Amidst the rubble of a war not long past, the stars seek to raise a new generation. Blessed with celestial powers that have begun to make their reappearance, the Gifted are individuals whose shoulders the future of the city rests on. Will you overthrow the dysfunctional government or work to keep it in power? Or will you undermine the whole game and play to your own advantage? No matter your motives, Hyperion is yours to shape.
WHAT GOES UP MIGHT TAKE US DOWN LIFE AIN'T A MERRY-GO-ROUND
The man's tanned skin glistened in the light of the sun, beads of sweat causing him to shimmer as his body worked. This was the last ship scheduled for a little while, which meant he'd have ample time to get some lunch after he finished unloading. Naturally, he'd shed his shirt when he went in to work earlier that morning, as it was far less hot to be shirtless and he'd always be working on his tan. His mid-length raven hair was wavy from the sea water's delightful kisses, and he was looking just as fly as usual in his black cargo shorts. Jett whistled while he worked, unloading the boat with an unusual joy. Everything he did seemed to bring with it a childish glee, as if there was no way to cramp his mood.
"Alright, Letty, I'm outta here," he drawled as he sat down the last box, speaking to the man who presided over him. After being properly excused, Jett claimed his sad excuse for a shirt and tugged it on over his abdomen, wishing stores didn't have that horrible 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' bogus plastered all over their doors. There was no harm in flashing his pecs for all the world to see, was there? He laughed to himself and started off toward a little café that made some of the best sandwiches he'd ever tasted. It was officially lunch time.
Jett was an expert at navigating the bustling streets of District 6, greeting those he knew and inquiring of them their health, asking several parents about their children, and smiling at every unfamiliar face. Once he made it inside the café he'd been making progress toward, he took a seat at a table near the window with a view of the harbor. He didn't like to be too far away from the water, regardless of how fire-oriented his natural gift was. He hollered a greeting to his buddy, the chef, in the back, and placed an order with the waitress for some water. It was best to stay hydrated, after all. He'd keep an eye out for anyone who seemed to be worth talking to and maybe make some new acquaintances over a sandwich and some icy lemon water, like some real big shot might in the city. He smiled pleasantly at the thought, freckles and grin lighting up his face, causing him to seem just as amiable as he truly was.
Owner of @_Home, net cafe located in District 4, seeking to maintain what peace that can be held onto, however long that may last. Currently a stray cat to the other districts.
Reyna didn't have a clue of where she was really going. All that guided her into the 6th District was a flyer and an empty stomach. During the day time hours, so long as @_Home was running smoothly, Reyna had the sort of free time to do a quick shopping errand or three. This was the original thought in mind but one the train ride out of the 4th, she stopped to read a flyer. It advertised a seaside cafe of sorts and looked a bit dated. Her stomach then gurgled while reading and the rest of history.
The woman adjusted her glasses in mind while her head turned to and fro at the signs. This wasn't an area she frequented nor memorized by heart. What she didn't count on was how humid today felt. "I should have worn something lighter," Reyna groaned and tugged at her shirt collar. The woman tried to keep up a brave face about the heat. District 6 boarder the ocean after all and the salty fishy air helped a bit but some solid AC would be much preferred. Back to the flyer her eyes went, trying to make a match of the name from paper to sign post. She grumbled how there should have been a proper map for the advertisement but that's their business and their methods of running it.
Her boots heels clacked on the sidewalk in march for her quest of a meal. Reyna didn't want to turn back after already arriving in the area. Idly she sought for her phone for anything to tide her over but the screen showed the same starry wallpaper as usual. No texts, mail alerts, or even a 'I miss you Boss!' from her fellow workers. Guess someone isn't going to get any take out after this trip. Reyna bumbled along in taking in the sights like a low key tourist before finding the cafe in question. "Ah ha," she heaved a gasp of relief and quickly headed inside.
Quickly she was greeted by the humming of a fan and a much cooler atmosphere. A few patrons were already inside with a window area already taken up. "This is the place yes? On the flyer?" Reyna approached a waitress with a wide grin and high expectations. She then showed the paper that lured her here. "If you have any specials today, I'd love to hear them."
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WHAT GOES UP MIGHT TAKE US DOWN LIFE AIN'T A MERRY-GO-ROUND
If Jett had a favorite hobby - other than drinking and having a grand old time - it would have been people watching. While he waited patiently for the waitress to return to collect his order, he drummed his fingers along the table top. It was less impatience and more fidgeting; if he wasn't moving, it was hard for him to focus, and if he wasn't focusing, people watching was hard. He scanned over faces in the crowd, wondering what it was they were all doing on this wonderful day, and spotted a brown-haired woman who was decidedly unfamiliar with the area. She looked proper enough, though Jett had thoroughly expected her to walk on by. When she had a moment of realization, however, he grinned. It seemed possible that his lunch wouldn't be too boring, after all.
The man did his best to seem nonchalant when the woman entered the building, trying to pretend he hadn't been interested at all. With a quick surveying glance, however, it seemed every patron in the building had turned to look at the woman. She'd made her way here with a flyer, hmm? Must be advertising actually worked. It was only after inquiring about specials that Jett felt the insatiable need to tease one of his friends, and perhaps get someone else involved in the process. "They got specials, alright." Jett spoke loud enough for his voice to carry into the back where his buddy was, a mischevious look consuming his dark eyes. "Hair in your soup," he spoke more dramatically now, flinging his hands in tandem with his words, "flies in your--" from the back came a holler, enough to cause Jett to halt his information brokering and laugh heartily. Just the response he'd desired.
The waitress was quick to dismiss his comments, knowing him well enough to understand what it was he'd been trying to accomplish, and divulged all of the day's specials. Once he was sure she was finished speaking, Jett chimed in again. "Everything's special here, dear - ol' Larry makes it with love." While Jett was thoroughly tempted to make some wise crack about what type of love that was, he held his tongue. It would be best not to scare people away, after all. This place probably needed all the rave reviews it could get, because if it closed, he'd have to walk even further just to get something to eat. "If you came here for fish, though, you can't go wrong with the cod; but if you don't like fish, the B.L.T. is by far the best." Not that she cared, but, "it's my favorite." he sipped at his water, peaceful expression overtaking his features. He'd gotten his rise for the day, and one was all he needed.
Owner of @_Home, net cafe located in District 4, seeking to maintain what peace that can be held onto, however long that may last. Currently a stray cat to the other districts.
[attr="class","PlotContentStyle"] Reyna clapped her hands together at what luck to even find this place. The decorations was on the mild side and looks very causal in atmosphere. A fancy place of cushioned velvet and high ceilings wasn't her goal anyway so this Larry's place was an acceptable establishment. Renya continued to nod to herself at her good fortunes based on a minimalist location guide off the flyer. The looped holders on her glasses swayed as her head, and others, turned to the man holding a window seat. He looked like someone you'd see at a construction site or at the boardwalk with a jovial attitude. He joked the usual mishaps that tend to get restaurants closed down just to earn a retort from someone in the back. Could that be the head chef or the owner? Or Larry himself? The woman mused on this idly and held her chin to think it over.
"Hmm, if that's the case then it can't possibly be hazardous to your health." Reyna smiled widely once coming to this conclusion about a chef putting love into cooking. Naively reading no further in context and went to chat with the waitress about the menu options.
"If you came here for fish, though, you can't go wrong with the cod; but if you don't like fish, the B.L.T. is by far the best."
"Then I'll take both," Reyna greedily declared without a moment's hesitation. She handed the menu back and took a seat by the wall a table away from the window man. Her usual method of rushing to work had her taking whatever cheap breakfast item there was and walk into the net cafe with it leaving her mildly hungry for the rest of the day. With that said, having to search for this place on foot in his beautifully sunny day left her famished.
A seat in the shade was welcoming along the a glass of water on the table. She sat nestled into the back of of seat and clicking her boots together on their heels. It may have been a poor decision on her part to leave dressed somewhat proper for playing her cafe owner role than go home to dress lighter. She slipped off her glasses to clean a bit of oil off the lenses during the wait for her meal. Since she was near the gentleman by the window, Reyna looked to him while cleaning her glasses with her sleeves. "You sound like you've been here all your life almost." May as well try to have a chat while waiting.
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WHAT GOES UP MIGHT TAKE US DOWN LIFE AIN'T A MERRY-GO-ROUND
As far as Jett was concerned, nothing was hazardous to his health. He'd eat bacon every day and be willfully ignorant of what was happening within his body. Truth of the matter was, he figured he may as well live while he was alive. It would be a more enjoyable experience that way. His recklessness had mostly only gotten him into trouble as a teen, after all. As a man, he'd been smart enough to avoid authority figures and still do all the stupid shit he used to get into trouble for. He smiled at the thought and turned his attention back to the people on the streets, happy to hear that the newcomer was going to take his suggestions into consideration.
It seemed she was rather hungry, ordering both the cod and the sandwich, though Jett felt that may have just been him being naive. There was always the possibility that she was meeting friends here for lunch, or that she had someone to take food home to. Regardless of whether she would eat it alone or with others, Jett was confident that she would enjoy her meal. Larry really did know how to cook fish to perfection, and honestly, he hadn't met someone who couldn't make a B.L.T. to his standards. Not that his standards were all that high...
The man was pulled from his idle musings by the sound of the woman's voice, though his facial expression made it evident that all conversation was welcome. He truly enjoyed talking with others, as he felt it gave him a glimpse into the many different worlds that existed within his own. "Honestly, Larry's has been like a second home to me since I was a kid. He used to feed my ma and me when we didn't have the resources to do it ourselves." Whether or not that had anything to do with Larry's hots for Mamma Sullivan, Jett didn't care to know. "He's a good guy, real sweet." This was said as if Jett was speaking the only truth about the man, though everyone got to see different sides of people. "He helped me get a job when I was younger as well, which has definitely made a positive impact on my life." With that, he felt he was finished talking about himself.
"What brings you 'round these parts?" The man was genuinely curious about the glasses-wearing woman, as it was rare to see someone who looked so positively out of place on a hot, humid, sunny day. It was refreshing, in a way. He'd yet to meet everyone there was.
Owner of @_Home, net cafe located in District 4, seeking to maintain what peace that can be held onto, however long that may last. Currently a stray cat to the other districts.
[attr="class","PlotContentStyle"] The woman hummed and inspected her glasses with care. Now that she found her destination, she wasn't so much of a rush to leave right away and gladly bide her time. Her thumbs rubbed the lenses in circular motions while taking in the cool indoor air. Her body then shifted to give attention to the now somewhat blurry male by the window. A talking fuzzy hotdog who gladly shared a bit of his past. "Ah, I see. I see," Reyna would reply. "Sounds like a kinda man indeed. Also in part that this place has been here for some time. A shame I didn't find this place before." Reyna commented in nothing but kind praise and lament that she hadn't come to this part of the city often. Her world as a child was kept small while, at the same time by her parents, encouraged to think beyond. A bit of a conflicting message to send across from two working parents that were a bit over protective of their child. She quietly blessed and wished her parents and the man's mother well.
"So what do you do now?" She asked in time to have a question tossed her way. Reyna smiled in thanks to have such an easy question come her way. Her glasses slid back on her face both hands pressing the ends of the frame as though to frame her grinning face as well. "The flyer of course." She replied a bit too proudly with a light laugh. Surely there were more reasons to come this way now that she's older and with money but for today, her answer was just that. "I was riding the train circuit from work and happened to see the flyer. Don't come this way very often and thought to a good change to dine out than the usual places." Reyna retold her humble beginnings of her quest to find Larry's. "When I got off at the main district hub, I wasn't too familiar with the streets and bus systems so just happened to go by foot." Honestly, with the fares cab drivers have these days, it would be robbery to have taken one just to get to Larry's and back home.
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WHAT GOES UP MIGHT TAKE US DOWN LIFE AIN'T A MERRY-GO-ROUND
Jett beamed at the woman and kicked back in his seat, allowing it to rest on two legs as he laced his arms behind his neck. "Yeah, it's been around for quite some time. But then, I'm sure you have a lot of nice places to get a bite to eat around your place as well." As the man spoke, he began to wonder which district the woman was from, and what she did for a living. Her outfit reminded him of a librarian, a type of person he didn't interact with that often. No, he was normally surrounded by the bar flies and fellow wharf rats. They were the best kind of people to surround oneself with, provided they didn't mind adventure. He wondered if the woman before him enjoyed adventure, or if she preferred to stay in and tend her books (and perhaps her cats, which Jett happened to enjoy very much himself).
"I'm a wharf rat now, specializing in manual labor." He liked to think he did a damn good job as well. "What about you?" He felt it would be kinder to ask the woman what she did for a living and not just assume she was a librarian with fifteen kitties roaming about her spacious apartment that smelled richly of aged books. "The train circuit, huh? Where are you from originally?" The dark-haired man tried to look as nonchalant as possible, as if he did this sort of thing on the daily. Truly, saying so wouldn't have been much of a stretch. He took into her comments on a change of scenery and felt that he could resonate with her on that aspect of life. Not enough change could get more than a little boring. Maybe he'd need to take the train and explore sometime in the near future.
"Navigation can be tricky sometimes, especially when the streets are filled to the brim with busy folk. If you need directions anywhere else after you're finished eating, I'd be more than willing to lend a hand." He'd friggin' escort her if she asked him to, though he didn't really expect that to happen. She looked the type to have a casual chat and hustle away like the majority of people he met these days. "What's your name? I'm Jett," he stated plainly, though he didn't intend to move to shake her hand. He was quite comfortable and more than willing to shirk his manners.
Owner of @_Home, net cafe located in District 4, seeking to maintain what peace that can be held onto, however long that may last. Currently a stray cat to the other districts.
"If only I realized how far it was sooner," Reyna laughed against at her own expense. She really should have taken a cab to shave off time in wandering. After her laughter died down a bit, her head turned out to the window where people walked out in the sun and the sparkling ocean beyond it. It wasn't exactly prime seating to have this kind of viewing but it had that sort of mental relaxant to it. She would sit there staring off at the horizon for a bit then turn her head to her warf rat dining companion. "What does a warf rat do though?" Her knowledge of the docks was beyond her and a warf rat felt so general of a term. He also didn't look like a rat at all, or had the face of one, but Reyna knew better than to loosely fire that off.
"I came from the 4th heading home. Have to keep an eye on my work place from time to time. Oh, it's a net cafe by the way." Reyna answered then quickly caught herself to explain just what she was talking about. Her hands moved gently and her head nodded as she spoke animatedly. "It's a small place really but our services is paid by the hour net use. In exchange we try to provide small comforts here and there. Oh, I suppose I should stop. Bad practice to sound like I'm advertising where I work to find more customers." A meek laugh was let out before taking a drink of her lemon twisted water in an attempt to recover from that slip up.
"Ah~ Where were we, ah yes, you said you could be my guide? Really?" A half empty class was set back on the table as Reyna picked up where they left off. Knowing someone would help her in her times of weakness, Reyna was overjoyed after hiking nearly the whole of District 6 that she clapped and pressed her hands together excitedly. If his hands were free and he wasn't in a threatening danger of falling to the floor from his chair leading, Reyna would have grabbed onto his hands on the spot as if he were her savior. Her energy just bouncing back and forth from standard to ecstatic. "I'd love to have a guide! How about we start right after our meals?"
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WHAT GOES UP MIGHT TAKE US DOWN LIFE AIN'T A MERRY-GO-ROUND
Jett offered the woman a warm smile in response to her laughter and followed her gaze outside, his delightful dark eyes soaking up the scenery. Sure, he'd seen it nearly every day of his life, but there was always something new to pick up on. "Well, depends on who you ask," the man said with a chuckle, pushing his hat off his head to tousle his dark locks. "This particular wharf rat loads and unloads ships, as well as completes some fairly basic dock and port maintenance when it's required." Jett's job wasn't one that made him seem all that intelligent, but those who underestimated his brainpower would be those at fault for their own misfortunes.
Of course, the man listened to the woman speak with interest - he was very respectful to others when they were speaking, and was typically as attentive as one could be, lest he see something that captivated him elsewhere. "A net café, hmm?" Jett hadn't really heard of such things, but then, that wasn't really surprising. He was outdoors more often than not, as his tanned skin would testify. Thankfully, he had friends to remind him to use sunscreen. While Jett felt he'd probably never visit her establishment, it was still fun to hear about. "Don't worry about shameless self-promotion, sweet," he drawled, throwing out a charmingly serpentine grin. "Word of mouth seems to be the best way to get customers. If I ever have a friend in need of such services, I'll send them your way." While he was tempted to finish off his little speech with a sultry wink, he stopped himself from doing so. This was not the time, nor the place.
Jett was unable to fend off his following grin, perhaps ailing from secondhand excitement. It was as if he'd just offered a little girl the pony she'd always dreamed of. He did enjoy being helpful, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. "I'm a man of my word, that I can promise." He did prefer honesty, though he'd lie if need be. "After we eat will be perfect, provided you aren't too sluggish after eating." The statement was joking, his tone and expression betraying this fact. He reached for his water and took a long drink. "Is there anything in particular you're interested in, or did you only find one flyer?"
Owner of @_Home, net cafe located in District 4, seeking to maintain what peace that can be held onto, however long that may last. Currently a stray cat to the other districts.
Reyna looked at the man in studious fascination of what a wharf rat would mean. His explanations though, had the woman key it all to a handy man of sorts around the docks and had little to do with being a rat. She thought to try drawing whiskers on his face to try making him look rat like and, oddly enough, it kinda worked. She smiled at her mental drawing while adding in some input to show that she was listening and not making face doodles the whole time. "So why a wharf rat and not something like a port maintenance or something like that?" It honestly didn't sound like he had a formal profession to her.
"Ah but good that you feel that way. It's still a young set up and I had a lot of help in getting it off the ground." A look of glee and gratitude in her eyes. It really took help from a few people who gave her business tips and how to set up electronics properly for efficient up keep. Not to mention finding a lot space large enough for the computers and general layout of what she envisioned for a net cafe to be than a cramped school computer room. "Just be sure that they say they're from you. It'd help to recognize them."
She picked up her glass, rattling the semi-melted ice cubes in it before taking a sip. He was really the charmer that amused her with his obvious winks and grins. A real fun person, this guy. "Then it's a promise!" Reyna declared happily while holding her glass up as a small toast to the occasion. "Nothing a walk after dinner can't fix." She chuckled with a glance toward the kitchen. The waitress started coming out with their order, the dark man's first since her own was two meals. It may take a moment longer. "Ah! I've been so rude. I'm Reyna. Happy to have you escort me, Mr. Jett."
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