nysalogs | Go to the North! (Open)

Entry tags:

Go to the North! (Open)

Who: Genjo Sanzo (

smithandwesson) & Anyone Who May Be Willing To Help Out His Sorry Ass
What: Adventures in Nadril!
When: 8/28 Onward
Where: All throughout Nadril
Warning(s): None as of yet, but will update if need be.

I. A Programmer He Is Not

[It had been a few weeks now since most of the refugees had attempted to settle within the city of Nadril. It being so cold in the middle of the summer was certainly something to get used to, that was for certain. But, for the moment, the freezing weather was the least of this monks concerns.]

'Tch!

[This was the last time he was going to let his curiosity get the better of him.

It had started with him casually staring at the shop window of Paws About Town, looking at the small robotic animals cutely portraying little tricks for any possible buyers. And when the salesperson had noticed him staring it was a near impossible ability to turn the guy down for a free trial.

Except the salesperson may have been a little too enthusiastic.

No.

He was definitely overenthusiastic.

How else would Sanzo have ended up with a small heard of them following him around?

And he could have tolerated that. It would have been a mild annoyance, sure, but now--]

Crap. I've underestimated these things...

[He huffed under his breath. Surrounded on all sides by different variations of small metallic critters as they growled and snapped. Seems that somehow in his attempt to deprogram the darn things he had managed to set them onto attack mode. And while he had managed to take down a small few there were too many for a single man to take on alone.]

Nghh... I'm going to kill that sales clerk when I get my hands on him!

[Someone please come and save a distressed trigger happy monk in need?]

II. Respite In Troubled Times

[Despite the chaos the world had been in, it was absolutely amazing how the people of Nadril could go about their lives as if nothing were wrong. They were descendants of refugees, so perhaps they were used to this sort of thing happening?

But then what did that say about the problems of this world in general? How common were situations like this and how often did Dharma have to directly involve herself?

It was because of this he found himself engrossed in the Central Hubs main research library. Sitting at a table of books by himself as he flipped through pages and pages of recorded history within Nadril.

At least-- That was until he had heard something.]

It's almost as if you knew I'd be over here trying to concentrate. Is there a reason you're being so noisy?

III. Haunted By Old Memories

[Sanzo was doing his best to keep to himself during his time on Nadril. He was a person who enjoyed his solitude after all. And so hanging about closer to the outskirts of the hub was an ideal location for him. Of course, it was chilly, but at least this was a type of cold he was used to. He was draped in layers, covered in his usual ragged looking cloak as he wandered along the pathways, occasionally enjoying the scenery when--

SNAP!

A blinding light took hold of him, causing him to wince back sightly. Ah right. It seemed one of those picture-taking robots had been floating about. Stepping forward he reached out to take hold of the small piece of paper coming out, looking it over and absolutely freezing.]

Why you...!

[Whatever seemed to be on that picture had gotten to him. As the next thing, anyone knew he was kicking the poor insectoid-bot down from its perch.]

You piece of shit! If you're going to make people fucking nostalgic at least make it for good thing! You wanna be sent back to your maker in shambles, do you!?

[Because picking fights with robots seems to be his theme for the week.]

IV. WildCard!

((OOC: Wish to do something else with Sanzo. Have been planning on meeting up and catching up with the monk? Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me at

chohakkaifan with any questions/plotting you may have!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That sure had been the sound of someone loudly dropping a book in the next row. At Sanzo's calling out, there's the sound of footsteps before a skinny young man with long red hair appears from around the edge of a shelf, with an almost comically large book in his arms and a look that's supposed to be apologetic but somehow doesn't quite get there.]

Sorry, sorry~ [He sounds a lot more cheerful than he does sorry, really, and a bit on the absent-minded side.] I didn't expect it to be so heavy...

[He blinks momentarily at all the books on Sanzo's table, though, as if he only just noticed them now.] What are you reading so much about?

[... It's always the redheads that end up being the most bothersome, huh?]

What business is it to you?

[Sanzo, on the other hand, seems to be holding up a dangerously stern expression as he looks Ren over. Seems this guy had red eyes as well... Interesting.

None the less, he closed his book and leaned back in his own seat looking away with disinterest. You weren't going to get an answer from him that easily Ren.]

Hasn't your mother ever taught you it's rude to nose about in other peoples business?

[Not only are his eyes red, but if Sanzo can see them well enough, it's not hard to tell that instead of round pupils, Ren's are slitted and more like a cat's than a human's. And the fact that Ren steps a little bit closer, head tilted almost comically far to one side to see if he can read the spines of some of the books, may help with that.]

You're really suspicious, aren't you...? [Ren makes that observation in the same vague, somewhat airheaded tone, though it's edging on the border of pouty now.] How is anyone supposed to learn anything if they're not nosy about it? That seems like a silly thing for a mother to teach someone.

[Matter of Ren's mother specifically aside, considering he's happier the less has to be said about that.]

[Well, it's not the first time Sanzo had come across someone like this. Although, knowing his luck this redheaded asshole was probably just as much trouble as the other one he knew.]

Perhaps because a common sense of civility is usually considered an amiable trait?

[What was with this guy? Why did he want to know his business so badly? It just made him want to deny him more.]

Besides, don't you have enough on your light-reading list? Or is that ridiculous tome of yours just a diversion tactic used in order to butt in on other peoples lives?

[Do you just casually drop it around just about anyone who looks like they're invested in something?]

Is what you're doing really how you show common civility, though...? [Ren has never personally minded abrasive people, but calling the vast majority of them civil is a bit much. As such, all he's really doing at this point is bringing his head back up to a more curious tilt.

It seems like he's getting under this guy's skin a little bit, though, so he's just going to...keep right on doing that. Perhaps an unwise choice, but Ren tends towards being a human-shaped amalgam of unwise choices, and he crosses his arms over his book a bit harder with an exaggerated, indignant huff.]

What's the point of coming to a library just to look at one book? Even if it's a heavy book. You're being kind of silly about this, I think, it's not like I'm going to steal your book pile.

[That's definitely a full-blown actual pout he's wearing at this point. It's hardly as if not knowing what this guy is researching is going to be detrimental to him, but now he's just being rude and it makes Ren want to irk him even more.]

And yet you never directly denied that that's what you're doing.

[Great.

So he's dealing with an intentionally nosy asshole.]

I think respectfully asking to be kept to myself is rather civil.

[And he's not threatening your life in doing so! That is as polite as anyone can be, no?

Although, even though his wording is a little more polite this time around, it still comes off just as brash as everything he had said before this.]

Are you really so bored that you've decided to spend your day spying on peoples recommended reading lists at the local library?

[Because that is absolutely what it looks like.]

[So he's grouchy and pedantic. A fun combination to play with, even though Ren still looks for all the world like he's huffy and halfway to offended on his face.]

It's cold outside, and I want to know more about this world. So I figured someone who'd been here longer might know what to look for, but you're being pretty rude about it, Grouchy-san.

[That's Sanzo's new nickname now, since Ren doesn't know his actual name to give him an infuriating nickname based on that. Also, it's getting tiring holding this massive book up, so he leans it on the back of a chair and places the hand not holding it there on his hip.]

Also, I don't think you know what "respectful" means, nobody likes people making accusations at them...

.... Grouchy-what now?

[He didn't say anything past that. In fact, he barely reacted save for his usual flat-tone and a blank stare. But there was something... A small muscle twitch along his left eyebrow.

He was constantly reminding himself that taking out his gun in the middle of a public library and pulling it on another person would probably be frowned upon by those running the place.]

You know what? Never mind... It's damn obvious that you aren't going to leave me alone no matter how many times I tell you to back off.

[This is how you cope with things in a healthy manner right? Right.

Placing his book down he finally takes a moment to turn and look up at the guy bugging him.]

I'm gathering research on El Nysa's history from the viewpoint of the people who've come here before us.

[Ren would be only too happy to remind him of what the nickname was, but it seems like he's going to relent anyway, and Ren's cheery smile returns almost as soon as he gets to the point of Ren not planning to leave him alone.

It seems like a pretty minor thing to have been keeping secret like that when he finally admits it, too, though Ren takes on a thoughtful look at the remark, tapping his chin with one finger.]

You mean the refugees in this city...? Did the other cities not have histories like that, or are these ones just different?

[It would make sense, considering the way Nadril's cut itself off, but he's kind of curious whether the refugee situation is any different elsewhere.]

[Sighing out rather dramatically, Sanzo closed the book he was perusing through.]

I see... So you're new to El Nysa.

[Taking off his reading glasses, Sanzo turned in his seat to look directly at Ren for the first time since their conversation had started.]

Outside of this city, we are forbidden to talk of where we as refugees are from. People from outside worlds are an entirely foreign concept to the natives of El Nysa. This city, on the other hand, is different. Mainly because everyone in this city is, or was descended from, someone from another world.

What interests me more though, is that the group I initially woke up with were advertised as being the first batch of refugees to land on this world.

[But obviously that was one big fat lie.]

[At the remark on him being new, Ren offers a smile that looks like it's meant to be apologetic or possibly sheepish, but really isn't quite there. He's definitely pretty interested in hearing more about the circumstances outside Nadril, though, so he leans in a little to look Extra Attentive as Sanzo explains it.

It makes sense when he puts it like that, though Ren very briefly looks a little stumped once he's finished, straightening up and tapping a finger against his cheek.]

Even if the people here didn't know about outside worlds before, why leave it a secret...? [He supposes he'd have to ask the Natha themselves that, though, so he shrugs and focuses on the more important point of that whole thing.] It seems like the people here don't like the Natha very much, so maybe they just didn't want to admit what happened. Or maybe something went wrong the other times...

[Both of the drop ships in the vicinity of Nadril didn't land, they crashed. Which to him, would indicate at best that the landing here wasn't an intentional one.]

Fuck if I know. It could be any number of reasons that made the people of Nardil's opinion of the Orbiters so shitty.

Hence the research.

[With that he shrugged towards his own pile of books casually.]

If anything is bound to advertise the source of Nadril's discontent it would probably be their history books.

[You're not the only one who's curious as to what bullshit Dharma had pulled on these people Ren.]

[Sanzo certainly has a way with words, and Ren curls his fingers against his mouth in a somewhat lacking attempt to hide his amusement.] Well, you're probably not wrong about that...though I guess it also depends on who wrote the histories. History is one of those things where you can't just look at one person's word, right?

[If someone was as bitter as Magda, the history would be wildly biased one way. It's not as if they can get an unbiased version, but still, he hopes Sanzo isn't just going to find what he wants to find.]

How long ago was it that your group landed? Since you said they called you the first...

Almost a year ago now.

[Jeeze. Was he really almost 26? Had he really been stuck on this damned planet for a third of the time he had been stuck traveling before all this? Where did the time go?]

As for the perspective, I want a biased opinion. Dharma can damn well give us her side of the story when she wishes, but I'm genuinely intrigued by what it is the people here think she had done to them.

[He was sure some of it would be skewed, but that wasn't the point of his curiosity.]

After all, what could be so bad that they would wish to hold a grudge against the one who had saved them from their own dying planets?

Oh, that's a good point... [Ren's tone in saying that is a little bit absent and thoughtful, and he taps his lip briefly as if he's trying to think of good reasons. Honestly, he can think of any number of pretty good reasons, but it would be nice to have hard information on what wrong they believe was committed against them.]

I wonder if they didn't try to escape them, too, and that's why their ships ended up crashing...surely it's not that easy to crash a spaceship...

[A hastily thought-out escape plan could lead to it, though, as could them trying to retaliate in some way. It's a shame the ships are so long destroyed it's just about impossible to tell how they came down.]

Mmm, now you've got me thinking about it.

Have you experienced the Orbiters ships before? I wouldn't put it past how commonly faulty their technology is that those ships crashed.

[Hell, his own pod made a crash landing from space when he first showed up here. Which was great considering he was already injured before all that shit went down.]

None the less it's an interesting mystery. And it staves off the boredom of being stuck in the middle of a cold as fuck city while the rest of the world is frozen in time.

I haven't been here that long... [The space station was slightly wonky when he woke up, though, so the poutiness in that remark is somewhat exaggerated. It's a possibility, but it's still not something he'd say is the only option.]

Well, I guess you're right about that part. You seem like the kind of person who'd get impatient with that pretty quickly, Grumpy-san.

[That nickname is apparently just a thing now.]

[His eyebrow twitched. How much longer was he going to have to put up with this? His already short patience was quickly burning shorter.]

I don't mind a nice quiet moment of peace in a secluded town in the middle of fucking nowhere. What I do mind is the instability of the fact that we're sitting around here while the world beneath our feet is capable of exploding literally any goddamn second.

... The research at least gives me some semblance of doing something. Even if it is pretty goddamn useless.

[With that he sighed out, leaning forward to rest his hand forehead against the palm of his hand.

He really did hate the current state of things.]

[Well, that certainly tells Ren a bit more about what makes this guy tick, and he gives a smile that makes a token effort to be apologetic but definitely isn't actually genuine about it.]

Is this because of what happened with the dragon, or are things just that unstable here...? [What he knows of what's happened in the other cities is somewhat piecemeal and only gotten from one or two people, but it certainly sounds like this guy has some opinions he might be prodded into sharing if Ren goes about it the right way.]

It's starting to sound like a lot of the leaders are really incompetent... [That's said in almost a sighing tone, like he was expecting better.]

Always the case. People go around bullshitting that they know whats better for everyone else but in the end, they're usually doing what best benefits themselves.

[You have no idea Ren. He's been in this world long enough to know that every person who thinks they're working for the people's interest is full of shit.]

But mainly I'm talking about the dragon.

I genuinely don't understand why Dharma had sent you newbies down here onto a planet that's about to get blown to kingdom come. If anything just sending a small handful of volunteers to Nadril would have probably been much more productive than sending the entire goddamn population of us down here.

[This monk is full of criticism.]

Who isn't, really...? [It's said absently, but it's not the type of observation that's common to someone with the airheaded demeanour Ren is putting off. As someone who owned a company back home, though, he's more familiar with self-serving liars than he ever really wanted to be.

He doesn't seem too bothered by Sanzo's doomsday attitude, though, merely smiling slightly and giving a shrug.] I would've been pretty fine with not having to come, but I guess we can't know if the planet's going to break up from under us until it happens, right? If you're that convinced it will, sitting in a library reading a book seems like a pretty boring way to go.

[At least he didn't come here in the mindset that everything could go to hell at any moment.]

... Is that so? Then one could ask once more what it is you're doing here, if that's that case.

[The world may end any second Ren. You really wanna have it happen while you're in this library talking to an aggravated monk?]

I doubt hanging out around here is your idea of a fun time.

I'm not the one who's doing all the doomsaying, am I? I'm perfectly happy to think the world isn't going to end while I'm in here... [Ren's tone in response to that is somewhat pouty. It'd be a boring way to die, but if he doesn't expect he's going to die today, he can afford a little bit of boring in his day. Only a little bit, though.]

It's not my idea of fun, really, but sometimes you have to do boring things to get to the interesting ones, right?

I see. So you're an optimist.

[It was a simple statement, but one that was spoken with a bit of a more playful tone than any of his previous discussion. A sardonic smirk forming as he glanced up at Ren.]

And an annoying one at that. You're pretty much saying that bothering me like this is your form of entertaining yourself for the day, am I right?

[Ren smiles a little at that remark - innocent enough, but in the manner of someone enjoying a personal joke of some kind.] I guess you're a little bit of an optimist too, huh?

[Sanzo seems like he could potentially be interesting, but right now the amusement is mainly in his annoyed reactions, and that gets dull after a little while.] I only wanted to ask you a question or two, anyway. You're the one who dragged it out by being stubborn and everything.

Go to the North! (Open)

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good thread ren. at least you def left an impression on him