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Post by beastly on Dec 4, 2023 20:58:17 GMT -6
Pete watched the guy smirk on the ground, briefly thought better of helping the guy, then grabbed him by the hand. He didn't look like he had poison daggers or anything. Where was Smokey?
"A little cold for those to be out." Pete patted his chest, then grunted as he tried to get the guy up and standing.
It was apparent Pete was not very strong, because he struggled with it.
This guy obviously wanted something, and the redhead was on edge. But. He seemed pathetic enough he wasn't too worried. Pete could burn him. At least he seemed alone.
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Post by indeath on Dec 6, 2023 0:16:43 GMT -6
Grim made as if he’d fallen slightly into the guy as he slipped his hand in and fished out a set of keys. It was a well practiced motion and soon they were in his pocket. Not his wallet or the necklace but it gave him something to barter with. He felt a little bit more confident after seeing their lack of strength.
“Name’s Mal… vin. Well that’s my hobby, what’s got you out here alone in the park? Waiting on a dealer or something? Gotta be careful in a park like this. Lotta unsavory types.”
He moved to a more comfortable distance and stretched his back to get out any kinks. Then made a terrible job of dusting himself off. If anything the dirt aggressively got worse.
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Post by beastly on Dec 8, 2023 14:29:03 GMT -6
"Right, nice jacket I got, it'd be a shame if something happened to it, huh?"
Pete couldn't put their finger on what the tree-dwelling weirdo was getting at or doing, but they knew they probably wanted something. They tilted their head, red eyes glinting in the light of the street lamp.
"I'm meeting somebody."
Smokey was coming along through the bushes and trees, wisps of them spread out near flat in the grass. The trouble was... they kept getting the necklace caught on the grass and sticks and leaves. It would get stuck, and then they would untangle it, and then move on, then get tangled again. It was slow glowing as they came up behind Pete and Grim.
"I'm here."
"Great. This guy is being weird. I'm working on figuring it all out."
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Post by indeath on Dec 10, 2023 20:27:57 GMT -6
Grim looked confused for a moment were they trying to threaten themselves or trying to help him threaten them? He had no interest in their jacket though if it was that nice, maybe he should.
“Meeting someone, huh? Didn’t think to meet them in the Barcade? Usually it’s good to have at least one witness when meeting strangers so maybe I should stick around.”
He wasn’t about to play his cards yet. Hopefully the kid was bluffing because Grim wasn’t sure he’d come out on top if there was a friend. Hopefully they were as weedy as the kid.
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Post by beastly on Dec 22, 2023 20:51:05 GMT -6
Alright, yeah. This guy knew. Or suspected. Now they were in a weird dance. Did he know they knew he knew? That was the question. But what was his goal?
"Do you want to like. Knock him out?"
Smoke curled around the legs of the bench, red lights flickering as they crept closer. Calculating.
"Nah. Hang on."
"Oh. I know them, don't worry."
Pete tilted his head at 'Malvin', trying not to glance at Smokey as they approached. Time to change tactics. They folded their arms.
"Are you trying to flirt with me or threaten me? I'm getting some mixed vibes here, man. I'm flattered in either case, I mean."
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Post by indeath on Jan 3, 2024 23:44:22 GMT -6
Grim tried to look affronted at their accusation, eyes widening dramatically. Then he grinned slyly and shrugged. He didn’t make any moves to widen or shorten the distance between them. He had their keys after all.
“Definitely the former if at all. I never say no if I can help it. Look, someone nicked something important from me. Well it’s not important to me, more important to a client of mine. Cursed family heirloom. Very cursed. I would like to get it back. Though if they were to sell it to a pawnshop. I’d like to know which one. As long as it ends in my client’s hands, it’s all gravy. I have a very flimsy reputation to protect.”
Grim eyes tracked Pete’s face trying to predict their reaction, ready to react and adapt his spiel. If they really were interested in a hook up, Grim could accommodate also.
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Post by beastly on Jan 7, 2024 8:19:05 GMT -6
Pete certainly hadn't seen any evidence of a curse floating around on that necklace, or any magic really. They looked from 'Mal...Vin' back up to the tree he'd fallen from.
"Cursed heirloom. Sorry to hear it. And you thought you'd find it in that tree?"
Their red eyes showed some disbelief, and their tone was slightly playful. They did feel a little bit... Maybe guilty. Stealing was easier when you did it and didn't have to talk to the mark. They had to make rent, though. Malvin clearly thought they had it still.
"Maybe we can both get paid?"
They glanced just briefly to where Smokey sat in wait.
"I don't know."
"We can run."
They rocked back on their heels, looking up at the sky and then back to Malvin.
"Sorry to hear that. Listen. I like pawnshops. Newer in town, bills to pay. You know any good ones?"
It was a weird dance they were going about. At any point, though, they could run.
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Post by indeath on Jan 10, 2024 3:50:24 GMT -6
Grim looked back up to the tree with a shrug and a large grin. He spotted the guilt in the red eyes, this was his thief. He breathed a deeply with relief, he’d been barking up the right tree after all.
“I dunno you can find all sorts of things up trees, don’t discount it. Found you didn’t I? Do you have any skill for ‘finding’ things? It can be pretty lucrative.”
Grim made exaggerated motions as he pretended to consider all the pawn shops in Wathais despite knowing exactly where he would suggest.
“I know alll the good ones, the others are far too fussy about their clientele, ask way too many questions. There’s Pawn Again, or Quick n’ Cashed and my personal favorite Easy Peasy Pawn it. I’d happily escort you to any, Wath can be difficult to navigate especially… without wheels.”
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Post by beastly on Jan 17, 2024 20:18:27 GMT -6
"You fell, bro," Pete shrugged,"I find what I gotta."
Pete folded his arms. There was the risk the dude was leading him into a massive trap. But, he didn't feel like they were gonna shake him otherwise. At least the guy didn't drive.
"Whatever's closest, I guess, man."
Pete wasn't especially keen on letting this guy see his license plate. He'd mentioned a 'client', and Pete wasn't asking follow up questions yet, but he really wasn't coming of as a normal guy.
Smokey kept careful watch from the grass, red eyes following the conversation.
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Post by indeath on Jan 24, 2024 5:36:13 GMT -6
Grim made a face at the reminder, there was still a nasty twinge in his back he’d have to hit up an ice machine later.
“Semantics… What you gotta, huh? I prefer finding things I shouldn’t or that someone else wants. The greater the reward.”
He led the kid out of the park, keeping an eye out to make sure he was keeping up. The stolen keys jingled against his pocket, perhaps the car itself would be enough to fix any losses. Still he knew a place nearby that had terrible security and the owner hadn’t banned him for life yet.
“Been in town long? Wath has quite the night life…”
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Post by beastly on Jan 24, 2024 9:16:32 GMT -6
Pete walked, their eyes settling on Grim and eyebrows scrunching as they listened to the jingle of his keys. His keys sounded an awful lot like theirs... And he didn't drive...
"You must be good at not getting your ass kicked, then. Or else sturdy."
Pete grinned playfully, walking alongside the stranger, red eyes glinting as they passed under streetlights. It seemed like they were pretty much on the same page, just pretending for the sake of pretending. They'd go to the pawn shop. Pete would sell the thing. 'Malvin' would steal the thing back. It worked. Everyone happy. Still. They were alert.
So alert that when Smokey blatantly trailed behind them, slipping from the grass to be a malevolent looking cloud of smoke with red eyes (also jingling softly), they did a double take.
"DUDE. HIDE."
"What?"
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Post by indeath on Jan 27, 2024 18:48:22 GMT -6
Grim’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly at the sight of their smokey companion. How had he not noticed a dark cloud like that following them? Though the kid seemed to know it, a little too well and it jingled. A lot like a necklace. He took a stab in the dark… metaphorically.
“HA! I knew there had to be something! I’m usually the one doing the lifting, and I felt nothing! Damn! Is it sentient? Or mind controlled? You make an impressive pair…”
A thought occurred to him and Grim took a step backwards studying the being for anything that looked like teeth or claws. Hopefully it was a friendly being of smoke but then it could be a demon. He shuddered at the thought, he’d had enough of those for a lifetime.
“Does it bite?”
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Post by beastly on Jan 27, 2024 23:34:50 GMT -6
"Don't feel to much like an idiot," Pete's voice was calm and casual, despite their internal panic being turned up to eleven, "They're good. Just not good enough to stay in the damn grass."
"Shit, should we hit him? Hit him and take all his stuff? Go to California?"
"Calm down, Peter."
Pete grew tense, and there was a moment where they looked like they were going to tackle Grim and run. Something in the eyes, in the way they braced themself, but at the last second they decided against it.
"They're smoke. They suffocate you."
"I wish I could do that."
"You don't need any more weirdo powers."
Pete regarded Grim like a wary animal. God damnit, Smokey. They'd have to leave after this. Skip town. This guy was some kind of thief for hire. Based on the way he talked and what his wallet had contained, he could probably be bought for less than fifty dollars. Beating him up was not off the table.
But he needed to play it cool. He couldn't look so twitchy, couldn't let this guy think knowing about Smokey or him was anything special.
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Post by indeath on Jan 30, 2024 17:21:54 GMT -6
Grim relaxed knowing it wasn’t a demon. He could deal with most things. His mind raced with what he could do with sentient smoke.
“Huh…Are you guys like a package deal or can I borrow it sometime?”
Grim bent down to examine the smoke further poking it with his finger. Strange, soft and a little more solid than he expected. He looked back at the kid noting the tension in their face.
“Are you on the lamb? Steal this guy from a wizard or WDSA? Don’t worry I’m a supe myself and I ain’t a narc. You can still sell that necklace but maybe your puffy pal could steal it back for me. Took a bit of work to track down the original thief. What do you even need the money for?”
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Post by beastly on Feb 13, 2024 12:57:06 GMT -6
There came a voice like the popping and hissing of a fire in Grim's head, presumably the smoke creature's response. It was accompanied by a warm feeling on his temples, hot but not burning.
"We're partners. I'm not something to be borrowed."
The texture of the smoke creature was not unlike room temperature whipped cream, constantly shifting and swirling. They suddenly sprung upwards, and a the outline of a vaguely defined person was standing beside him, patting his hand. They patted his hand back, red eyes flashing.
They hadn't gotten to the more populated part of the park, but Pete wasted no time in waving a hand through their friend and shooing them out of shape.
"We're still in public."
"Listen. A guy's gotta make rent. I dunno the spot, I can see if Smokey can do it."
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