Settling Down :: Morning [Noah/Open for NPCs]

Subject: Settling Down :: Morning [Noah/Open for NPCs] Sat May 07, 2016 2:23 pm

Settling Down

The Dragon's Den - 10:17 AM

Another morning, another sunrise over Endymion since the event at the R&D Departments in the city had taken place... The city itself had actually made a suprisingly quick recovery, all things considered. But the mental scars left behind would surely not vanish as easily as the physical damage had. Those that had survived the tragedy would surely remember what had happened. Entire families had been mercilessly slaughtered back then, something which Oswald remembered vividly since. He hadn't heard much from Gabriel or Touko since then, but he sincerely hoped that they were doing okay.

What was it with this day in paticular that reminded him of all that? Well, today marked the Five-year "Anniversary" of the catastrophe. Five years... such a monumental amount of time had passed... It was quite hard to believe that he had been living in America for such a long time. He now had his buissness all set up for the most part here, making due with acting as a body-guard for important folks around the city. Today, however, he had taken the day off from work. Nothing really special about this decision, he just felt like he needed a day off to recover. So, here he sat, outside the Dragon's Den with a book in his hands, which he was reading lazily as his new phone rested next to him on a table, beside a glass of some orange liquid, which was an alcohol-free drink. Since he was practically living in his office, he had the freedom to take his reclining chair, and a small table with him outside. There was no better way to spend a morning than with an ice-cold drink and something to read.

Settling Down :: Morning [Noah/Open for NPCs] JlkRpHm

It was still fairly early in the day, that was for sure. However, Noah was not the one to stay holed inside for very long, and as such, he was already out and about. Currently, he could be seen strolling through the shopping district, stopping here and there to examine what was on sale today. Despite living in Endymion since forever, there was always something new to be found, seeing how large this particular district was. A wonder whose idea it was to turn an entire district into one huge shopping mall..? It sure worked out pretty well, but his mind wasn't really all that concerned with that exact snippet of information at the moment. He was already done with what he came here for, so for the remainder of his walk, he was just spending his time looking around.

...and also making some people give him odd looks from time to time. For he had a large, silver, spiked collar hung on his neck. It definitely wasn't a fit on him though, so one could only wonder just what was it for and why was he carrying it in such an odd fashion. Noah himself definitely didn't seem to be too bothered by the occassional attention he got, keeping up with his trek until he decided to make a brief stop in front of a place with an interesting name. Dragons are cool, amirite? He took notice of the man sitting with a drink nearby, but for the moment he was busying himself with examining the 'shop' from the outside.

It didn't take long before Oswald noticed the young man looking at the shop. He'd take a sip out of his drink, before he put the book on the table, pages facing downward in such a way that he wouldn't lose track of where he was, without showing it's contents. He'd look up at the young man curiously, before speaking up. "Sorry to say, but we're closed for today." As to why a man of his age would take interest in a mercenary office was anyone's guess, and to be frank, Oswald didn't necessarily care much about how old his clients were, but others might. "Unless of course, you're just here to look around. Then by all means, go for it. But I'm not taking any clients today."

Noah would keep observing for a moment longer, until he was addressed by the man sitting nearby. Huh, so this guy worked here. Well, that was alright too. He would turn his attention to the other with a light wave of his hand. ''It's fine. I'm already done with what I came here for, so I'm just looking at what else is offered out here to pass the time.'' It was no big deal. Besides, had he had a serious interest in anything, he would probably have tried asking already, rather than just looking. Something else caught his curiosity for the moment though. ''Wait, if you're saying that, it means you work here..? Why are you here when you're having a day off? I haven't seen someone stick right by their job's place even on a break before.'' It did strike him as a little odd on a second thought. There's no need to sit by when the business is closed, is there? A notice on the door does a good enough job of informing people that they ought to come in on another day.

Just passing the time, eh? Much like himself, at this point. Why else would he spend his time reading a bloody book for? It's not like he was studying anything. In fact, the book he was reading was crimminal fiction. Not paticularly educational, but certainly engaging for the young man. "Ah, I see. Fair enough." He'd reply with a light shrug, leaning backwards in his chair. Oh...? Yeah, that one question he got a lot over the last couple of years. "Well... You see, I live right above the office. Bought both it and the room above. Using that as my apartment at present. I suppose it's a little odd, but that's how I prefer to do things." Simple as that, really. "There's really not much else to it."

Huh. Well....it wasn't odd per se, but it was certainly unusual. Normally, people aren't that eager to spend their time right next to their workplace unless they need to. It sounds a little stressful to almost sleep in your office, no? On that note, the guy didn't even appear to be that much older than him in the first place. ''I don't think it's that odd. But I do wonder if it doesn't get tiring to constantly be right by your workplace. I would have thought most people seek to get away once in a while.'' Guess at least you don't have to travel far this way? It still feels like a rather gloomy set up though. Ah well. For the most part, Noah was just curious, now that he was already engaged in a sort of conversation with the other man. ''What kind of stuff do you offer here anyway?'' Might as well ask? It was easier than staring at the front door, heh...

"Tiring? Not really. I rarely work around here myself, you see. As a bodyguard for hire, when I work, I'm not here at the office. The setup is rather convenient. I just meet my clients here." Oswald replied with a light shrug, slightly amused by the question. "Monotomy doesn't bother me as much as it probably should, but I guess after moving around all over the world, settling down in one place for a while is a welcome change to what used to be the norm for me." And indeed, that it was. Sure, moving around was acceptable every now and again, but when it was done periodically every month or so, the novelty of it wore out rather quickly. Sneaking over borders and all that stuff wasn't easy when the times called for it, but generally, the paperwork necessary was made. But they had to change their names every single time, which wasn't... fun... At least here, In Endymion he could feel somewhat confident that their past wouldn't catch up to them. Five years had passed, and not a single squeak from his pursuers only served to reinforce his belief that they were safe here.

"Well, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a bodyguard for hire. Important people all over the city needs it. Considering what happened 5 years ago, I don't exactly blame them. Not... that I can do much if something like that happens again." At least he had survived that catastrophe relatively unscathed. Something which couldn't be said for the majority...

''Ah, I see. You have an interesting set up then. Most people probably don't get the opportunity to be this near their workplace.'' Maybe if it was a self-owned one, and even then it's not always possible to live as close as that. Not that Noah would be interested in taking such a lifestyle, but perhaps it did have its own charm. He was content enough with having a job in the same district he lived in. Not quite under his nose, but not too far away either, which was just fine. ''You're foreign, huh? Well, I could see how travelling can start to get to you after a while.'' Noah hasn't had the chance to travel any far yet, but he could at least imagine that doing it very often can turn out to be not so pleasurable eventually. One can take only so much of moving about constantly, even when they like it.

Noah would scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. ''Yeah, 5 years ago had been pretty bad.'' It had been one big mess, whatever the source of it actually was. ''Sounds like a pretty tough job though.'' Being a bodyguard meant you could get hurt, right? It was intriguing that someone would willingly set up such a service. There are plenty of jobs that don't make you risk your life. On the note of risks...''I'm not bothering you too much, am I? Wouldn't want to disturb your leisure time.'' The man was entertaining the talk, but better safe than sorry? If anything, this way he'd at least find out where he stood with the guy right now.

"Well, it is rather nice, yeah. Quite convenient, and I like the area around here anyway." The BackLight was rather popular, so naturally there were plenty of ways to get around Endymion from here using public transportation, which was quite useful. "Yeah, it gets to you after a while. But here, I can probably stay for another 2 or 3 years before I have to move on again." It was of course just an estimate, but he did wish to stay here longer if he could. Endymion, strangely enough, had become somewhat of a home for him now. Something which prior to living here was something he hadn't felt since the last time he met his family on good terms, which was a long time ago.

"Yeah, you can say that again. I was there to witness it all myself. It was actually worse than some people make it out to be." It was nothing short of a catastrophe. How Endymion managed to recover from that was something Oswald never really understood, but he was glad that it did anyway. Because if not, he would still be on the run, probably in some far off corner of South America by now. "It pays well, and I personally find it rather satisfying." He'd reply shortly, as he leaned back in his chair, taking a sip out of his glass. "Not really, no. I mean, yeah, you did at first, but the questions got me interested." He looked at Noah with his one amber eye. "What's your name?"

''It's an interesting city indeed. The place has changed a lot in the latest years.'' It had definitely been different before the catastrophe of 5 years ago happened. Aside from the supposed problems the government workers were dealing with put of sigh, Endymion was sure a nice place to be living in right now. Eh? ''So you don't plan on settling down somewhere for real?'' Well, a travelling lifestyle was somewhat interesting, but as you get older it likely gets cubersome to move around every few years, no? Maybe the guy had a reason for doing it though?

''I've only met one woman who seemed to know what was going to happen, although she was secretive about it. But I can imagine it was bad if the result changed the city as much as it had.'' Thinking about this now made him wonder just what happened to Yomi back then. It was something that he probably had nowhere to find out from though. She hadn't told them anything specific about herself. ''I suppose money makes up for a lot, heh.'', he would give a light chuckle. Maybe it wasn't as dangerous if you knew what you were doing anyway. ''Well, that's great then.'' He didn't know what exactly he had done, but guess it worked?

Settling Down :: Morning [Noah/Open for NPCs] QCUbwFA

''I'm Noah. It's a pleasure to meet you.''

"Yeah, it's nothing short of a miracle if you ask me." Indeed, a miracle it was. It's amazing how much change can occur over five years. The queen had done a pretty good job establishing order in the chaos that had followed the events. Signs of a strong and charismatic leader, for sure. Even if he didn't wholeheartedly agree with her totalitarian methods of ruling, he couldn't deny how effective they had been when order was concerned. Made his job a lot easier, if nothing else.

"I would like to eventually. But considering what my life's like at the moment, settling down in one place for good is impossible." He had already taken a huge risk with staying in Endymion for as long as he had, but the years here, the big incident aside, it had been a couple of rather peaceful years for him and Belle. Relatively speaking at least. They didn't have to look behind their backs constantly anymore... Not that they stopped doing so. You could never be too careful.

"It was really bad, yeah... lots of people lost their lives that horrible day. How I made it out alive with my sister, I'll never know. But I did, and for that I'm grateful." The terrified screams of the civilians around him back then still haunted his dreams. It was never a pleasant experience to hear such sounds. It stuck with you, forever. "Heh, it's a good motivator, that much is clear." The mercenary said with a light chuckle. That went for a lot of things, not just risky kinds of work. Everyone needed a carrot dangling at the end of the stick to keep 'em going.

"Likewise, Noah. The name's Oswald Schritt."

The man would offer Noah a handshake from his seat, stretching up just a little bit so it would be easier for the latter to reach his hand.

''If only miracles like that happened more often.'' Wouldn't that be great? Although, Noah supposed that it wasn't as much of a miracle as it was the work of the Queen and whoever was with her. She must have had the resources to rebuilt the city, even though it was unknown where from or how. Did anyone even know where she came from? To be honest, he had never considered digging into such information before. Besides, the government would likely be rather secretive about stuff like that, which made it just wishful thinking.

Hmm? What could be keeping someone from staying in one place? ''Well, if you say so. You never know though, maybe you will be able to one day.'' Circumstances change with time. Plus, you can only travel so much before something makes you unable to. Whether it is lack of money or worse health. Everyone has some sort of limit when it comes to certain activities, travelling around included.

''I wonder who could have done that...it would be bad if that even happened again...'' What were the chances? That was unknown, but it has already been proven that it is a possible endeavor. What if someone decided to try to do it again one day? It's a crazy idea, sure, but someone had once done it despite that. There are always people with questionable motives. Though, this time around, they'd have to overthrow the Queen first, right? So it was less likely to succeed...''Unless you're doing charity.'' That was a different matter though. ''Do you get a lot of people here..?'' It still sounded like an odd job. The times were more peaceful than they used to be before.

He would walk closer to take the handshake. ''Nice.'' This certainly wasn't what he expected out of this trip, but meeting new people is always a good thing, right? For the most part, that is.

"Yeah. That'd be nice." But of course, you couldn't have everything. That's something he knew all to well. Miracles happen, but only you can make them happen. if you passively sit by without doing anything, then you can't expect something to change for the better, now can you?

"Haha, yes. Some day. Whenever that day may come." Noah sounded so optimistic about this. If he had been in Oswald's shoes, and seen the things he had, then maybe his outlook on things would certainly be different. It was almost funny how different the two were on that front, but he respected him for that. Everyone was different. Nothing wrong about that.

"Beats me. Sure, I was here in Endymion at the time, but I sure wasn't at ground zero where everything fell to shit first." He'd reply with a shrug. "And considering how things went, we'll prolly never know who caused it all to begin with." Unless they were still walking around of course. In which case, this person had a lot of things to answer for. "Charity? Doesn't interest me much. I have nothing to gain from it myself." He shrugged lightly. Perhaps he was alone on this subject, but his hard earned cash that he risked his life for surely wasn't going to anyone else without something in return. "Doing the right thing" just wasn't enough. "I get enough clients to live quite comfortably. It's not quantity, but quality that matters here." He'd only take on tasks that was worth it money-wise. Those that couldn't afford his services could fuck off for all he cared.

"Well, unless you have more to talk about, I'd like to continue my read." Oswald said, nodding towards his book. His voice wasn't irritated or anything, nor did he want to come off that way, but Oswald's way with words wasn't exactly the greatest at times.

Weakness:

''Heh...Perhaps the Queen will surprise us again eventually...'' Who knows. Maybe she had more tricks up her sleeved than what she had already done. That, or someone else would attempt to outdo her and pull something else. You have those kinds of people biding their time after all. There are many unknown variables in everything.

Noah would laugh shortly. ''Maybe it'll come when you least expect it. Life can be pretty unpredictable.'' Though most of what you gain comes from your own effort and work, some things just need their time to come around. It's impossible to properly gauge the future, much less one that is way ahead of the present. If Endymion could have changed as heavily as it had within 5 years, any situation could possibly achieve a similar feat, right? Even if it was only a theory, it proved many thing were possible to accomplish with the right course of action taken.

''Maybe, maybe not. But I'd like to think it's possible. Most people just don't bother digging into the matter diligently enough. Not that I think it's an easy task to do, but unless the person went and erased everyone's memories of their existence, there must be a way.'' Would it change anything if the ever found out? That was an interesting question at the very least. Noah would shrug a little. ''Maybe a better reputation? I mean, not many people like those that are scrooges. There's even a story about that.'' He was just saying though. It didn't bother him too much personally, but being generous did make you look better in the eyes of most people. It's not like you had to donate your entire paycheck anyway. ''Well, I guess that's one way to look at it...'' You can't always get quality work though.

''Hm? Feel free. I should probably move on soon anyway, so there's no point in making up a half-assed reason to talk for a while longer, unless it's something you'd want.'', he'd say as he looked ahead for a moment. He couldn't spend the entire day here, so he wasn't too bothered by having to stop talking now.

"Heh, maybe she will. Hopefully in a good way though." Oswald replied with a light chuckle. If it turned out she was behind the whole disaster 5 years ago, that would be one nasty suprise for the people. And while he trusted the queen, it was a possibility that she had set up the whole event back then to get into the seat of power she is in now. It wouldn't suprise him.

"Yeah, it really is. If I find someplace I can stay for good, I will of course take it." If such an opportunity would present itself to him though was a different matter entirely. And for now, he wasn't exactly crossing his fingers for it.

"Well, yes. But with how the Queen keeps a watchful eye over Endymion, it's going to be a tough one. If one was determined enough, then maybe." Scrooges? "Well, when you're risking life and limb to get food on your table, you do get a little stingy with what you give out." He'd say with a light shrug. "Maybe if you catch me in a paticularly good mood, or give me a good reason to donate, then I may just give out something." He usually asked for something in return. That's just how the world worked in his eyes. Nothing was really free, now was it?

"See you around then, Noah. Take care." He gave the younger man a light smile before picking up his book again and continued his read. What a nice day off, eh?

Oswald Schritt has left the scene

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