March 11, 2002

========== Emily and Victor ===========

Fi/Emily Spencer
Emily looks like a poster child for Corporate success: expensive grey suit, classic jewelry, perfect straight brown hair, and flawless makeup. Her face is too angular to be pretty, though, and the movements of her tall body betray more tension than grace. She keeps a white-knuckled grip on her leather satchel.
<Face> some lipstick
<Eyes> some cateye shades
<Ears> a pair of diamond earrings
<Neck> a corporate lapel pin
<Torso> a nice blouse
<Waist> a chiffon skirt
<Legs> stockings
<Feet> a pair of high heels
<Held> a dark pamphlet

the dark pamphlet:
What do you know about vampires?
Some say that they are merely citizens, attempting to eke out a living just the same as everyone else. This is a jumble of lies. Read this guide and learn the REAL truth about vampires and how to exterminate them.
Vampires are the dark dwelling scum of the earth who suck blood from babies at night and perform satanic rituals to no end. They are a plague on society and easy to spot. Just look in clubs in town with dark names, such as: The Vampyre's Byte, Coffee Crypt, The Dark Dreaming, and The Dim. They love the dark and will never go out into the light of day lest they be dissolved.
Vampires are very sloppy. They often lie around drinking and usually do not conceal their tracks. Do not trust anyone named Dracula for directions. Make sure you have studied our book on skills needed to kill vampires entitled: "Killing the Beast: Beginner's Book". Make sure you have the appropriate equipment: stakes, this book, and a hammer of moderate weight. Remember while tracking vampires that they can be cunning, they often pretend to have a job to fool the populus; strike them down there if you can, or follow them to their favorite club and do it there.
As you have been trained by our other book: "Killing the Beast: Beginner's
Book", place the stake over their heart in the center of the chest and drive
it in surely with hammer. This is best done during the day, when they are
least active. If at their house: look for a large box, this is where they
sleep. Wait for them to sleep first, it is easier that way. The stake will
kill them instantly but you must be swift.
After you have killed a few of these foul beasts, you may be ready for
"Eradicating the Threat: Book 2". Good hunting.

-----

Nexus Plaza
Above this sprawling plaza at the center of the city, a network of massive skyscrapers rockets domeward, linked with a tangle of bridges, tunnels and a latticework elevator system as they compete with each other in their quest for heaven. Between them, a gleaming chrome spire launches itself from four matching phoenixes at the exact center of the square, stretching beyond the confines of the city dome. Two wide staircases descend into the bowels of the earth towards the subterranean railway system. Holograms and advertisements call out from all directions, creating a sense of claustrophobia despite the fact that this wide-open plaza is at least five hundred feet across.
A wide pool is here, recirculating cool, chlorinated water.
Kari Coven is standing here.
Jared McLaughlin is sitting here.

Emily Spencer comes up from the train station slowly, her attention on a dark pamphlet in her hands. Her brow is creased with concentration or worry.

Jared McLaughlin sits here quietly on a bench to the east of the plaza with his eyes closed resting.

Kari Coven plunks herself down on a nearby bench, looping her headphones around her ears and flipping a small dial, raising the volume of the already blaring music.

Jared McLaughlin wakes up as the noise from the large crowd becomes quite loud.... flips down his shades from on top of his head and looks around the plaza.

Emily Spencer looks up briefly from her reading, glancing over the tops of her sunglasses.

Jared McLaughlin pulls a laptop out from inside a briefcase... begins playing games to fill his time.

Kari Coven reclines on the bench, propping her feet up on one of the armrests.

Emily Spencer looks back down at her pamphlet, then squints at the young woman's cross necklace. She purses her lips and makes a note on the margin of her pamphlet.

Kari Coven leaves south.

Emily Spencer takes a few more steps with her head down, and she bumps into an office worker. She looks up with annoyance and says testily, 'Excuse me!'

office worker:
This office worker is trying to make it to the top, rung by rung. The
exhaustion on his face and the despair in his heart are readily obvious.

Emily Spencer scowls as the office worker mutters an apology.

An office worker leaves north.

Emily Spencer presses her lips together in a thin line. She underlines a passage of the pamphlet.

Jared McLaughlin looks back down at his laptop... slapping himself on the forehead... then pulling his facial skin down with a motion of his hand pressed firmly againest his face.

Everlast/Jared McLaughlin
A stunning man stands before you, his scupltured "grafted" body seems perfect
at every curve. His short spiked black hair and hazy grey eyes seem to contrast
with his unusually pale skin. A tight-lipped smile seems like a feeble attempt
to hide his fangs, which show through with a glimmer. On each wrist you notice
a small incision in a horizontal pattern. As you look closer you notice dirt and
oil stain this man hands, obviously suggeting a job of hard labor.
<Eyes> some Dialens mirrorshades
<Ears> a wireless headset
<Torso> a t-shirt
<Outer Torso> a leather jacket
<Waist> a leather belt
<Right Wrist> a chain bracelet
<Legs> a pair of dark leather pants
<Feet> some jump boots
<Held> an ASIX laptop computer

Jared McLaughlin mumbles to himself but maybe a bit too loud..."damn people"

Emily Spencer eyes the big man suspiciously.

Jared McLaughlin takes a deep breath and looks around the plaza once more looking for a familiar face...

Victor Erickson (Creed) arrives from below.

Jared McLaughlin watches as a large man arrives from below...looking closely at him trying not to stare...

Everlast looks at Victor Erickson.

Victor Erickson looks just a bit disgruntled as he shoves his way through the pouring bottleneck of the subway staircases. Smaller men and women swarm about him like insects in a hive, more than likely the source of his annoyance.

A secretive citizen arrives from the north.

Emily Spencer tries to scrutinize an especially pale citizen over the tops of her glasses. She appears to be referring to her pamphlet.

A secretive citizen looks over his shoulder to see if anyone's following.

A secretive citizen leaves down.

Emily Spencer chews on the end of her pen, a look of puzzled concentration on her face.

Jared McLaughlin watches as people heard around the man....chuckling lightly.

Victor Erickson finally makes his way out of the swarm of citizens, his gait easing a bit as he gains a bit of personal space.

Emily Spencer takes a few more steps, reading her pamphlet, and she bumps into the big man who just moved out of the crowd.

Creed/Victor Erickson
Broad brow, boxed nose, and a stern, squared jaw hint at an
alleged nordic ancestry, through something decidedly feral
resides within his cobalt eyes. An unruly mane of dark blonde
hair cascades past his broad, imposing shoulders, a pair of
Kurasawa sideburns framing his leonoid features. His body
stands well above average height, and ripples with corded
muscles covered by a random crosshatching of scars.
<Head> a leather cowboy hat
<Neck> a claw-shaped necklace
<Torso> a muscle shirt
<Waist> a spiked belt
<Right Wrist> a silver bracelet
<Hands> a pair of fingerless gloves
<Legs> a pair of ripped jeans
<Feet> a pair of motorcycle boots

Jared McLaughlin turns his body away from the laptop...laying flat againest the back of the bench staring up at the towering buildings...

Emily Spencer looks up with annoyance, then tilts her head back to look up even farther. 'Excuse me,' she says testily.

Victor Erickson looks at the woman who's bumped into him, his cobalt eyes taking her form in as an animal would it's nightly meal.

Victor Erickson looks at Emily.

An ASA patrolman whistles softly to himself as he walks his beat.

Emily Spencer lowers her pamphlet, resting her hand on her purse at the same time. She pushes her sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose to hide her eyes.

Victor Erickson's chest rumbles. 'Excuse me.' He takes a step back, hands crossing his massive chest to rest on oppostie arms.

Jared McLaughlin sits up and looks around... folds up his laptop placing it securely in his briefcase.

Emily Spencer purses her lips and nods, moving around the tall blond man. She turns her attention back to her pamphlet immediately, oblivious to the risk of another collision.

-The breeze of a passing crowd of young-adults kicks up the tails of the larger man's duster, the material lapping at his legs like follage in a storm.

Jared McLaughlin stands up and walks slowly towards his work, Dragonfire.

Jared McLaughlin leaves east.

Victor Erickson turns, watching as the lady leaves. 'Oh, by the way...' he says, his voice thick as gravel in a blender, 'You might want to watch where you step.'

Emily Spencer pauses and turns half-way towards the big guy. 'Excuse me?' Her voice drips with contempt, 'Are you talking to *me*?' She looks him up and down, her sunglasses slipping slightly as she peers over them.

Victor Erickson nods. 'Yes, I was, ma'am. I didn't want you to have an accident.'

Victor Erickson remains standing with his arms crossed, the contempt not lost on him, rather feeding something inside his frame.

Emily Spencer blinks and waves the pamphlet, still clutched in one hand, dismissively at the rest of the plaza. 'I think I'll be just fine. The Plaza's a perfectly safe place, despite some of the types that frequent it.'

An office worker arrives from the south.

Victor Erickson nods. 'Yes ma'am, I'm aware of that. It gives me a fright to know that people of your kind are allowed to walk freely through it.'

Victor Erickson's features draw into a feral smile, cobalt eyes losing something human in the expression, though they gain more than what was lost in an animalisic nature.

Emily Spencer's mouth drops open and her eyebrows rise well above her glasses. 'People of *my* kind? We were here first! If anybody's got the right of way in this Dome, it's people of my kind.' She sounds quite outraged, gesturing with her pamphlet to emphasize her words.

An ASA patrolwoman arrives from the north.

Emily Spencer flushes angrily, her eyes darting to the cop, then back to the annoying man.

An ASA patrolwoman leaves north.

Jared McLaughlin arrives from below.

Victor Erickson's eyes regain their humanistic appearance as his expression slips into one of reasoning. ' "Here first?" "Right of way?" HA!' His chest heaves greatly with the expulsion of air and laughter, though no merriment accompanies it. 'I suppose you feel anything different from yourself should allow you to walk upon it's back?'

Jared McLaughlin walks up from the train station brushing off the seat of his pants... takes a deep breath smelling the fresh air.

Emily Spencer's mouth becomes impossibly small for a moment, pursed with obvious distaste. 'I don't see why we should have to walk upon, over, *or* around freaks of Nature that have no business existing in the first place.'

An office worker arrives from the west.

Jared McLaughlin hearing a bit of an argument... he turns his head to see a young woman arguing with that rather large man from earlier.

Victor Erickson uncrosses his arms, one hand's index finger extending in an accusing point, aimed towards the speaking woman. 'Human kind has a nature which causes it to seek new things, to create, to propagate. Those of my ilk, and those unlike you or I are children of your people.'

Jared McLaughlin takes a seat close to the argument trying to not intervene yet being able to listen.

An office worker leaves south.

Emily Spencer raises both her hands in exasperation. 'That's what they said when they were creating you... you... animals, but they were *wrong*.' She sputters, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. 'There should have been a law to protect us from those ... those mad scientists!'

Victor Erickson clenches his hand into a fist, letting it take it's place at this side. 'You think any of us actually asked for what we are? I had no more choice over my birth than did you. And yet you see fit to persecute people for things beyond their control.'

Jared McLaughlin hears a slight beep from his cellphone inaudible to those around him.... grabs a hold of his cellphone.

Jared McLaughlin speaks quitely in his phone keeping an eye on the ratehr large gentleman who seems to be getting increasingly angry towards the young girl.

Emily Spencer raises her voice another notch, nearly screeching, 'I don't care whose fault it is! You people just need to stay away from us!' She takes a small step back, pointing at him, the pamphlet still gripped tightly in her hand.

Jared McLaughlin quickly closes up the phone placing it in a jacket pocket.

Jared McLaughlin runs off in a hurry to recover a vandalized pod.

Jared McLaughlin leaves south.

Victor Erickson reaches around with his right hand, pulling his duster off in a practiced motion, though this does not appear to be it's exact practied intent. Revealed are his two massive arms and partially exposed chest, all covered with a mosaic of scars.

Victor Erickson's voice booms above the woman's, though his registers on the other end of the spectrum, deep bass carrying well in the plaza. 'These are what staying away has bought me and my family!'

An ASA patrolman arrives from the west.

Victor Erickson's chest rises and falls swiftly, breath coming fast to him now. His steel blue eyes remain on the woman.

An ASA patrolman scans the area intently, looking for trouble.

An ASA patrolman leaves east.

Emily Spencer shakes her head as if shaking off the words. 'I don't understand what you people do with yourselves, and I don't care. There's no reason to *flaunt* your differences in public, no reason at all!'

Emily Spencer points her pamphlet around the plaza, picking out a few others who look different. 'There,' she says, 'and there and *there*! Why should our city be polluted like this?'

Emily Spencer has clenched her hand into a fist, crumpling the dark paper of the pamphlet.

Victor Erickson throws his duster down, taking a step forward. 'OUR CITY, indeed! There's no point, no REASON to hate someone for a difference! Hair color, eye color, skin type, race, religion, or genome dirivative... all are a mixture of life itself!'

Emily tells Victor: well, we should probably find a non-violent way to wrap this up, anyways. It'll be a fine foundation for later RPs, I hope.
Victor tells Emily: Oh, most certainly. Victor is a shifter, true, and also the De-Facto Alpha.
Victor tells Emily: He knows better than to fight in public.
Emily tells Victor: no shit? Woot! Em sure knows how to pick 'em.
Victor tells Emily: Yep. And the scars on his body...yeah, she picked a doozy.
Emily tells Victor: she has no idea what the scars mean.
Victor tells Emily: No... didn't think she did... but I know, and it's just funny.
Victor tells Emily: There's an RP on the wiki that explains it, if you want to know OOCly.

Emily Spencer takes another step back, nervousness finally showing on her face. 'I don't need to defend myself to the likes of *you*,' she snaps. She looks around her and nearly stumbles on an uneven patch of pavement, backing away.

Victor Erickson nods, free strands of hair sweeping across his cheeks beneath the brim of his hat. 'You're right... you only have to defend your beliefs to yourself.'

Emily Spencer's face turns beet red, and she squeezes her pamphlet even tighter, her knuckles white with tension. She breathes furiously through her nose once, twice, then turns and stomps away, her full skirt swirling with the sudden movement.

Victor Erickson watches as the woman storms from the area, his own nostrils flaring once before he reasserts a calm demeanor upon himself. He carefully turns to reclaim his fallen coat, which has been walked upon.