etcelsior | we begin with an airing of grievances

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we begin with an airing of grievances

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping into MASK OR MENACE? Want to dip your toes into the setting and get a feel of whether your character will fit into it? Or maybe you're just cruising and want to play around? Then you've come to the right place!

Pick any of the following scenarios below or feel free to make up your own, but don't be afraid to throw yourself at anyone's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory is hazy and you might feel increasingly frustrated or anxious, or maybe you're excited as soldiers march past, barely glimpsing you. One second you're somewhere underground, the next you're enveloped in blue light, and suddenly you find yourself directly under Flordia sun's bright and burning glare. A female soldier steps toward you with a wide smile on her face and directs you to a car, ready to debrief you. You realize you are not the only one, surrounded by equally confused or eager faces... and you're all sporting a digital tattoo on your wrist.

02. Welcome to Cape Canaveral, where the smell of the ocean is in the air and locals are more than pleased to see new imPorts roaming their streets. They wave, they cheer, they ask for pictures as politely as they can. The more inhuman you look, or if you're wearing a costume, the more likely locals are to approach. Hey, enjoy the moment! The popular malt shop is offering you a free drink if you need it.

03. The technology in this world is certainly something. The cars are clearly modeled after popular 50s cars, but they hover several feet above the ground as they drive down the street. There are digital jukeboxes in restaurants, motorcycles also hover through traffic, advertisements can be seen on a digital projector on the taller buildings. Even kids on skateboards appear to drift a safe ten feet off the ground while playing!

04. Wherever you are, you can hear the loud revving of an engine, distance at first before you finally see it: a hovercar bursting around the corner, going beyond the maximum speed limit and just barely making its sharp turn. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon, not with two police cars trailing it... and uh oh. Those skateboarding kids don't have much time to get out of the way as the car comes speeding down the road. You've been brought here for a reason Hero — so you better act fast.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Maybe it's the reckless, bordering on death-defying way that hovercar flew down the street, or the way the car nearly took some random civilian's head off, but Chrollo is at least 85% less surprised to see Illumi emerge from within than he ought to be, considering where they are. As it stands, his face barely changes expression - one eyebrow slightly cocked, one eye slightly narrowed.]

[And he sighs once before he steps out from behind a gawking pedestrian, one hand in the pockets of his lovely black coat, the other currently holding a salted caramel coffee from the local overpriced coffee shop.]

[A rather less extravagant one than he would wear in private.]

Illumi.

[He sips the coffee.]

Careful, you may kill someone.

[Illumi isn't expecting to run into anyone he knows any more than Chrollo, and yet when he looks over at the sound of his name he looks about as blankly indifferent as he has since finding himself here. He sort of forgot about Chrollo recently, keeping tabs on him isn't his hobby... Still, here they are, and he is not surprised.

Chrollo not being dressed like a mall goth is a little surprising, but he only blinks and raises a hand in greeting.]

That's late advice. [but the car is pristine and without questionable bloodstains, no one arrest him yet] You look bored.

Ah, you're right, it is a little late.

[He gives a smile approximately 500 times more expressive than his normal face.]

Well! You could always carry that forward into your future endeavors.

[Because let's be real, he expects Illumi to steal more cars in the future. If he feels like it, anyway. But as for the rest... Chrollo takes a deep breath, inhaling the cool air and hot coffee scent of the air. It's not bad really, but.]

Maybe I am a little bored. [He glances off, away from his... acquaintance, really, is the best way to term it.] But I thought I'd try to look around. Without being so conspicuous.

[Illumi might want another car... A whole fleet in different colors. Maybe someday. At the moment he has only an even stare in return. Thanks again for the tip he didn't ask for.

Instead,] Oh. [Without being conspicuous, huh... He looks back at his plainly stolen and joyride'd vehicle and then simply walks away from it, closer to Chrollo but more to position himself ideally to fade into the crowd if anyone tries to take action against him.]

Is that working? I haven't known you that long, but you've always been eccentric.

[Unlike himself.]

[Chrollo glances down at his totally normal outfit - currently a neutral tone turtleneck sweater, black pants and a long black peacoat. And he looks at the coffee which, to be frank, is fine but mostly there so he'll look like a normal person.]

No one has noticed anything unusual so far.

[Well he did get asked about the bandages once or twice.]

[And frankly, standing here with Illumi isn't doing much for his appearance of normalcy.]

[In Illumi's defense - standing here as he is looking no different than his usual "dressed in the dark and fell on a pincushion" style - he hasn't done anything terribly strange besides steal that car. Standing near him might fool a few people into believing Chrollo is quite ordinary by comparison, but that remains to be seen.

Although he couldn't care less what his presence does for Chrollo, so there's also that.]

How convenient for you. I heard you were in a sorry state lately— now you blend in.

[The pincushions are kind of bizarre, to be frank. Not that Chrollo actually cares about that. It's like a symphony of who cares right now, and he's pretty used to that particular tune. That last bit, however... that's a little annoying.]

[He looks from side to side, wide eyes and face both... expressionless.]

Ah. Hisoka talks too much.

[They're convenient storage. No one has ever questioned him.

Illumi shrugs one shoulder, looking back towards the car - still only surrounded by mildly concerned civilians. That's working out so well.]

He's been trying to find you, although he's not very good at it. [clown loser.] Well, I don't see the point, anyway.

Yes... I asked a little favor of him.

[Which wasn't really his cue to tell Illumi about Chrollo's little sealing problem. Not that it matters - he's not ashamed of it, though that doesn't imply that he enjoys being teased about it either. And none of that is necessarily relevant here, in any case.]

He was much better suited for the task than me.

[Since he could actually use his Nen.]

You could say it was for old times' sake. A kindness between former comrades.

[You could say it. But you would be wrong.]

[Word gets around in the shady underground. Which, speaking of and also not really giving a damn about the details of whatever Hisoka's thing with Chrollo is-]

Speaking of comrades, did you know my little brother joined your troupe while you were away?

[Ha ha, how bizarre. Zoldycks doing things for themselves.]

[Well, that's mildly surprising.]

Hm. I wonder who approved that.

[Since he's not there. To be specific, he's wondering who the interim head is, and how long it took to choose them. Not being able to talk to your pseudo-family, man, it's rough, it's rough.]

I assume your brother is worthy of their company?

[Not that he thinks they have low standards because he doesn't. But all the recent losses... that can wear on a soul. Still, Zoldycks are, generally speaking, capable.]

Edited 2014-12-29 03:00 (UTC)

[Yeah that must suck, not having your nose in your family's business at all times. He can't imagine.]

Of course. Any of them would be.

[Said brother might be the youngest, but that hardly means anything given the way Zoldyck children are raised. Illumi's brought Kalluto along before, to work - he's quite capable.]

I don't know what he's thinking, though... Ah, no offense.

[Who do you even think you're fooling, Illumi, you don't really care whether he's offended. Which he isn't, because he doesn't really care about your opinion. Since you aren't a Spider.]

[And he's not going to say what he's thinking - that said brother is probably thinking it's better to be away from that smothering family than not. So instead, he goes with...]

I'm not offended.

Still, I have to wonder. The younger generation of your family is fleeing in droves.

[Is that any better, Chrollo? Is it? Illumi's expression darkens, briefly - but, he reminds himself, Chrollo doesn't know what he's talking about. Chrollo can't even handle himself.

Pity.]

They aren't. They only think that for a short while. [For some reason, their father thinks this is useful? Eh.]

No one leaves.

[Hey not, let's not make assumptions. Chrollo's eyes roll a bit, to the side, and then back to Illumi. If he's disturbed by that brief shift in atmosphere, he doesn't show it at all.]

Oh? Well... I've heard that blood is thicker than most things.

[He guesses. Not that he'd know. Realistically speaking, blood's not even thick.]

[Being trapped by something like that... honestly, what a drag.]

[Always assumptions, always. Illumi doesn't quite care for the subtle skepticism, but then, Illumi doesn't quite care full stop. He shrugs, tapping his cheek faux-thoughtfully.]

Well, if my brother makes any trouble for your troupe, feel free to send him back.

I don't think so.

[It's not that easy to disentangle yourself from the Spider, after all. He'll never reject that boy. Never send him away.]

Of course, he's free to leave on his own, if he prefers.

[why though. why.]

Not that it has much to do with me, at the moment. Until I can get back to them...

[Is that a touch of sadness in his voice? Yes. But Illumi probably won't care, so he doesn't bother covering it up.]

[Excuse Chrollo, that kid belongs to his family. This whole "no one leaves" thing is pretty serious.

Still, Illumi just looks at him, unperturbed.]

Huh.

It's likely he has a goal in mind. Maybe you can find out for me, eventually.

[Do him this solid and you can keep the kid for a while.]

[Yeah ask him if he cares, because he doesn't. If the others have accepted this kid, then he's Chrollo's family too now. At least until he chooses not to be. Which, after that whole debacle with Hisoka, no longer seems half as infeasible.]

[and honestly, who didn't see that one coming, even.]

Well, I can ask.

[If he ever actually meets him.]

...what's his name, actually? You have so many relatives, it's hard to keep track.

[No it isn't. But no seriously which one, Chrollo doesn't keep tabs on children, he didn't even recognize Killua after all.]

[Okay, but. Illumi's mom might be upset? ... Some people care about that.]

Not really... [There are only three mini-Zoldycks, that's not a lot. But it's a fair question, given how often they as a family venture outside to do anything that isn't shady and secret.]

It's Kalluto. He's easy to miss, but being a new face ought to help.

[Some people do, but Chrollo is definitely not one of them.]

[And listen, three is a lot of non-Troupe members for him to bother remembering without a good reason.]

Very well. When I have the chance, I'll ask about his intentions.

[...]

How old is he?

[Chrollo can keep track of all those miscreants, he can learn to spot a Zoldyck kid. Give them depersonalized nicknames, it'll help.]

Ten.

[Probably still ten.]

Thanks, anyway. You know how to reach me whenever it happens.

[Yeah, too much trouble. But he can remember this one.]

Mm. They're starting younger every day.

[The Troupe, not the Zoldycks, they've always been weird that way.]

But anyway... yes, that's fine. Also, feel free to contact me, of course. Since we're both here.

[Hm, but what would he need to contact Chrollo about? That's surface-level polite and all, but Chrollo hardly needs to waste his energy on that with Illumi.]

Ah, sure. That reminds me, what are you going to do here after you've gathered information? [a beat. ha ha ha,] Heroic acts?

[Ha ha ha.]

[Politeness is basically the word of the day. There are people around, after all.]

Hmmm.

[...sipping his coffee.]

I could do that. Saving a few metaphorical princesses is good for karma, I'm told.

[Yeah, no. Might be good for his public image, though.]

Maybe I'll volunteer at a soup kitchen.

[He'd actually do that one, though.]

we begin with an airing of grievances

...3.

those judging shoujo eyes

judging you always, ps thanks for killing those mafia dudes for me

thanks for the cash, it paid for some tacky pants

what's with zoldycks and bad pants, sheesh

an unfortunate side effect

must be all the electric shocks

at least they wear shirts

wot r u saying

nothing at all

are you saying topless goth isnt chic

fur-lined topless goth, maybe

how could anything be more cool than that

consider: crop tops

thats not even goth, how can it be cool if its not even goth

chrollo, you're not in middle school anymore

implying he ever want to school

did anyone in hxh go to school...

well obvs. the zoldycks did. if you count torture as school.

i mean i guess they learned math while being tormented

prolly just so they could count their payment

that is important, they can't carry calculators

they could try, i mean pockets are a thing...

but have you ever seen a zoldyck in jeans

have they considered pouches or maybe backpacks

killua did but his sucked

killua doesnt even count he's barely a zoldyck

you take that back

no, its true

no take it back!!

i so refuse