lockhart-investigations

[lockhart-investigations]

While Zech went about disarming the man, the corrupted convulsions and visual jittering increased despite his inability to move. It almost seemed like the hazy shadow starting to surround him when Zech got near had every intention of moving to prevent the rifle being made useless. Yet the man remained bogged down in place by Enzo's spell.

Near the end of Zech's neutering of the gun the hazy shadow surrounding the man looked all the more frustrated and determined to move. Every movement it attempted was snapped back to the nearly still body it was tethered to. Doubly every failed attempt seemed to cause the shadow to saturate more around the man.

When the fifteen seconds was up, and the speed of the people around the area resumed, the man was easily sent into a sloppy tumble onto the ground when Zech collided with him. He seemed to flail his arms and legs as he fell in the directions the shadow tried to move just seconds prior against Zech. More importantly the rifle clattered out loudly onto the platform away from the man, causing the people around to panic and back away from the weapon.

Of course with the weapon out and visible the officers tasked with guarding the station were already charging towards the man.

Enzo was already approaching Zech pretty quick once the rifle hit the ground, gently grabbing his shoulder, "Put some space now. The guards will be calling the police about that gun he dropped." He knew the guards could get Zech pulled into the arrest if he lingered too close to the now convulsing culprit.

He seemed to mutter a chant under his breath as he gently pulled Zech back towards where Meia was waiting, which caused the man to seemingly stop convulsing when the chant ended. The crowd was in a bit of a panicked state even as the train pulled into the platform area, but there were still some who almost looked annoyed by the inconvenience of the scene. Some were evening muttering on about how things like this always happen on the lower levels; something which caused Enzo to unintentionally grip Zech's shoulder a bit tighter in a brief passing moment.

Meia was letting out a stressed sigh when the gun clattered to the ground, gripping the handle of her cart so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. She could see the man clearly now, but the energy of the crowd for it was almost worse than the pressure he was making before. It seemed to be a lose-lose situation today with this incident on that front for her.

She was at least relieved that they wouldn't be staying around the scene for too much longer. The Rise Trains generally couldn't afford to be stopped or delayed at this hour.

Zech visibly stiffens a bit in place – an action that was not quite a flinch, but for all intents and purposes may as well have been one – as Meia takes hold of the cart's handle, prompting him to whip his head over to her. He stares, then, momentarily bewildered by the sudden relieving of his self-imposed responsibility. It is the most convenient thing for him that she's doing this, but he still finds himself unaccustomed to the allowance of opportunity that such a minuscule act grants.

And then, just like that, he accepts the kindness with a small smile and a nod of his head. "Thanks."

He turns back, then, to meet Enzo's gaze, leaving him with the impression that they were, in fact, of one mind on this matter. The man's advisement, however, is another confusing matter itself as he quickly moves onto his next task of readying some manner of incantation.

"Only fifteen? I mean, I can work fast, but I dunno if I can—"

Before he could finish vocalizing his protest, he felt the shift in the flow of reality. The world around them almost seemed to freeze in place as though time itself had stopped, though that clearly wasn't the case considering the utter lethargy of speed in which everything in the vicinity was crawling around them. It made him wonder if...

No, fifteen seconds, just like Enzo said. There was no time to stand around and worry about the semantics.

"...Forget it. This works."

The swordsman's lips part slightly at the corners to reveal the whites of his teeth and he decides to supplement whatever trickery Enzo had employed with some tricks of his own. The air around his body bends inwards before erupting in an azure-tinged blaze, and Zech quickly takes off from where he stood, bounding above the crowds surrounding them with a leap that should have been, by all intents, impossible for a normal human to make. His trajectory is like an arc, rising into the air and then falling such that he would land near where their target was, dismissing the channeling of his power in the process.

Once having done so, he quickly identifies the arm which seems to be reaching down towards his leg and recognizes the shape of a long-barreled firearm of some kind. At once, he's moving to pull back any layers of clothing in order to reveal the rifle in his grasp and he gives its model a cursory look over to identify its mechanics before reaching out and ejecting whatever kind of magazine it may be loaded with into his hand, tossing it such that it would be discarded off the platform to fall away to wherever below. In like fashion, he also moves to pull back the weapons bolt action and/or charging handle in order to open the breech and clear the potentially pre-loaded, singular round, which he catches and discards of much the same.

He spends the remaining seconds wondering whether he should truly disarm the man here and now that his gun's been properly unloaded before coming up with an idea on how best to deal with him. Zech moves over to the man's side, stuffing his hands into his own coat pockets, and appearing about as unassuming as possible as he watches and waits for the effects to wear off, and as soon as it does, he begins to walk forward in such a fashion that he'll inevitably collide quite roughly with him, enough that he's likely to knock him over and, hopefully, cause him to fumble with his now-emptied rifle as he does so.

"Oh, shit. Sorry about that, I'm in a hurry." Zech quickly apologizes as he stops, glancing over at the man.

If his gambit works, this situation should easily resolve itself without much incident other than a melodramatic showing and, perhaps, some intervention by the local authorities.

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #wayward sword #[[Zech does not want to get caught by the security for the platform]] #[[Enzo is making sure to prevent that]]

[lockhart-investigations]

Meia could detect the rising erratic waves of emotion from the target without looking at them, exchanging a look with her brother before she put a hand on the handle of her cart, "...I'll handle getting it onto the rise train. It's not a kind experience for a first timer."

She was being about as subtle as she could with the effort to relieve him of her cart so he might act. Subtle and honest about part of the reasoning. With what she was feeling, and her brother being more than aware of it, they didn't have the luxury to wait for the train to stop in the station.

Enzo passed a talisman charm to his sister in a fluid motion after making eye contact with her, before giving a knowing look to Zech as he caught sight of how the target was behaving. This wasn't the most ideal situation for dealing with the threat, given the platform was more chaotic and dense with bodies. The train cars would have been more easily controlled for a conflict, but he didn't have a choice in this matter.

"...You'll have fifteen seconds to disarm him and get back here. Any longer and the police will be on me." That was about the only warning he gave as he pulled out another talisman and began chanting a spell silently. He didn't look too keen as he did so either, knowing that the whole platform would be subject to the spell he was casting.

That spell being a type of haste enhancement, all to drag out the fifteen seconds long enough for Zech to do his part and not be caught on camera.

As the spell started to take effect on the people around the trains seemed to stop their approach. While some of the crowd started to mutter it being another braking delay, others were too absorbed in their devices not seeming to work correctly. Soon though they all slowed down in comparison to Zech and the duo.

All except the man who seemed to now be visibly jittering and convulsing in his movements between his slowed motions. This wasn't something that could be noticed before, but the growing unnatural movements now visible to Zech made clear just what they meant by corruption.

It was also making fairly clear why Meia was likely having a hard time directly looking at him.

It was also painfully obvious now he was toting a rifle against his left leg, as some of the jittering movements ghosted him pulling said weapon out. Not unlike a fleeting visual premonition.

Meia's question prompts a bit of chuckling from the swordsman. "Me? Nah. You could probably say I'm comfortably acquainted with being in high places." His statement is cryptic, but only because he feels this isn't quite the time or place to get into the details. After however many nights he's spent in various places, finding the highest spot to look down upon the world and contemplate myriad things, whatever fear of heights he might've had has long since left him.

Being on a moving train that soared high above would be a treat in and of itself, to say the least. He'd probably be more enthralled with seeing all the sights from above and taking in the motion of the transport if there wasn't more pressing matters to attend to.

He turns then towards Enzo upon his warning of the transparency of the train floor once it was in motion and Zech finds himself having to resist every urge to look down and see for himself once they board. Another little bit of chuckling, this time sounding a bit more awkward in timbre, leaves him. "Yeah, well... I think there's more important things to be focusing on at the moment so I don't think you've gotta worry there."

Although he certainly really wishes he could. Perhaps another time...

Zech does, indeed, pick up on the fact that their target has started to move, although with the throng of people between them, he can't quite make out the very particular manner in which he moves. There is no mistaking the wild look on his face, and it's with that much that he sees opportunity. If it weren't for the fact that he was offering to haul Meia's cart for her, he would already be moving to blend into the crowd and make his way closer to their target.

...Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea after all. Secure him before he could possibly cause trouble on a far more condensed space. Zech steals a glance back towards Enzo and there's a little dip of his head, attempting to communicate with him nonverbally. When he makes sure he's caught eye contact with Enzo, he quickly flicks his gaze in their target's direction before returning his eyes to him. His dark brows quirk upwards ever so slightly in question, hoping it would properly convey his intent: Should we act now instead?

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #wayward sword #[[That thing they do in horror movies with possessed people is what the guy is doing]] #[[You're welcome]]

[lockhart-investigations]

"Looks like you're pretty compatible with this Zech guy, Meia." Enzo was the one who filled out the bingo sheet for her. Whether she wanted him to or not.

"Enzo, stop! You didn't even fill it out right!"

"Oh yes I did. I know you like those warrior types like him. And anyways, he seems pretty straight laced so I approve of him."

She can't even stutter out a response now, turning red and looking for something to throw at him.

//@wayward-sword

#|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❅Aura Reading❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✩Dashboard Meme✩ | #wayward-sword #wayward sword #[[I filled this out for Meia as Enzo would for shits and giggles]]

[lockhart-investigations]

"If kids these days could stop fucking around to find out with me, that would be great."

~~

"Enzo, that's rude!"

~~

Enzo is pelted by Meia with a decorative cushion from the couch, "Oh come on, you know I'm right about this."

#|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❅Aura Reading❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Dashboard Commentary✩✧ | #|❅☽Musings☾❅| #[[Just a random bit into how they are alone sometimes]]

[lockhart-investigations]

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

"It's fine. There's a lot going on." Meia gave him an apologetic smile, trying to stay focused as she felt the pressure from the target increase steadily with the approach of the Rise Train. Hiding her discomfort from the sensation was getting a bit rough as she attempted to carry any conversation. Still she wanted to keep up the idle talk, picking a common topic to continue on, "Do you have any fear of heights? The Rise Train can be a lot for first time riders."

Her brother and her had both failed to mention that some of the train cars had viewing window floors. Some people weren't prepared for the view if they looked down, so cases of tourists panicking or fainting on the trains for it were frequent enough. She did partly trust the impression she got from Zech that he likely did not possess such a fear, given his impressions so far.

~~

Enzo was keeping most of his attention on the target at this point, only paying some attention to his sisters attempts at maintaining a conversation as he tapped a bit as his phone screen. With the train cars nearly at the platform and his sisters obvious anxiety he was expecting a situation even before boarding. It would even be a bit helpful if the target started to create a situation before boarding, since there would be less paperwork to sign with the police force and Rise Train security.

Listening to his sisters question about heights, he is quick to chime in while putting away his phone, "More than a few of the Rise Trains have reinforced glass floors that act as viewing windows. They're opaque while boarding in stations but are turned transparent once enroute. Most tourists don't realize just how high the layers of Eden are until that happens. So, if you're prone to vertigo then try to avoid looking down when that happens."

Much like his sister he was already of the assumption that Zech was unlikely one to be prone to that, but he still mentioned it anyways.

~~

If Zech had been paying some attention to the target as well, he would have noticed the man beginning to move in an unsteady manner in the queue for the quickly arriving train cars. While it was unclear just yet if he had a concealed weapon, he was clearly avoiding any close contact with the people around him on his left side. Particularly his leg, which he didn't have any visible hindered movement with to suggest an injury.

More than that, the man was looking around a lot more as the train cars came into view, seeming to try to spot someone or something in the crowd. Overall it was clear the man was getting very antsy with the approach of the train, and his gaze looked a little crazed with an underlying panic.

Eyelids squint upon being presented with an image of the man on Enzo's phone screen, making sure to commit his appearance and any notable characteristics to his immediate memory. Though his explanations seemed rather off-topic, Zech felt safe in the assumption that he was speaking as such in order to maintain his cover. Without a better sense of his own immediate surroundings and the capabilities of their target, it was entirely probable that there was some means by which the target could track any pursuers that he wasn't aware of.

Zech could glean some associations based upon the metrics that appeared on screen. If he was reading this correctly, the threat level was risk level was respectable, but their "threat" and "corruption" measures seemed a bit on the higher end of the spectrum comparatively speaking, which had him wondering if maybe he was misunderstanding the values associated with each metric. He supposed, then, that whatever discernment he could glean was ultimately irrelevant. There was a person that needed dealing with, and that was basically all that mattered when all was said and done.

Dark browns briefly scan over the note and he blinks a single time to subtly confirm what he read before turning his gaze away from the phone's screen and scanning the crowd, attempting to identify their subject.

"You guys sure were careful about picking your location, huh? Pretty sweet, having all the amenities you could want nearby like that. I'm guessing the rent must not be half-bad either?"

There. His eyebrows slightly knit together as he spied an individual that seemed to match the reference photo. It was tempting to wade through the crowds and subdue the man here and now before he could become a problem, but it might create too much of a scene than the siblings wanted to deal with. Best to play by the rules for now: Keep an eye on things unless circumstances dictated immediate intervention as advised.

With a soft exhale through his nose, Zech slid his hands into his coat pockets, appearing to lower his guard even as he kept his gaze fixated on their target's general direction – not specifically staring at the man, but keeping him within some measure of peripheral focus as he generally glanced over at the other passengers. Perhaps this would help him blend in by maintaining the not-so-deceptive ruse of being something of a foreign guest, curious about the sights, sounds, and people around him.

"...Sorry, Meia, you said? I didn't mean to disregard you earlier." Zech finally decided to address the sister once he had a handle on everything, not really diverting his gaze in the slightest. "I guess you could say I was just deciding to nose my nose into your business here, just a little bit."

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #[[This reply really took me a bit to do and I totally forgot to post it for a while XD]] #[[Long Post]]

[lockhart-investigations]

“Moody autumn roads“ by | Andri Laukas

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

jayroyusa

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

the layer hotels // itō

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|🏠Aesthetic - Home Decor🏠| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

"Oh, I'm Meia!" She was quick to give her name, bowing her head to Zech in an apologetic manner, "Sorry about that. It's a pleasure to properly meet you Zech."

Every so often she was looking past him to her brother and then to the rail area as the Rise Train made its approach in the distance. She never lingered too long looking that way as the condensed aura blinding half her vision in a painful manner. Times like this she needed to count on her brothers assessment of the target when she was unable to perceive them in detail before their fuse popped.

It wasn't hard to get to reading some of Zech's surface emotions now for her when she focused on him. Though she could tell he had a fairly well guarded heart as she still struggled to get a grasp on what he was feeling precisely. Discomfort was also just always a generally tricky emotion to read clearly, and he had it wavering off him just enough even if his expression didn't always show it. In some ways it was relieving he knew how to keep his emotions in check.

When he voiced his question, even if it was more directed at her brother, it took Meia off guard, "...Uh..."

~~

"Long as we keep our wits about us, no. Just try to keep up."

Enzo was quick to jump on the answer as he had already caught onto Zech's staring a while ago. He wasn't exactly being too subtle about being distracted with his phone. Even so it wasn't his intention to be too obvious about it, given the situation at hand. Though the question did give him pause to consider a small detour on their way home to get Zech a personal cell registered for the city.

Leaning over he showed the photo on his cell to Zech of the man in the queue near them in a quiet manner. Though his speech wouldn't match the content he was showing exactly, but that was another obvious misdirect. He could already tell Zech was smart enough to catch onto what he was getting at.

"So see, we usually do work across the city in this sort of league. General busybody work, but it does make for a nice office and furnishings given pay. Though sometimes some of our contracts can be a bit more heavy lifting." As he went on about the idea of the contracts, he flicked the photo off to a quick information breakdown of what was up with the man in the photo, "We often have our work cut out for us on the tougher ones, so it really is a godsend you're aboard with us now."

The bullet point breakdown Zech was shown listed a few code words that he wouldn't know, but the descriptors were clear as day. High Risk, Threat Level, and Corruption; words with numbers between 1-10 beside them. This man in particular had a Risk of 6, Threat Level of 8 and Corruption of 9.

"Now if you look here, you'll see we're pretty well placed near most anything you'll need for general shopping too with our apartment building..." Enzo slightly scrolled the info page and zoomed in on the note he made to it that read: Watch him for weapons or sudden erratic movements. Disarm and subdue in non-lethal manner if he acts on the Rise Train.

A group whose efforts seemed to primarily revolve around fostering and maintaining interpersonal connections between disparate individuals... It was quite possibly one of the strangest organizations he'd ever heard of, at least on paper. He couldn't imagine that such work was particularly lucrative. Such efforts had ennobling qualities to it, he couldn't argue that, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of skepticism towards their mission statement.

Zech made certain to keep the ticket he'd been offered in his free hand when Meia had presented him with it, minding her warning about keeping it ready whenever he needed to show it. This place may have been filled with all sorts of technological marvels by his standards, but if there was one factor that stayed within the realm of familiarity for him, it was the process of securing public transit. He'd at least been in cities with similar structuring before – his own world had even developed just such a system within its largest population centers, so at least there was one singular thing about all of this that wasn't wholly foreign to his comprehension.

"Eden, huh...?" He muttered to himself, prompted by Meia's testimony about the merits of this place as well as its shortcomings. It wasn't the first time either one of the siblings had mentioned the name of this place but it was the first time Zech was starting to key in on the name itself, vaguely recalling a similar name showing up in various mythological and theological texts he'd perused before. Otherwise known as "paradise," and a place humanity was said to have been expelled from for committing the original sin, thereby rendering it a location that no one could prove the existence of as it was made beyond the reach of Man from that point onward... And yet, despite this, evidently Man saw fit to make an "Eden" all their own within this massive, tree-like structure.

He can't help but wonder if it wasn't all a bit fallacious in some way – this "Eden" that still served to divide its residents, and this group the siblings belonged to that sought to "prune the knots" and "bridge the gaps" between those same residents. Suppose he would have to wait and see for himself the answers in time.

Enzo's addressing pulled him from this reflective episode with Zech's usual, disarmingly awkward flair as he blinked. "Oh. Uh... It's Zechariah. But most just call me 'Zech' for short. And though this might be a bit strange for me to point out all things considered, I don't think I caught your sister's name during all the back-and-forth."

Hopefully demonstrating some self-awareness about his own implicit question meant that Enzo wouldn't feel too defensive about this stranger of a man only just now asking for his sister's name, but Zech wouldn't blame him if just such an inquiry happened to invite some measure of hostility all the same.

There's an unmistakably detached air to the way that he's communicating that once more served to clue Zech into the fact that there's something else at work here amid all the hustle and bustle, though. He couldn't know the specifics whatsoever but he got the feeling that Enzo was multitasking, only paying Zech the barest of courtesies he could afford in order to maintain a facade of some sociability. Such suspicions on his part felt all but certain as he observed the way that the brotherly figure of the two busied himself with something on his cell phone while attempting to feign nonchalance about his actions – classic subtlety and misdirection.

And so, as they queue up in order to board this "Rise Train", Zech decided he may as well address the figurative elephant in the room in the simplest way he could think of:

"...So, are we expecting trouble here?"

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword

[lockhart-investigations]

//How adorable are you?

"That's a fair score. Some do find my cyber-prosthetic eyes a little unsettling."

"I think this meter is busted if it's saying I'm more adorable than you and husband material."

~~

"Okay but what if we put in your actual first name, Enzo? It might even ou-..."

"Meia, this is even worse."

//Tagged by: @wayward-sword //Tagging: Look just steal it, I don't know who else to tag XD

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✩Dashboard Meme✩ | #[[Enzo hates his scores understandably]] #[[Long Post]]

[lockhart-investigations]

Meia allowed him to take her rolling cart handle graciously, motioning him to follow as she and her brother went over to a ticket dispenser adjacent to the turnstiles the crowd was flooding through, "Well we don't work alone in bridging the gaps. We're involved with a group. Just a part of it but we certainly spearhead a few of the interpersonal connections due to the nature of our business."

She pulled out her phone and did a few taps on the touch screen, purchasing a transit ticket for Zech to get him passage to the canopy district. It wasn't the first time she had to navigate this menu and she soon returned to him with the ticket, holding it out for him to take, "Keep this out and ready to be checked, and don't lose it. Since you don't have an ID for the city, we'll have to vouch for you."

With the crowd getting larger she then motioned him to follow her to the turnstiles, with Enzo trailing behind Zech as a buffer between them and any other locals lining up. This was pretty average for them as they filed through the turnstile line, and Meia showed him how to present the ticket to the scanner while tapping her bracelet against the sensor for herself. She was only worried about Zech possibly losing that ticket if he wasn't careful.

Focusing on helping him also gave her a reprieve from detecting the nearby auras. Even if it was only for a moment.

"Eden is a good place, it just sometimes loses sight of things and stops the sun from reaching the bottom. The branches of the canopy get a little too knotted too often, and it's tricky to prune them. Literally and figuratively." Meia smiled as she waited for Zech and Enzo to finish getting through.

~~

"Speaking of bridging gaps, what should we be calling you? Pretty sure you already caught our names." He spoke up, leaning in a bit to the conversation again, "And my sister isn't wrong, we're part of a larger group acting to help close that gap here in Eden. Helping folks like you who even visit the city is part of it."

Enzo kept an eye on Zech and the people behind them as they made their way through the turnstiles, staying close while acting alert. He caught Meia's look earlier and was checking his phone casually while scanning the crowd. He already had a snap feed from her when her attention was caught, since she used her eye implants HUD to send the feed covertly.

He was able to make out the face of the person she saw, and was already scanning the platform crowd for them as the next train and elevator were on the way. This was a usual task between the siblings when Meia saw something with her aura reading. Images from her tech could still retain what she saw as a snapshot, or even video, but only she could see the aura or spirit involved clearly. Anyone else would at best see a distortion from a spirit if it was large enough.

In this case, Meia needed Enzo to identify the person she saw. For her their face was obscured by the heavy aura, and the energy of it was bad enough that she stared at them. Neither were a good thing to have with the platforms this crowded.

"Stay close in the line over here. Loading onto the Rise Train is pretty quick for non-locals, and you'll get pushed if you don't stay on your toes." That was the only warning Enzo was going to offer as he kept tapping at his phone, sending Meia and one of their contacts a covert message. He managed to spot the man she noticed nearby, and it looked like he was set to board the same Rise Train as them.

His attention is redirected to Enzo as he answers on his sister's behalf, taking note of the man's seemingly stressed body language. Given his explanation Zech could see why there was a need for haste in their proceedings, but there was something undeniably curious in Enzo's descriptions of his sister's ambient sensitivities that left him with the suspicion that it was owed to more than just sensory overload because of the crowds and their cacophony of sounds as they went about their lives – particularly at the mention of her possessing a "sixth sense" when it came to people. Some manner of environmental empathy, perhaps?

Zech wasn't unfamiliar with such capabilities at least. And if this was the case, then it meant he had stumbled his way into the company of two rather unique individuals. Funny how often that seemed to happen for him.

With a vague idea of the young woman's capabilities in mind, he doesn't miss how she suddenly turns to look towards another direction with a noted increase in her discomfort. Faintly, his dark brows knit just a slight bit closer together while his jaw tightens by much the same, small margins. She was sensing something, wasn't she?

...Were these two siblings being pursued by an unseen force? Was that, too, a part of their hurry to move on?

He wondered if his own sense of caution was becoming increasingly transparent to either one of them, and so, to maintain appearances, Zech loosed a sigh of his own and let his shoulders droop a bit.

"I feel like my hands are tied here... But if you're both in such a hurry, then I guess I don't really have time to deliberate the offer. Alright, fine. You've got yourselves a deal." That said, he moved his way over to the cart and began reaching out to take its handle in his grasp. "And, as a show of good faith, how about you let me haul this thing for you? You're looking like you could use the break anyway."

He didn't figure pulling the cart around was too strenuous, but his intentions were as plainly stated: It was simply a small way he could show that he was, in fact, willing to pull his own weight. Might as well start doing what he could at the first opportunity, or so he figured at any rate.

"...What's all this talk about 'bridging gaps', by the way?" Zech decided to broach the subject as they proceed on their way, if just to keep the ice-breaking rolling as they moved along. "I mean, it makes sense that there would be a lot of division in a place like this, but it's hard to imagine a brother-sister pair would be capable of remedying all those differences all by themselves."

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #[[Long Post]]

[lockhart-investigations]

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

Enzo took over answering first to Zech's shock and question about Meia, a grumble in his tone, "Look...She doesn't do too well when the crowds get too big at rush hour. That's why we're trying to hurry off."

He pinches the bridge of his nose with a loud sigh, "But I also know she'll offer you the spare room anyways, which is why I offered it in her stead while she's...dealing with the noise of the crowd. She's got a certain sixth sense for people and has never failed yet to pick out good people."

It was also the matter that Meia went out of her way to approach Zech and offer him help that has Enzo at least sold on the other man being a good person. His sister wouldn't happily help just anyone if she detected something off about them. He could tell she was having some challenge reading this mans aura but any ill intentions he would have would have already been reared to her sensitivities by now.

That was the wonder of her being an empath, and was just as much a curse.

Her sensitivity to peoples emotions always left him more on guard when they were caught in the crowds of Eden during stressful hours like this. He knew how quickly the stressed and negative emotions could overwhelm her, and how she could sometimes cause a crowd around her to instead feel her emotions. It happened a lot when she was younger and couldn't keep her composure. It is why he always goes with her on errands outside of the canopy even now.

"...So, will you take the offer or not? I was serious about us needing someone to do some heavy lifting and it will help you get better connections in the city too if you're planning to stay a while." Enzo was trying to appeal to the business aspect of the offer. He honestly wanted to get moving, but already knew Meia wouldn't budge until this stranger accepted.

~~

Meia stayed silent for a bit while her brother took over the conversation, breathing deeply but softly. She was managing to refocus on just the two of them, only reading their energies and blocking out most of the others passing by. It was barely manageable but she was doing well considering.

There were a few glances she shot to her brother when his tone got a bit aggressive, before she gave an apologetic look to Zech to emphasize the kindness of the gesture. She was planning on offering it too since he seemed reliable and she detected a strength in him that would be welcome near their line of work.

She trusted Enzo to manage the conversation well enough, though she was worried he might get a bit confrontational with this stranger. He was a bit bad for that when he was on edge like this. It was something they always butted heads about when he got particularly bad about it.

While she paid attention to how Zech reacted to her brother, something passed by behind them that caused her shoulders to tense. It was a bristling, uncomfortable, and more than that all too aggressive. The dark undertone wasn't an uncommon sensation in the city, but the intensity is what got her attention. Before she knew it she was looking in the direction of the energy, staring at the crowd as the source of it barely disappeared into the sea of people herding onto the platforms.

As she looked back to Zech and then her brother, she tried to play off her reaction just a bit with another apologetic smile. She'd rather they get moving sooner rather than later. Preferably with this stranger given what she was starting to really get a clear read on about him.

Chiming in after her brother, she tries to make the offer sound less aggressive, "...I know our offer is rather abrupt, but my brother isn't wrong. I don't detect a sort of bad energy about you, and as much as my brother might deny it he likes to give folks a chance at making better connections in Eden. Just try to look past his rough exterior, please. We try to bridge the gap between the sectors one branch connection at a time, if that makes sense."

"And we should really get moving soon before the platforms get overloaded. You do not want to experience that for your first night in Eden." Meia gripped her rolling cart's handle tightly, letting her shoulders drop a bit with a little sighing breath, "If anything, at least take our offer for one night so you have a chance to get your bearings somewhere safe."

Given the revelation of what he could only assume was familial relation between the two individuals, it seemed to be a safe assumption on his part that the brother was only putting on an air of intimidation in the face of a stranger for the sake of deterring any potential trouble towards his sister. Zech couldn't blame him – "Enzo" she said his name was? – he most likely would have been the same way if he had a third sibling of his own. A funny thought to consider, that, given that he was a younger brother between two children himself.

His expression remains as blank as ever even as the young woman pulls up a map and highlights places of note where he could both find employment and a roof to put over his head. Unfortunately, even with such a clear visual aid, Zech was absolutely hopeless when it came to such directions without firsthand familiarity with the surrounding environs. The most likely outcome would be that he would simply end up getting lost again until he stumbled his way into incidental circumstances – such was how his luck ended up more often than not.

Something she says, though, sticks out to him— a small detail which bespoke to the economic structuring of this strange city.

"A layered city..." He muttered aloud, dark brows furrowing together in contemplation. "...So the upper crust quite literally lives on the higher tiers, which probably means that the lower class live below. More lucrative work the higher you go, and probably shadier dealings closer to the bottom rungs."

In a way, it reminded him of the singular, major city that existed back in his own home; although, in that case, it was more like the newer districts were of a much higher quality of living while the older districts were slowly left behind, resulting in destitution and coopted by the undesirables of human society – including those who may not have been particularly "human" to begin with, all of whom were simply trying to eke out a living for themselves just the same as anyone else.

His reverie and slightly building homesickness were promptly pushed aside as he noticed subtle changes in the woman the longer they all lingered here. It was as though she seemed... Distracted? No, that probably wasn't the right word to describe it, but some quality he couldn't quite identify was becoming a bit more apparent about her. As though she was starting to struggle to keep her composure.

Before he could even ask about her wellbeing, Enzo had suddenly spoken up with that offer to accommodate him with room and board, earning the brotherly figure a rather visible flinch from the swordsman along with an utterly surprised expression in response.

"Wha— Wait, just like that?" Zech blinked a few times, once more highlighting his incredulity. "H–Hold on, it's not that I don't appreciate the hospitality, but I don't wanna impose on the both of you out of nowhere like this. I mean, you've just met me. I don't mind doing whatever I have to do to earn my keep, but are you really fine with a total stranger shacking up in your home?"

In spite of his current stupefaction, he realized he's belaboring the point with these ramblings, which redirected his attention back to those vague concerns that sprang to mind regarding the sister's current state. And, with a sudden shift of demeanor, his trepidation turns towards a meek sense of concern as he raised a finger and pointed towards the woman.

"Actually, forget about all that for a sec. Are you feeling okay? You've been seeming a little... Off for the last few minutes now."

#|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❅Aura Reading❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #[[Long Post]]

[lockhart-investigations]

Just a little bit more colors needed for today | nhodjin

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|

[lockhart-investigations]

"He doesn't have a dangerous air to him, Enzo. And he also seems a little lost." Meia waved off her brothers attempt to be intimidating with another smile offered to Zech, "We are related, yes. He's more bark than bite, so don't worry."

It wasn't hard to read now that she up close just how out of it Zech was feeling around the tech. His comments about the tech also helped and confused her. What he mentioned about cell phones was about four decades behind to where Eden was. There were very few places that were even that far behind anywhere. Only places like it were remote; cut off in the far countryside that remained.

By all appearances he seemed like the sort too. He just had a sort of country boy energy to him, but it wasn't something she really looked down on. If anything it meant he'd be more open with his feelings and she'd have to spend less time trying to read the layers of his aura to figure out his true emotions. Doing that was exhausting enough with any of the locals she and her brother dealt with on one of their contracts already.

"...But aside from that, are you looking for somewhere to stay or work? Depending on what you're after you might be able to stay here on this layer, though the best work is usually up in the canopy district where we're heading." Meia shows him the map of central Eden that spread across the giant tree on the display for him, opening an adjacent search for hiring offices and lodgings to highlight locations.

If he was looking for anything he did have options, and she was hoping that what she did would help him. Still, there was a purveying worry that was biting at her as the crowd grew around them. The more people, the more emotions she could detect. The more emotions, the more they could overlap and become something else.

It wasn't a welcome thought, and she was doing what she could to focus on just her brother and Zech.

~~

Enzo remained a bit stoic in his stance, though he clearly softened about his sister as he got up beside her to over her back. A habit he got into to help protect her years ago. It was also a precaution for the growing crowd since they wouldn't try messing with him all that easy. It was also why he chose such punk looking street clothes when they ran most average errands below the canopy district.

"Even so, sis, we don't have much time to spare. I trust your judgement on people but we should get to the platform before it gets too full." He knew how she got if the crowd was too big, and he was doing well to mask his worry behind suspicious looks directed at Zech. It also had the added effect of him noticing just how little the man had on him. That alone was enough to get him to quirk a brow.

Like his sister he was already putting together that Zech was more of a country boy. His tech illiteracy was so plaining apparent that it was almost pitiful to watch. Not that he'd say it out loud in front of his sister. He'd rather not get her elbow in his gut right now.

He already had his own thoughts on how to handle Zech, even with Meia's offered help of directing him to options. It was already obvious enough that this stranger wouldn't have enough currency to get much of anywhere else int he city without help, let alone how he got this far. However he got here wasn't something Enzo would question but he did notice a certain spiritual energy on his own about Zech.

While he couldn't pinpoint like his sister, he did sense a certain power about the man that was abnormal. Not unlike Meia and himself. It was enough to note that he could be useful for a contract he's had on their radar for a while.

"...Look if you don't know where you're going either we got a spare room and some heavy lifting work if you think you're up for the task. Better than getting caught up in a hostel below this level of Eden." Enzo thought he might as well put the offer out there before his sister settled on it. He could already tell Zech probably didn't have much on him in the manner of credits, or if he had any at all.

Crowds. Zech was never a fan of large crowds like this. They were excellent to blend into and disappear within when needed, especially given his mostly unremarkable appearance, but otherwise hardly anything else was more uncomfortable and headache inducing than being by all those bodies and all of that noise. It didn't help matters much that he had appeared within a strange world and was utterly inundated with strange, new stimuli amid the scant familiarity that came with moving between throngs of people and that general herd mentality that was pervasive among such numbers.

People going on about their day to day lives, each one an island unto themselves among an ocean of other people. Individuals, yet autonomous. Especially in so artificial of a place as this, which looked to be some manner of... Train station, he supposed? Such thoughts were a bit too unnerving for him to dwell upon, and more importantly...

Where the hell was he and where was he going? That seemed to be the first order of business. Between the bodies, he spied some kind of screen with the words "information" upon it, and promptly waded through the masses in order to reach said kiosk... Only to be left staring at its surface, with its simplistic, yet oddly welcoming design, and though he seemed to be presented with a number of options, he saw no buttons whatsoever with which to interact with the interface.

"How in the hell...?"

Thus, he stood there, reaching up to place a hand upon his chin as he studied the kiosk, clearly befuddled by its function. What was he supposed to press? Was he supposed to talk to it? Damn it all, if only someone had been here just before he walked up, he could've watched what they did and then gotten an idea for how to make this stupid thing work—

He's called out to from behind, his stance stiffening in not so much of a jump, but the subtleties to his body language make it quite clear that he was taken off-guard. Rather meekly, he turns around to face his addressor, a young woman of (from his perspective) rather uncanny, silver-ish hair and similarly vivid blue eyes, but Zech paid these characteristics no particular mind one way or the other. Who knows what variety of people inhabited this world, after all? Such things could have been fairly normal for someone like herself.

"—Oh, sorry. Did you need to use this?"

Zech started to step out of the way as he half turned back to the kiosk, pointing in its direction, before turning back to his sudden guest, appearing to be completely out of his element before he stepped up regardless and proceeded to direct him on how to operate the terminal.

"...So it's kinda like one of those 'cell phone' things? You just touch the screen and..." As his voice trailed away, a dissatisfied frown spread across his lips. "...Man, I hate this sorta thing. It's all too fancy."

Was this the direction all human technology would inevitably head in? He'd seen such innovations across more than one world by this point. Another commonality of human progress that seemed to exist despite differences in origin, history, culture, and all else. No matter what, no matter where, such things always left him feeling with a deep-rooted sense of being "behind the times", as it were.

Another voice calls in their direction, evidently addressing the young woman assisting him as his "sister", and so Zech turns again to glance at the newly approaching person... Only to find that he, too, has a very peculiar look about him. He was a bit taller than the swordsman, as Zech noted to himself, and his style did, indeed, instill Zech with some middling sense of hooliganism, but it would be remiss of him to immediately suspect the guy just based on those qualities alone. After all, how many other people had measured Zech the same exact way in the past?

"You're related to this guy?" He asked the woman, glancing between the two separate parties. "Well, don't let me hold you up. I just want to find somewhere a little quieter than this, get my bearings straight, that's all. I can figure something out after getting all of that out of the way first."

What that "something" was wasn't exactly clear to him either. Probably figure out the state of things in this place so he can learn what his money-making opportunities were, and see if there was anywhere around here in which he could ply his trade – either for general mercenary work, hunting down outlaws, or things of a more supernatural variety, although he doubted he would find much of the latter in a place as high-tech as this.

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #| ✧💀♘✩Lockhart Investigations✩♘💀✧ | #| ✧✩Undetermined✩✧ | #\||✪Closed RP✪||/ #wayward-sword #[[Long Post]]

[lockhart-investigations]

#|❅Aura Reading❅| #|❅Mystery Seeking❅| #|❄Aesthetic - Vistas❄| #|✧Like a funeral procession✧|