[Thread] A New Arrival

[bodycountrising]

Characters: OU!Todo Anna, OPEN
Where: The fountain
When: Late-morning to noon-ish
Summary: Anna's first hours in our dear and darling Neocontra...
Warnings: Uh..... Depends on who joins?

Comments

[death_chameleon]

Edward stood in the shadows of the buildings nearest the plaza and fountain area. He blended in well with the hanging darkness there in his all black outfit. He really needed to request a few of Ted's type clothing from the Indigeo, but he just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

He watched as the young girl stalked into the plaza, having heard her yells earlier and turned to glance in her direction. Now he was curious at the blood-stained little girl. He was used to the look, on himself and others like him, but a little girl? That was interesting. Not beyond him--because he'd seen vampires that young with that look before--just intriguing.

He stepped out of the shadows and let himself be known. He didn't make a move to get any closer to her, however.

[bodycountrising]

Anna didn't see the man in the shadows as her eyes quickly darted around. She did, however, catch the movement out of the corner of her eye when he moved into the plaza. At first, she ignored him, but when she soon realized he wasn't going to do anything, Anna turned to look at him full-on. He was dressed in all black, was much taller than her, and had blonde hair and blue eyes. Her immediate thought was, foreigner, but then she remembered one tiny fact.

She wasn't in Japan anymore.

She scowled slightly, then turned her gaze back on him. He looked normal enough, but something about him.... Well, it was familiar, whatever it was.

Her frown immediately changed to a small smile and she called out, "Gonna stand over there watchin' me all day?"

[death_chameleon]

Actually Edward was only a whopping 5'8'' in height--taller than her, surely, but not by much compared to most males undoubtedly. He was rather short for a male. He was also slender and at first glance rather harmless looking.

This was enhanced immediately when he smiled--it was a polite, friendly smile that held no question as to his honorable intentions. There could be no one more friendly than the good ol' boy Ted. He gave a small wave with one hand.

"Nah, not if you don't want me to," he replied, the grin still there as he spoke. His voice had a slight southern drawl to it although it was not an obnoxious sound. "Was just curious."

[bodycountrising]

She rolled her eyes, then responded. "Curious? You're the first person I've seen here that hasn't just ignored me. The company'd be nice. Maybe an explanation, too..." Second impression-- he was simply an average man. Even so, she wouldn't let down her guard.

"What's your name?" She placed her arms on either side of her on the coping, noting the once crimson, but now-brown stain across her left sleeve. She'd have to get that out later. Not like it was worth wearing that policeman's blood.

[death_chameleon]

"I guess it becomes happen-stance to see new people wandering around all the time, even a few that yell out seemingly randomly after only a few seconds from their arrival," he responded with a mischievous tone. He shrugged. "But personally I haven't been here entirely too long to get used to it all."

He walked up closer to her and held out a hand for shaking. "Ted Forrester. A pleasure to meet you Miss..."

[bodycountrising]

Anna soured, "Yeah, I don't believe that guy. The 'Warden' or whatever. Computers just can't do that." She looked over at him, and continued to speak while walked closer, "But, still, it's obvious you've been here longer than me. You'd know if the 'Warden' was trustworthy or not." Then she stood, and pushed a lock of hair out of her face.

She took his hand and lightly shook it. "Anna. Nice to meet you Ted-san."

[death_chameleon]

He made sure to tone down his handshake to fit her accommodations, but it was still a firm and sturdy gesture. Ted nodded. "Anna-chan." He waited a beat to see how she reacted to the honorific before continuing on into an answer to her unspoken question.

"I'm not so certain how 'trustworthy' the man known as the 'Warden' is, but I have come to learn that this place... is, well, rather unusual. And if his explanation is false, I'm not sure what could be true in its leeway." He paused and tilted his head to the side. "It's supposedly just the computer operating the machine. Personally the technology doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned, but in the future who knows what they can build. So I'm not certain of that either." He smiled wryly. "Guess I'm not much use, hm?"

[bodycountrising]

She didn't even blink when he used the honorific. Once you've had people attempt to kill you and then call you "Anna-chan," it just doesn't phase you as much when strangers use it.

"Not really, no." She shrugged and sat back down. "But it's better knowing that I'm not the only one lost here." Anna continued to regard him for a few more moments, and then continued. "Why dontcha sit down?"

[death_chameleon]

At least now he knew what to call her. It had been a long while since he'd done anything Japanese related... but that was another story. He smiled and gave a shrug of his own. There was a brief half a second where he contemplated declining her offer, but really there was no harm in him sitting down. With no useful weapons on him, nor likely her, he had the advantage if anything strange went down. Hell, he'd have the advantage if they had weapons, he reckoned. But that was foolish thinking, and Edward hardly ever thought foolishly. Still.

He nodded once and took a seat on the opposite side of the bench from her. He wasn't entirely too far away from her, but there was plenty of room so the two could turn slightly and face each other without being in each other's faces.

"So, what else do you want to know?" he asked politely. He had time to spare, and Ted was friendly enough to be helpful.

[bodycountrising]

She gave him a smile when he sat down on the bench. Now, she was almost certain that she had the advantage in any sort of confrontation she might have with him. With her bowie knife in the inside of her coat sleeve, and a multitude of possible punches, Anna was confident she was safe as she could be. Especially since he seemed so...

Normal.

She shifted to face him and acted like she hadn't thought of her next question already. "Well...what about you? Are you trustworthy, Ted-san?" Her smile was still there, but anyone who took a good look at her eyes could tell something was wrong. They had a joking twinkle to them that was quite obviously there just to cover up the emptiness.

[death_chameleon]

Ted returned her smile with one of his most friendly ones he could acquire. When she asked the question and he looked into her eyes, the smile only grew deeper. It looked only charming, but anyone that knew Edward would know it was a sign of his odd sense of amusement. Even Anna wouldn't be able to tell anything was 'wrong' with him from it, simply because there was nothing to show it in his eyes.

"Of course. I pride myself on having a charming sense of honor--that includes holding trust to those that deserve it." He cocked his head to the side slightly, his eyes quickly flitting down to the blood stains and back. "What about you, Anna-chan? Do others call you trustworthy?"

[bodycountrising]

She ignored the way he glanced down at her arm and instead tilted her head to the side and broadened her smile. "Some do. Other's just called me a monster an' didn't say anythin' else, so..." Her eyes narrowed just enough that it was noticeable as she waited for a response from him. After all, his response would decide if she continued to keep up this act.

Anna really was hoping for him to react, for him to pursue the topic. Even if it meant she had to explain the blood on her arm, she wouldn't have to continue acting so ridiculous and could, instead, just act normally. All in all, it made more sense for her to drop the fake personality in her mind.

[death_chameleon]

Edward's mind quickly flitted through several different thought processes all at once. It was a simple battlefield reaction; things happened so quickly in a fight, the mind had to work overtime just to keep up. He had learned to use it to his advantage, he fact that he could catch on so rapidly.

He shrugged and glanced away. "Monster's such a relative term these days... If you were a literal monster, I'd know it though, so I guess they just don't like you very much for one reason or another." He paused, then glanced back at her. "Would you care to tell me why they would say such things?"

[bodycountrising]

Anna leaned her elbows on her knees and then rested her face in her hands as she answered, "Most of 'em don't get why I've been killing for the past ten years." Then she sat up and shrugged.

However, her interest had been piqued when he brought up 'literal' monsters, and so she added her own question. "So how would you tell if I was a 'literal monster'?" As far as Anna was concerned, 'real' monsters like werewolves and vampires and aliens didn't exist. She had a feeling she wouldn't believe anything he said, but it made for conversation.

[death_chameleon]

Edward was curious about her easy confession about being a killer. But a question had been asked of him, and he'd comply. He glanced away briefly. "I'm a lycanthrope hunter. After a while--you can just tell. They have a certain... feel... to them. And vampires... they're usually obvious." He glanced back at her. "Other creatures use glamor and such to hide, but I don't think you're using anything of the sort. You get used to the feel of that, too." He shrugged nonchalantly. This was everyday life for him.

He paused a moment after his explanation before going back to his original topic. "Why do you kill?" he asked calmly. "Who do you kill?"

[bodycountrising]

Anna rubbed the back of her neck and lightly replied, "Mostly whoever gets in my way." She didn't add that the police were a recent addition to this list. To her, it didn't seem that important or different. Police, criminals, innocents; it didn't matter, unless they were kids. That's where she drew the line. "Especially those idiots who're workin' with my father.

"But you said lycanthropes, right? From the books I've read, they're human too, so you're a killer as well." Anna turned to look at the man in next to her, now trying to size him up and place him as a killer. It wasn't terribly difficult, now that she thought of it...