THIRD STOP (ACTION/VOICE)

[veeno]

[Sitting on something in the metropolis sector that reminded him of a bench but might actually have been something important and technological, Claire was sitting with the seal in his lap, chattering into it pleasantly about some of his recent happenings. Talk of ice cream socials, funny glasses, allegedly haunted houses among other topics of

Comments

voice; private

[valhallicity]

[ when Izaya first heard Claire's voice through the seal, a wave of panic hit him undeniably hard. it wasn't like he hadn't been hearing that voice in his head since he last saw him, so hearing it now was kind of like confirming the reality that he was still here and he was still in incessant danger.

he listened to everything he said, painfully taking note of each word, despite the complete normalcy of everything he had to say. he scribbled down a few words in his journal as he listened -- who is the real Claire Stanfield? -- and contemplated whether or not he should even respond. there was a certain fear involved in even that much, because once he was too far in, he couldn't so easily return to where he came from. ]

I don't understand why you're asking about that, frankly, but for the record, I'm doing much better. Smell food?-- [ huh. what a thing to be worried about in the list of things one might be concerned with. ] ah, I suppose that's slightly obstructed, yes, but it's not too troublesome.

[ ...

he holds back the urge to suggest that he should be cut there so he can find out, keeps his voice amicable. ]

Why are you interested in gangsters? I don't imagine you'd have trouble doing your own dirty work.

voice; private

[veeno]

Ahh, that's good to hear!

[Claire was glad to see he was recovering quickly. In his mind he entertained the idea of what it might be like to have such a physically resilient victim at his disposal for so long.]

Anyway, I know you were thinking it, so thanks for not saying it. Besides, a lot of my friends were in gangs, so what an easy way to find any that might be here, you know?

voice; private

[valhallicity]

[ that thought occurred to him (are you doing better? can we do that again?), a little bit disturbing. and he was pinged again to feel that Claire read minds once again, hesitating before speaking in the stupor that he had understood what had just passed through his mind. ]

Ah . . . yeah. Sure. Well, in that case, wouldn't it be easier to ask if anyone you know is here instead? You wouldn't want to make yourself out to be a disreputable character. [ he taps his pen against the pad. ] Would you?

voice; private

[veeno]

People can say whatever they want, I'm just me and my thoughts are the only ones I'm really concerned with. Ah-!

[He thinks he hears something, but isn't sure. Either way, it reminds him of the men at the Daily Days, so he rounds a corner and settles his seal down pleasantly. 'Would you?' Ah, yeah! He could see Izaya doing something like that!]

You interviewing me or somethin'? Go ahead- I'll answer anything honestly!

voice; private

[valhallicity]

[ well, no. he wasn't. but he felt like he had to figure him out. his motivations and everything else. he didn't want to fall so far again. it was unacceptable. in the meantime, it would be easier if he were underestimated based upon that encounter. ]

Is that so. So you wouldn't mind then, if someone were to get the wrong impression of you? Or you wouldn't mind if they knew the deeds behind the cheerful voice asking about ice cream?

[ he doesn't know if this is going to backfire on him or not, but there is at least some distance between them since they're talking over the seal so he figures why not. ]

If you'll really answer anything honestly, I'd like to ask about what your life is like back home.

voice; private

[veeno]

[He laughs a bit and shrugs, clicking on to video, partly because he wants to see Izaya (not knowing if he'll return the favor), and partly because it feels a little more natural.]

Not at all. Besides, who would tell them? The man who's got a reputation around here for being a dangerous manipulator that bullies kids?

[He sits comfortably, smiling politely.]

Sure. Whaddya wanna know? My name, my family, what kinda place I live in, my job... Date of birth, hobbies, all yours to inquire about. I feel it's only fair, since I can tell every last detail about who you are, that you should know who I am.

voice; private; 1/2

[valhallicity]

[ there's hesitation before he turns video on himself, where he can be seen sitting on his bed with a notebook in his lap. his hand remains injured, but he can use it to write still, albeit awkwardly. there are other signs of their previous encounter visible through the bandage on his nose and the others peeking out from under his shirt near the collarbone.

it feels anything but natural, really and he wouldn't do him the courtesy if he were anyone else. but he had reason to believe that doing as he said, so long as it didn't seem to directly threaten him, was the best course of action for now. ]

Wow, such harsh words. But I guess they're true, so I won't bother contesting them. Your words, that is, not the words of those that have given me a reputation. But I was asking about you, not myself, and personally I don't find that that's a reputation I can't work around or even use to my advantage.

voice; private

[valhallicity]

[ it's a little chilling to be told that he knows every last detail about who he is. besides himself, there was no one that knew every detail about him. it made him tense, on edge. ]

Tell me about your occupation. Tell me about the Rail Tracer.

1/?? voice; private

[veeno]

The Rail Tracer? That's a fairy tale I made up, that people tell on trains. So you see, I really don't care about what people think.

[He says it like "You still believe in that?" the same way he might have chastised Izaya about believing in Santa.]

But, if you really wanna hear it...

2/?? voice; private

[veeno]

The Rail Tracer is a monster that hides in the shadows of passing trains. The smell of evil awakens it, and should any passenger see it they are all certain to die. The best way to keep the Rail Tracer away is to believe the story once you've heard it.

3/?? voice; private

[veeno]

Of course.. Once it's arrived all you can do is keep running until the morning sun rises, and hope you've survived the bloody night, so bloody it looks like the entire train's been doused in crimson wine.

[He puts a little inflection on each of his words, like a colorful fairy tale.]

4/?? voice; private

[veeno]

Or kill it before it kills you, but that's impossible as I'm sure you're aware. I guess you've figured out that the story's about me. Like I said, being a man or a monster is just a mood to me. My profession is a freelancer, and I do whatever is asked of me if the price is right.

[His voice becomes whimsical, with a little humor in his tone.]

Rail Tracer is just a ruthless monster, but my profession, the one called Vino...

5/5 voice; private

[veeno]

That is the man you should be afraid of. If he's called your only hope is to run into the arms of death as fast as you can, if you can. Normally, you can't, I make certain of that.

[He smiles, tilting his head slightly, as if he was still talking about a fairy tale.]

Ah- but that's not really my job, though I do get paid for it... If I had to say, up until a bit ago my job as Claire Stanfield was a railroad conductor. I really liked that job. Or- Do you want to know details?

voice; private

[valhallicity]

[ yeah, he believed it. who wouldn't after it was said to them so vehemently and assuredly? and he certainly wasn't above believing in the supernatural. from this description of it, it left him wondering a number of things, things that he didn't want to ask because he didn't think he'd get a straight answer or an adequate one but would likely attempt to ask anyway, for the reaction. the observation.

who was it that he had seen that day? Vino . . . ? the Rail Tracer . . . ? or both?

were it the Rail Tracer, what was the smell of evil that awakened him? the chances that he had seen such a thing were hard to determine-- he claimed that the Rail Tracer's presence was a premonition of one's doom. however, he remained alive. but even at the time, he was told that since he had looked upon him he was destined to die. so, what did any of it mean? had he survived a certain doom or was his clock only ticking?

and from his description of Vino, whether he had seen him or not he didn't know either. what provoked him to show his face? did Vino only appear when he was hired to appear? or had that torturous time been a sample of his character?

Claire Stanfield seemed like an average person, from the outside. working as a railroad conductor, it added up with his persona as the Rail Tracer. he could hide behind that average man persona. it all made him very curious, but it seemed that no matter how many questions he had answered, there were still more questions to be asked and his air of mystery would never be shaken. ]

There's two things I'm left curious about. Why did you leave your job as a conductor?

voice; private; OOPS done

[valhallicity]

[ a darker tone enters his voice, but that shielding smile is still present. ]

And-- who did I have the pleasure to meet? Which of your identities is the one that stabbed me, dislocated my joints, pried at my ribs? Which of your identities is the one that I should fear?

1/2 voice; private;

[veeno]

What? I just told you, me is me. Man or monster is a matter of moment not being, nothing else matters because I am all there is.

[there was a pointed finality in this. Of course, he did believe that he was in fact the entire world itself.]

The me that you should fear is the me that lives and breathes with the intention to kill you, if you can't even recognize that then maybe the gift of life is wasted on you and I should take it back? And anyway...