|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 8, 2021 20:36:18 GMT -5
let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 8, 2021 20:43:58 GMT -5
It wasn’t quite what Kelsier had pictured, but that was to be expected. He approached, confidence in his step, a hood over his blond head, a cloak disguising his figure and making it so he could have been anyone walking towards the door. Subtlety was an art he was well practiced in, and it wouldn’t do to be recognized right away, even by the doctor he was trying to track down. He wanted to know how they’d react to him as a simple traveler, first. Imposing air of mystery, such that it was, often worked to his favor. He strode up the the door, and paused. Then, making his choice, he gave it a firm knock. And waited. And nothing happened. Were they out? He considered coming back later, and quickly came to the conclusion that that was the most boring idea he'd ever had. Not a moment later, he was inside the house and glancing around, taking it in as quickly as he could.
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 8, 2021 20:59:50 GMT -5
The outside of the small dwelling was drab and bland - just a simple wooden door, scuffed and scratched around the edges. Barely visible from the end of the alleyway that led out to the busy street.
The inside, however, was much different. It was dimly lit with a candle set haphazardly on a stack of books near one corner, flickering and sputtering as it neared the end of its waxy lifetime and casting eerie shadows on the more notable things in the room.
Everywhere, on all the shelves, there were things. Some of them tools, sharp and clean(others not so clean - what could that stain be from?), others vials of unrecognizable liquids or powders. But the most striking feature of the room was the jars. All along the walls, there were jars of all shapes and sizes - various creatures and organs suspended in a thick liquid that shone green against the candlelight and cast green echoes of the color onto the floor and walls. Some were rather ordinary - a rat spleen here, a rabbit's foot there - but others were more unsettling. A human head. Organs much too large to be that of an animal. The fetus of a two headed sheep. The longer you looked, the more you found, and the more, perhaps, you wished you had never looked at all...
"Hello, can I help you?" - came a voice, from so close to Kel's shoulder their nose was almost touching his neck.
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 8, 2021 21:13:03 GMT -5
Kelsier peered around the room, taking it in. And...it was a lot to take in. Never judge a book by its cover, was the saying in his head as he began to explore a bit, eyes flicking around at the various...objects. If they could reasonably be called that. He needed a much broader term, he decided as his gaze landed on something he didn’t recognize, or, likely, want to recognize. And was that a human head? He looked at the tools next, not all of them clean. That wouldn’t do - a doctor was supposed to be...precise, or something. How was Kelsier supposed to know? He’d never been that good at fixing people. Pretty good at breaking them, but that was not what doctors were supposed to do. And then he heard the voice and he turned sharply, a hand slipping into his cloak as he stared into the eyes of someone quite possibly more insane than himself, which was, he was forced to admit, quite the accomplishment. He smiled at them, and didn’t stop back. No need to appear intimidated when he wasn’t. “I certainly hope so,” he said lightly. How to go about this...he was used to being hired, not hiring. “I’m Kelsier,” he continued, and pushed his hood back, shaking his light blond hair free and revealing a scar over one eye, his hawk-like features catching the candlelight and giving even his cheery smile an eerie appearance.
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 9, 2021 1:20:07 GMT -5
Hange walked in a slow circle around Kelsier, inspecting him like a cat inspects a new piece of furniture that suddenly appeared in its home. Their eyes, light brown and wide open, stared straight into his, unblinking as they watched him from the various angles they were setting up.
Then, seemingly past any particular interest in him, they turned, beginning to grab handfuls of objects from the shelves around them and placing them on the main worktable on the far side of the room.
"Why are you here," they asked - not unfriendly so much as void of decorum, stripped down from the usual bells and whistles of polite conversation to cut straight to the matter at hand. "....Kelsier?"
They blew out their candle and lit another, replacing it on the pile of books next to their workbench. Then, they began to work, opening jars, setting up beakers, connecting tubes. Getting ready for whatever it was they were doing.
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 9, 2021 1:40:40 GMT -5
Kelsier didn't move or flinch as he was examined, though he did wonder a bit curiously what they would do if he were found wanting. Then again, maybe dear old Beheaded over there held the answers to that particular question. He smiled, unintimidated by their stare as he met it with his own, hazel eyes as unblinking as theirs and just as firm.
"I can't drop by to admire a stranger's work?" He asked, watching them retreat to the other side of the room. He shook his head, clucking his tongue in disappointment before continuing. "Your name is Hange, and you're a former doctor, and currently working underground at the very same profession."
He didn't lose his smile. "You are also, admittedly, a hard person to find," he added wryly. It had taken him longer than he'd have liked it to, but he could respect them for that.
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 9, 2021 2:12:41 GMT -5
As he spoke, Hange paused in their work, hand hovering over the knife they'd been about to pick up as he showed his hand. Something about his tone made them uneasy - put them on edge. Was he here for their services, or - well, he had a demeanor around him that made them wonder otherwise. Like he thought he was rather an important person.
"That is rather intentional," they said flatly at his last comment, setting their hand down flat on the table without otherwise resuming their activity.
"You should know that you can't go back out that door unless I disarm it," they added mildly, unpausing and continuing their work without looking up at the stranger in their shop. "If you want your head to say attached to the rest of you."
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 9, 2021 2:25:17 GMT -5
That got their attention. Kelsier watched them pause. Consider his words, calculate how much of a threat he posed them. What proof did they have that he wasn't here to arrest them? None. None at all, besides his own word, and what use was the word of a thief and a killer?
"I would imagine it is," he agreed, not looking away. "I'd keep my head down too, if I were you, though I might not be as good at it." He wasn't lying. He was good at biding his time, but he was also deeply impulsive. He'd make a poor doctor and a poorer underground one.
He didn't bother glancing back at the door. "Not a problem," he assured them, smiling cheerfully. He didn't doubt he could release himself if it came to it, but he also didn't doubt that they would quite willingly release him of their own volition once he finished.
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 9, 2021 2:36:01 GMT -5
"You've gone to a lot of trouble to stand here and talk about nothing," said Hange, growing impatient with the man's stonewalling. They began to set up their beakers and vials, connecting them with tubes and setting a second candle underneath one of them to heat whatever solution they had inside it. As it heated, the liquid began to steam, making its way up the tube and dripping into one of the vials in condensation form. "I'm a busy person, and you are in my way. I've already asked, but what do you want?"
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 9, 2021 12:54:39 GMT -5
He was starting to annoy them, it seemed. Which was fair. He was testing them, seeing what they were like. He got to know people this way, by seeing how they would react to him, and he figured out a lot in a short amount of time. He needed to know what angle to approach them at, needed to know how best to appeal to them. He might have kept at it, too, if time had been on his side. But it had taken far too long just to track them down, and he wasn't about to lose them now. "I need your help," he said simply. They had already been blunt and forward with him...chances were, they'd respond to a direct approach best. "Transporting a chemical for me." I'll take care of finding and getting it, but you're the only one I'm aware of who can transport it relatively safely."
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 9, 2021 13:04:32 GMT -5
That got their attention. But instead of the caution of before, now their eyes were lit with an intense interest- a slightly unnerving expression that made the jars lining the walls make a bit more sense.
"Oh?" they said, their hands still moving to keep their experiment going while they spoke, their eyes fixed on him as they tilted their head curiously. "It wouldn't be a certain caravan you'd be planning to interrupt, would it? Around Raven's Pointe?"
A certain chemical compound, highly unstable, used as both a binding agent in various medicines and...if rendered correctly...a deadly poison. What they'd said was a guess - but an educated one. They themself had heard about the rumored caravan transport just weeks ago. They'd rather expected that someone might try to rob it.
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 9, 2021 15:07:43 GMT -5
Ah, so they knew about it. Not unexpected, but impressive all the same, and gratifying. Kelsier would have been disappointed if they'd known nothing. Their reputation preceded them, after all, and so far, they were living up to it. Sir Beheaded included. He watched their experiment for a moment before looking at them again, his smile still resting lightly on his sharp features. "The very same," he confirmed, watching them closely. "So you know what chemical I'm talking about, then. Good." He dipped his head, a sign of respect.
|
|
|
Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 28, 2021 21:17:18 GMT -5
"I am aware of it," confirmed Hange with a nod, squinting as they carefully poured the contents of one vial into another, causing the mixture to sizzle and pop violently. A bit of the solution splashed onto their hand, sizzling on contact, and they shook it off, ignoring the small burns cropping up underneath. "And, I am perfectly capable of transporting it, but I will need details on where, when, and how far you plan to transport it in order to plan correctly and avoid rendering the substance inert. I will also require payment in full upfront - I do not accept partial deposits. Will this be a problem?"
They spoke shortly and to the point, their tone almost sharp - it could be interpreted as irritation, although in their mind, they didn't hear it that way. If Kelsier took them to be annoyed with his presence, it would, on his part, be just an assumption.
|
|
|
Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 1, 2021 17:45:41 GMT -5
Kelsier watched, interested as they continued with...whatever they were doing. He assumed it was an experiment of sorts, though it might have been merely a procedure they did all the time, or anything in between. He gave a small, sympathetic noise as they burned themself...unfortunate, but it didn’t seem too serious, judging by their nonchalant reaction. “No problem “ he told them pleasantly, dipping his head. “I have the details and the payment, and I have no issue with giving you both,” He wasn’t sure whether they were annoyed with him or not, but truthfully, it didn’t much matter as long as they planned to uphold their end of the bargain. Okay, maybe paying up front was dangerous, but he understood he had no leverage here. He needed them, and they decidedly did not need him. So they made the rules.
|
|