001 ☠ Video; backdated to when things just started to get really cold, pre-blizzard

[kidder]

How do you lot get on like this so long? I've barely been walking the streets here for a week and already I'm feeling cramped outta my damned mind. [ There's a shiver and if you can't see his teeth chattering, you can definitely hear it. ] Not to mention, freezing my bloody arse right the hell off.

[ There's a thick accent in the young man's voice - some mash-up of nothern English, pushing on Yorkshire, but with a distinct character to it that people from modern Earth, or familiar enough with pirate movies, would recognizes as pirate-y. Piratey fits his look too, given that he's got scars here and there on his face, beads in the loose pieces of hair that hang down, and a red bandana wrapped around his forehead. Clothes are either light linen or a worn leather that's seen many better days. And given that he's huddled under a tree with those worn fabrics tugged around him, it's apparent this kind of climate isn't what he's typically outfitted for. ]

I'd go hide away in the posh quarters they've assigned me, but livin' in a box, even cushy as it is, gets to driving me mad after a time. [ He gives a disgruntled huff, a puff of fog raising out of his mouth, and the last couple sentences are muttered ] It's captivity is what it is. You're men, not cattle, aren't you? It may be a nicely trussed up corral, but still a corral.

[ It appears he's crouching down near the lake at Gefion Park, looking particularly put out as he picks up a stick and starts idly tracing things in the snow, eyes surveying out over the rowboats. ]

All we've got in the way of water's this sad puddle, and it's ratty little dingheys. And as for wilderness, it don't really count if you've a man coming in to trim at it every other day, keeping it nice and pretty and civilized. [ The man shakes his head, a laugh coming but with a touch of incredulity in it. This is ridiculous. ] Do they at least take you out've the gates for a walk every now and again, if you've minded real well and not messed on the carpets?

[ While it may look like nothing to others, certain people familiar with it may notice that the symbol he's carving into the snow with a stick is actually the Assassin's emblem. It's a sort of call to those he'd consider friends to check in, without explicitly shouting out for any Assassins in the area. He clears his throat, looking back to the screen. ]

So where's the best place 'round here to get a warm drink, hot meal and decent conversation?


[[ ooc; so big spoiler, james kidd is actually a woman named mary read. she's been dressed up as a boy since childhood and passes as a man among a fuck ton of pirates and a military, so there shouldn't be anything apparent making her seem like anything but a young man, however she does still identify as a woman, so pronouns here-after are going to be 'she/her'. i put him/he in here mainly just for descriptiony effect, really. but yeah, it'll be 'mary' and 'she', but as a heads up, for all intents and purposes, she'd be pretty obviously a dude /o/ thanks bbs ]]

Comments

Video

[samantha_grey]

[This one's surly as she speaks, but then again sleeping beauty did just wake up. She had her hair behind her, tying in a ponytail. Blood red eyes, framed by a pair of short black horns, stared at Kidd intensely.]

Sky's Prize, unless something changed when I fell asleep.

And you're not their dog. Take the posh while you have a chance. Freedom costs.

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[kidder]

I'll take a look for it. Cheers.

[ Her smile goes a little tight at that last part - the last two words, exactly. It's what the pirate republic was built on; the idea that liberty is what they're meant for. There's a soft snort before she speaks. ]

Freedom's a thing men are born with. It's others that put a price on it.

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[samantha_grey]

[There was a snort as she finished tying her hair back and pulled her arms into vie. Damn, it felt good to get that unruly mop out of her face for once. She considered the statement and frowned.]

The only way to be free like that is never to know another soul. They'll charge you a fee once you start caring about them, small or large.

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[barkedlouder]

[ There's an odd rush of sentimentality that wells up in her when Anne first sees this. She nearly passes it off as a trick, some sort of illusion, but nothing about it actually seems like an illusion. That voice sounds too real, the picture too detailed. And besides, what would be the point in having an illusion that does nothing but insult this place?

It could be a trick of Anne's own mind. She'd certainly be able to imagine Mary saying all of this even if she hadn't just seen this for herself, but no. Anne has accepted Mary's death for too long now for her mind to be playing a trick like that. It's more believable to think that Mary is actually here than to think it's all some strange fantasy.

That rush of sentimentality is pushed down easily enough. There's a time and place for things like that and this just doesn't feel like either. ]

Don't know about the first two, but I think I might be able to help with that last one.

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[kidder]

[ For a moment, Mary looks just about as shocked to see her there - eyes wide and mouth gaping a bit, before a wide, bright, warm smile pulls across her lips, a loud, excited laugh following short after it.

She hadn't thought Anne or the rest of the crew made it here with her, but there she is. Captivity just got a bit nicer. ]

Hang me, if it ain't Anne Bonny. Fiercest lass in the West Indies. [ A short wink, and she really just can't stop grinning. Ugu, her biffle is here ] Where're you hiding out?

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[barkedlouder]

[ Now that's a great expression right there. Don't mind if she just shamelessly laughs at it for a bit. Sorry Mary, but you look hilarious when you're surprised.

"A bit nicer" would be an understatement. If there's anyone Anne would like to have with her, it's definitely Mary. Edward would be cool, but Mary's at the top of her list. Rackham and the rest don't come anywhere close. ]

Aye it is, but I'm nothing compared to the fearsome Mary Read. Or is it James here? [ Anne's grin just gets bigger. God damn, she really thinks he might be able to find some enjoyment in being here if Mary's with her. ] They've got me holed up in a place called Freya. 's nice enough, I suppose, but I've been trying to spend as little time there as possible. Can't stand having to spend so much time in one place.

[fourteenthlight]

I don't want to think they mean it like that.

Mmm, but if you want company I'd be happy go with you somewhere.

[kidder]

Don't much matter what they mean. If a man wishes to leave and isn't permitted, that's still a prison.

[ She brightens, though, at the offer. ] I'd be happy to have you, lass. If you don't mind the chill.

[fourteenthlight]

I guess. . . But to me if it was really a prison than they wouldn't be so kind to us. Even if we can't leave right now there will come a time when we can. I'm sure of it! We just all have to do our best for now.

Mehm-mm, when I was on Tundrastar it was a lot colder than here! It'll be okay.

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[secondborn]

[He sees that mark, and since he hasn't noticed any of the others remarking yet, he might as well step up.]

I work at a shop that offers all of those things, if you like. It's called Needle in a Haystack and it's in the Odin district. Not too far from the park where you are, if you're willing to take a leap of faith.

[He says it as casually as he can, hoping the offer is clear. It probably should be Ezio or Altaïr doing this, but hey.]

I'm afraid there's not much that can be done about the wilderness part, especially in this weather. There's some travel that can be done outside the city, but it's fairly limited.

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[kidder]

[ Oooh, sneaky sneaky. Well done bb. A crocked smile spreads a little wider with understanding, and there's the most minute nod given back, before she speaks in the same casual tone. ]

Ah, I believe I've seen the place. I know a short cut up across some rooftops that'll get me there quicker, though I may want to pull a hood up, with all the cold and wind.

[ She's not really one for the typical hooded uniform, but she's had it on before. She'll just be using it here for the sake of dropping confirmation. And on the subject of wilderness- ]

Pity. Still, something's better than nothing. I'll have to take a look, once this bloody snow recedes.

( VIDEO )

[unchain]

Oh! I've been to a place in Loki District that has some very, very warm drinks. I can't quite remember where it is but I think I know the general area.

( VIDEO )

[kidder]

That so? Would you mind terribly pointing it out to me, lass?

VIDEO

[usurpers]

[ it's obvious that he's not keen on the idea, either; even when spoken to about the actual situation and having no choice but to believe in it, to help for it was the only way to help his own home-- his initial opinion remains the same. he had thought the same thing. it was one cage he was in, now brought into another-- told to practically abandon everything he's worked hard for and the people that are counting on him to . . . play house, basically. it kind of hits a spot when she mentions "gates" and behaving, and it makes eren frown. ]

I'm not their damn cow for slaughter. [ the snap is not directed to kidd, but the situation as a whole. he doesn't know about everyone else ( who's totally okay with everything going on ), but he almost bristles, nearly spits the words; he hated the feeling, and he wasn't going to just adopt it, no. he was a soldier that didn't know freedom-- only dreamed of it, seen it far, far away in the distance-- and fought for it. if he had to do something, it was at least going to be done . . . in his . . . own way . . . ]

VIDEO

[kidder]

[ That fury's difficult to miss, and it brings a crocked smirk to her lips, and a nod of approval. ]

Take care you don't forget that, lad. [ Most of the people here seem to have just settled into the life, like all the people in cramped cities in England getting shit pay while the rich trample over them laughing, and they're happy to take it. While the means to escape isn't clear at the moment, that doesn't mean can't be found later. ] There's nothing to do about it now, but the thing about time is it breeds complacency.

[Video]

[comeonthensexy]

[ Since there's already been answers to that last question... ]

A traveller, eh?

[Video]

[kidder]

[ There's a friendly smile offered ]

Most days, aye. Though I s'pose that'll be put at a halt for the moment.

( video )

[ignis]

I haven't behaved myself, so walks are a luxury I've unfortunately missed out on. The carpets, however, are safe. [ might as well go along with the theme, but jace's appearance screams more bad dog than cattle. at least he didn't make an attempt at mooing.

the others haven't really commented on whatever he's tracing in the snow with his stick, and jace isn't very willing to let it go without questioning it. he's perceptive ( and annoying ) like that. subconsciously, he reaches a hand to rub the flat of his against his neck over thick black lines peeking out from the collar of his shirt. ] What's that, then?

[ it looks far too much like a rune than he's comfortable with. funny, how he's memorized the majority of them ( barring the ones clary has invented ), and he's still wary of a doodle in the snow. ]

( video )

[kidder]

[ bless you, son. she smiles and chuckles a little, carrying on with the dog thing ]

Took a bite out of the postman, did you?

[ mary blinks down at the crest in the snow and tilts her head at it for a moment before giving a shrug ]

Just a doodle. Pretty, in'it? [ it's said with a vague, impassive sort of smile that doesn't make it too clear if she's telling the truth here or basically just stating 'I'm not telling' in an off manner ]

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[sicarius]

You'll find many people with the same idea all over, amico.

["And it is a good one to keep" goes unsaid. That's a rather familiar voice, isn't it. Ezio sounds amused, regardless.]

Are you in need of a coat at all? It would do you a little better perhaps than just a meal.

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[kidder]

'Least the whole bloody city hasn't surrendered already.

[ She was going to say 'lost their balls' but there could be children okok. pausing to think for a moment, she pulls the clothes she does have on a litle tighter ]

I certainly wouldn't say no to one offered.

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[digophelia]

[It actually gets a small, soft laugh from Alice. A box? Well, that's one way to look at it; she guesses this one must be a restless soul.]

If you think where you were assigned to is a box, then I fear for you if you should ever find yourself in a padded room.

[Ha. Haha. She says it if she's joking, but Alice is pretty serious about it.]

Nonetheless the state of things can be considerably much more worse.

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[kidder]

[ hey, she'll laugh at it anyway. there may have been people thinking her mentally ill for dressing as a man, really, and treatment wasn't really a gentle thing in her time ]

They may as well kill me if that's the punishment I'm to have. I'd be bored out of my damned mind shortly after.

Worse than a padded room, you mean?

video.

[hisstrength]

[You know. You say all these things and it's not that they don't make sense to her - they make rather more sense to her than she's comfortable with. Having lived in a city surrounded by a fence for her entire life, being told it kept the city safe, but not from what... she can't help feeling like she's also being called cattle, here.

...can't help feeling like that is true at least in part, and that's even more uncomfortable. So, possibly getting a bit defensive here.]

What's so bad about living in a city?

video.

[kidder]

[ Oh, defensive. Mary's not looking to pick fights, really, at least not over the virtue of living in cities, so she just gives a nonchalant shrug about it. ]

It's fine for some. Bit too cramped for me, is all.