Life Of The Traveler [Edgar/Jack]

After some time after liberating his first-person, Edgar had some mixed feelings about the act. At first, he thought it was crazy for him to get himself involved with the property of those demons. Not only did he not have any powers but taking on such a high risk with no return to his investment was unlike Edgar. At the same time, he still seemingly had a conscience, and the right thing to do was to try to assist the most vulnerable. He was older than Alex, but no more than two years. That, and he still maintained a responsibility.

As he wandered the Field of Grass to get a little more information about the demon situation, he was also giving Alex some time by himself to settle in. Watching a bunch of reruns should be enough to keep him occupied.

Jack: Devil
Edgar: Devil
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Following his meeting with Retuo, Jackdaw decided to harvest more of the crystalline shards within the Fields of Glass.  Knowing their durability and utility, he could create more tools from them, perhaps even some jewelry, all the better for trading and profiting off of.  As he was chipping away at one of the glassy stalagmites, a lit clove cigarette dangling out the corner of his mouth, his fuschia eyes caught a stranger appearing from around the bend.

Dusting off his gloved hands he rose to his feet, pocketing the remnants.  With both hands empty to suggest no hostility, he waved at the approaching stranger.  Maybe they would be as entertaining as Retuo was.

“...Yo.  Lovely place to take a stroll, yeah?” Smoke billowed from Jack’s mouth, revealing a fanged grin.

With the voice of the newcomer and the precious attention-seeking actions before approach, Edgar remained on alert. He studied the man, not necessarily wanting to let his guard down just because he met up with a few friendlies in the past. Just because some people were like that, doesn't mean that everyone was.

"Yes, this place is just full of golden opportunities. Hopefully, you didn't think I was an easy mark? Ten feet is far enough though friend, I can hear you just fine. Haven't reached old age yet. "

Edgar was rather nonchalant about it, but even that act was a deception. Studying the reaction of others was one of the openers used to determine his own choice of actions. If there was no hostility, the man should be fine talking from where he was.

"So who are you?"

“With foresight like that, ya might jus’ make it to that old age,” a mirthful laugh erupted from Jackdaw.  Of course the key to surviving this long in a ravaged world like this was to be cautious and prudent.  In fact he had secured several escape routes, in particular one which led to a dangerous pitfall of spiked glass.  Already he respected the stranger in their caution.

“‘Sides, ain’t no need to make a mark when I’m livin’ pretty.” A playful wink and tug at the corner of his lips lifted his cigarette upwards as he took another drag.  “The name’s Jackdaw, but you can call me Jack if you’re so inclined, frien’.”

"Jack huh? What are you doing out here Jack? This place is not necessarily the most visually pleasing for humans to visit. You're one of those surface dwellers right?" He was either crazy or one of those vagrants that wandered the surface to make their own fates. Either way, Edgar wasn't going to escalate any situation without proper reasoning. " If you are then kudos to you. I'm not sure how you could survive out here with all of these demons, let alone survive for so long. This place really isn't safe. " There was always a bit of pity Edgar had for those people, always on the run from the enemy. "I'm Edgar."

“Ah, Eddie, ya mind if I call ya Eddie? Listen, Eddie, ya learn to live real quick up here, and like I said, I’m livin’ pretty.” Once more the grin on Jack revealed fangs, with smoke billowing out the corners of his lips. Feigning embarrassment he wiggled a bit, adding, “But for ya to compliment me so much? Shit, I’m feelin’ giddier’n a teen ‘round their crush.”

Despite his carefree attitude, Jack had been eyeing Edgar carefully. From context alone, it implied he originated from one of the Vaults, more than likely Olympia. While being called a surface dweller could be taken as an insult, there was no offense taken, only the truth of it all. Lastly for Edgar to worry and imply safety was a measure of human sincerity, a trait Jack appreciated when encountering others.

“Ya seem to have strayed far from your Vault, eh, Eddie?”

"Trying to see who pulled the hinges off and why, but pretty much. I'd ask if you saw anyone suspicious around lately besides myself . But in all fairness, even though I wasn't just born yesterday, I just got here. So this situation is quite alien to me. " Taking out a pack of cigarettes, Edgar would then start to light one as he gave a deep sigh. "Is there anyone fighting back up here or is everyone just running around aimlessly while doing a lot of self-serving things? At this point, I don't even think I want to know what happened up here. All I ever get is bad news. " After lighting the cigarette and placing it to the corner of his mouth, Edgar did a quick exhale and looked around. "Do you know anything? I know info won't be free but I'll make it worth your while."

“No bleedin’ way the door to your Vault got opened.  I thought ‘em fuckers could repel anythin’.  Unless ya think I’m the one who somehow managed to crack your home, li’l ol’ me,” Jack said incredulously, even going so far as to raise an eyebrow.  However there was little point in Edgar to lie about it, especially when he was searching for the culprit.  If there were anyone suspicious, it’d definitely be himself.  Still, the details could wait when given the opportunity to barter.

“But I’m afraid whatcha see is whatcha get, Eddie.” Spreading his arms out at the expanse around them, Jack exhaled a wry laugh and billow of smoke. “Though color me intrigued by your offer-  I’d love to see what kinda Vault goodies ya got to gimme.”

"You know, I did try blaming random people for stuff like this happening but it didn't work too well. I think doing a full investigation on the surface is a little old-fashioned, but it's impossible to cut corners when you meet a new face every ten minutes and they seem to come with their own purpose. Hypothetically speaking.."

Everyone had a different background, so it was pretty much hard for Edgar to find out what people were about based on one meeting alone. As a matter of fact, pre deplorable standard were the easiest to understand, they were people that were guided by their own desires.

[color=#ff9933]"Everything, we have everything to give. Imagine the way you were living since you met me. Now imagine your life being better and more convenient after that?  Well, that's how it is.  You help me,I help you. You seem like a tough guy too, if you aren't afraid of the demons or the people enslaved to them, I could use  a guy like you. "

“I can see why a witch hunt wouldn’t really work for ya.  And why your search ain’t goin’ all that great,” noted Jack.  So Edgar was a law enforcer of sorts, more than likely.  While Jack had no recollection or memories of being inside a Vault, he apparently had enough knowledge about lifestyles and cultures of a Vault within.  Then he took a long drag of his cigarette while listening to Edgar’s proposition.

“I dunno if I’d call it ‘better,’ that’s a bit subjective, innit Eddie?  I already toldja I’m livin’ pretty, heh.”  Smoke trickled from Jack’s nostrils as he chuckled.  “And I can ‘ppreciate convenience, and payin’ a favor for a favor.  Alls I’m askin’, for future reference, that we’re equals in our trade.  Ain’t nobody usin’ nobody.  But feel free to keep complimentin’ me Eddie.  I love the attention.”

"I can agree to that, we are both adults so we can both treat each other like equals. But if you wet the bed, you're on your own. We just met, so you can't expect me to come to your aid if you fuck up too bad. " At least Edgar was honest, he wasn't going to put any unrealistic expectations on anyone. At the end of the day, people really were alone. they had to handle their own stuff and take responsibility. This is what Edgar was taught to believe, with past experiences molding him to believe such things due to how his life was in the past. In any case, he survived just fine with that thought process.

"Is there any way I can contact you in the meantime then?"

“I’d be a pretty shite surface dweller if I was gonna rely on a Vault dweller to bail my ass outta trouble, eh Eddie?” Snickered Jackdaw, flashing Edgar a playful wink.  Then when the mention of contact came up, Jack scrunched his face in heavy thought.

“Emm… I ain’t really gotta good way to keep in touch, to be honest with ya.  I like to wander, stayin’ in one place ain’t good.  But there’s certain spots I mark where I’ve been to, usually on trees or noticeable land marks, along man-made paths and game trails.”  Jack bent down and etched a simple and angular“J” into the ground, like an arrow missing half its sharpened head.  

“Ya can leave me messages buried right under that spot.  Also, whenever you’re travelin’, once in a while to spook the wildlife and lemme know you’re ‘round, ya can whistle this tune.”  Jackdaw purposefully left out the lyrics but whistled the melody- for it was the marching song, rallying cry, and fearsome approach his former band of marauders used.  Snubbing out his cigarette he reached into his pocket, producing a harmonica.  He played the song back once more.  

“I’ll whistle back atcha or play this to letcha know.”

"Alright, here's an alternative to that in case all else fails. Welcome to the 21'st century..."

Tossing a burner phone over to Jack to test his reflexes a bit, Edgar would shrug.

"It's solar-powered like a watch so if you leave it out for a while, it should get a chargeback. This was a spare but my number is on the phone in case you need anything. There are a few apps on it, you could use our digital frequency to access the net. As for payment, I'll be collecting that in an alternative way. But still, if you manage to lose it, draw the J with a frowny face next to it and yes, I'll sing for ya. "

Edgar was a bit straightforward with him, but at least he got a contact. He hoped that Jack didn't lose or break the burner, those were hard to come by. Especially if he wanted something untraceable, but Jack didn't need to know anything about that.

"I'm sure that tune has a meaning to you, tell me that story sometime."

For several moments Jackdaw juggled the caught phone and his harmonica before steadying his grip on the items.  Expecting a two-way radio, his fuschia eyes instead lit up at the miraculously thin and flat phone, a technological marvel he’d have the first time handling in his life.  Now this was exactly the kind of Vault goodies he desired.

“...Aww, I was wonderin’ if ya had a pretty singin’ voice to match your handsome looks,” quipped Jack, as he quickly pocketed both the phone and harmonica.  If he didn’t look at the new device he wouldn’t have the urge to play around and test it.  As for the comment about the story behind that song and its weighted sentimentality he could only reply, “Maybe I'll tell ya over a pint or two.  Or some rounds’a shots, yeah.”

Regardless Jack felt obliged to pay the favor for a favor, even if Edgar truly desired information most of all.  So he reached into another pocket and threw one of the shards of crystal he was harvesting earlier towards the feet of Edgar.

“Token’a my good will, a sign of our agreement  Eddie.  It’s a piece’a these crystals, yeah.  Hard, sharp, durable, and stunnin’.  Shit, I jus' described myself there, didn't I? Anyway you can make a weapon outta it, hawk it at a market, gift it as jewelry for a lady frien’.”

When the crystal was tossed over to Edgar, He caught it and started to examine it. The crystal that Jack was harvesting has a multitude of uses and would be a nice thing to bring back to the main vault to examine. If they could get used to utilizing the resources on the surface as a substitute to what they had underground, perhaps it would allow them to fare better in certain situations.

"I'm taking a chance on you. A big one. Your motivation is normalcy, getting back on track to building amusement parks and strolling without the dangers of demons. Anyway, I got to get going. Contact me when you have something. "