donotseek | Door Prizes (action)

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Door Prizes (action)

Has everyone recovered from the last time Door went out? Did everyone over the age of 18 enjoy the literal sock-full of condoms (attached with a note about how people above use socks for something to do with signage and sex)? No, really, did they enjoy them?

Being unable to sleep, Door's gone on a midnight raid of some previously picked over buildings. The first sweep through is for everything important, immediately useful. A return visit can only have one purpose: all the not useful but fun to have stuff. Door's pretty impressed with this second-look haul. A lot was missed, but since the last time she was there, she had to make a quick exit due to something (Door is not sticking around to find out what. She's not mad.) crashing through the entrance

Setting up in one of the rec rooms, it's like Door's own floating market. On a table, the trinkets and items of interest are displayed with some care. . She certainly doesn't need all she's collected, but the favours she'll pull in, for several lots in particular.

Included on the table are the following:

1 750ml bottle of red wine. Unopened.
1 750ml bottle of rosé wine. Unopened
1 magnum of really cheap white wine. Unopened.
~~2 sample bottles of ice wine. Unopened~~. Sold to Harry for a story.
1 350ml bottle of scotch. Unopened.
1 Swiss Army knife: with screwdriver missing.
5 metres of cheap broadcloth (burnt orange)
3 winding wristwatches (One with a crack on the face)
23 21 pencils (it was a box of 24, but there was a hole in the box). Sharpened 2 to Nica
2 packs of cleaning sponges (2 in each)
3/4 of a pad of post-its. (Three different colours)
12 buttons. 3 matching groups of four, all different sizes, and all black.
6 dish towels
1 pack of novelty playing cards (cartoon characters). Complete
4 teaspoons.
3 spools of thread. White, blue, and grey.
1 fine-toothed comb.

Off to the side, one might notice:
~~1 lace shawl~~ Sold to Nica for artwork
1 rubber duck
3 paperback books
10 8 hair elastics 2 to Nica
4 pieces of coloured chalk.
2 bandannas

Door is also looking spiffy in her new knitted hat and pink legwarmers. One of the legwarmers doesn't have any holes!

So come barter with Door.

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It's certainly possible that Harry may or may not need something and therefore be willing to grant something in return. Perhaps that's why he's there. It's probably odd that he's focused on the watches. But, perhaps, it is not. "You know I invested in a watch shop."

Door's not the Sewer Folk. She's nobility. That means she won't sell anything and everything at an exorbitant price. What's in front of her is not needed by anyone, and luxury will cost.

She's not trading the hat or legwarmers, even though the hat, being forest green, and the legwarmers, bright pink, were never meant to be on the same person at the same time.

"Are you claiming ownership?" Door's confused, not offended, but she will be if he implies she's a thief. "Or telling stories? Good stories are worth a lot."

One could get a great deal at the Floating Market with a good story.

"Story. I don't need a watch." He's got a pretty good watch, honestly. One he retrofitted after getting it from his father years ago. That, he'd claim ownership of if she ever happened to get it.

Door's got nothing better to do than look for things. Nor does she worry about about things like sleep, or time of day. She spent most of her life out of sunlight, so she sleeps when she wants to, leaves when she wants to. It's a rhythm of her own.

"So you have a story then, Doc? Give me a good one, you can have your choice of what's here," she holds up the sample bottles of ice wine, one in each hand. "Don't we all need a little of this in our lives?"

"You have a point." And ice wine might be something interesting to share with Jemma, after all. So he thinks. "Happy story or sad story?"

Her choice, after all. What's worth more?

"A story from before the incident. How about an emotional one?" Happy or sad, one with emotion is always worth more, than something with a pithy punchline.

Door's going to lean forward, elbows on the table, like an impatient listener at story time.

Oh, he has so many. He thinks about it, and ponders ponders ponders. "Did anybody ever tell you how we got the Hopper in the first place?" Oh what a story that is.

"No," that's odd she doesn't know. "It's always been an absolute here. Sometimes an absolute disaster, but always here."

Oh, settle in Door. It's a fascinating story. "So, back before the Incident, there was another scientist who lived here. Rex Lewis, real mad scientist type." And if Door recognizes the name, it's because Rex's son Billy Lewis-Young is one of the kids who runs around the bunker. The one who claims he's a space pirate. "No one knew this at the time, but he was basically here to hide out from trouble he'd caused back home. He caused some trouble here too, not that anyone knew it at the time. Injected people with these tiny robots to make them his personal brain washed soldiers. He also happened to get one of our teenage citizens knocked up. All of that kind of collided together and he decided to take most of the town hostage in the saloon."

He'll wait while you process before continuing, Door.

Door's face follows along with the story. She knows the kid, and all about space piracy. "The saloon?" Everyone held hostage would have something to drink, at the very least.

"And who was the teenager? That's just wrong."

Harry's sucked her in all right.

"Allison. You've probably seen here around outside. Hanging around Seth." The weather AI enmeshed in her brain. He doesn't like to talk about that, kind of blames himself for that. But hey, at least she was over 20 when that happened.

"But yeah, anyway: hostages at the saloon. Nobody let anybody drink. Rude. No one really knew it was Rex until later, he was dressed up in his weird Cobra Commander supervillain costume. Very 80s cartoon-y. Big speeches to APS, demanding they send an intradimensional transport device so he could get him, his sister and Allison to his world and use his soldiers to take it over. As you do. But, the sheriff took him down. He got a few months in jail, then house arrest."

And then?

"And then everyone was really surprised a few days after the situation cleared up when APS actually you know. Delivered the device."

"Hold on, Billy is his kid?" Lewis, hardly and uncommon last name, for those who went for those sorts of things.

"And there are supervillain costumes? Above has some strange fashion rules." But if one is going to dress as a supervillian, drinking would be something they'd stop. It makes Door want to hug one of the bottles of wine.

"So they gave him what he wanted? And did Allison take him to court? Wasn't he kidnapping her taking her to his world?"

Good story, Doc, as she wants all of the details.

"Right, Billy is his kid." Shrugging. "Sort of. They gave the town what he wanted. Apparently all he really needed to do was ask. No one let him use the thing like...ever, though."

A weird sort of snort of a laugh. "Actually, after his sentence was over, he kind of went on a redemption tour kick. Probably helped that most of the people he took hostage left town. Allison...weirdly enough, got together with him? I can't explain that. But eventually he fluxed out, she got with Seth and then of course: The Incident."

Whoa, that's a twisted story, an emotional one, but twisted. "Did anyone explain to Allison how creepy that is?" Door deals with the the knight of Knightsbridge, or the sisters, or the Angel Islington. She knows creepy, but this is the insidious one that creeps into your home.

Like an angel seeking vengeance for someone disagreeing with him.

"Billy's all right though. Must be Seth's influence."

"According to her, she had a habit of inappropriate dating. Probably from growing up in an apocalypse." A nod, at that. "A bit Billy, a bit Allison and a lot of not wanting to be like his dad, I'm sure."

Door lets out a whistle. "That's a little more than inappropriate." Door is not violent, but if someone had done that to Ingress, and she had the chance to stop it, she would open the man's chest and pull out some vital organs.

"Billy can be his own person. Even if that person is a space pirate." She's known worse, and that certainly sounds a few steps up from supervillain."

"I think that was actually supposed to be a thing? Like...Billy was supposed to save the town from space pirates. But the incident happened, and no space pirates."

"Don't saddle a child with a destiny. Life is cruel enough, without making some kid think they have some grander purpose they have to fulfill." She means that in general, not just at Doc. Sometimes, it's better to understand that bad things happen without a plan, rather than some grand plan.

"It's fun to watch him play, like Charlie's girls."

Door moves all the alcohol bottles into an nice neat line, except the ice wine. One is behind the other, showing they go together. "Which one do you want, Doc?"

"It's interesting how they don't seem to let everything going on out there bother them." He wonders if it was like that for Billy's mother, growing up after the end of her world. She seemed rather well adjusted, for the most part. But looks could be deceiving. "That one." One in the middle.

"Children are good at living with whatever is there. If you spend your life knowing about Knightsbridge, and the Knight, it's a part of everyday life. If you know someone can fight notionally, you're never surprised when you're slapped without someone around." Door's world find the average, and the safe weird. It's why she's adapted well here, wary but never afraid.

With a silly flourish, Door picks up the two sample bottles of ice wine. "We paid for, Doc. All for you?" It's have a question, half a suggestion.

"Well, that's certainly true." Hell, even some of the other adults adapted better here than to New Dodge proper.

Raising an eyebrow he shakes his head. "Just for me? No. Jemma too." Of course and obviously.

It is amazing what mutual survival can do for people. If Door ever thought she could return to London Below, by trying to stay out of things, it would be impossible.

It's good that she doesn't stay out of things.

Thank you, for confirming her suspicions, "Good to know, it's Doc and Doc, again, not Doc and the other Doc."

A snort. "When has it ever been that." Doc and Doc sounds like a band from the 80s that sings parody songs about fish zombies to him.

Door's now going to stare at Harry as if he's not fooling anyone.

Because he's not.

Door notices everything. It would be foolish to forget that.

"Enjoy your wine, Doc."

[Nica is looking over the items with interest.]

Door, I'm almost worried to ask, but what do you want for the shawl and elastics? ...And I can't tell, my glasses are in my room, but are the pencils colored?

"I looked for pencil crayons, but these are plain graphite."

Door's going to hold up the shawl, cream lace with short tassles, and wrap it around herself. She turns a little from side to side, so the tassles wave a little. "Isn't it pretty? I'm amazed how it's still in one piece. Feel it." It's 90% being genuine joy, and 10% salesmanship. "I'm impressed something this beautiful still exists outside. There's always hope, isn't there?"

She holds out one end for Nica to touch.

"And here," She picks up a couple of the hair elastics, and flings them at Nica. "Every one of us with long hair gets them for free, but it's first come first serve." That's why they were set aside. Door's own hair is tied up with a piece of material off of some old clothes. She doesn't understand why some from Above need specific things, but many things Above are odd to her. She can forgo earning anything on hair elastics. As long as they last actually means until there are two left, to give to Charlie for her girls.

As for the shawl, it's so special she's not set a price. She wants to make sure it goes to a good home. "Make me an offer, stories, favours, stories and favours? Any fun trinkets you brought in with you?" It's amazing what Door will find valuable. It's also amazing how much a persuasive argument will work on Door too.

Edited (HTML fail) 2017-04-20 01:42 (UTC)

"Damn. Well, graphite's better than nothing."

Reaching out to run her hands over the lace, she smiles softly. It was so similar to hers at home. "It really is nice." Not just the shawl, but that something beautiful can survive out there.

Nica thinks on it for a moment. She hasn't really brought anything neat with her, but favors she could do. "What kinds of favors? I don't have much to offer as of yet, but anything you want, I could draw up for you. People, places, just give me an idea and a clear picture of what you want and I could do something for you."

She didn't have a lot of good stories, that comes with hardly ever getting out and stories of her mother are far too painful right now.

Door blinks at Nica's offer. "Art. You're offering art?" If Door sounds disbelieving, it's because pretty trinkets are valuable, personalized art is, "The shawl is yours. Absolutely yours. An offer like that, have the shawl."

Her mind's already coming up with things. "Are you better with people, or objects?"

Door folds up the shawl, with the reverence something that pretty deserves, and holds it out. "And how many pencils do you want?"

"It's what I'm good at. When you don't really leave the house, you develop other skills." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a piece of paper, the picture of Jemma done in a faint red shade. She had to get creative with her paints. "I can do both, just depends on the complexity and time it takes. People take longer, but I try to really capture them in the picture.

"Two should do for now. If I need more, I know who to go to."

"What if you didn't have a picture of the person or the place? Could I describe them to you?" Door has some ideas, and while she doesn't take a hold of the picture but admires it all the same.

"It's beautiful."

Door carefully takes two pencils out of the box, very careful of the tips, and holds them out as well.

"Thank you. I was bored and inspired." Putting the picture carefully back in her bag, she was careful not to put her new 'purchases' next to it.

She thought about it a moment. "Can you describe it well? If so, I can do that."

"Is the red symbolic, or just what you could find?" See, Door may dress like she has to carry her wardrobe everywhere, but clothes are practical. Art is something of meaning and beauty.

"I was thinking of my brother and sister, playing in the pool," It's an image in her head, one she's like to take out and look at once in a while. "I remember every detail of that room. It was an old Roman bath that fell Below."

"Just what I could find. A little blood, a little water." It just came out far better than she'd planned on.

"If you come find me tomorrow, I'll have a list of details I need. If this is to come out right, we will do it properly. Especially for something that important."

"You take bleeding for your art a little literally." In a way, it made it more precious, but Door's not keen on whatever pain it caused. "I'll be sure to look for paints next time I'm out, but don't be surprised if I come back with something from a child's kit."

Maybe Nica doesn't understand but it's important she does. "Art's valuable, the type of value that would get you Hammersmith's chains, or a token for the beast level valuable. You overpaid. Whatever paints, or art supplies I find will not cost you anymore." The Marquis would disown knowing her for that, but like the Marquis, Door doesn't like being in debt, even if the other person doesn't know it, nor is she naturally dishonest.

"I can spend as much time as you need. Every detail up here, but it's their essence I want to feel." Door understands all art is about feeling. "Ingress had the prettiest hair, all ringlets and wildness."

Laura's going too be stopping by Door's table. She's bringing food. Someone made spaghetti with vegetable sauce and the least she could do was share. And ask questions.

"A sock full of condoms? Really?" She's amused, though her stoicism may say otherwise.

"It's good to be prepared, I guess." Is she suggesting she and Iggy aren't There yet? Probably.

She's also most likely fucking with Door.

"I think you should have given more to Rocky and Charlie." Super-hearing tells Laura they have a lot of sex.

If somebody's sharing a meal, someone's going to get her pick of objects available. Door's number one weakness is food. Everyone knows this.

"The greatest gift of all is being able to connect with someone else," dramatic pause, "safely." Door can't hold in the giggles. "And it was funny." She's pretty sure Shade didn't see the humour in it, but she's not sure he sees the humour in much.

Considering the previous week's gift, a little fucking with is appropriate. "Or the security that comes with not having to worry." Door's going to tilt her head a little about Charlie and Rocky having that much sex, but stays quiet about how she should've tossed a few extra Harry and Jemma's way. Door loves hearing gossip, but isn't one to tell it. She's a good person to tell anything to.

Food. Time to shovel some of that into her mouth, and make all the appropriate appreciative noises.

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Door Prizes (action)

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