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Post by thecurtain on Oct 6, 2011 23:55:56 GMT -5
It's not that Nathan Seymour has never been to the city before; indeed, in his childhood he's come here many times, trailing with quiet, observant eyes behind his parents as they met with partners, discussed business deals, chatted with clients. He was perfectly polite, then, thoughtfully listening in as his parents taught by doing, how to respect their customers and colleagues alike, how to make responsible decisions that would be best for everyone in the long run. As he aged, he began daring to speak, questions first, observations next, suggestions later to come. It was with a proud face, well-earned by their son, that Nathan's parents had seen him off from their comfy suburban home to the wild unknowns of Sternbild city.
It's not that he's lost; he just isn't quite sure where he is. Blinded, perhaps, by the sense of excitement and freedom the city seems to pump from its gas and electric veins, he had become completely distracted by taking it all in, and now he's in an unfamiliar part of the Gold level, eyes scanning sharply for the Phoenix statue that will mark his destination. It seems to have flown away, desperate to get away from the hubbub of the city.
He's not terribly worried. He's left himself plenty of time to wander around before his appointment, and if anything about the dark, well-fitted suit he strides in makes him uncomfortable, it's the conservative feel of it, the sense that he ought to be at a funeral in it, not going to an interview. But he, if anyone, recognizes the need for what most other people consider "professionalism," and that he currently isn't in a position to go against the well-worn grain. He can make changes later.
For now, while he still has time, it would just be nice to know where he's going, when he's ready to get there.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 0:47:43 GMT -5
Kotetsu T. Kaburagi has spent six years in Sternbild. He's broken buildings, pavement, cars, statues, and once a house plant, but he's also been up and down the streets. He'd saved people from a burning building on the bottom level; stopped bank robberies on the second; and he worked on the third.
This didn't however stop him from being late.
The problem had gotten worse over the last year, notable enough that Ben had given him a long look and ordered him to take a few weeks off for 'personal reasons'. He'd argued, and lost, but had been back in a week, but the problems had remained. He hated the disappointed look on Ben's face, but it wasn't his fault that drinking seemed more appealing than waking up early in the morning.
He dashed down the sidewalk, ducking a few ladies with apologies as he brushed by them, determined to catch the bus to headquarters. Crap, was that the line for the bus?
Was that the bus, leaving?!
Kotetsu skidded to a stop, one hand on his hat to keep it from flying away from him, and stared as the bus pulled away from the stop. For a fleeting moment, he considered that he could, if he wanted, run faster than the bus.... .... .... but then what would be the point of a secret identity? He groaned, dragging his hat off as he looked around in vague hope of another bus sliding in to place, but there wouldn't be another one for .... he checked his watch, sighed. Fifteen more minutes.
Well.
He pulled his pale and green hat back on his head, looking around for something to do while he waited. He blinked, noticing a man in a slick suit that looked a little out of place around there walking around with that slow, meandering pace of the lost and not terribly bothered by it. Not one to let a chance to help pass him by, Kotetsu jogged across the street and wove through the traffic until he could find him.
He cut a clean figure in the cream shirt and brown suit jacket, dark pants rumpled around the knees and clearly un-ironed when they should be. A man who dressed well but didn't care too much for his clothes.
"Ah, excuse me? Do you need any help?" Kotetsu asked, bright and pleased to be doing something productive. "If you don't mind me saying so, you look a little lost."
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 1:08:46 GMT -5
Eyebrows hitch up as the rest of him seems to go briefly still--like he's trying to blend in with the decor of the city by pretending to be a statue. But maybe that's not right; he turns slowly, slender, well-manicured fingers splayed across his chin and full lips in a thoughtful expression, but his eyes are sharp and bright and naturally appraising. They travel up and down the stranger's figure as though getting a good look at him is much more important than responding, at the moment.
After all, if there's one thing to be said about most of the citizens of Sternbild, it's that they're always in a hurry, and Nathan's surprised, in his experience previous, to find someone who doesn't seem to be. Or at least is unfettered by it enough to offer help.
He smiles, and no amount of carefully applied foundation can quite cover up how his lips curl at the edges, like a cat's. "And if you don't mind me saying so," he responds, with a hint of gentle, good-natured teasing, "you look a little harried."
"Harried" isn't really the word for it, but Nathan doesn't want to come off cruel. This man is a stranger to him, after all.
"It's kind of you to notice," he adds, by way of explanation for his previous statement. His voice has a warmth to it, the type that seems to understand the stranger at first glance.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 1:19:07 GMT -5
Kotetsu doesn't seem to mind the observation. He flashes a wry grin, and its a handsome expression, despite the odd way he trims his beard. The stripes are weird, but somehow suit him. As he twists to glance back at the bus stop, the lines of his jacket can't hide the muscled figure underneath; his shoulders are broad, the movement of his body easy strength.
"Heh, I guess so," he admits, scratching at the back of his neck. "Where are you trying to get to?"
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 1:50:21 GMT -5
Nathan's eyes don't miss much. The way the man holds himself is a good indication of the excellent shape he's in--the way he moves even moreso, despite limited motions. There's a hint of intrigue in his gaze, if Kotetsu looks closely enough, but it may just be nerves, or the wide-eyed disease that Sternbild sometimes inflicts upon its visitors.
"I'm looking for the headquarters of Firebird Energy." Nathan shifts a closed manila envelope to his other arm, not a nervous gesture by any means, but simply as an accent to his words. It's an interviewer's envelope, large enough to house a resume, and maybe some other miscellaneous papers as well. "I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to point me in the right direction?"
There's warm, and then there's that, the tone of his voice seeming to summon up the memory of a wave of heat despite the cool, early-autumn air. To an innocent ear, it could sound hopeful or even grateful. To a more worldly ear, it could hint at a confusing mix of a lot of other things.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 2:16:50 GMT -5
Kotetsu misses all the signals entirely, occupied with trying to think through how he was going to get to work on time. If he took the next bus he missed the train leaving, but if he ran he could catch a different bus that got him nearly as close.... he found his attention drawn to the heavy envelope, and his eyebrows lifted at the mention of one of the largest energy companies supplying Sternbild.
He didn't pay much attention to all the company stuff, but he remembered Ben talking about getting his bills from them. Apparently their customer service sucked.
"Oh!" Kotetsu twisted around, looking behind him at the city, recognizing the name but not entirely recalling where they were located. "Uh, do you have some idea what street they're on? Did they give you any directions...?"
Almost unconscious, Kotetsu lifted the hand with his wedding ring still sitting, humble, on his ring finger, to catch at the back of his neck as he thought about it. He knew exactly what that tone meant and decided he was gonna....yeah, ignore it.
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 7:30:53 GMT -5
He catches the gesture but is at the wrong angle to get a glimpse at the ring. It makes him smile a little further, less predatory if not less interested.
The smile falls a bit, heavy with a wry quality, as he considers the stranger's question. "I'm afraid their website's directions were a little outdated," he explains, with a sense of understatement. He'd been led to a barbershop down on the Silver level, the owner of which had given him a baleful frown and had told him the offices moved a little over a year ago. He had sent Nathan up here, but that had been the extent of his directions.
"Do you know where the Phoenix statue is...?" They're impressive landmarks, the gilded animals for each of Sternbild's major companies, and hard to miss. He must be quite far away, with Poseidon Line's statue hulking not too far from them.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 11:54:37 GMT -5
"Oh, yeah! Sure." Kotetsu brightens immediately, offering a grin as his hand drops and slides into his pocket with the other one. "Too big to miss. Hey, you got a piece of paper? I can draw you directions to a metro stop not far from here. You take that, you'll get pretty close."
He's already searching his person for a pen, patting down his pants pockets, twisting around to check inside his jacket--ha! He whips out an old pen, the silver a little scratched, from an inside pocket and holds it up like a prize.
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 14:11:18 GMT -5
He greets the stranger's enthusiasm with a wry smile. "I don't," he laments, the papers in his envelope too important, too painstakingly assembled, to have maps drawn on them. "Is it far...? I shouldn't mind the walk, and I have time."
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 14:40:07 GMT -5
"Er," and Kotetsu flipped the pen over in his fingers idly, leaning out to the side to peer down the street. "Okay, to get there, you go down this street...." He points vaguely down the south end of the boulevard, "and hang a left at the corner." He gestures with the pen, flicking it to the side. "Then you keep going, uh, right, there's a department store on the corner, with a huge godzilla out in front--" He lifts up a hand to give an idea of the size, drawing a circle in the air with his pen.
They are decent directions, actually, but Kotetsu seems to tend to forget street names and keeps illustrating with little pen motions. Its not complicated, and he sets back on his heels as he glances back over at the man in the suit with lifted brows. "--Er, you follow that?"
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 14:54:08 GMT -5
His eyebrows push together a little, tempering his smile with a vague sort of confusion. "I...think so."
Nathan's long fingers interlace in front of him slowly, adding to the illusion that he may not be as certain as he says he is. "I know you're in a hurry, but I don't suppose you're headed in the same direction...?" he asks, sounding more purely hopeful than he had before. For good measure, his voice dips a little into a tone of worry.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 15:14:09 GMT -5
Even he can read those gestures in a confident man, and suddenly caught, glanced back at the bus stop. He scratched at the back of his neck, thinking about being late. If he misses this bus, there was no way he could get to work on time. Its a small glance; a momentary debate.
Well.
Ben would forgive him. He was already going to be late anyway, if he was honest. His shoulders ease and he offers the man an easy smile, tucking the pen absently into his pocket. "Sure, no problem. Least I can do.
At least he can take the metro too...
"It's this way." He jerks his thumb to the left, starting to walk as the bus pulls up with a screech behind them.
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 15:22:15 GMT -5
Nathan takes a moment to glance back at the bus, but the amused sort of gaze is gone within a moment as the stranger begins walking away from it. He follows, keeping up quickly with long legs and a confident stride, cushioned by stylish, sleek black dress shoes.
"I admit I was not expecting to find such a magnanimous person around here," he comments, by way of conversation. But he also does sound appreciative and a little touched, and those are quite genuine.
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Post by gryfeathr on Oct 7, 2011 15:26:25 GMT -5
Kotetsu can't help the grin he casts back at the guy. Nice to be appreciated, not that he wouldn't do it anway. He tips back his hat a little to angle a look up at him--this guy is tall, or at least, taller than him, and that's not too often. The hard soles of his shoes scuff against the ground as they walk, lost in the general hubbub of a lot of people trying to get somewhere fast.
His walk is easy, but he ducks the traffic with old skill. "Any little thing you can do, right?" Ha ha, if only this guy knew the truth! It makes him a little cocky. "People get so busy they forget that the little things are important. What's got you in Sternbild?"
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Post by thecurtain on Oct 7, 2011 19:38:14 GMT -5
Nathan is not so skilled with the traffic, but the combination of following after his guide and his ability to seem to float above the crowd seems to serve him well enough.
"I agree," he says, with a quiet, absent smile--like he's thinking of a personal joke himself. "I'm here for an interview with Firebird. I heard they had an opening."
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