[M] The Death of Myths - Evening Rain and Cashpop - [IC]

[Evening Rain]

"Now watch, ladies and gentleman, as your card vanishes into thin air!"

A dark-haired man with mirthful brown eyes was fanning out a deck of cards, treating the small raised platform he was standing on as if it were a stage in the most magnificent of opera houses. A small collection of individuals had gathered around, most of them streetfolk - but a few middle class men and women watched with passing interest. They all showed varying degrees of surprise when they saw that the card had indeed disappeared. A few smiles, a few frowns. A pair of the watchers muttered to themselves and moved on, but the magician was unperturbed.

He swaggered across the platform, and swept up a black top hat with a flourish. He smirked to the group as if sharing some sort of private joke - and then reached into the hat with a gloved hand - rummaging around as if looking for something. "Now, wherever has that card gotten to?" The man projected his voice loudly enough for it to reach the ears of the onlookers - although he seemed to be talking to himself. "Aha!" The man withdrew his hand sharply, but instead of a playing card - it was a half dozen silver doves that burst from the hat - dispersing into the grey sky. This time there was an audible gasp from the crowd, and the gathered individuals began to applaud. The man bowed, smiling, and donned his hat in a smooth motion. "Donations in the box, my friends!" He gestured to a small brass tin on the table beside him. His voice was smooth and polished - and while upper-class, there seemed to be hints of a rougher accent beneath the sophistication.

As a few coins trickled in, the watchers began to disperse. Christopher gathered up his belongings and made his way down onto the street, whistling a merry tune to himself as he strolled through the smoky light filtering through mid-morning clouds. It's a right sorry state of affairs for me to be pulling shit like this to get by. He needed a drink. Being reminded of how low he'd sunk always made him thirsty. Lucky for me I've got other ways to earn cash.

As a hazy smattering of raindrops began to fall from the sky, Christopher grimaced. Fucking christ, just another shitty day in this shithole of a city eh? His pace quickened as he moved through the dark, labyrinthine alleys that would lead him to the Blackwater Taproom. Along the way he was intercepted by a furtive looking young man who couldn't be older than eighteen. Christopher glared at him. "What do you want? If you're looking for a whore - can't you see I'm way too expensive for you, kid?" That was a joke, but sure enough the boy didn't pick up on it.

"No! Jeez, can't a guy get his hit without hearing this sort of crap? I heard you were the one - the magician." Christopher rolled his eyes. Damn. I really should be more careful with who I associate with. Ah well, it couldn't be helped. That was just the company he kept. "Alright, you know the drill. One tap is $200. Don't like the prices, go get some of the cheap crap from Mr. Kroog. Enjoy the week-long headache though. And, hell, you'll probably get beat up and robbed - or milked for every penny." He smirked.

The boy frowned, and looked like he was about to shrink away. Still, the kid had enough balls to stand straight and look him in the eye while he fished out a wad of notes from his coat pocket. Christopher snorted. Rich kid, huh? Entitled little shit. He counted the notes. Everything was in order. He pulled a small glass vial out of his pocket that contained a tiny quantity of silver liquid shimmering like mercury. "Great, now if you'd kindly get the hell out of my sight, I've gotta get drunk before midday. Important appointment, don't you know?"

The boy swallowed hard, snatched up the vial and hurried away. Not such a bad guy, really. Not a cocksure cankermaggot like most of the scumbags around these parts. Christopher resumed his whistling and picked up speed. The rain was getting stronger too. He'd be happy to have a nice roof over his head for a change, and he really couldn't be assed using magic just to keep himself dry.

The Blackwater Taproom was named for the infamous gutters that ran alongside it. Blood by night looks black, so it wasn't too hard to infer how the tavern earned its name. Christopher sauntered through its main door, nodding his head to the rhythm of the rain on the roof. "Miss me gents!?" He called out, sweeping up a chair and seating himself in a fluid motion. "Get me a gin - and no pussy-ass half-glasses this time. Make it a double, got it?" The barkeep, a beefy, bald man with a tattooed scalp snickered to himself. Pretty funny, hmm? "What - can't a man get a quick drink in the morning without being leered at? Thought this place was classier than that." Still, Christopher didn't complain when he received his drink - and knocked it back in a few quick gulps. "Much better." he muttered, letting out a long sigh of relief and leaning back into the chair.

Like all the days before it, this one had been a shiftfest. Now it finally seemed like things were looking up.

[cashpop]

“Standby while the ship is docking!”

The airship began its docking procedures. Crew members scurried about the main deck to ensure safe landing of the vessel as the passengers lounged about within the vessel, safe from the growing rain.

The airship of black and yellow, Prime Maidan, was a marvelous ship of gothic design. From starboard to port, and even across its hull, was engraved with art pieces that shined with gold. Every part of the ship was designed and crafted meticulously by the most skilled shipwrights Melham had to offer with beauty and comfort in mind. This ship housed the rich, the noble, the political, and the tourists. Melham was a fine city of glimmering white and friendly people.

Of course, this was simply the front. Even this fine city had its own blemishes in the shadier parts where people with too much free time, money, or false courage gather to indulge in their sins. Fortunately, the majority of passengers on the Prime Maidan would rather stay within the boundaries of Melham they deemed “livable”.




Isabelle awoke in her cabin with a start. The rumbling of the ship as it landed had shook her out of her dreams and back into reality. Dazed and sleepy, she groggily stood up, stretched with the sound of satisfying bone cracks, and donned her worker overalls. She would have worn her casual clothes, but Isabelle was rushing to get aboard the airship at the time and basically forgotten them. She couldn’t be late after all.

Once ready, she exited her cabin room and into the hallway. She glanced at her wristwatch and her eyes widen. She ran down the empty hallway and turned the corner, only to collide into a huge sack of linen that held copious amounts of flour. Isabelle fell to the ground and quickly looked up to see what she ran into. What she saw surprised her as the huge sack of flour was actually a very hefty woman of extreme size. She wore fancy clothing, large jewelry, and an unnecessary amount of make-up.

The woman had a scowl on her face. “Watch where you’re going, you one-armed ingrit!” She bellowed through her blowhole. “How dare you touch me!? Do you know who I am!? I can destroy your life and get you fired!” Isabelle winced. “Well!? What do you have to say for yourself!?”

Isabelle could not answer. “I..I...uh..”

The woman rolled her eyes and was about to hurl more insults when a metal finger tapped her shoulder followed by a metallic gentlemen like voice. “Excuse me? Is there a problem, ma’am?”

The woman turned around to see a tall metal body. Its lenses glazed over the woman before it fell upon the stammering woman on the ground. The woman sighed in relief “Oh thank goodness, a service bot. Yes, please I require your assistance. This worker here has ruined my aura of peace and I demand that she be terminated at once!” With that, she turned around with a huff and walked down the hallway with a smirk, thinking she’d won.

The robot simply looked down at the poor figure at his feet. “Already causing trouble, are you, My Lady?” Isabelle looked away embarrassed. “C’mon then, let’s get ready to disembark.” The robot offered a hand to the young lady.

Isabelle took the hand with a smile. “Thank you, Alfredo.”

“Oh! And here is your left arm. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you in your cabin. I had to fetch this from storage. Apparently, it made the other passengers uncomfortable. The nerve.” Alfredo held out a blackish metal arm of intricate design.

Isabelle retrieved the arm from bot and reattached it to the stub at her left side. A series of clicking noises emitted from the metal arm during this process. Once the arm was fully attached, Isabelle balled the metal hand into a fist and swung it around to test its functionality. Satisfied, she nodded to Alfredo and the two walked side by side toward the main deck.

Isabelle hoped her shop would do well in this city. With the help of her personal butler and friend, she was confident things would turn out fine.

Isabelle was ready to begin her new life.

If only she knew what was to come.

[Evening Rain]

As morning glow gave way to the dusky light of evening, the downpour outside seemed only to pelt down with increasing gusto. Yes alright, I get it. You thoroughly intend to make my day as rotten as possible. Christopher swayed in his chair, staring at a water-glazed window with annoyance. Fucking rain. No self-respect. Just has to go and ruin it for everyone else. His fingers tapped the table, mimicking the rhythm of the rain vindictively. I bet you bloody well enjoy watching me do this. You're probably laughing to yourself right now. He strained his ears to listen, but all he heard was the sound of water hitting tin and finger hitting table. That's right, keep your laughter to yourself you stinking old festermaggot.

"Wanna stop that, mate?" A hulking man loomed over Christopher, staring down at him with a look of unveiled threat. The magician chuckled darkly to himself and turned his head to the man, making sure to smack his digits against the wood with particularly impressive thuds as he did so. He grinned insolently at the towering brute who watched him. The man was well over six feet, musclebound and thickset. He had a long, dirty beard and hard, mean eyes. Christopher stood slowly, his smile never fading as he turned to face the man."Jesus Christ! You look like my mother!" he exclaimed, his eyes glinting in the warm light of the tavern. "Except she's probably got bigger balls." He paused, as if considering something. "Oh, and smaller tits."

That was all it took.

The lumbering baboon roared and sent his fist crashing toward Christopher, who had the good sense to jump to one side, laughing merrily as he did so. "Shit! I'm as drunk as a fish in a whisky bottle, and I'm still more coordinated than your sorry ass." His grin did not falter as he ducked the giant's next blow, and danced away from another. The next time the man punched, Christopher intentionally put himself in the path of another monstrous man who was drinking himself into a black stupor. As the blow came, the magician simply tilted his body to one side and there was a growl of pain as a burly fist connected with the man behind him, who had just decided to rise from his seat and see what the commotion was about.

"Well gentlemen, it's been fun - but I'm off to give my old friend the rain a stern talking to." He didn't stay to watch the ensuing carnage, but was rather confident that the noble patrons of the Blackwater Taproom would tear each other to pieces without his help. He slipped out of the door, and without skipping a beat assumed a dignified and erect stance, strolling down the slick street as if he had just exited a five-star restaurant. Surely there's some other way for a man to entertain himself in this bloody junkheap. Christopher wasn't counting on it. Still, there had to be some interesting places worth his time. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, after all. Gonna have to give the Blackwater a wide berth for awhile...

Not that it mattered. Now he had the chance to find another crappy bar that served strong liquor before noon. The thrill of exploring exotic new places, that's what I thrive on! He chuckled to himself. In the morning he'd get to start his happy routine all over again. Oh what a joyous life!

[cashpop]

The evening rain outside the humble corner shop showed no sign of stopping as the downpour relentlessly assaulted the ground, creating sizable puddles and a small river that stretched from one street and onto the next over. Fortunately, the unpackaged boxes of furniture and other essential needs within this shop were safe from the bitter coldness of the rain. The front end of the shop housed most of the boxes, and a doorway behind the counter lead to another room where the shop owner was dealing with their own issues. The room was grey and dimly lit from a few low powered light bulbs that sat upon the workbenches. The floor was littered with bolts, tools, and bottles of juice. Power tools and other worker essentials hung on the walls. There were two doorways and a garage door, one door to the left side of the room lead to a small bedroom with another door within to a bathroom and the other door across along with the garage door lead to another street behind the store.

"I can't believe you nearly short circuited on the way here. I didn't think this could happen!" Isabelle said honestly bemused as she repaired Alfredo's body parts, sparks flickering and jumping about in front of her as the sound of power tools permeated the work room.

Alfredo, who now currently was just a head with limbs detached and his torso opened up to reveal the rough cyan blue magic rune that dwelled within underneath metal and connected to a number of wires, would roll his eyes if he could. "Well, My Lady, water is detrimental to most hardware as it will interfere with the electrical flow of the machinery and of course rust metal if not properly water repellent. And of course, since most of my joints are exposed and I did not have an umbrella-"

"Ok ok, I get it, my mistake. I should install an umbrella function in you. I can probably fit an umbrella in your head." Isabelle placed Alfredo's right arm to the side and brought his left arm forward to continue her work.

Alfredo tilted his head. "That cannot be done, My Lady, for my head contains an advanced AI computer module that interfaces with the magic rune within my chest to-"

"Ok ok! It's a joke, Alfredo. Haven't you got a funny bone in your servos?" Isabelle comically checked the elbow of the arm she held.

Alfredo shook his head. "I'm sorry, My Lady, but I have no such component nor do I have a function to interpret jokes."

Isabelle chuckled heartily at the robot's bluntness. "Then I'll add that to my todo list: Install Humor Module To Butler." She made a gesture of writing in the air on invisible paper, even finishing off with a period. For the next half hour, Isabelle quickly repaired the rest of Alfredo's body, occasionally engaging in small talk every so often. Once Alfredo's limbs were reattached and functional, Isabelle wiped her smudgy face with a clean cloth, removed her work gloves, and walked to the front of the store. She was careful not to trip over the unpackaged boxes as she made her way toward the window. Once there, she leaned on the window sill and watched the evening rain.

Isabelle watched with a sigh at the sight before her. She found it calming to watch the downpour, to see the fog of rain covering the streets and small splashes within the puddles as the window was obscured slightly by water streaks and condensation. If not for her butler, she'd walk out into the rain and bask in the harsh coldness.

Alfredo stood behind her and joined in her sightseeing. "Quite the sight, isn't it?"

Isabelle nodded. "Yeah." A few moments of silence passed, only the sound of water tapping the window was heard. Isabelle sighed again and spoke. "Here we are, Alfredo."

Alfredo nodded in agreement. "Yes, here we are in this building away from the bitterness of the rain. Being outside would prove detrimental to your health."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "No, I meant, here we are...in this city. In our own shop." A smile formed on the Tinkerer's freckled face. "This is the start of our new lives, Alfredo!"

Alfredo glanced at Isabelle then to the rain. "If my memory banks serve, isn't it a bad omen to "start a new life" during a 'dark and stormy night', as it were?"

"Oh c'mon, don't ruin the mood." Isabelle deadpanned.

Alfredo bowed. "I am sorry, My Lady, I did not mean to sour the atmosphere. I will take my leave and leave you to enjoy the rain." The butler bot then began to walk away with heavy metal footsteps, soon disappearing into the back room.

Isabelle remained leaning on the window sill as the moon rose higher into the sky.

[Evening Rain]

Through a break in the clouds Christopher glanced up at the full moon - its soft glow causing raindrops to shimmer and sparkle like glistening diamonds. Jesus, that's not such an ugly sight. Could really see myself enjoying this if I wasn't so bloody pissed. That said, a long walk in the rain had done wonders to clear his head. In fact, he'd be willing to bet half a penny that he might even manage to string together some intelligible sentences without offending everyone around him in the process. All these shitlicking cockroaches have no sense of humor. Alright, on second thought... maybe that was a bit much to ask.

Christopher was smart enough to keep to the conveniently placed shopfront shelters. Hell, might even be about time to pass out in one. That was the part of his daily routine that he enjoyed the most. Being unconscious made everything so much easier.

However, as he wandered through the darkened streets, a corner-side side store caught his attention. At the end of a row of dull brick boutiques (which had never sold anything exciting) was a newly occupied building. Its heavy green door and generally old-fashioned demeanor had a certain charm about it that Christopher couldn't exactly ignore. "Well fuck me sideways and paint me blue." He muttered under his breath. "Looks like we've got a new resident in this steaming shitpile." The magician once more assumed an overly-sophisticated air, and strolled casually up to the door of the shop. Just doing my neighborly duty. Gotta make sure whoever owns this place knows he's welcome. His eye turned to glance at the window, and there he saw a strange young woman. She had untidy ginger hair, and a sweet freckled face still bearing the youth of innocence. Or is it the other way around? As he watched, her warm blue eyes turned to meet his own. He winked at her playfully, skipped up to the top step and opened the door.

[cashpop]

Needless to say, Isabelle was surprised to see anyone walk right in her shop at this time, especially a strapping young looking man. The store was brightly lit due to the hanging lights from the ceiling, but the room was a complete mess with boxes scattered about the floor. The shelves and racks were filled with metal and other potential products still left in packaging, totally not ready to be sold or seen. Isabelle eyed the curious man that stood before her, her gaze trailing up and down his fancy attire and magnificent top hat.

Your first customer! And good looking one too. Quick! Sell him something!

But the shop isn't ready yet. There's nothing up to be sold. Also wasn't the door supposed to be locked?

Well he probably thought the store was open, what with the lights being on and such. Ah well, just do something!

Well what can I do?

Not sure, but you can't lose out on this. First impressions are everything to shop owners!

Isabelle was so focused on her mental conversation that she hadn't realized she'd zoned out staring at this man for an uncomfortable amount of time in awkward silence, oblivious to whatever greeting the man may have said as he entered. She broke out of her trance when she realized what she'd been doing. "Oh! uh...s-sorry. Welcome to Izzy's Gadgets and Gizmos!" Isabelle tried her best at a retail smile. "The shop isn't open at the moment but-" She then realized the man was dripping wet, obviously due to the heavy rain outside. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'll fetch a towel for you!"

Are you going to charge him to use the towel?

No, why?

He's a customer, duh

Towels aren't for sale. This is common courtesy!

"Alfredo!" Isabelle called out to the back room. "Would you please grab a towel from the bathroom for me?"

"Certainly, My Lady!" a metallic gentlemen's voice responded followed by the sound of more heavy metal footsteps.

Isabelle turned her attention back to her potential customer. "I'm sorry, I am not very prepared, as you can see." She chuckled slightly. "May I ask your name?"

[Evening Rain]

Christopher smiled amiably as the redhead girl stared at him slack-jawed and dumbfounded. He batted his eyelids at her, confident that she was far too lost in whatever trance she had entered to notice. As droplets of water trickled down his brow like cool perspiration, he flicked a hand to his forehead, swatting them off as one might swat a pestersome fly. After a few more moments passed the young woman still seemed lost in thought. Consider yourself lucky I'm an upstanding gentleman, love - or I'd be nicking those metal toys of yours in a heartbeat.He peered at her a little more closely, and waved a hand before her face as if trying to wake her from her stupor. Sure enough, the young woman snapped back to reality. Shit, I should become a hypnotist. Looks like I wouldn't even have to do any work.

As the woman, who he assumed to be "Izzy" stammered out a sentence, Christopher's smile became more gentle - the picture of understanding and compassion. "Ahh, yes - do forgive me ma'am, you must have forgotten to lock the door." As a matter of fact, he had used a brief touch of magic to turn the latch - but she really didn't need to know that. At the sound of another voice in the backroom, Christopher raised his brow and cast a glance at the lady. "Your friend sounds rather strange, if you will forgive me for saying so." And judging by his footsteps, he's probably one fat son-of-a-bitch. Or, hell, maybe he's just a robot. Those buggers are everywhere these days.

With his erect composure it was difficult to tell that he'd been drinking - but no doubt she would smell it on his breath. Sorry honey, but it looks like a breath of fresh whisky could serve to put a bit more expression on that sweet little face of yours. "Not a worry, not a worry. One is not typically used to a strange fellow wandering into one's shop just before midnight." But you'd better get used to it if you don't wanna get your throat cut before morning, sweetie.

Christopher smiled to himself in an embarrassed manner and extended his hand pleasantly. "Of course, forgive my lack of courtesy. My name is Christopher Merlyne, Magician Extraordinaire and Purveyor of all things queer and unusual." And I'm a bloody good drug dealer. Gotta take pride in the little things, don't you know? "Forgive my uncouth entrance, I was simply intrigued by a new face in town. I assume your name is Izzy, yes?" He chuckled and stepped back - surveying the shop. Sure. It's not so bad. Robber's wet dream, though. "I really would recommend you stepped up your security though, my dear. Not all scoundrels around these parts are as civil and upstanding as myself."

[cashpop]

Magician Extraordinaire and Purveyor of all things queer and unusual?

Oh gee, looks like you got yourself weird one. Oh, he smells like booze!

Hey, you can't just judge a person outright.

Isabelle slightly shook her head and politely took the magician's hand to shake. "Is that right? Well, this spot was the best deal I could find to set up shop for my wares." The businessman was very convincing to Isabelle at the time. Despite Alfredo's protest, Isabelle had already decided to purchase the rights to this empty building. Was it the best decision? Isabelle thought so. "And don't worry about my safety. My butler is all the security I need!" As well as her prosthetic arm. However, she was never one for conflict and would rather avoid it all together. This left her with not that much experience in combat, but she figured the occasional average hooligan would think twice when staring down the barrel of a primed arm cannon. Isabelle released Christopher's hand after a brief shake. "And Izzy is short for my real name. My name is-"

"Lady Isabell Geraghty Hodgins, daughter of Mistress Sarah Geraghty Hodgins." Alfredo had stepped in from the back room. Isabelle's face flushed red with embarrassment. She never could get used to her name being announced so boastfully and regally. Isabelle felt suffocated living with her mother and wanted to leave that boring lifestyle. And away from...certain memories. That was why she sought tutelage under David Bridge and left to Melham.

The robot lumbered forth from behind the counter toward Christopher. "My name is Alfredo." His voice rung of sophistication and gentlemen like quality, despite the metallic quality of his speech. "I am in service to My Lady until my services are no longer needed." The robot raised his arm to reveal a body towel with images of cartoonish ducks etched into it. "Here is your towel, sir. When you are ready, I will retrieve the towel." Alfredo bowed as gracefully as his metal parts would allow while holding out the towel to Christopher.

Sometimes you're just too much, Alfredo.

Isabelle cleared her throat. "So, Christopher, may I ask what it is exactly you are doing here at this time of night? I doubt you came here just to greet a new face as you say." Isabelle looked outside the window. "Especially during a rain like this."

[Evening Rain]

Christopher's smile widened into a grin despite himself. Ducks eh? Fucking beautiful. Looks like I've bumped into a pair of pansies. The man took the towel and dried himself carefully with it, making sure to keep up his dignified facade. Carelessly tossing it back to the strange butler, the magician began to show himself around the room - examining pieces of metal and machinery, picking up a few bits and pieces and shaking them vigorously. He turned his head from a little clockwork box and met Isabell's eyes with an innocent glance. "Well, I was enjoying a nice pleasant drink at a very classy restaurant I like to frequent, when lo and behold - a bunch of hooligans tried to pick a fight with me! Of course, I handled the situation in a professional manner, and refused to provoke the aggressors further. But then, just as I turned back to finish my drink - one of them smacked me in the back of the head! Of course, I really didn't like that, so I sternly told them off. The waiter saw my somewhat colorful chastisement and had me hurled from the building! The injustice of it!"

Christopher's eyes danced brightly as he moved back to the centre of the room and stood face to face with Isabell once more. Hope you're not stupid enough to fall for that pile of dogshit, love. "So, there I was, wandering the streets - when I had the good fortune to come across my lovely new neighbor and her thankfully unlocked door!" He rubbed his hands together. "Lovely place you've got here, really. I don't suppose you'd mind letting me hang around until the rain lets up? I have money, you see. My great aunt Esmerelda passed away just a few days ago, leaving me with the better part of her vast fortune." Christopher's voice become melancholic as he spoke those last words, and a tear welled up in his left eye. Right eye still won't behave, but eh - one's good enough for now.

[cashpop]

Isabelle watched with an eyebrow raised, but enamored by the magician's performance as he recounted his story. It was if he's performing right now in front of her with such a monologue.

Well he is drunk after all.

Whatever. Did you hear what he said? It sounded like he's willing to pay us money!

But we don't offer those services here. Also I think the story was exaggerated.

Doesn't matter. If you got gold, we don't care what story was told. That's our motto!

We have a motto?

We do now. Just say yes.

Isabelle scratched the back of her head, her fuzzy orange hair jostling about, as she thought about her decision. She looked back out the window. The rain showed no signs of stopping and it may very well last the entire night. "Well...I guess you can stay. Though, it looks like the rain won't be stopping anytime soon, so if that were the case, then you may have to stay here for the night."

"Then I shall prepare the bedroll for the young master, I suppose, as well as an ice pack for his head injuries." Alfredo said. "Since the bedroom is reserved for My Lady, you will spend the night in the back room. Do watch your step while in you're in there. There are power tools about and the room hadn't been cleaned yet. There are empty bottles of juice scattered around due to My Lady's binge drinking. If you do decide to stay the night, I will escort you."

"We'll talk about the your bill in the morning. For now, I should be hitting the hay!" Isabelle yawned and stretched. She had quite the long day. The tinkerer passed closely by the magician and patted his shoulder, her face nearer to his. "Also, try to be careful with my wares, they are fragile. And don't think about nicking a few for yourself, my butler will stay activated during the night and watch over the shop. He may not look like it, but he's programmed to manhandle very well, if you catch my drift." She smiled warmly at Christopher and made her way to the back room. "And don't forget to lock the door and turn off the lights, Alfredo!"

The robot nodded. "Of course, My Lady."

With that, Isabelle disappeared into the back room and then into her bedroom to prepare herself for the coming dreams.

I hope he doesn't puke.

If he does, let's charge him extra.