destinystrings | FIRST MACHINE

Entry tags:

FIRST MACHINE

Who: Ferrus and YOU! (Open!)
Where: Anywhere!
Summary: Ferrus arrives on the scene, and decides the proper way to learn about the area is to explore.
Warnings: N/A, at the moment. Potentially combat?...

It'd been a long time since Ferrus had been in any sort of sprawling city: Hive Worlds had baffled and confused him and typically he'd relied on his team to get him where he needed to go. Certainly, Ferrus was well used to making mental maps of the situations he got himself into: however, hive worlds - and by extension, cities - had always been too much of an urban sprawl for him to properly remember everything.

His issue with cities was why being randomly dropped into a city - acquiescing to assisting the strange masked man or not - had been a fairly disconcerting experience. Without a team to properly lead him to any destination and a proper understanding of the online network, the young male's first thought was exploration. Examination of the ID he'd recieved gave him very little to work with - a location of an apartment, presumably his, that he didn't know the location of. He'd have set out to find it, first...

...but he was a bit scared of approaching the locals for directions. An irrational nervousness? Yes. Still a very good reason not to? Yes. Doubly so, since he had at least three styles of pistols in holsters around his waist. He didn't want to accidentally intimidate someone - that would be bad, after all. He'd done it once or twice before and made a mess of the mission's stealthy aspect. Besides, he could probably find his apartment on his own. It couldn't be that challenging to locate...

...Maybe he'd be lucky enough to find a physical map of the city somewhere...

(Feel free to get him anywhere - he'll be awkwardly examining the sights and may or may not be outright amazed by some. I'll open up an apartment log when he gets his hands on a map/is properly introduced to the COMP system so he can look it up.)

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A figure in the sagittarius sector watches Ferrus closely, a grey-armored being that looks almost like a gargoyle, an idealized if monstrously large war-knight. He watches Ferrus carefully. As if weighing him on some internal set of scales.

Ferrus only took a little while to pick up on the statueesque figure's glare. The second he'd noticed the other, he felt a prickle, and the second he noticed that gaze was following him he felt another - the figure was large and intimidating, and he knew that for a fact.

... However, he also had a faint sense of deja vu. Had he not seen that sort of design in armor before, in books? The techpriest returned the examining look to the space marine: not yet having the gears click together in his mind. He had found that the world around him was nothing like the hive worlds he visited - and indeed, when he asked people about it, it'd proven they didn't even know the concept of a "Hive World".

Awkward.

Still, that sense of familiarity - albeit not exactly warmth - was what kept Ferrus steady and interested. In a world that seemed to know nothing of his own world, a strange, somewhat cold familiarity was better then none.

It was up to Garviel if he wanted to approach. Ferrus wasn't about to move until he'd figured out where he'd seen the armor before.

~~You might want to preempt him, Garviel: once he remembers, he'll be wanting to see how it works.~~

When Ferrus had managed to wander his way into the Pieces district, he had the pleasure of nearly being bowled over by a short teenager in a purple poncho carrying enough groceries to feed a small army. She fumbled around as she ran, an apology on her lips, but she slowly came to a stop instead, staring Ferrus up and down like he was some kind of exhibit at a zoo.

Rules of Keeping Ferrus Completely Calm:
1) Do not touch him.
2) Do not stare at him.
3) Do not confuse him.

Well, you just broke all three rules, Rune! Enjoy a nervous Ferrus leaping back as though struck at the other's sudden practical assault on his person - Rune pls. The other stopping and looking at him wasn't any better, either: it just made him all the more shifty. ... Why was this kid staring at him...? It felt like the looks he got in his childhood.

Needless to say, he didn't like it.

"...What are you looking at?" He asks, attempting ~~and failing~~ to be intimidating. Instead, he just sounds mildly timid and curious, all at once - wow, Ferrus, you sound afraid of a teenager... Still, his voice isn't at all muffled by his gas mask, surprisingly. In fact, it's crisp, clear, and rather strange to listen to, given expectations.

Rune tilted her head curiously his question, before stepping closer, getting a gooooooood look at his face, and...

"...wow, you are seriously cool looking," she began. "How'd you get your voice to filter that well through your mask?"

Oh wow that's not invading his personal space at all Rune pls. Really, that's just his reaction to Rune: Rune pls. Because pls.

"Uh. I had a vox integrated between my face and the mask?" He began, as though that explained everything. "...And, thank you for the compliment? I suppose?" He wasn't used to compliments about how he looked. He was used to doing his job and getting compliments on his ability, if anything. Not on his looks.

"A vox? So is that some kind of relay between your voice and the mask?" she asked, insanely curious. But then her attention got drawn down, and...

...oh.

...ooooh...

...were those what she thought they were...?

"Something like that." He wasn't about to try and explain the vox system to a teenager... that sounded like an exercise in frustration. Ferrus was smart about this.

Ferrus, in fact, had about 3 different types of pistol strapped around his waist - 5, total. One that looked like a laser gun, and two that looked more old fashioned. He was idly fingering one - out of force of habit rather then intent to shoot. It was a nervous habit of his.

...

Why was she eying them...?

Edited 2012-10-16 00:36 (UTC)

Rune squatted down so she could get a better look at the nice gun collection, eyes looking like they were sparkling in glee. Oh, oh those were pretty guns... so pretty...

"Those are niiice..." she murmured, grinning. "I've never seen these types before."

... Ferrus wasn't exactly sure what to do. She suddenly squatted and looked at his pistols and hnnng how is he supposed to respond to this? Rune. Rune stahp.

"O-oh, really?" Dammit, no, Ferrus, stop stuttering. Stuttering is the enemy. That shakiness in his voice was gone when he opened his mouth. "I mean, they're pretty nice, yes. I'm glad I got the chance to have them." ... That's what you should say, right...? Still, his body language's shiftiness couldn't help but give away his thoughts about this: he was nervous and more then a bit confused.

"What types are they?" Rune asked, finally standing up straight, before pulling on of her guns from her hip holsters. She spun it around her finger, showing it to Ferrus. "They look nothing like mine."

... A chance to nerd.

Screw it, Ferrus is taking it.

He quickly draws one of each type from their holster, displaying them proudly - holding them as firmly as he can as he shows them off. "A stub revolver, stub automatic, and a lasgun." The other's gun looked like a primitive version of his automatics, though he spotted interesting bits and pieces that he couldn't identify the function of.

He'd have to investigate.

"The stub models are solid rounds. The las model uses a charge pack and fires lasers. They're both heavily complex machinery, but the stub models less so." Simplifying because you are very small, qurl. ~~He is thankfully good enough not to state this outright, because that'd be a prime example of him shoving his foot so far up his mouth it comes out the other side.~~

"Whoa..." Rune murmured, peering at the gun. "So yours uses charge packs too? What about a collector? Do they only fire one time of round?"

Yeah, man, she has two of those things strapped to her hips. Do you honestly think she wouldn't be able to handle gun babble?

"It doesn't collect energy or anything - they fire multiple rounds using the same pack." He looked over at hers.

They had an energy collector...? Interesting. He'd need... to look into this.

Also?

It's Ferrus. He's well used to the concept of grown men and women who use guns regularly not wanting him to babble about technology.

So yes.

Garviel simply watches the man watching him. This could take a while.

~~Commence the staring contest.~~

But no - Ferrus seems to register surprise after a good ten-twenty minutes' time - it doesn't take that much to remember, honestly. He begins moving up towards Garviel, cautiously but relatively quickly.

... He knew the Adeptus Astartes and what the armor meant, but he didn't think any were still alive. ... Still, he was intimidated, but forced himself not to tremble or let it on in front of the figure. ... If he was a member of the Astartes, it'd be bad to show fear.

"... Where did you get that armor, sir?" The pause was telling, but the voice let on no wavering. Besides, if he had no idea what the armor was and was wearing it for fun (perish the thought) it'd help Ferrus barter it off of him.

He remembered how interesting the stories of the armor's tech had been... even if all of them probably weren't true.

"No, not an energy collector," she began, before correcting herself. "Well, not quite."

She paused a moment, ejecting the power pack. "See, there's a solar energy collector. We don't exactly have places to plug stuff into, so I have to rely on the sun to charge it up."

She snapped it back in, flipping it over and pointing to a strange opening in the back, with some kind of dongle sticking out of it.

"This is a collector. It takes elemental energy from my surroundings, and then..."

She flipped it back around, showing a slider on the side.

"I can choose what output I want."

The figure drops to the ground, approaching Ferrus with the posthuman gait that only an Astartes, or someone neurally linked to the armor could possibly have.

"Where do you think I got the armor, mortal?" He booms, in a diaphragm-rattling tone.

The word 'mortal' is what confirms it, to him. Also, that goddamn gait. It'd be near impossible for someone to move around in the armor like that unless it was set up for them, after all.

"From the Astartes. You're a member of the Adeptus Astartes, correct?" He asked, resisting the urge to act nervous under the other's imperial gaze. He was not about to let that on in the least, thanks. Especially not in front of a goddamn space marine.

... ~~Thank god he'd succeeded his Knowledge checks.~~

Edited 2012-10-16 01:53 (UTC)

The other's explanation seems to enrapture him.

"... It sounds complex." He sounds outright surprised, and the gears are slowly clicking in his brain. "... Would you, perhaps, mind if I examined one closely, sometime...?" He sounded slightly in awe of the technology, if anything: he was a gun nerd at his core, and interesting pistols were his sort of thing.

~~Watch out, Rune. He'll make duplicates.~~

"We are not members of the Adeptus Terra. I am a Legiones Astartes, true enough. But if you know what I am, then I must know of you. Where do your loyalties lie, mortal? With the Emperor? Or... otherwise."

He makes no indication of who he stands with, and his armor is notably bereft of all iconography.

... Oops. He didn't know much about the age of Space Marines, admittedly: only what he'd read and what he could remember of it. However, no time to dwell: the other asked a queston.

"... I, myself, am a member of the Adeptus Mechanius. My own loyalties lie with the Emperor." ... Maybe it was bad form to say that to someone who didn't outright express their allegiance, but. He didn't look chaotic. ... If he asked, would that be rude? Even as he thought that, he asked anyway - "And you?"

Dammit, brain.

"Well..." Rune began, holstering her gun again. "As long as you don't break it, I don't mind. I dunno if I can get another like it, and my Persona thing isn't for attack."

"I serve the Emperor in all things." He takes another step towards Ferrus.

"And I shall be watching you."

Ferrus, similarly, holstered his weapons. "I'm skilled in machine examination. There's no need to worry about my breaking it."

Unless he tests how much it can absorb.

But he's not that mean.

Probably.

"Well... okay, some other time," Rune replied, before offering him her hand. "Rune Calstead."

... The step makes his hand clench, but he stills himself. He's not about to give up his facade of confidence now. "I should be honored, to have an Astartes keep their eye on me." ... Perhaps a joke in poor taste. Especially because he didn't want to let emotion in, seeing as it'd end with him trembling. Probs.

"... Can I have your name, sir?"

Ferrus offered his, as well - Frak introduced him to what, exactly, a handshake was. Otherwise you'd get a blank stare. Still, have a hand in yours, and lightly shaking it. Timid interaction with other beings oops.

"...Sounds like a plan. I'm Ferrus." Avoiding using his ship name along with his real one? Yes, yes he was.

"Cerberus."

He continues to stare down at the techpriest, watching the augmented human suspiciously.

"Nice to meet you, Ferrus!"

Rune smiled brightly, a bundle of energy just like her guns. After a moment, she let out a startled noise, picking up her groceries.

"I've gotta go, but I'll see you around on the COMP network, 'kay?"

... That didn't sound like any Astartes he could think of. He'd have to try and remember more, later.

"Alright then, sir. My name is Ferrus."

... He got the impression the other didn't care, but he figured he'd offer it. It should make the stalking easier, too, if you plan on doing that for a while, Garviel. However, he sort of stands there. It's awkward and Ferrus wants to extricate himself from the situation... but he isn't quite sure how.

"What is your area of specialization, Ferrus? And your rank within the Mechanicus, at least as far as you can tell an outsider."

This is turning into an interrogation quickly enough.

"I'm specialized in repair and use of technology, as well as combat. I'm currently initiated as a techpriest to the order after 8 years of service to my Inquisitor." He'd explain more, but really, he wasn't sure what there was to say: he wasn't sure how much time had escaped him when he was in the priesthood's walls, so he went off of the time he'd met the Inquisitor to now. It made sense to him. Also, he wasn't sure how much the Astartes knew. Was this a time thing, or was he still alive and had been dragged here? ... Either way...

... Ferrus is much too willing to answer questions, it seems.

"Nice to meet you, too..." He sounded unsure, but her enthusiasm was infectuous.

However, the next line startled him.

"... COMP network?"

... What's that, Rune...

"Yeah."

She hastily pulled out her COMP, waving it at him. "You should have gotten one of these."

"Inquisitor? I haven't heard of this rank before. Are they some sort of local dignitary?"

"... Oh, no. Inquisitors are... They're the highest ranked members of the Imperial Inquisition. ... Basically, they run the law, purge the corrupt - so on. I was hired on as a member of an inquisitional team to assist in carrying out the law of the Inquisition."

Maybe a bit too much said? Sure. Did he give a fuck? Not really. Everyone know about it where he was from. So.

"So.... they're lawgivers. I see."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Interesting. I may have need of an artisan. Can you repair war-plate, bolters, and produce bolt shells?"

... He had, hadn't he.

"... Ah. Thanks. So that's what that was..." He seems to have awakened a spark of curiousity inside of him, and moves to find which pouch he put it in.

If you're a nerd for gadgetry, it looks like Ferrus is near Batman levels. Whoops?

"Something like that."

It was the best description he could think of.

"I have the book knowledge, though I have only my own bolt-pistol in terms of bolter technology to practice on. I could most certainly try."

Rune hesitates, seeing all that mysterious and utterly cool gadgetry there. She did a little dance on the spot, fighting with herself... but she has cold things melting in those grocery bags, and she needs to get them in a fridge as soon as possible.

"See you, Ferrus!"

...it's faint, but it feels as if there is a slight bond between the two of you...


Thou art I... and I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... A new friendship that transcends even time and world boundaries themselves... You shall be blessed when fusing Personas of the World Arcana when thou is able...




>	You have established the Rune Calstead Social Link of the Inverted World Arcana!




>	You can't combine new Personas yet...




>	Rune's determination in battle has enhanced...




>	She will now toss you an energy pack when you run out, if she has one to spare.

"The Mechanisms are similar enough. You'll do. Come with me."

"...Ah, yessir." He didn't really have a choice. Besides, he was at least getting a feeling the other wasn't as demanding as some of his other coworkers - at least he asked questions.

As such, he was perfectly cool with coming along whereever Garviel led, for the time being.

The space marine will drag him off to the apartments for more interrogation.

And he's totally cool with this.

~~They're on the same floor, too. Convenient.~~

(Should we open a thread on one of our apartment threads, or...?)

(Yeah good that works, open it up in your sand I'll hit it tomorrow. )

(go here to continue)

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FIRST MACHINE

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