Running Around [Lloyd]

Going anywhere using the tram system was a rarity for Lloyd. He usually prefered to go anywhere by foot if at all possible, as it was the healthier option, and he just liked to walk, stroll about without much to care about. Wearing a bright set of red headphones over his ears, Lloyd walked down towards the Wire at a rather casual pace. He was in no real hurry after all. Where he was going, there was no real time limit. But walking all the way to the Mega Mall seemed excessive. Besides, his phone battery would only last for so long. As to what he was listening to... Well, he was hooked up to a paticular station called ”The Ring”, which was this sports-radio thing, where they touched upon a wide range of topics, but their main niche was Boxing, as the name implied. While boxing wasn't really a thing back on his homeworld, he understood the appeal of making it into a competiton. Watching two people just duke it out in front of a large crowd without having to fear death was pretty cool, actually. A great way to get rid of pent up stress and aggression... at least, that's what he had been told. Lloyd had never actually tried the sport out... Yet.

Which was exactly why he was heading to the mall. Being somewhat curious about this whole boxing thing, Lloyd had been doing some loose research regarding the subject. He had found a club close to his neighbourhood, and so today was going to be spent getting all the gear needed to partake. It seemed like a good passtime, for sure. And Crow had kind of nudged him in that direction. Had it not been for their conversation yesterday, he wouldn't be out and about right now. Speaking of which... he'd recognize those horns anywhere... "'Sup, Crow?" Lloyd casually waved in the Chimera's direction, taking off his headphones and hung them around his neck.  "Nice to see you around here. You got buissness somewhere?"

"Haha, yeah. It's kinda funny." Lloyd replied with a somewhat goofy grin on his face, happy to see the young Crow again. A funny coincidence for sure, given how big Junction really was. "Ah, I see. Well, I was just on my way to pick up some boxing gear at the mall myself. Our little talk yesterday got me thinking. The whole sport thing. So I did some research, for once, and found this radio station where they talk about this "boxing" thing. So... that kind of pushed me to go get the gear necessary. Wanna come with? If your errands are taking you to the Mall, that is." Lloyd replied with gusto, very proud of having found this new thing to try out. "Yeah, no kidding. The tram times here can be quite inconvenient if you're looking to go someplace specific. I don't really mind walking, but it would take me forever to get to the place I'm heading to on foot, so the Tram really is the most efficient way there. Besides, I'm on a little bit of a time crunch. The shop I'm heading to is closing early today."

"Speaking of which... where are you going anyway?" Lloyd asked curiously. There were plenty of places which a man like Crow could be going, given what his job was, and the quality of life he lead overall.

"Nawww you don't say?" Lloyd replied, chuckling lightly at Crow's somewhat snarky remark. Yes. He liked punching things. When it came down to it, nowadays Lloyd was a simple man enjoying simple things. Like the adrenaline rush of fighting, or any sort of physical activity that was considered to be risky at best. But cheating death over and over again was just not sustainable. Even Lloyd knew that one day Death would win that game. Hopefully that day wouldn't come too soon. "Yeah, I getcha. Walking can be a bit of a pain, especially knowing that a tram would get you there faster, even if you have to wait for 20+ minutes..." Not like they had horses around these parts like back on Aurendal. Not that Lloyd rode them much, but the accessability was quite convenient, and riding on horseback was quite fun in its own rite.

"Oh? Sweet, dude!" It was almost as if fate willed this. "Supplies? For the club, eh?" Lloyd asked, mildly curious as he crossed his arms while leaning against one of the supporting columns in a relaxed manner. "Anything in paticular you're getting?"

"Haha, not really no." Lloyd replied, glad that Crow didn't choose to dig deeper into this rabbit-hole. No need to drill a hole through his skull with boxing drivel, after all. He knew just how boring it could get when one was forced to listen to someone drone on and on about a subject they were too dense to see the others disinterest in. Crow didn't exactly strike Lloyd as a fighter, or... at least, not one who sought out one on his own accord. Maybe if push came to shove, the guy could put up a decent fight, but he certainly didn't seem like a warrior-type.

"You're a good runner?" Lloyd asked, just to keep the casual banter going while the two waited for the tram to finally arrive. One would think that with all this technology at their disposal, Junction officials would've found a more efficient mode of transport, but evidently that wasn't the case. Either that, or the tram system was so imbedded into the infrastructure that replacing it would take up so much time and resources, it just wasn't worth upgrading.

A light, yet joking groan escaped Lloyds lips when the pun left Crows lips. "...That was an awful pun, dude." At least the two were getting along. Here's hoping these awful puns wouldn't last. "Bottles? Ah, yeah. I guess those get used pretty frequently at a club. As far as the whole sanity thing goes, we could all use a break from the madness of working."

"That fast, huh?" Lloyd asked, crossing his arms, seemingly impressed. "Well, I guess it's to be expected. With how many species there are wandering Junction, abnormal feats for my kin are quite common here." Yeah, no kidding. One didn't have to look very far for that. Flight was perhaps the most common sight nowadays. Sure, he was a damn good fighter, but the supernatural feats he had seen here were quite interesting to him. Like flying, or firebreathing, to name a few. One of the perks about living here were all the interesting people walking around. "Extraordinary human strength aside, I'm not really all that interesting myself. I couldn't race a train like you could." It was quite humbling, even now after living here for five years, realizing how much he had yet to grow... if he even could grow anymore. But instead of feeling dejected, Lloyd instead turned it into a desire to grow stronger. So that one day, he could walk among the other supernaturals here, and feel like he could compete. Something which his competitive attitude certainly wanted.

"Haha, yeah. I guess it's true." Lloyd replied awkwardly, not really sure how else to respond. He wasn't wrong, but... the context was completely out of whack. "Yeah. Not just bottles and stuff, but the actual drinks, refills, ice and garnish and whatever other ingredients you'd need for drink mixing to start with... and the list just grows from there. There's way more to the club manager job than people perhaps may realize." Then again, the same could be said about any profession, really. "Well, do something for long and frequently enough, even the most fun tasks can become tedious." Lloyd looked at the clock. "Geez... still 7 minutes left? What's taking them so long?"

"Considering you just said you could get places faster on foot than a tram, yeah, I'd say that's pretty abnormal for a normal human where I come from. Sure, we have horses, but... in a foot-race, that's kind of cheating, isn't it?" And for someone to be able to compete on foot with that speed was quite impressive, even if you didn't outpace it side-by-side. "Mind, I'm not holding it against you or anything. That feat is quite impressive. As far as the standards I go by. I have no idea what's considered to be the norm where you or others come from." Lloyd chuckled lightly. "And there's really no point to it either, bragging rights aside." And Crow didn't strike him as a bragging type.

"And it is a wise mentality. Pick your battles, as they say." Even Lloyd followed that motto, to an extent. He usually never picked a fight he didn't have a chance of winning. There was a keen difference between being brave and being foolish. "Knowing ones limits is key for the survival of a warrior. That of course doesn't mean those limits can't be broken. Which is what I'm aiming for. I want to improve, become stronger. Reaching the top isn't necessarily my big end goal though. I just enjoy the feeling of growth, y'know? Like, where's the fun in being on the top? There are no more barriers to break. It leaves your strength with little purpose in the end." And on Aurendal, there was always a bigger fish in the sea. A stronger demon than the last one you beat. And that was the source behind Lloyd's motivations.

"Of course not. Being a manager involves mostly everything the customers can't really see." Lloyd replied with a nod. "And doing everything one-man-band style wears on you fast." You try to do everything, but as a result, you end up doing nothing at all. "Yeah. In fact, I'd say it's quite rare that your options really are that limited and simple as choosing between going left or right." And what a boring world that would be... a world where the only options came in pairs. Yes or no. Right or left. Up or down. "I guess I'm just getting a little impatient, haha."