What Would Your OC Give the OC Above You?

     Jackson blinked. Technology sure had advanced these days. Back before his coma he'd been around box TVs and brick cell phones, and now there were robots moving on their own like people! It was JUST like the movies, only... way more colorful.

     At first Jackson didn't move, mistaking eGor for a security bot that would kick him out at first sight. The longer he lingered, though, the more he realized they seemed considerably less hostile and more... curious? They asked him things and made some cute comments. Part of him wondered if this was to lower his guard, but hell, it was working either way.

     "Thanks," the thief beamed, bashfully rubbing the back of his head. Say, how much would people pay for an AI like this, anyway? Were there any more? Hmm...
     "Hey, check this out!" Rummaging through his vest, Jackson pulled out a small ball and handed it to eGor. "Cool, isn't it? It's a... a friend! Yeah, that's right! You've gotta carry him everywhere with you; he likes that! Oh, and see that little black dot?" He pointed at the spy camera's lens. "That's his eye. Make sure he sees everything, okay? The happier he gets, the bigger he'll become! And from out little talk just now I can guarantee he'll get bigger-- Look! He got a little bigger just now, see?"
     He was gone the minute eGor checked.

   Candy was somewhat intimidated by Jackson. But he decided to take the opportunity anyway. “Hey you uh, sir.” He gulped and held up a small tray of mini cupcakes. “Would you like a mini cupcake? Their free samples.” He tapped his feet nervously and his tail swished slightly. “I uh also have c-coupons t-too..” Candy focused himself and kept the tray balanced despise him being very nervous. 

ConfusedBiscuit

   “Aw thank you! It looks delicious!” Candy happily takes the brownie and eats it.

"You're a baker too! I love baking. Um, would you like to try these brownies I made?" Naomi hands Candy a soft, fudgy brownie. "They're uh, not warm, but they're very gooey! I promise!" She would hand him the brownies eagerly.

Ciao was everything Gabriel wasn't. Which was cool. And funny. It all came from how easygoing she was, and because of it, Gabriel was worried to offer her anything at all. Hell, she was certainly braver than him, too. Those... moving... those... He couldn't describe it. The moving pictures, the little people contained under staticky glass! The blood, the gore, he couldn't do it, and every day he thanked all twenty gods that he never had to face that ruthlessness on the frontlines.

He stared at the... demon? Maybe she was a demon. He didn't know. He would have to keep this conversation hush-hush, either way, because goodness, would his relatives butcher him if he was ever found out interacting with someone who was even possibly unholy. But, he just had to speak up. There was a chance what he had with him wouldn't befit her at all, but...

"I have." Gabriel stopped. He stared at her. He wanted to sit on the floor and cry like a bitch. "I have. A thing. For you." Ugh, how stiff. He shifted his eyes away from Ciao for a moment to reach into the leather satchel he carried with him, and then out from the satchel came a black book. The cover depicted a simple but grotesque scribble, barely recognizable as someone folded over onto their back like their spine had been snapped in such an inhuman manner, their four feet sprouted across their body. It made Gabriel's hands clammy when he looked at it.

So, he shoved it into Ciao's arms. "It's like your..." He stammered for a few seconds. "It's like your... animes... and your... gore... pictures..." He felt stupid talking about it. Did she even like books? It seemed to him that she only ever enjoyed the little people! And her cartoons!

He wanted to punch himself in the face?

"The librarian said it's about a woman who... got killed as a baby, so now she's, like... evil. She has feet. And is a ghost." he continued on, slow to calm down, "But-- But, it is a library book, so you're going to have to give it back. Thankfully it's short. It's only around a hundred-something pages. Just give it back when you're done. Please. I don't have money to replace library books."

    Gabriel find himself In an unusually large arcade. The arcade is open but there are no visable players. After walking through a seemingly endless row of machines, he comes across a strange room. The door is unlocked. SynthQuiz floats around in the room and stops to approach him. “Hmm a new player how intriguing. You seem very far from your destination. Allow me to assist you in your quest for escape.” The unusual being hands Gabriel a pouch. “This pouch contains tokens for the arcade machines. You’ll need to play games to earn tickets.” SynthQuiz gestures to the direction of the prize counter. “Once you have enough tickets, the prize master will allow you to leave. Don’t think about cheating, we don’t like cheaters here..”

     "Oh drats," sighed Ennette as she shook her small device. It was a little, electronic game she'd gotten at a tourist attraction nearby. It was so cute that she just had to have it, even if she wasn't well-versed in video games, no matter how old or "retro" this one was! She should have listened to her advisor, though, this was already breaking down after an hour!

     Seeing something out of the corner of her eye, she looked up and gasped at the sight of the neon manta ray. Despite how different they were than anything she'd seen before, they didn't seem hostile. She pursed her lips, then looked at her device then back to them, holding it out. "Would you like this?" she offered. "I'm afraid it's not working for me. It seems like you're interested in it. You can have it if you'd like!"

“It is done.” Xander placed the stack of papers in front of Matus. He eyed the golden god from behind his spectacles, before allowing a smile to form on his lips. “The play, sir. I did finish the play as promised,” he said.
Xander gestured at the tower of paper between them. “Well, the written part is finished. Now I can focus myself on commissioning the right costumes, hiring the right actors, directing, rewriting, building the right props and ah-,” Xander paused. He picked up the papers again and started to browse through it. Frantically. “I've written a song for it. A theme,” he continued with an exited pitch in his tone. “De tragedie van het Maan-pandemonium,” he rolled his hand. “The tragedy of the Lunar Pandaemonium. It's your song, sir.” Pause.
“It is mostly a violin piece, sir. It guides the other instruments, a lone drum and a horn, roughly through the music,” he said. “Like a red line. A war song on a lost battlefield. Dominating.” Xander adjusted his glasses.
“But here,” he tapped his finger on the sheet music. “Is the part that the pipe organ takes over.” Xander’s gentle smile had grown into an almost wolfish grin. Something rarely seen on the old singer’s face. Xander could hear the music he’d written for it. The thundering drums, the authority of the pipe organ. It was going to be BIG. It was going to be GREAT.
“It symbolizes your turmoil, sir. The conflict of your astral and mortal blood that run through you. Sir. Your fight for humanity or... With all due respect, the lack of it.” The grin faded as soon as it came, and he frowned. Xander inspected the sheet for a long few seconds.
“Oh Void... "  A curse. "Maybe I should make the intro shorter,” he muttered under his breath. “Oh, forgive me, sir. I have to take another look at it.” Something feverish fell over Xander as he gathered some paper and his sheets of music. “You can look at the rest, though...Sir,” he said, without looking up from his paper. “But... This part isn’t… Perfect yet. Sir. I surely know you’ll understand.” 

"I said that I would repay you for your help finding texts for me." Maribelle said to Xander, guiding him through the village's dirt road. Market stalls were set up by villagers and caravanners alike, scattered around under the dry summer heat. "Watch your step." she then added, "Herders drive their animals through here, so be careful not to... I wouldn't want your shoes to get dirty." Not that it really mattered. Her owns boots were dusted from the walk down the mountain and now in the village. No doubt Xander's shoes would get dirty, too.

Not that she was even paying attention, either! Now and then she looked at a young, brown-haired woman tending to a produce stall, each time falling silent. After several moment of glancing over, she forced herself to focus again. She linked her arm with his and led him closer to the stall. Hesitantly.

"I am not sure if... if many of these fruits and vegetables you will find in Drakenburg, so I thought it best to bring you here. Besides, I wanted to look at the caravans, anyway." she said to him, "The woman here, she... she sells mangoes and dragonfruit and durian... Have you tried durian before? I don't really like it, but it's fine if you fry it. It just... it smells terrible..."

She trailed off, freezing up once they were close to the stall. "Here." she blurted out, handing Xander a few silver coins, "Just-- just browse and buy whatever you want, anything that interests you. It doesn't even have to be from her. And it's not even just fruit. That she sells. Or that anyone else sells. Sir." With that, she then turned away from him. "I-I need to talk to the caravanners, like I said. Excuse me. I'll see you in fifteen minutes."

@ NP: You can respond to this version of Maribelle, or her default version or young tab. Just let me know?

crawling in my [skin]

Alcott sighed as he sat down besides Maribelle. He looked troubled, unsure of how exactly to start. "... I know it's been a long time since we've last seen each other-- years. And I know you've gone through a lot since then, and that's probably why there hasn't been any contact. You don't have to tell me what happened. If you want to, do it when you feel comfortable, and only tell me as much as you want, but don't think that means you have to. I'm just glad to see you around here, kiddo. You're free to use this place if you ever need somewhere to stay, too-- as if you haven't been already," he chuckled the last part.

Another awkward pause, but there was a more lighthearted feel to it, especially with the slice of embarrassment showing on Alcott's face. Finally, with another sigh, he brought a bag out between them, ushering her to open it. Inside was a leather messenger bag. He rubbed the back of his head. "I wanted to make you a jacket since I saw you don't wear your cloak as much, but that takes a lot of time, and measurements. Figured the bag would be more useful to you, anyway. Messed up and bought practically an entire bison, but I think the final product came out well. Even added your name to it." He pointed at the strap of leather at the front of the bag with her name stamped into it.

SiLk was casually skipping by and spotted Alcott outside the schoolyard across the street, behind a fenced yard. "OH hey a teacher!" SiLk waves and skips his way towards Alcott. He looks at Mr. Northwind from behind the fence and waves once more. Then he suddenly stops waving midway, as if he remembered something. He signals the teacher to wait as he had something to give him! He scrambles through his bag and takes out a 64 oz gas station mug. Seems used. Like it may, or may not have had a previous owner... "For all you do! Here catch!" As he tosses it over the fence to the other. "It's a great mug! It kept me hydrated that's for sure. I'm positive you'll find better use for it! And it definitely wasn't stolen from another teacher... A gift from your friendly neighborhood ninja. Just showing my love and appreciation for you!" He blows a kiss and quickly scurries off. As if he was guilty of something...

He spits the butt of his cigarette to the side and holds out a wrapped, circular shaped gift to the other. "Hey dude. You look like the kind of guy that needs one of these." Though he doesn't know SiLk, that doesn't stop him from pretending as if he does and getting comfortable with him. He closes the space between them, moving in closer until he can firmly plant the object into the other's hand. It's firm and about as heavy as onion. Actually, it kind of smells like an onion beneath the newspaper that engulfs it. "Some dude gave it to me last month, but I don't like it. It talks too much and I can't think during my brooding hour because of it."

Once he's passed the gift off, he pockets his hands and waits for it to be opened. Should it be, there's a wonderful.. shriveled head awaiting to be seen. Lovely!

"I've always imagined death to be a shadow. Like a feldgeister, a roggenwolf, stalking among the rye picking us one by one," Salvador said. His gaze was fixated on the horizon. He studied the snow-covered pine trees, the cold pink sky and how his breath formed small clouds every time he breathed. "And I had peace with that. Knowing that something inhuman, something natural with no brain had taken my father when I was young." Salvador clenched his fists. He finally snapped his gaze towards Haneul and glared at him. With misplaced hatred.

"We needed him. My sister was 4. My mother sick. I do not understand how a so-called reaper can take the man of the house away at that time. I do not," he said. Salvador's lower lip started to twitch and even while his eyes started to sting he kept eye contact with Haneul. "We needed money. He could provide us with coins," he said. His tone was shaking.
"He maybe was no beautiful maiden like the one you're protecting now. Or a tea shop owner. But he was a good man. Kind," Salvador said. He had to bite down on his lips and take a deep breath. "He helped us survive," Salvador said. He finally managed to look away again and his hands eased slightly. His fingers traced his own palm as his breath formed quick clouds. "He helped us survive." Salvador paused for a long time. "Let me give you some advice," he said finally with an unsteady breath. "Drop your human-act. Be cruel." Salvador pointed his finger "Not just to criminals. Let me believe that a monster took away my father and not some broken pretty-faced boy."