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Post by gleam on Dec 16, 2012 2:39:52 GMT 1
His latest casino credit had piled onto an already-extensive savings, so Nolan headed out to see what delights New Vegas might offer him - and the first thing that had caught his eye was the sweeping timbers and strong structure of the Vahalla. Interested, he had suited up - you never wore anything less than a full suit for a night on the town like this - and, now clad in the flattering velvet black he wore for such occasions, Nolan found himself ready to enter. The guards leered at him in rather traditional fashion, but he remained largely unmolested as he entered the Valhalla and started wandering.
The gardens, in particular, caught his attention, and it was there he ventured first, exploring the walkways and flowering catacombs winding through the heart of the medieval casino. There was a layer of life unintended and untamed there - the wild butterflies and ladybugs, bees and mantises necessary to support such an ecostructure, and the tiny flightless kiwis that scuttled away from each of his steps that ate those bugs and cleaned up the floor from anything dropped. Nolan knelt before one and eyed the kiwi curiously, as it scampered across the hallway and snatched up a brilliantly blue moth that had paused to inspect a low-hanging flower, and waited just a moment too long.
"I suppose that's a fine metaphor for this place." Nolan mused, cocking his head, as the kiwi gobbled down its prize with greedy pleasure. "Outwardly stupendous, and inwardly carnivorous. Though I don't precisely appreciate your table manners. There's not much to be said for them."
His companion spat out half a moth wing and sprinted beneath a nearby bush, vanishing into the undergrowth. A slash of a smile crossed Nolan's face, and he rose his feet again, brushing off the knees of his suit until they were immaculate again.
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Post by Jakob Svenska on Dec 17, 2012 4:34:08 GMT 1
Jakob was bored, again. How a child got bored with free run of a casino is a bit of a mystery but he was absolutely bored out of his mind. With his father and his brother so fully investing their time with women, it seemed he had less and less time with either one of them. Of course he was dressed like a GQ fashion model again, thanks to the nanny assigned to him to keep him out of trouble. He had ditched him well this time and was hiding in the garden. He liked it in there since growing up all he ever saw was sand, camp dogs, soldiers and zombies. In here the air was cool and crisp. He liked the twittering sounds the birds made. In Haven there were no birds other than crows and grackles. They didn’t make pretty sounds like this.
Jakob lay on the cool bricks, his head supported by one hand and one leg propped, crossed over his knee. He stared at the false sunlight coming through the ceiling tiles and sighed. He missed the sun. Just then, he heard a noise and sprang to his feet. He jumped behind a planter to hide, hoping it was not the nanny. His nanny was tall and clumsy and not fun at all. Jakob was convinced if the man had his way, he would have applied rhinestones to his Armani suit. He nearly came out of his hiding place when he saw the tall man whom he did not recognize. So many people came and went in the casino, there was no way he could know them all. He decided to stay hidden until he passed him. This would be a fun game.
Jakob waited until the man walked passed him before stepping out silently and following him. He matched ever move the man made. He knelt when the man did and watched the kiwi as well. When the man spoke, he spoke. “I suppose that’s a fine metaphor for this place.” He repeated, “Outwardly stupendous and inwardly carnivorous. Though I don’t precisely appreciate your table manners. There’s not much to be said for them.” He stood when the man did and brushed off his own knees. His nanny would be livid if he got this suit dirty…
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Post by gleam on Dec 18, 2012 5:44:38 GMT 1
Nolan twitched in surprise and glanced at the child that had emerged silently from the underbrush. Short and in some kind of sleek business suit akin to his own, the child peered up at him through unblinking eyes, waiting, apparently, for something else he could copy. A little odd to find a child wandering alone throughout a particularly . . . adult-oriented locale such as this, but he had probably escaped his minders at some point and wandered since in search of entertainment.
Well, that wasn't creepy at all.
Nolan shook off the unease of the child's sudden appearance and folded his arms behind his back, matching the blank gaze with one of his own. A line of poetry flickered through his mind and forced a quirk into one corner of his mouth before he could smother it. It seemed appropriate for the occasion.
"I'm nobody." Nolan greeted, nodding his head to the child. "Who are you? Are you nobody too?"
Emily Dickenson was probably too esoteric for the child to recognize, particularly in this post-apocalyptic era where traditional literature was more or less dead. But so much the more reason to correct a faulty education, then - though, judging from the boy's outfit, he was well-heeled indeed.
A snicker escaped Nolan a moment later, and he relaxed his rigid posture, tucking his thumbs into his pockets. "Apologies, that's probably a little snooty. Salutations, sir. What's got you wandering tonight?"
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Post by Jakob Svenska on Dec 18, 2012 7:42:36 GMT 1
Jakob stared blankly at the funny little man who reminded him of someone from a long time ago. He was not exactly who it was that he reminded him of so he shrugged it off. He folded his arms behind his back, never losing eye contact with the steely blue eyes of his new toy. Yes, the man was his toy. All the pretentious humans who loitered around the palatial casino were his play things. People were the funniest thing in the world to have a game with, especially if they did not know about it.
His ears pricked up when he heard the poem being quoted and made a face. Lessons…he hated his lessons. They were so boring. His father assured him that the more educated he was, the more powerful he would be so he endured them begrudgingly. He rolled his eyes and quoated the entire poem in a scratchy, old mans voice in Swedish.
“Jag ingen! Vem är du?
Är du ingen, också?
Sedan finns ett par av oss - inte berätta!
De skulle förvisa oss, vet du.
Hur trist att vara någon!
Hur offentliga, som en groda
Att berätta ditt namn på livelong dagen
Till en beundrande mosse!”
He places his hands on his hips and licked his crimson lips. He placed two fingers on each side of his head like donkey ears and changed his voice to something more reminiscent of Pepe LePew.
“Je ne suis personne! Qui êtes-vous?
Êtes-vous personne, aussi?
Ensuite, il ya une paire d'entre nous - ne le dites pas!
Ils nous bannir, vous savez.
Comment triste d'être quelqu'un!
Comment public, comme une grenouille
Pour dire ton nom tout le jour
Pour admirer une tourbière!”
Jakob fought a giggle as he turned to his side and held his fingers as if they were a pistol. He looked directly at Nolan and put on a serious face before continuing. His voice turned dramatic and cold.
“Ich bin niemand! Wer bist du?
Sind Sie niemand, auch?
Dann gibt es ein Paar von uns - nicht sagen!
Sie würden uns zu verbannen, wissen Sie.
Wie öde, jemand zu sein!
Wie öffentlich, wie ein Frosch
Um Ihren Namen sagen, die ganzen Tag
Um einen bewundernden Moor!”
Jakob changed his stance so that his arms were held out to his sides and he began flapping them while making a sucking fish face. He spun in a circle several times in a sort of dance before facing Nolan again. "Apologies, that's probably a little snooty. Salutations, sir. What's got you wandering tonight?" He repeated Nolan’s question word for word. He certainly wondered how the man would react to his behavior but it was the finding out that was so much fun. He moved his fingers to his pockets and hooked them the same way as Nolan had his and fought the grin that threatened to take over his face.
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