Lively Ride [Lucy]

Subject: Lively Ride [Lucy] Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:26 pm

Onyx Rhine

Frankly, there were times during which Onyx would gladly say that the Slums were calmer than the tram rides. At least in the Lower Ward, he would move to a different part and avoid any cases of rowdy individuals, but on a tram with limited space inside? Not so much, which made it quite frustrating in the instances when the more rude types of people decided to board the transport vehicle. At the current time, the pale horned man was sitting in one of the seats with one of his legs crossed over the other, thankfully at least not having anyone sitting next to him for the time being. On the other hand, his black and white eyes were trained ahead in a somewhat blank expression as he watched a pair of young kids of some animal-like species (maybe canines?) run back and forth inside the tram as if it was just a different kind of playground to them. Except that this was hardly a playground, and it was definitely not outside. Where was even their mom...? Man...

Shifting in his seat slightly with an exasperated sigh, Onyx would resign himself to his fate for the moment, hoping that if nothing else, the frolicking children would not decide to bother him personally. He didn't hate children or anything, but he didn't consider himself to be a nanny for free in situations like these. That's what parents are for after all. ''More quiet would be great just about now....''

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

Since his ascent to power, Lucian had found that while a fancier, wealthier lifestyle lived up to the ideas one (or at least he) had about it, there were still things to be missed about being just another citizen in the lot. He was grateful for all the great food the white house provided, but he missed just ordering food from a restaurant like a normal person. He greatly enjoyed all the luxuries of global travel, but he would’ve liked to backpack around the world on a limited budget at least once in his life. Indeed, a rich man had a lot of things to envy from those below him.

Tram riding was not one of those things.

A tightly packed and highly uncomfortable president made his way vertically through the vehicle, looking for any seats that look like they might be about to be unoccupied. He was about to give up hope when, suddenly, at the very back he found an open seat. To his weary legs, it was almost like finding an oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert. The man never sat down quicker in his entire life.

“I’m afraid ‘quiet’ and ‘public transport’ in the same sentence is a bit of an oxymoron.” He half-mindedly replied to the mumbling of his newfound seat neighbor. Still a peculiar sight to the politician, but thankfully his standards of what was bizarre and what wasn’t had raised severely since he’d come to Junction.

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:00 pm

Onyx Rhine

Tram rides could prove to be quite the pain indeed. Unless you can magically teleport however, that is the way to go. The things one has to endure just to get to a different part of the city. Nevertheless, Onyx would personally still prefer it to the idea of walking all the way instead. That would perhaps be a quieter and less crowded option, but take a whole lot longer as well as be a lot more exhausting, depending on how far were you planning to go. Eh, trams were decent after all. When it wasn’t a particularly bad day, that is.

Having been drawn out of his musings about a less rowdy ride, Onyx would blink a couple times to focus himself before turning his head to glance at his new seat neighbor. Or try to, at the very least. It was more akin to some squinting, though that didn’t particularly help him see better either. The woes of only noticing people when they were too close to you…”Perhaps I should have worded myself differently then. I was simply hoping for more quieter than it is right now. The levels of noise can vary after all.”, he would opt to respond to the man in an even voice, not being the one to ignore being addressed.

Relevant Info:—Racial Strength Name: Empathy
—Description: Onyx was born with the ability to sense other people’s emotions, which is a trait appearing in about 1 in 1000 individuals of his race. This means that the man can naturally sense the current emotional states of the person/people that are around him, giving him the ability to understand them on a basic level, and be able to pick his own responses towards them more easily. (In combat, this ability allows Onyx to negotiate with enemies up to 5 levels higher than him, due to being able to be on the same wavelength as them by base)

—Weakness Name: Sight Blur
—Description: While his splicer genes grant him a better sight into the distance, it seems they lack the same precision the other way around, and thus Onyx cannot see very well when looking at anything close to him. Environment and any objects/people less than 5 metres (16 feet) away from him appear as rather blurry and hard to make out.

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

Well, Lucian certainly wasn’t expecting such a literal response, much less one delivered in such a nonchalant manner. And what was with that squinting? Geez, if his commentary was unwelcome he should’ve just said so, no need to be passive-aggressive. Though then again, with the massive culture gap that Junction had no way of fixing, for all Lucian knew squinting was just a form greeting among this person’s people. Still… something about that simple action, combined with the odd evenness of the voice in which he replied and the… well, simply put… gothic appearance of not only his body but also his outfit unsettled Lucian to a degree, made him feel… unwelcome, even if involuntarily so. Concerned and self-conscious that he might’ve been making his seat neighbor uncomfortable, Lucian would opt to leave the conversational chain at that and keep to himself. Soon enough the tram ride would be over and he would be free from the awkwardness.

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:56 pm

Onyx Rhine

Whoops. Well, this one didn’t go as well as it could have. Though, it wasn’t necessarily the first time ever, as Onyx knew his somewhat unusual approach to some things could put people off. It happened at times, depending what kind of being he was dealing with, and how used they were to the strangeness that Junction could be. He hadn’t been trying to make it appear as if he had an issue with his seat neighbor striking up a conversation, but everyone interpreted a situation differently, and thus this happened. At the very least, he was lucky enough to be able to more or less discern what was up thanks to his ability to pick up on people’s emotions, as it would certainly have been quite an awkward silence if he had no idea. Then again, he would have probably opted to inquire anyway.

Looking away from the man for a moment to glance in front of himself, he would speak up to raise a question. “If there’s something that worries you, feel free to speak up. Anything is more entertaining than listening to the noise of the ride.” Well, he gave the man an option at least. Let’s see if that did the trick?

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

Hm? My, this was unexpected as well. “Nothing’s worrying me in particular; you just didn’t seem to really want to talk, is all. Unless I misinterpreted what your squinting was supposed to mean, in which case I apologize.” Maybe he hadn’t been overthinking it in the end? As he’d already found out, it was sometimes hard to tell what was going on during interspecies conversations, not only in regards to the other species-member’s actions and reactions, but sometimes even with one’s own. Nonsensical in premise and on paper, but very much understandable once conversations had actually begun, especially this conversation; not that Lucian claimed to know what this person was like or what they’d been through or how they got along with people, but at plain sight the first thing that came to his mind upon seeing him was not that he was a very sociable fellow.

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:53 am

Onyx Rhine

Ah, that. Yeah, it was indeed a thing that got him into occasional trouble here and there. Sometimes he made a point of commenting upon it before he was asked, but it didn’t always seem like an appropriate thing to bring up right away. Hmm. Perhaps he should just give up and pretend like he was seeing well anyway. It wasn’t as if the squinting helped him that much. Then again, it was a bit of a habit that was kind of hard to shake. Ah well. Onyx would shake his head with a faint chuckle. “Yes, that. I do apologize for giving the wrong impression. I have rather bad short distance vision, so I tend to squint at things that are close up out of habit. I should probably work on that one.” Somehow. Perhaps he could try looking into getting glasses, though he wasn’t sure whether he could find ones that would help well enough, and not interfere with his long distance sight at the same time. His situation was a little odd after all…

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

Oh, so it was a matter of eyesight? At that realization, Lucian couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief; he really was worried he’d somehow offended the young alien. “Oh? Well… now I feel a bit silly.” A lighthearted chuckle escaped from the man’s lips as he pushed up his own glasses by their bridge, now suddenly self-conscious about their existence. “I was afraid your squinting was a sign of silent judging. Well, at least among my own people that is a very common gesticulation. Perhaps I should try not to project as much.” No matter how much the president thought he’d gotten alien socialization down pat, there would always be another new species in his life ready and rearing to prove him wrong, wouldn’t there? He should probably know better at this point, in all honesty.

Well, with that out of the way and it having been made clear that the man wasn’t opposed to a bit of small talk; Lucian guessed introductions were in order. Almost instinctively, Lucian wanted to reach in for a handshake, but ultimately refrained for the same reasons why now he refrained from assuming what specific body language meant. “I’m Lucian Clarke. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Wed Oct 25, 2017 4:08 pm

Onyx Rhine

Onyx would just shake his head slightly. “It is fine. I kind of get that often, so it doesn’t really bother me.” Some things you just get used to with time. Besides, there was an obvious difference between someone accusing you on purpose and doing it accidentally. You can’t really blame people for the latter unless it’s done out of complete stupidity. “It sounds like a rather silly practice though. If one wants to judge silently, is it not pointless to give it away with their body language?” It’s not all that silent when you make it known, is it?

In any case, he would nod towards the man with a slight smile. “Onyx Rhine. The pleasure is mine.” He wasn’t particularly strict on how to do introductions anyway, so he was fine with or without a handshake. As long as it wasn’t something super weird and inappropriate seeming, he usually did not bat an eye at it much.

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

Lucian couldn’t help but release a small, sympathetic chuckle. “True, but often times it’s not subtlety that people want, just the guise and pretext of subtlety.” He would’ve been a hypocrite if he said he wasn’t occasionally guilty of this himself, though he did recognize that it was a habit best rid of. “At the very least it’s certainly better than being outright insulted, wouldn’t you say?” Even if bad will was perceived and obvious, subtlety… or, well, forced subtlety still managed to save people some degree of aggression.

“So, where’s the tram taking you?” Getting past the general introduction was always the hardest part of getting to meet new people. People never really know what questions to ask first or what topics are safe to bring up, so they resort to the safest, most mundane topics available. Thankfully for Lucian, this was one of the rare occasions where the obvious question to ask lead to many an interesting opportunity for conversation.

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:19 pm

Onyx Rhine

Hmm. Onyx would rub his chin thoughtfully at that one. “Perhaps it is. Passive-aggressive behavior seems to be a go to for many people. I’m not certain whether it is really of as much worth as they assign to it though.” Well, you could definitely get the general message across by doing it, but there were times where he couldn’t quite figure out what would one gain from it. You’d let someone know you have a problem with them, thus botching the relationship somehow, and don’t even get to be open about it. “To some it may be…but just like you mentioned a moment ago, everyone here may have different perceptions of behavior, so there could be people who’d get way more angered by subtlety than direct confrontation.” It didn’t even sound too farfetched to think about. Pretending to be subtle does tell you that the person doesn’t ‘have the balls’ to face you openly, and that could be pretty irritating to some.

“Ah, right. I’m headed to the Commercial Ward to restock on some supplies. The things you have to do.” Not having to do shopping would sure scratch out a lot of time consuming stuff, but perhaps having reasons to go out and about was a good thing. Nothing gets done between four walls.

~~~~

Posts : 1157 Join date : 2015-11-07 Age : 23 Location : Yes

“Right, right.” Lucian nodded solemnly as he listened. Communication overall in Junction seemed to be subject to hi-jinks, even with those miraculous translators involved. There was just so much complexity and depth to the mere act of speaking – let alone advanced languages and maybe even non-verbal languages and their variants – that would never really transcend their people of origin, unfortunately. Passive-Aggressiveness seemed to be a universal manner of dealing with others though, and to be fair, the idea itself was something anything with a mind could relate to, verbal or not.

“Ah, I see.” Even though it wasn’t really something remarkable at all, it was thought-provoking to the man when put under the context of Junction. Most likely that eternal whimsy of a multiversal city would wear off eventually, but Lucian planned to enjoy it for as long as it was still there. “It’s kind of curious, coming to a place outside of your own reality and seeing so much that’s similar to what you knew, wouldn’t you say? At least, it certainly was for me.” For all he knew the concept of a market could have been completely foreign to Onyx prior to his arrival on Junction, but just like passive-aggressiveness the general concept of boring, daily life remained throughout the cosmos, he assumed.

“Oh, speak of the devil.” He commented as the digital display at the top of the tram doors read “COMMERCIAL WARD – NEXT STOP.” “My, these are much faster than the ones back home.”

Lucian stood up and adjusted his suit. “This happens to be my stop too, but I’ll probably be heading off somewhere else, unless you plan to restock on supplies at the cinema.” He laughed lightheartedly. “Thank you for the talk.”

Subject: Re: Lively Ride [Lucy] Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:17 pm

Onyx Rhine

The pale man would smile faintly at the reply. The matter of differences and similarities in speech between different beings was certainly deep after all. There was a lot that could be brought up and said in lieu of that subject, and yet it was one that also didn’t always benefit from being drawn out. One can usually only speak from their own experience and opinions either way.

Onyx would pause in thought for a brief moment, bringing one hand up to tap a finger against his chin. “In a sense, yes. Albeit in my case it would be a little more complicated than that, as I didn’t actually ‘see’ a whole lot in my own world. I have to admit that this mix of things here is fascinating in its own way. After all, it manages to house this many different species without things going terribly awry left and right.” In theory, that might sound like a nigh impossible task, and yet, Junction was somehow managing. Perhaps that meant it indeed carried a lot of similarities with other worlds, as much as that was very hard to confirm unless one wandered out a lot.

A few sharp teeth would show in the man’s smile as they came to their stop. “It’s certainly beneficial to get around fast.” Back in his world, they had to walk a whole lot more, so this kind of transport was a welcome change in life. Who wouldn’t appreciate the ability to waste less time? “You’re right on that, I have no interest in the cinema today. Looks like the time’s over. Have a good day yourself.”, he would nod towards the other as he moved to get outside himself, the two of them soon parting ways to go about getting their own errands done.

~~Exit~~

~~~~

Posts : 10 Join date : 2018-03-28

Despite the fantastical nature of this jumping city, we often forget that normal moments such as these still exist within life. After all, we're all people just the same. Except gnomes, they don't count.

The Gears of Fate are ever turning.

Lively Ride [Lucy] QvkK4mK

Onyx of the Devil and Lucian of the Aeon have established a bond...

» Lively Relaxation [Kogami]
» First [Lucy]
» It's alive! [Lucy]
» Morning Ride [Gabe]
» Wanna Ride With The Hanged Man?