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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 8, 2016 22:20:04 GMT
[Thread Soul Sync: 725 Time of Day: 1830 Eastern Standard Time Location: Staten Island Docks, New York]
The ship pulling up to a quay was fairly standard looking. It wouldn't have been overly remarkable, if it hadn't been for the shipping manifest. The dockworker stared at it, turning to spit, then turned back. "So.. you're carrying 30 tons of communion wafers?". The sailor nodded, gesturing at the small shipping vessel. "Yep. Supposed to cover all the churches in New York for a while. Easier to ship them in bulk." It went unsaid between the two that there was a reason more people might be turning to churches. Things in this city had gotten... disturbing. One avoided the shadows if they could.
Nodding, the dockworker stamped off on the manifest, and was turning away, when he noticed something. Something unusually bright was moving towards the edge of the ship, headed for the gangplank. In-between crates, a person was moving off the ship, and he seemed to be quite different from the typical sailor unloading. For one, he had a huge shock of orange hair, and for another, he was dressed in what looked like Church attire.
The dockworker turned, curious, but the sailor next to him immediately paled, and nudged him to one side so that he was out of the way of the ramp. "Aaah, In- Father Victor. Do you have any other luggage you need us to move off?" The emerald eyes turned and stared at him, and then Victor gave a friendly smile. "Ah, no, not at all. I have all my things. Good day to you, and send my thanks to the Captain." Turning, he marched off.
As the boat and it's crew vanished behind numerous buildings, Victor turned and headed out onto the streets. He was headed for Manhattan, but it wouldn't hurt to take the slow path. Get a feel for this city. A walk through his hunting grounds. Gloved fingers tightened around the large case he was carrying, a simple hard-shelled black affair with a stylized cross emblazoned on it. Moving down the street, he smiled and walked with a casual, easy step. His eyes, however, flitted from person to person, observing those around him.
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Post by Cliff Slade on May 8, 2016 23:11:47 GMT
[Thread SS: 685]
"Well, last night was a real winner wasn't it?"
Cliff sat on a bench, one leg crossed over the other as he stared out into the sea. He was contemplating. Thinking back on the events of the previous night. He had been assaulted by some strange man, and if he had to guess, they'd meet up again some day.
He let out a dejected sigh. This wasn't exactly the way he wanted his search for others like him to start. That mystery man could see his Stand, but it seemed like he didn't exactly have one of his own. Maybe he had hidden it in the shadows? There was no real way to know.
As he pondered the situation, he felt a shadow loom over him. He turned, quickly frowning as he realized who it was: His Stand, Burning Heart, was standing right behind him, a hot dog held firmly in hand.
"Didn't I send you to get that thing like half an hour ago? Where the hell did you run off to? There's a Hot Dog stand on every street corner Yknow!"
The Stand didn't respond.
"Sometimes I wonder if you've actually got a brain up there. You follow orders, but you don't do much beside that..."
Cliff sighed, his hands diving into his pockets. He felt completely lost. Where was he supposed to go now? Going back to the warehouse was a bad idea, and heading back to his apartment was probably a worse one.
The sun was slowly setting. It wouldn't be long now before the entire city would be coated in the familiar dark of night. Staying out at night might be an even worse idea than heading home to his apartment, which was most likely being watched by that mystery man or his "master".
He turned back to his Stand, who was still gripping the hot dog.
"Eh, I'm not hungry anymore... Just toss it."
Burning Heart quickly complied. He reeled back like a baseball pitcher, before tossing the hot dog towards the ocean! It spun wildly through the air, before splashing against the ocean unceremoniously. It floated above the water, slowly drifting towards the horizon.
Cliff couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, that's one way to interpret what I said. Good work." The Stand, as expected, didn't respond. It simply stood watch next to its User. With any luck, Burning Heart's mere presence would ward off any would-be attackers who could actually see it.
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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 8, 2016 23:54:02 GMT
As he was passing along a stretch of boardwalk, something rather odd caught Victor's eye. An object had just been thrown clear into the water, quite a ways as well. Straining his eyes, he peered over the top of his circular reading glasses. He might have been cursed with sight too poor to effectively read on his own, but his long-distance vision functioned just fine. He was barely able to make out the light tan of bread, and the vaguely roasted crimson of a cooked hotdog. Well then, that was a waste. Had something been wrong with it?
Eyes traveling along the path it had been thrown, he blinked, then chuckled. Well well, it seemed New York really was an interesting place. Already, he had located something unusual. A floating man, standing behind a young man on a bench. Another Stand... Chuckling slightly, Victor leapt off the dock, and kicked. With a little jet of momentum, he was thrust forward, and with a series of quick steps, made his way across the water in a rapid fashion. One hand scooped up the hot dog, and for a moment, a large bony arm of some beast overlaid his own, the tips of the claws lightly tapping the hot-dog. Turning with barely a pause in his momentum, he headed back for the deserted boardwalk, and landed on the wooden planks with a surprisingly heavy thud. He had moved in a large V shape, from a point further down to just beside Cliff.
Standing up, he turned and smiled at him. "Oh my, you shouldn't waste food. There are many that must go without, my son." He was about Victor's age, and looked older, in fact. The young man appeared to be barely out of his teens, but his bulky build and deep voice often threw those who assumed him to be younger than he was. Hamon was a marvelous thing. Grinning broadly in a "less insane than when he was breaking noses" manner, as White Death referred to it, he held out the hot dog. Despite having just been tossed in the ocean, it was quite plainly dry once more. "If you don't want it, however, I am quite hungry."
He was tempted to show off, more than he already had, but he was curious as to this well-dressed person and his stand. If it came down to it, he liked his odds. He wasn't an Inquisitor of the Solis Iudicium for nothing, after all. "My apologies, I should have introduced myself. I am Father Victor, recently arrived here in New York. Who might you be, my son?"
Victor: 103504
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Katherine Wright
Tendency For Battle
Posts: 56
Soul Sync: 675
Stardust: 1,500
Items: Rejuvenating Cola
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Post by Katherine Wright on May 9, 2016 1:51:01 GMT
The park? No good for sleeping, Katherine had determined. She let out a quiet yawn. She had tried to sleep in the park. Something she usually did when she didn't have enough money to sleep at a hotel. However the police woke her up in the early morning! They would have taken her in if not for her own stand. "So now what?" she muttered to herself, a single hand coming up to ruffle at her deshelved(?) and clearly messy hair. It was dark but she seemed to have a single stripe of ginger color in her bangs.
However.. She saw something that made her stop in her tracks while she was moving around the docks. Something so amazing.. So.. Surprising to see! A part of her body knew exactly what she had saw and reacted!
Her stomach.
It grumbled when she saw the hotdog! It was so delicious, just sitting there. In someone else's possession! How dare he! Didn't he know other people were hungry!
However, she realized the food was just a distraction from what was really there! She soon realized the floating being behind the well dressed man, the one without the food! For now, she sort of just stood there, staring at it now. Not at any of the other people. Not at the hotdog now. Just the stand. What could be going on her head?
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Post by Cliff Slade on May 9, 2016 23:50:43 GMT
Cliff's eyes widened as he watched a man simply hop into the water. He fully expected the guy to simply sink into the drink, but he was somehow hopping above it! He quickly pranced over to the hot dog, grabbing it from the ocean with a quick hand. Cliff noticed something odd, however; a strange... something happened to his hand as he grabbed the snack. He couldn't exactly tell what had occurred to the mans hand, but it didn't look natural from this distance. The mystery man slowly hopped back to shore, before landing back on the boardwalk.
"That's ... Definitely new. Maybe he's got a Stand as well?"
The man quickly returned to Cliff, offering him the somehow-dry hot dog, as well as trying to inform him of the bad manners that is wasting food. He stared at the meal he had forsaken, before quickly shaking his head. "No, thanks. You can have it if you want."
The man introduced himself. Apparently, he was a priest of some kind. Cliff nodded his head, a slight smirk on his face as he replied. "Well, It's a pleasure to meet you Father. I'm not much of a religious man myself, but it's good to see you can keep the faith strong in these strange times..."
Cliff's eyes glanced to the side, catching sight of a strange girl not far from them. She was staring directly at his Stand. Could she actually see it, or was she just a nutjob?
He shouted towards her, hoping to drag her attention, should she actually be able to see it. "Hey, you! Stop gawking at thin air! It's makin' me think you're up to no good!" He turned back to Victor, extending his hand towards the man for a simple handshake. "The names Cliff. Cliff Slade. Currently disowned. Looking to make my way in the world."
Cliff looked over at Victor's case. Looked more like a travel case than a briefcase. Perhaps he was a new resident of New York? There was no way to tell unless he asked, but at the moment, he felt the odd sensation that asking too many questions might lead to confrontation, and he wasn't exactly in the mood for that.
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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 10, 2016 0:10:44 GMT
Chuckling, the church man hefted the hot dog with one hand, an odd noise coming from it. It sounded almost like someone shifting sand about. He turned it sideways, and something that appeared to be just that poured out, forming a slight scattering on the boardwalk. "That is perfectly fine. I am not one to judge others on their beliefs, only their actions." A slight gurgle from nearby caught his attention, and he glanced over. A young girl of some sort...
The man's eyes flicked to the side, noting her as well, but Victor was noticing something else. Her gaze was focused on a certain portion of air holding the man's stand. Well now, it never rained but it poured. Either she was a sensitive, or more likely, she had a Stand as well. It would explain her hesitance in coming over. Still, he couldn't be sure...
Placing the case down for a moment, the padlocks on it clinking slightly, he shook Cliff's hand with the one not holding a hotdog. Turning, he glanced over at Katherine, before calling out "I couldn't help but overhear your stomach, my child. Would you like this?". With his free hand, he held out the hotdog. "It seems it's seeking someone to consume it." He was a bit hungry himself, but he wanted to investigate this girl further, and Cliff as well. It was tempting to bring out White Death, but no, that would likely just acerbate the already interesting situation into more hostile levels. Best to just remain civil for now, and watch things play out. Although... he couldn't help but mess with him a bit. "Here, come join the three of us. I'm certain we all have more in common than we might think." Placing his free hand on his face, he smiled happily, eyes closing for a moment. The right orb opened slowly, half-lidded and cold, remaining that way for just a moment. It was the only hint so far that this jolly priest might be less friendly than he appeared.
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Katherine Wright
Tendency For Battle
Posts: 56
Soul Sync: 675
Stardust: 1,500
Items: Rejuvenating Cola
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Post by Katherine Wright on May 10, 2016 1:06:34 GMT
Her main objective for the day had been to find something cheap to eat. And you know what? There's nothing cheaper than free. Well, there's always getting paid to eat but she doubted she wouldn't want to eat something from some random guy that also offered money. That all seems rather fishy. However, when the man offered the hotdog, she moved to walk over towards him. She paused for a second to glance back at Cliff for only a moment. Just glaring at him.
She would have been tempted to bring out her own stand, however, she wasn't sure if the man near her could even see them. She had met weirder in this city already. Then again, she figured, actions do speak louder than words.
The girl smiled, "Thank you." she said as she took the hotdog. She hadn't even noticed that jab that the priest did at the well dressed man. Of course, she would mess with the other man herself some. Her Stand, itself. The glorious dark blue, white, and golden cat person thing materialized next to her for a moment before light seemed to bend around it, the stand soon becoming invisible! Assumingly like it had simply been recalled back to her.
The girl eventually brought her green eyes to look back at the priest. She made note of his clothes for a few seconds before she tilted her head, "So you a man of religion or somethin'?" she asked, one hand on her hip. The other hand simply brought the hotdog back to her mouth to take another bite.
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Post by Cliff Slade on May 10, 2016 12:06:36 GMT
"A man of the cloth with an open mind, eh? You'd be surprised how often the opposite is true."
Cliff's brow raised in curiosity as a hefty amount of a sand-like substance poured out of the inside of the bun. From what he remembered, he didn't order such a hearty helping of corroded rocks in his hot dog. Maybe Burning Heart enjoyed it as a topping? Did Stands even have preference in food? These were questions for later, Cliff decided.
It seemed that the girl who was gawking finally decided to come over. She was offered the sand-dog, which she accepted quickly, taking a bite of it just as soon as it was handed to her.
Before he could ask any questions, his attention was caught by Victor's comment. Three of us? Could he see Burning Heart? That would be the only plausible explanation for it. The Priests expression was one of a jovial nature, but the way he stared at Cliff was a bit unsettling, to say the least.
Then, another incredibly surprising event occurred. Next to the woman, a brilliantly colored woman materialized from thin air, before quickly dissipating once again. Cliff's muscles tensed in a mixture of fear and excitement; was that her stand?! It looked quite magnificent, but there was certainly no guarantee it was friendly.
Burning Heart suddenly took a defensive stance due to a mental order from Cliff. If she was a Stand User, things were definitely about to get more interesting. Though Cliff was readying himself to jump out of harms way, his expression remained cool. He wasn't much of a gambling man, but his Poker Face was impeccable.
He turned back to Victor, feigning ignorance of the brief appearance of Katherine's Stand. "I hope you don't mind me prying, Father, but is there any particular reason you've swung by New York? I'm just guessing you're a new face, seeing as you're lugging around that big traveling case."
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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 10, 2016 13:31:45 GMT
Looking back and forth, Victor chuckled again. "My my. It seems we have quite the interesting group here, indeed." He shrugged slightly, as he watched Katherine munch on the hotdog. "Yes, I suppose you could say I am. I fear I did not give a proper introduction before." He tapped his lips for a moment, then smiled. This was not the same comforting smile from before. It was the bared teeth of a mad dog, visible for only a moment, before the goofy, friendly expression returned. "I am Inquisitor Victor A. Dominatus, here in New York for..." He punctuated the pause with a light chuckle. "Pest control." Spreading his arms, he gave a beatific smile. "Now then, you two seem like fine, upstanding citizens, despite the current tenseness. There's no need for such hostility." From behind him, a massive shape emerged from thin air, towering over him by a good few feet. It had long, lanky limbs that appeared to be mainly made from bone, with a bizarre cow-like skull that glowed with a crimson light. The mane around it's neck shifted as it hunched, staring at the assembled group. "Now, we're not going to have any unpleasantness, are we? I'd hate for my first visit to New York to be marred by violence." Despite the blatant threat, he seemed quite cheerful. One might almost think the man was eager to have a brawl. Behind him, the massive Stand, White Death, peered at the other two. Then, it's huge mouth opened, and it spoke. "Hmm. Puny little things, aren't they. You must have quite the ****ing ego to have created something my size. Presumably they're more humble." Shrugging, Victor looked up at the large stand from his position beneath it's chest. "I like to think of it as being aware of my talents, that's all"
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Katherine Wright
Tendency For Battle
Posts: 56
Soul Sync: 675
Stardust: 1,500
Items: Rejuvenating Cola
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Post by Katherine Wright on May 10, 2016 13:53:08 GMT
The girl coughed a bit a she looked at the hotdog. "Kinda salty.." she muttered to herself before simply cramming the last half of it into her mouth. With her cheeks puffed out, due to the food cramming, she looked to Cliff. Her eyes didn't stay there long as they wandered to his stand.
With a noisy swallow, she gave a smirk, one hand coming near her head as she pointed towards the well dressed man. Well.. The well dressed man that wasn't a priest. The priest was busy introducing himself. She just assumed he was a random nobody. So? She would do the obvious thing. And fuck with one of the only other people like her. Because why not.
She brought her hand up to her head, flicking at the air to point towards Cliff. However her plans were stopped when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something bigger. Big enough to make her jump to the side, scrambling to steady herself so she was a bit further away from the priest than she was before.
It was at this time, her stand also uncloaked itself. It was right in front of Cliff. It's right hand raised and ready to flick. However it halted itself, and moved to stand in between Victor with his massive stand and his owner, due to a mental command on her part.
"Probably not. However our creatures ain't as fuckin' creepy as yours. You sure you're a priest? That doesn't look very religious. Well. Looks more like a demon, if anything."
((Sorry for the short post))
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Post by Cliff Slade on May 10, 2016 14:08:07 GMT
As the mighty beast of a Stand revealed itself, Cliff couldn't help but move away. He stood up, hopping behind the bench he had been sitting on. His hands quickly clenched into fists as he stared right at the intimidating beast before him. Burning Heart hopped backward as well, flames beginning to lick its fingertips as a ball of fire slowly formed in the Stand's right hand.
"So, Papa Victor's got himself a Stand with a voice box eh? I knew somethin' fishy was going on..."
He briefly turned to Katherine, examining her Stand. It seemed a bit more elegant compared to both of the other Stands present. He could only wonder what these two could do.
Despite the aggressive nature of his and his Stand's actions, Cliff's head stayed calm. He knew starting this off on the wrong foot would just get him a black eye, or worse, a hole in the chest.
"Alright, look, there's no need to beat the hell out of each other. We're all sensible people, right? We just happen to have the ability to manifest... Ghosts... Or whatever the hell these things are." He glanced at his own Stand, who had primed his fireball mere moments ago, before quickly returning his focus to Victor.
"Why don't we just put our Stands away and go somewhere a bit less public? Having three Stands out is bound to attract the attention of something nasty..." Cliff's mind recalled his encounter with that nefarious man the night prior. If a fellow like that were to show up around here, he doubted things would go well for any of them... Well, maybe Victor with his massive deathly demon of a Stand would survive, but even that felt unlikely.
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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 10, 2016 14:47:43 GMT
Tapping his foot, Victor tilted his head back and forth for a moment. "Hmm... Alright then." White Death faded, and he turned about, picking up his traveling case again. Lifting it up with surprising ease, he looked back and forth. "Well then, if you wish for us to go somewhere more private, lead the way. I'm recently arrived, and I suspect our friend here is not graced with a mansion."
He wiggled his eyebrows slightly. "Although I must say, inviting us to go somewhere alone with you so soon after meeting? Quite forward, or do you just have a fetish for Stand Users?" Chuckling, he placed a hand behind his back, and began to move along the boardwalk towards town. "Well then, let's go, I suppose."
((Sorry it's short))
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Katherine Wright
Tendency For Battle
Posts: 56
Soul Sync: 675
Stardust: 1,500
Items: Rejuvenating Cola
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Post by Katherine Wright on May 12, 2016 5:25:06 GMT
Katherine, for good measure, took a few steps away from Victor again. Sure, his stand was gone now. However it was rather creepy. Her eyes narrowed slightly glancing from the priest to the well dressed man a few times. Should she trust them? Probably not. So she wouldn't.
While it may have appeared her stand disappeared, however, it did quite the opposite. Kinda. It merely cloaked itself, becoming invisible through bending light waves and took it's place behind Katherine.
".. Alright." she said as she stuck her hands on her hips. "I suppose.. I will listen. Mainly since I don't really know what these things are." the girl stated with a slow nod.
(sorry for the short post on my end, too ;~; )
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Post by Cliff Slade on May 12, 2016 11:28:10 GMT
As the other two dropped their Stands, Cliff did so as well. Burning Heart simply dissipated as the coated man let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. I'm glad we could all be reasonable about this." With the tension gone, Cliff's hands once again rested in his pockets, as he tried to figure out where to take these fellows.
Cliff's eyes narrowed at Victor as he poked fun at his choice to invite them somewhere private. "I don't think I can have a fetish for something I barely know anything about. That'd be like having a fetish for a cookie recipe or something."
He turned his head, trying to discern where exactly they were. He had essentially wandered here after his encounter with Mr. Break-Into-Your-Warehouse-And-Try-To-Kill-You, so he was a tiny bit lost. His index finger wandered in the same directions he was looking, pointing out street signs in the distance, as well as a large, strangely pink house not far from them.
"Okay, so... We're near Rabble Street... If we take a left on Inigo Boulevard..."
He continue to mumble directions to himself, before silently nodding, and turning back to his two new companions. "Alright. My apartment is about 7 blocks from here. We can tag a cab and head there, or, if either of you are in the mood for a bite, there's a burger joint not far from here called Johnny's that ain't too bad. It's open all night, so we won't miss it."
With a curious expression, he awaited the decision from both of them. Hopefully they picked the burger joint. He was kinda hoping to nab one of their delicious burgs.
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Post by [Tokoz] Victor A. Dominatus on May 12, 2016 23:17:12 GMT
Snapping his fingers, Victor nodded. "Well, since at least 2 of our little trio are hungry, I recommend Johnny's. Seems sensible." Turning, he put his foot on the corner of his case, and stomped hard. Despite the seemingly heavy nature of the traveling case, it spun upwards. Reaching out with a sudden motion, he grabbed it by the handle mid-spin, stopping it dead and swinging it down by his side. "Lay on, Mr. Cliff!"
Chuckling a bit at his little joke, he moved to stand between Katherine and Cliff, one hand gesturing to illustrate his points. "What you two have gained is something called a Stand. I see no harm in telling you the proper term, simply saves you looking silly. They're manifestations of your inner mind, apparently. Probably explains why mine's a giant beast. Someone called "Inquisitor" doesn't tend to go around giving baptisms, haha!"
Chuckling again, he shook one finger. "Still, I doubt you two have anything to fear. Unless you intend to go murdering people, or end up avoiding the sun, you have nothing to fear from the Solis Iudicim. We go after other things than just Stand Users, as long as they mind their own business. I'd offer you a job, but I get the feeling neither of you are Religious Types, as they're called." Shrugging, he smiled broadly. "That's fine. Anyway, if you have any questions, I might answer them! Unless they're about combat, in case we have to fight later. Although bonus points if you can guess my Stand's power!" The cheerful priest was nearly babbling as he strode down the street, easily keeping pace with the other two, and appearing to show precisely no notice to the fact that it was a bit warm out for his outfit.
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