noreasonneeded | IC/Overflow Post

[OOC: Continued from here.]

You just might, I definitely have ones published within the last century. In which case, personal anecdotes about the work wouldn’t be unwanted.

Still pretty bad, the sewers are a scent your memory doesn’t let you forget anytime soon. Glad you were okay, though.

I'll be sure to give you copious notes if I find anybody I knew.

Seriously. I think I had to burn that dress, less because of the smell and more like a ritual cleansing. It was cathartic. But I promise to not start any riots at your place.

[It's nice, to share something like this. He has dear friends whom he bonds with over other things, but none that love poetry like he does. Nobody to discuss and debate and expand his knowledge on it beyond the books he can grab. He has zero skills in saying as much, so he lets silence speak for him. Eventually he replies.] Please do. Your own thoughts even aside from personal anecdotes wouldn’t be remiss.

I haven’t burned any suits for catharsis, but I think I get the meaning. I would prefer the club to remain intact. I’ve lost it in the past, and that’s been enough.

[ Poetry isn't too far off from songs. Lots of them, particularly the folk songs she sings, were poems first before someone decided to put them to music. ] I think that's about as open an invitation to ramble at you about poetry as I could ever hope for.

Don't worry, the riot thing happened a long time ago when I was first figuring things out, and I didn't realize how ready everyone was to abandon decorum and start tossing tables around.

As long as you don’t mind I might sometimes multitask behind a desk. Yes, though. You’re welcome to ramble. A lot of the poetry I know I’ve only heard read by myself. Unless I looked online but it’s not quite the same. There are poetry readings but… I never made time for it.

Ah. Power growing pains? I’ve heard tales. Not of your kind, but Grisha.

I'd never try to take your multitasking from you. Poetry readings are always a very different experience. Then again, I remember when the practice was to snap at the end of every poem to show our appreciation, mostly to avoid noise complaints.

Something like that, yeah! A lot of what I can do really depends on which song I'm singing for it, so when I pulled out one a little angrier than my usual, the whole tide turned. I wonder how similar we actually are to Grisha, but I don't know that any of them have quite the same skillsets as we do.

How did you feel when people switched from waving lighters to cell phones in a concert crowd?

No, the only Grisha I know have very different abilities. More physical alterations rather than mental ones. They do live longer, though.

A little weird, but honestly a vast improvement for people not accidentally setting each other's hair on fire. That was a real risk with how much hairspray was going around in those arena shows.

Small Science, right? Hard to call some of what we do scientific. There's a few of the older ones that know about us, I think. Probably the ones that can tell we don't have beating hearts.

I’ve only inhaled hairspray secondhand and I don’t know how anyone does it on a daily basis.

That’s what they call it, yeah. Some get really grumpy if you try and lump it under magic. That would make sense about a Heartrender. Though Nina’s pretty used to keeping her own counsel on what she reads off people.

I've been told you get used to it. Personally I never used much of it until after I didn't need to breathe.

There's definitely worse things to call it than science or magic. We just don't have the luxury of there being much of a distinction, all things considered. Nina is very nice, though, and I doubt she'd point me out to an inquisitioner. You keep better company than that.

My hair routine takes two minutes including washing, so I don’t envy those that are more industrious with theirs.

She is many things, but definitely not a person who’d do that. I figure as long as it’s put to worthwhile use it doesn’t really matter what such abilities are called, though I know some Grisha have a negative history associated with it being called magic or them being called witches.

That's quick! You'd hate mine. Not because I use a lot of hairspray, but depending on how much I'm putting it up it can take a lot longer than two minutes.

We've got that in common with Grisha. It's easy, a lot of the time, to find a target and point when that target stands out, and when you end up the target you learn to hide however you can.

I'd hate having to put in that time and effort myself. On you it looks good, if you don't mind it taking longer.

You learn to hide, or you lash out. Which I can also understand, although in some cases, it's unfortunately not always just back at the ones doing the pointing.

I do enjoy it. Kinda meditative. And no offense, but I don't think you've got quite enough hair for all the braids I do.

Yeah, we certainly aren't immune to our own pockets of lashing-out ideology. Understandable as it is, I can never see it ending well for anyone, even if we came out on top.

I’m certain I don’t, and I doubt I ever will. Aside from not wanting to take the time for it, I don’t like the feeling of hair on the back of my neck. I will admit that viewing intricate braids is impressive. Both from a patience and skill angle.

I’ve never seen it turn out successful, no. For any involved in the long run.

Understandable, it can get pretty hot. I've cut mine short a few times in the past, but... It'd have to be an every night kinda cut, and that'd take longer than the braids. Are those the only two angles you're looking from though? No appreciation for the art of the ribbons I can get in there?

Or would you prefer I stick an umbrella in there?

Exactly. And we have very long runs we'd have to contend with, as far as consequences go.

Your hair grows back every night? It sounds like you have your hands full with your hair alone. I'm fine just brushing mine and leaving it be. Or a finger comb in a pinch. More of a 'do it myself' sort.

[Besides, though he doesn't say it out loud, he has issues with touch that would make it difficult. Nobody’s touched his hair since childhood because of it. It has definitely led to questionable haircuts over the years as he learned to cut his own.]

I've never really taken creativity as an important aspect of how I look.

Things kind of reset, part of the healing and immortality things. It's why you won't find a lot of the oldest of us with tattoos or piercings, unless they go to great lengths to make them permanent or dedicate themselves to redoing things constantly. And for what it's worth, you seem to have perfected it.

[ She's noticed the aversion, though she hasn't brought it up. For as affectionate as Birdie is, she's been around long enough that Kaz isn't the first person she's known with that issue. ]

Nothing wrong with that. It's... Distinct.

I can see some of you perhaps using that loophole to try out different tattoos if they were indecisive about them. Though even that novelty would likely grow old over time. And that’s worth something to me. I’d rather not do something half-assed. I might not take a lot of time on appearances, but I still want to be intentional.

I’ll take distinct. At the very least, there’s a point behind it. And there’s nothing wrong with those who enjoy the creative side of it. Not unless they try and make me sit through their fashion shows.

I've known a few that do that. One learned how to do it themself so they could put their own art wherever and whenever they wanted, so long as they had the time and the tools.

Kaz, 'unintentional' is a word that has never come to mind when I think of you. For the record.

Do you get roped into a lot of fashion shows?

That would take a lot of skill and focus. Tattoos aren’t gentle, in my experience, so going through that and doing one’s own art in the process is impressive. Did you get any prior to being turned?

Good. That was intentional, too.

Thankfully, no. I’m nobody’s pick for a shopping partner.

No. They weren't much of a thing when I was coming up, except maybe on the boys out lobstering in the bay.

I'm tempted to ask what else has been intentional, but I'm worried you'll just say 'everything.'

Oh, I'd imagine your company on a shopping trip would be very valuable depending on what the shopping is for. Your insight would be integral to finding a good heist outfit, for example.

Now I just want seafood. To eat, not tattoo on me.

Well, that surmise wouldn’t be wrong so you can at least enjoy being correct.

A fair point. Some of the best heists require a costume change. We do keep a fair amount of spare outfits in storage for that purpose.

I don't know. Your thing is crows but you could have a nice lobster on your shoulder, for variety.

Cold comfort but I'll take it.

Amazing that I've been hanging around this long and haven't seen the costume closet.

All the gangs have tattoos here, so if I added a lobster to my shoulder and then an up and coming group adopted them as a theme, that might get awkward.

There's the optimist.

They're in storage, but I'm positive Jesper would give you a detailed tour if you asked nicely. A lot of the costumes are fairly common, though. A known private guard outfit, for example.

@acaseofyou

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject