Thread Tools

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#1
Old 10-02-2013, 05:42 AM




21st century London is a diverse place.
There are streets which never seem to shut down or slow down and the people there are much the same. Glamorous, beautiful, young... some their faces appear on televisions across the world and are the chief concerns of many young fans. They appear on television programs and interviews and influence more conversations than even they will be a part of in the entirety of their lives.

Then there are the other streets, other neighborhoods which have been separated from this glorious, frivolous lifestyle by many decades if not centuries. It is on one of these streets Ethan Spade was working on repairing the workings of an old busted wrist watch some guy had tried to pass off as a Rolex to the pawn shop he worked in. The air inside the little back work room was as suffocating and stagnant has his current social prospects- those he knew about at least.

Overhead the light flickered one too many times and he lowered the watch so he could rub his eyes for a moment. This was going to be a hard week. Murray had bailed on them again and was promising to do it again Thursday. Sure, he could use the hours but he could also use the sleep. Just as the thought of sleep had coerced his eyes to close the sharp ring of the bell at the desk roused him from his seat and forced him to make an appearance at the thick plexiglass window 'store front' of the shop.

The customer looked about as shady as Ethan had ever seen them, and his rushed attitude smacked of trouble. He presented what appeared to be an old pocket watch to Spade and asked for cash for the item. "Where'd you find it?" he asked, stalling a bit and doing a quick search online for reports of robberies in the usual places.

"Was, uh, my Grandad's. How much?" The man said, shifting his weight with growing irritation.

Spade nodded and eyed it again "It doesn't look that old to me."

"Yeah... he took good care ah'it. Now how much for the damn watch, mate?"

"Depends. Is it hot?" Spade said flatly, disinterested with any more games. He really did need more sleep, generally he'd be able to keep someone trying to get rid of ill-gotten goods around for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

There was a moment of silence as the thief twisted his face around from a laugh at Spade's 'joke' until his nerves and heavy conscience twisted it to rage and he slammed the device against the plexiglass and started spouting obscenities which then turned to very reduced bargaining. When the guy offered 8 quid for the item Spade accepted it and let the man go but not before getting a very good shot of him with the remaining security camera.

Obviously the antiquated piece had been a hard sell to the other pawn shops in the area... even those that did deal in sub-legal vending. This became apparent immediately when the latch failed to open rendering the watch face inaccessible. He would have to get his tools to open it but for now his interested was more on the man who left the shop than anything else. What the hell... he was due for a break anyways. With a shout to Jonesy to cover the front he was out the door and after the shady customer.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#2
Old 10-02-2013, 09:51 PM

Tucked away on a small side street a few blocks from the pawn shop was a cramped and dusty store, fragrant with the vanilla-and-hay perfume of ancient books with an odd metallic undertone. The library hush was broken only by riffling pages and the soft mutter of the old man at the counter as he squinted through a jeweler's loupe at the shining disks in front of him. He looked as if the aura of the tiny store had seeped into his skin, or perhaps his own dry and dusty personality had shaped the store into a place that seemed out of synch with the rest of the world, as if it belonged to another time.

On the other side of the counter stood another much younger man, waiting with a bemused, patient expression. Despite his youth he seemed even more dislocated in time than the store, for he wore an immaculate frock coat and vest with none of the self-consciousness of the usual neo-Victorian gentleman. Everything about him seemed to be some shade of golden brown, from the neatly-polished shoes to the intricately embroidered silk vest. Even his hair gleamed golden brown in the few tenacious rays of sunlight that filtered through the grime on the windows. He stood like a statue, watching the old man inspect a few coins on the counter.

"Where did you get these?" The man behind the counter said as he finally looked up. "Rare to find coins in this condition that aren't in storage boxes or already registered."

"I have more... my father kept them all in an old cash box," supplied the younger man with a charming smile. "I wasn't aware they were particularly valuable until I took some to the bank... they sent me here."

The numismatist eyed the other man-- hardly more than a boy in his opinion-- and adjusted his glasses. "Fortunately for you, I haven't heard of any collections going missing lately. I'll buy these from you now, and if the others are the same quality, I'll sell them for you on consignment. Obviously I don't keep enough cash on hand to buy too many at once."

"Agreed." The young man smiled and offered a slender aristocratic hand. The store keeper shook it perfunctorily and then rummaged out a contract for the consignment. The younger man filled out the papers and handed them back in exchange for the money for the first batch of coins. "I'll bring the others by later today?"

"That'll be fine, yes, Mr..." The old man frowned at the paper, then removed the loupe from his eye to read the elegant chirography on the contract. "Mr. Winters. I'll be here 'til five."

"I'll return shortly, then." Winters raised his hand to a nonexistent hat brim in salute, and then stepped out into the afternoon light. He glanced up at the sky and reached into his vest pocket to pull out... nothing. Alarmed, he began patting other pockets, and then strode off down the street with a concerned expression.

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#3
Old 10-03-2013, 05:45 AM


The thief rounded a corner only to whirl back around it a moment, his eyes locked on Crispin as he patted himself down, searching for his stubborn pocket watch, no doubt. He smirked a bit, what an easy mark the man had been and he was clearly just selling something else of his... the thought of cash was sounding pretty nice right about now, what with the laughable amount the watch went for. Then again from looking at his dress and his manner he could probably get a lot more with some more vigorous methods...

He drew out a mobile and made a call. His location, his mark and where they'd drag Crispin off to to extract everything they could was laid out in a minute's time. This was his native ground and there were plenty of places he knew you could take a man away for some private 'business deals' should the situation call for it and how this one begged!

Spade hung back against another wall, the way this guy was keeping to the corner as if he were watching someone else bothered him... sure he was doing the same thing, himself, but at least he didn't just try to sell something which was obviously stolen. A thought passed through his mind for a moment that it might have been wiser to put the watch away instead of chasing after a potential criminal with it and all, but there wasn't anything else to do for it now.

The thief and his friends made their move toward Crispin. Forcibly grabbing him and making very translatable motions with the blades of knives. They were going to take him to a warehouse half a block away.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#4
Old 10-03-2013, 09:01 PM

Crispin Winters walked down the sidewalk blindly, obviously preoccupied with the loss of his watch. He was about to turn back toward the coin shop to begin retracing his steps when a man stepped in front of him. More men closed in on either side, and before he knew it he was completely surrounded. An attempt to reach into his inner pocket was aborted by the flash of a knife on one side and something poking his back on the other.

"You just be nice and quiet, and nobody will get hurt," growled one of the thieves, nudging Crispin down an alley. Another searched the inner pocket and laughed. "He wasn't going for a gun! He was just gonna hand us another one of them watches, look!"

They laughed raucously as they guided him down the street, and Crispin gritted his teeth, cursing his foolishness. Nothing for it, though. He'd have to cooperate with these ruffians until there was an opportunity to escape.

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#5
Old 10-16-2013, 03:41 AM

Ethan swore under his breath and followed the men more closely. They were the worst kind of person he could rely on appearing on this street of shops and while they were new faces to him, he assumed that was because they were laying low in another area for something similar. That didn't matter now, though. Some nerd was being robbed at the edge of a knife... robbed or worse seeing them disappear into an old warehouse.

Thick billows of dust wafted out into the sunlight from a door left half open. Light illuminated the dust kicked up in by their passage into the warehouse from grimy browned windows far above, giving their path away into the patches of darkness. Sometimes Ethan would catch loud bursts of echos from their jeering voices, mocking the poor man they had in their sights. They intended to take everything off of him, clothes, bank account information and all and they weren't expecting to be followed... the street had pretty much been deserted and let's face it... it wasn't exactly the kind of street to have CCTV cameras on it despite the usefulness of it all...

Ethan's boots found some fallen glass and crunched it under foot which brought the loud jeers to an abrupt pause. He cursed again and clenched his fist around the pocket watch he had just purchased. He'd either have to fist fight these thugs or find a quick way out.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#6
Old 10-16-2013, 05:43 PM

Crispin hated to admit it, even to himself, but he was growing concerned. He was fairly certain he could handle one ruffian, and if there were only two he could probably knock one over and outrun the other... The four surrounding him now, however, were obviously professionals and used to working together. His best option seemed to be to cooperate meekly until there was an opening or a distraction.

The thieves searched his pockets, ribbing their impromptu leader when they found several more watches in their search for his wallet. The leader snatched the wallet and opened it, ignoring his cohorts. His satisfied smirk at the sight of the cash inside vanished almost immediately as he studied the rest of the wallet's contents-- or lack thereof. "What the hell!? No id, no credit cards... not even a fucking library card!"

Crispin racked his brain for a way to answer that wouldn't annoy his questioner enough to use the sharp knife that was suddenly pricking the hollow of his throat. He was relieved of the instant response by the sound of a footprint somewhere in the warehouse. Immediately alert, the leader started whispering orders. "Ken take left, Ern take right, Mick check the doors. I'll keep our meal ticket company."

The three dispersed, moving noiselessly through the gloomy building, and Crispin eyed the pile of watches on the floor. Inspiration struck, and he tried to keep triumph from showing on his face as he meekly whispered, "I don't keep my identification on me unless I'll need it... pickpockets, you know. It's all in my automobile."

"Pull the other one, it's got bells on. You don't have any keys." The thief sneered. "I probably wasn't the first to pick your pocket today."

Crispin raised his head, attempting to look offended and snobbish. "It's remote controlled. My watch isn't a watch."

The thief looked from his captive to the pile of watches and back. With anyone else, he would have assumed the man was lying, but this guy obviously had a watch fetish. Steampunk, or whatever they were calling it this week. "Which one?-- Don't reach for it, point it out to me."

His move to pick up the watch aborted, Crispin pointed at the pile. "The one with the hourglass design. You twist the knob on the side instead of pushing the button that opens it."

"Alright. Don't try anything funny, though, unless you want to get real intimate with this knife." Warily, the thief stepped toward the pile, keeping his eyes on Crispin. He glanced down for a heartbeat to locate the right watch, and picked it up. It took some coordinating to get a hold of the delicate knob without lowering his weapon, but he finally managed, and his twist was rewarded with a silvery chime. "So where's it parked?"

"Oh, dear... I believe I directed you to the wrong watch." Crispin smiled as a number of slender segmented limbs suddenly extended from the watch, making the innocent timepiece resemble a mechanical spider. The thief glanced at it reflexively and let out a shocked oath. Before he could react further, a fist crashed into his face and he stumbled into a stack of boxes. He recovered by bouncing off them, and looked around to see his erstwhile victim snatching up another watch and pushing a button before throwing it at him.

His last thought before the watch hit him squarely in the chest was This shit only happens in comic books!

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#7
Old 10-17-2013, 07:14 AM

Ethan spotted a ladder up to a catwalk and quickly pulled himself up it. It was a very temporary solution, but he'd be able to check on their victim from up high before they... they were splitting up. He gritted his teeth and kept low on the catwalk. At least they were splitting up, but he assumed they each had a knife on their person. The closest was practically on top of the glass he had crushed underfoot within seconds and Spade did his best to hold his breath. His mother would kill him if he got into another knife fight... she didn't raise him to get into fights like that! -- Well, she hoped for so much.

Just as the billows of dust had given away their presence to Spade, the cleaner rungs of the ladder gave away his position to the thug and he hurried his way up to the catwalk in pursuit only to have his fingers stomped on at the top rung. "Sorry 'bout that." Spade offered only to be a tad cheeky before blowing down to the other end of the catwalk. His pursuer was not impressed and called out to his companions. Spade only cursed louder in response and wove his way across the metal catwalk, no longer attempting a silent, stealthy escape but a wild, knotted course that at least the men chasing him would have a devil of a time figuring out. He, after all, had been all through this warehouse before as a kid. He knew where the ladders were and what ropes and chains could hold his weight-- "A-Err!" -- So that wasn't one of those ropes after all.

He was on the ground now at least, sure he was on his back but everything seemed to be on straight... Spade looked up and saw Crispin for the first time directly before his attention was caught by a mechanical spider. His face momentarily twisted into pure confusion before he remembered the watch in his pocket. Anticipating that it would erupt into a mass of mechanized legs and go to the man's aid Spade squeezed the button down until finally there was a metal 'click' signalling it was open. Voices behind him meant that the men who were following him had made their way down to the ground as well and were quickly coming up behind Spade now-- there was no time like the present to have some kind of miraculous watch spider freak device scare the crap out of these thieves, right?

Spade whirled around and let the cover of the watch drop open while he clamped his eyes closed, willing it to go forth and destroy as he would assume it would be pleased as punch to do... but this mechanism was not spidery in function... instead it clicked several times with a face like an altered compass toward something vaguely to the East of them. He peaked at the watch and then at the confused men who were quickly getting less confused and more annoyed by his antics. "Well isn't that just...typical"

The fight was on. Spade was swinging and dodging and being very lucky to knock two of the three knives dancing around him out of their owners' hands but it was clear that he was facing too much with too little to work with especially with a fist full of clockwork.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#8
Old 10-18-2013, 03:25 AM

Triumph flickered across Crispin's face as the thrown watch exploded into a mass of cords weighted so they'd wrap around whatever they hit. The footpad fell to the floor, tangling himself tighter as he cursed and struggled. The metal spider began crawling over him then, taking loose ends of cord and tying them into neat knots.

One enemy neutralized, the erstwhile hostage began looking for a way to take on the others. He could hear them getting closer, apparently following the source of the noise that had sent them away. Suddenly, almost without warning, the noise-making stranger plummeted to the ground in front of Crispin. He wasn't dressed like the others, and something about his attitude seemed trustworthy. He sprang to his feet before there was a chance to offer assistance, just as the remaining thieves arrived, and was ready to defend himself... with the device Winters had been searching for when he was accosted!

Crispin was frozen with surprise for a moment in which time the three ruffians converged on Spade. Even after he recovered from surprise it took precious seconds before their tight formation broke up enough to join in without risking the other man. The thieves were still ignoring Winters in favor of the more obvious threat, which gave him a significant advantage. The one who hadn't lost his knife suddenly staggered into another as the elegantly dressed man jumped onto his back with the world's most civilized war cry. "Throw down your weapons, you blackguards!"

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#9
Old 10-21-2013, 04:19 PM

"Oi!" The armed thief yowled, turning his attention to the smaller man who had clambered onto his back, "Get 'dis piece'a **** off me!"

The nearest of his companions quickly pulled on Winter's jacket to yank the man off and onto the ground, but his jaw was suddenly struck by Spade's fist and he was forced backwards. The distraction of Crispin jumping onto their friend's back had completely removed Spade from their thoughts into which he had just come crashing back in. A fourth man swung his arms around to catch hold of him, but lost his hold around his arms. Ethan grinned to himself a bit, feeling on top of the world now that he was on top of the fight thanks to Crispin interceding. Jovially he nodded at the man, still clinging to the brute's back "You can't just be calling people black, man. Some people find that rude."

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#10
Old 10-21-2013, 06:57 PM

Crispin noted approvingly that the stranger was very good. Much better than he was. He watched the pugilistic dance in admiration, even as he searched for the right grip and finally locked his arm around the throat of his two-legged steed in a sleeper hold. Spade's flippant grin called forth an answering one to Crispin's aristocratic face. "Oh dear, I certainly wouldn't want to be rude. You will forgive me, won't you?"

The question was directed at the thief whose struggles had turned to staggers as he fought for air. His only response to the question was to slowly sink to his knees and then slump further down into unconsciousness. Winters raised a sardonic brow and released his hold, stepping away from the prone thief. "It seems he couldn't think of a proper response."

Dusting his hands off, Crispin looked around to see if there was anything else he could do to assist his presumable rescuer.

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#11
Old 10-21-2013, 08:10 PM

Ethan laughed and looked back over at Crispin's work, impressed by the smaller man's skill. In doing so he underestimated the recovery of his opponent and got a fist to the stomach and proceeded to fold himself over it with a long groan. Sinking to the floor the sound slowly turned into a slow mutter about the thief's illegitimate conception in less than polite words, naturally. It wasn't necessarily this which coaxed the thief to start kicking Ethan, but it certainly didn't dissuade him.

But the criminal was aware of Winters at this point and with a quick check to make sure he wasn't about to be hit himself, the villan beat his hasty retreat out of the warehouse. His comrades were worse for wear but they wouldn't blame him for hopefully giving at least one of these guys a broken rib.

With another groan Spade pushed himself up onto his feet and looked around. His good mood had vanished. Forced out of him with his breath and as he looked around he could see that there was no use in trying to catch and knock about the guy that did it to him. Some deep and wincing breaths later he finally nodded at Winters and made his way over to a collection of busted crates "You okay? These bastards didn't cut you up any, did they?" He grumbled before setting himself down for a bit of a rest while the spider-like mechanic scuttled it's way toward the fallen men with intent to tie them up.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#12
Old 10-21-2013, 09:54 PM

"I'm quite unhurt... I'm not certain about you, however." Crispin eyed Spade with some concern. Judging that he was at least able to walk and move about, the smaller man set to collecting his possessions from the thieves. Watches, handkerchief, and wallet went back to their proper pockets, except for the one attached to the net, the spider, and of course the one Spade still held. Thoughtfully unknotting his ascot, Winters decided to gather those in the order that he'd lost them.

The net was bound tightly around the still-cursing leader of the group of thieves, and his struggles didn't make its removal any easier. Finally, Winters knelt on the man's neck to keep him still while he detached the watch from the cords. It came off easily, and he eyed it ruefully. That's going to be a nuisance to re-load... Obviously worth the effort, though... perhaps a reloading mechanism is in order...

Seemingly lost in his musings, he moved to sit near the other thieves as the spider gleefully tied together whatever it could find about their persons. Shoelaces, waistband strings, jacket toggles, all were knotted together into bows, overhands, half hitches, a scout troop's worth of neatly tangled strings. As Crispin sat down the spider just finished binding the dreadlocks of one would-be thief with the cornrows of another. That task complete, it turned around slowly, seeming to look for something. When it was facing Crispin, it scurried toward him on tiny ticking legs and latched onto the dangling ends of his cravat. He chuckled and let it tie the neckpiece before pushing the button that caused it to fold up its legs into the case.

Smiling, he turned to the final watch. "Would it be rude to ask how you came by my watch?"

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#13
Old 10-22-2013, 05:38 AM

The sight of the small arachnid-like device darting about, tying things compulsively was more than a dozen nightmares wrapped up into one living vision. Spade's mouth fell slack watching it crawl over the mens' shoulders and then almost bashfully up to Crispin who, as if it were as clear a thing to do as buttering bread with a knife, but the tiny clinking horror to rest. A quiet moment passed by as Ethan regained his faculties, punctuated with a sharp shake of his head. "A-Alright, then. Um... No. I'm fine."

Ready or not he forced himself up onto his feet and handed over the watch upon Crispin's request. "That one sold it to me... well I kind of ripped him off but it seems like it was a fair deal seeing what it led to." With a quick nod of his head toward the leader of the gang Spade's eyes crept back to the knot-tying device. It was hardly distinguishable from the other watches and fobs this man had decided to bedazzle himself with- strange clothing choice, but this was London. Ethan Spade had seen strange and definitely, definitely worse.

"Look, we'd probably do best getting out of here now and making sure you have all of your things. What's your name?" He offered, shuffling toward the door he used to slip inside.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#14
Old 10-22-2013, 07:32 PM

"I'm most grateful. I'll be happy to repay whatever you gave him... and more, for your trouble. If you hadn't arrived I imagine things would have gotten unpleasant." Crispin rose gracefully from the floor and delicately stepped around the tangled mass of thieves. He noted in passing that the spider had shown surprising discretion in its knot-tying, binding more active victims to inert ones as if it knew that would be the best way to slow their escape. That was absurd, however. The spider couldn't think, it could only tie knots. Even the choice of knot was determined by the size of the string or rope it was presented with, despite the mocking impression given by the tidy bows on the leader's coccoon.

Crispin accepted the watch from Spade and opened it with the nonchalance of long habit. His casual posture vanished upon seeing the face of the compass, and his languid ease was replaced by barely suppressed excitement. He might have dashed off immediately had Ethan not still been talking. "I'm certain I have everything they took from my pockets. If I've left anything else, it's not important."

"My name? Good heavens, it seems being accosted by ruffians has completely destroyed my manners." There was a barely noticeable pause and a look of concentration on Winters' face, as if he was making a point to phrase his next words carefully. "My name is Winters. Crispin Winters. It is a great pleasure to meet you, especially under the circumstances."

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#15
Old 10-22-2013, 08:22 PM

This... man was strange. Spade wrinkled his brow slightly, unsure if he really wanted to walk outside into the light of day with this guy but he was offering pay and honestly the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see how that spider-knot-clock thing worked. "Yeah, don't worry about that. I'm Ethan."

As they stepped outside into the shade of what Spade assumed was a cloud he looked back again at Crispin somewhat curious about the glimmer trapped in his eye "You'll be alright then? This isn't exactly the best neighborhood for... people like... you..." There was a slight brushing of something on his shoulder and Spade started brushing at it quickly only to find it was a rope. He looked up quickly to see the bottom of what looked like a large sailing ship and gaped. It had to be some luxury airship considering the size, the look of the hull.

He stuttered a bit and then looked to Crispin for answers. "Y-yours?" He sputtered at length before looking back up at the ship. He'd never even hoped to know someone well off enough to own an airship. Only the richest or most powerful people could afford their own. Heck, Spade was pretty certain he couldn't even afford an air cruise without winning a lottery or something like that. No wonder why this man was a target to those thieves... but... why was he here? Why would anyone of that quality be in this neighborhood?

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#16
Old 10-22-2013, 10:49 PM

"I'll be quite alright, although I appreciate your concern." Crispin reassured the taller man. The door opened and he nearly laughed aloud. The ruffians had brought him practically to the alley where he'd hidden his ship. The look on Ethan's face when the rope brushed his shoulder was priceless. "Her name is Beatrice. Would you care to come aboard? Crispin gave the rope a twist and a flip, and a ladder unrolled from the deck above them. He held it steady for Ethan, practically radiating pride in the ship. "I can take you wherever you need to go..."

The ladder ended in the bridge, gleaming with bronze and polished wood and windows that provided a view that encompassed almost three quarters of a hemisphere. At the moment the view was simply of the alley and the surrounding buildings, but further up it would be like standing on air. There was a wooden platform above the windows in the floor that led into a hallway running the length the ship. Purposeful-looking bronze pipes hugged the walls of the hallway and occasionally plunged through a wall. There were two doors on each side of the hallway, and another, larger door at the far end. This larger door opened as they boarded the ship, providing a glimpse of the engine room beyond, and allowing a larger cousin of the spider-watch to emerge. This one had sponges and polishing rags wrapped around many of its myriad legs, making it look like an obsessive-compulsive tarantula as it skittered down the hall polishing away imaginary fingerprints and specks of dust.

"Well?" Crispin asked expectantly, "What do you think?"

Last edited by Wyrmskyld; 10-23-2013 at 01:11 AM..

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#17
Old 10-23-2013, 07:19 AM

Spade could hardly believe it... he hardly heard the words leave Crispin's lips but he knew what he was suppose to hear. He wasted no time climbing up the ladder and into the ship only to be wowed by it's style. Of course it was very similar to his host, but what a style! Everything looked like it was brand new but in a very odd, old sort of way. When the larger sponge-spider came clinkering down the hall he gave it a wide birth and fixed his eyes on more of the pipes and weights here-and-there around the ship "Can I... Can I see the engine? I have a bit of a thing for engines..."

'A bit of a thing' was an understatement. Ethan Spade had wanted to be an engineer as soon as he could pronounce the word and perhaps even a bit before that. He was unusually skilled at taking things apart, improving their functionality and, most importantly, putting them back together. What he did lack was the money to get that funny bit of parchment which asserted these skills to employers. From childhood he dreamed of owning and tinkering with an airship of his own... now he was on a private airship and he might have a chance to see it's engine... it was the closest to his dream that he would ever be.

The chance that Crispin would say yes completely distracted him of the fact that the sponge-spider had started working on Spade's dusty old boots.

Last edited by Mythos; 10-23-2013 at 07:21 AM..

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#18
Old 10-23-2013, 03:33 PM

The dreamy look on Ethan's face warmed Crispin's heart. He wasn't entirely certain why he'd invited a stranger on board--he seldom brought people onto the ship, because they never seemed to appreciate her. The Beatrice was Crispin's home, wife, and child all rolled into one, and it pained him when visitors merely made polite noises. Ethan, however, was as delighted by the ship as anyone could have asked, and his question was certainly not mere polite noise.

"Of course! There are th-- er, two engines, actually. One for lift and one for propulsion." Crispin led the other man down the hallway and threw wide the door. The engine room gleamed from its recent cleaning, and it was obvious that as much aesthetic care had been taken here as in the rest of the ship. The engines looked streamlined and elegant despite their bulk, and handsome screens of bronze scrollwork disguised the necessary untidiness of the room's two workbenches. It looked like an engineer's fairy tale.

Unfortunately, like all fairy tales, there were some jarring notes. There were, indeed, two engines, but there was also a third component dominating the floor. It seemed to be the same general size and shape as the engines, but it was shrouded in white linen, and Crispin seemed to go out of his way to avoid looking at it. Also, here and there, the discerning eye could find signs that hinted as to why the third engine was so shrouded. A few scorch marks on the floor around it, some dents on the other engines, and a large discolored spot on one wall as if it had been replaced with a slightly different shade of wood. Something devastating had happened to the third engine.

"I've seen more efficient engine configurations recently, but I was more or less making it up as I went along. I might do it differently if I were to build her again, but it made sense at the time." Crispin walked past the shrouded hulk and rested a hand on one of the other engines with a caressing gesture. "She's a lovely ship the way she is, though, and more efficient than one would expect. It would break my heart if anything happened to her."

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#19
Old 10-23-2013, 10:42 PM

Spade was clearly enchanted. Like a child entering Wonderland his eyes didn't so much dart from place to place but trace the metalwork from place to place, following the elegant lines within the structure. The symmetry of the room was pure artistry yet the organic curves in the pipes and struts provided a natural beauty of it's own. But there was more... the third engine, shrouded in linen. He wanted to ask Crispin about it but the way he seemed to avoid it made him think the better of it. With those scorch marks and the clear damage in around the item it was clear this thing was at least some source of stress for him in the past.

The words his host was saying finally caught in his ears and it stopped him short. "You said you built these? Like... you built this ship? All of it? You didn't hire a crew or anything?" Speaking of crew... the ship seemed to be void of anyone else. "Um... is everyone having a break?"

He had to double step to catch up with Crispin but as he did so his jacket caught onto one of the ornate curls of the grate covering some of the mechanics and torn a hole at it's pocket. He grit his teeth and inspected it... it had sounded pretty bad, but he could repair it... his mother would kick up a fuss, though.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#20
Old 10-24-2013, 01:07 AM

"Yes.. from the ground up." Crispin draped his arm across an engine as if it were a child he was proud of. "There wasn't anyone else to help, except with the heavy lifting. Anyone who could have helped more than that would have thought I was mad... I probably was."

He trailed off, his eyes focusing on the past. Remembered pain flickered across his face for a few long seconds before his reverie broke and he and flashed Ethan a sad little smile. "The doctors say I'm sane now, for what that's worth. And no, I didn't hire a crew... there isn't one. Beatrice flies beautifully with only a captain. Sometimes it gets a bit frantic if there's a problem, but those don't come up often."

Crispin's eyes seemed drawn to the hidden engine for a moment before he shook off the melancholy and focused on the first distraction at hand. He'd heard the ripping sound as Ethan's jacket tore even though he'd been distracted at the time, and that fact finally processed its way to the front of his mind. "I can mend that for you. It won't take a moment... and then I'd be happy to show you her paces, if you want."

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#21
Old 10-24-2013, 08:35 PM

When all had been going so beautifully, Spade was shaken to realization that his host wasn't normal. The fact that he was alone on a strange ship with a man who had apparently once been crazy enough for a doctor to become involved worried him. Clearly he was a genius. Only a genius could create something so incredible by themselves but then again there is always that phrase... genius and insanity being separated by but a thin line... he creased his brows and cleared his throat.

"I would imagine it would be hectic. This isn't anywhere near your cockpit. But I really shouldn't spend too much more of your time. I do have to get back to work." He admitted and started to back track toward the hatch. He hated to leave, but it was the smart thing to do.

A few paces until the door he bumped into something and looked back at it... the sponge-spiderwork tilted it's body some as if to eye a person who rudely knocked into them. He smiled uncomfortably at the contraption before it accosted him with it's sponge toting legs, causing him to fall on the floor with a grunt. It scrubbed viciously at his face, hands, belt buckle and nails in a kind of domestic fury Ethan hadn't even witnessed from his own mother. He yelped some and tried to push it away only to find it was dragging him to one of the walls of the ship where another knot tying spiderwork was waiting for him with what looked like the sleeves and straps of a parachute.

This was it, he was sure Winters had pressed some hidden button to have these horrible things trap him! He kicked at the sponge carrying spiderwork, but it in turn caught his foot and worked on scrubbing the bottom of his boot which it had not managed to clean upon his arrival. "What the hell is this!?" He shouted, turning a glare directly to Crispin but the owner of Beatrice would likely have been distracted by something which would have distressed Spade even more... the ship was moving on it's own. They were going to be leaving London immediately.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#22
Old 10-24-2013, 10:24 PM

Crispin felt overwhelmed by disappointment when Ethan started making his departure. After the other man's interest in the ship, he had hoped they might become friends... but apparently he had driven off yet another person. His struggle to find words that would delay his guest was interrupted by the sudden vibration of the floor. "Oh, no... no no no... not again!"

Frantic now, he raced for the bridge, barely noticing the sudden enthusiasm of the cleaning spider. She hasn't done this for months... I thought I'd fixed this! Arriving at the helm, he threw down a lever to stop the ascent and spun the wheel to check the starboard turn he was sensing. That was his intention, at least. What really happened was that the lever sprung back up as soon as he let go of it, and the wheel remained stubbornly in place even with his full weight against it. The ship's departure didn't slow at all, and Crispin got a wrenched shoulder for his troubles.

The autopilot must be engaged... but I didn't turn it on! The thought galvanized him and he did an abrupt about face, dashing now toward the engine room. He leapt over the supine Spade without slowing, only shouting a single word of explanation, "Autopilot!"

The autopilot system was set, pointing toward some spot in the middle of the Atlantic. Turning dials and flipping levers didn't change the course, nor did beating the panel with his fist. Defeated, he slumped to the floor beside the autopilot and pleaded with the ship. "Please, love, we don't have time for this... I just found one of the items in London, and we have a guest... we can't just kidnap him..."

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#23
Old 11-05-2013, 08:54 PM

"The Hell it was!" Spade shouted before the two spiderworks crept high enough on his chest to distract him from continuing his argument. With his arms bound to his sides he tried his best to blow them off of his but to no avail. In an act of further defiance the sponge-carrying spiderwork wiped down Spade's face before skittering down the hall to make certain Crispin wasn't causing smudges on something else on the Beatrice.

Ethan took a deep breath and nearly caught a moment of relief before he felt a tug... then another. The smaller knot-bot had found another piece of rope which it had tied behind him and was using it to hoist him up to get him off of the floor. Misinterpreting this he started bellowing for Crispin to cut him down which, especially at the word 'cut', alarmed the little knot-bot causing it to start putting a gag on the man.

The ship was taking a sharp turn now, aiming itself to the most direct path to the mid-Atlantic.

Wyrmskyld
(っ◕‿◕)&...

Penpal
2597.38
Wyrmskyld is offline
 
#24
Old 11-06-2013, 06:21 PM

Crispin's surrender to the inevitable journey didn't really take very long. The first time Beatrice had taken the bit in her teeth like this, he'd spent the entire journey fighting against her whims. The time after that, it had only been three hours. Now, he almost felt like he was just flipping switches to pass the time. Everything else on the ship was functioning perfectly, at least. The hum of the engines filled his ears and vibrated his bones soothingly, without a hint of the tremors or stutters that indicated a problem. I'll have to take her apart again... perhaps Ethan can find what's triggering the problem. He seems to know his way around mach-- "Ethan!"

How could he have forgotten his unwilling passenger? Crispin raced back down the hallway to see the other man gagged and hanging from the wall like a bizarre bit of artwork. The knot-tying spider was on Ethan's shoulder tightening the cords holding him upright, its whole form radiating satisfaction. Crispin buried his face in his hands. "I am very, very sorry, Ethan... Obviously this is malfunctioning, too..."

Deactivating the spider was simple. Untying Ethan was less so, as the knots had been tightened by his struggles. Crispin finally produced a small penknife and cut the cords, careful not to cut Ethan instead. Once his unfortunate passenger was freed, Winters looked up at him with a pathetic expression like a puppy who isn't sure if it's done something wrong. "Er... the autopilot's also acting up... I can't turn her around. I should be able to sort it out once we get to whatever our destination is. Would you like a cup of tea while we wait?"

Mythos
deimoni isos
5015.13
Mythos is offline
 
#25
Old 02-06-2014, 06:12 AM

"You think?" Ethan was doing his best not to growl at the slight man, after all he was cutting him down from the wall now, but what he was saying kept him on edge. "What-what do you mean the autopilot is acting up? Destination? You'd better mean somewhere on this end of the river!" He fumed and shook his wrist as it became free from the ropes.

A sudden lurching of the airship indicated the Beatrice was actually speeding up and Spade gave Crispin a warning look. "If that's what I think it was you'd better be offering me some bloody good tea. We're talking Whittard's at least."

 



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

 
Forum Jump

no new posts