OctaneDoctor meets Inkstainer

Characters in this scene: Condor, Justin

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

The location Octane has given @Sage (Inkstainer) is in the Meadowlands of New Jersey: a tangle of highways and junkyards and power lines and warehouses, nestled in the reeds and waters of a sprawling wetland. An industrial circulatory system that no longer has a heart. The NYC skyline is always visible from here but never seems quite real.

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Octane looks to be in their mid-20s. They're still in a grease-stained coverall from work, inexpertly altered to fit their thin frame. There's a certain *softness* about them that one might not expect from someone whose Practice involves so much scrap metal and combustion. Their voice is quiet as they greet you. "Um, hey - Inkstainer?

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Inkstainer looks just ever-so-slightly out of place at the train station, with clothes that are clearly high quality and well tailored but have since been worn nearly into the ground. He's an Asian man in his mid-twenties (hard to tell), not particularly tall but fairly well built. On either side of his waist, held up by what looks like a modified set of shoulder straps, are two guardian lion statues. When he notices Octane, he gives a wide smile. "Yes! That's me. Octane, right?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Yeah! That's my username all right, but - well, first, hop in. Not much farther from here to my place."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Ink puts his suitcase into the car, then pulls a five-gallon bucket (firmly sealed) out of a folding wheeled cart and hesitates. "Just to be safe, do you have a tarp I can wrap around this? It's... infectious."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Octane's eyebrows raise involuntarily. "Ah. Uh, yes. A dropcloth, if that works. It's in the trunk. I am... glad you're taking precautions"

"Do I uh, get to know what it is? Or at least what threat it might pose?"

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"It's, um, tar from a Nex Machina/Goblin mashup. I'm not sure if she can use it anymore - she isn't in this world, exactly - but if it touches mechanical things it might take them over. I'm planning to purify it. You can have some, if the purification works out. Might be useful for you?" Ink takes the dropcloth, twists the lid a little tighter, then wraps the cloth around the bucket before wedging it in a spot where it won't roll around. "That should be OK. If it consumes your car... I'll find a way to replace it."

"I'm sorry about this, by the way. I should have remembered to tell you."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Octane visibly relaxes. "Oh! Okay. That's much closer to my domain than I was expecting. Would have preferred a warning, but I'm not too worried about it." Once they're both in the car, Octane starts it up and they head down a side road. "I appreciate the offer and I am *definitely* interested. Plenty of empty mechanical things lying around my place if that's useful."

A second passes. "I-" Octane is clearly about to say something else, but decides to focus on the road instead. Their fingers drum on the steering wheel.

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Ink relaxes too as he sits in the passenger seat, nodding along as he takes in the sights of the road, then glances back over to Octane. "Is something wrong?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Octane swallows. "I know it's kind of a bad idea to tell other Practitioners your real name, and we barely know each other, but, uh... I've recently changed my first name. Just by one letter, but I still think it would be good if the spirits heard someone actually using it. So they'd get used to it, you know? So. Um. Do you agree to not reveal my name to anyone, or use your knowledge of it against me?"

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Oh! Of course. I, um, I use a different name than the one my mother gave me, too. I don't know if it's the same situation, but I think I might understand?" He shifts over, extending his hand to shake with Octane (who is still driving). "I agree to not reveal your name to anyone, or use knowledge of it against you. It's nice to meet you, call me Justin."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

The car jolts a little as Octane does. Maybe they stepped on the gas a little harder than they meant to, maybe it's a deeper connection. They glance back and forth between the road and Ink, and extend the hand that's not on the steering wheel. "Oh that's - thank you, I mean - I also agree, likewise, I mean uh - nice to meet you, Justin. My name is Condor."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Condor? That's a cool name. Yeah, I see why you might want it." Justin grins as he sits back in the seat again, one hand idly on the sketchbook in his lap. "Maybe I should've gone for something like that."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Ha, that's funny. I was just thinking I chose something a little too out there. I like Justin, it's good." They glance over again. "Almost there. I hope I get to see whatever's in that sketchbook, by the way. I've gotten pretty into drawing recently, and your reputation precedes you."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"My reputation? Have you seen anything other than me begging for money with it?" He smiles as he says it, then looks down at the sketchbook and shrugs. "I'm okay. It's a big thing for me and my Practice. I'd be happy to look at your work, too. Temporary trade?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Condor smiles as well. "Yes. I've seen people being very excited about giving you money for it. And definitely! That's my kind of trade." The car rounds a bend, and a large building appears over the reeds. An abandoned factory, it seems. The car comes to a stop, and Condor gets out. "Welp, here we are. Anything you want me to help carry?"

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Justin gets out too, then lifts his statues out of the footwell and reattaches them to his shoulder straps. "I can handle it, but where is a safe place to stick this bucket for now?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Hm. If you're worried about getting it on something mechanical, you might not want to take it inside. Best idea I have is to set it down outside and have Roadkill guard it until we get around to it. Ah, roadkill being an Other companion of mine. One of the few non-mechanical beings around here."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Sounds like a plan. You have a theme, I see! It's cool. Octane, Condor, Roadkill, the factory." He lifts the bucket out of the back, then sets it somewhere out of the way and gets the rest of his luggage. "I'm..." he glances down at his fingers, which are stained in various colors almost to his palms. "Inkstainer because I put ink on things."

"Any chance to meet your companion?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Ha, yep. Themes are important for a Practitioner, at least that's what my aunt always tells me. Even if she doesn't approve of my particular themes. Glad you do though! And hey, ink is cool. I'm into it." Condor raises their voice, turning away from Justin a bit. "Roadkill! You can come out now!" And back to Justin, "Yeah, I asked 'em to stay hidden when you came."

A being emerges from the tall cattails between the water and the factory. Roadkill is roughly deer-shaped, but their patchwork fur plus the flesh and bones visible beneath it look like they come from a variety of animals. One foot has claws that upon closer inspection are bird beaks. Their head is a cracked deer skull with one antler. Flies crawl and buzz around them. If you're not especially resistant to mental effects you'd probably freeze in blank panicked terror when you first see them, just for a second.

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Justin is halfway through starting to tell Condor about his mother's reaction to his Implement choice when he caught sight of Roadkill. For a moment, he froze; in the next moment, his hand darted towards his pocket and began to pull out another, smaller bound book; then he took a breath and relaxed. And as he relaxed, he leaned forward, eyes not narrowing at all. "Roadkill. Right." He took a deep breath and continued to study the Other, eyes darting over their shape with fascination. "I really want to draw them."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Condor looks confused for a second, eyes the bound book with curiosity, then - "Oh! Shit! Shit, sorry, I forgot about the whole deer in the headlights thing. Sorry. But uh, yeah, they're fun to draw. I would love to see that drawing, if you did one."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Oh, is that a thing they do?" He turns to Roadkill, hesitantly asking, "Or, um, is that a thing that you do?" Justin glances back at Octane, then back to Roadkill, like he's not sure who to address.

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"It's a thing they do, yes. They don't mean anything by it, don't worry. I bet they warm right up to you if you draw them, I think they're secretly super vain. Hey Roadkill! You wanna guard this weird tar for a bit?" The Other inclines their head in what could be a nod and walks over to the bucket, then sits attentively next to it. "Cool. Should be safe from anything that's not like, specifically coming after it." Condor starts to walk towards the factory. "You want a tour?"

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Yes!" Justin nods back and smiles, then follows Condor (glancing back at Roadkill a few times). "If I ask any stupid questions, please be patient - to be honest, I've only recently even seen what the "real world" (he gives air quotes with his one free hand) is like. So I'm new at this."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

The two enter the abandoned factory, which has been largely reclaimed by moss and reeds. Most of it is an open space, scattered with rusting factory equipment, power tools, and vehicles in various states of disrepair. There's a maze of pipes on the walls; some of them have been extended and run under the hood of one of the broken-down cars. There's a pinball machine sitting in one corner. It looks mundane, but if Justin uses the Sight, you'll notice that it's Connected to the entire building. Another corner is more cozy, with warm electric lights, a table, and a kitchen area. Everything here looks scavenged or secondhand; nothing is new or pristine. Nevertheless, it all looks tidy and well cared for. Drawings are taped up all over the walls: mostly watercolor landscapes and sketches of local Others. Condor turns as they walk. "The real - I was going to leave this for later, but - Justin, where on earth have you *been*? Or, not on earth, I guess?"

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

His eyes are wide as he looks around, glancing between the cozy corner and the open space multiple times before settling on the drawings. "Oh, I don't mean that I grew up not on Earth," he laughs briefly, nervously, "but that I, um, grew up in a really wealthy area, in a house with servants, private school, that kind of thing." He pauses. "Well, I did just come from a Nex Machina's domain, too. But I wasn't there for very long."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Whoa." Condor's eyes widen. "Well, that's definitely not an experience I share. I gotta say - at some point I want to know what brought you from that to.... this. This must seem like an absolute dump to you, even beyond the fact that it kind of literally is." They make a halfhearted effort to kick a stray bit of scrap metal underneath a rolling cabinet.

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Hey, wait, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Justin blurts out. "I like it. It's cozy and it feels *real.* You don't have a sitting room or a formal dining room, but that's okay. If I wanted those, I might have stayed." He lifts up his sketchbook, flips through the pages, then shows Condor one page, an ink wash and line art depicting the landscape of a city block, colorful and lively but with chipped bricks and cracked sidewalks. "Mother would never have let me go somewhere like this. I promise that I'm not judging you badly."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Thanks, I'm - not used to visitors, I guess." Condor laughs, a bit shakily, then pauses and examines the drawing. "Wow. Okay, that's... a very well captured scene. I take it you left by choice, then?(edited)

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Thanks! It was quick - the bus wasn't parked that long, but it really struck me." He smiles. "Yeah, by choice. I just... don't want to spend my life keeping my mouth shut. It's not my strong suit." Justin laughs, trying to lighten the mood, but it's obvious that he's trying not to talk about something. "Anyway, feel free to flip through that, except - hang on -" He takes the book back, hides it from Condor, flips through the last few pages, then hands it back - "The last ten pages. Don't look at those."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Condor's shoulders relax a little. "Oh. That... now *that* is a bit more relatable, yes." They give a slight but genuine smile. "And I would love to look through that book once I'm done showing you around. Don't worry, I won't look at the last ten pages." Condor's eyes dart to the walls of drawings. There are several conspicuous blank spots. They show you that several doors in one wall lead to small rooms: a bathroom ("there's no hot water right now, sorry - my Practice is a bit weak these days"), their own room, and a room that they've cleaned out for you, empty save for a fold-out couch and some blankets.

"It's a little sparse, but... well, we'll find something. Scavenge it, or buy it with your hotel funds maybe."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Justin follows Condor around, taking note of the layout. "Honestly, this is better than a bus seat. Or a park bench. Or probably even some of the hostel beds." He waves a hand. "Don't worry about it, one of the perks of my Practice is if it's too cold I can just stick a diagram on the wall and it warms right up. Speaking of which, if you wanted hot water, I could probably set up some heating for you." He shrugs.

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Oh, that would be wonderful. The current heating system is, er, very reliant on my favor with the spirits, and I've been struggling with that lately. I'm curious, though... what *is* your Practice? I can see you work with ink a lot, but that doesn't really narrow it down much."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Justin brightens. "Oh! I'm a Warden. But specifically, what I do is - I have one big protective ritual -" he gestures at his statues, "- that summons my Guardians, and otherwise mostly I just draw really pretty diagrams to make effects in an area. So I try to keep protective seals that I can use for barriers, but I also can ward rooms, change the environment some, that sort of thing."(edited)

"Actually, the prettier they are, the better they work. I'm not sure what's up with that, but after I got my Implement -" He holds up a red metal fountain pen, "- It just happened. Which makes it more fun for me, anyway."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Condor waves slightly at the Guardians, as though being introduced. As Justin elaborates on his practice, Condor grows more enraptured. "Oh, that's amazing! I think... pretty much everything you mentioned gave me some sort of idea for how it could complement my own practice. I feel like this has been a very fortunate meeting, Justin." On an impulse, Condor pulls their own spark plug Implement from their pocket, a similar form factor to the pen. They laugh, feeling a little silly, but hold it up like it's a wineglass. "Cheers."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

Justin smiles and clinks his pen against Condor's spark plug, saying "Clink!" as they tap together. "Well! I'd be happy to demonstrate if you'd like to watch. I'm not sure how much is directly applicable to you, but if I'm crashing on your couch then I might as well earn my keep." He digs through his suitcase and pulls out a box, out of which he pulls some sticky notes. "Do you have a water tank? Because maybe it's selfish, but I would love a hot shower tonight."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"Not selfish at all, thank you! It's right this way." Condor leads Justin to a water tank behind the factory. It looks like whatever Practice-based heating system was previously here has been taken apart, diagrams scratched out.

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Is this system yours, or does it predate you taking possession?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

"It's mine. Powered by a combustion elemental, binding juuust loose enough to let a little bit of power through in a controlled way. But well, with the hit to my Practice, I didn't trust that control anymore. Didn't want the elemental breaking out. I took the system apart and made the binding more complete. It's secure now, but I can't access its power."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"Yeah, I can see that being a valid concern. Let me see -" Justin opens his Sight, seeing the world in black and white values with the only movement being the flow of power and attention. As Condor talks, Justin tracks where their eyes are pointing, then follows the old traces of the past system to where he can make out the elemental. "I think I can make this work. Give me a minute to draw this." He puts pen to sticky note, drawing out complex geometric shapes then adding illustrations in the margins, value studies of clouds, explosions and fire. He creates eight of these, places them symmetrically around, and then draws a ninth and places it separately. The entire process takes about twenty minutes. As the last note goes down, the water tank gives out a low groaning noise as water begins to heat. "Can't say it will work for too long, maybe a day or so. I'm going off of the trickle of residual power here, plus some from - other sources."

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

Condor's eyebrows knit together in concentration as they watch Justin at work. The delicate intricacy and complexity of the penwork are in perfect opposition to the raw blunt explosive power of the forces the Warden is working with. "Whew," Condor says, "that is impressive, to say the least. Thanks, Justin."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"No problem, Condor," he says, standing back up from his crouched position and stretching. "I hope it works and doesn't make it *too* hot. I've... made mistakes before." Condor can clearly see that the red ink he used to draw these diagrams has bled onto his fingers, adding a new stained section that is similar to many of the more faded areas. "Anything else you need?"

OctaneDoctor — 03/02/2021

As Justin says Condor's name for the third time since learning it, something shifts - very subtly - both in the environment and in Condor themself. Like the wind changing direction by a few degrees, or picking up a little. Condor stands up a bit straighter. "No, nothing for now. We should have dinner though, I'm hungry and I bet you are too."

Sage (Inkstainer) — 03/02/2021

"I'm actually so hungry. Great idea. Let me know if there's anything I can help with?" It's clear Justin sort of knows how cooking works, in theory. He at least is an enthusiastic learner...