asgardeventide | 001 - Voice and Optional Action for Baldr House

Entry tags:

001 - Voice and Optional Action for Baldr House

[Claire, being someone with a lot of common sense, manages to switch on the voice feed after a while of tinkering with his bracelet. He's very careful to avoid the video button, as his suit is caked in blood at the moment and that would probably irk some people. Take notice of his Brooklyn accent and how ugly it is:] Hey! Wow! It actually works! No kiddin' -- and here I thought this was just a woman's piece of jewelry. It must take impressive intelligence to fit this kind of technology into somethin' so tiny. I wonder if they were goin' for the feminine thing. [There's a long pause, and only footsteps can be heard before he speaks again.]

You know, I would've imagined Heaven to be a lot less grey than it actually is. Then again I don't have that great of an imagination, so I never really thought about what kind of colour it'd be. Gotta say, though, at least it's a change from what I'm used to, which I figure is the point.

Anyhow, everybody here uses this thing to communicate, is that right? That might make things a little more convenient for me, then, as I'm looking for somebody. We had originally arranged to meet in Manhattan, but it looks like things aren't necessarily goin' as planned.

Well, if you're listening Chane, here I am. And if you're not listening, then I'll just have to take initiative and do somethin' different, won't I?

[The feed cuts off just as Claire enters the Baldr house. He's in desperate need of a shower and if he's supposed to be living here, he mostly will have access to one. He smells like entrails even after rinsing off in the river he had jumped into, which might attract some attention?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This world's full of many ugly things. My family has always been so busy surviving it all, I can't expect to burden them with dependency.

I seem guarded?

Who's your family? I've got three brothers myself.

I've noticed you keep conversation focused on the other person, and whenever you talk about yourself, you keep to bein' vague. You like to ask questions, and answer questions with another question tacked on to a short answer.

I've met a lot of people in my life time, so I'm quick to catch on to things like this.

I have two loving parents and a sister. [ Johan's not threatened by this, only interested. He wonders if Claire is good at interrogating -- the man has obviously been around shady people in his life, at least, or many that need to control conversations. ]

Well, maybe once upon a time, I made the mistake of not being guarded enough, and people were granted the opportunity to do what I now won't allow them to do to me or my family.

[ There's a sadness in his beautiful sparkly...blue eyes. ]

You never answered my question.

That was my mistake. I got caught up in tryin' to get you to talk about yourself.

I can't say I depend on anybody, even my brothers. I've never been in a situation where I necessarily needed anyone, actually, other than when I was a little boy.

As for your story... I think I get it. You're sayin' you're just tryin' to survive, like you were talking about earlier. Do you think, as someone who is weak, you're strong enough to protect yourself, let alone your family, by just being guarded? I think it'd take more than that at times. Is that why you lie, too?

I don't consider myself weak, but c'est la vie. Am I wrong in sensing some hostility here? We're getting into rather personal territory, and I'm sure you know basic manners and social ettiquette regarding that.

It wasn't my intention to come off as hostile. I'm makin' assumptions based on what I've gathered about you during our conversation, and if my assumptions are wrong, you're free to tell me so.

As for personal territory, I don't think it's too personal. It's almost there, but not quite. You made a good attempt at dodging my question, though. Frankly, I'm almost impressed.

You asked two questions, but I'll address both, Claire. I believe it takes much more than caution and being guarded to protect oneself, and a family. Life is far more unpredictable than that. I lied in this conversation to cushion what could be perceived as a blow and I am sorry for that.

Now, do any types of lies make you angry? Do you see them all the same, because you're such an honest person?

Not all lies make me angry, since almost everybody does it, but I can always sense a prone-liar based on other factors, too.

Again, these are assumptions, and while I'm good at makin' assumptions, they're still assumptions.

Yes, indeed they are. [ Believes Claire to be quite hubristic. ]

Here's some honesty: It's a bit off-putting. Though I'm sure you don't care, since you don't seem to care what others think of you.

Ah, there's the crack I was lookin' for. You're awfully calm for somebody bein' pressed so hard. You're pretty good at keepin' your cool, aren't you?

I am. And why do you think that is? I bet you are good at getting confessions out of people.

Just an assumption.

It's a good one, because you're right. Nothin' ever really gets past me.

As for why I think you're good at keepin' your cool, I gotta say that it's either practice or apathy. Could be both. You don't care about what other people think of you, either, do you?

[ Johan inclines his head a bit. ]

You're wrong, Claire. I'm surprised.

Am I? I do believe you care about what I'm sayin' just because I'm not keepin' to your strict confines of conversation.

So you mean you care to that extent, right? You want me to like you because you don't want enemies or trouble.

Of course I don't want trouble. I understand the problems in character that can arise of those who yearn only for simplicity, and will do anything they can to avoid conflict, but I am not that type of person. I don't look for trouble, and I see nothing good about trying to start it and always trying to come out on top, but I will deal with it accordingly and stand up for my values should it ever cross me.

[ He looks a bit regretful. ]

And you. You... haven't made one positive judgment on me, and I'm sure that's not the way you usually go about making friends with people who interest you in a genuine, positive way.

I've made positive judgments, but you probably are already aware of 'em, since that's the image you put up. You're a well-mannered guy who has genuine curiousity about people and you make for good conversation. You knew that already, though, didn't you? Don't you think that's boring?

I just figured I'd point out things you don't normally hear to keep things interesting. I like to figure out what's tickening beneath the surface, and normally I'm never wrong.

I make friends with honest people, and that rules out the mysterious types, too.

Ever think that you might have to earn full honesty from somebody? You're a thinking man. You obviously know that people have reasons to hide things, and they don't always have to be sinister.

Some people don't even know what their own truths are. They don't know anything about what happened to them or where they came from. Mysterious? No. Sometimes it's just as unfortunate as that.

I never implied that you had sinister intentions, but the more sarcastic and defensive you are, the more you lead me to that conclusion. While your tone may be calm, your words certainly don't appear to be so.

I didn't mean any offense inititally, if that counts for anythin'.

Claire. [ The name is tinted with affection. ]

I wasn't being facetious at all. And no, it doesn't count for anything. You've still been awfully inconsiderate to someone you don't even know, and I'd like to think in future interactions, you wouldn't always assume you knew everything. That could get annoying fast,

[ His eyes are "shown" more to Claire as he speaks those words, but a look of genuine warmth floods every muscle in his face right after. ]

But I like you, so I hope you come to like me too.

The more we talk, the more I get to know you, and my judgment is subject to change. While I think you're sneaky, it don't mean I suspect anythin' off about you just yet, so you don't have to assume that I'm separating you from the white and black.

A flaw is a flaw, and flaws are somethin' we don't like to admit we have, but the least we can do is acknowledge them.

I don't think you suspect anything. This conversation just went into territory I didn't expect it to. I guess this place is full of surprises.

Or maybe you just are.

I've been told that quite a few times, if you could believe that.

I can. I feel I got to know a lot about you, though, through this conversation.

I do hope you find this Chane person. I assume your lover?

There's nothin' wrong with that. After all, I don't got anythin' to hide.

Ah, soon to be, I hope. I asked her to marry me.

Good luck with that. You're not nervous at all?

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video] stares at my sp error up there, never able to edit it...

[video] Oh... I don't care...

[video] ......

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]