do in this backwards excuse for a city.
Erika screamed and scrambled back like a crab, the cog rolling under the desk and completely forgotten as her back slammed into one of the (dirty) glass displays. The whole container merely shook, considering the girl's lack of strength though she seemed to have an abundant amount of energy fueled by pure terror and confusion.
"Wh-wh-what are you...!" She brought her finger up, still dirty with grease and pointed it at the great, grinning gooey monster. "Oh god, what... are you here to rob me? I swear I have nothing... nothing of use for you! Oh god oh god oh god oh god..." Those two words became her mantra as her finger dropped down and drooped to the dirty floor before she immediately recoiled and brought the hand to her chest instead.
The poor girl looked to have had a heart attack, slumped on the ground and motionless but then a small hiccup sounded from beneath the mask "Don't hurt me..." She whimpered. No, she had never heard of this strange creature before and the fact that she could see right through him only made it all the more terrifying. Because she could see the dust and heavy air wafting in behind him through that broken door and...
Well, she had always been a bit of a drama queen.
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 24, 2014 1:20:52 GMT -5
Zac's grin quickly transformed into a frown as the girl started screaming, just PERFECT he thought. Next maybe some bum will stumble in and pick a fight with him for looking like he was going to attempt shady business on a poor defenseless girl in a store, oh damn it why was it always him that got the screamers? He had more than enough practice dealing with them though... though this one would probably take some delicate hero charm and Zac had plenty of that, or at least he thought he did.
"Well what I actually am is a mouthful, but my name is Zac and I'm not here to rob you I'm in need of your erm... services?" He said while raising his hands to show he wasn't armed. Though this was followed with her dropping to the floor out of his view, did she faint oh please don't have fainted... He heard her whimper and his fear was instantly put to rest, though peaking his head over the counter he saw she looked to be in a panic.
"I didn't plan to hurt you chick, promise! I heard that a pretty girl ran a nice shop here and could help me out with something... so could you please get up and not scream? I can prove I'm not a monster if you want!" He tried to sound as polite as possible, though the girl might that find a bit hard to believe with some of the goop from his mouth dripping a tidbit.
All the while he was left thinking he might have to talk with his mom about starting a anti-fear Zac group or something, screaming ladies was not what he needed for his image right now.
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 24, 2014 2:09:55 GMT -5
Zac... Zac... Zac?
Erika perked up, then deflated almost instantly. Nope, that wasn't who she was thinking of. There went her one avenue of safety, and when the gooey creature continued to talk, she thought that his voice was quite pleasant to listen to. Which only made things worse, because everyone knew that if something in Zaun sounded nice, they were bound to be awful, awful monsters. At least, that was what she was told anyway.
"I don't do that kind of thing!" Erika all but yelled, though it was more of a hoarse whisper if anything. Her hand grasped at one of the cogs she had in her apron and quickly flung it towards this creature who called himself Zac. She didn't even look to see if it had hit. Unfortunately, this also meant that she hadn't seen his display of innocence. Which would have been for the best, considering any sort of movement at this moment would mean certain death for Erika.
Suddenly, her voice was muffled as the girl had crawled back to under her desk. Oh, where were her awesome weapons of destruction when she needed them. She knew she should have made them or found some when she had the chance... "I don't trust you!" Her voice was a muffled blur as she rifled through dusty boxes and old piles of equipment.
"Ah-hah!"
Bang!
"OW!" Erika, being the klutz that she was and in her excitement had smashed the top of her head on the hard underside of her desk, narrowly missing the long nail that had been shoved through from days forgotten. Though the Zaunite girl had long since forgotten that she had working tear ducts, she felt her mood drop a little more (which was quite the feat, all things considering). However, she refused to let this intruder get the better of her.
"I have something pointy and sharp and I'm not afraid to use it!" Came her muffled, somewhat pained voice beneath the desk.
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 24, 2014 3:41:03 GMT -5
He let out a sigh as a cog came flying at him from behind the desk and found it was stuck in his chest, he also noticed the girl hadn't checked to see if it had hit. The thought of rolling with this and maybe giving her the confidence she had hurt him would work wonders, then he realized it could just as easily backfire and she could have a panic attack over wounding a 'monster'.
Damn this was annoying.
He almost shed a gooey tear as he heard she didn't trust him, the local hero of Zaun... though he didn't have time to give her a reason why she should trust him before he heard a bump and then the wording of a threat...? Oh geez, it was like this girl didn't want to work with him.
He wasn't afraid of whatever the manic woman had under her desk, unless it was some pointy hextech contraption. Then he might show a bit of caution, but for now he just had to keep things relatively 'cool' and keep this situation from escalating.
"Ok, ok... I'm not gonna come any closer. Just put whatever you just got down and we can talk! Like person to.. gooper-hero."
He was careful to keep his previous tone, people tended to not freak out if he used his 'good guy' voice. Though he did give himself a mental pat on the back for the gooper-hero bit, maybe he'd get a chuckle out of her through this and be able to work from there?
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 24, 2014 4:14:00 GMT -5
When Erika heard no more from this 'Zac' creature, she wondered if he had finally left. A surge of relief coursed through her as she chuckled to herself. Of course there was nothing to worry about - this was Zaun! Even if she didn't have a sharp, pointy object there was no way someone would think she was lying. In fact, she probably should have said it shot silver bullets too, just to go the whole mile.
She rose up from under the desk, dropping the wrench she had been holding onto onto the bench with a thick clunk. It was unfortunate that she had totally missed what Zac had actually said, and had only gone so far as to hear for the muffle of his obnoxiously smooth voice. So it was mostly thanks to her herculean strength and force of will that she did not faint right there and then when Erika found herself face to face with a grinning green form.
Instead, her hands clenched into fists as she leaned forward on the wooden surface in front of her, breathing coming in ragged, muffled gasps. She saw the cog she had thrown stuck inside the creature and could not even find it in herself to feel smug about her good aim. Not that the target was particularly small. In fact, she wondered how he had managed to fit through the door in the first place...
Get it together, Rothstein! You're about to get killed or eaten here!
"Do what you have to," she said grudgingly, going quickly from fear to a depressed sort of acceptance as reality quickly kicked her in the face. Then suddenly, she remembered her poor, insane mother. What would happen to her? She probably wouldn't even notice if this guy stuck his hand through her eye. That was unacceptable!
Without even pausing to think, she brought up her pistol (yes, the useless one but nobody needed to know that) and cocked it at the creature. "Wait, I changed my mind!" Erika yelled in her most menacing voice possible. Which resembled that of a squeaking chipmunk, but nobody could fault her for trying. "Don't come any closer!" Back to square one.
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 24, 2014 4:58:25 GMT -5
Victory! She had come up from the desk, now he could get on with his reason for being here and get a move on- a CLANG. His face turned to a cheerful smile to try and emphasize he wasn't here to cause any trouble. Even though he already did since he had single handedly turned her into a walking wreck of fear and distrust, or was she always like this?
He noticed she had leaned her head forward, what was she doing that for? Then came the apparent admitting of her defeat and the sudden loss of her will to live? Why was she being so difficult to work with, if he was actually here to kill her and rob her store he'd obviously had done it already.
He heard the cocking of a gun and let out a groan as he sorrowfully raised his hands again, hopefully since she wasn't under a desk or dropping a wrench to muffle his good intending words. Though she quickly changed her tone and he found himself being threatened and told not to come any closer to her, he was willing to work with this woman in order to convince her he wasn't a monster and reap the wonderful rewards.
"I don't think you heard me the last time. I said I won't come any closer, you can keep the gun but can we just... talk?"
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 25, 2014 2:16:28 GMT -5
Erika inched away, scared that the creature would shoot something from his abnormally large, jelly-like hands. She had seen things who had eyes on their palms or worse yet, teeth. No way was she going to give this one the benefit of doubt. She hoisted her pistol up a little higher, eyes narrowing in obvious suspicion. "I'm keeping the gun even if you tell me I can't," she ended up saying rather sullenly, as if offended that the creature-called-Zac thought he could order her around.
Then again, if she was to be killed, she would already be lying face down in a pool of her own blood and the green blob would be on his merry way. Though she didn't drop her weapon, she lowered the barrel slowly, though no less cautious. "What is there to talk about? Do you want to discuss how much money my life is worth?" Her mask muffled her words a little too much, but her meaning was clear. The only reason why she wasn't dead was probably because Zac didn't know how to work a cashier or even know where the money was.
Would Erika lead him to it? Probably. Would she do so willingly? Hell no.
"We both don't want any trouble. Well, I don't, of course. I don't know about you but I don't want this place to come down in a hail of bullets. Not that there are many bullets around, and it doesn't look like you have anything either..." She realized, if not a little too late, that she had begun to blabber on in her anxiety and strange fear. She wasn't really scared anymore, for some reason. Probably because Zac hadn't pulled a weapon on her... yet.
Erika sighed. "Okay, what do you want? Just so we're on the same page."
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 25, 2014 5:21:27 GMT -5
Zac was pleased that progress was being furthered here, he hadn't sent the girl screaming into another fit of brief hysteria with the act of him raising his hands or making a demand of sorts! Though he still hadn't gotten her to put the gun down, not that it really mattered to him since bullets going through him felt almost like the tickling of a feather.
He was a bit skeptical of her next words concerning his wanting to negotiate, sure he beat up those who picked on the little guy in Zaun and scared the wits out of them in the process most of the time, but murder? He could count on one hand how many actual murders he had committed in his time as a 'vigilante' superhero, but that was blood he had to carry for his decisions and a tale for another day.
His expression turned from a dull frown back to a cheerful grin as the managed to speak a full sentence without trying to put a bullet in him, he actually chuckled at the joke she made of turning this place into some classic shootout zone. Though from her previous actions he suddenly found it odd that he thought she would be cracking jokes after he just scared the hell out of her...
"There ya go chick, I told you I wasn't here to cause trouble. As for me being here, you make stuff like watches and clocks here right? I was wondering if you'd be able to make a watch that fits my... needs since I'm kinda not your average joe. And of course I'm willing to pay and I promise I won't hold you hostage or anything if you can't."
There, that was simple. He finally managed to get out what he wanted, now the question was... could the girl help him? Or would he have to settle for something else in his attempt to fit in with society.
Post by Erika Rothstein on Jan 26, 2014 8:44:38 GMT -5
Erika lifted one slim, slightly scorched eyebrow. Was the goo creature laughing at her? Her arched brow soon furrowed together to meet the other at the center, though her frown was covered by her unruly hair as she pondered what she had just said. She didn't think she had said anything funny, or hilarious or any other unwanted synonym. When she could find no fault with what had just transpired, she merely shook her head (almost violently), coal-black flying back and forth like a bedraggled raven.
Wait, what?
Blinking, she let the words sink in slightly before shrugging. "I do... make stuff. I also repair things," she sniffed, the barrel of her gun lowering as she turned her head to the side. Erika couldn't recall how well known her shop was, only that she had a few strange customers come in from time to time. That and she had enough business to keep the place running, albeit poorly and without water most days. And apparently enough to draw in things like Zac.
But if the creature was here for her work, why didn't he just say so in the first place? Honestly, Zaunites could be so difficult to work with! She grumbled to herself as she put her gun down and readjusted her mask before peering back up at her green customer. Her eyes darted around the body of the goo man, assessing his build and posture.
Finally, Erika nodded. "I can make you a watch. But you'll need to specify what these needs are and I can't guarantee that the thing won't just sink right into that... goopy exterior of yours. Unless it's actually a solid mass," she eyed the cog still in Zac with a critical gaze, "In which case, I'll need to know what it is you're made out of exactly."
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
Post by The Secret Weapon on Jan 27, 2014 1:14:29 GMT -5
Zac was slightly concerned as he saw the girl shake her head wildly, was that her way of saying she couldn't or rather, wouldn't meet his request? This proved to not be the case as she loosened up a little and asked what kind of watch he wanted and the needs he would need fulfilled.
He needed a moment.
Well he was mostly liquid, but as proven by the cog in his chest he could turn solid too... so he'd need something waterproof. BUT WAIT! he also had to make sure it could take a beating, something scratch-proof yea. What else...? It wouldn't short circuit the second he put it on and would always give clear vision, what else could he possibly need for a watch?
The idea hit him harder in the face than a max range Nidalee spear on the fields of justice, he knew what final touch this soon-to-hopefully-be masterpiece needed.
"It's solid, the only time it's liquid is when I choose to be or get the goop knocked outta me. But what this thing needs to be is waterproof, scratch-proof... plus in yellow. It'll match my supersuit so I'm not na- err.. it'll look cool."
He waited for a response from the girl, hoping that she could meet his needs and that she didn't catch on that he was technically naked. But then again... that was the second worst thing that could happen, the first being his mother changes his suit from yellow to green or some other not amazing color and makes the would-be watch look mismatched, damn that would be a disaster.
Post by Erika Rothstein on Feb 1, 2014 8:59:06 GMT -5
Erika felt her jaw go a little slack. Was that it?
"Water resistant, scratch resistant, yellow." The Zaunite clockmaker deadpanned, her brow arching and almost disappearing beneath her messy bangs. "No mini-guns? No poison darts? No sonic waves or secret compartments?" She felt like snorting in disbelief, but realized that she was still somewhat wary of Zac. Instead, she turned and practically jumped off the step before disappearing behind a glass cabinet before the creature could even respond.
Sounds of her rummaging could be heard loud and clear, with additions of things falling and hitting the ground and her body and with muffled yelps of pain before Erika emerged with her shoulders covered in a thin layer of dust. Her eyes were watering but she was carrying two ratty looking boxes which she slapped onto the wooden table before she turned back to Zac and pointed at what she had just scavenged.
"This one," she picked up the one closest to her, wrestling the cardboard lid off with a grunt, "Is sort of close to what you're looking for." Erika pulled out what many would guess was a watch, though it looked more like an over sized clock on a too small strap. While the strap itself was a canary sort of yellow, the glass covered face was a strange, murky grey with the hands being old and cranky. "I found some of the parts in a... laaaaaake... behind my house..." Here, the girl decided not to make too much contact with Zac, otherwise it may have been too suspicious. It was more like a pool of polluted waste, but no one needed to know. "I've taken a hammer to it and the glass didn't really feel like breaking so..." She shrugged and placed the box down before picking up the other one.
"This one isn't exactly yellow... or it wasn't meant to be yellow," Erika tugged the watch out of the box, the strap looking more like a bracelet. Actually, it looked exactly like a bracelet with the watch face being rather small and feminine. One look at it told the Zaunite that maybe it wasn't the best fit for a... superhero. "The strap parts I found, but I made the clock from scratch." She puffed her chest out a little too proudly at that, despite inevitable rejection. "It wasn't meant to be waterproof, but I ended up spilling some sort of water on it and it worked just fine... after a few minor tweaks to its clockwork. As for scratch resistant..." Erika shoved a blunt nail onto the plastic and gave a few experimental scratches. "See?" She beamed.
Then she put that watch down and sighed. "I mean, I could make you one but your specifications aren't really specific enough. Not that I mind. I like working. But these two could be what you're looking for since you aren't looking for much." Another sigh, almost as if she was disappointed that Zac hadn't given her a real challenge or a test of skill. Or whatever. She offered a half-hearted, wary smile that was supposed to draw in customers. "Whichever flies your boat."
I CUT MY HEART OUT JUST LIKE YOU
× and i can suck the life out of it just like you ×
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