No Sweat [Crow]

"Well, yeah. Fame comes with both it's perks and cons, but eh. I don't exactly aim to be famous either. So long as I have roof over my head, food on my plate and a way to sate my adrenaline needs, I'm a happy camper, usually. Unless I get shitty neighbours. That's a severe drop in life quality, lemme tell you what." Lloyd replied jokingly. Yeah, bad neighbours was a nightmare, and one which he had lived a number of times back on Aurendal. "Of course not. It's always possible to move up, in theory anyway. But I know a few folks there who would have one hell of a time trying to climb the ladder of success, if you know what I mean." Success stories like Crow's were still a rarity, no matter where in the multiverse you looked where poverty existed. It took a certain mindset, and having a very good influential personality, getting the right connections and all that. Sure, help from the outside certainly did something, but it wasn't always enough. If it was, the Slums wouldn't have been as populated as they were today. "It's a complicated issue. One which no individual can really solve."

"Ah, I wouldn't really call myself that. Sure, some of my past colleagues would certainly identify with that epithet, but not me. I did my job as a soldier because it was something I was good at. It was a job I enjoyed. I didn't care much for the status that it gave me." Lloyd replied with a light shrug. While he was arrogant regarding his abilities, he was never one to actually chase position and fame. All he strived for was to be a better fighter than anyone else. To constantly improve himself and push his abilities beyond his past limits. And Arnice was the reason why he could perform so well. Without her, Lloyd would have probably been dead by now at least ten times over if not more. "Seeking this justice was never really a goal of mine. It just happened to be a bi-product of my work... one which I eventually started to value. But to call me a warrior of justice or a hero is not really speaking the truth. At least, not from my point of view." Then again, some of the people back on Aurendal would beg to differ. But they didn't know... They had not a single clue how shrewd and vile the Church really was. And Junction whisked Lloyd away before he could do anything. "Haha! I'll try not to. No garantuees though, bro." Lloyd replied jokingly, flashing a toothy grin at Crow. "At this point it wouldn't suprise me no. But I'd imagine a fight club buissness would be something kept under wraps here. Something tells me that management doesn't paticularly approve of underground bloodsports." The idea certainly sounded tempting though. If he wasn't a bit pressed for money and management, he would probably start one himself. Alas, he lacked the resources for it. Besides, Lloyd wasn't really the leading type.

"That's usually what I do, but some people just never listen, y'know? And at the time, I had to put up with their crap, as finding a new place to stay would take at least two years or so." Getting a new apartment back home on Aurendal was a nightmare. It could take years to find someplace, if you weren't an official or had the money to buy your own place. Fortunately, Lloyd was a Bishop by the time he actually needed a place, so he didn't have to put up with it when he moved out, but should he have wanted to move again after that, he would have to make use of the system like everyone else. So, sometimes, you just had to bite the bullet. "Yeah. This constant flood of new people is really the crux of the problem, isn't it? Then again, it's not like we can do anything about it. If you really think about it, we're all pretty much prisoners here. No way home, and should you want to leave, you have to wait for a suitable world to stay on... assuming Junction doesn't just drag you with it once it decides to world-hop again. And I dunno if it's worth the risk... I mean, staying behind on a foreign world just to escape this one. But it might be a risk worth taking for those in the slums. Again, assuming Junction doesn't just drag you with it."

"Well, the reasons for doing so aren't strictly speaking noble. It's more of a forcibly learned behaviour. Let's just say the big-wigs who told me and my colleagues what to do... didn't exactly play fair." And that was an understatement."Yeah. No offense taken though. It's really not a big deal. Never cared much for my image." If he even one that was worth caring about to begin with. Maybe on Aurendal it was one thing to maintain it, as people saw the Bishops as role models... inspirational figures. But here, his role couldn't have been less awe-inspiring. Not that it mattered much to Lloyd anyway. Being in the spotlight was never his gig, nor would it ever be.

"Haha, no. I'll be on my best behaviour, promise. Unless someone really ticks me off, in which case, they only got themselves to blame." It usually took a lot to really tick off Lloyd. His job as a bouncer gave him plenty of time to thicken his skin. It'd take much more than just throwing petty insults his way to really get on his nerves nowadays. It wasn't always like that though. "...Good point. Might be more popular in the slums, though. I just can't see any rich folk getting a kick out of watching people beating eachother up. But hey, I've been suprized before."

"Haha! Yeah, that would be pretty funny. I'll give it a try if they ever get rowdy again." Lloyd replied with a light chuckle, seemingly amused by the prospect of counter-annoyance. If things got too bad, of course, he would make use of it, but Lloyd wasn't one to really start shit with people. It was actually kind of rare for him to be the aggressor. "My neighbours right now are pretty chill though. Nothing to really complain about. Okay, maybe they're not the most social bunch, but they are pretty quiet. Can't complain about that." The Winston couple were actually pretty reclusive, which was a little bit of a bummer. They seemed to be pretty good people... they just didn't talk much to anyone... at all outside of their family. Even the kids were pretty quiet and mellow. "Yeah, of course. Some places are probably way worse than the Slums. I'm sure we've visited a healthy amount of them by now, if I'm going to be honest... But despite all that, I probably wouldn't leave, even if I was stuck in the slums. I've actually settled down somewhat. I've pretty much accepted Junction as my home. I take it the same applies to you, man?" Lloyd asked with a curious look, taking another swig from his hip flask before stuffing it away inside his jacket.

"Not really no. But the way these crooks treated their own men? I think a lot of people would find their methods... questionable. I would go into more detail, but it's quite the story, and I really don't want to bore you with such trivial nonsense. Besides, it hardly matters anymore. Junction never goes back to the same place anyway, so we're never going to see that world ever again." At least, that's what he had heard from some other people among his neighbours who had lived here much longer than he had. Junction, to their knowledge, only visited a world once... so if you were taken by it, all you could do was kiss your old home goodbye. "I guess I am pretty fortunate. I ended up in a good part of this place, found a job pretty quickly and it's one that I enjoy. Not much to really complain about. Sure, I could lead a much better life, but I'm pretty content with what I have right now." He sure would seem ungrateful if he had thought otherwise. Some people had it way worse than him, after all. "So... when did you show up on Junction? I showed up here at around... I'd say maybe around... 150 Jumps ago? Ish? The world itself was called Aurendal, if it rings any bells." Lloyd hoped that made some sense to Crow. The best way to really get a measure of time here on Junction to him was... well, measuring how many jumps ago he showed up, as a year on Aurendal was VASTLY different from anywhere else. Being a planet that orbited around two stars had quite the impact on how long a year was... "I could just drag them out by the collar, if that makes it easier?" Lloyd suggested jokingly. "Man, paperwork is quite the hassle. I get enough of it just by paying the stupid rent each month. Why does it have to be so needlessly complicated?" Maybe it was just the owner of the apartment complex who decided it would be difficult. Lloyd hadn't really lived anywhere else, so he had nothing to really compare to. Maybe it was the same everywhere? "Haha, perhaps. Just the idea of some rich snob betting money on a bloodsport is quite amusing to me."

"Yeah. I guess either one works for me. I just need a break every now and again." Lloyd belonged in social butterfly category for sure, even if he needed some time alone to just relax occasionally. "Junction is not a place for everyone, that's for sure. With how multicultural everything is and all. One can only take in so many new things each day. And here, you really don't fit in. No one does. No sense of familiarity whatsoever. Sure, I've met a few of my own kind over the years, but none of them hailed from my world, even if we had a lot in common." Lloyd looked at his right arm... The only thing that really separated him from any other normal human. And thanks to this arm, a few people had assumed him to be some kind of shapeshifting reject, which he certainly wasn't. But explaining to them who and what Arnice was usually took so long that it was hardly worth it. Not like they were really all that interested in the specifics anyway, nor did Lloyd really care if they did.

"Yah. Another reason why I'm kind of content where I am. Sure, I want power, but not that kind of power. I just want to get physically stronger. More able to do things, y'know? Pushing my limits as far as I can, and all that nonsense." To most people who hadn't experienced a similiar life that Lloyd had, his motivations didn't make much sense. But the warriors and soldiers from other worlds more often than not understood his desire to keep pushing his boundaries. And so far, the ex-Bishop had a feeling that Arnice had a lot more to offer him in terms of fighting capacity. It was all a matter of exploring and breaching those limits. "Haha, yeah, that's true. It's been a heckuvalong time for me. I sure ain't plannin' on leaving this joint anytime soon." Sure, he had a desire to explore the worlds that Junction visited every now and again, but something stopped him from taking that step. Maybe it was just a combination of Arnice's warnings and his own gut feeling that prevented him from just wandering into the unknown. If he was going to do that, he certainly didn't want to do so alone. As a Bishop, regardless of merit, strength and experience, you never left on a mission alone. Doing so was not just stupid... it was downright suicidal to go slay demons alone. And Lloyd, while proud, was no fool.

"Somewhere far? I can do that, I guess. Depends on how far away you want." Lloyd replied jokingly, chuckling under his breath. "No, but seriously, if you have any problems, I'll pitch in if I can. No need to pay me." From the tone of his voice, Lloyd sounded rather sincere."You ask me to toss em. I'll ask 'How far?'" Not that he was quite on a crazy super-human level, he could still pick up a fool and throw them out the door with little effort. Maybe someday in the future he could reach the level of physical strength some of the demons on Athara possessed... With Arnice, you never knew.

"Yeah. Paperwork's a biiiitch, sure, but there's always someone making a living doing something much less pleasant." Lloyd replied, nodding understandingly. "Man, I'd hate to be the guy to do the cleanup at the club. Geez... People here can be real pigs when they want to." He certainly pitied the janitor for having to clean up everyone's trash. On bad days, the bathroom was by far the worst place. Eugh. "Well..." Lloyd looked at his wristwatch. "I better get going. The cat at home ain't gonna feed herself. See you around, Crow. Take care." After saying his piece, he stood up and swung his way back to solid ground. Now then... time to go get some food for that poor stray cat...