WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

[abraxasmods]

WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

Welcome to The Free Cities! The portal exits outside the capital city of Cadens. The first impression of the city is its sheer size. It sprawls out across the landscape like a great hulking beast at rest. The wall that encircles it barely contains it, the buildings of Cadens practically bulging against its restraint.

The air here seems thicker somehow, tinged with a scent that’s acrid and smoky. Smog hangs high over the city, belched out by smokestacks that tower over the industrial district. The desert stretches out behind it, dotted with towers and dust clouds that disappear into the horizon. Multiple gates lead inside and each is staffed by soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms that wave a steady stream of people through without appearing to pay much attention. People are coming and going almost all of the time, to and from the outposts and areas of activity around the city proper. It’s difficult to tell just what’s out there beyond the impression of tall metal structures and a great deal of labor. Wagons carrying travelers to Libertas and Aquila roll out from the Travel Post outside the city wall.

Anyone who can sense magic will notice a much lower concentration here. No one will be stopped or questioned at the gate, even if the soldiers seem to take note of the fugitives from Thorne.

The activity and sheer number of citizens can be overwhelming. It’s crowded and loud and feels constantly in motion with everyone talking and yelling over each other. It’s easy to get swept up in the ever-moving throng or find oneself ducking into the mouth of a narrow alley just to breathe.

Anyone who’s willing to make their way to the northern part of the city and Portham Hall will find Prime Minister Marlo Reiner available to receive them.

Comments

[not_caroline]

The man indeed flinches, even taking a sharp step back when he sees those fists curling, but his scowl just deepens.

"If I catch your brat again, you'll be seeing 'em next on the other side of a guard's cell, if you're lucky," he growls, but he's backing up as he says it, only turning to leave when he's fully out of the alley, in case Majima makes another move.

[sunshinehan]

It was a good thing that Majima didn't actually care what the other man said--it was all just words to him--or else he might have thrown a punch at the old man's face. He could easily break the old idiot's nose, he knew it. But that wasn't really the point here. It wasn't necessary. He knew he'd won the moment the guy took a step backwards.

Some people just needed a little warning. Others a bit more roughing up to get the message. This old man was the former for once and Majima didn't have to back up his words with his fists. He'd think it a pity but it wouldn't have been any fun to beat up an old man anyway.

He watched the old man turn and leave, and after a few seconds passed by to insure that the old man was truly gone, Majima turned back around. He walked leisurely down the alley with his hands tucked into his pockets as if he was just out for a stroll. His eye, however, kept a steady look-out for Coraline. She was smart enough to just keep running but he figured he'd eventually run into her again.

[not_caroline]

The alley is definitely empty when he turns away from the main street and wanders down it. Not a Coraline to be seen.

And yet, when he gets to the end of the alley:

"You didn't need to do that."

Her voice isn't as indignant as it could be, as she steps out of the shadow an overhanging ledge had left against a wall - quite literally, out of the shadow, like she's moving out from behind a shroud, and not the shaded space itself. In one hand she's nursing a heavy-looking, embroidered purse. "I had it under control."

[sunshinehan]

He stopped and just as casually looked towards where her voice came from. Then blinked once hard. A small slip from the casual demeanor as he noticed her trick with surprise. He hadn't seen (much) magic up close before. It was a little startling.

He jumped right back to it though and kept his voice on the lower edge to hide his surprise. "Weren't no reason for me not to, either."

Easier (and cooler sounding) to say than 'it's what I usually do' for other people. Help them out with little reason other than curiosity for what would happen. In this case though he knew the victim and had some attachment. And he was a sucker for such things despite pretending otherwise. Hopefully she'd be nice enough not to call him out on it, but she'd probably already figured him out anyway.

[not_caroline]

The little smile playing across her face suggests she doesn't buy his reasoning - he did say out loud that she's his brat not a minute earlier, and that amuses her a bit too much. "Of course not."

She bounces up to his side, though, falling into pace as she swings her satchel in front of herself so she can empty the purse into it. Mostly coppers, but there's more than a few silver there, and she makes a small noise of delight when a pair of gold pieces fall into her palm.

"Here." She throws the empty purse aside so she can take Majima's hand and press the coins into it. "As thanks, for the help."

[sunshinehan]

Majima shook his head as he tried to refuse her payment but if she insisted he'd finally relent and let her place the coins in his hand. They'd disappear into his pocket as he carefully placed his hand back inside there again to prevent any more offerings or clinging.

"Not necessary," he said as he glanced away briefly. He didn't mean to take her money. (And it felt a little too much like how it did when he helped a stranger and they rewarded him for it. Coraline wasn't a complete stranger.) He had his own way of making petty coin here and there for now. Until he found something more lucrative anyway. He was fine on that front.

He looked back at her and tilted his head slightly. "Ya might wanna work on yer execution. Ain't ya got any better way to make money anyway?"

[not_caroline]

Don't overthink it too much, Majima: you saving her ass made a debt, and she's just correcting it. The money is token at best.

But at his question, her smile falls a little, and she looks away, tugging firmly on her satchel to straighten it up again.

"Not really. I can't just go beating people up for it like you and Kiryu, and I haven't got anything to sell like Jon's trying to with the tape recorders." Her hands wring the satchel strap, twisting out the low anxiety her voice belies. "This seemed like the most straightforward way to get things, but." Her voice lowers a little, because she knows this is particularly illegal. "Someone else said I should try doing stuff like blackmail."

[sunshinehan]

Well, she had a point there. He and Kiryu had the strength and skill to earn money with brute force. Even if it wasn't just by relieving others of their coin after an attack, they could get hard working jobs to support themselves. Coraline would have a harder time with that sort of thing.

Part of him wanted to tell her to just get a regular old job. She could sell goods at a shop or wait tables at a restaurant or something easy like that. If she just pretended to be sweet for more than two seconds she'd have an easy time of it, he thought. She was young and cute and clever enough that the rest would fall naturally into place. But her suggestion instantly had his attention and he forgot all about the sound advice he might give.

"What? Who the hell told ya to do somethin' like that?"

[not_caroline]

The look she snaps up at him is offended. "I'm not doing it because someone told me to," she shoots back scathing. It was a suggestion for her skill set, was all. "I'm just saying, it seems like a pretty, like. Lucrative way for me to use what I can do, you know? I can defend myself just fine and there's nothing anyone has here on me to counter it."

[sunshinehan]

"You just said someone gave ya the idea," Majima pointed out as he literally also pointed a finger at Coraline. "So they told ya to do it. Seems pretty irresponsible to me."

Telling a kid to commit blackmail, that is. What kind of adult would do that. Surprisingly (or maybe not), Majima wasn't the sort. A(n ex-)yakuza he may have been, but his old fashioned morals meant keeping women and children out of the underworld. It was one thing to work as a hostess, a whole other to do the duty work of a gangster.

Then again, politics ran the same games sometimes. It was a cut-throat world. Better to be the one doing the cutting than getting cut, no? Still, it didn't sit all that well with Majima. He would rather protect a civvie from such dark paths than watch them walk it especially when he was already close enough to get involved.

He rubbed at the back of his head, gaze flicking about as he worried over the issue in his head. Clearly he'd hit a sore spot with her. And arguing probably wasn't going to help anything here. His gaze flicked back to her. He tried to remain calm and steady.

"That sort of business is risky. Even with your supposed advantages you don't know what could happen in a place like this. It ain't a normal world." Then again, he didn't really know what sort of world she was from in the first place. "Look, if that's what ya think you'd be good at... Best be damn careful about it. Don't go doin' something stupid just to prove a point 'cause I ain't bailin' ya out if ya come cryin' that ya messed up right off the bat."

Except that was entirely a lie and he totally would go to her rescue if needed. This was likely to make her more huffy, he realized, but what was said was said. He always was good at sticking his foot in his mouth. If he wasn't working the crowd at the Grand, he tended to be downright dumb when it came to quick-talking.